Ever since Hot Rod metamorphosed into Rodimus Prime in the 1986 animated Transformers movie, fans have been envisioning what other prominent Autobots would look like wielding the Matrix of Leadership. Arise, Bumblebee Prime.
Despite what the upcoming Robots in Disguise animated series might say, humble Volkswagon (or Corvette some freaking Chevrolet for you movie fans) Bumblebee is a follower, not a leader. So were he forced to take up the ancient artifact that once transformed lowly Orion Pax into the mighty Optimus Prime, he'd likely be as big and pissed off as artist Enjaysee Customs depicts him in this gorgeous work of customization.
So, what would happen if Bumblebee had no choice but to take the Matrix and step up. Upgraded and seriously pissed off is my vision of exactly that!
Base used was a leader class DotM Sentinel Prime. The back pack was removed and hinges added to allow the figure to look much better from the side as well as stand more easily. It was next partly dismantled, primed with top quality plastic primer and prominent screw holes filled. The hands are by UFO and fully articulated at every joint. The head was designed by myself, 3D printed via shapeways and mounted using a Lego ball joint to allow more freedom of movement. The large guns are from a RotF Prime figure, the small guns and sword are by Dr Wu and the medium turrets are by the excellent FakeBuster on Shapeways.
The whole figure was painted by hand and decals designed by myself and printed on a professional Alps printer.
And suddenly I'm desperately searching for a Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime of my own.
If you think the robot mode is impressive, wait until you get a load of Bumblebee Prime here in vehicle form.
Just soak in the details — the angry bee motif, the side mirrors that look like antennae, the Bee-Otch brand tires and that blue and silver sticker on the door panel, echoing the stripes on Optimus Prime's trailer.
Bonus points if you get the license plate reference.
I'm sitting here with the new Bumblebee figure from the upcoming animated series on my desk. I look at these pictures. I look down at his unblemished yellow plastic and despise him for not being more like Enjaysee's creation.
That's no leader. This. This is a leader.
While I gently weep into my hands, head over to Enjaycee's Facebook page for more pictures — including some outstanding work in progress shots — of the Bumblebee Prime we'll never have.