New Beelzeboss "Growing Pains" Goldbug Upgrade Set Images

I prefer the style of this head to Renderform's, but Renderform's Gold Scout kit gives you more accessories. If this head is more to-scale with classics Bumblebee than the Renderform version, I may actually buy this kit too.

Man, I'm a sucker.

Looks a lot more G1 now, glad I chose this one rather than RFs - Don't get me wrong, RFs is Great - but it has to be G1 all - day - long guys, Do we have a definitive date yet? I'm Itching to get my Grubby Mitts on this.

These look pretty nice, but I'll stick with Renderform.

I'm really surprised to see another 3rd party designer making a different Goldbug kit, especially after Renderform/Venkstra's popular design. And yes it is popular, he apparently met his quota and sold out practicaly all of his planned kits I have to respectfully disagree with member Quantum Reflex's comment:
"Looks a lot more G1 now, glad I chose this one rather than RFs".

It looks more G1 now based on what? These are computer generated examples, they still have yet to release (to my knowledge) an actual hands-on solid prototype complete with paint aps and gun color detail. Renderform did this weeks ago as his ordering process geared up so he could show his potential customers what they were getting. And I too am G1 allllll day long, and based on what I'm seeing thus far Renderform is the clear winner here. When you do a product and cost comparison, your actually getting more for your money with RF...a headsculpt (which is VERY accurate in my opinion) and TWO guns. The RF upgrade kit makes little modest insecure Bumblebee into more of the bad-ass 'bot he always wanted to be. Also you get the benefit of multiple color options for those people out there that don't have the patience or money to track down a United Gold Bumblebee. And having that option is the tipping point here. I ordered both a black and navy-blue version (and it was nice to have that option) not to mention the kickass Bumper and Hubcap sculpts Venkstra's got coming down the pipeline. Completing the minibot line for Classics collectors...now thats G1 loyalty!

The only downside here is Renderforms unique ordering process which makes his products difficult to trackdown if you miss out during the initial ordering process (I'm still trying to find a freakin' RED ALERT kit that I missed out on back in the winter). So the benifit of "Devil" kits is they can generally be purchased at TF Source etc...and I did appreciate and admire their Cliffjumper kit (both red & yellow versions).
Everybodies entitled to their opinion but I'm going to have to go with Renderform on this one.

Yes. I picked up the upgrade for Cliffjumper they made, loved it. I will be buying this, sorry Renderform.

a headsculpt (which is VERY accurate in my opinion)

I'm trying to figure out why such an angry reply, anyway... Compare the two dude, It's not very accurate at all, pick up an original GB and look, Don't go by memory - Take a look, There are three notches on either side of the head, two horns and a Mohawk with a couple of notches and a triangle, RF's artistic interpretation has extra stuff here n there, missing notches here n there. I commend rendleform on his great job and commitment to his fans and I even waited until I saw his creations before I pre-ordered Beelzeboss. However RFs is not G1 and not as accurate as Beelzeboss Prototype pics, It's true I haven't got it in my hands yet but Glad it's on order ( the pricing is Terrible though!). You are entitled to your opinion and that's what makes this life interesting but in no way shape or form could you ever convince me RF's is "very accurate".

getting renderform and this. not a deep pockets, i just love goldbug!

While the Beelzeboss set is more G1, Renderform's set looks more "NEO" to match the classics body which is not G1 because it is not a VW Beetle. I think Im just gonna buy both and switch em up once in a while.

Ooooo... Daddykins like!

[Snarl: Like! LIKE! Like whole bunch!]

Sweet, glad there's ETA on this. Especially considering these were offered before the Renderform/Venksta kits. I think his looks fine but I much prefer the clean look of this.

Flux Convoy wrote:Sweet, glad there's ETA on this. Especially considering these were offered before the Renderform/Venksta kits. I think his looks fine but I much prefer the clean look of this.

Agreed, I love RF's stuff (and have one of his sets pre-ordered as well), but I think Beelzeboss wins this one.

Renderform for me because I likey the two oversized guns he comes with.

But the Beelzeboss head dose look very nice. I probably would have ordered one if RF didn't have his up first.

Prime Evil wrote:Renderform for me because I likey the two oversized guns he comes with.

But the Beelzeboss head dose look very nice. I probably would have ordered one if RF didn't have his up first.

He didn't. The Renderform kit went up October 3rd. The Beelzeboss kit? Around July 12th or so. I know it couldn't have been more than 3 days after it was offered that I placed my order.

He didn't. The Renderform kit went up October 3rd.

I don't believe thats accurate. I'll have to go to Renderforms website to get the exact dates down and all, but I ordered my RF-006 (goldbug) kit in Sept during the initial pre-order long before Oct. 3. He opended the orders back up for a couple of days a few weeks later, that might have been around the 3rd, again I would have to check the site log to get specifics but I know it was early Sept when I ordered mine because it took almost a month for Venksta to send my order confirmation email etc. I waited for that e-mail for weeks, so thats why I'm adamant about this (not that anybody really gives a sh*%) LOL.

And as for this debate on which mock-up came first I go back to what I said above...Preorders for Beezle may have been in July but RenderForm was the first to actually show pictures of the finished prototype for customer viewing and Beezlboss has yet to do that to my knowledge so for all intents and purposes I disagree, I think Renderform has been on top of this one as far as generating customer interest. Especially considering that he's a one-man-band and came up with the actual pictures for the guns AND additional color schemes on top of designs also for Bumper and Hubcap. True "Beezle" may have been thought up first and pre-ordered first but I'm still waiting for my Siebertron .com update any day now with actual pictures of a Beezle head on a gold "United BumbleBee"...and have yet to see it other than computer generated mock-ups. And I agree with the member above who mentioned liking the RF kits b/c of the NEO nature of the mini-coop alt mode rather than the classic VW. Thats a good point. I think the Beezle design will sell just fine, the ordering procedure will no doubt be more user-friendly than Renderform. Venksta needs to start getting his products to TFsource instead of trying to be all exclusive (but as long as his designs are still kick ass I'll jump through his hoops...for now).

Renderform for me. Can't wait for his Bumper, Hubcap, and CJ sets too.

The Beezleboss head looks good on paper but that's not good enough for me. I didn't like the look of their CJ head at all.

it's a really nice head. but i don't think BB's mold screams "goldbug"!
need to find another mold for the body

Flux Convoy wrote:

Prime Evil wrote:Renderform for me because I likey the two oversized guns he comes with.

But the Beelzeboss head dose look very nice. I probably would have ordered one if RF didn't have his up first.

He didn't. The Renderform kit went up October 3rd. The Beelzeboss kit? Around July 12th or so. I know it couldn't have been more than 3 days after it was offered that I placed my order.

Doh! What I meant was I didn't place my order until I saw an actual proto pic, not mock up. So Renderform had pics of the actual head up first. I still want to see the actual head (Growing Pains) on a BB figure. That was pretty much what sold me on Venksta's stuff. Well, and the fact that I actually have the Darkwing head and just really impressed with that. But as for G1 accuracy, I think Beezleboss's head is the more accurate of the two for sure. But hey, it's all good for both parties and prices are almost the same so I think both parties can come away with success in this case.

amcgrath929 wrote:Renderform for me. Can't wait for his Bumper

Same here!! I got my United BB and RTS BB this past Tues and are awaiting their new heads...well, Classics BB will be my Bumper and RTS will be good ole "B".

Prime Evil wrote:

amcgrath929 wrote:Renderform for me. Can't wait for his Bumper

Same here!! I got my United BB and RTS BB this past Tues and are awaiting their new heads...well, Classics BB will be my Bumper and RTS will be good ole "B".

I'm using United as Goldbug, RTS as Hubcap and the first Classics BB as Bumper. I have Henkei Bumblebee who'll stay as is. Which means I need to track down ANOTHER freaking Classics BB. Sheesh, the mania for these homages to little known characters baffles me. I'm caught up in it too, just saying. Oh, and I went ahead and ordered the Beelzeboss kit after being pretty impressed with his previous kit. They're good quality items. I'd like to support both but I went this route this time. The Renderform head just looked too "busy" to me.

Flux Convoy wrote:

Prime Evil wrote:

amcgrath929 wrote:Renderform for me. Can't wait for his Bumper

Same here!! I got my United BB and RTS BB this past Tues and are awaiting their new heads...well, Classics BB will be my Bumper and RTS will be good ole "B".

I'm using United as Goldbug, RTS as Hubcap and the first Classics BB as Bumper. I have Henkei Bumblebee who'll stay as is. Which means I need to track down ANOTHER freaking Classics BB. Sheesh, the mania for these homages to little known characters baffles me. I'm caught up in it too, just saying. Oh, and I went ahead and ordered the Beelzeboss kit after being pretty impressed with his previous kit. They're good quality items. I'd like to support both but I went this route this time. The Renderform head just looked too "busy" to me.

I've got the United Bee for Goldbug(Blue version), Original Classics Bee for Bumper, and the RTS Bee for Hubcap. I'll use the Legacy version as my regular Bumblebee.

I'm trying to figure out why such an angry reply, anyway... Compare the two dude

Whoops, before I forget I wanna publicly apologize to Quantum if my comment came across as angry, after re-reading it myself I can see how it could have easily been taken the wrong way than how I originally intended. There are alot of good natured people on this Message Board and I appreciate everyones input. This has become a nice place to unwind after work. But no doubt, I get a little adamant sometime, sorry.
Anyway, to sum up my point regarding this thread, I've just been going through 3rd party fatigue lately, and all of these new companies (and older ones) are now tackling similar projects and it feels like it's enough to drive a sane person right to the edge between having to choose. I mean yeah I have expendable income but even I am begining to feel manipulated as all these new mom&pop garage knock-offs fight for my $$$ as well as Hasbro/Takara.
Going back to what I was saying above, I have no doubt that the Beezleboss version will be successful, I just don't like the way it looks so far. To me the RD/Venksta version looks like a Has/Tak production.
In other words: Like it or not, the generations line is an updated version of our favorite classics, and the Venksta Goldbug looks like a solid spot-on update of a classic character. When I look at that head sculpt I see Goldbug and he seems to be portrayed alot tougher than I recall from childhood. And yes I went back and reviewed my Marvel Comics and re-watched that god-awful Return of Optimus Prime episode to get a good look at Goldbugs presentation in both and I have to agree that this computer render from Beezle does look more like the Goldbug from then...but that Goldbug was a pansy "OK Optimus, whats the plan?" no doubt with a sh*& eating grin under that mouth plate
It's now 2011 and we've replaced the loveable classic VW beetle with several other small platform cars and the Renderform sculp just looks better suited for that updated "NEO" Mini-coop persona. So to me, when I look at the Venksta sculpt it says GOLDBUG and is very accurate, I wasn't trying to convince anyone that the Beazleboss version wasn't accurate. It just seemed like overkill at this point. The one thing I've taken from all of this is that both of these versions will no doubt go gangbusters and sell out with plenty of happy customers on both sides.
And not that anybody cares but my headsculpt to car dispersal is the following:
-Blue Renderform Goldbug= Gold United Bumblebee
-Black Renderform Goldbug= "Legacy Bumblebee" 25th Anniv WalMart
-Renderform Hubcap= Reveal the Sheild (orange) BumbleBee
-Renderform Bumper=2005 Classics Bumbleebee (original release)
-and Beazleboss Red devil= Cliffjumper for the full effect
(but he may get replaced by the upcoming Renderform version, time will tell)

*Damn, that felt like a math equation.....

Seems like most of us are in agreement on Hubcap and Bumper. More or less, Bumblebee as well. That's interesting.

Courtesy of the Transformers Galaxy Hong Kong Fans Group facebook page we have a few new images of the Beelzeboss "Growing Pains" conversion kit for United Bumblebee. This set has been delayed for quite some time, hopefully these images mean we're getting close to the set's release.

curse these wonderful Head and Gun upgrades! I want it.

Damn I wish I could find a United Goldbug!

That's Windforcelan's Goldbug that he did a few months back, didn't know that he did it for Beelzeboss, I think they might have originally made the upgrade for RTS Bumblebee, since Windforcelan's original version had those stripes on his chest.

Well I have to admit that this turned out better than I thought it would. The CAD prototype photos several months back didn't do the final version justice after the paint apps. I guess I'll be the first commentor to bring up the RENDERFORM version. I've already ordered two of those so I'm hesitant to get one of these (plus I only have one UNITED goldbee). However if the price is right on this I may have to get one just for that awsome box art. Plus those twin pistols may come in handy for something.

I got the Renderform version in hand. It just looks better.

However, this came out pretty good. I think ill get it as well. I repainted a RTS Bumblebee red before I had a Cliffjumper. So this head would make a great classics Chase.

I've had this on preorder since forever from TFSource. Looks great so far.

I wish that more 3rd party companys used light piping (I'm looking at you igear)

Wow! Finally I'll have something to do with my RTS BB. Well, Im expecting it would be $30 less when it comes out to the market. Dang!my wallet is getting juiced by this 3rd party company!

I think I will be picking this up. I kinda like it a lil better then Renderform's design. I do however have his on pre-order as well, but in black. Might use that one for Bugbite now.

Hopefully this comes soon. It feels like it's been forever since I ordered. It'll be nice to get the figure it's intended for off of my desk too, lol!

I seriously hope we don't get a true Classicsverse Goldbug right after I get this, but yeah, I think I'm gonna have to grab this.

Delicon wrote:I seriously hope we don't get a true Classicsverse Goldbug right after I get this, but yeah, I think I'm gonna have to grab this.

We got a "gold Bumblebee" with Goldbug's color schemes at Legends scale.

The Transformers Galaxy Hong Kong Fans Group have received their Beezleboss "Growing Pains" Goldbug conversion kit and posted some nice images of the set installed on United Bumblebee. The set includes a new head and two guns. Check out the images below.

Wow, 7+months worth the wait, Nice one El Duque, I really like the look of this build, the sculpt and the guns are Solid, and the Guns really fit the bill, At first glance I thought the colour was off, then realised it's made of a slightly translucent shiny plastic that gives it a kind of metallic effect under certain light, I like that a lot. Big respect to Beelzeboss for another good quality upgrade.

Really hoping that I find this set and a United Goldbug at Cybertron Con. They look great together.

I gave in and bought it. But my Renderform version will stay on Goldbug and this version will be used for Chase.

Rated X wrote:I gave in and bought it. But my Renderform version will stay on Goldbug and this version will be used for Chase.

Great idea. Glad I've got a spare Classics Cliffjumper!

So, I'm liking these goldbug upgrades (this and Venksta's), but only have a spare Classics BB. Is there any reason everyone uses Unite; is Classics not compatible with the head molds?

beastorm wrote:So, I'm liking these goldbug upgrades (this and Venksta's), but only have a spare Classics BB. Is there any reason everyone uses Unite; is Classics not compatible with the head molds?

Yes classics is compatible since it's the same toy. Everyone is using United Bee for Goldbug is that because he is actually shiny gold color.

Shin_hibiki wrote:

Great idea. Glad I've got a spare Classics Cliffjumper!

Far be it from me to try and tell you or anybody what to do, but here's something to consider...the Cliffjumper mold (even though identical to the original Classic Bee) is more rare than the plethora of Bumblebee Classics that are floating around out there (especially after the Reveal the Shield version was released). If I remember correctly Rated-X painted one of his extra "disposable" Bee's solid red for his Chase figure, correct me if I'm wrong there "X" (see I pay attention LOL). So you might wanna investigate that as an option, that way you could keep the Cliffjumper stock for future resell or as an investment in general. I know painting can be intimidating if you've never done a figure before but it's fun to me and the pay off of having a custom character is a great feeling. Plus by painting a figure solid red it looks better as Chase (to me) as opposed to the paint scheme that Cliffjumper has with those silver streaks that came on the American Hasbro version.

Beastorm wrote:

Is there any reason everyone uses Unite; is Classics not compatible with the head molds?

Seriously? Did you just ask that? I'm kidding, I'm just picking on you. The reason everyone is using the United version is because TAKARA painted their version of the Reveal the Shield Bumblebee solid gold. And this is the character Goldbug we're talking about so all the fanboys (including myself) knew exactly what we wanted to do with that version the second we saw it for the first time. I suspect TAKARA did that on purpose knowing that fans would use it or refer to it as Goldbug, plus they had already produced a solid yellow bumblebee under their "Henkei" line a few years before, so there was no need to make another one etc (but sometimes I wish they would run another line of those G1 solid yellow bee's, I still havn't been able to track one down here in the states for less than $120).
Yes all of the heads are interchangable and compatible with one another, it's just that some color schemes look better than other. And also in case your not aware Venksta or RENDERFORM customs has designed a Bumper and Hubcap custom head kits that should be ready for release sometime this summer, I'm not really sure what his release schedule is. Anyway, this opens the doors to all types of different mix and match opportunities with all of the different colored Bumblebee molds out there. I have three different versions so far and I'm going to use the WalMart Legacy Bublebee Classic (that came in a three pack for those unfamiliar) as Hubcap and the RTS Bumblebee as Bumper. Cant wait!!!
Hope this explanation helps.

G1 Legacy wrote:Plus by painting a figure solid red it looks better as Chase (to me) as opposed to the paint scheme that Cliffjumper has with those silver streaks that came on the American Hasbro version.

I was thinking about taking a little thinner to it and wiping off the extraneous paint. I've never tried that on a large scale, though, so I'm not entirely sure what effect it would have on the plastic. Anyway, it's kind of a moot point until I actually get the heads--I've got them both ordered, but neither has arrived yet.

I think it looks really good and well crafted. I'd buy this set if I had money

shin_hibiki wrote:

I was thinking about taking a little thinner to it and wiping off the extraneous paint. I've never tried that on a large scale, though, so I'm not entirely sure what effect it would have on the plastic

YIKES! Dude, I'm not sure you took away from that what I was trying to convey there.
(Or maybe you did and your just screwing with me now LOL)
I was saying that if it were me, I wouldn't do ANYTHING permanant to a classics Cliffjumper (other than switching out a head or body part with a 3rd party kit). True it's not impossible to find one, but they are getting more rare and harder to come by so the second you do something to permantley alter it beyond repair that value goes down the toilet. And you don't have to take my word for it, go to EBAY and do a search on Classics Cliffjumper and you'll see that they're consistantly going for $50-$60 dollars Mint on Card and around $35-$45 loose.
And you said you had an extra one if I'm not mistaken? I would hold onto that puppy because the value has nowhere to go but up. Man, just the thought of someone taking paint thinner or mineral spirits to a Cliffjumper makes the hair standup on the back of my neck. LMAO And forget about the topic of destroying a cliffjumper figure for a moment, but I wouldn't think that paintthinner being used (in the amounts that it would take to remove that silver) could possibly be good for plastic in the longrun. I'm sure there may be some that will pipe up and disagree with me on that, but I wouldn't wanna try it.
I know I'm just repeating myself here but I was saying earlier that it would be cheaper to just find and paint a bumblebee some new shade of red to make a Chase figure. Go back to EBAY and now look up Reveal the Shield (RTS) Bumblebee. You can get a new one of those for like $10-$15 still new on the card and maybe even cheaper if your patient and know where to look. I know Cliff is already red, I get that. But fifty bucks, is fifty bucks.

I would just hate for 6 or 7 more years to go by and that Cliffjumper to skyrocket to a few hundred dollars on the aftermarket. You might be kicking yourself later. But hey, it's your figure. You can blow it up with fireworks if you wanna. It's no skin off my back

G1 Legacy wrote:YIKES! Dude, I'm not sure you took away from that what I was trying to convey there.

I got it, bro. I just have a different view of what I should do with my spares most of the time, that's all. Besides, intentionally stockpiling stuff for the purpose of future speculation has rarely gone well for me. It's not really what I'm about.

G1 Legacy wrote:I know I'm just repeating myself here but I was saying earlier that it would be cheaper to just find and paint a bumblebee some new shade of red to make a Chase figure. Go back to EBAY and now look up Reveal the Shield (RTS) Bumblebee. You can get a new one of those for like $10-$15 still new on the card and maybe even cheaper if your patient and know where to look.

I could look in my basement, 'cuz I have a spare one of those, too. However, full-body repainting is not my forte. I have a lot of projects where I'd like to do that, but I generally lack the skill!

G1 Legacy wrote::HEADHURTS:
shin_hibiki wrote:

I was thinking about taking a little thinner to it and wiping off the extraneous paint. I've never tried that on a large scale, though, so I'm not entirely sure what effect it would have on the plastic

YIKES! Dude, I'm not sure you took away from that what I was trying to convey there.
(Or maybe you did and your just screwing with me now LOL)
I was saying that if it were me, I wouldn't do ANYTHING permanant to a classics Cliffjumper (other than switching out a head or body part with a 3rd party kit). True it's not impossible to find one, but they are getting more rare and harder to come by so the second you do something to permantley alter it beyond repair that value goes down the toilet. And you don't have to take my word for it, go to EBAY and do a search on Classics Cliffjumper and you'll see that they're consistantly going for $50-$60 dollars Mint on Card and around $35-$45 loose.
And you said you had an extra one if I'm not mistaken? I would hold onto that puppy because the value has nowhere to go but up. Man, just the thought of someone taking paint thinner or mineral spirits to a Cliffjumper makes the hair standup on the back of my neck. LMAO And forget about the topic of destroying a cliffjumper figure for a moment, but I wouldn't think that paintthinner being used (in the amounts that it would take to remove that silver) could possibly be good for plastic in the longrun. I'm sure there may be some that will pipe up and disagree with me on that, but I wouldn't wanna try it.
I know I'm just repeating myself here but I was saying earlier that it would be cheaper to just find and paint a bumblebee some new shade of red to make a Chase figure. Go back to EBAY and now look up Reveal the Shield (RTS) Bumblebee. You can get a new one of those for like $10-$15 still new on the card and maybe even cheaper if your patient and know where to look. I know Cliff is already red, I get that. But fifty bucks, is fifty bucks.

I would just hate for 6 or 7 more years to go by and that Cliffjumper to skyrocket to a few hundred dollars on the aftermarket. You might be kicking yourself later. But hey, it's your figure. You can blow it up with fireworks if you wanna. It's no skin off my back

That’s exactly what I did.

Behold: Classics Chase from RTS Bumblebee…

He has been sporting a ROTF Stockade head, which used to be my Goldbug head before I got the Renderform set. I had made him to be classics Cliffjumper with a WFC head before I got a real Cliffjumper. I tried to transform him once and the paint made him very tight, so I decided not to ever transform him. Also scared to ruin the clearcoat, so he sports no faction symbol. I completely disassembled him before painting. Such a pain is the ass, I haven’t made a custom since…

Rated X wrote:I tried to transform him once and the paint made him very tight, so I decided not to ever transform him. Also scared to ruin the clearcoat, so he sports no faction symbol. I completely disassembled him before painting. Such a pain is the ass, I haven’t made a custom since…

Looks really good, although the concerns you mention are exactly the ones I would have upon attempting such a conversion. Anyway, when did you receive the Goldbug head? I haven't gotten an update recently... I know they said the blue heads would take longer, but it looks like that's what your figure is sporting.

shin_hibiki wrote:

I just have a different view of what I should do with my spares most of the time, that's all. Besides, intentionally stockpiling stuff for the purpose of future speculation has rarely gone well for me. It's not really what I'm about.

I can totally understand that. I had a similiar situation a few months ago with all of the Star Wars stuff I stockpiled and invested in ten years ago (before the prequel trilogy came along and screwed everything up lol). Long-story-short, I ended up breaking even on several items (ships and figures) that I just knew we're going to go up in value...and to add insult to injury I found out that this guy that purchased most of it from me on Ebay was buying it for his 6 year old son.... "NNOOOOOOOOOO! Not the rare POTF Jedi Luke with brown vest! What are you, an idiot!???"

Whew, sorry, sorry....i was having flashbacks there for a sec.

However, full-body repainting is not my forte. I have a lot of projects where I'd like to do that, but I generally lack the skill!

Again, I can relate, trust me. Well whatever you decide to do to make a Chase, good luck with it and keep us posted and let us know how it goes if/when you see us online in the future.

Rated-X wrote:

That’s exactly what I did.
Behold: Classics Chase from RTS Bumblebee…

I tried to transform him once and the paint made him very tight, so I decided not to ever transform him. Also scared to ruin the clearcoat, so he sports no faction symbol. I completely disassembled him before painting. Such a pain is the ass, I haven’t made a custom since…

Cool, ok so my plan is to dissasemble RTS Bee and leave his black or grey inner joints alone. Then use fine sanding paper and a dremel drill to sand away at the surfaces and where the doors and feet meet flush with one another and then apply a thin coat of Garnet or metallic candy apple red. And then take this Beezelbub Goldbug head here (finally back to the subject at hand) and paint the silver mouthgaurd gold. And voila'.....G1 LEGACY's custom CHASE. And I may use one of these sidearms as his pistol. I won't get to it until after BOTCON I'm sure, but I'll let you know how it goes.