New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear?

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 3:17PM CDT

Categories: Toy News, Knock Offs, Unlicensed Products News
Posted by: Dead Metal Views: 87,564

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I-Gear has posted an interesting gallery on their facebook page, this gallery goes by the name of "interesting".
The gallery is of what looks like a prototype for an upcoming classics styled Bumblebee. It is also revealed that this figure's alt-mode is in fact the Volks Wagen New Beetle. It is not known if this is an i-Gear product, something they plan on selling or a project by a completely new toy team.
We have mirrored two images and if you want to check out the full gallery just click here.

Credit(s): Forgotten, i-Gear

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Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137945)
Posted by Chupacabra Convoy on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:26pm CDT

Reminds me q lot of the proposed binaltech Bumblebee. I wonder if it is a deluxe sized figure. Hopefully it will be reasonably priced.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137955)
Posted by Fistful of Energon on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:41pm CDT

Isnt that head a direct copy of the classics Bumblebee?

Although I do appreciate the attempt at something somewhat original rather than a blatant rip off (faith leader) I think a new head would do it better justice.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137956)
Posted by Fistful of Energon on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:42pm CDT

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137957)
Posted by zodconvoy on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:45pm CDT

This is a straight rip of the Binaltech design.

I am getting less and less cool with iGear. All they're doing now is flat out stealing. With the Masterpiece and the Sharkticons (if those ever see the light of day) I really have no more respect for them anymore. It looks nice but it won't be worth the price point.

0/10

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137960)
Posted by Forgotten on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:50pm CDT

Dead Metal wrote:pretty cool, but still not quite right. But it does look like a very early prototype.

Oh and I moved this to the proper forum.

Thanks dude. Was on the fly when I put it up, had to get a customer's screen installed. i think it looks good, but it's going to be deluxe sized & probably will end up being 60+ from iGear. To be honest if it was FP or TFClub doing it I would probably bite on it, but iGear just doesn't scream "trust me i'm worth it" to me. :roll:

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137961)
Posted by Editor on October 20th, 2010 @ 3:55pm CDT

OK. This piece has serious potential to be awesome.

It also is the first piece from igear I might concider. But I have to question their wisdom, creating not just another item that Has/Tak could go after them for, but for one that not only challenges VW to sue them on copyright but attacks them on their "no war toys" stance.

Igear has either a questionable thought process, or balls of steel if this is legit.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137963)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on October 20th, 2010 @ 4:03pm CDT

Another Bumblebee toy??? Okay... no. I already own the Classics and Generations 'Bee, not to mention several movie versions. Pass, pass and pass.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137965)
Posted by Sodan-1 on October 20th, 2010 @ 4:16pm CDT

I get that this is an attempt at a faithful Classics Bumblebee, being the new VW Beetle and all, but it's a crap looking vehicle. The original Beetle looked brilliant and still does. But the new one has too strong a wiff of a hairdresser about it. Giving a Bumblebee figure this alt-mode is an insult to the little man.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137976)
Posted by Solrac333 on October 20th, 2010 @ 4:43pm CDT

Hey Hasbro, THIS!

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137977)
Posted by Jenus on October 20th, 2010 @ 4:51pm CDT

i-Gear or their partner did a decent job with having no kibble on his arms, but they should have had the roof as his chest not his hood, just doesn't look right. I don't know why know has not thought of hiding the doors on the back side and taking the hood and somehow folding it under the roof now that Bumblebee I would buy.

So far we've now seen .
Ultra Magnus with Trailer (Trailer is coming)
Bumblebee
Arcee
Coneheads

and we already know where these molds will be coming from.
Megatron
Seekers

I wonder who the designs will be stolen from to make the rest of these figures they're messing with.
Devcon
Alpha Trion
Soundwave
Reflector

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137985)
Posted by Gauntlet101010 on October 20th, 2010 @ 5:30pm CDT

If they're making it all themselves, exactly how it it stealing in this case? It might be based off the Alternators sketch, but .... so what? There's a BIG difference between making a toy based off a sketch or animation model and downsizing an existing one.

That said, I'm very happy with Classics BB. Easy pass for me. Unless it was like the G1 aniamtion model, I don't really see the point. The same people unhappy with Classics BB because it was "too different" will be unhappy with this one for the same reason.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137991)
Posted by Covenant on October 20th, 2010 @ 6:02pm CDT

That head-meets-torso area needs some serious work.

And yes, that's a Classics Bee head.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137995)
Posted by Mindmaster on October 20th, 2010 @ 6:14pm CDT

Meh, I'll stick with my original Classics BB. Mighty tempting though. If I hear he has amazingly good quality control, I may think about buying him. :-?

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1137996)
Posted by LOST Cybertronian on October 20th, 2010 @ 6:15pm CDT

This looks pretty interesting but it kills me when people call Igear ripoffs but love those clear classics prime and seekers on KOToys.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138011)
Posted by Axalon_Prime on October 20th, 2010 @ 6:54pm CDT

Anyone else thinks it looks like the BB on the last page of funpubs first botcon comic, decent into evil I think it was?

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138013)
Posted by LOST Cybertronian on October 20th, 2010 @ 7:01pm CDT

Rodimus723 wrote:I just recently thought about someone taking the designs for Alternators Bumblebee and Cliffjumper and make them to Alternators/Binaltech scale. Obviously no sigil or Volkswagen logo.

Ask and ye shall recieve, although we don't know if it will be in scale.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138037)
Posted by Autobot032 on October 20th, 2010 @ 8:40pm CDT

They're going to ruin it for everyone. I can feel it.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138058)
Posted by Rated X on October 20th, 2010 @ 10:03pm CDT

Looks 100 times better than that M&M looking war for cybertron crappy figure we got...

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138061)
Posted by Jenus on October 20th, 2010 @ 10:24pm CDT

Gauntlet101010 wrote:If they're making it all themselves, exactly how it it stealing in this case? It might be based off the Alternators sketch, but .... so what? There's a BIG difference between making a toy based off a sketch or animation model and downsizing an existing one.

That said, I'm very happy with Classics BB. Easy pass for me. Unless it was like the G1 aniamtion model, I don't really see the point. The same people unhappy with Classics BB because it was "too different" will be unhappy with this one for the same reason.

Ok well how about this then, check this link out below I just found by search Alt Bumblebee on google because it looked familiar to something I though I have seen before and I was right.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons- ... t-4-a.html

Now i-Gear is not only using 3rd party items, Hasbro/Takara products, but even the customizers of transformers and that was already shown with the conehead seekers they're working on.

I know that they could have bought the mold off him though I think they should really be giving him so sort of credit. Just getting tired of seeing unoriginal stuff through them, but it is nice they are able to distribute customizers items, again they really need to say who the creator was so that individual gets a certain percentage of the credit and not just i-Gear receiving it all.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138063)
Posted by tarZen on October 20th, 2010 @ 10:26pm CDT

Looks way off. They copy the Binaltech design and stick a Classic head in (saves even more development time?) which is way too small. The original design sketch looks good, but the proportions on this one is all wrong.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138072)
Posted by Rated X on October 20th, 2010 @ 10:57pm CDT

zodconvoy wrote:This is a straight rip of the Binaltech design.

I am getting less and less cool with iGear. All they're doing now is flat out stealing. With the Masterpiece and the Sharkticons (if those ever see the light of day) I really have no more respect for them anymore. It looks nice but it won't be worth the price point.

0/10

Are you serious ???

Do you really support investors who buy and sell copyrights to characters that are 25 years old ??? They could care less about us fans. So I could care less about their wallets. I have the upmost respect for 3rd party companies because they give Hasbro/Takara a reality check.(No disrespect, but I feel somebody's gotta take on what Hasbro/Takara wont)

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138074)
Posted by Blurrz on October 20th, 2010 @ 11:00pm CDT

He's a character who doesn't need a toy from a third party. Ridiculous.

Rated X wrote: I have the upmost respect for 3rd party companies because they give Hasbro/Takara a reality check.(No disrespect, but I feel somebody's gotta take on what Hasbro/Takara wont)

Not all Third Parties are like FansProject. Because this Fanbase totally needs a Bumblebee and he's totally a character we are begging for. Look, Hasbro's not the 'bad guys' some people paint them to be.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138080)
Posted by tarZen on October 20th, 2010 @ 11:10pm CDT

Rated X wrote:Do you really support investors who buy and sell copyrights to characters that are 25 years old ??? They could care less about us fans. So I could care less about their wallets. I have the upmost respect for 3rd party companies because they give Hasbro/Takara a reality check.(No disrespect, but I feel somebody's gotta take on what Hasbro/Takara wont)

Are you serious? So you call yourself a fan of something that a company creates, yet you have zero respect for their intellectual rights? It's mind-boggling how so many people slam HasTak non-stop while calling themselves fans. Dudes, they created this stuff. They don't owe you "fans" because you like the things they create. This is a business. If you've ever run any business before, you'll know that it's impossible to please everyone. Everyone has his opinion of what's right. Contrary to what you may think, business entities don't exist to please you. And they most definitely have legal rights to things they create.

You need a reality check.

Oh yes, and the way I understand it, HasTak tried to bring out the Binal/Alter BB. They couldn't get the rights from Volkswagen. And then someone who doesn't give a crap about copyrights comes along and rips off their work, suddenly they're the saints.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138141)
Posted by Sodan-1 on October 21st, 2010 @ 5:59am CDT

tarZen wrote:They couldn't get the rights from Volkswagen.

That still makes me laugh aloud. Volkswagen is a German company. And yes, Germany does have a relatively recent history of being the agressor in two World Wars. But whether they like it or not, that's part of their history, and thus part of their identity. If they don't like it so much, then they should've changed their name or moved their headquarters to a different country.

I wish they'd just suck it up and get on with things, instead of drawing attention to the fact that they are still making automobiles that were used to chauffer Hitler around. Because that's all they're doing. I mean, who's going to look at a cute looking little yellow robot that transforms in to a VW Beetle and think "Hey up! Them Jerries are at it again." Get a grip VW!

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138145)
Posted by Forgotten on October 21st, 2010 @ 6:34am CDT

Sodan-1 wrote:
tarZen wrote:They couldn't get the rights from Volkswagen.

That still makes me laugh aloud. Volkswagen is a German company. And yes, Germany does have a relatively recent history of being the agressor in two World Wars. But whether they like it or not, that's part of their history, and thus part of their identity. If they don't like it so much, then they should've changed their name or moved their headquarters to a different country.

I wish they'd just suck it up and get on with things, instead of drawing attention to the fact that they are still making automobiles that were used to chauffer Hitler around. Because that's all they're doing. I mean, who's going to look at a cute looking little yellow robot that transforms in to a VW Beetle and think "Hey up! Them Jerries are at it again." Get a grip VW!

Don't go there. I'm giving you fair warning. Germans need not be slandered anymore, wars are over. Let it rest, VW has the God given right to decline whatever they want when it comes to their business, If they don't want a transforming Beetle made then so be it, eventually HasTakTom will make a Bumblebutt that will be so close to a Beetle that it's painful, but just different enough to avoid getting sued. That's what they do, just hang in there & it WILL happen.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138146)
Posted by Primacron's Little Helper on October 21st, 2010 @ 6:46am CDT

All legal issues aside, if this was a g1 accurate transformation and was the original VW Beetle design I'd be all over it.

I think with the VW Bumblebee Transformer thing, I can see where VW are coming from - apart from a small license fee they don't really gain from it. The car's not even in production anymore.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138172)
Posted by Sodan-1 on October 21st, 2010 @ 8:10am CDT

Forgotten wrote:
Sodan-1 wrote:
tarZen wrote:They couldn't get the rights from Volkswagen.

That still makes me laugh aloud. Volkswagen is a German company. And yes, Germany does have a relatively recent history of being the agressor in two World Wars. But whether they like it or not, that's part of their history, and thus part of their identity. If they don't like it so much, then they should've changed their name or moved their headquarters to a different country.

I wish they'd just suck it up and get on with things, instead of drawing attention to the fact that they are still making automobiles that were used to chauffer Hitler around. Because that's all they're doing. I mean, who's going to look at a cute looking little yellow robot that transforms in to a VW Beetle and think "Hey up! Them Jerries are at it again." Get a grip VW!

Don't go there. I'm giving you fair warning. Germans need not be slandered anymore, wars are over. Let it rest, VW has the God given right to decline whatever they want when it comes to their business, If they don't want a transforming Beetle made then so be it, eventually HasTakTom will make a Bumblebutt that will be so close to a Beetle that it's painful, but just different enough to avoid getting sued. That's what they do, just hang in there & it WILL happen.

My, my, hasn't somebody completely missed the point of what I was saying. Did you even read it properly? I wasn't having a go at Germany or the Germans. More a go at VW. I had read that their excuse for not wanting to allow Hasbro to make a Transformer in the image of their vehicle was that they didn't want it to be associated with war toys. That, to me, says that it is VW who are being overly defensive and struggling to let go of the past. I don't care either way if we ever get another Bumblebee figure in the guise of a VW Beetle.

As for the wars themselves, it would be next to impossible to erase them from history, so it is part of their identity. I'm British. Even now there are still a few small, left over colonies from when the British empire marched it's way across the world, capturing territories for King and Country. The purpose might have been to unite the world, but we were still invading other countries. What I'm trying to say is that every country has a dark history that it shouldn't be proud of. That doesn't mean you simply try to forget about it. If you woke up one morning and couldn't remember anything that had happened up until that morning, how would you know who you were? Like it or not, our history does define who we are, both the good times and the bad.

One last thing. You give me "fair warning"? That's a tad confrontational, and I don't appreciate that kind of language.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138193)
Posted by kirbenvost on October 21st, 2010 @ 8:52am CDT

Jenus wrote:Ok well how about this then, check this link out below I just found by search Alt Bumblebee on google because it looked familiar to something I though I have seen before and I was right.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons- ... t-4-a.html

Now i-Gear is not only using 3rd party items, Hasbro/Takara products, but even the customizers of transformers and that was already shown with the conehead seekers they're working on.

I know that they could have bought the mold off him though I think they should really be giving him so sort of credit. Just getting tired of seeing unoriginal stuff through them, but it is nice they are able to distribute customizers items, again they really need to say who the creator was so that individual gets a certain percentage of the credit and not just i-Gear receiving it all.

I dunno, it uses the same transformation scheme which they both got from the Binaltech drawings, but that's about it. i-Gear's borrows the details a lot more. Oh, and also completely stole the Classics Bee head. :roll:

Primacron's Little Helper wrote:All legal issues aside, if this was a g1 accurate transformation and was the original VW Beetle design I'd be all over it.

I'd be more interested for sure, but I'm very wary of i-Gear.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138195)
Posted by Primacron's Little Helper on October 21st, 2010 @ 8:55am CDT

Sodan-1 wrote:I'm British. Even now there are still a few small, left over colonies from when the British empire marched it's way across the world, capturing territories for King and Country. The purpose might have been to unite the world, but we were still invading other countries.

If you were really British you'd be too embarrassed to talk about the British Empire!

By the way they're overseas territories not colonies.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138208)
Posted by Sodan-1 on October 21st, 2010 @ 9:19am CDT

Primacron's Little Helper wrote:
Sodan-1 wrote:I'm British. Even now there are still a few small, left over colonies from when the British empire marched it's way across the world, capturing territories for King and Country. The purpose might have been to unite the world, but we were still invading other countries.

If you were really British you'd be too embarrassed to talk about the British Empire!

By the way they're overseas territories not colonies.

You know what I mean.

And as for being embarressed, that just helps to prove my point.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138216)
Posted by Gauntlet101010 on October 21st, 2010 @ 9:33am CDT

Jenus wrote:
Gauntlet101010 wrote:If they're making it all themselves, exactly how it it stealing in this case? It might be based off the Alternators sketch, but .... so what? There's a BIG difference between making a toy based off a sketch or animation model and downsizing an existing one.

That said, I'm very happy with Classics BB. Easy pass for me. Unless it was like the G1 aniamtion model, I don't really see the point. The same people unhappy with Classics BB because it was "too different" will be unhappy with this one for the same reason.

Ok well how about this then, check this link out below I just found by search Alt Bumblebee on google because it looked familiar to something I though I have seen before and I was right.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons- ... t-4-a.html

Now i-Gear is not only using 3rd party items, Hasbro/Takara products, but even the customizers of transformers and that was already shown with the conehead seekers they're working on.

I know that they could have bought the mold off him though I think they should really be giving him so sort of credit. Just getting tired of seeing unoriginal stuff through them, but it is nice they are able to distribute customizers items, again they really need to say who the creator was so that individual gets a certain percentage of the credit and not just i-Gear receiving it all.

So I guess Arcee, the Quints, and WSTF Blaster and Shockwave are all much more original than this?

I have to agree with kirbenvost. They're based off the same sketch and, in the conehead's case, the same toy with the same overall idea. But thie BB looks very different in it's details. As for the coneheads, it's the same idea based on the same toy, so it's natural there'd be overlap.

There's a large tendency to snap at iGear for anything it makes, but in this case it doesn't seem to be any worse than any other 3rd party company. I mean this seems like a mass produced kitbash, but I don't see how that's worse than anything else made by 3rd party guys.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138298)
Posted by zodconvoy on October 21st, 2010 @ 12:30pm CDT

The worst part about this is that they're trying the fill the gap make an Alternator Bumblebee when Alternity ALREADY DID THAT AT HALF THE EXPECTED COST. For the projected price of this thing you could get both Alternity 'Bee and Cliffjumper!

Seriously: 0/10

If they do a Cliffjumper later: -5/10

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138303)
Posted by Forgotten on October 21st, 2010 @ 12:46pm CDT

zodconvoy wrote:The worst part about this is that they're trying the fill the gap make an Alternator Bumblebee when Alternity ALREADY DID THAT AT HALF THE EXPECTED COST. For the projected price of this thing you could get both Alternity 'Bee and Cliffjumper!

Seriously: 0/10

If they do a Cliffjumper later: -5/10

Agreed. Alternity Bumble & Cliff are definitely excellent molds. I don't have Bumble but I LOVE Cliff, he has a great sculpt(head) the body is perfect for the character(s) IMO. Perfect size too.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138394)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on October 21st, 2010 @ 3:31pm CDT

This is a worthless pseudo-knockoff and iGear is gonna ruin it, like Autobot032 said.

omega666 wrote:Hey Hasbro, THIS!

Hasbro has already produced a possibly literal ton of Bumblebee toys throughout the years. We do not need this one!

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138533)
Posted by Menbailee on October 22nd, 2010 @ 12:03am CDT

If they upscaled it to a 1:24 scale to go with the alternators and sculpted their own head, I would feel happy about getting one. I feel like a bitty 12cm robot isn't worth the expense.

That's assuming they're even making it, of course. Hasbro hasn't made any legal trouble, because realistically these 3rd-party companies making toys for a comparatively small adult fan base aren't depriving them of income, but will VW take kindly?

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138818)
Posted by Covenant on October 22nd, 2010 @ 9:21pm CDT

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:
omega666 wrote:Hey Hasbro, THIS!

Hasbro has already produced a possibly literal ton of Bumblebee toys throughout the years. We do not need this one!

Not really. You might be able to say such a thing about Optimus or Starscream, but Bumblebee - other than reproductions of his first toy incarnation for a keychain trinket - was dead in toy form from '95 (G2) to '06 (Classics). That's over ten years of no Bee. His Alternators figure never went beyond the drawing board, and his Titanium figure was nixed. Now, other than a Henkei rehash and the Alternity figure, its been nothing but varied MovieBees for the last few years. But for over a decade, the Bee was dead..toywise.

Though I agree, we don't need the one seen in this topic.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138939)
Posted by zodconvoy on October 23rd, 2010 @ 9:36am CDT

Covenant wrote:...was dead in toy form from '95 (G2) to '06 (Classics). That's over ten years of no Bee.

They started calling him Cheetor, then Hot Shot.

Search your feeling, you know it to be true!

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1138941)
Posted by Illmatic on October 23rd, 2010 @ 9:44am CDT

I'm actually interested in this release. I always hated how Cliffjumper and Bumblebee had the same vehicle mode for the Classics line. But, I do have to admit that the modern beetle design seems too feminine. They should give him the oldschool beetle look (G1), which is a bit more grungy.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1139023)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on October 23rd, 2010 @ 4:26pm CDT

Covenant wrote:
RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:
omega666 wrote:Hey Hasbro, THIS!

Hasbro has already produced a possibly literal ton of Bumblebee toys throughout the years. We do not need this one!

Not really. You might be able to say such a thing about Optimus or Starscream, but Bumblebee - other than reproductions of his first toy incarnation for a keychain trinket - was dead in toy form from '95 (G2) to '06 (Classics). That's over ten years of no Bee. His Alternators figure never went beyond the drawing board, and his Titanium figure was nixed. Now, other than a Henkei rehash and the Alternity figure, its been nothing but varied MovieBees for the last few years. But for over a decade, the Bee was dead..toywise.

Though I agree, we don't need the one seen in this topic.

Okay, but that's a lot better than Bluestreak or most other G1 characters. I also count the movie and TF:A to the total, btw.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (1139963)
Posted by Gandalf on October 26th, 2010 @ 4:27pm CDT

I've been waiting 12 years for a New Beetle Bumblebee! I hope this is real and makes it into production, I will definitely get it!

I can't believe so many people are saying we don't need this. It's a Volkswagen. Hasbro even tried making it. To each his own, I guess.

Anyway, Classics BB is nice, WFC is fantastic, but for me, this will be the definitive update for Bumblebee. I'll get it in either scale, but I'm hoping it is deluxe so it will fit in with Classics. It really does need a new head, though...

Seriously, I'm as excited for this as I am Generations Jazz and Kup.

Re: New Bumblebee figure by i-Gear? (2177763)
Posted by Quantum Surge on March 12th, 2024 @ 5:47am CDT

What even happened to iGear?

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