General Information
Release Date: October 2025
Price Point: $89.99 (in a 4-Pack with Horri-Bull, Nemesis Prime & Ultra Magnus)
Retailer: Target Exclusive with limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse
Accessories: Blaster (Bumper), Horns & Blasters x 2 (Horri-Bull), Axe & Lightbar (Nemesis Prime) and Axe & Rifles x 2 (Ultra Magnus)
Official images and text in italics are from Target.com
- TRANSFORMERS AUTOBOTS VS DECEPTICONS 4-PACK: This Age of the Primes Transformers figure set includes converting Autobot Bumper, Ultra Magnus, Horri-Bull, and Nemesis Prime action figures
- AUTOBOT BUMPER ACTION FIGURE: Deluxe Class 5.5-inch (14.5 cm) Autobot Bumper action figure converts between robot mode and car mode in 23 steps
- ULTRA MAGNUS ACTION FIGURE: Deluxe Class 5.5-inch (14.5 cm) Ultra Magnus action figure converts between robot mode and truck mode in 16 steps
- HORRI-BULL ACTION FIGURE: Deluxe Class 5.5-inch (14.5 cm) Horri-Bull action figure converts between robot mode and bull mode in 16 steps
- NEMESIS PRIME ACTION FIGURE: Voyager Class 7-inch (17.5 cm) Nemesis Prime action figure converts between robot mode and truck mode in 25 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: This Transformers figure 4-pack comes with 5 accessories that attach to the figures, including Headmaster Kreb figure for the Horri-Bull figure
- GIFT TRANSFORMERS COLLECTIBLES: This action figure toy 4-pack makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan
It’s Autobots versus Decepticons in this Transformers Age of the Primes pack that includes 4 Transformers action figures with articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poseability. The set includes 3 Deluxe Class 5.5-inch (14.5 cm) Transformers figures: Autobot Bumper figure that converts between robot and car mode in 23 steps, Ultra Magnus figure that converts between robot and truck mode in 16 steps, and Horri-Bull action figure that converts between robot and bull mode in 16 steps. Set also includes one Voyager Class 7-inch (17.5 cm) Nemesis Prime action figure that converts between robot and truck mode in 25 steps. Transformers Age of the Primes opens up the world of the Primes, the very first bots in Transformers mythology, a pantheon of Thirteen beings, each with a unique ability and personality. Every battle, every bot, and every power in the Transformers universe can be traced back to one of The Thirteen.
TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. Includes 4 figures, 5 accessories, and instructions. Figure scale: 3 figures at 5.5 inches (14.5 cm), 1 figure at 7 inches (17.5 cm) Ages 8 and up Warning: Choking Hazard -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Background:
Back in the 80's, Mini-Bots such as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were being released at rapid speed to keep up with the demand for Transformers toys. As fans voraciously bought up these toys, something odd happened. Certain "Cliffjumper" figures actually had a completely different toy in the package! Fans did not know it at the time, but this figure was actually the Microman Micro Change MC-04 Mini CAR Robo 02 Familia 1500XG. While this toy shared some engineering with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, the actual sculpt was unique. In time, fandom would give this unknown character the name "Bumblejumper" (a mash up of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper) which eventually wound up shortened to "Bumper". No records have ever been found to explain why this figure randomly wound up on Cliffjumper cards (and possibly Bumblebee ones) or whether this was intended as a separate character. An "official" Bumper was never made, though we came lose to getting one back in 2020.
Fasts forward forty one years and Hasbro has finally released an official Bumper toy! This figure is part of a Target exclusive Age of the Primes 4-Pack which also included Horri-Bull, Nemesis Prime and Ultra Magnus. This figure is a redeco and retool of Studio Series 86 Bumblebee. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
The Age of the Primes 4-Pack uses the same basic design as past Buzzworthy Bumblebee boxes. It is a long, rectangular box featuring a large window that lets you see the figures inside. The box uses the Age of the Primes design with a black background and icons on the sides showing off the transformation steps for each figure. In a change from previous multi-packs, the four figures inside are divided by affiliation with a strip of cardboard saying "Versus" in between them. On the left side is Ultra Magnus with Bumper. On the other side is Horri-Bull with Nemesis Prime. Under the characters is artwork featuring their alt-modes. On the top of the box there is artwork of their robot modes.
The back of the box features all four figures in both modes. Horri-Bull's section is notable as it features a small section for his Headmaster and calling out his name "Kreb", something we have not seen since G1!
Accessories:
Bumper uses the same blaster accessory as Studio Series 86 Bumblebee. In the G1 cartoon, the Mini-Bots were generally given generic weapons (sometimes looking like a tube with a handle). Because the G1 Mini-Bot figures (mostly) did not include weapons, these blaster designs were randomly used for the Mini-Bots. This weapon is inspired by a blaster seen in the G1 episode "Fire in the Sky". It features an narrow shaped body with a cone shaped barrel in front. The top has a distinctive section that is sunken in a bit. Finer details on the weapon include a five sided shape on either side towards the back and Lots of small rectangular line details. This weapon is made of black plastic and most of it is painted gunmetal grey except for the handle. There is a 5mm peg on the bottom and a small rectangular tab sticking out horizontally on the side. This allows for weapon storage in robot mode by connecting the tab to the corresponding slot on Bumper's back.
Robot Mode:
Bumper uses the same tooling as Studio Series 86 Bumblebee with a new head. The new head is based on the design of Bumper's G1 head, featuring a helmet section with a raised crest in the middle and small protrusions on the sides. Flanking the crest are raised sections that go from front to back. He has visor eyes, a nose and mouth. This head design is completely distinctive from Bumblebee or Cliffjumper while being immediately recognizable to fans in the know.
At first glance you may think that Bumper is the same colors as Bumblebee but his yellow plastic is actually lighter in color than Bumblebee's. His black parts are also a more bold black, helping to differentiate him from Bumblebee. Paint colors on the figure include black, yellow, blue and silver. Interestingly, Bumper's deco does not 100% follow the same pattern as Bumblebee's. For instance, on his feet his headlights are (for some reason) painted black and whereas Bumblebee had a strip of black on top of his chest (representing the rear window of the vehicle mode) Bumper does not have any paint on this part. Bumper features an Autobot symbol on his chest like Bumblebee, but his is a silver and red tampograph and not just a red symbol. I think the designers went for the red and silver symbol so it looks more like a decal from the original toy versus Studio Series 86 Bumblebee who was meant to look more like the cartoon character.
There are twenty two points of articulation on this figure. That includes four in each arm and six in each leg. The joints are all just as tight on my copy of Bumper as they are on Bumblebee, so no worries there. He has a 5mm port in each fist to hold his weapon and as mentioned above, the weapon can be attached to his back for storage.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the blaster and set it aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Lift the back panel up, then swing the robot head forward (these pieces are all connected).
- Swing the torso panel forward.
- Swing the robot head forward into the opening behind the torso panel.
- Swing the torso panel back in place.
- Rotate the rear wheel wells around so the arms point up. Now bend the arms a bit at the elbows and connect the forearms together (there is a tab on the right arm that fits into a corresponding slot on the left). The arms need to be bent a bit for the wheel wells to line up properly with the rest of the vehicle.
- Push the rear vehicle mode panel down and swing it forward. There are tiny tabs on the back of the rear wheel wells that fit into corresponding slots on the back piece.
- Swing the lower half of the body down using the central hinge above the pelvis.
- On the bottom of each foot, separate the two black pieces that form the bottom of the feet.
- Swing the panel that forms the back of each foot out.
- Swing the panels that formed the bottom of the feet up.
- Bend each foot forward at the knees.
- Swing the feet forward and swing the legs up at the hip joints to form the front of the vehicle.
- The blaster attaches to the back of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
The original G1 Mini-Bots had alt-modes based on the aesthetic of Takara's Choro-Q (aka Penny Racers) brand. These vehicles had some "cute" proportions with a flat piece in the back allowing you to put a coin there as part of the play pattern. When Bumblebee's design was adapted for animation, they kept this Choro Q inspiration in his design and now Bumper gets to benefit from that aesthetic. In this mode there are no sculpt differences between Bumper and bumblebee. Bumper's alt-mode is basically a "cute" interpretation of a Volkswagen Beetle with some rounded and compressed proportions. While Bumper looked more like Cliffjumper than Bumblebee, this mode clearly takes inspiration from Bumblebee.
The colors in this mode match what was seen in robot mode including the muted yellow color and the stronger shade of black paint. Unlike bumblebee he does not have an Autobot symbol on his hood, but that makes sense since the original figure did not have that either. I was also happy to see red painted on the rear windows as that detail is sometimes left out of car based Transformers figures.
Final Thoughts:
Bumper is a very unique point in Transformers history. He was a "toy with no name" for the longest, then fans (and later official comic books) made him canon. With so many Mini-Bots getting Deluxe Class updates, I am happy Bumper was included in the mix. To me this is one of the highlights of this set and makes it worth purchasing.
Pros:
- The first representation of the character in the toy line in over 40 years!
- Great articulation.
- Fun and intuitive transformation.
- Good deco.
Cons:
- An extra weapon would have been cool.
