General Information
Release Date: December 2023
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Blasters x 2
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com
- TRANSFORMERS: BUMBLEBEE CONCEPT ART DECEPTICON RUMBLE: This Transformers Studio Series Concept Art Decepticon Rumble action figure is inspired by concept art of Rumble that was planned for, but never used in the Transformers: Bumblebee movie
- TRANSFORMERS TOYS STUDIO SERIES CORE CLASS: This 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) collectible action figures is highly articulated for posability and designed with specs and details to reflect the Transformers movie universe
- 2 ICONIC MODES: This Studio Series Transformers toy features classic conversion between robot and cassette modes in 11 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: Transformers figure comes with 2 blaster accessories that attach in both modes
- ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Transformers figures feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses
- COLLECT STUDIO SERIES MOVIE FIGURES: This action figure toy makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan. Look for more Transformers Studio Series toys to build a collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)
Bring the epic action of the Transformers movies from the big screen into your collection with the Transformers Studio Series Core Class Concept Art Decepticon Rumble action figure, inspired by concept art from Transformers: Bumblebee! Transformers Studio Series toys are collectible action figures that feature movie-inspired details and accessories. Convert the Studio Series Transformers action figure from robot to cassette mode in 11 steps and pose with the included blaster accessories. Look for more Transformers Studio Series collectible figures to build a movie-inspired collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)! TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. © 2024 Hasbro.
Background:
The opening scene of the Bumblebee movie featured an intense battle scene on Cybertron set in the past. This scene featured a ton of G1 based characters in their Cybertronian forms (including Optimus Prime and Arcee). You can see a clip of the scene below:
While Soundwave does appear in the Cybertron battle scene, his loyal minion Rumble does not. That said, concept art for the character was drawn up and in an effort to expand Studio Series, Hasbro has created a figure based on that Rumble concept art.
Packaging:
Rumble is packaged in the standard Core Class Studio Series box. The box is rectangular with a flap on top. The box portion features an open window to show off most of the toy. There is no plastic window however. The background of the box is black while the Studio Series logo uses light blue colors. The vertical Transformers logo is on the right and the top flap has the character's artwork showing him in robot mode.
The back of the packaging mostly uses shades of red. The figure is shown in both modes calling out an 11 step transformation. His full name (which is also on the front) is "Concept Art Decepticon Rumble" but for simplicity's sake I'll just refer to him as Rumble. Below that section is a ton of legal information in multiple languages.
Accessories:
Rumble includes two blaster accessories. Unlike his G1 counterpart, these weapons are not just mirror images of the same weapon. I'll just call them "Blaster 1" and "Blaster 2" to keep things simple.
- Blaster 1: This weapon is the larger of the two, featuring a long barrel on the bottom with a cyclinder on top and an additional cylinder off to the side. The base is rectangular with a 3mm peg at the back. The back of the weapon features a 3mm port allowing you to combine the other blaster with it (more on that below). This piece is gunmetal grey with no paint applications. The front end looks like it should fit Blast Effects but oddly the end is too small to fit them.
- Blaster 2: The smaller weapon looks like a pilstol with a short barrel in front with a tinier cyclinder attached to the right side at an angle. The peg in the front fits into the port on the back of Blaster 1 to create a larger blaster that other figures (like Soundwave) can hold since the handle is a 5mm peg at the top and then a 3mm peg at the bottom. This piece is gunmetal grey with no paint applications.
Robot Mode:
Most of the characters seen in the beginning of the Bumblebee move were homages to classic G1 characters with a modern design twist. Rumble is no exception. Several key features of this figure are definitely callbacks to his G1 counterpart. These include:
- Head: The head design features a "helmet" section with two flat panels on the sides that have small sections that extend forward, flanking the face. The middle has a crest. He also has visor eyes like G1 Rumble. This is right from G1 Rumble's animated head design, but the face is different, featuring a mouthplate instead of a nose and mouth.
- Arms: In the G1 cartoon, Rumble and Frenzy could transform their arms into piledrivers. This Rumble figure borrows that design, making Rumble's arms permanently piledriver shaped with some mechanical details worked into the elbow and forearm sections. It looks cool, but I really wonder how he manages to pick stuff up without any actual hands (or claws)!
- Chest: G1 Rumble's chest doubled as the drums of his cassette spools in his alt-mode. He had distinct designs on top and below where the drums would be. Designs based on those shapes can be seen on this Rumble's chest.
- Thighs: Rumble's thighs feature triangular designs sculpted on the front. This may be a nod to similarly shaped designs that appeared on G1 Rumble's legs in the form of stickers.
- Feet: Rumble's feet feature pieces that curve from the ankle section to the front of the foot with the ends of the feet being angled, rectangular sections. This recalls the curved and angled design of G1 Rumble's feet.
I really like the level of sculpted detail on this figure and the G1 callbacks are super neat to an Old Skool fan such as myself. That said, I was kind of surprised by just how tiny this figure is. No joke, he is literally about half the size (and bulk) of Core Class Legacy Megatron. Why? Well, I can think of a couple reasons. First, being a Studio Series Core Class figure this toy is subject to licensing fees from Hasbro to Paramount, so costs had to be kept down. Second, this figure's alt-mode has to allow it to fit into Studio Series Soundwave's chest so it has to be a certain size otherwise it simply won't fit.
Clearly taking sides on the "FIRRIB (Frenzy is Red, Rumble is Blue)" debate from the early days of online Transformers fandom, this figure is mostly made up of dark blue plastic with other parts made of gunmetal grey. I was surprised how many different paint colors there are on this figure including red, orange, light blue, yellow, gunmetal grey and yellow. For such a small figure, the deco on this guy looks fantastic.
There are eighteen points of articulation on this figure. I'm being a bit generous because I'm counting the ability of his arms to bend at the elbow and forearm areas but really those are more for the transformation than posing. Thanks to his transformation, he does have an ab crunch, which is unusual for a Core Class figure. Oddly, this figure was designed so his blasters can only attach to 3mm ports on his back. There is no way to attach them to the arms, which is a bit frustrating.
Transformation to Cassette Mode:
- Detach the weapons and set them aside.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Turn the head around.
- Swing the forearms up against the upper arms, then swing the ends of the arms down.
- Rotate the arms so the top of the arms face you, then swing them up.
- Swing the robot feet up.
- Swing the legs outward.
- Attach the blasters to the inside of the lower legs so the barrels point back.
- Push the legs together now, connecting the right leg to the other side of the blasters.
- Fold the upper and lower body halves together.
Cassette Mode:
Okay, so we're playing very fast and loose with the term "cassette" when it comes to this alt-mode, but I think given that is traditionally Rumble's alt-mode I can understand why they used the term for expedience. Really, Rumble just folds up into a roughly rectangular device of some sort. You could tell me it was a Cybertronian battery and I'd believe you. But let's be real, you're mostly folding this guy up to sit inside Soundwave's chest, not to display on its own.
There are no real deco surprises in this mode. It's mostly blue with the gunmetal grey parts of the piledrivers showing.
Final Thoughts:
I feel like Core Class Concept Rumble is really intended for fans who are hardcore fans of the opening Cybertronian sequence in the "Bumblebee" movie. It works as an accessory to Soundwave, but on its own the figure is cool but nothing mind bending. Recommended if you are into having the entire cast of the Cybertronian sequence from "Bumblebee".
Pros:
- I love the idea of bringing concepts that never made it on screen into action figure form.
- Cool sculpt that calls back to G1 Rumble.
- Good articulation.
- Nice deco.
Cons:
- Cannot use weapons in robot mode.
- I really wish the figure had actual hands, even if they were just sculpted into the piledriver sections.
