Review Bumblebee (10338)
18 September 2024
Bumblebee - also known as "Bee," forms the connection between the Transformers and humanity and is one of the most famous Transformers around. So it was only natural that Bumblebee would be released as a LEGO® set. It is the second transformer made in building blocks. Previously, Optimus Prime appeared in LEGO form, the leader of the autobots. In this review, we look at the buildability, new parts and new colors of parts. These parts have been added to our assortment of loose LEGO parts so you can make your own creations with these parts as well.
In the box
The box contains 10 bags with a total of 950 parts (excluding spare parts). It may not seem like a very large set but it will give you at least a few hours of building fun. Of course there is an instruction booklet with a brief background of the character Bumblebee and information from the designers of LEGO®. There is also a small sticker sheet in the box. Unfortunately, not all parts are printed.
The printed parts
There are a total of five different printed parts in this set, four of which are new:
- black 2 X 4 tile with dark gray lines
- yellow 2 X 2 tile with red transformers logo
- yellow 2 X 1 X ⅔ arch with black and light orange printing
- light grey 2 X 2 tile with angle
- transparent 1 X 1 round tile with an imprint of a bee
New parts and colors
The following parts are available for the first time in a new color.
In black:
- 3172 Plate, modified 1 x 2 with pingat at end
- 73109 Technic, stone modified 1 x 2 with hole and 1 x 2 plate
In dark gray:
- 68568 Plate 3 x 3 round corner with 2 x 2 cutout
- 5091 Tile 1 x 2 Wedge - Left 5092 Tile 1 x 2 Wedge - Right
In yellow:
- 76766 Bracket 5 x 2 x 2 1/3 with inside stud holder
- 30541 Hinge Stone 1 x 2 Locking with 1 finger Horizontal end
- 30540 Hinge Stone 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers Horizontal End
- 53454 Minifigure, Weapon Axe Head, Clip-on (Viking)
- 77845 Plate, round 1 x 4 with 2 open studs
- 80177 Wedge 3 x 2 No studs Left
- 80178 Wedge 3 x 2 No studs Right
Completely new are the following two parts:
- 5651 Yellow brick, round corner 4 x 4 without studs
- 5652 Dark gray Technic rotary disc double with large pin holes and 3L lifting arm
The latter is a new "Flex Joint" element that allows the Bumblebee model to completely double when you transform it from vehicle to robot mode and vice versa.
The construction process
Because there are not a whole lot of parts in this set, building is fairly quick for an experienced builder. Also, it can sometimes feel a bit repetitive but a car is symmetrical so you have to put a lot of things together twice but in mirror image. Because there are many moving parts in the model, it does not feel too solid. Fortunately, it is sturdy enough to transform. We recommend that you also watch the videos (you can find them by scanning the QR code in the manual) on how to transform the model.
While building, you also get a few times to choose whether to place a printed or unprinted tile. For example, you can choose whether or not to display the Transformers logo. And you can also choose from two different license plates.
Conclusion
The LEGO® Transformers Bumblebee (10338) is a set for the collector and is a real display model. For an advanced builder, the build is quite short and feels repetitive at times. This set combines nicely with the LEGO Transformers Optimus Prime (10302).
Bumblebee in vehicle mode is about 8 cm tall, 22 cm long and 11 cm wide and in Autobot mode about 24 cm tall and 16 cm wide. All individual parts of this set can be found here.
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