Infinity -1 Blade

Battle Blade Bumblebee has been, for a long time, considered the definitive movie Bumblebee figure.
After 10 years and an infinity +1 Bumblebees released, is that still the case?

Vehicle mode

Pretty much perfect. Then again, there was nothing much to be improved in this department since the first Concept Camaro Deluxe Bumblebee in 2007.
Still, it’s an impressive and accurate vehicle mode. He also feels heavier than the other Deluxe Bumblebees. His undercarriage is also noticeably more densely packed.

Transformation

This guy is complex for a Deluxe. Whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you. He’s not that difficult but feels a bit over-engineered. The sweet spot for me in terms of complexity would be DOTM Deluxe Bumblebee, but that’s a story for another day.
Still the over-engineering leads to what is still arguably the most accurate mainline Deluxe Bumblebee released.

Robot mode

This is the mode people went mad for. The most accurate Deluxe Bumblebee. Even compared to the Last Knight Bumblebee and Studio Series Bumblebee, he still holds his own. The one thing he got wrong was his door wings. For some reason the Concept Camaro Deluxe was the only Bumblebee to get that right for awhile.
Hot damn, his posability is amazing. He’s only missing an ankle tilt and wrist swivel. He’s got all the joints and is flexible enough to make use of all of them. Combine that posablity with his weapons and you’ve got a Bumblebee ready to kick all kinds of ass.

Gimmicks

One thing I think this guy will have over all the Deluxe Bumblebees are his weapons and armor. It’s extremely impressive that they’re not removable accessories, but parts on him that transform.
He has his signature arm cannon on his right arm. It unfolds from his forearm and is molded really nicely. Unfortunately, they didn’t paint it. It’s stuck as yellow unpainted plastic. It’s a honey cannon?
His left arm has a spring loaded axe. It’s oddly oriented, with the blade facing up. I guess it’s for uppercuts? It’s clear blue plastic and looks real nice.
Lastly, he has a flip down battle mask. It works exactly the same as the Human Alliance Bumblebee and it works very well.

Toy or collectible?

ROTF/HFTD figures are more suited for adult collectors. Battle Blade Bumblebee here is no exception with his “over-engineering” and impressive complexity for a mainline Deluxe figure.
That said, give him to a 10 year old and he’ll have to learn patience and exercise dexterity to convert Bumblebee from robot to car. Or not, he could just play with him in robot mode. He is an amazing action figure.

Closing

Make no mistake, this guy is still an outstanding figure. He’s arguably the pinnacle of the 2007 to 2010 era of Transformers. But with all the downsizing and scale reseting that’s been happening lately, I’m not sure he’ll have a place in your collection.
He’s out of scale with Studio Series figures and he’s not as accurate as the Masterpiece figure.
Get him if you want a great Movie-verse Deluxe figure and a great standalone Bumblebee.