Transformers: Authentics Mini Bot Racers (Arcee, Bumblebee, Hoist, Optimus Prime, Trailbreaker)
I’ve been trying to track these down for a while. These were originally released for the Rescue Bots Academy line. Two of these are repainted, while the other three remain mostly unchanged. I had to buy these as a complete set. These reissues of Bumblebee, Hoist, and Optimus Prime seem to have some minor variations in their paint applications. In the pics the colors look very different, but I think that is due to the lighting and camera settings when the pictures were taken. Unfortunately, I can’t put my hands on the originals to do a side by side comparison, but there do appear to be minor differences. Some would not even consider these variations, but I will note them below.
Arcee
Arcee is a pink repaint of Whirl. Doesn’t look anything like Arcee, but it’s pink, so, there is that.
Bumblebee
If you look at Bumblebee’s headlights you can see the original version’s paint seems to be less carefully applied. The blue paint extends down below the headlight.
Hoist
The paint apps on Hoist’s front fenders is positioned differently on the new version. It’s now closer to the edge.
Optimus Prime
If you look closely at the outside of Optimus Prime’s legs beneath his tires, the new version clearly shows green, while you can’t see any green on the original. This could be an optical illusion, but I can’t confirm until I compare them side by side.
Trailbreaker
I will give them credit for putting the colored stripes on his side similar to the original G1 Trailbreaker toy, but other than that, this toy bears no resemblance to Trailbreaker.
Overall: These are hardly must have toys.
Thanks for reading!