Goldbug

Bumblebee has always been an iconic character in the multiple Transformers universes. In virtually every series, he has either appeared or has been paid homage to. In the original Generation One toy line, there was a time when Bumblebee was heavily damaged and thought to have been destroyed. He was rebuilt into a new bot named Goldbug, a Throttlebot.

The Throttlebots were 1987's version of the mini-bots from previous years. They each transformed exactly the same, although the molds were all different. On Goldbug, you simply flip out the arms, flip the body up, and flip back the rear section. The transformation and general look of Goldbug was very similar to his Bumblebee form except that he now had a mouth plate. Although the toy featured no articulation, I loved it because it was still Bumblebee. One of the cool features of Goldbug and the Throttlebots was that they had a pull back motor. You could pull the vehicle or robot modes back on the tires, and release them to let them speed away.

Eventually in the Generation One toy line, Goldbug was restored to his form of Bumblebee. In the comics, he was destroyed once more after being one of the many Transformers fought the Underbase powered Starscream. Ratchet would later rebuild Goldbug into Bumblebee, but also give him a Pretender shell.