With the Bumblebee film out in December, Hasbro’s latest range of licensed figures now includes a new Nitro series. Aimed at ages six and up, these figures are the halfway point between accuracy and ease of use. The titular Autobot scout takes the lead here, and first impressions are fantastic. Not only is Bumblebee rocking an authentic Beetle chassis that has been given Volkswagen’s blessing, but his robot mode looks superb as well.

Much like the source material that happens to be more than meets the eye, Bumblebee is looking to be more than just a kid-friendly alternative to Michael Bay’s explosion spectacles that built the Transformers series into a powerhouse. In many ways, it’s a massive departure from the films that preceded it, thanks in part to director Travis Knight’s love for the original toys and cartoons.

A brand new trailer for upcoming Transformers prequel Bumblebee is not only charming and exciting, but should give old-school fans a huge kick as it ditches Michael Bay's overly busy character designs for classic cartoon looks!

Transformers may have started out as an action-packed romp, but with film after film in the franchise dialing up the baysplosions, the series was very much in need of a fresh start. How do you refresh everyone’s favourite robots in disguise? By going to the past, toning the relentless planet-shattering escapades down a notch and focusing on the mechanical heart that has always driven the franchise.

On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken. When Charlie revives him, she quickly learns this is no ordinary, yellow VW bug.

After the terrible (fully justified) reception of Transformers: The Last Knight, original toy manufacturer Hasbro may be looking to do something drastic with their giant robot movie franchise

If you had any hopes that the Bumblebee spin-off would revive any interest in the Transformers franchise, it's probably a good idea to forget about them now as the spin-off is set to somehow include Optimus Prime in the mix.

The Transformers film we really want is a prequel that shows a meteor wiping out the whole Cybertron population before it ever made it to earth and then we could go home knowing the rest of the films didn't happen. Sadly, this is not where the next Transformers movie is headed.