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01.22.2013 – The Chevrolet Camaro is an iconic piece of American automobile that has defined its own personality from its first introduction in 1966 and its re-introduction to the market in 2009 up to the present producing multiple variations of its latest reiteration. There were several variations of the All-New Chevy Camaro that you won’t even notice the difference unless one particular iconic version that made the car popular during the first Transformers live action film that fictional character like Bumblebee took as his latest form. (Please CLICK on the title for the full article)

The Camaro is General Motors direct car competitor with Ford’s iconic Mustang in the 1960s. This defined the American muscle car when it was first introduced. Just like the European supercars the muscle cars is the face of the American ingenuity. It’s known as strong, tough, and built with an attitude which defines the Chevrolet Camaro.

The fifth generation was first introduced sometime in 2006 and GM Holden of Australia was behind the final design, engineering and development of the Camaro. There were several variations ranging from the coupé introduced in early 2009 followed by variations that includes a 6-speed automatic with manual shift.

It was named the World Car Design of the Year on April 1, 2010 at the World Car of the Year Awards Besides being introduced first as Bumblebee’s alternate vehicle form in the 2007 live action film that also featured the classic 1977 Camaro.





The version in the first film was the fifth-generation concept variant followed by a modified version in the next two sequels in Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon.

Takara Tomy who designs the Transformers toys not only produced the action figures based from the movie it also secured the rights to manufacture the die cast version for the Tomica toy line for the 2011 series which had its own variations tied-up for the movie.





Of course the standard Chevrolet Camaro was released in 2011 does not sport the black racing stripes Bumblebee is known for but it came out in its standard yellow variant. There were no known other color variants release for the Tomica series however Takara Tomy had produced a Bumblebee variant for a separate Tomica series that is tied up with the movie.

This Tomica version is designated number 19 in the 2011 series that was previously sold in the Philippines making its regular retail appearance just recently. The standard Chevrolet Camaro can open its two doors in selected Tomica products as well as with the working suspensions.





There is also a side-by-side comparison to Hasbro’s (the toy manufacturer which produced the Transformers toys in the US) own die cast cars tied up to the movie known as Transformers R.P.M.s (Robot Powered Machines). The short lived die cast toy line from Hasbro featured vehicles that have their robot versions underneath.

The comparison between the two products makes the difference between aesthetics and design close to the actual car. This is where Takara Tomy’s Tomica car stood out besides Hasbro’s own die cast car collectible that was discontinued after its last Transformers movie.



In Philippines the real car was introduced in the 2010 CAMPI Philippine International Motor Show with the black racing stripes as its standard variation. Sometime in July 2011 a similar version but with the exclusive known as a “Transformers” variant was spotted in the front of the Hotel Intercontinental which was actually owned by Azkals’ football star Phil Younghusband.

This particular version of the Chevrolet Camaro is known as a “Transformers” exclusive featured Autobot symbols in various parts of the car as well as the name of the brand making this the “Bumblebee Camaro” edition which was rarely seen in the streets of Manila.

The fifth-generation Camaro has found an identity connected to the iconic Transformer in Bumblebee whenever you see it on the streets or in car shows.



This is due to the popularity of the Transformers live action films but beyond that it also appeared in the latest incarnation of the Hawaii Five-0 TV series. It gained a chance to be known once again and Tomica produced the iconic muscle car into the die cast car that would be the next sought after collectible.

The Chevrolet Camaro is part of the 2011 Tomica series of die cast cars manufactured by Takara Tomy and locally distributed by Bankee Toys with the standard retail price at PhP 169.75 pesos.

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