I am sure you are familiar with BEARBRICK (stylized as BE@RBRICK). This half-bear, half-Kubrick figure that, for some reason, has a potbelly, has been around for over two decades. Since its introduction, it has since countless co-branding/collaborations.
But whatever collaborations, the iconic pot-bellied bear shape never changes. That was until Takara Tomy’s Transformers franchise joined hands with BAPE last year. BE@RBRICK becomes playable, thanks to the ability to transform from a BE@RBRICK to Optimus Prime and vice versa.
Last year’s BAPE x BEARBRICK x Transformers Figure was based on the Transformers Masterpiece Convoy BAPE® Version, featuring a green colorway mixed up with BAPE camo print and BAPE’s ape head branding.
Fast forward to 2022, we have another BAPE x BEARBRICK x Transformers Figure, also based on the Transformers Masterpiece Convoy BAPE® Version but the red variant. Everything remains unchanged from last year’s offering, including the iconic BAPE camo treatment.
The red version is essentially a repaint of the first collab piece. Which kind of funny because that’s what Hasbro/Takara Tomy love doing: serving up repaint/deco toys.
Anywho, the BAPE x BEARBRICK x Transformers Figure Red Ver., which is of 200% size (i.e. 145 mm or about 5.7 inches), was released in January for 7,480 yen (about US$65).
It was listed on Rakuten Japan but it appears to be sold out. But you probably can still locate it at some of your local toy stores.
Images: Medicom Toy [JP].