Here's a nice one, the Silver Robocar 'Volks' from the first series of Brazilian minibots. He's called Volks as Bumblebee is a Volkswagon Beetle. Seeing as it's a Robocar release by Estrela in Brazil, the card for this toy wouldn't have been too different from the cards seen with the Argentinian Antex minibots which had TF card art. This is one of the more common Brazilian minibots, but definitely one of the classiest repaints.

This being one of the earlier Brazilian minibots, the repaint scheme is relatively restrained compared to Optimus vs Malignus minibots. On the roof you can see the long thin Microchange-style sticker. Having said countless times that these Brazilian minis wear quickly, this particular Volks was actually in excellent shape with tight joints. Getting these minibots with intact stickers is also a bonus, however the stickers do not matter so much with Robocar releases as they do with the Optimus vs Malignus ones.

The sticker on the back appears to be a V on a German flag, maybe something to do with "Volks" -> Volkswagon -> German car manufacturer? Eitherway, a nice variation on the stickers as well as the toy itself.

Another common South American minibot trait here, no "Dunlop" text on the tires. The general plastic feel and construction quality of this minibot feels lower than say a TF Bumblebee. With some you can see gaps between the windshield sections and the vertical bars of the plastic chassis by the windows. In good condition though, it doesn't affect the toy in any noticeable way but the problem is these are almost always worn and almost never carded.

It's still pretty amazing that even after approximately 4 years of coming out into the open and being discovered (or told about), even after many (relatively, compared to other Brazilian minis) silver Bumblebees showing up, there has still never been a sighting of a carded one.

The Estrela Robocar Volks was released in yellow as well, in the Optimus vs Malignus line in red and also in orange. Both Optimus vs Malignus Bumblebees would have been part of the Optimus faction.

Here's the silver Volks in robot mode:

Again, very smart-looking repaint with two striking modes. The gold face is a nice touch and fits in very well with his prominent silver colour scheme. Apart from this and the silver Mexican Cliffjumper ("Hubcap"), no other repainted minibot found so far has a metallic silver colour scheme so this is a pretty special little number and it works very well with the mould.

This was one of the first Brazilian repaints identified and documented and is probably the best of the Bumblebee repaints in Brazil. The silver paint does come down below the brow line and into the eyes, another common trait with Brazilian minibots. That certainly doesn't detract anything from what is a really cool recolour, and it's a shame a lot of the other recoloured minibots don't look this good. They're interesting and wacky, but this is classy. The above pic may also show the smaller black pegs that hold the head in place on Brazilian minibots.

Here's the copyright on this Volks:

The following pictures show the silver Volks compared to a regular yellow Transformers Bumblebee:

The Silver Volks is almost a direct inverse of the TF colour scheme (which is yellow with silver face) and the above pictures also show the difference in stickers, especially on the back of the headplate. You can't see it in the picture, but the TF says "Dunlop" on the tires whereas the Estrela minibot has plain tires. Here's silver Volks with another Estrela bot it is commonly linked with, the gold Carrera (Cliffjumper):

The similar stickers on the chest show that these are both from the Estrela Robocar line and probably saw release at very nearly the same time in Brazil. The gold Carrera is probably a more exact inverse of the Volks in terms of colour scheme. These two really should come as a pair and they look excellent together.

Here's the Silver Volks with, from L to R; US TF Bumblebee, Takara Collection #12 Anime Bumblebee and E-Hobby exclusive Bug-Bite:

Compared to the other Bumblebees in the picture, it's probably the silver Volks that looks the most menacing (as menacing as a VW bug CAN look) and dark as opposed to Bug-Bite who is supposed to be the Decepticon. However, I am a massive fan of the anime head that the latest reissues are sporting.

This mould is probably one of the favourites, if not THE favourite of all the minibots amongst fans. It has the most character attached to it due to the G1 cartoon series and has a very strong robot and vehicle mode. Apart from the black exclusive keychain released in Japan, the silver Volks is probably the darkest Bumblebee repaint available. It's also not a very hard one to find as it turns up about as much as the gold Carrera/Cliffjumper does. Even though it's nicer than the other Brazilian Bumblebees, the others are probably worth more as they are much harder to locate. Due to the lower price point I don't see why Bumblebee enthusiasts shouldn't pick this little gem up. Quality is ok, it won't cost you much and it's a special repaint with a reasonably unique colour scheme among minibots and his looks are probably less questionable than most other Brazilian repaints of the minibots. Now a CARDED silver Volks, that's gonna cost a very serious dollar or two...

To finish up, here he is with a few other Brazilian minibots...

All the best
Maz