I was perusing the toy aisle at my local Walmart the other day and found this bad boy sitting on the shelf. Not only did I need this figure, but I needed to review it for you guys!
Soundwave is a Deception from the G1 era, and it's a pretty earnest tie between him and Shockwave for my favourite G1 characters. He's all about reconnaissance and intel, and even has some henchmen that help him do his bidding. (In the originals they were all cassette tapes that fit inside of his tape-deck). How fitting, that his new robot mode is a "communications truck".
sw1.JPG 293.21K
6 downloads
sw2.JPG 266.49K
7 downloads
It's got some cool details on it, including the weird spike trap things on the front end. He's even got a chain-gun looking weapon on the top with a driver's seat! (Gotta be in disguise, of course!). One of the biggest draws to me for this figure was that he actually pops open to store up to 3 of his henchmen, and actually comes with Laserbeak! They've done some updating, however, and they're no longer cassette tapes, but data discs! The really cool part about the disc figures is that they pop into their transformation. Sort of lame for a transformer until you see it. You drop him on the ground and it hits a button and he just flips so fluidly into his vulture form. It's awesome! I must've dropped him, folded him back up, and dropped him like ten times when I got him out of the package.
sw3.JPG 360.24K
10 downloads
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The mechanism that is supposed to push them out, however, is terrible. My laserbeak got stuck inside and I actually thought that I was going to ruin the little guy trying to get him out. Oddly enough, the instructions show you the wrong way of inserting the minions into the chest cavity. The good thing about this is that before I managed to remove Laserbeak I called Hasbro and they offered me a refund, (for the American price, mind you, but more on that later), or a replacement, (of a random figure from the FoC line, not Soundwave), which is pretty good considering I chucked the receipt out and had no proof at all I purchased this guy just a few days ago.
Which brings me to the next glaring fault of the figure: His hands. They can actually be pushed inside of the little brace/car part and are difficult as hell to remove without potentially damaging the figure.
sw6.JPG 200.22K
13 downloads
All that being said, I still love the figure. He looks really impressive in robot mode, and even more impressive beside some of the smaller robots. You can mount his gun on his shoulder or put it in his hands, so that's an added bonus also.
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Over-all, I think he's a decent figure for what I paid. In Canada, this bad boy retails for a crazy $29.99. I only complain, because in the States he is selling for $19.99! He's not a bad figure at $30, but for $20 he is definitely an excellent buy. Hasbro seems to have eliminated ball joints on this figure, which sadly removes some of the poses you can put him in. The plus side is that I won't end up with droopy arms and a robot that can't support his weight, so there's that. He looks as close to traditional Soundwave as possible, while still giving him some of the necessary upgrades and adjustments from the 80's. Even Laserbeak is pretty cool looking. He is a welcome addition to any TF collection, easily!
As for where you can buy this, any department store with a toy department should have him in stock. Though most seem to have shifted their focus over to the Beast Hunters line, (at least here in Canada anyhow).
Even though you can find him in local stores, here is an ebay link for the figure:
http://www.ebay.ca/i...=item565154eb26
Before I conclude this review, I'll leave you with a size comparison picture between Soundwave and Sharkticon from the Energon line. (He towers over him!)
SW9.JPG 340.53K
15 downloads
Edited by Draznar, 25 July 2013 - 08:56 AM.
