Name: Soundwave
Allegiance: Decepticon
Size Class: Warrior Class
Soundwave was a memorable character in Transformers: Prime. He was an eerie, silent spook ever aware of what was going on, thanks to his constant surveillance of not just Earth's comings and goings, but those of his fellow Decepticons. Whilst sequel series Robots In Disguise did start as something of a clean break from what had gone before, it gradually reintroduced some characters from Prime. I couldn't tell you the whys and wherefores, having not watched the full cartoon (if was broadcast in the UK, I've no idea where and only about a dozen episodes made it to DVD), but it got Soundwave a new toy if nothing else.
Robot mode: For Robots In Disguise, Soundwave is a little more beefy than he was before. Down in part to the return of the 'tape window' chest design. I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed by the G1 throwback design cues (He's got his shoulder cannon too). One of the reasons the Prime version of Soundwave was so successful was that it ditched all that guff to give us something new and fresh, which made Soundwave feel relevant and interesting. Desptie that, the overall look of the robot mode is quite nice. I like the shaping he has, all chopped out rectangles and blocks. The shoulders are bit Dynasty though. They're absolutely massive chunks of vehicle with these great flaps hanging off. They do lend some visual impact though – just like that fierce lightpiping. Colourwise, he's a bit drab, cast mostly in a dull blue accented only by a smattering of grey. The chest panel and light piped head and wheels help a bit, but it's not quite enough. He does look surprisingly good from the back as well, given that much of the vehicle mode kibble is mostly put to good use.
Alternate Mode: Soundwave's some kind of rugged 4x4 truck thing. It's quite stylised, so looks somewhere between a pick-up truck, an SUV and a military vehicle. It's really rather nice and looks suitably Cybertronian/ Futuristic with the electric light wheels. The tape deck design becomes the grill, which doesn't look half bad. It's certainly streets ahead of that box on wheels War For Cybertron gave us. The canon can pivot about on the roof and all in all, it's a pretty solid effort. Except for the wavy hands.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation design: A refreshing set of fiddles get you between modes. I really like how the wheels flip out of the legs and clip into place, along with how the roof and bonnet jostle about with the arms and side panels. It's a little more complex than I would have expected for a line that's been very much aimed at kids. The design is only really let down by the robot hands not having anywhere to go in vehicle mode. 8/10
Articulation: A good range of motion with knee, thigh, arm, elbow and head articulation gives you everything you need. The stylised design and narrow torso and waist do limit some poses, but otherwise what you need for playtime. 7/10
Durability: Soundwave is quite a hollow feeling figure. Whilst he feels alright in robot mode, he is honeycombed and lacks much in the way of mass in either mode. Despite this, the plastics are nice and sturdy and better than some Titans Returns figures (I'm looking at you, Wolfwire – stop crumbling in the corner). 8/10
Fun: Yeah, Soundwave's a fun figure. Whatever I think about the G1 nods, he looks great, has a neat transformation sequence and a cool looking vehicle mode. 9/10
Value/ Price: An impulse buy for me, as he was on clearance at £7.99, I've felt I've more than got my money's worth. Paying the full RRP of £14.99? Not so much. 7/10
Overall: Another triumph for the Robots In Disguise line, which has quietly turned out some belting Deluxe class figures. He's playing on nostalgia a bit too much to be truly great, but is definitely one of the stand out figures from the line. 8/10
Robots In Disguise Soundwave
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Robots In Disguise Soundwave
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