Review #7: Soundwave & Minions
(Music Label Soundwave, Lazerbeak [Real Gear Booster X10], Universe Ravage,
TFC Toys "Gear of War" Autoscout, and Takara United Frenzy & Rumble)
Well, folks, this one is sure to be a long one. So have you used the restroom recently? Have you got yourself a snack? Something to drink? Good. Now get comfy, as we dive into one great big review that looks at six figures from four different official toy lines and one third party product that, all together, look to bring a "Classics" style Soundwave and his minions to your shelves. (After all, what would Soundwave be without his little buddies, and what would your shelf be without them all?)
The toys in this collection span, as best as I am able to tell, about five years of production. So let us look at them roughly chronologically, shall we? |
Things start in 2007. The Classics line had been out for a year, and the Decepticons had two of their three most iconic characters with updated versions of both Megatron and Starscream. But where was Soundwave? It seemed that Hasbro could not come up with an idea of how to update a character who transformed into an 80's micro-cassette recorder. And the fandom wept...
Along comes Takara (the company in charge of the Transformers brand in Japan) to the rescue! They've got a new line coming out called Music Label. This line is slated to include Soundwave. And they figure that Soundwave has such an iconic design, why change perfection? Just refine it. So they released a new Soundwave that transformed into... well, into an 80's micro-cassette recorder.
Or so it would seem on the outside. He got a major overhall on the inside. This bad boy no longer has to deal with analogue media. This is a fully functioning Transformer that is also a functional MP3 player. He comes with the earbuds you see in the photo to the left. The jack that they plug into is a standard one, so if you have some better headphones you'd rather use, or some speakers you'd like to plug in there instead, you may do so. |
He has no internal memory, so you have to load your songs onto an SD card. Not only that, but a format known as Mini SD which is not very common in America. I managed to find one on Amazon for not too much, however. His instructions claim that he can only support a card of up to 1GB, but word on the net was that he would be able to handle a 2GB card, and I can confirm that this is true.
I will admit that his MP3 functionality is rather basic. He plays, he pauses, he skips forward or backwards one track at a time. He cannot shuffle or search tracks. He will only play the tracks in the order that they are on the SD card. So this is about as bare bones an MP3 player as you can get...
But it is a freaking Soundwave that actually plays music! That alone is, to use some informal vernacular, "full of the awesome." The dreams of any kid who grew up as a fan of Transformers in the 80's are now reality. (Well, this one dream, at least.)
I will admit that his MP3 functionality is rather basic. He plays, he pauses, he skips forward or backwards one track at a time. He cannot shuffle or search tracks. He will only play the tracks in the order that they are on the SD card. So this is about as bare bones an MP3 player as you can get...
But it is a freaking Soundwave that actually plays music! That alone is, to use some informal vernacular, "full of the awesome." The dreams of any kid who grew up as a fan of Transformers in the 80's are now reality. (Well, this one dream, at least.)
While it is common these days for Transformers to be able to store their weapons on their alternate modes, this was a rare thing in the days of the original toy line, making Soundwave somewhat unique with his weapons that turned into batteries and stored in a fake battery compartment on his back. Alas, this new Soundwave cannot do that. While normally I would be bothered by that on a modern Transformers toy, here I can be forgiving. After all, the reason for this oversite is that he has to carry a real battery there now! Soundwave is powered by a single AAA battery.
|
Soundwave was available in three colours, an iPod inspired, "Sonic White," the G1 inspired, "Spark Blue," and a "Blaster Black" that took inspiration from Soundwave's successor Soundblaster. If you couldn't guess, what I have here is the "Spark Blue" one. He has been augmented, as I so often do, by a sticker set from the fine folks at Reprolabels. (They also have a set coloured for Soundblaster if you have the Blaster Black version.) The stickers include a better looking "cassette door" then the figure originally featured, the "^REC ^STOP" detailing underneath his buttons, the "REC / BATT" (and battery light) to the left of his buttons, the "STEREO MICROCASSETTE RECORDER" label to the right of his buttons, and the red boxes on either side of his front. (I'll admit I was never quite sure if those were supposed to be speakers, or perhaps the microphones.) All in all, this set really gives this Soundwave some nice finishing touches. We'll see more of it in a moment when we get to...
|
Robot mode!
I don't know what can be said about this Soundwave other then... well... it is Soundwave. It perfectly captures the look of his G1 incarnation and updates it to a modern toy design. And again, the Reprolabels help seal the deal. Additional detail in this mode that they supply would be the details on the shoulders, knees, and lower legs (all inspired by the G1 toy's stickers) and the red detailing added to his weaponry.
He is a very posable figure. His original figure had decent posability for the 80's, and this incarnation takes that and dials it up to 11. To start with, his head is on a ball joint, his shoulders can turn 360 degrees, he can raise his arms, and there's a 360 degree swivel in his uper arms. His elbows each feature both a hinge joint and a ball joint, and his wrists have ball joints. He has no waist articulation, I fear, but it is not a terrible omission. His legs can move forward and back or in an out at the hips, and there is a 360 degree swivel above the knees. Finally, the knees can bent about 90 degrees. |
He has the same two weapons he had in his G1 days, the iconic shoulder cannon (here labeled, "ELECTRIC LAUNCHER") and his hand held weapon (labeled with the Engrish phrase, "WAVE BLUSTER.") He comes with three sets of hands, although I fear I did not have the forseight to take photos of the extra hands in preparation for this review. He is currently featured with one closed fist and one hand designed to hold his weapon. Two of the other hands are those same two things for the opposite hands. The last two hands have a more extended (but still bent) index finger, seemingly so that he can be posed pushing the button on his shoulder. (Not sure what the excuse would be for the right hand with this finger.) These are somewhat redundant hands as, while not with quite as extended a finger, you can already get this effect somewhat satisfactarily with the weapon holding hand.
|
Also, while I will admit to not having tested it, I'm not sure if the "extended finger" hands would fit in place when transforming him back into a cassette player. This mode was designed with the closed fists in mind. The weapon holding hand just manages to fit. The extended finger hand might not. I quite content myself with one closed fist and one weapon holding hand, knowing I won't need to swap fists out and can still do everything I wish to with this figure. Still, the inclusion of the extra fists is apreciated. Unless it is something so large that it would detramentally add to the cost of a figure, I'd rather have a few extra excessories I might not need rather then not enough accessories.
Soundwave's chest does open, but unlike his G1 version, you cannot store his minions in there. Unless, of course, you count the SD card as a minion. (You know, it has been a while since I've plugged the SD card into my computer, so my memory is a bit fuzzy... But I do think that when I formated it, I might have named it Buzzsaw.) I should also note that he can still function as an MP3 player in his robot mode, but since his shoulder canon plugs into his headphone jack you will have to remove it to plug in your headphones or speakers.
So that is Music Label Soundwave. It is an excellent update to the G1 design... and it FREAKING PLAYS MUSIC! Sure, the weapons don't store as batteries. Sure, he can't hold cassette Transformers inside of him. But, and I cannot say it enough, he is a Soundwave that is both gorgeous, and it FREAKING PLAYS MUSIC! This is perhaps not good for a child's toy, unless it is an older child who would not be as rough on their toys. Of course, as a Japanese import that is no longer in production he is not going to be an inexpensive purchase, so that might definitely make it not a good idea as a toy for kids. On the other hand, if you do have the money to spend this is a great thing for the adult collector looking to fill the Soundwave gap on their Classics shelf. FREAKING MUSIC PLAYING SOUNDWAVE!
Cough... Moving on.
2007 also brought us the first live action Transformers movie. One of the sub-lines in the first film's toyline was a line called, "Real Gear." This line consisted of what was supposed to be 1:1 scale personal electronic items (not real ones like the above Soundwave, but just toys) that transformed.
Soundwave's chest does open, but unlike his G1 version, you cannot store his minions in there. Unless, of course, you count the SD card as a minion. (You know, it has been a while since I've plugged the SD card into my computer, so my memory is a bit fuzzy... But I do think that when I formated it, I might have named it Buzzsaw.) I should also note that he can still function as an MP3 player in his robot mode, but since his shoulder canon plugs into his headphone jack you will have to remove it to plug in your headphones or speakers.
So that is Music Label Soundwave. It is an excellent update to the G1 design... and it FREAKING PLAYS MUSIC! Sure, the weapons don't store as batteries. Sure, he can't hold cassette Transformers inside of him. But, and I cannot say it enough, he is a Soundwave that is both gorgeous, and it FREAKING PLAYS MUSIC! This is perhaps not good for a child's toy, unless it is an older child who would not be as rough on their toys. Of course, as a Japanese import that is no longer in production he is not going to be an inexpensive purchase, so that might definitely make it not a good idea as a toy for kids. On the other hand, if you do have the money to spend this is a great thing for the adult collector looking to fill the Soundwave gap on their Classics shelf. FREAKING MUSIC PLAYING SOUNDWAVE!
Cough... Moving on.
2007 also brought us the first live action Transformers movie. One of the sub-lines in the first film's toyline was a line called, "Real Gear." This line consisted of what was supposed to be 1:1 scale personal electronic items (not real ones like the above Soundwave, but just toys) that transformed.
This is Booster X10 from the Real Gear line. (They all had such wonderfully creative names, he typed sarcastically. Other examples were binoculars named Longview or a watch named Meantime. Well... I suppose I'll give them Meantime, that one is kind of good. But where was I?)
Ah yes, Booster X10. He's a little MP3 player, but as I said this time just a fake toy one. He comes with a little bluetooth ear device to pretend you're listening through. Overall this is a simple design with no frills, but it does the job. |
Pull open the MP3 player, fold down some little legs, attach the ear piece to the resulting creature's back, and you get this:
Being a piece of audio technology that transformes into a red and black bird who has a back mounted weapon, I feel it would have to have been one hell of a coincidence for this not to have been intended to be a Lazerbeak homage. Still, for the longest time, that is all I saw this figure as: a nice homage, but a unique movie-verse character. And in fact, this figure was no longer on my shelves after I'd decided to pack away the few (non Optimus Prime) live action movie figures I had to clear up some space.
Then, late last year I decided to finally cough up the cash for Music Label Soundwave. And when doing so, I knew Soundwave would need at least his four most iconic companions. I had options for three of them... but not for Lazerbeak. Or did I? I unpacked Booster X10, stuck a Reprolabels faction symbol over the plain silver one on his ear piece, and said (or rather, would have said if I was the sort of bloke who talked aloud to his toys,) "Congradulations. You're being promoted. In my eyes, you are now Classics Lazerbeak." And given the above mentioned similarity, he does that job well. The only complaints I have would be (1) his bird mode perhaps looks just a tad bit oversized compared to Soundwave and his other animal based minion, Ravage and (2) he still has "BOOSTER X10" emblazoned on the back of his ear piece. The former problem, oh well, since he is (in my opinion) my best option, I can live with it. The later problem, it doesn't bother me greatly, but perhaps someday I'll see if it might be possible to do a little paint removal. For some reason, though, I suspect it might be stubborn coming off.
For articulation, his legs are quite posable, but are of course limited in that (unless you're actively playing with him) they need to be posed in such a way that he balances on them. His wings, since they have to fold up so much for transformation, could theoretically be condenced a bit if you want to consider that articulation. They can also stick straight out, move forward, or be swept back, as well as having a joint near his shoulders (is that term apropriate in bird biology?) that allow them to bend upwards. Finally, although it is not the most useful piece of articulation unless you want your bird to recreate scenes from The Excorcist, there is a 360 degree swivel at the base of his neck. (It does come in handy in transformation, as turning his head upside down makes it less obvious poking through the orange plastic window.)
So this figure. He'd be a good kids toy, and also works well for an adult collector who is, like I was, looking to fill out the ranks of Soundwave's minions. He is a slightly older toy, but a quick look at eBay just now tells me that he isn't likely to break your bank.
So let us continue our journey through time as we move forward to 2008 and 2009. 2008 saw a rebirth of "Classics" style toys, now in the Universe line. And 2009 (as near as a bit of Googling can tell) saw the innitial release of TFC Toys Gear of War accessory set. Thanks to all of this, Soundwave has two minions who still turn into cassettes. So let us take a look, now, at Ravage and the Autoscout.
Then, late last year I decided to finally cough up the cash for Music Label Soundwave. And when doing so, I knew Soundwave would need at least his four most iconic companions. I had options for three of them... but not for Lazerbeak. Or did I? I unpacked Booster X10, stuck a Reprolabels faction symbol over the plain silver one on his ear piece, and said (or rather, would have said if I was the sort of bloke who talked aloud to his toys,) "Congradulations. You're being promoted. In my eyes, you are now Classics Lazerbeak." And given the above mentioned similarity, he does that job well. The only complaints I have would be (1) his bird mode perhaps looks just a tad bit oversized compared to Soundwave and his other animal based minion, Ravage and (2) he still has "BOOSTER X10" emblazoned on the back of his ear piece. The former problem, oh well, since he is (in my opinion) my best option, I can live with it. The later problem, it doesn't bother me greatly, but perhaps someday I'll see if it might be possible to do a little paint removal. For some reason, though, I suspect it might be stubborn coming off.
For articulation, his legs are quite posable, but are of course limited in that (unless you're actively playing with him) they need to be posed in such a way that he balances on them. His wings, since they have to fold up so much for transformation, could theoretically be condenced a bit if you want to consider that articulation. They can also stick straight out, move forward, or be swept back, as well as having a joint near his shoulders (is that term apropriate in bird biology?) that allow them to bend upwards. Finally, although it is not the most useful piece of articulation unless you want your bird to recreate scenes from The Excorcist, there is a 360 degree swivel at the base of his neck. (It does come in handy in transformation, as turning his head upside down makes it less obvious poking through the orange plastic window.)
So this figure. He'd be a good kids toy, and also works well for an adult collector who is, like I was, looking to fill out the ranks of Soundwave's minions. He is a slightly older toy, but a quick look at eBay just now tells me that he isn't likely to break your bank.
So let us continue our journey through time as we move forward to 2008 and 2009. 2008 saw a rebirth of "Classics" style toys, now in the Universe line. And 2009 (as near as a bit of Googling can tell) saw the innitial release of TFC Toys Gear of War accessory set. Thanks to all of this, Soundwave has two minions who still turn into cassettes. So let us take a look, now, at Ravage and the Autoscout.
They are both pretty good cassettes. Ravage was originally kind of lack luster, out of the box having no painted detailing visable in this mode other then the silver on what would be his legs. His cassette was kind of obvious for what it was: a flattened and folded up kitty. He still, physically, isn't the most realistic cassette. But the Reprolabels-added detail really helps compensate for this. (His stickers are available together with those for Hound, with whom he was sold.)
|
The Autoscout, on the other hand, has to have one of the most amazing looking cassette modes ever seen on a transforming toy. All of the detail is there, with the magnetic tape not only visable on his sides... but detail of it on the bottom where it would be read by a hypothetical cassette player were it a real cassette! If you have a G1 (or reissue) Soundwave, both cassettes are compatable and can fit into his chest.
Since the Autoscouter is a third party product, let us take a quick look at how it looked in the original cartoon. |
Picture from TFWiki.net.
|
I think TFC toys did a good job. I will say that, in an early example of the current trend of two third party companies doing the same thing at the same time, there was another Autoscout option from the company iGear that does perhaps match the above image from the show slightly better... although the TFC Toys one (from photos I've seen of the other) definitely wins as a cassette. Neither Autoscout was something I felt compelled to seek out individually. I really wanted that ladder for Universe Inferno, however, so this Autoscout then became just an awesome added bonus. His claw arm is well articulated (although the claw itself is not) and it can hold one of the four korlonium crystals (from the same episode as the Autoscout) that it comes with. It also rolls pretty good on its wheels.
|
Ravage, meanwhile, gets a nice update as he suddenly realises that the physical world has not two, but three dimensions. Alas, he meanwhile has lost most of his ability to pose. Yes, his legs can move somewhat, his head can move up and down, and his tail can move up and down... but all of that is mainly articulation for the purpose of transformation. His feet have no articulation, thus making his legs effectively useful in about one pose. Still, he looks damn good in it. His face is a bit odd, looking somewhat beak-like rather then feline. I will also mention that on my Ravage, his back end doesn't quite like to go all the way together in this mode leaving a bit of a noticable gap. Not an end of the world thing, but still unfortunate. I couldn't say if this is common to all examples of this figure, or just my poor luck.
So, the verdect on these two? Not sure kids would have much interest in either one as they might not even know what the heck a cassette is. Heck, in my day we listened to cassettes while walking five miles barefoot in snow, backwards! And we liked it, dang nabbit! Also, beware the Autoscout having some small parts. For the adult collector, dispite his flaws, Ravage seems a no-brainer, especially if you also want Hound, the larger figure he was inexplicably packed with. The Autoscouter is cool to have, but not necessary. But if you want some of the other things in the Gear of War accessory set, he is certainly a nice perk.
And now we come to the end of things, as we move onto 2011. Frenzy and Rumble. Or Rumble and Frenzy. Or whatever. I'm not opening up that can of worms here. (At least, not in the text... although I am sure you may be able to guess my opinion on the matter when we get to the robot mode pics.)
Like the rest of Soundwave's minions, in the G1 days these lads were both cassettes. How best to update them? Well, if you wanted there was a Music Label option that saw both of them as headphones. They did have the disadvantages of being somewhat odd looking (what, with a giant round pad basically attached to each of their backs, and being permanantly attached to one another with a wire). Bonus points for being something designed to complement the Soundwave that was in their same line, but not what I was looking for.
So what other options were there? Well, when it comes to bad guys, the defult answer (*cough* Megatron *cough*) seems to be to go with a tank, so that is what was done here.
And now we come to the end of things, as we move onto 2011. Frenzy and Rumble. Or Rumble and Frenzy. Or whatever. I'm not opening up that can of worms here. (At least, not in the text... although I am sure you may be able to guess my opinion on the matter when we get to the robot mode pics.)
Like the rest of Soundwave's minions, in the G1 days these lads were both cassettes. How best to update them? Well, if you wanted there was a Music Label option that saw both of them as headphones. They did have the disadvantages of being somewhat odd looking (what, with a giant round pad basically attached to each of their backs, and being permanantly attached to one another with a wire). Bonus points for being something designed to complement the Soundwave that was in their same line, but not what I was looking for.
So what other options were there? Well, when it comes to bad guys, the defult answer (*cough* Megatron *cough*) seems to be to go with a tank, so that is what was done here.
A nice looking pair here. Not standard tanks, to be sure, but some "Cybertronian" variety. Often I don't like those, but here it works. It is basically the same toy twice with different colours, but that is okay with me as that is exactly what they were in their G1 days.
The turret on each one rotates 360 degrees, and the large guns on either side can raise. (They are, in fact, on ball joints.) The smaller turret between the two large guns can also be angled slightly in either direction. The treads are just molded on, but little wheels under them do the job of rolling just fine. |
You know, these two are the first toys I've reviewed on this website that are official Transformers (not a third party product) and are completely unaltered in any way. No added accessories. No Reprolabels. No attack of the sliver Sharpie. What you are seeing in these photos is exactly what came out of the box. So, let us now look at them in their robot modes.
I think these guys look great. They are of course updated versions, but maintain a lot of the detail that identifies them for who they are, including vestigal cassette holes on their chests. Also, just like in their G1 days, their weapons can either stay on their back or attach to their arms via 3 cm "C Joint" clips.
They are quite posable with their heads on ball joints and ball joints at their shoulders. Their elbows are hinged and (admitedly because of transformation) their lower arms can twist inward somewhat. No waist articulation, but that is often a joint that is done without for the sake of transformation. Their hips feature ball joints, and because their knees do as well they not only bend but act as a defacto leg swivel. The ankles can be angled for nice bent leg poses. |
What innitially seems to be just a massive amount of tank tread kibble hanging off of the back of their arms does actually serve a very cool purpose. In the TV show, Rumble could change his arms into massive pile drivers and create earthquakes. Since both of these toys share the same mold, Frenzy seems able to do this now, too. The pile drivers are spring loaded and shoot out by pressing the sliver patch on the side of the tank treads. They are on a hair trigger, however, and often shoot out at unwanted times, like when you're trying to transform them. Heck, I even seem to have fallen victim to this as you can see the pile driver is extended on the back of the red and black one (whoever he is... SO staying out of it) in the photo above.
So... great robot modes with a bit of a gimmick in the pile drivers, but it is a gimmick that is informed by an ability seen in the cartoon and, more importantly, one that works well and doesn't take away from the figure. (Often, figures have to sacrifice something when the toy makers want to add in a gimmick of some sort, and that often doesn't end well.) The vehicles are... well, obviously they are vehicles and not cassettes, but they are decent little tank modes that these two guys make work well for them.
These would both make good toys for kids, I think... except, sadly, they were never released in America. Rumble was planned to be a part of the Reveal the Shield line but suffered from that line's early cancelation to make way for the Dark of the Moon toys, and unlike a lot of the figures who suffered similar fates but ended up at discount stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx (like the previously reviewed Grapple) Rumble wasn't as lucky and his wave has never seen the light of day. Still, the mold exists and one can only hope that Hasbro will want to take advantage of it eventually, perhaps in whatever toy line becomes the next successor to the Classics legacy.
Takara didn't want to see this mold go to waste, however, and thus Frenzy and Rumble saw a release in Japan as a two pack with both figures. Of course, that means you can expect to pay import prices for them, which are rarely cheap. Especially for these two, who seemed quite popular with collectors. (Yours truely included, I must admit... I was originally going to sadly pass on them, but when I decided to finally get Soundwave, I knew I had to have them as well.) So for the adult collector willing to part with some money, definitely recomended.
Well, that's finally everyone! So, shall we see what they look like all together? We had them all together in their alt modes at the top of the review, but since this is such a long review, I shan't make you scroll all the way back up to the top.
These would both make good toys for kids, I think... except, sadly, they were never released in America. Rumble was planned to be a part of the Reveal the Shield line but suffered from that line's early cancelation to make way for the Dark of the Moon toys, and unlike a lot of the figures who suffered similar fates but ended up at discount stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx (like the previously reviewed Grapple) Rumble wasn't as lucky and his wave has never seen the light of day. Still, the mold exists and one can only hope that Hasbro will want to take advantage of it eventually, perhaps in whatever toy line becomes the next successor to the Classics legacy.
Takara didn't want to see this mold go to waste, however, and thus Frenzy and Rumble saw a release in Japan as a two pack with both figures. Of course, that means you can expect to pay import prices for them, which are rarely cheap. Especially for these two, who seemed quite popular with collectors. (Yours truely included, I must admit... I was originally going to sadly pass on them, but when I decided to finally get Soundwave, I knew I had to have them as well.) So for the adult collector willing to part with some money, definitely recomended.
Well, that's finally everyone! So, shall we see what they look like all together? We had them all together in their alt modes at the top of the review, but since this is such a long review, I shan't make you scroll all the way back up to the top.
The four in the middle look really good together, I think. The cassettes might look a tad big compared to Soundwave, but not distractingly so. Frenzy and Rumble look a tad out of place, I suppose. Are they itty bitty, teeny tiny widdle tanks? Or is Soundwave the world's biggest cassette player? (I suppose this is him to scale if there wasn't mass shifting!)
Scale has always been a bit wonky in Transformers, however, both in the show and in the toylines. So I don't worry about it too much. My main concern is if the robot modes look good together. |
To the left is almost everyone together as robots. It is a slightly older photo, taken before I had the Autoscout, but I also thought you might like a look at Soundwave without his Reprolabels. (I think they definitely improve him, however.) To the right, everyone again, this time Autoscout included... and this time with the mighty Sailor Moon DVD case for size comparison.
|
I think they look great together, the only slight snag being (as previously mentioned) that Lazerbeak is a bit big. Still, it does work.
Any and all of these figures would be good additions for anyone building a Classics collection and looking to fill out their Decepticon ranks. Just be aware that most of these guys, especially the imported folk (Soundwave, Frenzy, and Rumble) or the third party guy (the Autoscout) will not be inexpensive. If you can afford them, however, I highly recomend them all.
Review added 21 January 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!
Any and all of these figures would be good additions for anyone building a Classics collection and looking to fill out their Decepticon ranks. Just be aware that most of these guys, especially the imported folk (Soundwave, Frenzy, and Rumble) or the third party guy (the Autoscout) will not be inexpensive. If you can afford them, however, I highly recomend them all.
Review added 21 January 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment!