Soundwave
(Activator; Animated)
Soundwave finally makes
his apperance as an Activator, and in vehicle mode he looks quite good.
The proportions are more-or-less comparable to his deluxe
class toy, the only real noticeable difference being that the windows
aren't as "tall" as they are on the deluxe toy, meaning that the roof isn't
as high. All of the necessary painted details are there, from his windows
to his light blue accent details to his bronze "tape player throwback"
detailing, so no complaints there. There are a few minor eyesores-- there's
some hinges sticking out near the back end of this mode, and Soundwave
doesn't have much of a "rear" to this mode, as it's just most of his robot
parts folded together-- but those don't knock down his score that much
given the limits of an Activator.
Soundwave's robot mode
is also extremely good for an Activator. Like most of this size, his hands
are merely molded onto the inside of his car doors-- but then again, that's
the way it is with the DELUXE toy, so I can't really begrudge the designers
there. Otherwise his proportions are pretty spot-on, though his shoulders
could be a tad bigger. His legs are definitely better-proportioned than
his deluxe class toy, with the upper legs not so overwhelmingly dwarfed
by the lower-- not to mention his feet don't look upside-down. His chest
also doesn't look as "dumpy" and wide on this toy compared to the deluxe
toy, which makes him look like less of a midget. His articulation is also
great for an Activator-- he can move at the neck, shoulders (at two points),
elbows (at two points), hips, knees (at two points), and a bit at the ankles.
There are a few downsides about Soundwave's robot mode, though. My major
beef with it is that the shoulders don't really "connect" to the main body,
so there's a noticeable gap there. Also the roof of his car mode hangs
unceremoniously behind his head, though at least it doesn't get in the
way of movement or anything. His paint apps are also generally well-done,
but the abdomen-buttons aren't painted which is sort of a major detail
to leave unpainted.
Activators Soundwave
is one of the best in the line, being remarkably solid in both vehicle
and robot mode. In fact, in some ways he's even better than the deluxe
version in robot mode, given that he doesn't look so "squat". If you're
going to get one Activator that isn't a Starscream redeco, make it Soundwave.
Review by Beastbot