Soundwave
w/ Ratbat (Electrostatic)
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to the original Animated deluxe Soundwave w/ Laserbeak. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original Animated deluxe Soundwave w/ Laserbeak here.)
Whereas the original
Animated Soundwave toy has more of a "techno" color scheme and vibe to
him, the Electrostatic repaint has a more "gothic/hard rock" feel to it.
(Oooh! Punk rock redeco next, please!) I kinda like the "themed" music
repaint, and it works surprisingly well for ol' Soundwave. All those red
tribals on his vehicle mode REALLY look spiffy, as do the new red windows/robot
chest and red highlight paint apps. The lavender highlights also help to
add to the "gothic" feel as well. It's a good thing his accent colors look
so good, since without them Soundwave would look rather boring-- his main
plastic colors are black and... a bluish black. Maybe putting in a bit
o' that lavender and red would've made Electrostatic Soundwave look even
better, though he's still plenty cool as is. I normally prefer a "pure"
black, but the bluish charcoal black actually seems work work a bit better
with the other colors than a straight black and makes him seem more "gothic",
somehow.
No mold changes have
been made to Electrostatic Soundwave, but he now has a new partner-- move
over Laserbeak, Ratbat's taking your place! Ratbat's a keytar in his alt
mode, and looks pretty good. The black and lavender really play off each
other really well, and he's surprisingly detailed for an Animated toy--
little volume bars and piano keys along his body are pretty well-sculpted.
The one caveat I have about this mode is that his bat head is just... THERE...
at the end of his keytar mode. No attempt is made to hide it, and it just
looks goofy. At least have a flip-down piece to cover his eyes, or something.
In bat mode, though... euuugh. Ratbat just looks BAD. His transformation
is pretty cool-- his whole body splits and accordions outwards-- but the
result simply isn't worth it. Oh, his bat head looks really cool. Love
the stylized bat-ears. And making the wings from the halves of the keytar
is ingenious. Unfortunately, he's got pretty much NO main body to speak
of-- he's just a head and wings. Well, and technically feet, since that's
how he plugs into Soundwave's vehicle mode-- but they're ludicrous stubs
of feet, even for bat feet. It just frankly looks ridiculous. As for articulation,
Ratbat can move up-and-down near the middle of his wings, and his forehead
is on a ball joint. (No, that wasn't a typo. His FOREHEAD.)
Electrostatic Soundwave
w/ Ratbat is a pretty nice "gothic metal" repaint of the character with
some very nice paint apps to accentuate his darker main colors, but his
new partner is a laugh and a half in beast mode (and not the good kind).
I think Electrostatic Soundwave, in terms of colors, is about on-par with
the original version of this character, but the very weak partner has me
recommending the original release of this toy slightly more than this one.
Review by Beastbot