Soundwave
(Shattered Glass) [Botcon 2012 Exclusive]
(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 Universe 2.0 Ironhide. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Universe 2.0 Ironhide here.)
Soundwave's Shattered
Glass earthen form isn't a cassette player, but a totally rockin' band
van. Like the white "Music Label" Soundwave that his initial Shattered
Glass form was based off of, this Soundwave's primary color is white, with
blue more of a secondary color. Both shades of blue used-- the dark transparent
plastic and the rather spectacular, semi-metallic shade of paint-- look
great against the white and the black, though when right next to each other
(as they are with the windows in vehicle mode) they're of obviously different
shades and thus catch the eye more than they should there. (The white paint
itself, however, looks pretty much the same as the white plastic-- the
difference above is only because apparent because of the camera lighting.)
It's a fairly basic color scheme, but it works decently enough, though
I'd be lying if I said I liked it more than Soundwave's "classic" colors.
There's also bit of green used for his headlights, taillights, and (oddly)
optics, which help to add a bit of accent to his colors as well. There's
also several emblems on Soundwave in vehicle mode, to emphasize the "band"
part of his band van alt mode. He's got a stylized "Cold Slither" symbol
on his sides, which looks like the logo for a metal band but is also a
bit of a nod to GIJOE; plus, on his rear end/chest, he's got "bumper" stickers
of a guitar and "I (heart) Rock N' Roll", as well as a "SND WAV" license
plate. All of these are nice touches, though the more impractical part
of me wishes there were even more of them, as in vehicle mode that are
some spots of white that are a bit too large and interrupted.
Soundwave has a new
head mold, though it's a bit misproportioned, unfortunately. It's a tad
too thick when it comes to the width, and the faceplate is a bit too large.
His green optics are also a little "beady" and make him look more like
he has individual eyes that "meet" together in the middle, which just looks...
wrong when it comes to Soundwave. In addition, available at the Club Store
at Botcon that year were little, independently-produced "headband" pieces
for Soundwave available for $5 U.S. each. It's a neat (though chinsy-feeling)
accessory that fits on his head perfectly, though I wish there had been
some way to mold the headband onto his head without having to take it off
when you transform him into vehicle mode.
Shattered Glass Soundwave
is an interesting nod to a cool character, and the shades of blue in particular
that are used for the character are pretty cool, as are the tampos that
give him more of a "band van" feel. Unfortunately, the medicore mold choice--
combined with the awkward headsculpt-- make this overall the weakest choice
among the Botcon 2012 exclusive offerings, in my opinion.
Review by Beastbot