(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 Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Soundwave. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Prime the "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Soundwave figure here.)
Soundwave follows the
Autobot/Decepticon Beast Hunters norm of having his previous "Robots in
Disguise" toy heavily remolded. Most of the remolding for Soundwave has
to do with extra ornamental ridges, particularly on his wings/upper arms
and front nosecone/robot feet. There's also more details in general, giving
Soundwave a semi-regal look that actually fits in a bit more with the Beast
Hunters Predacons than with most of the other Beast Hunters Decepticons.
Most of these remolds are merely aesthetic, but the way his arms transform
has been slightly altered-- now that his wings are longer, the lower arms
don't fold out quite all the way, eternally stuck pointing inwards a bit.
This is a bummer, and a rather blatant design overlook that Hasbro really
should've implemented better. Soundwave comes with a weapon as well-- his
"Talon Grapple Cannon", which is a pretty cool little weapon that fires
a spring-loaded projecile claw on a string that has a point of articulation
in the middle for grasping around other toys. There's three pegs for it
in vehicle mode-- one in front of the rear tailfins, and one on the top
of each of his main wings. Of course, he can hold the cannon in his robot
hands, as well. Probably the most substantial mold change for this iteration,
though, is that Soundwave's little buddy Laserbeak has been replaced with
a little Ravage, which stores identically in Soundwave's chest in robot
mode. Unlike Laserbeak, Ravage is much more obviously a cougar, and not
very abstract at all. This said, his proportions are definitely off in
beast mode, with his appendages too thick proportionally and his tail almost
non-existent. Ravage can move forward-and-back at the front shoulders (as
one piece), and his back legs can rotate backwards and forwards where they
meet the main body, so his articulation is fairly limited, but this is
to be expected for such a tiny little toy.
Soundwave's major color
of a dull pale blue still remains for his Beast Hunters version, along
with the black parts that carry over from his initial version. However,
the dull pale blue is now mixed in with a really eye-catching shade of
dark purplish blue, which both complements and contrasts against the lighter
color well. This dull pale blue is also used as a solid color for Soundwave's
upper arms and main body, and looks even better there. There's also some
yellow and greenish-gold accents-- the latter look okay, used sparingly
as they are (though a "purer" shade of gold would have worked better),
but I'm not normally a fan of yellow, and this is no exception. It DOES
perform its function of serving as a light accent color, though, and I
will admit the gold on Soundwave's faceless face (which, again, is a bit
more ridged and detailed this time around) looks pretty good next to his
silver-painted "collar". There's also a fair amount of brown, but it doesn't
really "fit" with the color scheme, and I'm glad it's only used on some
connector pieces (and Ravage's legs, where it just looks ugly). It seems
superfluous to the color scheme overall, along with the sole little stripe
of purple on Soundwave's stomach-- though at least the latter looks pretty
nice.
Beast Hunters deluxe
Soundwave w/ Ravage is pretty much the only same-character remold in the
line that I think is worse overall than the original version. The color
scheme is slightly more interesting-- yellow and brown accents aside--
and I really love the dark purplish blue, claw weapon, and extra ridges
molded in. However, his arms are considerably more awkward this time around
due to the extended wingspan, and Ravage is a much weaker partner figure
than Laserbeak.
(Continued from Chapter 1, Deluxe
Bumblebee)
There is no transmission so secure that
it will not yield to the tender decryption of Soundwave. Such is the case
with the conversation between Bumblebee and Wheeljack, and so, within minutes
of the two Autobots blasting off for the distant asteroid belt, Megatron
and Predaking also set course for the ancient weapons cache. Soundwave
remains on Earth, patiently monitoring Autobot transmissions, assuring
his leader that they are indeed alone. It is an opportunity to not only
destroy this pair of Autobots, but also to secure weapons that ensure victory
over the rest-- an opportunity arranged with patient satisfaction by the
Decepticon data master.
(Continued in Chapter 3, Deluxe Lazerback)
Talon Grapple Cannon:
-Snares and instantly disables targets.
-Data filaments drain information from
grappled subjects.
-Powerful enough to crush most subjects
after data drain.
Strength: 8.0
Intelligence: 10.0
Speed: 6.0
Endurance: 5.0
Rank: 8.0
Courage: 4.0
Fireblast: 6.0
Skill: 9.0
Review by Beastbot