Toy Review: Generations FOC Shockwave

[christalcase]

Series - Transformers Generations
Sub-line - Fall of Cybertron
Size/class - Deluxe
Wave - 1
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - not sure (Asia - June 2012, US - July 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - $25-$30
Approximate Size - not sure
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Cybertonian Mobile Artillery
Main Features/Gimmicks - spring loaded head
Main Colours - purple
Main Accessories - laser cannon

(no photos as I don't have my camera usb connection cable on me)

Artillery Mode:

Compact, solid and holds together very well. I was afraid it'll be a jumbled mess but everything pegs together and stays in one piece. It doesn't have any sort of landing gear but does rest flat on the table. It looks pretty good and I like it, the chest piece sits a bit more flush against the body than the stock photos shows, it's sleek and looks like a plausible spaceship. It's not too small, about on par with the Prime First Edition deluxes. As far as Cybertronian modes go (and Earthen ones for that matter), it's very good.

Transformation:

The transformation surprised me, I didn't know what to expect and it turned out to be a fun transformation. It's simple, and easy to handle. Going between the modes takes a minute or so. There's nothing fiddly, and importantly, it's intuitive. There's no manipulation of thin flimsy parts. There's a head reveal gimmick of sorts seen in the Prime RiD deluxes in that when you peg in the chest, the head pops up automatically (think RiD Ratchet). It doesn't cause any compromise to the figure at all. Granted, there's nothing impressive about the engineering but it works in Shockwave's favour.

Robot Mode:

Not as small as I had feared, yes, there is a reduction in mass and size, but holding it in your hands, it's not too obvious. Shockwave is skinny, and if you look carefully, there's no abundance of paint (but he doesn't need it, being primarily purple anyway). I love how he has two fists, you can either attach the laser cannon (a separate piece) as a gun (it has a 5mm post), or fold in his hand and peg the cannon so it's like he has the cannon for an arm. The latter is preferable since by holding as a gun, the handle is too far forward and prevents Shockwave's elbow from bending (i.e. it's too big and clumsy). Alternatively, there's a space for you to peg the gun on his back, a handy touch. Articulation is great, and there's lightpiping for his eye that works really well. Apart from the head reveal and gun, there's no real gimmick to speak of. The articulation is what you would expect. Overall, a good robot mode.

Overall:

A fun toy to fiddle around with. After looking at Shockwave's case mates Jazz and Optimus, I think Shockwave is the best figure and mold out of the Wave 1 Generations (being Shockwave, he's a popular one too, flying off the shelves in Asia leaving the other two 'shelfwarming' in abundance). Get it!

[5FDP]

Looking forward to picking him up locally. Thanks for the review christalcase :)

[griffin]

Official pic, until Christalcase posts up his pics of the real thing...

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen23.jpg

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Played with mine over the weekend. A very nice little figure. Little being the key word. Much better than the other two guys imo. Very cool Light piping for his eyes eye.

And I made a little laser pistol mode. Most of my thoughts and quite a few pics on my blog post. (http://www.tetstoys.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/shockwave-focing-good.html).

I reckon if you don't bother with any of the other toys, at the very least get Shockers, he's a cool FOC guy and a cool Deluxe as well!

[5FDP]

Most of my thoughts and quite a few pics on my blog post. (http://www.tetstoys.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/shockwave-focing-good.html).

Nice review Tets! Love the blaster mode you came up with. Makes me want this toy even more.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Little being the key word.

Sentinel makes the 3 of them look like adolescent protoforms.. :(

[Sam]

The legs look too weak for my liking. But seeing how I don't have any Shockwave figure, I might pick this up.

[GoktimusPrime]

The legs look too weak for my liking.
Then he's G1 accurate! :p

[liegeprime]

Shame about the downsizing, will still get though, plus that foc jazz coz I'm repurposing it as classics searchlight in my collection.

[Bumbleb33]

Popped open mine tonight and very impressed, his joints were all super tight and though his legs are hollow it seems to suit him.
I love that his gun is interchangeable for single barrel or triple barrel mode, triple being my preferred option.
I also found that you can store the front section of his gun in the lower section of his back under his backpack which I personally think looks really neat.
Lots of personality and colours are great, get him when you can :)

[snaketales]

I'm tempted to pull the wings off his back for a more streamlined robot mode (as my son found out :rolleyes:, they're attached just via a ball and socket. It takes some force, but they can be removed and replaced).

[Sutton]

Got him in the mail today. He's a good figure and will do fine as a Classics Shockwave - I don't see us getting a more accurate version of him anytime soon. The WFC/FOC style is a little more triangular and detailed than most of the Classics figures, but it works well enough. Some silver or grey paint on his thighs may help, and the chest too depending on which version you prefer. But the eye DEFINITELY needs to be yellow. It's just how it is.

He's a little on the small side and the plastic used is different to most other classics - it has the powdery feel of some third party products.

The silver gun attachment doesn't like staying on. It doesn't lock in at all, just slides over the top loosely. Probably going to have to glue it on, I think. Meanwhile the connection point to the forearm is evil tight.

As far as taking his wings off, that would work fine to help give him a more G1 silhouette, and doesn't really affect the transformation to bullshit-spaceship anyway. But doing so will remove a lot of the optical illusion of bulk that's there at the moment, and will really show how small he is compared to other classics Cons.

[Decepticon]

He looks soooo tiny
Expecting him in the mail soon. must look under the plant pot by the front door! he may be under there somewhere!

[Sutton]

5877

Did some quick mods just to add a little extra G1 flavour:

-Removed wings as discussed

-Painted the eye the correct colour

-Clipped the secondary gun barrels by about 1 cm so it's not so ridiculously big, while still sliding out for alt mode

-Added a short length of lego technic hose to the gun arm - there's a tab on the back of the gun for it to grab onto pretty neatly, the rest plugs into a hole on his back. Not secure enough for kid's play, but plenty tight enough for display purposes.

[5FDP]

^ Now THAT looks awesome :cool: I might buy two so I can do the same (and leave one MOSC :D)

[griffin]

Is there any reason why the "barrel" on the weapon comes off? There's nothing in the instructions, or either mode on the packaging that requires it to detach, but mine slides off easily.... so easily, that it is annoyingly loose.
It seems a bit of a design flaw.

[Trent]

Has anyone actually seen/bought this guy locally yet? I would like to pick him up locally.

[Sutton]

Has anyone actually seen/bought this guy locally yet? I would like to pick him up locally.

Jazz and Optimus were spotted in Devonport Kmart (Tas). Shockwave is in the same wave, but shortpacked (3 Jazz, 3 Optimus, 2 Shockwave). So he's around.

[Sutton]

Is there any reason why the "barrel" on the weapon comes off? There's nothing in the instructions, or either mode on the packaging that requires it to detach, but mine slides off easily.... so easily, that it is annoyingly loose.
It seems a bit of a design flaw.

It's a 'feature'. Two different guns, apparently. That's why I cut mine off short so that it plugs over the fatter end of the barrels. The gun arm was a little too big as it was anyway. Not to the same degree as Shockblast (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/toys/energon/shockblast/316/1/32/) but still too big. Cutting off approx 1cm makes it work a lot better and it can still go into alt mode.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Is there any reason why the "barrel" on the weapon comes off? There's nothing in the instructions, or either mode on the packaging that requires it to detach, but mine slides off easily.... so easily, that it is annoyingly loose.
It seems a bit of a design flaw.

Yeh, as above. Without the laser thing on the fron, it looks like a x9Scrapmaker (or FOC equivalent) gun from the game, I guess so you can use it on other figures if you wish.

[griffin]

So... it's an undocumented feature that only fans would find out or assume?

[5FDP]

Jazz and Optimus were spotted in Devonport Kmart (Tas). Shockwave is in the same wave, but shortpacked (3 Jazz, 3 Optimus, 2 Shockwave). So he's around.

I saw that sighting post too... it strikes me as a little strange that they were spotted in Tasmania first. I wonder if they were from someone who bought a case from an online store and decided to return the 'left-overs' to Kmart and make a profit <shrug> Seen that done before with Asian exclusives.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

So... it's an undocumented feature that only fans would find out or assume?
Yeh, I guess so.

I only cottoned on coz I like the blam of that gun in WFC

[Sutton]

I saw that sighting post too... it strikes me as a little strange that they were spotted in Tasmania first. I wonder if they were from someone who bought a case from an online store and decided to return the 'left-overs' to Kmart and make a profit <shrug> Seen that done before with Asian exclusives.

Nope, you'd be surprised how often stuff shows up in Tassie first. There's just not that many collectors down here, so the sightings threads are a little bare.

I used to keep up with sightings but honestly these days I buy most of my stuff online. Sick of Kmart and Target's crap, particularly their ridiculous stocking practices. The local store's bait-and-switch tactics at toy sale time are legendary as I'm sure they are around the country.

Next up will be the FOC Bruticus wave, where anyone buying locally will have no hope in hell of collecting a complete Bruticus without having to scramble all around town looking for the various components, since Hasbro in their infinite wisdom decide individual packaging was the way to go. So we'll see FOC Optimus and possibly Jazz shelfwarming like crazy. And I doubt we'll ever see the Wreckers released locally at all because of said shelfwarming. But I digress...

[5FDP]

Nope, you'd be surprised how often stuff shows up in Tassie first. There's just not that many collectors down here, so the sightings threads are a little bare.

I used to keep up with sightings but honestly these days I buy most of my stuff online. Sick of Kmart and Target's crap, particularly their ridiculous stocking practices. The local store's bait-and-switch tactics at toy sale time are legendary as I'm sure they are around the country.

Next up will be the FOC Bruticus wave, where anyone buying locally will have no hope in hell of collecting a complete Bruticus without having to scramble all around town looking for the various components, since Hasbro in their infinite wisdom decide individual packaging was the way to go. So we'll see FOC Optimus and possibly Jazz shelfwarming like crazy. And I doubt we'll ever see the Wreckers released locally at all because of said shelfwarming. But I digress...

Maybe my knowledge of Hasbro's toy distribution is a little skewed, but I was under the impression that unless a retail chain orders direct from an OS supplier all stock is shipped directly from their warehouse located in Sydney. Sure, once it gets to the store you could find it on the shelves at different times, but to find something weeks before any other store / state that's usually a case of street date being broken which normally only applies to optical media i.e. DVD's, CD's, video games etc.

Like you, I am buying most of my stuff online (which I have done for FoC Bruticus), however in this case I'm waiting for Shockwave to hit the stores because I couldn't justify the shipping costs for just one deluxe-sized toy.

[Sutton]

Maybe my knowledge of Hasbro's toy distribution is a little skewed, but I was under the impression that unless a retail chain orders direct from an OS supplier all stock is shipped directly from their warehouse located in Sydney. Sure, once it gets to the store you could find it on the shelves at different times, but to find something weeks before any other store / state that's usually a case of street date being broken which normally only applies to optical media i.e. DVD's, CD's, video games etc.

Like you, I am buying most of my stuff online (which I have done for FoC Bruticus), however in this case I'm waiting for Shockwave to hit the stores because I couldn't justify the shipping costs for just one deluxe-sized toy.

In this case, where there's only one figure in an assortment that's worth getting but is completely necessary for my collection, I'll pony up an extra $5 to get him off ebay just to make sure I don't miss out. If you factored in all the petrol and time spent searching it'd even out in the long run anyway.

I'll only be getting FOC Bruticus if the game itself treats the individual characters well, since the combined mode is complete ass. Judging by the demo however they may have just done that. They're like an evil A-team, exactly how I always envisioned them.

[GoktimusPrime]

They're like an evil A-team, exactly how I always envisioned them.
Lulz!! :D That's so how I'm playing w/ my Combaticons from now on! :)

[Doubledealer]

I'll only be getting FOC Bruticus if the game itself treats the individual characters well, since the combined mode is complete ass. Judging by the demo however they may have just done that. They're like an evil A-team, exactly how I always envisioned them.

^ What he said! Onslaught was my favourite from the demo, hope he ends up crushing Starscream at some point in the game. :p

Looking forward to finding a Shockwave locally, despite his short stature he will fit in with the Classics Decepticons just perfectly. :)

[Trent]

Lined him up with my classics the other day. Suprisingly he is actually a little taller than the Starscream/seeker mold. It's just that he looks really scrawny.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc88/Wrxus/B29CE505-B724-43E6-AC13-40C1C5F04C5D-122-00000013D39425FA.jpg

The thing that shines through for me with him that HasTak still have over any 3rd party is the quality and engineering they achieve whilst still being a simplistic and solid toy. He is impressive in both modes and I would not hesitate in letting my neice play with him. FP Defender or PE Motorbot on the other hand...

So yeah, I really like him. He has actually increased my faith in the FOC line and I am now quite keen to get my hands on G2 Bruticus and Grimlock.


Is there any reason why the "barrel" on the weapon comes off? There's nothing in the instructions, or either mode on the packaging that requires it to detach, but mine slides off easily.... so easily, that it is annoyingly loose.
It seems a bit of a design flaw.

I read somewhere that taking the barrel off turns it into a gun from the game, I assume having 3 barrels would make it a X-12 scrapmaker or the FOC equivalent.

[5FDP]

Bought myself a couple of FOC Shockwave's last weekend thanks to the NSW Sightings thread and Target's current sale :) - one to 'play' with and the other to keep MOSC, and I got to say that I'm impressed.

Articulation is quite good for a figure that is basically just larger than a Scout-class toy, and stability is admirable considering he suffers from having 'chicken legs'.

Overall I would highly recommend this toy - especially if you can pick him up for $22. He lines up perfectly with other Classics / Generations toys. I can almost forgive Hasbro for not releasing the Titanium version... almost.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I got my FoC Shockwave shipped in with Wave 1 from the states about a month ago because I simply couldn't wait! I do like the figure, was not sure about his alt mode but then I suppose it is a good take on the 'flying gun' mode. Was much happier with him than FoC Optimus who I don't think looks nearly as impressive as WFC Optimus, and there is something about Jazz's legs and face that make me rate him 2nd to Shockwave as well.

Liked the FoC Shockwave that much I have gone online and bought an Alternators: Shockblast, so I can have my own little Shockwave display. Anyone know every iteration of him? Think I'm missing a few

I have:
G1: Shockwave
Energon: Shockblast
Animated: Shockwave (Purple)
DOTM: Shockwave (Voyager)
Robot Heroes: Shockwave
Kre-O: Shockwave
Alternators: Shockblast (in mail)
(DOTM Shockwave Lollipop head)

I don't have:
Action Master: Shockwave
Animated Shockwave (Longarm colours)
DOTM: Shockwave with fusion tank

I'm sure there are prob some others I'm not even aware exist lol :) Out of the one's I am aware I am missing I think I only really want the Action Master

[5FDP]

Anyone know every iteration of him? Think I'm missing a few

Here's (http://www.tfu.info/alpha/s.htm) a good starting point for you.

[1AZRAEL1]

If you don't mind non official stuff, there is a wst Shockwave which is really neat.

But yea, i really liked foc Shockwave alot more than i thought i would. Great figure.

[SuspectimusPrime]

I'm sure there are prob some others I'm not even aware exist lol :) Out of the one's I am aware I am missing I think I only really want the Action Master

There's also the ridiculously overpriced Botcon 2012 Shockwave/Longarm ($500 upwards). Just like the Alternators one, it's remoulded from the Jazz/Meister mould with a different head and with left hand replaced with arm cannon.

And if you're just going for bots bears the name 'Shockwave', there's a minicon from the Unicron trilogy :p

[BigTransformerTrev]

Here's (http://www.tfu.info/alpha/s.htm) a good starting point for you.

Sweet - cheers for that. Might bookmark that page - had not seen it before. :)

Already remembered that they are releasing a Bot Shots Shockwave - two different ones I think (I think they are doing a clear plastic one as well)

OHH! I forgot! Speaking of 3rd party products - I have a Diamond Select Bust of Shockwave as well - how the hell could I forget that!

[i_amtrunks]

Voted only if: you are a fan of the video game.

Figure is small and thin, but the transformation is nice, without ever being difficult or fiddly. It is a nice looking robot mode, and a decent and menacing alt mode.

[Bidoofdude]

May be a little thin compare to some. Height is not too bad. (as big as a seeker- heightwise) It's a fantastic mold which highlights the game character as well as keeping it relative to the G1 character. It's good for posing and that gun is good and game-accurate and though it falls of at times, it works. Transformation is good and not too complicated, yet not too simplistic like Optimus'. Highly recommend it. 4.5/5. You can also make a gun mode by transforming it normally into altmode, then moving the chest piece into a position that's holdable, like a handle. Looks great like that. Pew! Pew! Pew!!

[SuspectimusPrime]

It's good for posing and that gun is good and game-accurate and though it falls of at times, it works.

You might want to get yours checked - my Shockwave's gun has no issues, it actually fits in quite snugly. All ball joints as extremely tight as well.

[GoktimusPrime]

My Shockwave's gun's prone to falling out heaps easy. :(

[Trent]

Mine doesn't fall off easily but neither is it as firm as
I'd like.

[5FDP]

My Shockwave's gun's prone to falling out heaps easy. :(

Same here.