Toy Review - SHOCKWAVE (Legacy)

[GoktimusPrime]

Senator SHOCKWAVE
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Legacy
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - Retool/redeco of Siege Starscream
Wave - N/A
Released here - October 2023 (Amazon exclusive Humble Origins 2-pack)
Approximate Retail Price - $47
Approximate Size - 18cm
Allegiance - N/A (pre-war civilian)
Alt-mode - Cybertronian jet
Main Features/Gimmicks - hardpoints for blast effects (not included)
Main Colours - red, blue, white
Main Accessories - x2 wings

NOTE: This toy is a significant retool of Siege Starscream. Refer to the Siege Starscream review thread for comments on the original mould. This thread will focus on differences made.













HasTak have done well in heavily retooling the Siege Starscream mould to resemble pre-Empurata/Shadowplay Shockwave from the IDW comics. Given that Sen. Shockwave never transformed in the comics, designers had more liberty with the alt mode. Sen. Shockwave was frequently changing his colour scheme in the comics as part of his ongoing expression of individualism. Hasbro have chosen the red, white and blue colours that Shockwave was wearing when he was arrested; which was the last time that Orion Pax ever saw his friend before he became the evil and emotionless cycloptic fiend.



Senator Shockwave has no faction insignia or weapons, which makes sense as this toy represents Shockwave as a pre-war civilian statesman.
My only minor gripe about this mould is that the jet thrusters don't seem to have anywhere to lock into place in robot mode. They kinda just hang back there. Also, being a Voyager makes Shockwave much taller than his pack-mate, Data Clerk Orion Pax (in the IDW comics they're the same size).
Overall a really nice toy. A great retool/redeco of the Siege Starscream mould to produce a fairly comic-accurate Sen. Shockwave toy. Hasbro has also chosen the most emotionally evocative colour scheme, plays into the deliberate paradox of IDW Shockwave. Recommended.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Should we maybe rename the thread to 'Senator Shockwave', to avoid confusion with the purple cyclops post-Senator version?

[GoktimusPrime]

Should we maybe rename the thread to 'Senator Shockwave', to avoid confusion with the purple cyclops post-Senator version?

Hhmmm... I tried amending it to "Legacy Voyager" (as opposed to Legacy Core Class), but it only allowed me to amend the post title, not the thread title. Anyway, I couldn't find a review thread for Core Class Legacy Shockwave, but I suppose if someone wants to make one later, they can add "Core Class" to the title to differentiate it. I have put "Senator Shockwave" at the top of the review post to make it clear. It had escaped my mind at the time that this is the second Shockwave in Legacy (because I skipped that toy).