I saw both Bumblebee and Soundwave this morning at Target. Bumblebee looks like a retool of the previous Concept Camaro Bumblebee mould rather than a whole new toy as I thought it might be. There's a new head, bonnet panel, front fenders and a new right arm which is a missile launcher. Otherwise it looks like the same basic mould, so I passed on Bumblebee. I really don't like the new head - looks way too cutesy/cartoony to me.

I was always intending on getting Soundwave just because he's a movie character and at least a brand new toy.

Space cruiser mode


Satellite mode


Robot mode


The engineering is better than I expected - but it's nothing to write home about. The alt modes are very unearthly which can be good or bad depending on your tastes - those of you who prefer realistic alt modes may find it somewhat less than appealing.

Calling this toy a "triple changer" is a real stretch. There's only two transformation steps between the space cruiser and satellite modes... so the 3rd alt mode is more like an intermediate mode similar to those on the Beast Wars Transmetals. At 12cm he also kinda short for a Deluxe, although he is pretty bulky looking - his shoulders are as wide as his height. Overall I'd only recommend this toy if you actually want a movie Soundwave toy or a completist.