View Poll Results: MP-29 Masterpiece Laserwave (Shockwave) worth buying?

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  • Yes

    28 80.00%
  • Only if...

    6 17.14%
  • Not worth it

    0 0%
  • Not interested

    1 2.86%
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Thread: MP-29 Masterpiece Laserwave (Shockwave)

  1. #71
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    Quote Originally Posted by drifand View Post
    This piece is on sale at hobby search half price or 40% off.
    are you sure? where did you see that?
    If I'm on the right site it's only about 10% discount
    http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10350814

  2. #72
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    Despite already owning Quakewave, I ended up buying MP Laserwave.

    I'll provide two viewpoints of MP Shockwave- One on the toys own merits and the other on how it stands up against Quakewave.

    MP Laserwave:

    - Excellent cartoon accuracy. Purple color is a little lighter than it should but overall, an excellent representation.

    - Very cartoon like accessories like the saluting hand (Shockwave was just Megatron's loyal stooge in cartoon). He also comes with a little Shockwave gun that he can hold which is silly but fun since this appeared once for a second in the cartoon and most probably an animation error. He also comes with a left hand to replace his canon which is also an animation error from the cartoon.

    - He comes with an awesome looking arm hose.

    - Articulation is great and what you would expect from an MP. However his feet are a bit too on the narrow so not the most stable of toys in some poses.

    - It is mostly thin plastic which is particularly noticeable in the legs but the design doesn't require a lot of pressure so it should be adequate. It only has one die cast bit and that's the long backpack joint attachment. It is good use of die cast as that is likely a part that would break easy if it were plastic so more functional than for show.

    - Engineering is what you would expect any G1 Shockwave design to be, very G1 like but with a few clever exceptions:

    Legs have simple but clever panel foldout engineering to thicken them. It is no longer the telescopic leg action that is prone to wear like in G1 but a few intuitive twists and turns.

    - Barrel of gun is still a whole assembly of its own but attached by a lever like joint to the back rather than a separate piece. It moves and forms very easily and nicely on Shockwave's back but unfortunately is is very cartoon inaccurate (or any other G1 character model for that matter) so it looks off. However there is a completely separate piece that works like a shell to cover up the 'un-G1' backpack so it looks something more cartoon/toy accurate although much bulkier.

    I am not sure about the above - Why go through all the trouble of keeping the barrel a 'jointed' piece to the main figure only for you to require a larger separate piece anyways (and a fake back) for G1 accuracy?

    He requires 2 pill batteries on his arm to light up the gun led - Something we have seen a million times on a million toys so nothing really special but a nice touch nonetheless.

    Awesome light piping on his yellow mono eye.

    Overall: An excellent very playable toy. Those who are cartoon fans or like to play with their toys would appreciate MP Laserwave. He is a great toy by any means but still suffers from a few issues that plague official modern toys such as thin plastics that may or may not endure the test of time. The cartoon accuracy will certainly be appreciated by fans. When it comes to engineering, there isn't a lot that can be improved on a Shockwave mould but here they appear to have managed it on the legs with more thoughtful engineering than just telescoping legs. The backpack may be a bit of a turn off from an engineering perspective but I guess that it helps with the G1 accuracy so it all depends how much you value that.


    Quakewave comparison:

    - Quakewave is by far the more G1 toy/comic accurate representation of Shockwave. If you are more partial to the comic or toy character wise, then Quakewave will feel your needs.

    - Quakewave is taller than Laserwave and probably more in line with an 'Old' Masterpiece (Such as MP01) in both bulk, size and weight. This makes for a much more imposing toy than Laserwave which would look great on a display shelf. The down side is that due to its weight and bulk, Quakewave is not nearly as playable as Laserwave in the same manner that MP01 is not as play friendly as MP10.

    - As per above, thicker plastic and die cast is much more incorporated into Quakewave so it feels a lot more sturdier.

    - Quakewave also has an LED light up gimmick on the arm canon but also on the head (eye). Laserwave relies on back of head light piping and this still works great so both methods are fine. Unfortunately both Quakewave and Laserwave uses annoying pill batteries that are not that easy to get.

    - Quakewave still uses G1'esque' telescoping legs which can be annoying and may be prone to wear due to the metal on plastic friction. The bulk of the legs is handled cleverly as the back of the gun mode but nonetheless, Laserwave handles this much better.

    - Despite the mandatory engineering similarities of the overall toy, just as the legs, each design handles the gun barrel differently. In G1, this was a separate piece altogether that was just put aside in robot mode.

    For both Quakewave and Laserwave, the gun barrel is still a separate assembly but for Laserwave, it is physically attached to a long diecast 'arm' joint like a crane. Using this, the barrel assembly can be flipped to the back and re-arranged slightly so it looks flatter on the back - This works fine from a design perspective but you end up with a very 'un-G1' backpack which requires a huge separate piece to cover it up which despite making it more G1 accurate, it looks a bit off as it's bigger than it should be.

    For Quakewave, like G1, the gun barrel is a completely separate piece that can be removed from the main body. The barrel is cleverly not one plastic piece despite it looking as that in gun mode but a chain of joined plastic panels that can be flipped inside out to reveal its purple inside. This is then folded flat into a rectangular shape and attached to Quakewave's back forming a backpack that resembles the G1 character model/toy backpack in overall shape and size but lacks accurate detail. However unlike Laserwave, Quakewave does not need some bulky shell to cover up the barrel on its back as the backpack is not that departed from the character model/G1.

    Although it is a separate piece, my view is that Quakewave handles the backpack/gun barrel much better than Laserwave. Quakewave's G1 accuracy on the back pack may not be 100% accurate but it is close enough without requiring a giant separate shell. From a design perceptive I would have considered Laserwave just as good as it is all an attached assembly rather than a separate piece. However the huge shell which is a separate piece makes the whole process much more awkward than even the useless barrel on the G1 toy in robot mode.

    The hose on Laserwave is also vastly superior to Quakewaves (first release) although subsequent releases seem to have a much more improved and better looking hose.

    - Articulation: Both Quakewave and Laserwave have MP style articulation that you would expect with the exception that Quakewave has articulated fingers so no need for a 'salute hand' accessory. However due to Quakwave's size and weight as well as hard joints, he can be more awkward to play with or pose around. However Quakewave is also the more stable toy and can hold poses much easier than Laserwave.

    My Overall view:

    Both Quakewave and Laserwave are good toys but your preference can be subjective. This may mostly be influenced depending if you are mainly a cartoon or comic/toy fan. As mentioned, Quakewave is a great representation of the Marvel G1 character model as well as the toy. Laserwave on the other hand, is closer to the cartoon and it is clear from all the accessories that this was the main inspiration.

    Engineering wise, both follow G1 closely, specially in the upper body but divert in the lower body. Leg engineering is nicely handled with Laserwave while Quakewave uses a less inspired telescoping leg method. However it is my opinion that Quakewave handles the barrel assembly better than Laserwave and it is more G1 accurate without addons or an awkward but otherwise useless shell.

    Quality wise, Quakewave feels more like a collector grade toy due to size, heft and weight while Laserwave is more like a toy. The latter is by no means a criticism since it also means that Laserwave is much more playable than Quakewave.

    Certainly both toys have something to offer depending on preferences but given that I am more of a G1 Comic and toy fan than cartoon, I am more partial to Quakewave as I appreciate built quality in toys. Laserwave could arguably be just as good but for different reasons such as playability.
    Last edited by kup; 11th July 2016 at 03:28 PM.

  3. #73
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    I actually like Laserwaves barrel better than Quakewave. For one if you are willing to forgo G1 accuracy (Primus forbid!) he can transform without any partsforming. Secondly as clever as it might be I find transforming the Quakewave barrel to be annoying to align right and attach properly to his arm barrel. Quakewaves gun barrel also ends up looking a lot more boxy in gun mode, though neither toy is a real looker in alt mode, cause it's Shockwave.

    Overall I prefer laserwave in all regards for transformation and fun, but Quakewave is fanicer and a better on dsiplay (though not in gun mode).

  4. #74
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord_Zed View Post
    I actually like Laserwaves barrel better than Quakewave. For one if you are willing to forgo G1 accuracy (Primus forbid!) he can transform without any partsforming. Secondly as clever as it might be I find transforming the Quakewave barrel to be annoying to align right and attach properly to his arm barrel. Quakewaves gun barrel also ends up looking a lot more boxy in gun mode, though neither toy is a real looker in alt mode, cause it's Shockwave.

    Overall I prefer laserwave in all regards for transformation and fun, but Quakewave is fanicer and a better on dsiplay (though not in gun mode).
    When it comes to the barrels, I would agree that having it as an attached piece would be a plus except that Laserwave still requires a giant awkward shell to pull it off as it is intended to be. It unfortunately adds a separate piece so to me it is still parts-forming.

  5. #75
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    Quote Originally Posted by kup View Post
    When it comes to the barrels, I would agree that having it as an attached piece would be a plus except that Laserwave still requires a giant awkward shell to pull it off as it is intended to be. It unfortunately adds a separate piece so to me it is still parts-forming.
    Only to achieve absolute G1 cartoon accuracy, like MP Ironhide's side flaps I see at as a necessary evil to accommodate what is for the most part slavish toon accuracy. While the backpack without the add on does not look like the cartoon I don't think it's such a big deal unless you are displaying him with his back turned.

  6. #76
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord_Zed View Post
    Only to achieve absolute G1 cartoon accuracy, like MP Ironhide's side flaps I see at as a necessary evil to accommodate what is for the most part slavish toon accuracy. While the backpack without the add on does not look like the cartoon I don't think it's such a big deal unless you are displaying him with his back turned.
    I agree. While they are both excellent interpretations of Shockwave and I can't bring myself to sell Quakewave, Laserwave does the backpack thing much better in my view. I don't even use the backpack cover. I consider the no-partsforming solution to far outweigh the lack of G1 accuracy.

    Also, trigger.

    But Kup is right in that Quakewave feels more like a collectors item.
    Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

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