Toy Review - Hasbro MP Soundwave

[griffin]

(Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just some brief details to start you off)


Soundwave with Laserbeak, Rumble (blue), Frenzy (red), Ravage, Buzzsaw.
Series - Masterpiece
Sub-line - none
Size/class - n/a
New/remould/redeco - New (for Hasbro)
Wave - MP-02
Released here - should be November 2013 (released in America July 2013)
Approximate Retail Price - (about AU$150)
Approximate Size - 23cm (Soundwave), 4-8cm (Cassettes)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Portable Cassette Player (Soundwave), Cassette/Condor (Laserbeak & Buzzsaw), Cassette/Robot (Rumble & Frenzy), Cassette/Jaguar (Ravage).
Main Features/Gimmicks - Includes 5 Cassettes, holds up to 3 Cassettes, ejects Cassettes, Megatron gun, wrist gun, launching missile.
Main Colours - Dark blue, silver, black (Soundwave),
Main Accessories - Gun, missile, shoulder cannon, Megatron gun, wrist gun (Soundwave), 2 guns & pile-drivers (Rumble), 2 guns & pile-drivers (Frenzy).

JP Reviews can be seen here - Soundwave/Laserbeak, Ravage/Rumble, Frenzy/Buzzsaw.

(stock images to come later)

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm personally not interested in this toy as I have the TakTOM version, but I still voted yes because it really is good value for money.

[kurdt_the_goat]

It's definitely a good deal that proves TakaraTomy are clearly robbing the living daylights out of us with their prices...

Having said that, and not really caring what it cost me (I couldn't have waited), i really dislike the toy accurate yellow eyes on this version!

I'm surprised how much i don't like such a trivial thing, so perhaps it's just some subliminal justification for my impatience that i'm tricking myself with

[Jetfire in the sky]

I honestly can't separate Soundwave and Metroplex. Very very excited to hand over my money for these two beauties.

[GoktimusPrime]

It's definitely a good deal that proves TakaraTomy are clearly robbing the living daylights out of us with their prices...

+1. Hence why I now refuse to buy TakTOM MPs at full RRP. But even w/ preorder discounts my TakTOM MP Soundwave + Cassettes cost me $200. The colours and additional Energon cubes are not worth paying an additional $50 for! I preordered the TakTOM toys before news of the Hasbro version came out --- had I known beforehand I would never have bothered w/ the TakTOM versions and just wanted for the cheaper local one! Having said that... there is some peace of mind that I don't have to go "hunting" for the Hasbro version when it does come out here... I just have to worry about trying to find myself an Acid Storm. There's my subliminal justification right there.

[AJ_Prime]

That's a no-brainer question (for me at least). Um... YES!!

[Sinnertwin]

Hmmm... That's tough with so much on offer these days. Do i pay $150 for an iconic figure with a great representation and 5 of his minions, or $179 for a two foot tall city former who achieves said mode by sitting down, spread eagle, doing pilates? Decisions...

[AJ_Prime]

Hmmm... That's tough with so much on offer these days. Do i pay $150 for an iconic figure with a great representation and 5 of his minions, or $179 for a two foot tall city former who achieves said mode by sitting down, spread eagle, doing pilates? Decisions...

There's a choice? Choose option 3, get them both! They can do yoga together!

[GoktimusPrime]

If I had to choose one, I'd go for Soundwave. Massively better value for money there. Plus Soundwave is more likely to sell out faster than Metroplex. Get Soundwave first, then if you want to still get Metroplex, do it later. Or maybe you could lay by one of them?

[BigTransformerTrev]

Well, I was going to write a full and comprehensive review of this figure, replete with a million tiny details about every square micron of this figure and his minions so that you the reader could make an informed decision in regards to purchasing him in the future.

Then I realized there are about 8 billion other written, pictorial and video reviews of him already and the chances of me telling you something new is nill So just gonna list some highlights .


Packaging:
Beautiful! Even lots of detail on the purple box itself when you remove the cardboard bit that has all the details on it. Definetely a box you will want to keep.




Soundwave
*Great Transformation - not mega difficult like MP Megatron but not too simplistic like MP Grimlock
*Alt Mode: A bit bulkier in cassette player mode than the original which is to be expected. A shame the batteries/weapons are on the outside and dont store away like G1. Has the little connector on the side he used in the movie to plug into the screen. Except from the back a beautiful piece.
*Robot Mode: Fricken brilliant! Just... just brilliant. Everything from the paint to the tiny red missiles to being able to make him press his own shoulder button just helps make this toy. The notches on his arms and shoulders so you can put Laserbeak and Buzzsaw on securely just add to poseability of this already greatly poseable character. Cant recommend enough!
*Accessories: Nice touches indeed. You get one energon cube, one chest grid and a hand sensor. Very good for reenacting those classic G1 episodes!
*Eyes - G1 toy accurate yellow - sweet!




Sidekicks
*Ravage: Not as bulky as one would like but still very good.
*Laserbeak/Buzzsaw; Brilliant! Only thing is their head cameras don't come out very far. But the 3 animals all come with their weapons built in which shows great design and engineering. The fact that all the tapes are the same size as the originals and can be used in G1 SW and vice versa also attests to this.
*Rumble/Frenzy: Very nice, but here is the thing - according to the packaging Rumble is the red/black one like the toy. Frenzy is the purple that Rumble was in the cartoon Bloody weird! Personally I just cheat and have Rumble as the purple and Frenzy as the red/black to recreate the cartoon, otherwise it doesn't make a lot of sense. Weird that Soundwaves eyes are yellow that is accurate in the G1 toy and nowhere else, and the tapes colours are G1 cartoon accurate but nowhere else. An odd choice. But their arm drums are grand and can be put on the original tapes as well.
*Megatron Gun: Very cool! Anyone know if it is to the same scale as the one that came with 20th Anniversary Prime? Ive still got him MISB so not sure.


OVERALL - BLOODY AWESOME!!!! OH FRAG YES!