Generations Soundwave

Robot Mode: Considering the fact that he has a vastly different alternate mode from the original G1 Soundwave, the resemblance between the two robots is very good. Just about the only real differences from the classic Soundwave look are the big ‘teeth’ on his belly, just below the obligatory chest panel and his rather pointy shoulders. Even with those differences, though, there is no denying the fact that this is Soundwave, one of the most recognizable Transformers characters of them all.

Soundwave is armed with his classic weapons, a shoulder-mounted missile launcher and a handheld rifle. Now G1 fans might remember that these weapons doubled as batteries for Soundwave’s tape deck mode. In this version, too, the weapons became batteries and fit inside Soundwave’s chest compartment. Which leaves no room for any cassette Transformers, but as an added detail the batteries have the symbols for plus and minus on them, which is just plain fun.

Posability is as good as you’d expect from a current TF figure, meaning pretty good. Soundwave also has rather large feet, giving him a solid platform to stand on. Depending on how you want to position the wheels on his back you might end up with the arms interfering with the kibble there, but only in very extreme poses. Detailing, too, is up to current standards, meaning very much satisfactory. All in all, a very good robot mode that pays homage to the classic character and is a dead ringer for the character from the computer game.

Alternate Mode: Seeing as this depicts Soundwave’s vehicle mode long before he ever came to Earth, it’s not surprising that it does not resemble any Earth vehicle. To be frank, it’s a box on wheels. The chest panel serves as windshield of sorts, everything else folds together into a rather unassuming shape. Soundwave’s weapons can be stored inside his chest compartment or attach to the sides of the vehicle to give it firepower. The ‘teeth’ underneath the compartment function as front bumper and can point down or forward for ramming attacks.

It’s not easy selecting alternate modes for Soundwave, seeing as his original altmode was pretty much a square, too, so this boxcar thing here does pretty good. Not in any way, shape or form a spectacular alternate mode, but solid and fully adequate.

Remarks: A computer game based on the first Generation of Transformers needs to have certain characters included and Soundwave is definitely one of them. Best known for his cool voice and cassette robots, Soundwave quickly established himself as one of the all-time favorite Transformers characters. So he appears in "War for Cybertron" and on the toy shelves as well. This is by no means a revolutionary figure, mind you, but it’s a good, solid toy and it depicts Soundwave. Do you really need another reason to buy it?

Rating: B+