Review: #374
Name: Soundwave
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Movie the Best
Year of Release: 2017
Size Class: Human Alliance
Mold Status: repaint of DOTM Human Alliance Soundwave
PACKAGING:
As part of the 10th anniversary of the first live-action movie, TakaraTomy released the Movie the Best line, a series of redecoes using molds from the various movie lines. Soundwave was chosen as part of this line.
While this release uses the Human Alliance mold, it actually skips out on the Mr Gould and Laserbeak figures the original release had.
VEHICLE MODE:
Soundwave transforms into a licensed Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and the biggest difference here compared to the original release is the swaths of silver paint covering the whole exterior.
The silver paint does a wonderful job of making the vehicle stand out, and it looks amazing in person.
There are plenty of sculpted details here, and even the front brakes are painted silver (although interestingly, the brakes in the rear wheels aren't painted).
The windows are dark clear plastic. With all this paint, you do have to watch out for scratches and paint chipping during transformation.
Soundwave is roughly Voyager sized, above is a comparison against Human Alliance Jazz.
As a remnant of the mold's original release, the gullwing doors open up.
The interior is rudimentary with only the steering wheel as instantly recognizable. There is a seat but otherwise, it's nowhere near the detail of the Binaltech line.
A fantastic alternate mode, it's crazy how a layer of silver paint can make the vehicle mode look so good.
TRANSFORMATION:
As expected, Soundwave is a complicated beast to transform, not made any easier when you want to be careful not to chip any paint. Perhaps the most surprising aspect is that 3/4 of the vehicle form the arms, and only the very rear of the vehicle, which is a tiny lump, unfold to become his legs. There are a lot of panels in the arms that you have to manipulate to achieve better screen accuracy and they can be fairly fiddly.
ROBOT MODE:
Soundwave's robot mode, let's be honest, takes some getting used to. However, once again, the silver paint goes a long way to making it look better and more premium.
Unfortunately, there are a ton of kibble surrounding the arms, which is to be expected when most of the vehicle went into the arms in the first place. The biggest offender are the car doors which just hangs off the back.
The headsculpt is messy, trying to replicate the complicated alien designs of the movie. It succeeds to a degree but can still be hard to distinguish the eyes and mouth.
The head has a gimmick where you can tilt it back to mimic the mouth opening. It's unobtrusive although underwhelming.
The detailing is amazing since there were a few addition pieces you manipulated to get the look of the character model, from the grill compacting into his chest, to the smaller sonic cannon on the sides of his torso.
Soundwave trades height for bulk, and so he is a bit shorter than most Voyagers. The only letdown here is that the sonic cannons on his arms are unpainted grey plastic, which clashes with the rest of the figure.
Articulation is excellent although you may have to move some of the kibble around to not get in the way.
Due to his small skinny legs, they feel restricted and balancing the figure in more dynamic poses is an issue.
One of the bigger negatives is that Soundwave lacks a weapon, would have been nice if TakaraTomy could have given Soundwave a gun since they are usually pretty good with this kind of stuff.
Nevertheless, the robot mode is amazing as a display piece and will probably stand out in a good way on your shelf.
OVERALL:
This version of Soundwave is the definitive version of the character thanks to the premium paint job. While the transformation can be finicky, the end results are worth it. If you haven't already gotten a version of this character, then Movie the Best Soundwave is highly recommended.
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