{"id":22558,"date":"2013-02-03T21:37:57","date_gmt":"2013-02-04T03:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22558"},"modified":"2013-02-03T21:37:57","modified_gmt":"2013-02-04T03:37:57","slug":"transformers-masterpiece-mp-13-soundwave-review-36-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22558","title":{"rendered":"Transformers Masterpiece MP-13
Soundwave Review (36 Pics!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> When I get into conversations with fellow collectors and regular readers, they\u2019re often surprised to find about some of the \u201cother\u201d lines I collect. See, the truth is, I\u2019ve been holding out on you guys. Some toys I collect never seem to find their way onto the site. Masterpiece Transformers is one of those lines. <\/p>\n

I always intend to get the Masterpiece Transformers up for review when I buy a new one, but somehow the schedule makes sure they elude me. Even this week when I was taking pics for Soundwave, my inner editor was still screaming at me about the MOTU & DC reviews I need to catch up on. Truthfully, though my \u201cbacklog\u201d of reviews that I want to do is about 50% Transformers including all of the MPs I\u2019ve bought. So it\u2019s time for the drought to end. And how better to end it then to strike while the iron is hot with the newest release: MP-13 Soundwave.<\/p>\n

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Looking back, I sometimes feel like I was the only kid who didn\u2019t have Soundwave. I did have access by means of his being a \u201cneighbor toy\u201d for a few years \u2013 which ironically is why I never got him. See, my parents would take note of my friend\u2019s toys and then avoid buying those specific characters to encourage us to play together. It\u2019s a cute parent thing to do and it did work, but it also created a handful of toys I still want to this day (and many I\u2019ve gone back to get). Soundwave & his cassettes are on that list. A few years back, I almost pulled the trigger on the SDCC reissue, but for one reason or another it never happened. And after skipping the G1 original\/reissue, picking up the MP seemed like a good fit for my collection.<\/p>\n

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Soundwave presented a dilemma though \u2013 should I wait to see what Hasbro would do or bite the bullet on Takara\u2019s? Obviously, I opted for the latter. While I think Soundwave is a lock for Hasbro (we may find out at Toy Fair), I went ahead and pre-ordered from BBTS. He\u2019ll surely be less than $160 from Hasbro, but I\u2019m not that satisfied with the brighter colors on Prime or the sawed-off teeth on Grimlock \u2013 and, let\u2019s be honest, I have him now<\/em>. <\/p>\n

The Masterpiece line, by virtue of its name, really needs to be held to a high standard. When the line first kicked about a decade ago, I snagged that first Prime for around $65. I have some nitpicks, but he\u2019s still one of the best toys I\u2019ve ever owned. Heck, I can\u2019t find it in myself to part with him now that I have the technically superior MP-10 version of Prime. But, after Prime, the line kinda stumbled. For years, the line consisted of repaints or new figures that suffered from strange decision making. I wanted the line to be better, but the figures didn\u2019t seem worth the price. That changed in 2011. Not only has the line stared going at lightspeed (near monthly releases coming up, ugh<\/em>!), but the quality and behind-the-scenes work have reimagined this line into something worthy of the name. And, simply put, Soundwave personifies it. <\/p>\n

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In his robot mode, I could nitpick a thing or two: his index finger has a tendency to pop off (but also pops right back on), his gun is a bit of a pain to transform, or I\u2019d like a more secure latch on the cassette door, but the truth is that I have to be looking for the negatives to find them. When I opened the box, I pretty much had the ideal Soundwave for me, a (supposedly)<\/em> grown-up 80s toy collector. There\u2019s a reason that the popular lines the last few years have been ones like MOTU Classics, 25\/30th Anniversary Joes, or the Super Powers-inspired DC Classics. It\u2019s the toys of yesterday made to today\u2019s standards that seem to reach into wallets most easily. And that pretty much sums up Soundwave for me. <\/p>\n

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Out of the box, he\u2019s a gorgeous figure and that\u2019s before you start playing with and posing him. Thanks to a combination of standard articulation and transformation articulation, Soundwave can really move. There are hinges and swivels all over the figure and that\u2019s what really puts him over his G1 original. Despite the decades of Transformers merch, I\u2019m always drawn to the old toys \u2013 there\u2019s a simple robot charm that so many recent releases tend to lack, but man some of those guys are stocky at best. MP Soundwave brings that classic charm and combines it with killer articulation. It\u2019s what makes the figure work for the money, particularly the articulation that lets him push his own eject button. <\/p>\n

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There are also a lot of little sculpted touches that help the figure stand out as well. Some are obvious like the working cassette door, the inner chest being engineered to hold 1-3 cassettes depending on a setting that you control from the figure\u2019s back, or the vestigial control buttons they took the time to spring-load. Some not so obvious ones are the sculpted designs on the inner pieces like the speakers inside the arms. Heck, there are a few things \u2013 like some paneling in the feet \u2013 that I don\u2019t even know why it\u2019s there, but it\u2019s still neat. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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As an MP, Soundwave also comes with plenty of accessories. His classic rifle that folds into a key part of his alt mode is included. It looks great and it\u2019s simple to transform, but it somehow ends up being a little awkward. Soundwave also comes packaged with Megatron in gun mode which is a nice addition even though I haven\u2019t done much with it. <\/p>\n

Also included are a few more specific items like a \u201csensor\u201d that can replace either hand (and stores on the figure, love that!), a clear energon cube that clips to his chest, and a clip-on grid view for his chest to be used as a display screen. I was a little disappointed that the inserts for the display screen have to be cut from the instructions (I didn\u2019t do it), but there will surely be places to download and print off new ones before too long (or I\u2019ll just make a color copy myself). Transformers fans are an enterprising bunch (Takara has already has provided an insert for the Energon Cube here<\/a>). <\/p>\n

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The crucial accessory here is surely Laserbeak though (and his clear purple case). Since my affinity is more for the toys than the cartoons, I\u2019m not as hot on Laserbeak as I am Soundwave. That said, Laserbeak is very well done. He\u2019s all one pieces instead of any annoying clip-ons and he looks as mean as bad as he ever did in the cartoon. The transformation is pretty straightforward, though I often have a little trouble getting his head to fold out. The neat thing about Laserbeak though is actually on Soundwave \u2013 specific footholds that blend in with the design on both shoulders and forearms. These let you get Laserbeak (relatively) secure in some classics poses. I did have some minor paint issues on Laserbeak, most notably the silver paint coming off in little bits here and there during transformation. I view these as toys and I want to play with and transform them, but the scratches in paint give me a little pause here. That\u2019s not a good thing when I\u2019m about to be asked to pay around $30 each for the other cassettes in the near future.<\/p>\n

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Finally, after I inspected everything and got my thorough enjoyment out of it, it was time to transform Soundwave. It\u2019s relatively straightforward with the visual instructions serving more as a guide. That\u2019s actually something else about the recent Masterpiece releases \u2013 Takara has gotten much better about getting the look of the bot mode and alt more right without weird or complicated transformations in-between. That is greatly appreciated. Anyway, once you get through the simple stuff, you get… a box!<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one thing that amuses me about the MP line to no end, it\u2019s that recreating the 80s toys gives us some great alt modes for the 21st century. 80s Lamborghini\u2019s and Fairlady Z\u2019s are one thing, but Soundwave\u2019s forever stuck in the 80s. I mean, I can\u2019t even remember the last time I used a cassette player! But, hey, that doesn\u2019t mean Soundwave can\u2019t be cool! <\/p>\n

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In his alt mode, you\u2019ve got a pretty sweet cassette player. All the little hallmarks are vestigial, but they\u2019re here: the headphone jack, the volume button, the on\/off switch, and a dozen other little ports and switches that I\u2019ve long forgotten what they would do on a real cassette player. It looks sharp even if a cassette deck isn\u2019t the best disguise in this day and age. <\/p>\n

Overall, I know I\u2019m going to sound like I\u2019m overselling it here, but Soundwave might just be one of the best Masterpiece figures yet. It\u2019s hard for me to say that because I haven\u2019t shared my thoughts on the previous releases (but I will soon), but Soundwave is the closest to being a perfect update as we\u2019ve had yet. The only real drawback here is the price \u2013 if I was sitting at Toys R Us and he was on the shelf for $160, I would\u2019ve had a harder time pulling the trigger. <\/p>\n

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The good news is that, if the rumors are true, Soundwave will be coming to TRU and he\u2019ll probably be good deal cheaper. The only risk in waiting is that Hasbro might change something \u2013 they really shouldn\u2019t, but I kinda expect for them to at this point. <\/p>\n

While I have reservations about the amount of money being spent, I don\u2019t have any about Soundwave\u2019s value. If you love Soundwave and have the money, he\u2019s worth picking up. I may be kicking myself in a few months if he\u2019s at TRU for cheaper, but I\u2019ll just chalk that up my ability to have him now instead of whenever he might see a domestic release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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