well, i finally got a hold of galaxy force soundwave and cybertron sideways, my holy grails of this set leaving only galvatron and primus and i'll consider myself done.

 

let my start off by saying that my opinion is a bit jaded on GF soundwave.  soundwave was one of the few g1 tf's my family could afford to get me when i was little, so he was automatically one of my favorites of all time characterwise.  add to that the fact that he hasn't had a new incarnation in every set like prime and megatron (or, shudder, jetfire) and i was so stoked to get this guy that it was just like christmas '85 all over again when i went into anime king and saw him on the shelf.  basically, i'm saying that gf soundwave isn't perfect, but i don't care because he's perfect in my mind.

 

anyway, on to the review, starting with alt mode, which he is packaged in.  just so you know, laserbeak is packaged in bird mode and is packed on top of soundwave in the box, the bird is also clearly visible from the window.  as a matter of fact, you kind of have to look around him a bit to see soundwave.

 

soundwave's alt mode is a cybertronian bomber jet, not unlike our stealth bomber.  laserbeak folds up into a hexagonal can shape and fits into his "tape hatch" which is under the rear of the plane.  his weapons fold up into similar hex bomb shape and can fit loosely into slots on the underside of his wings, but they have a hard time actually staying there.  the weapons can also fit into his hatch instead of laserbeak if that's what you want.

 

about the tape hatch: it only opens with his cyber key.  it is his only cyber key gimmick, and it doesn't sem to open without the key (you could probably force it, but it would probably break, just like G1 soundwaves door).

 

now for bot mode.  in bot mode, you've all seen pictures, and let me tell you, none of them do this toy justice.  his legs are kinda gundam-like, and his wings are just kinda "there" on his back, but it all comes together very well.  soundwave is very articulated, his head is on a ball joint and his arms have the standard four points of articulation each that most good deluxe and larger figures have.  his legs have five points each, although the ankle is slightly limited.  shoulder to shoulder, soundwave is almost the exact same size as his G1 counterpart, he would be the exact same size if his wings folded down.

 

one thing worth mentioning is that his right arm (if you were him)

has a special peg hole on it that laserbeak fits into so he can hold him like a falconer would.  laserbeaks peg is the same size as the standard weapon pegs, so he can be attached to soundwaves fist, or the top of his wing tips just like any other weapon.  soundwave also has a peg hole in his shoulder in the same place as G1 soundwave just so he can have one of his weapons there just like the old guy.

 

something no one seems to talk about when reviewing this toy is laserbeak.  laserbeak's head has a kind of G1 homage look to it.  his wings are quite articulate, they can be rotated (although his feet are on the same rotation piece) and they can be flapped up or down however you like.  because his wing tips fold in, you can fold his wings to his side almost like a real bird, this is really cool that it works out that way. his legs have another two points of articulation each, that may not sound like much, but he easily out-articulates any minicon i've ever seen and he's about the same size.  lazerbeak also has a short peg on his underside that fits into any standard size weapon slot like i mentioned before.  technically, anyone in cybertron can hold him.

 

so, anyway, soundwave automatically get a 10/10 from me.  they pulled out all the stops on this one, and i'm glad they finally made a new soundwave and did it right.

 

oh, yeah, c. sideways is almost as badass as soundwave and is really articulated well too.  he gets a 10 as well, but i already bored you to death and he will be on store shelves near you soon anyway.  if you see him, do not hesitate to buy him, you wont be dissapointed.

thnx for that! I know will look forward to that to a lot more than i already was. I'm glad to hear that lazerbeak is as good as you say. I had some minor fears that he'd be slightly static in movement.

Nice reviews.  That makes me want to get both of these even more. :drool

I already have Sideways which on his own is a pretty cool toy with decent concepton/articulation but damn am I looking forward to Soundwave. I just hope Hasbro doesn't skimp on any detail/paint aps in favour of a lesser price point.

 

Also fantastic reviews. I look forward to getting Soundwave sometime next year. :clap 

Nice reviews.  That makes me want to get both of these even more. :drool

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I have the GF versions of both :D And yes, they're both very kickass figures.  Noisemaze (Sideways) IMO is the way he is in the show, a double crosser.  Soundwave IMO was meant to be a Decepticon end of story.  So my display has Sideways with the Autobots, and Soundwave being the loyal soldier that he is, is right next to Megatron on the shelf below.

if you were me would you leave soundwave in the box?

I keep trying to rationalize doing so but *looks at box and starts to chew nails* I think i won't.

 

Also do you think sideways makes a good gift ?