The Bond Gadget Test

[Mendou]

Leave the toy aspect out of it. The in story reasons why Megatron relied on him was because he was designed and built specifically with communications recording, processing and transceiving in mind, and the others, including Megatron, only had limited capacity in communications. Even with the whole "land Warrior" gear, you still need a communications hub at the command level. The Commander certainly does not have Land Warrior equipment. His communications operators operate the equipment and deliver the data to him or play it for him. And they relay his orders to the troops out in the field. That is the way it works in the military. Soundwave's primare function is Conmunications Operations. He is Megatron's Communications hub. When he wants to communicate to the troops, he goes through Soundwave. When the troops need to communicate to him, they need to go through Soundwave. When Megatron needs intelligence displayed or played back, it is Soundwave that does so. That is what he is designed for. That is his sole purpose. His allt mode is directly tied into that purpose, and better than any vehicle mode could be.

Why is being a small portable stereo better for being a communications hub than being a communications van? Does the 12-inch antenna available on most of those provide better signal than a satellite uplink, or even the standard vehicle antenna? Or, if his communications function and alt-mode size are so important, why even bother giving him the ability to turn into a 30' robot at all? It's not like you'd ever want him on the front line......

[Grand Galactic Inquisitor]

"The in story reasons why Megatron relied on him "

 

Dammit, THERE IS NO F*CKING STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE ENTIRE CARTOON FROM START TO FINISH WAS A TOY COMMERCIAL! IT COULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY KINDERGARDENERS!!!!!!!!! THAT'S WHO IT WAS AIMED AT! (slams head against wall) WHY (BANG!) CAN'T (BANG!) YOU (BANG!) GET (BANG!) THAT (BANG!) THROUGH (BANG!) YOUR (BANG!) HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS NOT THE CARTOON AND NEVER WILL BE!!!!!! JESUS CHRIST ON A POGO STICK! DID YOU HOUND YOUR CO LIKE THIS IN THE ARMY? HE WOULD HAVE KICKED YOUR ASS!!!!! GIVE IT A REST!

[Terrorcon Blot]

As I said before, Tramp apparently has the belief that ANY communication system that Soundwave would have in his alt mode would STOP WORKING the minute he becomes a robot, EXCEPT if he was a stereo.

 

 

Never mind that a stereo DOESN'T HAVE A THING TO DO WITH COMMUNICATIONS. Play CDs, sure. Listen to the radio. Record whatever's said into an optional microphone, maybe. Intercept top secret transmissions? Does YOURS do that? Does BestBuy sell one? Can you talk to far away people over your stereo system? Why is the stereo the apparent second coming to you, Tramp?

[Ender]

I allways thought Megatron relied on him cuz he was smart had useful minions and kicked autobot ass.... alot.

[Tramp]

Yes, but it would also stick out like a sore thumb. It is too flashy of an alt mode. This is also why a news van is out of the question.

And exactly why is that a problem? So far there hasn't been a single movie design for the Decepticons which hasn't stood out in one way or another (with the possible exception of Frenzy, whose alt mode I haven't seen yet)--you've got a tank, a minesweeper, a police car, a fighter, and an alien spacecraft. Besides, do you ever pay attention to a thumping van other than to think its owner spends far too much money on ways to permanently remove his hearing before age thirty? ^_-

All of those modes are military vehicles designed specifically for offiensive power. Soundwave's alt mode isn't, and never has been. One of Soundwave's main characteristics is his discretion. He would not take an alt mode that would draw any attention to himself. On top of that, you are still talking about an alt mode which devotes too much of his internal resources to something other than his primary function. It really also has nothing to do with his purpose or his character. If you look at all of the movie Decepticons, and even the Autobots to a lesser degree, Their Alternate modes are a direct reflection of their characters, functions, and names.

 

First off, we have Barricade, a police car. He's a tracker, a camouflage hunter who like to lure his targets into a trap and uses his alternate mode to lull people into a false sense of security.

Next is Brawl, a tank. As his name suggests, he's the angry brawler who wants to fight all the time. He's the grunt soldier. He's the Thug.

Then there is Bonecrusher, a minesweeper. He hates everything and everybody. He is also th closest thing to a constructicon.

Blackout is a Military transport and ECM helocopter. He is the electronic warfare specialist and primary transport.

Starscream is an F-22 air superiority fighter. He's the Aerospace commander and Megatron's number two man. Speed and guile are his hallmarks, as is arrogance.

 

All of them have alt modes which directly reflect them as characters.

 

The only type of alt mode that directly reflects Soundwave as a character, in function, personality and name is a piece of electronic media equipment like a portable ANM/FM stereo withCD and tape deck, a portable DVD player, or a laptop computer. Nothing else really matches him better than that.

 

As I said before, Tramp apparently has the belief that ANY communication system that Soundwave would have in his alt mode would STOP WORKING the minute he becomes a robot, EXCEPT if he was a stereo.

 

 

Never mind that a stereo DOESN'T HAVE A THING TO DO WITH COMMUNICATIONS. Play CDs, sure. Listen to the radio. Record whatever's said into an optional microphone, maybe. Intercept top secret transmissions? Does YOURS do that? Does BestBuy sell one? Can you talk to far away people over your stereo system? Why is the stereo the apparent second coming to you, Tramp?

No, not stop working, just diminshed capacity because his internal resources are devoted to to other functions.

[Mendou]

Yes, but it would also stick out like a sore thumb. It is too flashy of an alt mode. This is also why a news van is out of the question.

And exactly why is that a problem? So far there hasn't been a single movie design for the Decepticons which hasn't stood out in one way or another (with the possible exception of Frenzy, whose alt mode I haven't seen yet)--you've got a tank, a minesweeper, a police car, a fighter, and an alien spacecraft. Besides, do you ever pay attention to a thumping van other than to think its owner spends far too much money on ways to permanently remove his hearing before age thirty? ^_-

All of those modes are military vehicles designed specifically for offiensive power. Soundwave's alt mode isn't, and never has been. One of Soundwave's main characteristics is his discretion. He would not take an alt mode that would draw any attention to himself. On top of that, you are still talking about an alt mode which devotes too much of his internal resources to something other than his primary function. It really also has nothing to do with his purpose or his character. If you look at all of the movie Decepticons, and even the Autobots to a lesser degree, Their Alternate modes are a direct reflection of their characters, functions, and names.

 

First off, we have Barricade, a police car. He's a tracker, a camouflage hunter who like to lure his targets into a trap and uses his alternate mode to lull people into a false sense of security.

Next is Brawl, a tank. As his name suggests, he's the angry brawler who wants to fight all the time. He's the grunt soldier. He's the Thug.

Then there is Bonecrusher, a minesweeper. He hates everything and everybody. He is also th closest thing to a constructicon.

Blackout is a Military transport and ECM helocopter. He is the electronic warfare specialist and primary transport.

Starscream is an F-22 air superiority fighter. He's the Aerospace commander and Megatron's number two man. Speed and guile are his hallmarks, as is arrogance.

 

All of them have alt modes which directly reflect them as characters.

 

The only type of alt mode that directly reflects Soundwave as a character, in function, personality and name is a piece of electronic media equipment like a portable ANM/FM stereo withCD and tape deck, a portable DVD player, or a laptop computer. Nothing else really matches him better than that.

In other words, he's cheap, disposable, easily broken, and obsolete before he hits retail shelves? ^_-

[Ender]

A tv truck, spy planeor anything with some antenas do that just ass well. I'm still not convinced communications defines Soundwave.

[Terrorcon Blot]

Then there is Bonecrusher, a minesweeper. He hates everything and everybody. He is also th closest thing to a constructicon.

Woah woah woah

 

How does a MINESWEEPER, a vehicle that HELPS TO GET RID OF EXPLOSIVE DEVICES, fit

 

A) A robot hates everything that isn't him

B) Build things

 

And optionally,

 

C) HOW DOES A ROBOT THAT WANTS TO DESTROY EVERYHING EVEN REMOTELY A "CONSTRUCTICON"

[Ender]

Good ole' Blot...

[Tramp]

Leave the toy aspect out of it. The in story reasons why Megatron relied on him was because he was designed and built specifically with communications recording, processing and transceiving in mind, and the others, including Megatron, only had limited capacity in communications. Even with the whole "land Warrior" gear, you still need a communications hub at the command level. The Commander certainly does not have Land Warrior equipment. His communications operators operate the equipment and deliver the data to him or play it for him. And they relay his orders to the troops out in the field. That is the way it works in the military. Soundwave's primare function is Conmunications Operations. He is Megatron's Communications hub. When he wants to communicate to the troops, he goes through Soundwave. When the troops need to communicate to him, they need to go through Soundwave. When Megatron needs intelligence displayed or played back, it is Soundwave that does so. That is what he is designed for. That is his sole purpose. His allt mode is directly tied into that purpose, and better than any vehicle mode could be.

Why is being a small portable stereo better for being a communications hub than being a communications van? Does the 12-inch antenna available on most of those provide better signal than a satellite uplink, or even the standard vehicle antenna? Or, if his communications function and alt-mode size are so important, why even bother giving him the ability to turn into a 30' robot at all? It's not like you'd ever want him on the front line......

The size of the alt mode isn't the factor, that is the camouflage. The alt mode itself, that being a recording and playback device, or in the case of a stereo system, portable DVD play, or laptop computer, a transciever and multimedia system. Those would,greately enhance his ability to do his primary function and blend in anywherebecause they are also much less conspicuous than a communications van, and would allow Megatron direct access to those communications. That is because all Soundwave needs to do is project or play back the data or message, and which he would not have if all that equipment was inside a vehicle alt mode. A vehicle mode does absolutely nothing for Soundwave and doesn't really fit his character. Secondly, The Decepticons in the movie are a special operations "A-Team". Therefore, combat is part of the territory, including for the Command staff. And, given Soundwave's postion, Robot mode size equals power and respect. He doesn't need to specifically be a stereo, there are tow other options, the portable DVD player and the laptop, though the laptop would be harder to transform because it is almost completely flat. Each of these devices is innocuous,ubiquitous pieces of multi-media equipment which easily disguise his other surveylance features and can play back recorded data directly for Megatron. The only advantage of a van is it is a mobile alt mode. Soundwave does not need that. It serves no purpose for him to have a vehicle mode. He can do more with an alt mode which is an electronic device than as a vehicle. All the other Decepticons have vehicle modes which directly corrispond with, and enhance their given functions. A vehicle mode would do absolutely nothing for Soundwave.

 

Then there is Bonecrusher, a minesweeper. He hates everything and everybody. He is also th closest thing to a constructicon.

Woah woah woah

 

How does a MINESWEEPER, a vehicle that HELPS TO GET RID OF EXPLOSIVE DEVICES, fit

 

A) A robot hates everything that isn't him

B) Build things

 

And optionally,

 

C) HOW DOES A ROBOT THAT WANTS TO DESTROY EVERYHING EVEN REMOTELY A "CONSTRUCTICON"

The statement of Bonecrusher being the claosest thing to a constructicon comes from Robert Orci when they first announced the final cast of robots for the movie. A minesweeper doesn't simply get rid of mines. It does so be destroying them. For someone who hates everybody, including your boss and yourself, a nearly suicidal function like that is ideal. The fact that his alt mode is specifically designed to withstand that kind of punishment is perfect for him.

 

And, for the record,Military demolitions experts are part of the Engineering Corps, not the Infantry. It is calle Combat Engineer.