469-2
Hasbro- Transformers Generations Fall of Cybertron: Shockwave.
I feel that I have opened more Shockwaves since starting these reviews than any other Transformer character and I’m not sure why. It’s not like he is a main character, or any more important than any other Transformers character, but perhaps it’s because he’s just the one guy that I’m paying attention to. In any case, this could be my last one for a while so I will do my best to appreciate him while I can.
It always makes me laugh when I think about the mythos created for the Transformers toys with Shockwave being particularly funny. Just as a quick reminder, the first 2 waves of Transformers figures were comprised of transforming toys from a few different Japanese toy lines. So that means someone had the task of unpacking all these figures on an office table, arbitrarily deciding who is a hero and who is a villain and then create back stories that would be incorporated into episodes of a kids cartoon that people would hold onto for years and years after. It’s literally a miracle and a crazy magic trick that it works as well as it did. Take Shockwave for example: the show runner looked at the figure that would eventually become Shockwave, likely noticed that he was a different looking sci-fi looking gun and robot and wrote in to the cartoon that he would stay on Cybertron, while the other Decepticons, who were all “typical looking”, chased after the Autobots to Earth! That is just brilliant and likely one of the reasons why the series did so well.
Pros: Well, it’s Shockwave, so if you are a fan of the character, you will be happy to have him on your shelf. The homages, including purple color, single red eye and arm cannon are all there in robot mode, the transformation is fairly simple, the articulation is quite good with no kibble hindrance and the robot mode is serviceable as a spaceship type thing.
Cons: I’ll be honest; I was not impressed when I first took him out of the package. He felt flimsy and cheap and I was really put off by the fact that he seemed to have to hold his signature canon like a gun. After messing with him for pics, I was able to figure out the blaster art and appreciated the Cybertronian style of the figure. Unfortunately the vehicle mode still feels like an afterthought, but I’m sure a kid would have liked it.
