An image has been posted on the TF Wiki of an unused Classics Soundwave concept sketch by Don Figueroa. This design would unfortunately never see the light of day in the Classics line, although it would inspire other toys, for example Animated Soundwave who possesses the same basic vehicle mode and layout of parts in robot mode.
bobby_C
Regarding the engineering problems with Guido's design, they aren't exactly an obstacle since there are people whose job is to alter such concept drawings into feasible designs.
But apart from titniums (and classics jetfire) I can't really think of a comic design that ended up being considered for a toy anyway…
Cast
I like Don's idea but I see sound wave as something more boxie, very square looking, it kinda make sound wave seem to cool personality wise.
I hate the tape deck alt mode, I mean I dislike mass sifting but type decks and the like, totally useless and in my opinion not fun toys.
Ash from Carolina
With other characters being offered in Movie, Classics, and Animated style it's really too bad Soundwave wasn't one of those characters to get the treatment in all three styles. Well okay nothing confirmed on the movie side since the writer only said would like to have.
Even if things like alt mode were about the same there is still a good bit of difference between the styles. Prime is a red truck in all three but big difference in the look.
Ah, guess just another case of what could have been.
Insane Galvatron
Look at the transformation drawing again. You can clearly see his hip buttons on the side of the player under the legs. Not sure where they go. Could they slide into the legs or behind panels on the legs? But it's clear the hips are not going up into the torso.
Fit For natalie
The problem with Titaniums was that it was apparently handled by a division outside of Hasbro's usual Transformers team, so they didn't have much experience with TF. And of course, the line was done without Takara's involvement and engineering expertise.
For example, it wasn't Don's fault Titanium Soundwave was a piece of shit. I mean, last I checked, Don Figueroa DOES NOT draw Soundwave like Pat Lee, but somehow Titanium guys sculpted Soundwave to look like Pat Lee designed it.
That line deserved better.
Both are really more customised low-rider type wagons than SUVs, which is why I dissagree on assertions that Universe Ironhide was directly based on this design.
Think of both as being like Cybertron Red Alert's Dodge Magnum.
Railguard
Yes absolutley correct. I can't really accept SW as a jet. I'm glad I have him but it's still hard to accept. I would really rather have SW and Blaster as their original modes.
Transquito
Well …
Animated Soundwave pwnds this "Classic Car Soundwave" …
What's wrong with making SW as somesort of boombox? … would it rly be that uncool Hasbro? Well …
Not if you made the Boombox soundwave Ultra class with light and sound (music) …
Runamuck
Well, I'm just sayin'. The basic aesthetic is Animated. The whole small SUV-looking vehicle with the sound system get-up.
REDLINE
no it transforms differently than Animated… not to say it couldn't have heavily influenced that one.
Runamuck
But, isn't that Animated Soundwave? I guess they were going to use it for Classics then…but thought nah, we'll use it for Animated.
Also, that Guido design is awesome.
JOHNDILLINGA
QFT!
REDLINE
look at the legs again. the whole sides pull out from the shins, doubling their thickness for the robot mode. Sure the picture is still slightly indulged, but that still addresses a lot of the issues of the thin legs. I don't see how the waist and abs would have to be sideways either, they seem to clearly slide straight up into the torso. The tape door sticks way out from the body, which is how it has room for a tape to fit inside.
plastic surgery
The problem with the design is entire lower body. Both legs must come from the right 1/3 of the cassette player. That means at maximum, the lower legs are 1/2 the thickness of the of the forearm/ upper torso. The thighs would have to be even smaller because they would have to telescope out from the lower leg in that design. Add to this the hip and abdomen would have to be sideways in alternate mode which would make it very narrow. I'm holding X-Brawn and unlike Soundwave his thighs and legs don't come from 1 side in alternate mode. Also if you look at X-Brawn's waist and hip (from top to bottom), it is only 1/3 the height of the abdomen and torso. In Guido's design, the abdomen and waist is the same height as the torso and both must fit under the torso frame. That doesn't even account for the space that the head and rail must also occupy.
I'm not saying that the transformation scheme can't be done. However, if it is done to match that transformation scheme, The proportions would look a lot different. He would have to a tiny waist, skinny/ shorter legs and big forearms. Just look at the forearm of Guido's design. In cassette mode, it is flush from front to back with the torso. Yet in robot mode, the torso is wider. Look at the penciled picture. When the legs are joined in alt mode. It would have that thin in robot mode, yet the robot picture is 2x thicker. Look at the length of the lower leg. In robot mode it is 2x the length of the torso, yet in alt mode is roughly 1.5x the length of the torso.
I guess that why I'm so impress with the Hasbro design team for their work on the Classics/ Universe line. It's not easy IMO to design a toy with an accurate alt mode and still have good body proportions in robot mode.
JOHNDILLINGA
I wound think the head would be spring loaded ala the G-1 Cassetticons and would slide up when the right arm moves. The right arm would be mounted on a Pivit plate that would swing the arm over, Via a rail. Slide down and lock into place also covering the right side in the ab with the side details.
For the waist/leg transformation Im thinking R.I.D. X-Brawn's waist transformation where it slid up on the side when transforming into vehicle mode. If you look at the figure you'll see what I mean. The actual hip part would swivel sideways and the legs slide down with the side parts of the legs locking in place.
The guns would combine with the maingun would telliscope and lock into place (I think Telliscope wise).
plastic surgery
The head can't flip from the back, because there's no space for it. If you look at the right arm and shoulder, it has either has to slide all the way from the upper left side. To do this it either has to ride a rail or have a double hinge joint that flip over unto each other. Either way, this would take up at least 50% to 75% of the overall width from front to back. It would also take up about 20 to 25% the height of the cassette deck. The head would have to be paper thin to fit in that same space and would way too retruded over the torso. It's hard to explain without 3-D pictures, but look at how much space the right armpit and shoulder joint takes up. I just can't see how all of that and the entire pelvis can fit underneath the same space of the cassette deck.
SiamGXPrime
What about Mass Shifting? Didn't the All spark in the movie did exactly that?? Bring it on with Sound Wave!
As for G's Design I see where the head can go, it would flip up from his back while the arm rests on the top. As for the pelvis i can see your point. But the flip down from back may work but it would make him super thin.
frenzy.mp3
~<3
Why Hasbro?, Why do you not give us this vision of win? What is wrong with thee?
Love, Tommy
blugel
i never knew design concepts for titanium shockwave was seen…i love shockwave and would also love to see these pictures…anyone (please)?
plastic surgery
Incepticon
I didn't think it was completely terrible, but I do agree that the alt mode took some of the excitement out of it. I loved the updated arms being made self contained (ie: no more click-on gun tip) and thought the bot mode overall looked great (for a Titanium), but the alt mode's use of the legs was a downer. I understand *why* it was designed that way – to keep bulk in the legs when in bot mode so they're not skinny like G1 – but it just didn't translate too well to gun form imo. Hopefully a larger version will eventually make it into Universe and the leg issue is a little more refined.
As for all the updated Soundwave discussion, I too am sick of hearing the Hummer idea constantly pitched, but I do think it's probably the best comprimise they could make when modifying a character who was a mass shifting outdated cassette player to a more "believable" vehicle. If they applied the same back-door-doubling-as-ejectable-chest gimmick that Don came up with for his roadster design, I think it could look pretty sweet and still retain the overall look of ol' Soundwave.
That said, I'm just as happy with Music Label Soundwave taking the Classics spot considering his size is perfect. If Megatron was also reimagined into a tank or something, *then* I'd be more anxious to have a vehicle version of Soundwave. But as long as he's still some sort of ridiculous gun, Soundwave might as well also stay a cassette player, whether it's the old school design or Guido's updated version.