2005 Boards Member Shattered Trousers is bringing us a pictorial review of Transformers: Cyberverse 1-Step Soundwave and a direct comparison with the Robots In Disguise version of the character.
As we previously learned, the new toy is a repaint of the RID toy with minor exceptions. The plastic comes with a much lighter shade of blue than the previous version without a single retooling. Not even the headsculpt. Instead, the paint application mimics the Evergreen/Cyberverse design. The red tyres have been replaced with black ones and you can even attach the RID Minicons to the vehicle mode.
Check out the full review on the thread associated with this news post.
Shattered Trousers
That's also true although, in the interest of transparency, I put a lot less expectation on the relationship between the G1 toys and the G1 cartoon. Not because of nostalgia, but because that whole fly-by-night operation was a bit of a mess that somehow worked out in the end.
Chris McFeely has got some wonderful videos on the subject up on YouTube.
The Art of The Transformers episode 2 is a real eye-opener!
I think it's safe to say that none of the characters in RID 2015 were designed under such haphazard circumstances.
~L~
Shattered Trousers
I can't argue with you there. I really enjoy all the RiD toys I have in my collection, even the gimmick-dominated ones, but I can't bring myself to buy any new Cyberverse molds.
I think the character designs look cool, and I expect I will watch the show (even if I wasn't blown away by the Windblade vs. Thundercracker short that was released), but none of the new toys are calling out to me.
That's a pity, because the stores nearest to me are putting a much stronger emphasis on Cyberverse toys than they are anything else.
~L~
Bass X0
So no different than 1984 Bumblebee having a faceplate on his toy and toy packaging but not in the cartoon. A lot of the toys were different back then to how they appeared in the show.
It still happening today is just a continuing trend.
Bass X0
After seeing reviews of new Cyberverse toys online, repainting RiD toys will give little kids who were too young for them originally a better toy to play with than the terrible new Cyberverse toys.
Shattered Trousers
It is a very weird coincidence.
When the news first broke about a variant head sculpt I misunderstood the description.
I thought it was the clear red piece newly molded with a raised mouthplate.
Every store I saw a Soundwave hanging on the pegs I would think I had found the variant, then I would inspect them more closely and see that they were just the regular version.
The whole affair is made even stranger by the fact that RiD Soundwave doesn't have a faceplate in the show, so the toy is show-accurate, but the box art does have a faceplate – creating expectation that Soundwave should have a faceplate.
~L~
Fenrys
Weird, because from the front it really does look exactly like the shape of the mouth plate in the artwork
Shattered Trousers
That is, indeed a trick of the light.
The front of the red lightpipe plastic piece is completely smooth, but under most lighting conditions you can see the contours of the back of Soundwave's head showing through.
View attachment 28056503
That notch molded into the back of Soundwave's head is the major culprit.
~L~
Edit: Added a photo.
Fenrys
Even the regular release of warrior soundwave seems to have the face plate molded into the red plastic, unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, but I very distinctly see the mouth plate shape in his visor
Shattered Trousers
There was, once (and only once), a variant of Warrior Class Soundwave found, with a faceplate molded onto the blue segment of the head.
It's possible this alternate tooling was intended for reuse of the Warrior Class mold as a generic, what we now know to be called "Evergreen," version of Soundwave.
I suspect, based on nothing but paranoia and the messages I received when I removed my tinfoil hat, the Warrior Class Soundwave mold might not fit into the current Warrior Class budget.
What may have been intended when the mold was made may be impossible now that the budget goalposts have been moved.
~L~
Fenrys
Darn, was hoping it’d be an easy swap. Wonder if they plan on releasing a new warrior class or doing a repaint of the rid warrior in cyberverse. A few clever paint apps here and there and it wouldn’t look too far off the evergreen design
Shattered Trousers
Unfortunately, no.
1-step Soundwave's head is riveted onto a swing bar that brings his head into place during transformation.
View attachment 28056482
Warrior Class Soundwave has a ball-jointed head, with the socket on the torso.
View attachment 28056484
If you want Soundwave to have a gray faceplate you'll have to paint it on yourself.
~L~
Fenrys
Is there any way to put the head from the one step figure on the warrior soundwave from rid15? The paint separation giving him a face plate looks amazing
Bass X0
I think Alternators, Animated, Rescue Bots and Masterpiece have been the only Transformers brands (ignoring the little gimmick lines like Kre-O, Construct-Bots and Robot Heroes) that have had only had new molds throughout their range that were not previously used in an earlier line. Even the movie line repainted a few Cybertron and Energon molds as store exclusives.
Autoboty
I really like the head deco on this one. It's the perfect blend of TFP's sharp, angular look and the G1 color scheme! The cheek vents in particular look great in silver.
MrSoundmeister
In that case. I wouldn't mind them also redecoing the R.I.D Warriors.
VortexPrime
This repaint of Soundwave is the least shocking thing coming out of this line, nobody remembers even just the hundreds of Rippersnappers sold as Grimlocks of the past years!? or Combiner Wars?!
Bass X0
I'd have preferred the repaint to have retained the black on his chest, along with the grey on his cannon, stomach and feet. He seems underpainted now, and the original release was barely painted as it was.
We had a few G1 and G2 repaints in Beast Wars. And a few Beast Wars toys repainted as Armada releases.
And before then we had Diaclone, Microman and some toys from some toylines being barely repainted for release as a single toyline in 1984.
This is nothing new.
MrSoundmeister
I don't know… Cyberverse have some very articu- oh. You're referring to THIS Cyberverse.
Yeah this toyline is disappointing. Why not just Redeco the GOOD 2015 R.I.D Toys?
st.ranger
Cyberverse sucks.
Every news from this line is just bad joke.
BB Shockwave
WTF, this is not even a new toy, just a repaint? They are this lazy?