Evil Soundwave Be Like Autobot Blaster. In all seriousness, Soundwave is a core character in Transformers outside of G1 since the mid-2000s, now that he's made appearances in the Cybertron chapter of the Unicron Trilogy to having a unique origin in Animated, and from having various designs in the movies as well as the Aligned continuity to having a surprise character arc in Cyberverse! Blaster, on the other hand, has never had any major incarnation outside of G1. Yeah, he may have been given some new versions here and there, but they reduce him as either an Easter Egg or background character instead of being an A-lister like Soundwave. However, Blaster has had a few modern G1 toys here and there, and while he has yet to receive a Masterpiece, he was a surprise addition in the Device Label line before having a new figure in Titans Return and now being both the final Kingdom Voyager AND the first release of the Legacy Voyager line, so let's take a look at this figure!
Here is Blaster in-hand, as the boombox he takes form of in Generation One. The same as it was back in the 80s. Honestly, with how unchanged Blaster is, something like this would probably be the only alt mode he can remain with given how character-specific it is. It thankfully has a good amount of sculpted details added to it that makes it feel pretty on-par with the other WFC Trilogy toy in the line. The speakers on the sides also look appropriately like the rubber/foam parts that they would normally be made of, but what will make the alternate mode stand out is the yellow tape door and the blue window with the asymmetrical design. I do wish the Autobot insignia could be better aligned. The handle may seem nearly impossible to hold as intended, but I appreciate them having it fit in with the rest of the altmode as it should because it completes the aesthetic nicely.
The gun can be stored on the back, and the boombox mode still looks nice from the back in spite of the exposed robot mode parts. Obviously, both the G1 toys of Soundwave and Blaster don't have that issue, but the effort is appreciated for this guy overall.
Included with him is a microcassette in the form of Eject, seen here as he remains within the tapedeck and soon-to-be chest of Blaster. The four buttons on the bottom help eject the tape from the deck on the bottom as is the case with the G1 toy.
Here is Eject next to the Frumble mold, specifically the red one. There are some noticeable differences between the two of them in terms of the overall robot design traits even from these rectangular modes, but more importantly, let's see what these two have to break down from these modes: the arrangement of the robot parts differs, especially with the legs and heads...
The transformations are nearly similar but because of the layout of the limbs, Eject manages to be a little more involved than the Frumble mold, as is the case with the head transformation and the different functionality of the arms. While the two cassettes are functional to some identical extent, the articulation is improved on Eject with his elbows and altered shoulder articulation, the head is on a ball joint, and Eject is cast in clear plastic on all parts that are blue plastic...which is not a good thing. While it's not happened yet on my copy, I am positive that this figure will receive cracks and possible breakage on the ball joints and those pinned shoulder hinges for the in and out movement. With how this figure was repurposed for the Legacy line, I can see why Blaster would have the Energon accessory be Eject, but WHY must they have to make an all-clear accessory if it's likely to break down if not careful?! You know how Hasbro Pulse said there was feedback on the Galvatron reissue that we got a while back where the battle damage was removed? Yeah, maybe don't add the damage in the first place and instead make the clear plastic on Eject a concern.
For an alt mode comparison, here is Blaster next to Soundwave. While the two alt modes do have their nice contrasts from one another, with Soundwave having a more uniform and I guess mature design and color layout, Blaster stands out for his radical appearance and underground 80s funk vibe that you'd hear on the streets of New York. Though Soundwave should be smaller than Blaster, it would result in the two being out of scale line in the G1 days.
Transformation for Blaster is pretty much an updated take on what the G1 toy does, with the more noteworthy things being the different arm transformation in order for the legs to fit in better while also not having the stubby and chunky look to them. Much like Netflix Soundwave, he has to use a waist swivel for his transformation so the from of the radio becomes a butt-flap. One complaint I have is that the head is hard to hinge in place, but at least the boombox handles have their appropriate places on the legs. The resulting robot mode is undeniably blaster, with the gray khaki look to the legs, the red sweater looks to the torso, and the yellow chest that pops. Blaster's also got some faux speakers on the back that replace the ones we see on the front of the altmode so they can keep that distinct design to the robot mode. The proportions for Blaster are a little weird; while the upper torso and arms are proportionate, the thighs are rather skinny compared to the blocky lower legs. I guess that's appropriate for Blaster, but something tells me he doesn't have the same flow of proportions that other WFC trilogy figures. I don't hate it, but it is amusing how wonky it feels. Of note is that the right hand has the index finger exposed much like how the left hand on Soundwave's WFC trilogy toys has the trigger finger.
Head sculpt looks good for Blaster overall, with the headsculpt capturing the cartoon look as is the case with the WFC trilogy line. I do find it amusing how the exposed red surrounding the eyes makes it look like he's tired as hell, but I appreciate how the silver of the face and the white for the forehead dome being in a similar yet entirely different shade (it's the matte look to it). I do wish the red plastic wouldn't feel washed out a bit; Blaster does feel slightly cheap for the red parts of the toy, and I kind of want the red plastic to either be slightly darker or have a subtle coat of metallic paint. His articulation is pretty much consistent with the rest of the WFC trilogy, with a ball-jointed head, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, and the ability to untab the forearms to add a bit more range for the button press on the right arm (and you can totally pretend the arms are broken). The waist can swivel, hips can move front and back as well as in and out, the thighs swivel, the knees bend, and the ankles can pivot. His gun can be placed in either arm if you want.
His only repaint is a Shattered Glass version of himself that came with a red Rewind instead of Eject. Otherwise, the functionality remains the same as it should.
We also got a Legacy Evolution Twincast, the first ever Blue Blaster repaint as part of a Hasbro line! He isn't just a color swap, as the gray is more white while most of the black is now red. He comes with Rewind, who is cast in smokey clear plastic.
For a robot mode comparison with previous versions, here he is with his Titans Return and Device Label versions. The Titans Return version made for a pretty nice take on a budget MP Blaster since Takara won't make one anyhow, but I'm sure those who wanted a Blaster who would better scale with their CHUG line would want a figure that is basically Kingdom Blaster. And now we have the weird Device Label Blaster, who turned into a miniature laptop that was actually a USB hub. it was also weirdly proportioned in robot mode on top of having limited articulation. The Kingdom version is certainly better, but I wouldn't mind if it had similar leg proportions and whatnot instead of the Kingdom version.
And here he is with Netflix Soundwave, who is shorter than this guy because of how one figure reused the tooling of the already better-proportioned siege version. I think it's great to have both figures in the same line and the same consistency, but Soundwave is the more interesting in terms of engineering. Blaster is the taller and easier to transform of the two figures. Apart from the slightly simple transformation and the clear blue plastic, Blaster fills in a gap nicely for any CHUG collection, and this is a figure you should get, whether it's in Kingdom or Legacy.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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