Here is Soundwave's backdrop, set in the small camp where Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave met in Namibia, Africa. The background appears to be the same in detail like with the backdrop that came with Leader Class Megatron. I think the size of Meg's backdrop would work well for a display consisting of the three Decepticons given how big it is. Of course, you can have Soundwave in his background if you so desire.
Here is Soundwave in his vehicle mode, the Mercedes Benz SLS-AMG he took form of in the movie. Right off the bat, this figure's deco is coated in nice, silver paint, as we previously got with Jazz, Sideswipe, and Cogman. Like with Cogman, the tires need no alterations, unlike Jazz and Sideswipe. The proportions are generally accurate to the real-life vehicle, and the molded details are thankfully present, such as the vents, car emblem, and the mirrors. They may not look visible, but the headlights are painted in a faint white to stand out a bit more from the rest of the toy's silver. The windshield does reveal some robot kibble, but it's nothing too prominent.
From this view, you can see the hubcap along with the taillights. All in all, a job well done with the altmode.
You can then ruin the look of the alt mode by letting Laserbeak take a ride on the roof instead of having him sit inside like a good bird of prey (not that he could given it's a Deluxe with little interior room).
Here's Laserbeak, done up with some nice sculpting for the design; it certainly captures the predatory look of the character that sadly gets lost with a lack of a wash. I don't mind that he's not really functional, but something else other than the eyes would be great to make this accessory look even better.
Here is Soundwave with the other silver car Transformers, Jazz from MV1, Sideswipe from DOTM (though he did debut in ROTF with a roof), and Cogman from TLK. I think ROTF needs Sideways, I don't remember any silver cars that were in Age of Extinction (unless they were the KSI Sentries) and Bumblebee obviously doesn't have any silver cars. I find it interesting how Jazz's silver and Soundwave's silver look different from the other two, as Jazz has a bit of a blue tint to it thanks to his clear plastic while Soundwave looks a little darker than either Sideswipe or Cogman.
Also from this image is an increase in size, with Jazz being the smallest and shortest, Sideswipe getting a little longer (would be around Jazz's height with the roof), Soundwave barely getting bigger than Sideswipe, and Cogman having the longer size for his transtector.
Transforming Soundwave is generally involved, though the only thing I really hate about this figure is how the headlights tend to detach when they need to move in robot mode position. Otherwise, the rest of the transformation goes fairly smoothly so long as the rest of the toy doesn't face any chipping issues; it also does have some of the traditional feats, such as the front of the car becoming the chest and the rear becoming the lower legs. The shoulder pads can hinge down so they won't look as though they're sticking out too much like on the initial stock images.
The robot mode certainly captures the look Soundwave had in the movie, and I couldn't be happier. Next to the old Deluxe figure, the proportions are a lot more accurate, the colors work better, and the use of a real chest instead of a faux one is even better. Ironically, regular DOTM Soundwave has a silver head while the Studio Series version is in the bare plastic as with the parts of the toy. It's sort of a similar thing that Sideswipe and Jazz had, where parts of their figures were missing their paint, but at least Soundwave's darker gray plastic works better.
The side of the toy looks pretty good, though the shoulders do stick out from the back more than I expected, and the back has the typical hood chest and windshield stuck on his back. At least the rear windshield doesn't awkwardly stick down too much.
The headsculpt is done well for the most part, though he does sadly not come with the proper silver paint that the rest of his body has. Thankfully, a wash is applied to accentuate the details, but my guess as to why he doesn't have silver paint for the head is due to the plastic it's made from. It's a slightly flexible material that does help in making the head sharper but won't have the same density as with normal TF heads.
Articulation is pretty good for this bulky guy. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back, in and out, and the biceps can swivel while the elbows below them can bend. Hips are on ball joints and consist of great range except for the back, the thighs swivel (with the ball sockets hidden by the thighs), and the knees bend. He sadly doesn't come with a gun but does let Laserbeak clip on his arm with a C joint, a common feature seen in late-ROTF, HFTD, Reveal the Shield, Generations, Dark of the Moon (used both on Mechtech and Cyberverse sublines), and the Tiny Turbo Changers. Now he can tell his friend to kill them all like the vast, predatory bird he is (pink Bumblebee not included!)
Here is Soundwave in between the larger Decepticons, Starscream and Megatron. Yes, Starscream looks naked without the tattoos, but I do plan on getting the ROTF version of the character, trust me. Anyways, Soundwave being shorter than everyone else makes sense, but the problem comes from the fact that he's probably a little too short. I know he's a car and is generally supposed to be shorter than everyone else, but perhaps he could go for a height increase by at least one inch. Still, this figure manages to be the best toy of the first wave of 2020 Deluxes so far. The only things I wish would be fixed in this toy is the inclusion of a gun, Laserbeak getting a wash, and maybe getting a little taller. Beyond that, I highly recommend this toy, as we finally get a Soundwave that doesn't require paying three time more than you should. Oh, and Hasbro, please don't repeat the same mistake you did in DOTM next time.
Final ranking:
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