Transformers Studio Series 86 Slug review

Slag's a troubled character as far as his prevalence is concerned. Firstly, his original name, while appropriate in the US because it refers to molten metal, is inappropriate in the UK because it basically refers to whores (and resulted in him being named Snarl in Animated and his Robot Heroes toy until he settled for Slug). Secondly, for as much as Grimlock gets attention in other media, it's not an immediate guarantee that the other Dinobots get toys (or even exist in subsequent fiction). Personally, it never bothered me that the Dinobots hadn't been in RID or the Unicron Trilogy, but ever since they popped up in Animated and since AOE, one would hope that they represent more than just Grimlock. Also, said merchandise may not exactly win people over; case in point, the Power of the Primes Dinobots were the first official G1 Dinobot team since G1 itself to be complete, and they were mildly satisfying at best. Studio Series 86 justifies itself by making larger Dinobots that don't combine and manage to be the best-looking options of the subline so far; Grimlock did that wonderfully, and can the same be said for Slag?

Here we have Slag in his triceratops mode, and it looks just as nice as Grimlock's dino mode did. In general, it captures the same points that his Tyrannosaurus mode checked: be cartoon-accurate, include nicely sculpted details, and use gold paint instead of yellow. Slag's proportions are accurate to the cartoon, which makes sense given how stumpy and fat the Triceratops generally are. I also like how even if he looks kind of non-threatening for his stature, the sculpted details and added paint here and there give him a bit of a tougher look that I don't think would be captured as nicely with bare yellow plastic. The gray plastic used on the figure looks nice, though the light gray used for the horns and the frill is the same shade that Grimlock's arms notably had. It's thankfully better-looking in-hand, though I do admit that painting them silver or making them in a more metallic color would reduce the cheaper look. His articulation consists of the front and hind legs moving front and back while the lower legs bend to further accentuate the naturalistic poses. His mouth also opens and closes, as expected. Also nice is that his gun is stored in the tail as a clever method of weapon storage compared to Grimlock's.

Here we have Daniel in his exosuit, put in a crouching pose much like the Wheelie that came with Grimlock. As far as the sculpted details are concerned, they're not as plentiful as the Dinobot is, but the paint apps I find are too faint to notice immediately. What I especially hate is the fact that the dome is unpainted, which is weird because you would think that the nipple eyes of the chest face would be left alone. Comparing him with the Spike that came with Buzzworthy Bumblebee shows how even if we ignore the size and functionality, the smaller guy ends up looking better thanks to the paint used on the shoulders, thighs, and shins for the teal green as well as the silver for the dome. I know Hasbro's afraid to give us a transforming Exosuit, but it looks worse than Wheelie did, who looked perfectly fine even if he was a pre-posed, nontransforming figure. Like Wheelie, he can at least ride on his back as shown in the movie. There are two pegs near the frill that the inner sides of the legs slide into.

For a size comparison, here he is next to fellow Studio Series 86 Leader Class Dinobot, Grimlock! I like the scale between the two as well as the synergy they share in terms of sculpt work and paint apps; they're equal overall and one doesn't contrast the other in an unusual fashion. Grimlock does look better than his teammate due to the fact that the only cheap gray he has to contend with coming from the arms compared to the horns and frill of Slag, but they look so great together that they make me want to wait for the other Dinobots. Hopefully, Swoop doesn't have cheap gray wings.

Transformation for Slag is very similar to how Grimlock transforms: front legs become the arms, the back becomes the lower legs, and the beast kibble goes on the back. To his credit, I like that he has a method of hiding the hind legs in the back of the robot legs, and the tail thankfully stays in place and doesn't get in the way of the waist swivel. I also like how the torso expands in width and makes him beefier. Annoyingly, the robot wings do come off compared to Grimlock since they lack pins. As for the robot mode, it's once again very accurate to the G1 cartoon yet manages to look professionally made by having a rich amount of sculpted details on the figure. The red is thankfully a nice, deep shade that not only looks better than the reddish-orange used for Grimlock's underwear-looking waist but also doesn't wash away his sculpted details. It goes well with the dark gray and I feel the light gray looks pretty fine for the thighs. The arms may look either too short or too far apart from the torso, but given the nature of the design and the modern Leader budget, it manages it fine enough. I have to admit that they'd look better when they're posed. And while the backpack may seem clunky, it more than makes up for it with a solid curve that goes from the tip of the Triceratops head to the tail.

Head sculpt is very accurate, as it's a solid red face with blue eyes breaking it up...I'm not a fan of that, as I'd prefer if he either had a toy-accurate head or at least have the face painted silver. At the very least, the few sculpted details are not washed out and I can at least see the mouth from a distance. His articulation is equal to Grimlock's, with a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that ratchet front and back and hinge in and out (the right shoulder is less wibbly yet sounds softer than the left shoulder, which has the opposite differences), biceps that swivel, elbows that bend at two points, and wrists that swivel. The waist swivels, the hips move front and back, in and out, thighs swivel, knees bend at two points (the upper part of the joints are stiffer than the lower joints, and the ankles pivot. He also has his gun, his sole weapon of choice, but at least it looks different from Grimlock's in terms of sculpt and deco.

Daniel can still perch on his shoulder as does Grimlock, though it's more him chilling out than doing anything useful like Wheelie does with his slingshot. I have a feeling every Dinobot in Studio Series 86 will come with a pre-posed figure (maybe Swoop won't because of his shorter size).

For a size comparison, here he is with Studio Series 86 Grimlock; Slag may seem taller with the dino head hood, but he's slightly shorter than Grimlock is, which is perfectly fine with me. And honestly, I'm happy with how both turned out; they each have some minor cons, such as Grimlock's red-orange waist, Slag's light gray frill, and both of them lacking swords, but these two are the best official Dinobots we've gotten. I'm looking forward to getting the other Dinobots in the line, especially since we're more likely to get them in the line than we are with the Masterpieces. I highly recommend getting Slag as well as Grimlock, but may the toy distribution gods have mercy on your soul if you find them in stores or online.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series 86 Wreck Gar review

Wreck-Gar's one of those characters that you may be pretty hopeful shows up in some capacity during the WFC line, between the G1 characters getting constant redos, the improved engineering, and the accessibility being much better than previous lines had to offer. However, Studio Series 86 was one of those lines that people expected the Junkion to show up in because it was about the 86 movie and it meant we wouldn't have to deal with him having a compromised character in the shitty WFC Netflix series! I greatly appreciate it, but does that mean the toy itself is any good? Well, while I did like the Studio Series 86 figures despite some irritating aspects of the line being invaded by G1 characters, I don't like the way they made the details softer and the engineering less on-par with the WFC Trilogy toys. Either way, review time.

Here is Wreck-Gar in his motorcycle mode. As always, it's a replica of the way it appeared in G1, from the colors to the proportions and the design overall. While we've had pretty sweet modern motorcycles for the past few years, Hasbro gave Wreck-Gar a motorbike that feels like the one you'd ride for a simpler form of transportation while accepting the clunky design. It's quite the mess of robot parts with motorcycle elements here and there to make it passable, but given how Junkion was not a planet that was as refined as Cybertron, this works surprisingly well. Obviously, because of the way G1 Wreck-Gar works, but I legitimately think that the motorbike mode doesn't feel too shabby if you ask me. That being said, rolling this guy is not easy; one wheel spins more freely than the other, and the other is much stiffer. Also, they have the studs on the tires for cartoon-accuracy, but it does mean having to contend with paint-chipping if you try to roll it somehow. Also, there is a kick-stand from the shins, and I do like that the flame deco is carried over for the toy.

The weapon can be placed on the back, and it weirdly reminds me of how Armada Jolt pegged onto Hot Shot from the back. For a size comparison, he is clearly bigger than the Power of the Primes version of the guy (and probably the Reveal the Shield version, too?). Also has the benefit of being a brand new mold instead of a repaint with a new head.

While other Wreck-Gars or Deluxe figures can ride this guy, let's be a little more creative, eh? Here we have the first Studio Series Optimus Prime riding on the Junkion leader, and another photo stars Jar Jar Binks! While Transformers scale varies from figure to figure, I'd say that Jar Jar suits it because of his size and how he scales with the toy.

Transformation is pretty standard for this guy, as you mostly shift the robot parts around from what is basically a "biking" that looks like a TV set. Honestly, the transformation is neat but it's not interesting or well-defined. It's mainly about the few neat tricks and been-there-done-that schemes that make a Wreck-Gar a Wreck-Gar. One note is that because of the way the figure transforms, partsforming is necessary for the forearms and wheels to go to more straightforward accuracy without adding an extra amount of engineering, It's just a basic transfer of parts that, while understandable in terms of show accuracy, does look unbalanced. The robot mode carries the toon-aesthetic quite well, though I think even THEY feel a little underwhelming; the sculpted details are nice to have, it's just that they feel softer than usual. They're on-par with Jazz, Blurr, and Hot Rod with how they don't represent themselves as well. At least the color layout is good, and fits the character.

Head sculpt is very accurate to the movie and show, with a blocky design that makes it look like his head turns into the front of the motorcycle, but it is thankfully a faux part. No way do I want actual front to become an oversized head. As for his articulation, ball-joint, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out (though hindered somewhat because of the cheetah parts behind them. Biceps swivel, elbows bend, and wrists bend. Waist swivels, hips move front and back, in and out, thighs swivel, knees bend, and the ankles pivot.

As far as reuses are concerned, this is Junkyard, aka Junkheap, having been mostly retooled on the upper body in addition to having new shield accessories to differentiate the vehicle mode a bit further. It's not the same level of T30 Sandstorm from Springer or Studio Series Helicopter Drift from Helicopter Dropkick, but the colors and the retooling used makes the figure feel distinct.

After a year-long gap without a reuse, we would later start 2024 with Scrapheap, who has his own retooled pieces further distinct from Junkyard. He comes with a gun that might be compatible with Wreck-Gar if you want.

For a size comparison with a previous version of himself, here is the POTP version on his right. There is quite a size difference between the two, but more importantly, the Studio Series version has a body-type that fits the character much better than what the POTP does. Even the proportions look better, from the arms feeling better integrated within the body! And of course, the head's bigger on the Studio Series figure while we get the nipple blasters on the chest. Oh, and the spikes!

For an 86 size comparison, here he is with Siege's Springer, Earthrise's Arcee, Kingdom's Rodimus and Magnus, and fellow SS86 toys Blurr and Kup. All of em go well together pretty smoothly (at least better than the pre-Prime Wars toys). Classics and 2010-2014 Generations had varying aesthetics while Prime Wars had some bots either be normal (CW Magnus, Headmasters (pretty much the cars), or a combiner limb (POTP); these guys feel more consistent, even if some have better looks than the others. I still think Rodimus looks too damn gorgeous compared to the rest, including Wreck-Gar. Still, the Junkion's a nice figure in spite of the somewhat soft details, and it is neat to have a solid version of him that's neither boring like POTP or fragile like Reveal the Shield (I prefer that design though). If you want this guy, good luck because poor distribution plus scalpers equals hell.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Jolt review

Much like a lot of background characters in Star Wars, Jolt is kind of an intriguing addition to the franchise thanks to his unique design as well as his small yet significant role in Revenge of the Fallen as the guy who transplanted Jetfire's parts to Optimus in order to go against The Fallen. The guy barely did anything else apart from that in the movie yet he has a bit of a following even to this day. Hell, Capcomkai is best known for his PFP themed after Jolt, and everyone wants to see a clear look at his CGI model! Even if Jolt became less and less prominent in the merchandise (his last figure being a repaint of the DOTM Deluxe), and it's great to have this guy as small yet significant addition to the small number of Movieverse guys in Studio Series!

As far as the backdrop is concerned, IT'S NOT A SCENE JOLT'S IN! Yes, he was never in Dark of the Moon and was only shown in Revenge of the Fallen! I've seen both movies countless times and Jolt definitely never appeared in DOTM. The Operation Firestorm backdrop would make sense, and I know many don't care about these backdrops, but at least make them make sense for the character they're in! 

That aside, here is Jolt in his vehicle mode, which is a fairly nice replica of the Chevy Volt he has in the movie. While the shade of blue is lighter than it actually is in the real model, and the paint apps do look a little simpler here than they are on most other vehicles, the general accuracy to the Volt is present all around, even if it's more close to how the Lamborghini altmode of Earthrise Sunstreaker and Kingdom Sideswipe are. I say that because this vehicle mode doesn't quite have that exact licensed vehicle feel to it, even with the additional Chevy logo. Maybe it's the sculpted details not conveying the weal world vehicle feel? Maybe it's the more plastic car mode that doesn't convey that it looks like the real vehicle? Like the gray instead of black doesn't bother me, and the silver is a nice addition, but I just wish it had a little more of that certain something that made Bumblebee, Lockdown, Soundwave, and Dropkick feel nice and complete, hell, Dropkick's shade of blue would make this figure look nice, and I think the Chevy bowtie should be gold, right? Again, I don't hate this vehicle mode, as it is a nice Volt, but it needs to be a little more special than it currently is.

The paint apps are what keep the vehicle from feeling drab, as the taillights, headlights, side mirrors, rims, and the black or dark gray used for the windows go well in making the vehicle mode look complete, and I especially like the fact that the tires, even if there's a blue ring on the front that comes from where they snap onto. Like I said, not a bad car mode, but I just wish it felt a little less soft on the panel lines as well as the shade of blue.

He does have weapon storage that isn't the best in the world, but it is serviceable given how these whips work.

For a size comparison, here he is with Studio Series Bumblebee from the same wave he and Gnaw were in (as well as being one of four Buzzworthy Bumblebee releases in early 2021) as well as Dino from the middle of the year. Okay, I think we can see how Jolt kind of pales in vehicle mode compared to Bumblebee and Dino; Bumblebee especially wins because even though the ROTF version has stripes that are not that different from the MV1 version and a less details front, the figure's shade of yellow as well as the glossy black paint and plastic make the toy feel less cheap than he otherwise would be. I think if the front lined up a little better and there were more paint apps to make it more accurate, then it'd be even better than it is, but Bumblebee looked like a refined vehicle overall. As for Dino, I know his vehicle mode isn't the most accurate of the three, but at least its plastic quality, paint apps, and sculpted details, were close to what a Movie toy should have as we see with Bumblebee. Jolt doesn't have any alignment issues for his front nor does it look inaccurate to the vehicle mode like with Dino, but he does feel like a hybrid between being a proper licensed vehicle in Studio Series and the likes of Kingdom Sideswipe and SS86 Jazz. Again, the vehicle mode doesn't suck because of that, but it does need that certain something.

The transformation is definitely on the Studio Series side of things, and while some may find it to be rather similar to the DOTM Deluxe transformation, I find that it at least manages to be more original on its own, combining elements of how the ROTF figure looked with elements of how the DOTM toy transformed, on top of having a less toyetic and more movie-inspired transformation scheme that one would imagine would be used if he ever did transform on-screen. The resulting robot mode is rather interesting as far as Jolt designs are concerned, with this having quite the amount of kibble as well as details that I find interesting as far as the way they're used is concerned. Jolt's robot mode is somewhat of a shellformer, which will turn some people off given how much changes on the back and hips. It's there, but I think it's manageable (apart from the backpack not clipping on). It's not as reasonable as the Siege Seeker mold wings, but it's much better than the way it was handled on the mediocre WWII Bumblebee figure.I like the scupted details, and the use of silver as wellas clear plastic on the thighs all make the figure feel more like a proper Movie bot than he otherwise would be without those details. If anything, I like how broken up the details are until you get to the feet. Maybe they're colored like that, but I reckon they should be at least given some silver to break them up. Also, much like with some G1 Skids reissues, Jolt's kind of wobbly because one wheel doesn't go all the way onto the slot as the other does, and it's hard to mitigate that without ankle pivots.

The head sculpt is the first that gives us the proper Jolt face details, and one that doesn't have that shrimp-like design he's known for (it also doesn't match how it looked on Capcomkai's PFP, but that's besides the point), but I will admit that apart from it being less distinct and more humanoid (like a cross between Evac and Lockdown), it does take some getting used to. Many would probably prefer the inaccurate head design, but this itself isn't too bad. It's kind of small, almost at the same size as Blitzwing's head. As for the articulation, he has a ball-jointed neck with some limited range (not as bad as the old Deluxe), shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, inward wrist curls, an ab-crunch, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, knee bends with a rather nice detail that's sculpted to make it more mechanical, swivels below the knees, and ankle hinges. The articulation is so close to being very good, and it is on-par with the WFC trilogy level of articulation, but I don't like that the thighs lack swivels that the fact that the ankle pivots are nonexistent. On some other figures, it's perfectly excusable given how they transform. Sime like Camaro Concept Bumblebee, Jazz, and Ratchet can pull it off because it was easier for them to implement it, others like Stinger, Lockdown, and AOE Drift can't because of how they transform. Jolt, along with Dino, Roadbuster, and Dropkick, should have ankle pivots given how easier it would be to implement them.

At least the figure has his whips, which look pretty accurate as well as at a decent length. Admittedly, I kind of think they're more of a mix between the whips and the blades he had in the ROTF toy, but that's from the fact that they're stiff overall. That being said, Jolt looks cool with them, and while I can see why some would want them to have a bendy wire and make them more flexible, I at least appreciate that they're detailed well enough and are not compromised severely. I will admit that replacing the thumb of the hand with them is weird and may lead to missing pieces, but at least Hasbro knew they can use the thumbs and store them on the hip skirt panels. It's a respectable compromise for weapon integration; not the best, but far from the worst.

For a size comparison, you can see how he's not too far off from the other Deluxes in the line, with a respectable height that may have an extra edge if his head was bigger. I also have to say that while the vehicle mode was not as good as the others in terms of presentation, the robot mode more than makes up for it, with the normal blue being broken up by the nice silver and gunmetal gray that makes him feel more like a proper Movie toy. Hell, the kibble, while not the best as far as looks are concerned, is at least better than Mirage's given how it fits the design and doesn't make him look as stumpy. Bumblebee's proportions are still the best, though.

And now it's time to do what everyone wanted to do ever since MV1 Optimus and Jetfire came out in the same wave: having him electrify and transplant those afterburners at the request of Ratchet near the end of the movie. I'll admit that it would be nicer if he had the Operation Firestorm backdrops to make the scene more complete, but hey, there are plenty to go around anyhow so I think it doesn't really matter if the box has the wrong one. And now I'm reminded that background character Jolt has a toy before on-screen main characters like The Fallen and Twins do! I hope The Fallen pops up in the 2022 line-up because ain't no way am I getting a barely different Earthrise Starscream instead of any Dinobot or a Bayverse Leader Class figure next year. As for the Twins, if Hasbro doesn't want to release them in order to appeal to the unappreciative TF fans and the people who make the current climate of commentary feel like 1984, let's hope a third party company makes them as good as the third party versions of Bumblebee, Hot Rod, etc.

I gotta say, it is nice to combine Optimus and Jetfire into a single unit after not doing so for so long, but I have to admit that it felt great to have a Jolt figure that not only complete the scene but also feels consistent with the line-up overall. I know I said that Jolt's vehicle mode was nearly good (mainly because the colors and details felt flat), and there were a few design traits I would change, but as it stands, I like how Jolt turned out overall. Not 100% perfect, and maybe it's from me wanting proper Studio Series figures instead of the 86 movie guys, but I'll happily take him over having no Jolt. I know people will say that the Movie Advanced one is the best, but his torso's blocky, the shoulders don't tab anywhere, and he's expensive as fuck!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

APC Toys Evil Voice (Transformers Prime Soundwave) review

If there is one thing I cannot forgive the Transformers community, it's the fact that they tend to make certain figures hard to obtain. I'm not talking about the Masterpiece line or the Japanese versions of Transformers given how smaller the quantity of those are. I'm referring to molds of the mainline that are somehow overpriced in the aftermarket. This is understandable for more expensive figures like Unicron or any limited releases of characters that showed up at the end of the line like the last DOTM Deluxes, but I don't like how scalpers get in the way of obtaining figures that should be easy to come by. It's nothing new in the recent lines, as Hasbro experienced a drought for the first movie as badly as with Earthrise and Kingdom, but even then, I feel more annoyed when I revisit a line from years ago and fill in the gaps little by little and struggle to get a figure of a character so prominent in the show. Soundwave was a toy that was expensive as balls on eBay, and it felt pretty annoying that I couldn't get my hands on a copy after having to deal with a poorly sharpied and now broken Beast Hunters copy. You know it's bad when I can get the reissue of three Takara Arms Micron molds in 2020 for a great price for each of them when the same can't be said for Soundwave himself. That being said, after hearing that APC Toys made recreations of First Edition Prime and Arcee as well as a new Megatron mold, I wanted to get their Soundwave just to see what it's like to have an unofficial recreation of an official mold (that is not in the same vein as the replica MP figures and maybe Movie Advanced Revenge Optimus). Now let's see how Evil Voice, AKA TFP Soundwave, has to offer.

Here is Soundwave in his vehicle mode, which is a military spy drone with no attack functionality so to speak. Kind of like how Reveal the Shield Perceptor works as a half-track research vehicle, this makes for a fitting alternate mode for a character like Soundwave. Much like Megatron and Shockwave, Soundwave was a roleplay-themed toy back in G1, only as a cassette player instead of a gun. While a tape deck is more likely to happen in Generations than a Walther P38 (not losing sleep over it), and you can always flip Siege Shockwave upside down, you have to admit that tape decks aren't always the best with disguising and what-not, and I think this works well for him. It's a little more alien in design than the actual Predator drone, but it makes sense to avoid licensing as well as give him a little more flair without making it overly flashy. While military vehicles may be seen as "dull", the sheen of the sand blue plastic and the subtle gray and metallic lavender help break up the colors of the mold in a natural way. Kibble management is solid considering how it's a sleek robot and there's not much mass to use for the vehicle mode anyhow. There is even landing gear, though it is not accurate to the actual vehicle.

If you think the wingspan of Soundwave is too short you can always flip out the arms to make them longer, but it won't hide the fingers that easily nor the 5mm ports. There is a port on the fuselage, but my copy doesn't hold Laserbeak as well.

Transformation is pretty creative as far as how they are able to make a robot out of a spy drone with little mass in its design. The wings become the arms, the front becomes the legs, and the torso is made up of the back. Of course, not everything can be spot on to how the CGI model looks, as there is some kibble around the legs as well as some vehicle molding not taken care of, but there is so much they can do I suppose. The robot mode is very show-accurate. In a line where figures between First Edition and Robots in Disguise had varying results of show-accuracy, and even some of the figures from that line didn't turn out as well (Knock Out, for example). Soundwave, on the other hand, turns out quite well overall. There's nothing that I feel is missing from the toy, and the same goes for this slightly upscaled version of the figure. The proportions are spot-on, and apart from the lower legs, everything is accurate to the slender man-esque design. The metallic lavender pops up more on the figure in this mode, and I should mention that the figure doesn't have any PVC materials, neither for the tailfins to the nose of the jet mode. I don't think the forearms were made of PVC either. Also, I realize that the back of the lower legs are mistransformed, as they should sit flush.

Head sculpt is accurate to the series, though it does have that drone-like look that could probably fit Soundwave. It's a visor screen with a Tarn-esque silhouette that takes the Decepticon-inspired head to a whole new level. And while there is no light piping or any alternate stickers that make a more accurate face, the paint apps do look lovely as always. The articulation for Soundwave is a little limited due to the design. Head is on a ball joint as well as a neck hinge, shoulders move front and back as well as they move in and out on an angled hinge. The forearms move around at the upper elbow's ball joint, swivel at the bicep, and bend at the lower elbow. There is a waist swivel, the hips move on ball joints with decent front to back range and very limited inward and outward range, there are thigh swivels, the knees bend for the digitigrade design, and there is no ankle pivot.

As far as the accessories are concerned, the chest armor comes off to become the mini drone Laserbeak, which can perch onto Soundwave's forearm and mimic the traditional pet-owner motif of the character. New to this guy are tentacles that can attach to the back, pose around on bendy wires, and further complete the accessories that make him feel more like TFP Soundwave. I think it's easy to say that he needed them more than Movie Soundwave did.

The tentacle claws come in the following pieces: a pair of wires, a pair of base claws, the inner claw halves, and the base used to connect them. They're easy to attach and require no glue thanks to the nice friction applied onto them!

Now to go over the official versions of Evil Voice, this is the Hasbro version of Soundwave from their Prime: Robots in Disguise line. I'll admit I kind of like the inaccurate yet more broken-up deco on him since there's more black to go around. Especially on the fingers and feet. Apart from the size, you may be happy enough with this guy since he's perfectly fine on his own.

And here we have the TakaraTomy Arms Micron version of the guy, who replaces most of his paint apps with stickers as well as add two Arms Micron ports on his shoulders that would probably look okay if they didn't ruin the slender nature of his design. He came with only one Arms Micron named Zori, who turned into his tentacle claw as well as a scorpion, which may be a secret homage to how Blackout was sort of like Soundwave given how Zori's like Scorponok (Barricade was another Soundwave homage in the first movie, and then there's Frenzy). Oh and the stickers suck on this version.

For the heavy retools of the same character, here is Beast Hunters Soundwave, who has new tooling to make himself look like a vast, predatory bird as part of the whole theme. He's not only given a new partner in the form of Ravage but he's also got a new weapon named the Grapple Talon Cannon. This version sucks so badly, as the colors suck, the quality control was bad and I tried to paint him to look better and it looks horrible. I refuse to show it and make you people vomit the same way that solid red and blue TLK Optimus did. 

And this is TakaraTomy Go! Hunter Soundwave figure, with a much nicer deco that feels more like Soundwave as well as better quality control than the ugly mess of the Hasbro version. Anyone remember the days when HasTak toys were distinct from one another?

And finally, this is the Stealth B.A.T, which is a drone from the Collector's Club. They're kind of like Halloween-styled repaints of Soundwave that may vaguely pass as Soundblaster, but the yellow tailfins feel like a Hot Rod thing. Oh and there is a 3 3/4 inch Old Snake figure

For a size comparison, here he is in-between the Arms Micron Megatron and the First Edition Starscream figures, both of which should scale nicely with this version of Soundwave. His official counterpart was shorter, so I know that he'll fill in the gap nicely, which reminds me to answer this question: should you get Evil Voice? Look, I know we're bound to have TFP updates if the Legacy listings are true for 2022, so it may be hard to either wait and see if Hasbro can make their new Soundwave (no, not the Omni Productions dub) better or worse. There's not much to improve, anyhow, and I'm sure that if you want, you can still get this guy since the TFP toys are otherwise perfectly fine for what they are. Not WFC or Studio Series levels of good, mind you, but he should help you with getting a Soundwave figure that is based on that figure and has some nice improvements to boot. He is a little pricey, but I did get mine on eBay for roughly around the same price that it cost to get the Movie Advanced Revenge Optimus. If you want this figure, get him, and honestly, I do want to try and get the APC Toys renditions of Optimus and especially Megatron. 

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐