BotCon 2012 Toy Reveal – Heroic Soundwave

The third toy revealed in the BotCon 2012 box set is the Heroic Decepticon Soundwave. Featuring a remolded head, this toy uses the 2008 Universe Ratchet/Ironhide mold in white, with blue and yellow/green highlights.  And it’s… well, let’s get the good stuff out of the way.

If you remember the minicomic “Desert Heat” that the Transformers Collectors’ Club released (see here and here if you don’t), then this should look awfully familiar. Soundwave was reformatted into this mode from his old Device Label MP3 player mode.

This toy accurately reflects the art, down to the Cold Slither logo on the side.  Sure, the side panel is a mess of seams that prevents a larger logo, but nothing can be done about that.  While we’ve been told that Shattered Glass Cold Slither is a Lynard Skynard type band, I want to think of them as singing songs in the style of Pat Boone covering Black Sabbath.  Crazy, but that’s how it goes.

Kudos for them on picking a color of blue paint that matches the translucent plastic blue.  Ratchet and Ironhide had problems with this, so it’s nice to see a better deco here.

Oy.  Here’s where we got problems.  Okay, yes, thanks for the remold to make Soundwave able to look up in ways that Ratchet and Ironhide couldn’t… but what in the Wild World of Sports happened to that face?  Something did not make it in translation from designer sketches to actual production.  I refuse to believe that this longer face was meant to happen.

My initial reaction was “Holy crap, that’s bad!”  I’ve softened a bit since the initial reaction, but it’s still not a good head.  Soundwave’s faces usually have better proportions than this, so it’s heartbreaking to see this one be so disproportionate.

Added to this is the bad news that the toy does not come with a bandanna.  It could not be molded as part of the toy.  However, in a bright spot, a bandanna accessory will be for sale at the con — technically, you buy a print and get the accessory — but  it’s a shame that fans will have to jump through extra hoops for this.  If it were up to me, I’d just include the accessory in the registration packet; they can match up names to times to see who gets the first-day pins, so this seems like it would be something along the same lines, albeit a greater number.  However, there’s probably some other reason that the convention organizers are going the route of selling the print and free accessory in the club store.  It’s mildly annoying, but what can you do?  Hope the non-attendees can get their hands on the bandanna easily.

I really wanted to love Soundwave, I really did.  But the head is just really off-putting.  I can’t even enjoy the Cold Slither reference as much because I know that long face is lurking.  Perhaps the accessory will liven up the figure; it could stand to use a bit more color.

We’ve got three reveals left for the box set, and since we know what mold Ultra Magnus will use (based on the preview art, it would be surprising if it wasn’t Generations Laser Optimus Prime), the suspense lays with Treadshot and Metalhawk.  I’m really eager to see Metalhawk, and I’m hoping for a home run hit with him.