This is shaping up to be a big year for Shockwave. If we’re counting third-party figures, then this Beast Hunters figure is the third version of Shockwave released in a year’s time. Additionally, a major reveal in his origin was explored in More than Meets the Eye, and it sounds like there’s a lot more on tap for Shockwave coming up in the IDW comics via a story they’re calling “Purple Reign.” On top of all that, Shockwave has assumed a very prominent role in the current Transformers Prime season as a Decepticon scientist and “father” to the Predacons. We’re only a few episodes in, but so far it’s feeling like Shockwave’s role on the show is only going to get bigger as we go. And let’s not forget his role in the last Bay movie (or maybe we should?).
So what’s with all the Shockwave love all the sudden? The character hasn’t seen this kind of attention since the G1 toy was released and he was the de facto Decepticon commander in the Marvel series, making even the mighty Megatron his bitch. Whatever the reason is, I am all for it. Shockwave has always been one of my favorite characters, so I’m happy for any story featuring him and I’m happy to add (almost) any new Shockwave figure to my shelves, which is why I was stoked to find this new Beast Hunters figure smiling at me (as only Shockwave can) from the shelves of my local mass-market, mega shopping center.
The timing of this figure’s release couldn’t have been more perfect; the Beast Hunters season has just gotten going with Shockwave in a major role, so Transformers Prime collectors are no doubt fiending for the chance to add this guy to their collections. His packaging is a standard Beast Hunters voyager window box with a small cut-out window that allows you to test out his action feature. The packaging is a bit too restrictive for this to work very well, but it’s enough to provide a small taste. Other than that, nothing particularly remarkable here. All the Beast Hunters packaging is rather homogenous, so make sure you’re looking carefully as you scan the shelves. I almost missed him, myself.
His stats reveal what most Transformers fans already know about Shockwave: he is one Decepticon that you don’t want to mess with. He scores high in all the key areas that make him a true threat: intelligence, fireblast, and skill, while also earning very respectable scores in strength and courage. The only area where his score is sub-par is speed, but since he transforms into a tank, that’s to be expected. Overall, though, this is one formidable Decepticon.
This Shockwave is a nice, beefy voyager-class figure with a strong resemblance to the character on the show. In fact, barring a few tweaks here and there, I don’t think you could really ask for a more faithful rendering of the character in plastic form. He looks damn near perfect when displayed with other Transformers Prime Decepticon figures.
Admittedly, this is a very stylized departure from the original G1 character, but so is everything in the Transformers Prime universe, so he actually fits right in. Even though there have been changes (some major) to his design, he is still immediately recognizable as Shockwave. The lone, glowing eye; the arm cannon; and the chest plate all just scream “Shockwave.” While the G1 figure had a weapon for his left hand, this guy’s whole left arm is his cannon — his “Hyperflux Cannon” — and it is one powerful-looking piece of artillery. This is also where his action feature is housed.
With other Transformers Prime voyagers, the action feature was tied to a weapon that could be removed and wasn’t essential to the character, really. The weapons were often huge and awkward, and they seldom stayed with the figure once the figure was added to the permanent display. In Shockwave’s case, however, the weapon with the action feature cannot be removed, but, thankfully, it is not nearly as obtrusive and awful as those others. Even the lever that activates the action feature isn’t all that distracting or obnoxious. The lever/button on the cannon’s side is pressed and the cannon then spins and splits in two, revealing the fireblast’s source. It’s not bad as far as action features go. I mean, I’d probably prefer just a simple missile that fired or something, but this is cool too.
Now, because this is a “Beast Hunters” figure, there has to be some weird armor included. We haven’t seen this stuff on the show yet, so it’s still looking weird and random without the necessary context. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to be displayed with it in place. It’s made of a soft, rubbery plastic, much like Smokescreen’s armor. And, honestly, it doesn’t look too bad, but some context for it can’t come soon enough. It’s staying off to the side for now.
From behind, Shockwave looks solid. There are “hollow” areas, but they’re cleverly masked and not obnoxious the way they are with, say, Generations Grimlock. His backpack does a good job of filling out his torso, but it also interferes with the light-piping feature in his head, so it’s not perfect, but it’s close. There are also these two antenna wing-like things that can be extended from his back, but they don’t really look very good, so I keep them down in a neutral position. The directions don’t address them at all, but I know he has them extended on the show, so they’re another display option if you’re so inclined.
I should also point out that his head is only capable of a side-to-side motion; he can’t look up or down.
One of his tank treads from his backpack becomes a sort of “ammo belt” for his cannon. It’s made of a softer, more flexible plastic, but it’s not really soft enough. It’s stiff enough to interfere with his arm’s range of motion, and it makes it difficult for his cannon arm to maintain a pose. The ammo belt is often either pushing or pulling the arm, depending on what you’re trying to do with it. I prefer to leave it off because I do find it to be irritating, but your mileage may vary. It looks cool, though, so I do like it, but I do wish it were made of a slightly softer plastic that was easier to work with.
He is definitely a great-looking ‘bot, but one other area that isn’t ideal is the ratcheting in his hips. The ratchet points are rather far apart, which makes him a bit awkward to pose. As a result, his legs are either forced too close together or too far apart, so it’s difficult to get him in convincing, “natural” stances. I’ve done the best I can with him for the pics here, but it definitely isn’t ideal.
There are precious few paint apps on this guy and he’s mostly just plastic molded in the appropriate colors. That’s consistent with the G1 figure, though, since that figure and few (none?) paint apps as well. Most of the paint is located on his feet and his cannon, with just a few smaller accents on his shoulders. His piece of removable chest armor is also sporting a bit of paint, but that’s really it. Thankfully, this isn’t a character that really needs a lot of paint, so it works.
His alt mode is a… tank. So they tell me. It looks like it’s supposed to be some kind of Cybertronian h-tank, and I guess it does kind of look like that. It’s ugly as sin, though. Shockwave appears to be suffering the same fate as Megatron these days — no one can seem to decide on, nor come up with, a decent alt mode for the poor guy. His Generations figure didn’t fare much better being some kind of space-sled thing. Due to licensing difficulties, Hasbro has been shying away from the giant flying space gun the G1 figure transformed into, so they seemingly keep coming up with other, more random, alternatives. I can appreciate the effort, but this thing is a bit of a mess.
… and from the side it looks even worse. Yuck. It just looks like a robot on his hands and knees with a gun on his back. That’s not what he is, but that’s what he looks like.
His removable armor actually helps his alt mode a little bit by almost making it look like a dragon. So now it looks like a robotic purple and red dragon with a giant cannon on its back. I think it’s safe to say ol’ Shockwave here will be staying in ‘bot mode forever.
If you’re looking for a Shockwave figure to display in ‘bot mode, then this guy is probably the best one we’ve seen from Hasbro since the G1 days. It also goes without saying that he’s a must for Transformers Prime fans. His alt mode may fall short, but his ‘bot mode certainly makes up for it. I know many collectors will be picking him up to use in their CHUG displays since the Genertions figure seems to be a bit on the small side, but he’s too stylized for that to work for me. Fans Toys’ unlicensed Quakewave figure is a fantastic update of the G1 figure in the Masterpiece scale, and they’ve got a voyage-class version coming in the near future, so if you really want a good Classics Shockwave and have the cash to burn, I’d suggest waiting for that one. For a Transformers Prime collection, however, this Shockwave is a must have.
He’s hitting the major retailers now, but if you’d prefer to not hunt, you can always place an order with Amazon or Big Bad Toy Store.