'You Know His Line' - Legacy: United G1 Universe Soundwave, G1 Universe Decepticon Rumble, G1 Universe Ravage, and G1 Universe Buzzsaw (w/ SS86 Decepticon Frenzy (Red))
Phew, long title. Might be the longest title yet, least til I look over the multipacks I have. So let's not bury the lead anymore for this, eh? We got a good few figures to look at, so let's dive into Legacy: United G1 Universe Soundwave, G1 Universe Decepticon Rumble, G1 Universe Ravage, and G1 Universe Buzzsaw! And because it wouldn't be complete without him, I also have Studio Series 86 Decepticon Frenzy (Red)!
Now, let's start with the main event: Soundwave. A pretty good iteration of him, I'd say! This version is specifically a redeco of his War for Cybertron Trilogy figure (which itself is an extensive retool of his War for Cybertron: Siege figure), colored to more accurately befit his original G1 appearance. The shade of dark blue they used for his main body is really nice, and the gold accents are a great touch. Beautiful head sculpt too, and the cartoon accurate red visor is all the more striking. As per most Soundwave figures, he of course comes with a handheld blaster, and a shoulder mounted concussion blaster. He also comes with a third weapon not pictured here, if only because it's not G1 accurate. Plus, it's a weird weapon, and doesn't feel too fitting for Soundwave. But as is, the figure is a perfect representation of the Decepticon communications officer.
Before I go over the transformation, let me examine his other "accessories". As the title clearly denotes, this Soundwave comes with three smaller transformers: micromasters Ravage and Buzzsaw, and the core class figure "Rumble". Let's start with the animals, yeh?
Like his master, Ravage here is a redeco of his War for Cybertron Trilogy figure, now with an original toy accurate all black paint job. A little too bulky for what I'd consider a definitive Ravage figure, but to make something that both looks like the cartoon model and turns into a cassette tape, I can get that being challenging. Buzzsaw, on the other hand, looks great, given he's a much simpler transformation and figure overall. He's also a redeco, this time of War for Cybertron Trilogy Laserbeak, who also came in the same package as Soundwave and Ravage. Irregardless, the gold looks great, and its fun to perch this guy on my other figures.
Now for these two chuckleheads. Alright, if you're following a transformers blog, you probably know the whole deal with Rumble and Frenzy, how one animation error caused a stir over which character was which color. I'll simply leave it that Rumble is the red one and Frenzy is the blue one, despite what the boxes or the title of this post say. Okay? Okay.
The figures themselves are pretty great. Small, but still well proportioned. There's the back blasters you can plug onto their wrists, and of course a set of pile drivers for the two of em. Frenzy here is accurate to his original toy colors, while Rumble, being from SS86, hems closer to his cartoon look, which I actually prefer. Cartoon Frenzy is just a lil too brightly colored for me, and the darker tone of his original toy feels more fitting. Naturally, these two pair very well together, so it was definitely worth picking up both (even if New York prices meant I paid double for Rumble, hmph).
Now for the transformations! Soundwave, as expected, becomes a tape deck, and a solid one at that!...least from the front on. Usually I'm not one to invoke the Jobby rule of back design, but the back half does leave a bit to be desired. It just feels empty, even if you plug in both blasters to the back to help it balance (and they don't even do that good a job). Not to mention, likely due to mold degradation, the tabs there next to the buttons don't tab in properly, so it doesn't snap together as well as it should. A small gripe, but irritating nonetheless.
Then of course, you have the four cassettes here, and they all look pretty good. Ravage looks best, I'd say, with Rumble and Frenzy coming in as a close second. Buzzsaw isn't bad, but is just the least good looking in my opinion. And there is the feature of being able to insert the cassettes into Soundwave's chest, which does work...but for the most part, they get a lil stick sometimes. Buzzsaw is the only one who comes in and out easily enough, so whether this is another case of mold degradation or not, I dunno. Still, I don't use this feature too much, so not the worst.
This is a figure I really wanna like...and I do! A perfect robot mode, and aside from a weak backside, a very good cassette player mode. Plus the inclusion of three mini-cassettes is a major boon. Granted, I can't help but think about that upcoming SS86 Soundwave that's gonna be an all new mold, one made intentionally to turn into a cassette player from the very start. Time will tell if it will (very likely) beat out this one, but for now...I'd say this is a very good Soundwave.
Legacy: United G1 Universe Soundwave: 3.5/5
Legacy: United G1 Universe Ravage/Buzzsaw/Decepticon Rumble: 4/5
Studio Series 86 Decepticon Frenzy (Red): 4/5