So, this Cyber Battalion line is still going. I’m happy about that. While the toys themselves are basically up-scaled legends toys, meaning they lack the normal full articulation you’d expect in a Voyager-esque sized toy, The line up has been certainly diverse. Hasbro recently revealed both Shockwave and Sideswipe would join the line up and luckily for me, my local Walgreens is mostly on-point with getting new toys in.
Like the previous figures I’ve taken a look at here, Shockwave features the same bookshelf style packaging which is a great way to display these guys if you want to keep the boxes around. He transforms in 10 steps and turns into a cybertronian jet of sorts.
I really like this toy. While he’s on the more simplistic side, he’s big and burly and the two shades of purple and the metallic highlights really work well.
He has hollow parts, but that’s to be expected. Again, this guy isn’t going to replace a full on Voyager class toy, but he has a substantial presence about him.
I dig his alt-mode as well. It has enough of the G1 Laser gun style in there while giving new fans a solid new take on Shockwave. It even has a display stand peg hole, which is great.
Size comparisons can be tough. These guys aren’t exactly on the Generations typical scale, so while he’s close to a Voyager, he’s actually a bit taller than the current crop of Voyagers.
For Shockwave this can work, seems typically he’s a bigger character, though certainly not bigger than Grimlock. Still he should fit well with most CHUG collections. Plus scale isn’t a top concern of mine. For characters like Sideswipe and Prowl though, it just feels odd.
BOTTOM LINE
Would I recommend him? Yes. While we’ve gotten some recent Shockwave toys, we lack a solid G1-Styled Shockwave that’s not a Masterpiece toy. However, be ready for the haters to hate. He’s simplified, so that means he won’t have knee bend or elbow rotation. He has thigh swivel, which does wonders for posing and a great range of motion for his shoulders, hips and neck. Shockwave isn’t a super dymanic kung-fu fighter anyway, so for me it works well. He has TONS of molded detail, excellent paint apps and highlights and is a very fun toy.
Pax Cybertron 