Part of the problem is the amount of stuff Soundwave did.

Satellite is great for his hands-off action, directing his cassetticons and the like. But he also did a great deal of hands-on spying, which is why the Mercedes worked. Plus, satellite struck me as hilarious since this Soundwave explicitly did attack with Soundwaves... but he's in space. I kinda love the irony there.

I think something like a U2 spy plane would be best. Quiet, stealthy, both sort of hands-on since it's made to infiltrate, but hands-off since it's made to fly ridiculously high.

... but then there's no justification for his cassetticons.

Like I said, it's a tough thing.

 

When did he use soundwaves in space? He used soundwaves in Chicago, and hacked a satellite in space...

 

heh, this. i also wouldn't mind some kind of car with undercarriage lighting to give him some nice lights in robot mode.

 

A Microwave - Instead of Cassettes he can unleash Microwave Ready meals that Transform.

 

I gotta go with the UAV

 

omg! I can totally see soundwave as a toaster! Hahahaha! "eject" operation: Breakfast time!

 

I think "MICROWAVE" should be soundwave's Nephew

 

really i have to say, soundwave is megatrons ears within all the facets of the decepticons. its his job to weed out any who would dare to oppose his lord. his title of communications officer is just a cover for that. so his alt mode could be anything that require the job to get done. whether is be a van, a drone plane, or even a lamppost, soundwave must be able to know all the gones on in megatrons kingdom.

so in a way he's a lurker and a gossip.

 

What about a butterfly?

"Nobody ever suspects the butterfly."
-Bart Simpson

Hey, it's better than being a fly. Everyone swats at those. Maybe he can be something like the Insection in ROTF, except stealthier.

 

This and the Predator Drone are Soundwave bests alt modes to me.

 

A mobile satellite van.

 

Something like THIS! He could be in G1 Blue and would have communication devices like a tower and a dish that would transform into Laserbeak and Ravage. They could also transform into firearms for him while he's in bot mode. Had Rumble and Frenzy as piledriver stands for his vehicle.

 

A news van makes sense, though I really like the toaster idea. Maybe we can go back to his original form, the lamppost with something like a mailbox? Nothing suspicious about a mailbox in the desert mountains   Or how about a vending machine, with cassettes being replaced with fake candy bars? I cam picture him saying "Operation: Dispense mayhem" or "Dispense justice".

It's funny how Soundwave and the cassettes might have been the fastest G1 TFs to obsolesce. Though Sludge never actually existed and Slag is just a juvenile delinquent.

 

Hmph, does it really matter outside of toy sales now anyway? Don't they all have the option to keep scaninng and changing their alt modes at will? Ever since the movies and Prime, I got the sense this was the new quo?

 

I like the idea of Soundwave taking up modes specifically for his mission, like I assume he did in DOTM. Each season we could get toys with multiple modes from the show. Although they'd probably all be crap.

 

I don't see that detachment from G1 that is Prime Soundwave. I mean we still have an incredibly cold, and extremely bad-ass Soundwave who watches the drama unfold, exploiting every weakness of the disfunctional arrangement that is the Prime Decepticons to his own advantage.

Soundwave still appears to be "Wormtongue-ing" Megatron, just like he did in G1. Is still the only Decepticon to never be admonished by Megtron, is still used by Megatron as a example of what every other Decepticon should be.

Plus he even still looks like Soundwave of G1, if anything, he's even more awesome now than he was before. A Predator drone is an excellent choice for an alt-mode as Predator drones are R/C'ed by the AEGIS system, so with this alt-mode he probably has a direct interface with the entire military radio/computer system.

 

iPod dock with Laserbeak as an iPod.

Hell... Just give him a Chameleon Circuit...

 

A google street view car  

Seriously though I would like to see him turn into some kind satellite van.

 

Ever seen that Radicons Future Soundwave mode when he was some kind of Sattelite Van? Definitely that, that is what Soundwave needs.