FOC Deluxe Shockwave

Found this guy on the shelf recently, after a long run of FOC Prime and Jazz (neither of which I'm getting).

He's OK. Honestly, he's grown on me the longer I've had him. He reminds me a LOT of WFC Megatron, in that they're both toys with incredibly lazy transformations into flying brick gun-things. However, Shockwave has the advantage of actually integrating the gun into the alt mode (unlike Megs, where it just SAT on top of an obviously inverted chest plate), and having an alt mode that looks like an anti-gravity racer from Wipeout. (Seriously -- try photoshopping his alt mode onto one of the game covers. Perfect fit.) I like that the gun has two modes, is holdable AND gun-arm mountable on BOTH arms, and has storage options in bot mode.

One note: having the front of the alt-mode gun be foot kibble is not an accident, or even really a bad thing. They're clearly meant to double as weight-supporting heel spurs, to compensate for the extra back weight from the flipping chest mechanism. It's a cheap way to do it, but cheap is kind of the theme with this line, so ...

I can't say he's a must-buy, but he's not a terrible figure.

-XCN-

I greatly enjoy my Shockwave, great figure. My only problem is the big end of his gunarm keeps popping off, anyone else had that problem?

Finally got Shockwave. I quite enjoy him, though he's not stand-out amazing. Love his design, light piping, and transformation and had fun playing as him in WfC DS, but the figure itself is just satisfactory.
The lack of waist swivel bothers me more than lack of paint, size, or price. There's no transformation quirks preventing one, so I don't see why it wasn't included.

His wings make me think of air quotes.

Kreon Art Thread -- Transformers Scale Project -- Kreon Parts Database

It's probably been mentionned already, but yesterday I found out I could store the barrel on the lower back when I want to use the exposed triple cannon configuration in robot mode. Pretty badass.

EDIT: Picture here.

I'm afraid if I pull the tip off it won't want to stay on any more.

That looks beautifully executed!

I knew mine was missing something. I'll have to do same.

Originally Posted by NoLessThanAGod Sexy like a brown man? Are you implying I'm not sexy, or just not sexy in the same way that Tracks is?

Originally Posted by aledromo I'm pretty brown, and he's got me blown away.

Took a bit of a diffrent angle fanmode-ing my shockers and thaught id share

For more pics, click on the image above

Robot Mode: There are certain design elements that every new incarnation of the classics G1 Shockwave character needs. First and foremost, a head with a single cyclopean eye and antenna, check. Big chest window, check. Huge gun on one arm, check. Coloring mostly purple, check. So you get the message, Generations Shockwave has lots and lots of resemblance to his G1 predecessor.

Next, my one big beef with this figure, which is more of subjective thing, really. To me, Shockwave has to be a big, menacing guy. Not brutish, but huge and muscular-looking. Think Wrestlings' Undertaker. That's Shockwave to me. Generations Shockwave, though, is on the small side for a Deluxe-class figure and looks very skinny from the chest down. Again, this is mostly a subjective thing, but I would have preferred more mass no him.

Apart from that, though, I can find very little wrong with this figure. His detailing is very nice, the articulation is standard for a modern-day figure (meaning: quite good) and Shockwave's big cannon can be put on either arm and even offers two different modes. You can pull off the big grey barrel, reveal three smaller black barrels beneath. Except for the wings on his back Shockwave has no alternate mode kibble getting in the way, either, so thumbs up for that as well.

So bottom line: apart from the skinniness, I can find no fault with Shockwave's robot mode. Very nice.

Alternate Mode: It's hard to find a decent alternate mode for Shockwave. Much like Megatron, his classics alternate mode as a huge handgun is as iconic as is it nonsensical, so no matter what he transforms into, you can bet some fans won't like it. Apart from a gun Shockwave has been a car, a flying weapons platform / satellite thing, and a tank. Now in Generations he becomes a ... winged something. According to the back of his package it's a "Mobile Artillery Mode", so basically it's a big, flying gun. Which might actually be the closest to Shockwave's original alternate mode as you're gonna get these days.

I can't really say much about this mode that you can't see much better in the pictures. The mode fits together well, there are no visible robot parts, and it has a nice alien / science fiction feeling to it. So bottom line, while not a particularly spectacular alternate mode, it is fully sufficient for Shockwave's needs.

Remarks: Shockwave is one of the most popular and enduring bad guys of Transformers history, so it's not surprising to see him appear both in the world of the War for Cybertron / Fall of Cybertron video game, as well as the current Prime TV series. While Hasbro has no current plans to release Shockwave in the Prime toy line-up, Takara has already announced that they'll be releasing a repaint of this figure here in their Prime line. Besides, WfC / FoC is supposed to be set in the same universe as Prime, so they are basically the same guy anyway. Maybe.

It's nice to see a Shockwave figure again and apart from the fact that I think him too small and too skinny, there is nothing really wrong with it. I would have preferred him as a Voyager, but that might just be me. Anyway, if you're a Shockwave fan, you won't regret buying this one.

Rating: B

Nice review. Totally agree he should have been (or may someday be) a Voyager.

I got him on December 24th, so he was my christmas present to myself
I have to say, I did not yet bother to transform him, because there was not much time. But I enjoy this little figure. He is slim, but I think he looks alright beside WFC Megatron and my seekers, he is a bit taller than the seekers and not sooo much smaller than Megs. I prefer his weapon arm without the laser cannon thingy tip. I think he looks good as a scientist. So the seekers looking a bit "beefier" is ok, since they are the air warriors.