-Submitted by: mag jr. I have to admit it: I'm not a big fan of repaints (although I can tolerate them). I think I'd actually like them better if each version of a toy was available at the same time--crazy for the company, from a marketing standpoint, but it would allow dingbats like me to pick and choose that much easier.
Every now and then, though, a toy comes around that gets a good deco job no matter which version you pick out. I really like Meister (in fact, he's my favorite Alternator), but Shockblast ain't half bad either.
Vehicle Mode
Shockblast (or Shockwave, if you prefer) is also based off of the Mazda RX-8, although this version is one tweaked by Mazdaspeed; he's (presumably) race-ready. The most notable changes are a new grille and front bumper, flat black wheels (which look really cool), new tires, and (of course!) a license plate that says "SHKWAV." Cool beans.
I was irritated by pictures showing Shocky to be a boring lighter blue color, so imagine my joy when he turns out to be a very dark blue bordering on purple; it helps him "feel" like Shockwave, not some blue car with Shockwave's head stuck onto it.
Another nice change from recent Alt releases is a detailed interior, with the console and front seats highlighted in silver. It annoys me when the designers go to the trouble to do accurate interior sculpts and Hasbro just molds it in black and forgets about it.
Unfortunately, my Shocky's finish is really, really crappy. This is actually the fourth Alt in a row that I've bought that's turned out to be scuffed, scratched, and otherwise damaged (I think the last "clean" toy I got was Swindle). I hate to complain, because the people who make these things probably have to live on a dollar a day (if that), but it is disappointing. If you're very picky, you may want to be careful.
Since Shocky's transform is exactly the same as Meister's, we'll just skip to the robot mode part of the review.
Robot Mode
It is a little weird to see Shockwave's head sticking out of a car; there just isn't any way around it. (Personally, since I always thought the idea of a giant flying gun was a bit dorky, even when I was eight, I'm not too sorry he has a different alt mode. But I digress.) Still, he looks pretty good.
It helps that he does have his gun hand (on the left arm; presumably he's a righty), which is molded in translucent purple plastic (for old time's sake); the gun is mounted on a ball joint, so it can be rotated and tilted (slightly), for extra poseability. Coolness.
Contrary to rumors I heard before the toy actually came out, the silver "ears" don't actually move. However, his head does move nicely, and in a nice touch, the triangle is made of the same translucent yellow as his eye--in two words, light piping! Always a feature I enjoy.
Apart from the hand and head, the twin faction symbols on his shoulders (white backed, not silver; gotta cut costs somewhere, I suppose, and better there than elsewhere), and some light purple paint apps on his waist and legs, Shockwave is, for all intents and purposes, identical to Meister. There doesn't seem to have been any mold degredation; the joints are pleasantly stiff, he transforms well, and if anything, his feet hold together better this time around. The only problem I've had is that his hood keeps popping out when I open it, but that's a problem most of the Alts have had anyway. He also holds his rifle much better (in his one normal hand).
Last Word
How much you want this toy really comes down to how much you like Shockwave, the Mazda RX-8 mold, or Decepticons, if you already have Meister. I wasn't going to buy one, but I broke down and did it anyway (heck, I drive a Mazda MX-6; that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) because he looked so cool in the box. I wouldn't recommend completism to anyone but a hardcore fan with this line, though (not if Has/Tak are willing to start issuing every mold three times).
If you don't have a Meister, though, this guy is a definite grab. The Mazda mold is extremely poseable, the car mode kicks butt (in fact, Shockblast arguably kicks more butt than Meister in this mode), and it doesn't take ten years to transform it. And, of course, Shockwave/blast is probably THE most iconic Decepticon to have gotten an Alternator form thus far. It's all up to you now, grasshopper.
- Submitted By: Scantron
Note
Shockblast is a repaint and slight remold of the Alternators figure Meister. As such, this review will only cover the differences between the two figures; see Meister’s review for additional detail about the mold.
Vehicle Mode
In this form, Shockblast is a Mazda RX-8. The main colour of the vehicle is dark purple, with some black detailing around the windows and a few other areas. Unlike Meister, however, the black detailing does not surround the entire front windshield, covering just the area around the windshield wipers, but not the sides and top portion. Much of the molding and detail is the same as on Meister, including the placement of the headlights, Mazda logos, door handles and gas tank door on the driver’s side. The vanity plate on the rear bumper now has a Decepticon symbol on the driver’s side and ‘SHKWAV’ in black letters on the passenger’s side. Hasbro may not have been able to officially call the toy Shockwave, due to not owning that trademark at the time this toy was released, but it’s still nice to see the license plate as a small reference to the character’s G1 name. Shockblast also has a number of minor remolds that further differentiate the toy from Meister. The front bumper now extends straight down, rather than curving underneath the car as on Meister, and the cutout areas that exposed the grille are larger. The sides of the car have also been changed to extend straight down from the doors, as opposed to curving slightly like on Meister. One aesthetic complaint I do have about Shockblast is that the two-thirds of the runners on the very bottom of the car sides are a slightly different colour purple than the rest of the vehicle and it looks odd when viewed close up. Another area of remolding is the hubcaps, which are now gun-metal grey and have a slightly different shape to their spokes. Alterations have been made to the side mirrors, making them broader and more streamlined, while adding a hole to each, near the body of the vehicle, to increase aerodynamics. Unfortunately, the mirrors still don’t have reflective stickers, reducing the realism of this mode slightly. At the rear of the car, a spoiler has been added to contribute to the other racing modifications, and the rear bumper is thicker and straighter than on Meister. Shockblast’s exhaust pipes are slightly longer and thicker, which actually makes it clearer to show how they connect to the muffler piece. The interior of the car is identical to Meister, including the sculpting and silver paint applications. All of the articulation on the hood, trunk, doors and wheels is the same as the original release of this mold. Even though most of the changes are minor, I definitely prefer Shockblast over Meister. The purple used for the primary colour makes the vehicle look sleek and stealthy without showing dust as much as Meister’s white. The purple even serves as its own visual highlight and Shockblast doesn’t look nearly as plain as the original release, even though this figure is still mostly a single colour. Another benefit to the purple is that, although this is an extreme departure from the character’s G1 alternate mode, the purple is similar to that used for the original Shockwave. Use of grey or silver instead of black, particularly on the front grille and hubcaps, would have helped make the connection even better. As for the remolds, though they are minor and most require close inspection to even notice, they all combine to provide a good racing aesthetic to the vehicle (one would expect a Decepticon to be the faster, more aggressive driver). As much as I liked Meister, Shockblast makes a far better display piece in this form.
10/10
Transformations
Transforming Shockblast from car to robot and back follows the same method as used for Meister, but with a few improvements. The arm connections are much more secure and there is virtually no chance of having one of the upper limbs come off when converting between forms. Shockblast’s head shape and size make it easier to get through the gap in the hood without dislodging the hood. However, care is necessary, because the hood can still come off and is just as difficult to realign. The only negative points about Shockblast’s transformation, compared to Meister are very minor: Shockblast’s left hand (see below) is a bit difficult to realign when transforming back to car mode and the figure’s arms peg in very tightly in car mode and are a bit difficult to detach when converting to robot mode. In addition, the shape of Shockblast’s head can make it easier to pop off the hood. Shockblast and Meister are very similar in this category, but Shockblast’s ability to transform without losing limbs gives this figure a slight edge.
9/10
Robot Mode
Shockblast’s main colour in this mode is dark purple, although black and light purple are now more prevalent as detailing. Various car parts form the feet, chest and backpack, as on Meister, and the colouration and detail on those regions are as noted in the vehicle mode description. Black is used for the lower legs, elbows and right fist, while the arms and upper legs are the same dark purple as the vehicle shell. A small Decepticon symbol is heat-stamped on the front of each shoulder, while light grey appears between the arms and the front tires. Lavender is used for detailing panels on the shins, upper thighs and groin. There are two very significant remolds made on this figure to set it apart from Meister: Firstly, the left fist has been replaced with a translucent purple gun barrel. This gun barrel is highly detailed, with a number of vent holes and cut lines molded in, and the colour fits in very well with the dark purple of the rest of the figure. The gun barrel is one of the most overt homages to G1 Shockwave, as it is not only approximately the same colour as on the original character, but also on the same hand. Secondly, Shockblast’s head is now a near-perfect replication of G1 Shockwave. The main colour of the head is dark purple, with silver ear pieces and a single translucent yellow plastic eye in the center of the face. Although Shockblast’s head is slightly more angular, representing a minor update, it is virtually identical to the G1 figure. Shockblast even has a translucent plastic triangle on the top of the head where G1 Shockwave had a molded purple triangle. Shockblast’s triangle isn’t just a stickler detail either; it actually functions as light-piping for the single eye. This effect may not be immediately obvious, but placing a finger over the triangle will cause the eye to go completely dark. The light-piping on Shockblast works very well and even a bit of ambient light is enough to make the figure’s eye glow. Besides the head and gun barrel arm, some of the other areas of Shockblast are also in homage to G1 Shockwave. The front bumper, grille and overall shape of the chest are very evocative of the torso design on the G1 figure, while the vehicle roof assembly gives Shockblast a backpack similar to its namesake. For an Alternator with such a drastically different alt mode than the G1 original, Shockblast is a great homage.
Shockblast’s articulation is largely identical to Meister. The most notable exception is the gun barrel on the left arm, which can wiggle about 30 degrees and rotate 360 degrees. The gun can also be pushed back a little into the wrist housing to keep it relatively level and straight. Shockblast’s elbows are also tighter than on Meister and the left arm is attached more securely, with no possibility of coming off under reasonable manipulation. The shape and size of Shockblast’s head also allow it to clear the hood and it can turn much easier than the head on Meister. The muffler also transforms into a rifle, identical to Meister’s weapon, save that the joints connecting the barrel and stock to the central portion of the rifle are tighter. Like Meister, the rifle doesn’t peg very well into Shockblast’s right hand, but the gun barrel on the left arm means that the rifle isn’t an essential accessory.
10/10
Overall
Of all the Alternators released thusfar, Shockblast is the best. The vehicle mode combines all of the best aesthetic touches of Meister with seek racing remolds and an excellent new colour scheme to make it a perfect display piece. Although the transformation is still the relatively uncreative Meister scheme, Shockblast lacks the annoying flaws that made the original version of this mold a bit of a nuisance to transform. Robot mode is where Shockblast really shines, however, with the alignment of car pieces, gun barrel hand and remolded head providing a great homage to G1 Shockwave. This is a must-have for any collection and is very highly recommended.
9.67/10 |
