Transformers Masterpiece MP-29 Shockwave

Cold, calculating and logical Shockwave was one of the highest ranking Decepticons under Megatron's command.In the original cartoon he was left behind to look after Cybertron while Megatron pursued the Ark. Despite being left behind he still appeared in numerous episodes throughout the first two seasons of the cartoon.

But where Shockwave really got to shine was Marvel's The Transformers comic series. The image on the cover of issue 5 (above) is one of the most memorable in the history of the franchise. in this series Shockwave followed the Ark when it crashed on Earth. He was the first of many to take over leadership of the Decepticons.

Decepticon Masterpieces are few and far between. With Megatron, Soundwave and multiple Starscreams being made over the years Soundwave was the logical choice to get the Masterpiece treatment.

"Space gun" mode:

Shockwave's alt mode is a generic looking laser pistol. All of the main features are here in this mode. Grey barrel with an octagonal opening. Hose on top of the gun. Clear sight on the butt of the gun. As a gun the grip is fairly comfortable in the hand. But there's not a lot of room between the bulge in the middle of the gun and the trigger. I have relatively thin fingers and, while I could get my index finger into the gap to pull the trigger, I found it a tight fit to get my finger on the trigger.

The butt and grip of the gun both have gaps in them. As far as I can tell these are present for the transformation. But they might be off putting for some.

Shockwave comes with a display stand for this mode. It's little more than a purple box with some techy details on it. A clear flap folds out to hold up the barrel of the gun. I can't imagine many people displaying him this way but at least you have the option.

Shockwave does have a light up feature in this mode. There's a small switch in the middle of the gun. In the default position the barrel will light up as long as the trigger is held. In the other the light in the barrel will blink on and off for a set time before switching itself off. It takes two AAA batteries to do this which are not included with the figure.

Transformation:

Shockwave's transformation is fairly simple and intuitive. Start by flipping up the sight onto the lower back of the robot mode. Then flip out the sides of the grey barrel. This will allow you to open out the robot mode arms and fold the barrel up onto Shockwave's back. The side panels should collapse snug on either side of the barrel and it will tab at two places onto Shockwave's back.

The leg transformation on this toy is really cool. Untab the small hinge that connects the back of the grip to the butt of the gun. This will allow you to slip the butt of the gun. Open up the hip flaps then slip the guns grip. Open the robot mode hips out to give yourself room to work with each leg.

Fold out the panels on the inside of the grip, straighten them and tab them in place near the robot mode ankle. Flip the foot around. Straighten the leg and using the double hinge close it onto the butt of the gun. There's a tab on the half of the butt of the gun that will go into a slot on the inside of the leg. Rotate the leg so it's facing the right way then close the hip flap. And then repeat for the other side.

Pull up on the torso to free the waist joint. Fold the trigger up onto Shockwave's belly then pull down the flap under his chest to hide it. Fold the arms down into position. Then lift up Shockwave's head. Getting the head out can be a little awkward as the head itself is on a ball joint which is attached to a flap. If things are colliding try moving the head on the ball a little to get clearance.

Robot mode:

The robot is undeniably Shockwave. All of the defining features of the character are present. His left hand is just the barrel of a blaster. He has a hose running out of his back into his left arm. And he has a very large hexagonal chest.

The color is hard to photograph accurately. It seems to change depending on the lighting. He's definitely lighter in color than some other Shockwaves out there (mainly Fans Toys Quakewave). In person I think he's a nice shade of purple. But I can see how some collectors would prefer that he be a much darker shade.

Shockwave ends up with some proportionately skinny legs. I know this has been a criticism for some who prefer the bulkier form of Fans Toys Quakewave. I don't think the legs could've been done differently and kept the current transformation scheme.

But most importantly when it comes to Shockwave is the head. A single yellow eye is set inside a blocky hexagonal head. Two fins sit on either side of the box. And that's it. It's a big part of the creepy, emotionless vibe Shockwave has going for him.

Pretty much all of the joints on Shockwave are ratcheted. Shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and feet. You put him into a pose and he'll hold it. His feet are also die-cast which adds some weight and helps him balance.

The elbows have been designed to bend both ways. Out of the box the hose connects to the bottom of Shockwave's left arm. If you prefer it connecting at the top you can swivel both forearms around and then rotate the right hand to it's the right way around. The hose is a metal coil with plenty of flex so it's not going to lose it's shape or break being twisted around like this.

There's also a light up gimmick in robot mode. Three small batteries need to be placed in his left forearm for this to work. Pressing a small button on his forearm will cause an LED to light up and make his blaster glow purple.

Accessories:

Shockwave's accessories seem gear mostly towards giving you options on how to display him. Transforming the base figure leaves the grey barrel sitting on Shockwave's back. If you don't like this and/or would prefer a more cartoon accurate look the display stand can clip over the gun barrel. This doesn't add much bulk to the backpack overall. 

There's a sticker sheet allowing you to decide where and how many Decepticon logos Shockwave has. In different media he's been depicted with logos on his chest, forearms or shoulders. You also get two different styles. The standard Decepticon logo or a cartoon accurate logo. The purple backing is very well color matched to Shockwave's plastic.

Shockwave also has numerous alternate hands. He comes packaged with opaque light purple hands. The right hand can be swapped out for a saluting hand.

Alternatively Shockwave has a complete set of translucent hands. The translucent blaster means the whole barrel lights up rather than just the tip of the opaque hand. Personally I prefer the look of the opaque hands but it's nice to have the choice.

To recreate the animation errors of the G1 cartoon Shockwave has a normal left hand. I can't see this getting much use. I took this one picture than promptly swapped his blaster hand back again. But it's always nice to have the choice.

Finally Shockwave comes with a tiny version of his own gun mode. He did wield himself in an animation error in the original cartoon. The gun has the standard Masterpiece tabs on the grip so you can also have your other 'Cons wielding Shockwave if you choose.

Final thoughts:

I'm really happy with this take on Shockwave. It does everything I wanted it to do. For some the color or the skinny legs might be deal breakers. For those people I'd recommend looking into Quakewave. But Masterpiece Shockwave is a solid toy and worth checking out if you've liked what you've seen here.