Box Bio wrote:"Shockwave stealthily tears through the earth in order to avoid detection by the Autobots and their human allies. His ability to emerge from the ground and attack anywhere has put the Autobots on alert! Where will he strike next?"
Shockwave makes his Cyberverse debut with a "fusion tank" contraption instead of the Driller or a burrowing machine of any description.
Bot Mode:
Shocky is Commander-sized, his ribs, gun hose, and leg spikes are made of rubber, and unlike Action Set Megatron and Optimus, comes with bonus accessories: his gun and sword, which are both removable.
Shockwave has a nice range of articulation, and is one of too few Cyberverse figures to have some form of a neck joint:
His arms are well articulated, ball joints on both the shoulder and elbows and a swivel on the upper arm.
Unfortunately, the weapons plug in above the elbow, and lose a lot of posability, especially the gun. Worse, the hose restricts movement even more.
You'd think this length would give you nice range, but the rubber just yanks the whole arm back.
The gun and sword can be placed on either arm, but due to how the hose works you can't use that while the gun's on Shockwave's left arm.
The sword is basically just a shrunken version of the Voyager's, including that odd clip at around the middle
A very different shade of purple compared to the Voyager.
Transformation is a lot like the Voyager's, though obviously simplified. The legs are a tad tricky to get straight, as there are
4 connection points on each.
Tank Mode:
Once again we get a Cybertronian tank that's more like an actual vehicle than past Movie Cybertronian modes. The front cylinders and a pair of small wheels in the back treads allow it to roll.
The arms have pegs that are meant to plug into the sides (which were the legs), however this leaves an unsightly gap in the back and ruins the boxy shape.
I personally keep the arms unplugged (the arms are then closer to each other and cover the back gap better) and that's how it'll look for the rest of the review.
Like the Voyager, the weapons attach to the top.
Fusion Tank:
First off, by itself.
The silver cannon can launch missiles (one was included, totally forgot about photographing it; sorry) and can have up to 3 weapons peg onto it.
The back has sculpted thrusters.
Visually, a seamless extension of Shockwave. However connecting this thing was a headache. The fusion tank's "arms" force Shockwave's into the center, where it doesn't get much room thanks to the main cannon.
There's also the annoying habit of popping the sides off it's pegs (underside shot):
Let's just forget this mode...
Battle Base:
An autonomous turret, I assume. No way for Shockwave to interact with it. The cannon can move up and down for about 135 degrees, and has a few added ports: 5mm on the gray "feet" (which can also connect to other Bases) and 3mm on the back panel. Top heavy and the "feet" don't lock in any way, though it should keep balance if the "neck" is straight up as opposed to angled out.
Also:
Although not the beast itself, this mode in particular draws some influence from the Driller.
Ground Weapon:
Finally we get this mode, which Shockwave can man... except his hands can't quite both reach the controls, which have odd fins making it even harder to do so. Bah.
The package's photo on the back is mirrored. Shockwave's arm gun can only attach to the right side, no the left.
All three modes of this thing are basically alternate cannons, which is a huge letdown compared to other Action Sets. There should have at least been some kind of drill and/or tunneler, if not the Driller itself.
Overall, I'm mixed on this set. Shockwave himself is awesome, but his vehicle is boring. Waiting for a version of Shockwave sans the action set may be a good idea. Shockwave is worth getting.
