Quakewave Versus Soundwave: A Comparison of Two Masterpieces
A few days ago I received a nice surprise in the mail in the form of Quakewave. This amazing piece is a 3rd party Transformer but with the attention to detail and overall quality, finding a better could prove futile. From the amazing die cast on his feet and legs to the light up eye and gun arm, Quakewave is a welcome addition to anyone’s collection.
Upon opening the packaging for Quakewave, the initial observation is the weight of the piece. While Soundwave comes in at a solid 2.7 pounds (including five tapes), Quakewave is a stout 2.9 pounds. The packaging is easy to open and allows for a display piece and if needed, the figure can be easily boxed. Quakewave also comes with a backpack (more on that in a bit), a collector card and a replacement arm if the existing gun arm needs replacing.
With that out of the way, let’s explore what makes Quakewave comparable to a Hasbro-produced Transformer. The piece has very tight joints, from his arms to his legs and feet. For those of you who own Soundwave, you will experience the same quality of joints. One significant bright spot is while Soundwave has issues with thumbs falling off, Quakewave has no issue with his poseable hand. In fact, the hand moved quite easily and was very solid. While some Masterpiece Transformers feel fragile (I’m looking at you Skywarp) I felt comfortable transforming Quakewave and posing the figure. I did run into one issue transforming Quakewave (pushing his legs into his body) and will need to visit YouTube to see how to pass this hurdle.
The details on the Quakewave figure are significant. Not only does his gun arm light up, his eye glows as well. Using two small batteries, flipping a switch on his arm and his head allows for these features, creating an intimidating presence. Quakewave also sports the familiar hose on his gun arm, although I felt it was a little too thin, as compared to the vintage Shockwave’s heavy-duty hose. This is only a minor gripe, however. The backpack accessory is placed on the figure in order to attach the hose, making for a nice accessory and a place to store the gun sight. I would recommend getting Decepticon logos asap; adding this symbol completes the figure significantly. Overall, the Quakewave is in the same class as Soundwave as far as detail.
The one advantage Quakewave has over Soundwave is overall construction. While Soundwave is almost bulky and squarish, Quakewave is quite intimidating. I understand why Soundwave is created in this manner; seeing as the character is a 1980’s tape recorder, he HAS to be a bit unwieldy and I appreciate Hasbro remaining true to the original. One major (to me anyway) issue with Soundwave is he is difficult to pose standing straight. In order to get him to stand I had to bend his knees and have him bending slightly. Quakewave, however, stands straight without bending. Again, this may be due to Soundwave being so bulky, as his back is very heavy.
In a nutshell, both pieces are tremendous. Soundwave alone is very well done; throw in the accessories and the character is well worth the price of admission. That said, Quakewave is a step above. The piece is very well constructed, transforms pretty easily and the little touches, such as die-cast and the lighted parts, show the passion put into design. As a lifelong Transformers fan, this is the piece fans have been looking for and I would highly suggest adding him to your collection.
Article: Barry Porter
Pictures: Tracy Isenhour
