For anyone out there who is a fan of the Transformer Universe bots, the Ultra Magnus is one of the most desirable figures and should be part of anyone’s collection.

After the City Commander was released, the incredibly popular fansproject.com City Commander armor set came out, giving the deluxe Ultra Magnus figure a set of armor that was worthy of Ultra Magnus and gives a very robust motif to the figure. I have always been a fan of Ultra Magnus and love bot the bot as well as the armor upgrade. Fansproject recently released a new add on set to the armor which includes shoulder missiles as well as a rifle that mimics Ultra Magnus’ original white blaster.

What is nice about the entire set is that it comes with all of the armor for the trailer set as well as the new blaster and missiles as well as two additional face plates. The armor set is very sturdy and is for sale at various websites such as tfsource.com or bbts.com. I was fortunate to find an unopened Ultra Magnus vs Skywarp set with the Fansproject.com armor set on eBay.

Caveot emptor (or buyer beware) The armor set by Fansproject has been knocked off so do not pay more extra for a set that is not the real thing. Buy it from a reputable retailers or from someone who bought the armor set (if you are buying it used) who bought if from a reputable dealer as well. Notably are the spring pins that the fansproject.com sets have as well as the quality of plastic and the way the armor set fits together snugly. From what I have read online, the Knockoffs are cheaper plastic, have no spring pins and do not fit snugly with the Transformer in the armor mode.

I really have no plans to put him back into vehicle mode, but the trailer is perfect. Fansproject.com makes the Ultra Mangus City Commander set, the Big Power set for Optimus Prime and a Shadow Commander set for Nemesis Prime. I am sure if and when Hasbro/Tomy Takara re-releases it, the set is so popular, Fansproject will step up to the plate and produce a matching set.

Name:

It is said Soundwave can hear a fly sneeze. Uses anything he hears for blackmail to advance his status. Opportunist. Despised by all other Decepticons. Sensors can detect even lowest energy radio transmissions. Able to read minds by monitoring electrical brain impulses. Acts as radio link for others. Locates and identifies Autobots, then informs Decepticons. Carries a concussion blaster gun. Often target of retaliation by his comrades.
Str 8,Int 9, Speed 2, Endurance 6, Rank 8, Courage 5, Fireblast 6, Skill 10

Alternate mode:

Soundwave turns into a stereo micro cassette recorder. For the time when he was first released in 1970s, this was relatively new technology and the Sony Walkman was soon to come. When he was released in Transformers, he was still very current as a micro cassette player, and a very interactive one at that.
In micro cassette mode, Soundwave has a working tape player chest compartment that opens for storage of the his tapes minions. He also has a working battery cover which doubles as a belt clip. Soundwave’s missile launcher and shoulder gun double as AA sized batteries and gives the toy the illusion of being a real tape player. Of the various Transformers of any series, Soundwave’s alternate mode is very realistic and as close to an actual sized replica possible.

Robot mode: Soundwave is rather large for a single sized G1 figure. He has a lot of articulation for a G1 figure as well. His head rotates, which is very rare for any G1 figure, his shoulders and hips rotate, giving him more poses than a normal G1 figure as well. Last but not least his chest compartment opens when he beckons his minions and tapes start flying out like crazy.

This 25th anniversary edition is released under the Transformers Universe line, and was released during the 2009 Comic-Con exclusive (Transformers Club, 2009) along with four tapes: Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Ravage and Ratbat. I was really excited to hear about this release because the last version I picked up of Soundwave was the Takara #10 Soundwave that came with Condor and the alternative chest hinge which is kind of like a modified version of what Soundblaster (Japanese Soundwave reborn) had. I really did not like the chest piece, but when I heard this version had the regular chest piece, I had to have it.

He comes in the box in robot form holding his laser and surrounded by his tape minions. The 25th anniversary is the Transformers Universe design, which looks great. The box art show Soundwave in a battle ready stance with Laserbeak on his shoulder. What is interesting to note about the box is on the back of the box, the picture of Soundwave has the chest piece I was talking about earlier, but as you can see, Soundwave has his normal chest piece instead, which really makes a difference.

Oh yeah, so we covered a lot of stuff, but how about joints? Are the joints tight, can he really hold his arm up and have Laserbeak hanging? Do his legs flop forward and leave him stuck? Does his arm fall down slowly whenever you point his laser at Optimus Prime? He has really tight joints and his knees have clicking joints. They have added some stability to the toy because most of use G1 collectors really want tight joints for some peculiar reason.

Transformation: 8/10 Soundwave has a great alternative mode and turns into a realistic looking micro cassette recorder.
Durability: 8/10 This is an improvement over previous versions of a G1 Soundwave release.
Fun: 10/10 I’ll admit Soundwave is one of my favorite Decepticons. Ever. Period.
Price: $49.99 was the original price at the 2009 Comic-Con release. For the rest of the known world who could not attend 2009 Comic-Con, we have to resort to second hand dealers or if you were one of the lucky ones, Hasbro Toy Shop had it up for about a day before it was sold out. As for me, I paid $75 including shipping on eBay and was very pleased.
Overall: Soundwave is a core figure of the G1 series. Throughout time, Soundwave has come to be a persistent character that everyone loves. What makes him really cool is that he was a really articulated G1 figure and how can you beat a Con that has tape minions that he can summon for whatever diabolic plan he has? The 25th Transformers Universe anniversary edition Soundwave is one of the best G1 releases I have seen and recommend that everyone try to get it.

Name: Laserbeak
Function: Interrogation
“The only point I like in Autobots: melting point.”
Laserbeak takes pleasure in hunting his prey—usually the straggling survivors of a battle. Noticeably not brave. Will run for safety if threatened. Flies at speed up to 250mph. Uses two independently targetable laser cannons with extreme precision to get information from captives. Shortage of ruby crystals that powers the laser can panic his systems into shutting down.
Str 5, Int 6, Spd 8, End 5, Rank 6, Courage 2, Firepower 8, Skill 9

Alternate mode: Micro cassette. Moving along.
Robot mode: Laserbeak turns into a flying robotic condor. His tape body opens up to make the wings, the head comes out, and the feet flip out. Then you attach his laser cannons to his back and Bam! You got Laserbeak. Laserbeak was one of the first Decepticons that shows just how craft Soundwave can be. At one point, Laserbeak is chasing Cliffjumper and Hound, who split up, by following Hound and sending a laser drone from his rocket pack.
Transformation: 7/10. Laserbeak turns into a realistic looking micro cassette tape, which fits nicesly into Soundwave’s chest.
Durability: 9/10 Metal version. G1 beefy metal. You know it.
Fun: 9/10 Laserbeak is a lot of fun to play in addition to Soundwave.
Price: Came with 25th anniversary Soundwave.
Overall: 10/10 Laserbeak is definitely one of the classic Soundwave minions. He was always Megatron’s favorite pet and was not afraid to mess up any Autobot’s plans.

Name: Buzzsaw
Function: Spy
“My bite is worse than my bark.”
Civil and sophisticated yet very cruel and destructive. Approaches his lethal tasks like a fine artist. Each deadly mission is like working on a new masterpiece. Can pinpoint and photograph a thumbtack from 20 miles away. Flies at 250mph. Carries twin mortar cannons. Diamond-hard, micro-serrated beak can carve up almost any opponent. Due to large ego, will often sulk rather than proceed if his plans go astray.
Str 5, Int 8, Spd 8, End 4, Rank 6, Courage 7, Firepower 4, Skill 9

Alternate mode: Gold micro cassette tape. Moving along again.
Robot mode: Buzzsaw is a gold version of Laserbeak. The primary difference is that Buzzsaw’s chest is gold painted and the wing stickers are gold background instead of silver like Laserbeaks. Identically the same toy otherwise. I always felt that Laserbeak used more of Buzzsaw’s characteristics in the cartoon. As it was, Laserbeak was the one with all the glory, while Buzzsaw got a few minutes of fame.
Transformation: 7/10 Buzzsaw and Laserbeak are both very cool bots.
Durability: 9/10 G1 metal goodness again. Yay!
Fun: 9/10 While the cartoon and comic give both different personalities, the toys are identical other than coloring (Buzzsaw and Laserbeak). Both are great!
Price: Came with 25th Anniversary Soundwave.
Overall: 10/10 Buzzsaw is a cool Soundwave minion.

Name: Ravage
Function: Saboteur
“Today’s Autobots are tomorrow scrap metal.”
Ravage operates best alone. A creature of the night. Craftiest of all Decepticons. Adept at devising deadly strategies. Remains aloof from others, but his deeds command their respect. Can virtually escape detection—emits and electromagnetic emission shield, has a soundless walk, disappears in subdued light or shadow. Carries 2 powerful heat-seeking missiles. Light-sensitive. Can be blinded.
Str 5, Int 8, Spd 5, End 6, Rank 6, Courage 4, Firepower 7, Skill 10

Alternate mode: Micro cassette tape. And we are off…
Robot mode: Ravage transforms into jaguar. Equiped with hip missles, Ravage was one of the coolest Decepticons and was always ready for a fight. This G1 robot comes with metal legs, tight joints and lovely chrome accessories. The toy is very narrow and looks better from the side than the front, but never the less, Ravage is an awesome Soundwave minion.
As an aside, I picked up the Classics Hound that came with Ravage which is an awesome version of Ravage. All plastic and the hip missiles are part of the mold and a lot smaller, but the tape bot rox.
Transformation: 8/10 Ravage looks really cool with his missiles and turns into a good version of micro cassette tape.
Durability: 9/10 Again, G1 metal goodness.
Fun: 10/10 Ravage is a lot of fun either alone or with Soundwave.
Price: Came with 25th Anniversary Soundwave. Seeing a pattern yet?
Overall: Ravage overall is a great release and for anyone that never had either the tapes or Soundwave, this version is great! Very true to the original release.

Name: Ratbat
Function: Fuel scout
“The road is my dinner plate.”
Has no friends, only business partners…his only allegiance is to himself. Refuels by plunging his mecha-fangs into new cars’ gas lines—the better the car, the better the gasoline tastes. Maximum flying speed: 65mph. Carries two radar-guided, free-electronic lasers that detect the presence of an object as small as a fly. Wings contain mechanical sensors for locating fuel sources. Has one foot wingspan that can enlarge to ten feet. Wings are vulnerable to artillery.
Str 3, Int 9, Spd 4, End 3, Rank 6, Courage 6, Firepower 2, Skill 9

Alternate mode: Micro cassette tape. Nothing to see here, move along…
Robot mode: Ratbat turns into a robotic bat with a black and purple body and gold chrome lasers. One unique feature are the little ears that would often break making Ratbat with good ears extremely rare up until the Encore 17 release. Now everyone can get a Ratbat with good ears, just remember the move them up you are transforming him from tape mode into robot mode.

Ratbat is just a normal cassette toy, but his personality in the comics made him epic. At one point, Ratbat assumes leadership of the Decepticons and proves to be quite an evil leader. Scorponok ends up killing him, but Rattbat held his own throughout his time in the comics and is one of the more notable Decepticons.

Transformation: 8/10 Ratbat turns into a micro cassette tape and a robotic bat.
Durability: 9/10 G1 metal goodness again. Yummy!
Fun: 10/10 Ratbat makes a great addition to this release.
Price: Came with 25th Anniversary Soundwave.
Overall: Ratbat is one of the more unique tapes and is given a great role in the comics. His character embodies what it means to be a Decepticon and is definitely one of the more unique Decepticons from the G1 era.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

Reference:
Transformers Collectors Club. (2009). 2009 Comic-Con exclusive: 25th anniversary Soundwave special edition. Retrieved August 2, 2009 from http://www.transformersclub.com/sdcc-tf09.cfm

Leo Prime is a career soldier, commander of an elite Maximal black ops unit designated The Pack. So secret is his unit, even those in the Maximal command structure are aware of it only as a rumor. Leo Prime and his comrades in The Pack travel wherever trouble is thickest, often working undercover to deal crippling blows to Predacon Plots.

Beast Mode:
Leo Prime is a techno-organic lion. Although he is designated a Maximal, he bears the Autobot emblem on his lion’s head, which transforms into his robot chest. The lion form is highly detailed and this version of Leo Prime (Convoy) has been repainted to resemble the G1 Optimus Prime color scheme, which looks great in bot mode, but absolutely makes little to no sense in lion form. Fortunately for me, I usually leave my bots in robot form, so beast mode does not bother me. The lion form has some flexibility with poses but is limited to moving the legs and claws forward or backward to give Leo Prime a pounce position, and a stand-at-attention position. A little bricky and the tail is a detachable from the joint, which can come off quite easily with even a little bit of play or movement.
Robot Mode:
Leo Prime’s robot mode is pretty decent. As opposed to Leobreaker and Nemesis Breaker who had the same head mold, Leo Prime has an Optimus Prime head mold. Being a “Voyager” class, he is about the same size as other $20 price point figures and is well designed with good joints. Leo Prime is another figure where the arms and legs of the Maximal beast form mode become the arms and legs of the robot mode. The robot head is cleverly hidden in a compartment of the lion’s head and has some movement flexibility in bot mode. The G1 Optimus Prime color scheme gives Leo Prime a presence as a figure. The arms and legs do not have as much movement but the forearms and hands can be maneuvered to give Leo Prime some decent poses.
Special Features:
Leo Prime has several unique features. The tail turns into his “jungle whip” which resembles a flail more than a whip. He also has key activated “robo-shredder claws” which pop out when you put the key into the slot on his forearms. Some of the most uniqueLeo Prime’s features are what he does not have. He does not have the electronics of the original version and the 3rd combiner mode (to combine with Cybertron Optimus Prime) is nowhere on the directions and no mention of the combiner mode on the packaging. This “secret” about Leo Prime may be remembered like the secret modes of RID Megatron (which was later revealed with RID Galvatron) or it may be lost as a legendary tales of Maximal slag.

Transformation: 2. Transformation difficulty is marked a 3 out of 4 on the box, but I give Leo Prime’s basic transformation a low score because the arms and legs are the same for both modes. The 3rd secret mode gets a 6 because you have to remove the forearms and reattach them to the connectors in the feet and put the tail in the join on the side of the legs. Overall Leo Prime’s transformation is not very complicated.
Durability: 10. Leo Prime resembles the G1 toys of yester-year sans the metal.
Fun: 8. Leo Convoy/Prime was one of my desired Beast War toy and although this is not the orginal version I wanted to get of him, I do like the color scheme and resemblance to Optimus Prime.
Price: 8. I picked Leo Prime up at Wal-Mart for $20. This is a standard price point for the Voyager line and is decent for the toy. The toys are all about the same size and quality varies. I did not mind paying $20 to get Leo Prime.
Overall: 9. Leo Prime is overall a good figure with the exception of missing several features that Leobreaker and Nemesis Breaker versions had. The color scheme does not look good in beast mode, but looks great in robot mode. Even though this is a repaint and does play on the popularity of Optimus Prime/Convoy, by giving the toy a new head mold, Leo Prime gains an edge over normal repaints. Anyone who is or was a Beast Wars/RID fan will not be disappointed with Leo Prime.