Studio Series Voyager Bumblebee Movie Soundwave Found at US Retail

My Wal-Mart is usually way behind, but I guess I'll start checking for this figure as well. I've been prowling my area's stores for Tigatron anyway.

He's packed with Hot Rod? Hot Rod? Again?? This is the third time he's been packed in a Wave. Who doesn't have him by now? Pack in some actually rare figures who've only had one release.

Bounti76 wrote:He's packed with Hot Rod? Hot Rod? Again?? This is the third time he's been packed in a Wave. Who doesn't have him by now? Pack in some actually rare figures who've only had one release.

I don't disagree, but the problem is who? Assuming the selection would be from the last year, we have Hot Rod, Scourge, BB Starscream, BB Thrust, Sweep and Wreck-Gar. All the potential wave mates for Soundwave have been released recently enough to still be on shelves, or are retools of something currently on shelves. Thrust is clogging up most of the Targets by me. Wreck-Gar and Sweeps are on the shelves at all the Walmarts near me. Hot Rod is the only SS voyager mold not currently on the shelves in my area.

Scourge would be ideal since he was a single release and shortpacked to begin with, but the Sweeps are out currently making that difficult.

Yeah I also think Scourge would be a good choice.

I also wondered, what if Scourge and Sweep got released in the same case? Is the different shade enough for people to tell the difference? Would seeing both induce someone to get both who was only planning on getting 1? Or would most people just see the same figure and just pick one?

To me, it almost feels like the Sweep was made at all to make up for how hard Scourge was for people to find back when he was released.

Sabrblade wrote:To me, it almost feels like the Sweep was made at all to make up for how hard Scourge was for people to find back when he was released.

Considering the very slight difference (handswap) and color change, I'm pretty sure it was pre-planned.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:To me, it almost feels like the Sweep was made at all to make up for how hard Scourge was for people to find back when he was released.

Considering the very slight difference (handswap) and color change, I'm pretty sure it was pre-planned.

I'm certain of it. It also makes up for the people who bought multiple scourges early on to make their sweeps before an actual sweep was released.

Bounti76 wrote:He's packed with Hot Rod? Hot Rod? Again?? This is the third time he's been packed in a Wave. Who doesn't have him by now? Pack in some actually rare figures who've only had one release.

Is Thrust really rare and wanted? Seems like many G1 fans are poopooing him for his armada colour reference.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I also wondered, what if Scourge and Sweep got released in the same case? Is the different shade enough for people to tell the difference? Would seeing both induce someone to get both who was only planning on getting 1? Or would most people just see the same figure and just pick one?

I think there would be 2 answers.

Collectors: Sweet, I'll take one of each (or 1 Scourge and however many Sweeps for an armada).

Parents: Just pick one sweetie, you don't need 2 of the same guy with slightly different colors.

For brick and mortar stores, I suspect there would be more parents buying than collectors assuming most of us are pre-ordering anyway. So in that regard, I think putting them in the same case would not be desired by the retailers.

I'm good with Netflix Soundwave for now. Best G1 representation since the Masterpiece figure, even with the shortcomings.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:For brick and mortar stores, I suspect there would be more parents buying than collectors assuming most of us are pre-ordering anyway. So in that regard, I think putting them in the same case would not be desired by the retailers.

Alright, my next questions:

Do retailers get a say in how cases are made up? I.e. in a case of 3, which figure gets 1 and which gets 2?

Do they see actual visual representations of the products, or do they go by item codes and names? Like, would Wal-Mart have known ahead of time that Scourge and Sweep were barely different? Or do they just see that 1 is called Scourge and the other is Sweep, so they must be different? I'm guessing that's up to Hasbro's marketing to communicate.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:For brick and mortar stores, I suspect there would be more parents buying than collectors assuming most of us are pre-ordering anyway. So in that regard, I think putting them in the same case would not be desired by the retailers.

Alright, my next questions:

Do retailers get a say in how cases are made up? I.e. in a case of 3, which figure gets 1 and which gets 2?

Do they see actual visual representations of the products, or do they go by item codes and names? Like, would Wal-Mart have known ahead of time that Scourge and Sweep were barely different? Or do they just see that 1 is called Scourge and the other is Sweep, so they must be different? I'm guessing that's up to Hasbro's marketing to communicate.

I wish I knew, I find that side of the business interesting. We knew from leaks or whatever that things like Black Zarak are shown to buyers. No idea whether everything is shown at some point or not. It would be interesting to know if retailer feedback is used for determining the case contents as well.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:For brick and mortar stores, I suspect there would be more parents buying than collectors assuming most of us are pre-ordering anyway. So in that regard, I think putting them in the same case would not be desired by the retailers.

Alright, my next questions:

Do retailers get a say in how cases are made up? I.e. in a case of 3, which figure gets 1 and which gets 2?

Do they see actual visual representations of the products, or do they go by item codes and names? Like, would Wal-Mart have known ahead of time that Scourge and Sweep were barely different? Or do they just see that 1 is called Scourge and the other is Sweep, so they must be different? I'm guessing that's up to Hasbro's marketing to communicate.

Retailers do see what is coming. We already saw the slides they are given. There are pictures, but it can also be drawings or preliminary art. But the wave assortment is clearly stated, along wuth what is repacked.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:For brick and mortar stores, I suspect there would be more parents buying than collectors assuming most of us are pre-ordering anyway. So in that regard, I think putting them in the same case would not be desired by the retailers.

Alright, my next questions:

Do retailers get a say in how cases are made up? I.e. in a case of 3, which figure gets 1 and which gets 2?

Do they see actual visual representations of the products, or do they go by item codes and names? Like, would Wal-Mart have known ahead of time that Scourge and Sweep were barely different? Or do they just see that 1 is called Scourge and the other is Sweep, so they must be different? I'm guessing that's up to Hasbro's marketing to communicate.

Retailers do see what is coming. We already saw the slides they are given. There are pictures, but it can also be drawings or preliminary art. But the wave assortment is clearly stated, along wuth what is repacked.

As for getting a say, I wouldn't think so, or at least not as much as one would expect; exclusives are where they're more in charge. That said, there's still the option of buying solid cases, like they did with Siege Refraktor, is that still open?

Guess what I found:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Guess what I found:

By the Allspark!

Rodimus Prime wrote:Guess what I found:

So, do tell, how "ugh" is the alt mode in hand?

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Guess what I found:

So, do tell, how "ugh" is the alt mode in hand?

It is pretty bland. I mean, the transformation is okay, but then what? It just sits there. I guess you'll have to be imaginative to make it work.

And honestly, I'm not too impressed by the robot mode either. He's kinda chunky yet hollow. It's weird. He looks more like a mutant version of Soundwave. He is fairly poseable, though, so he'll look decent on a shelf.

I got him because I want to collect the Bee movie guys, but I really hope Ratchet and Brawn will be better.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Guess what I found:

So, do tell, how "ugh" is the alt mode in hand?

It is pretty bland. I mean, the transformation is okay, but then what? It just sits there. I guess you'll have to be imaginative to make it work.

And honestly, I'm not too impressed by the robot mode either. He's kinda chunky yet hollow. It's weird. He looks more like a mutant version of Soundwave. He is fairly poseable, though, so he'll look decent on a shelf.

I got him because I want to collect the Bee movie guys, but I really hope Ratchet and Brawn will be better.

How many were there.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Guess what I found:

So, do tell, how "ugh" is the alt mode in hand?

It is pretty bland. I mean, the transformation is okay, but then what? It just sits there. I guess you'll have to be imaginative to make it work.

And honestly, I'm not too impressed by the robot mode either. He's kinda chunky yet hollow. It's weird. He looks more like a mutant version of Soundwave. He is fairly poseable, though, so he'll look decent on a shelf.

I got him because I want to collect the Bee movie guys, but I really hope Ratchet and Brawn will be better.

How many were there.

2 Soundwaves, 1 Hot Rod in the case.

Robot mode: 6 out of 10
Alt mode: 2 out of 10 (not as bad as 62)
No Ravage: 0 out of 10

Gotta start checking my local walmarts I guess.

Here's a throwback for you that showed up on my feed from 3 years ago. I still think SS Jazz is the best SS figure made overall

Hasbro Pulse UK have ROTF Sideswipe now, I'm still undecided on whether or not to buy one. It certainly looks better than the DOTM version, but I can't really spare the money for anything unnecessary right now, and I'm worried that once I do have money again it will have sold out.

Munkky wrote:Hasbro Pulse UK have ROTF Sideswipe now, I'm still undecided on whether or not to buy one. It certainly looks better than the DOTM version, but I can't really spare the money for anything unnecessary right now, and I'm worried that once I do have money again it will have sold out.

A word of advice. DON'T.
SS Sideswipe is complete garbage. That thing legitimately made me angry. The door panels pop off at the slightest touch and there's no way to store the gun inside without massive panel gaps. Plus the overall feeling is just bad.

That was the fist Studio Series figure I've ever returned for a full refund.

If you want a great Movie Sideswipe toy, get the RotF original if you can find it at a reasonable price.

Here’s the bots I got for Christmas!


I’ve already talked about SS ROTF Bee at length, but it’s both the best SS deluxe and the best deluxe movie Bee IMO. It’s an awesome figure, and I picked up this release partially because I wanted the box (and I love the renders they chose for it), but primarily because I’ll be repainting it into Stealth Bumblebee at some point!

First looking at Sideswipe - it’s not all that different from the DOTM version, but I’m happy to have it! I think it’s pretty good too, the only problem I have with it is that it’s difficult to line up the back of the car (specifically the piece from the backpack with the chest pieces) when transforming to alt mode. That’s a problem I’ve had with the DOTM release as well, it’s not a huge issue but definitely my biggest gripe with the mold.

I really like the darker gray plastic used with this release! It makes the silver accents stand out very well, when I get around to painting it I’d like to keep more of that darker plastic visible rather than silver-ing the whole thing up. The gun storage in bot mode is also excellent - they just tuck away into the backpack without a trace that they’re there!

The backpack is bigger, and comparing it to my DOTM Sideswipe, I do prefer the wing positioning of the DOTM release.



Now looking at KSI Sentry, it falls into the same category as Heli Dropkick for me: it’s not super screen accurate, but it is a really good figure! The blue looks really nice, the head sculpt is excellent, and I like that the claw/blade thing helps fill out the kibble gun. The only thing I’ve noticed is that the one shoulder piece (with the headlights) is really tight, which makes me nervous because that piece broke on my Stinger. Just something I’ll have to be careful with. Anyway, I think it’ll look really cool next to Stinger and next year’s Galvatron!



Thrust is neat, I like the different ways you can pose the wings in bot mode, and that Blitzwing head sculpt is SO good. There is something that really bugs me about bot mode though - the green collar that goes around his head. I know the cone behind his head is accurate to the movie, but the collar that extends from it doesn’t appear to be part of the CG model from what I can tell from the box (or it’s not nearly as prominent) - it looks like he has a C-spine collar and it messes with his proportions. I think I might trim some of that plastic off in the future, we’ll see.

I really, really like alt mode though! Definitely my favorite between the two modes. It feels a lot like the Seekers from the WFC/FOC games, but with this huge freaking gun pod sticking out the bottom. It nails that alien feel, I really dig it. Overall, I think Thrust is cool and it’ll be fun to paint, but I have no interest in jumping on with the other BB seekers.

You must have the patience of a saint to tolerate the SS Sideswipe mold. That thing made me angry and was the first (and only) SS that I returned for a refund.

I've yet to try that KSI Sentry mold and SS74. Sentry can only be found used with luck, but there's plenty of that Bee around. I'll wait for a clearance sale.

As for Thrust, that's is a great mold. I have the Starscream version so I don't feel the need to have both. Still, I'd love to see more seekers based on that mold. Making Skywarp and Thundercracker would be easy money. Especially as MAINLINE figures, not damn hard to find exclusives.

Nice pickups Bee!

So to jump in on the discussion:

Sideswipe: Sideswipe is a good mold, and I actually think the RotF one improves on the DotM one. Mine holds together much better, the paint work is definitely better, and I have no had any issue with weapons storage in either mode. In fact, the RotF one made robot mode gun storage more secure. I recommend him and I do really enjoy him.

Bumblebee: I will also throw my hat in that this is probably the best deluxe movie Bumblebee figure made. I love it so much, it has a lot of good stuff going for it. I only wish SS figures from the 5 Bay movies got the ankle tilts all Bee movie figures seem to get.

Sentry: I originally skipped on that mold for a while, and when I finally got Stinger I regretting missing it. I managed to get a Sentry for cheap, and I enjoy that toy a lot. The blue they used is really really nice, and the lightpiping is sublime. I wish I could have bought 3 of it and 3 of the Shadow Raider, both are good and would have been great army builders.

Thrust: I have a soft spot for the Bee movie seeker mold, it is really nice and chunky and feels so good in hand. Thrust and Starscream have both ruled, and it is awesome to me that they used Armada Thrust for the base. The new head and cone addition make him stand out as well.

You got 4 good figures there! I didn't get any live action transforming toys for Christmas, but I did get the Jada Bee and Crosshairs, who will eventually look really nice with their robot mode counterparts!

So I've finally gotten the original Rotf Devastator, and he is pretty cool. It's really cool to see him next to the upgraded SS version. Crazy how far it advanced in 11 years. Hopefully 2023 has some more bayverse figures but if the rumors of galvatron and the fallen do come out in 2022, it will be a great year.

LinaNui wrote:So I've finally gotten the original Rotf Devastator, and he is pretty cool. It's really cool to see him next to the upgraded SS version. Crazy how far it advanced in 11 years. Hopefully 2023 has some more bayverse figures but if the rumors of galvatron and the fallen do come out in 2022, it will be a great year.

Unpopular opinion I know, but I still enjoy that OG Devastator. The mouth and eating you up gimmick is still really cool. The playability is good compared to the new accurate one. Allows for one to be accurate and another to just be a fun fiddle toy.

I also hope Galvatron and the Fallen are true. I am looking forward to getting closer to finishing the casts

Didn't we get a leak about a bunch of exclusive Bee movie jets coming out? I seem to remember the leaker saying Thrust would be regular retail, which ended up being true, but that (I think) Target, Walmart, and Amazon were getting Thundercracker, Skywarp and someone else. Haven't heard anything since, not even in the big leak dumps we've gotten recently.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:Didn't we get a leak about a bunch of exclusive Bee movie jets coming out? I seem to remember the leaker saying Thrust would be regular retail, which ended up being true, but that (I think) Target, Walmart, and Amazon were getting Thundercracker, Skywarp and someone else. Haven't heard anything since, not even in the big leak dumps we've gotten recently.

Emerje

According to listings, Thundercracker is going to be a mainline release as well, in voyager wave 3 next year along with AOE Galvatron.

Other than that I don’t think we’ve heard anything.

EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:

Emerje wrote:Didn't we get a leak about a bunch of exclusive Bee movie jets coming out? I seem to remember the leaker saying Thrust would be regular retail, which ended up being true, but that (I think) Target, Walmart, and Amazon were getting Thundercracker, Skywarp and someone else. Haven't heard anything since, not even in the big leak dumps we've gotten recently.

Emerje

According to listings, Thundercracker is going to be a mainline release as well, in voyager wave 3 next year along with AOE Galvatron.

Other than that I don’t think we’ve heard anything.

If I'm remembering right, that rumor went through 3 different iterations so far:
1. The initial mention was Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Thrust as exclusives
2. Thrust gets shifted to the mainline & replaced in the rumor by Sunstorm and Redwing
3. Retail listing for Thundercracker appears with no commentary from leakers

Nemesis Primal wrote:

EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:

Emerje wrote:Didn't we get a leak about a bunch of exclusive Bee movie jets coming out? I seem to remember the leaker saying Thrust would be regular retail, which ended up being true, but that (I think) Target, Walmart, and Amazon were getting Thundercracker, Skywarp and someone else. Haven't heard anything since, not even in the big leak dumps we've gotten recently.

Emerje

According to listings, Thundercracker is going to be a mainline release as well, in voyager wave 3 next year along with AOE Galvatron.

Other than that I don’t think we’ve heard anything.

If I'm remembering right, that rumor went through 3 different iterations so far:
1. The initial mention was Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Thrust as exclusives
2. Thrust gets shifted to the mainline & replaced in the rumor by Sunstorm and Redwing
3. Retail listing for Thundercracker appears with no commentary from leakers

Hold up, when were Redwing and sunstorm rumored? I haven't heard those 2. I know there was talk of Sunstorm when that desaturated Starscream was used for a Premium series photoshoot, but otherwise I haven't heard a thing about those 2.

I heard Skywarp and TC were the other 2. I'm thinking Skywarp will be an Amazon exclusive

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

Nemesis Primal wrote:

EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:

Emerje wrote:Didn't we get a leak about a bunch of exclusive Bee movie jets coming out? I seem to remember the leaker saying Thrust would be regular retail, which ended up being true, but that (I think) Target, Walmart, and Amazon were getting Thundercracker, Skywarp and someone else. Haven't heard anything since, not even in the big leak dumps we've gotten recently.

Emerje

According to listings, Thundercracker is going to be a mainline release as well, in voyager wave 3 next year along with AOE Galvatron.

Other than that I don’t think we’ve heard anything.

If I'm remembering right, that rumor went through 3 different iterations so far:
1. The initial mention was Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Thrust as exclusives
2. Thrust gets shifted to the mainline & replaced in the rumor by Sunstorm and Redwing
3. Retail listing for Thundercracker appears with no commentary from leakers

Hold up, when were Redwing and sunstorm rumored? I haven't heard those 2. I know there was talk of Sunstorm when that desaturated Starscream was used for a Premium series photoshoot, but otherwise I haven't heard a thing about those 2.

I heard Skywarp and TC were the other 2. I'm thinking Skywarp will be an Amazon exclusive

They were mentioned on one of the 2-3 leak threads that TFW had that got shut down by their mods months ago, which is where a lot of correct stuff like the Kingdom Battle Across Time sets and the Shattered Glass line were first rumored and where all this Seeker talk started to begin with, and there's a user over there that's compiled all of the current leaks from there and elsewhere in a list on their Legacy thread. With Thrust and now Thundercracker as retail figures, the remaining BB Seekers that were mentioned are a Walmart-exclusive Skywarp, a BBTS-exclusive Redwing, and an EE-exclusive Sunstorm. The first rumor had Skywarp at Walmart, Thrust at I think Amazon, and Thundercracker at Target with no mention of the other 2, then when Thrust became a retail figure Redwing and Sunstorm were added to the rumor. Considering 2/5 have now been moved though, I currently am kinda just waiting to see what happens rather than sitting here going "Sunstorm is confirmed and releasing this way and this is a fact".

Plus I would still much rather a WFC/Legacy Tetrajet Sunstorm show up than this anyway.

Sunstorm should come out of the ER mold.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Sunstorm should come out of the ER mold.

We had this argument already in a different thread.

OK, that makes sense.

for the record, I welcome a sunstorm and Redwing from the Bee movie seeker mold. It is a great mold, so i will welcome more of it.

though if we get 5 seekers from it, would it be bad if i hope that Redwing or Sunstorm uses the thrust conehead, and maybe Skywarp uses the gas mask head? I would like to see SS give us a completely different and unconventional Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp using 3 different molds: movie 1 Starscream, Nitro Zeus retool to Thundercracker, and a Skywarp with a gas mask from the bee movie?

Nemesis Primal wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Sunstorm should come out of the ER mold.

We had this argument already in a different thread.

I'm not arguing, I'm making a statement. I wouldn't care if the Siege mold or Bee Blitzwing mold also got a Sunstorm deco, I just want to see the ER mold get 1 as well. I still don't see why all seeker molds don't get one, repaints are very easy, and I'm sure a lot of us would have preferred Sunstorm to either Hotlink or the Sparkless.

I wonder if the reason Hasbro's been holding off on making Sunstorm is because they're waiting to use the Coronation Starscream tooling after that figure's release first.

Sabrblade wrote:I wonder if the reason Hasbro's been holding off on making Sunstorm is because they're waiting to use the Coronation Starscream tooling after that figure's release first.

Very much a possibility. But why? I don't recall Sunstorm ever rocking a cape and crown in any fiction. I think he had it in the MP-11S release, but that's it. Unless I missed another Sunstorm that also had it.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I'm not arguing, I'm making a statement.

Fair enough.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I'm sure a lot of us would have preferred Sunstorm to either Hotlink or the Sparkless.

Sparkless I agree on, Hotlink no though, doing any combination of Sunstorm, Hotlink, & Bitstream without all 3 of them existing is wrong to me and doing Sunstorm instead of Hotlink wouldn't have changed that level of completion.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:I wonder if the reason Hasbro's been holding off on making Sunstorm is because they're waiting to use the Coronation Starscream tooling after that figure's release first.

Very much a possibility. But why? I don't recall Sunstorm ever rocking a cape and crown in any fiction. I think he had it in the MP-11S release, but that's it. Unless I missed another Sunstorm that also had it.

To give him special treatment, since he's the most famous of the non-main six Seekers.

Well, I'm a seeker slut, so I'll just take a Siege Sunstorm, a ER Sunstorm and a Bee movie Sunstorm and be done with it.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:Well, I'm a seeker slut, so I'll just take a Siege Sunstorm, a ER Sunstorm and a Bee movie Sunstorm and be done with it.

I just want to recreate that scene of the Autobots against all those seekers, so I'm down.

Oh and I got some new Studio Series toys, ROTF Bee and Jolt. Both are fine. Jolt felt very ROTF type but refined. He was a joy to transform and I like the alt mode. We don't get a lot of 4 door bots. I still have to write a list on that (would basically be him, and lots of Ironhides).

And yes, I agree, this Bumblebee is the best Bay era Bee from the Studio Series line. I just really wish he came with both a masked head and a non masked head.
However, when looking at Bees in general, I actually quite like the B127 mold and Jeep Bee. I just really love their designs.

Sabrblade wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:I wonder if the reason Hasbro's been holding off on making Sunstorm is because they're waiting to use the Coronation Starscream tooling after that figure's release first.

Very much a possibility. But why? I don't recall Sunstorm ever rocking a cape and crown in any fiction. I think he had it in the MP-11S release, but that's it. Unless I missed another Sunstorm that also had it.

To give him special treatment, since he's the most famous of the non-main six Seekers.

Which is why he should have been the 1st repaint released IMO.

william-james88 wrote:
However, when looking at Bees in general, I actually quite like the B127 mold and Jeep Bee. I just really love their designs.

I love how they reshelled the skeleton and used the same transformation, but reversed the orientation of the car/jeep shell with the front becoming the feet on B-127 and the back becoming the feet for Jeep Bee. It gives both a different feel when transforming despite sharing the engineering.

Got lucky this afternoon, my wife found SS BB Movie Soundwave at our local Walmart in Nixa, Missouri. Haven’t messed with him much, other than removing him from the package. I’m happy with him!

SGM

I saw a pair of SS BB Soundwaves and a Hot Rod at Walmart yesterday or the day before. Picked the figure up, pondered it.... and put it back. I may come back for it but right now I don't have an interest in getting EVERY Bumblebee movie character. The deluxe wave will be taken as they come.

I saw BB Soundwave yesterday for the first time. There were 2 of him. If Hotrod is his wave mate. Odd that the older toy was bought, and the 2 Soundwave's weren't.

o.supreme wrote:I saw BB Soundwave yesterday for the first time. There were 2 of him. If Hotrod is his wave mate. Odd that the older toy was bought, and the 2 Soundwave's weren't.

Maybe hot rod is simply more popular.