Masterpiece Destron Laserwave - Shockwave

As a space cannon, Shockwave does not disappointment. The handle fits well in my hands and the trigger has a good feel. I went around "pew pewing" at my kids until they got annoyed with me. I didn't test out the light-up feature because I don't have any of those small batteries.

Transformation is ridiculously simple. Unlike Quakewave, the legs unfold and form from panels that peg together rather than having to be yanked on. I don't like having to pull on his head to lock the neck panel into place. The front of the cannon folds neatly away as a backpack without needing any parts-forming. The one bit of parts-forming with the display stand is optional. It becomes a cover for his backpack, but it pegs to his back with clear plastic. Fortunately, the trigger tucks away into his abdomen and is covered by a sliding panel.

Shockwave seems a little on the short side, but his line work and aesthetic design are done very well. His color seems a little light, but it could be because I'm so used to seeing the darker Quakewave and Quakeblast on my shelf for so long. I don't like his feet though. They are really thin and are not centered (maybe I skipped a step in transformation). They definitely remind me of the G1 toy. I like Quakeblast's stompers the most. Quakeblast has the most impressively beefy silhouette of the three, with his broader head, shoulders, chest, legs, and feet. Shockwave's hose is done the best, basically being a long spring rather than a rubber hose, but it sticks out the back of his shoulder rather than the backpack. I think a part of his feet is die-cast.

His head is on a ball joint. His shoulders are on double jointed, ratched hinges and ratcheted swivels. This thumb is fixed and his fingers are single pinned. He has single jointed, ratcheted elbows and knees. He swivels at the elbows, wrist, and thighs. He does not rotate at the waist. His hips are on universal joints. He has ankle rockers and ratcheted ankle tilts.

His accessories include the hose for self assembly, one solid articulated left hand (why?), one clear cannon, one clear articulated right hand, one clear right chopping hand, one solid right chopping hand, and one miniature alt-mode cannon. All the hands and cannons swap easily via a large socket that includes the wrist. Batteries are not included, but I don't mind since I always take them out.

Despite being an official Masterpiece figure, I'm probably going to display Shockwave on my CHUG shelf. He's not so large that he would look too ridiculous next to the mostly Voyager size figures from assorted lines in my CHUG display. Value-wise, Quakewave and Quakeblast are the better buys, Quakeblast even more so. Both are better scaled for the Masterpiece line, being larger figures with better engineering than Shockwave. He is not a bad figure. It's just that Fans Toys and Cloud 9 have really knocked theirs out of the park.