 Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine
also, a blue Ravage on a leash
Transformers x G.I. Joe Collaborative Set
Item No.: No. F7138
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Soundwave, Ravage, Zartan, Zarana, blasters, knife, backpacks, leash, mask, stands, garden weasel, pistol
Action Feature: Converts from truck to robot, also tape to cat bot
Retail: $99.99??
Availability: ??? 2024
Other:Vehicle also has a battle mode where other figures can ride it
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I initially passed on the Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine with Zarana and Zartan because the H.I.S.S. seemed expensive. Once you don't start a collection it's really easy to keep not buying. I wound up with this gift set after finding it at Ross for $24.99, and it truly does feel like a preesnt to get so much at once. It's a big box with Soundwave and Ravage, plus two carded 3 3/4-inch retro O-Ring G.I. Joe figures. It's kind of a shame this collection didn't continue, because $80-$90 for 1 big bot and 1 figure isn't nearly as enticing as 2 bots and 2 figures for roughly the same price.
Soundwave is very large at 10-inches tall. The blue redeco Ravage is more or less the same size as the G1 toy, and seems to be cast from the Masterpiece Edition mold. Zartan and Zarana are new 3 3/4-inch scale molds based on 1980s designs, with modifications. $100 for a Leader-size Soundwave (admittedly, simpler) with two retro figures and a Masterpiece tape was a good deal - no wonder this set is expensive two years later.
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Soundwave is an absolute giant at 10-inches tall. It's not a Masterpiece or Studio Series-level toy in terms of engineering, but it does feel like a toy. The opaque chest drops open (no springs) and has room for the included Ravage tape. You can mount the blaster on his shoulders or in his hands. He has a knife you can put on his boot, or have him carry it around.
Articulation is about on par with most modern collector figures. No, the wrists don't swivel, but it's better than anything you got during G1 and feels a lot like what I wished Armada would be like. He has big, chunky joints that are sturdy and work properly. There are a few bits you have to yank off during conversion and reassemble, but that's by design and a small price to pay for a working toy vehicle at the end.
He has a big knife, plus the vehicle's engine block guns can be a handheld weapon. The jet engine takes the place of his shoulder battery. It's a pretty great load-out, and if this was all we got in the box I'd be pretty happy with it. Transformation was a little challenging - getting the legs to tab in place was rough. Once you massage everything to vehicle mode, you get a stickers-applied Dreadnok Thunder Machine. There are foot pegs on the sides plus seating for two inside. It's pretty remarkable that this vehicle mode hides almost all Soundwave parts and pieces out of the way. I was instantly charmed by how well it turned out. While I never had the original, non-transforming G.I. Joe Thunder Machine I found this looked like the pictures and felt like other Joe vehicles.
The set also includes a Ravage toy. It's the Masterpiece edition tape design, but feels a little cheaper. The back split body pieces don't quite line up in cat mode on my sample, but otherwise he looks pretty great and is an excellent choice for this set. He includes a little leash so 3 3/4-inch figures can take him for walkies. He has a very good range of movement with built-in cannons and a cuter kitty face. The mouth is partially open, and it's a pretty simple transformation. Had they left it out I wouldn't have missed it, but its inclusion makes the entire set seem worth the higher asking price on the secondary market.
The set is bolstered by two carded figures, each on thin cardbacks with bubbles that almost pop right off so be careful. Zarana and Zartan each come on traditional cardbacks (minus a white border) and look pretty great. Zarana is a pretty heavy redesign. She includes the 1980s' figure's second head (the "no earrings" variant) and adds a pair of earrings. The upper arms ditched the Zartan armor, and are now just bare with a tattoo on the left one. The back of her short shirt is now flat without the pleats, and her pants aren't quite as low-riding as they were before. She still includes her Garden Weasel gun, but her backpack is now cast in black plastic. There's also a display stand.
A departure from his 1980s release, Zartan finally gets his single-card America-card o-ring debut. Funskool had one for India (and elsewhere), Takara had one in Japan. Vintage carded collectors will probably want to buy this set just to have a Zartan on the card. Openers may lament the lack of the Chameleon swamp skier, but Hasbro did throw in some nice extras. You still get the backpack, the mask, and the pistol - but both sides of the body armor are removable. Also, there are no stickers. Zartan's chest armor is now a little more silver, but aside from that he's pretty close to what you may imagine when you think of the original toy. The sculpt isn't exactly as sharp, but for the price? This is great. He fits in the vehicle, the back armor comes off, and so does his thigh armor. The mask is unconvincing as ever, which is to say Hasbro nailed the design.
I am not sure why, but this set got real expensive after its trip to the closeout stores. We live in an era where individually packaged o-ring figures are $20-$25, where Leader-size robots are $60, and where a Masterpiece tape is about $28. Bundling too much disparate stuff together in a box might have been off-putting for some, but it's a nice item and would probably be a great line to continue with other licenses too. Figure-and-vehicle play was an important part of the 1970s, 1980s, and some of the 1990s. Now all we do is buy figures and line them up on a shelf, or store them. Toys like this ask you to bring more figures out and to go for a little ride, which is arguably more fun than anything any individual item would provide. It's more than a vehicle you look at or roll on your desk - it's a real toy, with toy drivers, and they made it for you to play with. That's rare in the world of collector toys, so I'm happy we got it.
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
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