Dave's Transformers R.E.D. Rant - Wave 6

Galvatron (TFtM)
Shockwave (G1)

Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Gen/RED6

CAPSULES

$25 price point.

Galvatron: Nice solid figure that looks good and poses fairly well. One
of the accessories is a bit weak, although points for even trying, I
suppose. Recommended.

Shockwave: G1-accurate and pretty solid apart from some hip flaps that
pop off too easily. Recommended.

RANTS

Packaging: This has changed somewhat, in keeping with Hasbro's attempts
to minimize plastic waste, although the exterior dimensions are the same.
Gone are the internal plastic blister trays, although they did keep the
window plastic (probably because it's too easy to pop pieces off the
figures). The side window is replaced by a render of what would have been
visible in that window in older-style packaging. (Interestingly, they both
have recycled energy effects: Galvatron has Cheetor's, Shockwave has
Starscream's.) The hangtags are also folded over cardstock instead of
plastic.
Inside, they're secured to cardboard trays via plastic ties, and the
backdrops have gray and white "blueprint" images for the relevant figure.
The accessories that used to go in the side tray are now bound up in folded
tissue paper in that gap in the box. There's a separate cardstock divider to
keep that area on its own even after you pull out the main tray.

DECEPTICON: GALVATRON
Assortment: F3408
Series: Transformers the Movie
Accessories: 4 extra hands (grasping and holding, both sides), two Fire
Blasts, Matrix necklace, Grid backdrop

Packaging: Four doubled ties hold the figure to the tray. Most of the
accessories are in the tissue, but the backdrop piece is loose behind the
tray, and a bit subject to having its feet warped.
The box-back render shows the cannon without a hardpoint for the Fire
Blasts, suggesting the decision to give him copies of Cheetor's came later in
the process. Makes sense...if you're going to decide to add Fire Blast
compatibility late in the game, might as well use Fire Blast molds that
already exist.
The shredding colors on the box side are both Decepticon Purple and a
bit of yellow to orange from his cannon.

Robot Mode: This is about as close as you can get to the animation model
from the movie with a few minor exceptions. One, the aforementioned remold
of the cannon leaves it with a tip that's a 5mm (or so) peg with a 2mm hole
down the middle. Two, it's missing the red paint from the top of the
shoulder towers. Three, the dark gray in animation is black here, but that
could simply be a matter of interpretation, since solid black tends not to
get used in 1980s cel animation. The shade of desaturated light purple is a
little warmer, but it's hard to find consistency on that point even in the
original material. He's otherwise got all the Flory Dery roundness, the big
spike sticking up in back, the abdomen windows, and so forth. He even has
the little tank treads on the backs of his upper arms.
6.5" (16.5cm) to the top of the head, 7" (17.5cm) to the top of the
backpack spike, in a mix of desaturated light puruple, very light gray, and
black, with accents in red and orange. Desaturated light purple is used for
the head, torso, shoulders, upper arms, forearms, fists, and pelvis. Very
light gray plastic is used for the neck, elbows, cannon, abdomen "four-pack",
belt, hip flaps, and everything from the hips on down on the main figure.
Note, the joint pieces and hip flaps are a softer light gray plastic than the
cannon, thighs, shins, or feet.
There's light gray paint (good match) on the face, the collar, the tops
of the shoulder towers, details on the outer faces of the biceps, and the
inner corners of the elbows. A purple paint that's a little lighter than the
plastic is found on the thigh armor. Most of each shoulder tower is painted
black, as are the goatee, the tank treads, the outer faces of the hip flaps,
details around the boot tops and shins, the calves, and the bottom edges of
the feet. Bright red paint is found on the eyes, the abdominal windows, the
belt buckle, trapezoids on the hip flaps, and the hexagonal centers of the
kneecaps. There's a warmer violet Decepticon symbol with no outline printed
on the center of the chest, and the bulbous cannon barrel is painted
yellowish orange with a little attempt at a metallic sparkle.
Surprisingly, the back spike does not come off, it's either glued in
place, part of the same piece as the rest of the back, or wedged in so
tightly I couldn't get it to budge.
Ball joint neck, although the necklace accessory gets in the way a
little if you're not careful. Universal joint shoulders, swivels between
shoulder and bicep (treads attached to the bicep part), double hinge elbows,
the usual peg-and-hinge wrists. The abdomen hinge is nicely integrated into
the abdominal detailing, so it doesn't come across as weird-looking. Swivel
waist below the belt, hinged flaps on the hip armor. Restricted ball joint
hips, upper thigh swivels, double knee hinges with the kneecap armor on the
middle piece rather than on the boots. Technically two way hinges and a
swivel on each ankle, but there's not much room to move and there's some soft
ratcheting which results in it being hard to get the feet into good
positions. The cannon is glued in place, and compatible with the recycled
Fire Blasts. There are 3mm sockets under the heels.

Accessories and Option Parts: He comes with a backdrop piece, the Matrix
on a chain, two sets of option hands, and new-color versions of
R.E.D. Cheetor's Fire Blasts.
Okay, bonus points for trying, with the 80s faux computer animated grid
backdrop based on the end of his rebirth sequence. However, it doesn't come
up to his shoulders...it really needed to be closer to the full box size to
really work. It's 4.75" (12cm) tall, 3.5" (9cm) wide, and the little oval
feet are only 0.5" (1.3cm) deep, so it doesn't really stand up well. It's
made of smoky clear platic with molded gridlines that are pained teal on one
side and unpainted on the other...the mold has indented lines on both sides.
The feet are basically clip-ons, but they were glued in place so you can't
remove them in favor of something better. (It feels like the panel will
break before the glue does.)
The Matrix on a chain is made of the softer very light gray plastic,
with silver paint on the handles, gold on the housing, and bright matte blue
on the core. The chain part itself is unpainted. The gaps in the handles
are filled, so even if it were big enough for his gripping hands, there's
nowhere for the fingers to go through. Both the front and back are painted,
and there's no attempt to peg it down to his chest, so it can look like it's
swinging out a bit as a result.
The default hands are closed fists, but there's two other sets. One is
gripping, they could hold a gun if he had one available, or kind of awkwardly
hold onto the Matrix. The other set are clawing "shouting at the heavens in
anger and anguish" sort of hands.
The Fire Blasts are the same mold as Cheetor's, but where his were a
milky cool light purple plastic, these are cast in a more reddish violet and
are clearer.

Overall: The base figure is pretty good, and avoids a lot of the
problems that R.E.D. figures of previous waves have had (such as parts coming
off that really shouldn't). The accessories are a bit wanting, but they did
try to go beyond just extra hands and weapons.

DECEPTICON: SHOCKWAVE
Assortment: F3411
Series: G1
Accessories: Three extra right hands (fist, and clear purple versions of
the fist and his default hand), clear purple alternate blaster tip,
two Fire Blasts, Megatron gun mode.

Packaging: Doubled ties across the chest and each leg, accessories all
in the tissue.
The box-back render has the chest with the same red-violet clear plastic
as the Fire Blasts, if not redder, and the box-side renders have the option
hands and blaster as more of a grape purple. But the chest, hands, and
blaster are more of a light purple, kind of milky.
The shredding accent color is a warm purple, and the package art has him
holding Megatron in gun mode.

Robot Mode: This is sort of a compromise between the purely animated
model and the clear chest of the toy. The result is mostly light purple with
gray-for-silver, but a milky semi-clear very light purple panel on the chest
through which some molded tech details can be seen (based loosely on the
circuit board inside the original toy). The hose connecting the left
shoulderblade to the left forearm is not removable, but the backpack is.
6.5" (16.5cm) tall, mostly light purple and light gray. A warmish light
purple plastic with surface texturing that kinda fakes a faintly metalflake
look is used for the head, most of the torso, upper arms, forearms, most of
the pelvis, and the boots. The backpack (same color as the chest) and hose
(a warmer shade) are a slightly more rubbery version of this plastic, or at
least thin enough to feel softer. A cooler light purple plastic is used for
the shoulder joints, while oddly a darker warm light purple is used for the
knee joints, makes me wonder if they just got a lot of batch variation.
Light gray plastic is used for the elbow joints, regular hand and blaster
hand, hip flaps, hip struts, thighs, and feet. (Mine only has the left hip
flap, but by the time I noticed that, I couldn't be sure if it was a factory
defect or if I'd accidentally popped the right one off and lost it.) The
chest front panel is, as mentioned, a cloudy transparent very light purple
plastic.
There's very light gray paint on the "ears," the not-a-gun grips on the
outer faces of the boots, and details on the backpack. I think the details
behind the chest window are also painted this color. Oddly, the wrist cuffs
are a slightly silvery light gray paint instead. There's a dark purple
Decepticon symbol printed on the top of the left forearm (the gun one). The
interior of the "face" is dark gloss purple, with the optic painted bright
yellow.
Restricted ball joint neck, smooth swivel waist, and the abdomen bending
hinge is mostly hidden inside the chest so it doesn't look weird when used.
Universal joint shoulders, swivels just above the hinge elbows, the usual
R.E.D. wrist peg-and-hinge deal (although the gun barrel hand isn't meant to
move around). There's hinged flaps over the ball and socket hips, there's
upper thigh swivels, double hinge knees (unlike Galvatron the kneepad stays
with the boot rather than being on the knee piece), and somewhat restricted
universal joint ankles.
The default right hand is positioned to hold a gun with a trigger, while
the default left "hand" is a light gray cannon barrel that ends in a long 3mm
rod. There's 3mm sockets in the soles of the feet, and that's basically it.
Okay, the optic is roughly 3mm in diameter too, so if you borrowed a Fire
Blast from another toy that could fit into the space around the optic, he
could shoot an eyebeam. The backpack uses a pair of 4mm pegs, so nothing is
really gained by leaving the backpack off.