The Most Elusive Comic-Con Exclusive Winds His Way To Retail

Everyone knew Hasbro’s Transformers Masterpiece Soundwave would bit hitting Toys’R’Us shortly after his debut at last week’s San Diego Comic-Con, but that didn’t stop fans from going crazy trying to get him.

Retailing for $119.99 at Toys’R’Us and appearing on store shelves as we (and Seibertron.com) speak, Masterpiece Soundwave made his North American debut at the Entertainment Earth booth at Comic-Con on Wednesday night — that’s when I picked mine up. When the show started up officially on Thursday, EE decided to sell the piece raffle-style, with eager fans signing up for a chance to buy him. A chance.

I guess I can’t blame them. I mean, look at this beautiful bastard.

I shipped my purchases home from Comic-Con on Friday, and they just arrived yesterday. It was like Christmas, only I already knew what I was getting, so exactly like Christmas then.

Soundwave is the product of a simpler time in Transformers lore, when mass-displacement accounted for size changing, and cassette tapes were a thing.

Soundwave was the home of little people and creatures. A xenobiologist might call them parasites.

Best parasites ever.

My favorites are Rumble and Frenzy, or Frenzy and Rumble, depending on who you believe.

But you gotta love the detail on the birds, from the tiny camera popping up on their foreheads, to the way they peg into Soundwave’s forearms.

Masterpiece Soundwave has transformed from San Diego Comic-Con exclusive to Toys’R’Us exclusive. He’s a little pricey, but with five cassettes, a Megatron pistol, and a plastic Energon cube you can affix to his chest to simulate his primary function in the 80’s cartoon, the unchrasamatic wonder is so worth it.