Shadow Panther and Ravage [Swapticons]

Continuing our journey through the Summer of Swapticons is a duo of black cats. Obviously, whenever you get a Cheetor and Tigatron, Shadow Panther and Ravage are coming. Well, Cheetor and Tigatron were in the first series of Swapticons, so we've got Ravage and Shadow Panther here in Series 2.

For a change, Tigatron and Ravage aren't repaints of Cheetor. Instead, Tigatron was a new mold and Ravage is a repaint of Tigatron. Both turn into a butt.

Funnily enough, in the past, the infamous Ravage X-9 toy was a heavy remold and repaint of the Transmetal Cheetor figure and was later repainted into Tigatron for a BotCon 2001 exclusive figure. That's a toy I have and a BotCon I've attended.

It was a good time, and due to the layout of the hotel, the dealer room was split into a larger and smaller set of rooms. It's 2026, 25 years later, and I can still smell that smaller dealer room. Good lord, the amount of body odor in that small space was a crime against humanity.

Funnily enough, the following BotCon in 2002 also featured an exclusive made from a Cheetor toy that hasn't made another appearance yet: CatSCAN. I'd love to see a new version of him.

That BotCon, however, is where a story about Shadow Panther comes from.

There I was in the dealer room (only one that year, more room to breathe) and came across a table selling Ravage X-9 figures for $60 each. That was a steal, even back then, and as I reached into my pockets... I realized I only had $30 on me at the time.

These were the cash-only days at conventions, so I found myself rushing to the ATM... which was out of cash. Dammit.

I had been staying at the convention's overflow hotel, which was about two blocks away, and had stopped at an ATM somewhere in the middle of the walk to the convention center. Remembering that ATM, I made a mad dash toward it, got some much-needed cash, and hurried the hell back to that dealer.

...he was sold out.

I looked over and saw a guy laughing like Muttley while carrying the stack of them to his dealer table.

Said guy then put a much higher price on his new stock of toys and, out of spite—pure, unadulterated spite—I refused to stop by that booth for the rest of the weekend.

However, the dealer with the decently priced Ravages had a Shadow Panther for $20... and I bought him.

Ever since then, I've felt a kinship with Shadow Panther.

Which rings true about this site. We're the rejects and the weirdos that get overlooked while someone else gets all the attention and gets overvalued. Ten years in and millions of views later, us rejects are still here flipping the bird.

Speaking of weirdos that don't cost too much, this Shadow Panther comes with Ravage and it's a fun toy of two bots that fit together to make a very long black cat. I talked about the Cheetor and Tigatron toys this set is a repaint of last year, so feel free to check that post out for a more in-depth discussion of the actual toys.

Clearly I've got a fire in my ass today.

Soundwave Dreadnok Thunder Machine with Ravage, Zartan, and Zarana [G.I. JOE x Transformers]

The G.I. JOE X Transformers Collaborative series has turned out some really neat toys, but there’s one I find specifically neater than the others. And that’s the subject of today’s post: Soundwave. Not just any Soundwave though — this one turns into the Thunder Machine! The Dreadnoks have always been among my favorite groups in G.I. JOE, so this particular team-up hits all sorts of thematic high notes for me. It also happens to be a pretty great toy, which makes for prime posting material.

I actually picked this set up at Ross last year around this time. Those in the know are well aware of the phenomenon of liquidation stores — particularly Ross — getting boatloads of semi-recent toys and selling them dirt cheap around Christmas time. This yearly tradition is fondly known as RossCon among toy nerds, and man… getting this set for twenty-something dollars still feels like I committed a crime.

The set isn’t just Soundwave either — he comes with a few extras worth talking about first. Zartan and Zarana are included at a compatible 3¾-inch scale, and they’re even packed on traditional cards inside the box. While these are recreations of the original figures, the presentation gives the whole package a fantastic vintage feel, especially paired with the box that resembles a classic G.I. JOE release.

I do wish Zandar had been included to round out the Dreadnok siblings, and I’m honestly surprised Thrasher — the original Thunder Machine driver — didn’t make the cut. That said, I’m very happy we got two figures instead of the one you might expect.

Both figures come with accessories. Zartan includes his pistol, mask, and backpack — which can actually hold the mask. I don’t know who he’s fooling, Zartan slips the mask under his hood and behold: Liam Neeson. Truly, the master of disguise. Zarana comes with her backpack and that wonderfully weird rifle with the spinning blade on the tip. Both figures also include display stands.

Also included is a surprisingly well-done Ravage. Recent Ravage releases have left a lot to be desired, but this one is genuinely solid. He even transforms into a cassette that fits into Soundwave’s chest. I didn’t realize this at first, but he’s apparently a recolor of the Masterpiece Ravage mold! It’s been so long since I’ve handled mine that I didn’t make the connection — but yeah, no wonder he’s so good.

Ravage isn’t in his usual black and silver colors either; he’s blue and red. While that works nicely for a Cobra-aligned version of the character, it’s actually based on Ravage’s pre-production concept colors from the original Transformers cartoon. It also makes him resemble Howlback or the blue Microcassette Robo MC-02 Jaguar from the Microman Micro Change line. So no — this isn’t just another Ravage among the sea of Ravage toys. He’s quietly carrying a whole chunk of Transformers history. His trademark rockets are molded into his hindquarters, and he comes with a collar and chain accessory that Zartan or Zarana can hold.

Soundwave himself is big. I’d say he’s around Leader Class size, but there’s more mass here than you’d expect. Despite transforming into the Thunder Machine, he still retains a lot of classic Soundwave design cues — including his cassette door chest, which opens to store Ravage. Since Ravage is a Masterpiece cassette, Soundwave could probably hold any MP scaled cassette. Neat.

He’s also very well articulated, allowing for some expressive poses. The Thunder Machine kibble integrates into robot mode fairly well. The roll cage attaches to his lower legs, giving him an almost hockey-goalie look. The vehicle’s front fenders sit on his forearms, creating a unique armored appearance, while the wheels mostly stay out of the way. The roof forms a backpack with a long antenna sticking out — it’s removable if you’d rather not have it there. I kind of wish it doubled as a weapon. Imagine him whipping Autobot ass with that thing.

Several Thunder Machine features convert into weapons. The front dual Gatling gun becomes a handheld chain gun of doom. The barrels rotate and move the ammo belt as they spin, which is oddly satisfying. The massive rocket engine becomes Soundwave’s shoulder cannon, and it’s huge. It honestly makes me think of the Machine Wars version of Soundwave. He also comes with a big military knife, which I find weirdly endearing. Like, if he can’t hit you with bullets or rockets, he’ll just stab you. I imagine him sitting around sharpening sticks with it.

Transformation to vehicle mode is fairly straightforward — I didn’t even need the instructions. A few glances at the back of the box were enough to figure it out. The roll cage and chain gun need to be plugged in, and Zartan and Zarana fit easily inside the cabin to drive. Figures can also stand behind the dual chain gun or ride along various points on the vehicle’s exterior.

I had a little trouble getting some parts into place at first, but that was on me — a bit of extra adjusting solved it. Once complete, the Thunder Machine is stable and sturdy. This is a very well-made Transformer, and honestly pretty impressive.

A really nice touch is the vehicle’s design itself. The Thunder Machine is a Mad Max-style mishmash of parts with a rocket engine, and the front end is made from licensed Pontiac Firebird components. That’s such a small detail that could’ve easily been ignored, but it wasn’t.

This is a genuinely premium feeling toy — one I somehow got away with buying for way too little money. Soundwave is visually impressive, loaded with extras, and incredibly unique. What an awesome way to end one hell of a year.

Soundwave with Ravage (Special Galaxy Type) [Defender Version 03-Heavy Metal War]

Buying Blokees by the box tends to get you at least one special version. Defender Versions you get 12 in the box, at least 1 will be one of the various specials. *Neat!* In 03 Heavy Metal War, I got the Special Galaxy Type Soundwave. He's in a metallic paint and comes with Ravage. *Awesome!* Being Halloween time, it's the perfect time to focus on a Ravage toy and this is a good one to take a look at. The Defender Type design fits Soundwave's classic design pretty well.

His classic boxy design combined with the Defender cuteness looks really good. It's got the standard articulation you expect from a Defender... which is a pretty good bit. These little shits can really move. Nicely enough, he's got both his traditional shoulder Concussion Blaster and Rocket Launcher. No generic laser like several of the others have. These weapons were made from the original G1 toy's batteries and are a part of Soundwave's classic image. At this point I shouldn't be surprised in regards to Blokees attention to detail, but I would have been fine if he came with the regular laser. The extra mile taken is much appreciated, however. This is a nice little mini-figure after assembled. The Special Galaxy Type is painted in a metallic paint that just makes him feel more premium. It's super shiny.

Also as a special version, a tiny Ravage is included. Ravage is static and non-articulated, but his inclusion is just really freaking neat! Like, when you think of Soundwave, Ravage is almost always in that mental picture. I don't think I've ever had anything negative to say about a Blokees product, they're definitely in my favorite category when talking about the current state of Transformers. While I'm enamored by anything they do, I think at this point Defender Types may be my favorite thing they do. This little blind box model kit with it's extras feels more important than whatever high end unit is available is out at the moment. Just look at that Ravage!

Bios: Ravage

Bulleting down through the atmosphere at better than 15 times the speed of sound, Ravage considers the data he has already amassed on the small, soft creatures that inhabit this planet. They seem weak and fragile, yet they are the ones that destroyed Megatron. That is a fact he will keep in mind as he penetrates their most sensitive installation. Against such an unpredictable enemy, stealth will be his watchword.

Strength: 6 Intelligence: 9 Speed: 7 Endurance: 7
Rank: 4 Courage: 10 Fireblast: 4 Skill: 8

Living on the edge, not afraid to die

A few weeks ago I spoke about how excited I was for the new Kingdom version of Shadow Panther. Fortunately the Mrs found him a little bit back and I now happily have one. If you don't know who Shadow Panther is, let me educate you a little on him. His bio reads-Outer appearance looks like a Cybertron but in fact he is a Predacon soldier. Shadow Panther specializes in performing surprise attacks from the darkness. He doesn't stop his hunts until he has preyed upon countless Maximals. Depending on release, he may or may not be Ravage. That's because he was originally a Japanese exclusive character, however Hasbro chose to import him when they ran a collectors web store (pre-Hasbro Pule). Initially sold as Shadow Panther, however at some point they renamed the toy Tripredacus Agent.

If you couldn't tell, it's a repaint of Cheetor. However not a direct repaint as Shadow Panther has a different head. The first bath of Beast Wars toys had the mutant head gimmick. This would usually give the figure another head that could be swapped out to represent a battle mask or helmet. When it came to repaints, these mutant heads would usually serve as the new characters head. Shadow Panther normally used the standard Cheetor head, but for this release he has the mutant head. Considering there's another Cheetor likely on the shelf nearby, that's a pretty good idea. Not going to lie either, it's a good choice. Makes him look more savage. With that sickle/whip weapon and the black colors, Shadow Panther looks like the anime shadow warrior the bio makes him out to be. 

The black on yellow with silver colors look as good as ever to me. Silver on black is a classic look and the yellow is so strikingly different that it contrasts nicely. Not to mention, makes me think of a Henshin Cyborg. There's a pretty big Transformers iceberg, and it's probably a coincidence, but the similarity is hard to ignore. As you've guessed by now, I'm happy with this toy. You might be too. The base mold is already a good one and it's a character I have a fondness for. I'm pretty happy that Hasbro went with Shadow Panther for Kingdom. With the Netflix version of Cheetor also available, I would have assumed they'd pass over another use of the mold on the shelf at the same time. Sometimes it's good to be wrong.

Shadow Panther, Best In The World

I'm looking forward to finding Kingdom Shadow Panther at my local stores. I've always liked the guy, it's a simple Cheetor repaint that just works. Part of my admiration for him comes from the way I got the original one. BotCon 2002 I was roaming the dealers room looking for some good deals. The dealers room was a lot more fun back then, more weird stuff, more of a community atmosphere. It really was a different world back then. You may not have known everyone, but you always felt you were part of something. I was looking around and a dealer had the Beast Wars Metals Jaguar X-9 (Beast Wars Ravage) figure for a really good price. I'm blanking a little now on the number, but it was a steal. I realized I only had about $20 bucks on me and needed to use the ATM machine. 

These days almost every dealer has one of those card readers for mobile devices or a way to process your card. Not so much back then, it was a cash only business. This usually meant the ATM's in the convention centers were always out of cash and you'd have to find an nearby one at a moments notice. Which is what happened and I found myself running to the adjacent parking lot machine. By the time I came back, all the X-9's the dealer had were gone and noticeably other dealers now had a X-9 for sale. Also noticeably marked up. While I was there in front of the dealer who originally was selling X-9 for a non-predatory price, I saw he had Shadow Panther really cheap. In box, unopened, super cheap. I had been wanting one and knew a sign from the universe when I see one. 

Soundwave Superior

Another of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs. was the new Netflix War for Cybertron Soundwave. Like all other Netflix Transformers toys, he's exclusive to Walmart and quite the hot commodity right now. While most of the Netflix lines is repaints of prior Siege and Earthrise toys, Soundwave is a remold of his Siege toy. In Siege he had a pretty G1 faithful robot mode and turned into some kind of space ship. Now with a few remolded parts, he can turn into a very faithful version of his G1 tape player mode. 

This gives fans the best homage of the original Soundwave as a Generations toy. Prior to that was the Masterpiece toy which can command a pretty high price these days and may not be as easy to find. Now you can easily go to your local Walmart and pick one up for $40. Not a bad deal at all. Now the only issue is if he's in stock, which results may vary.

Like I said, he's a very faithful recreation of the Soundwave from G1 and looks very much like his cartoon appearance. He even comes with a Laserbeak and Ravage. Those are direct reissues of the Siege versions as far as I can tell. I'm a big fan of the Laserbeak, though Ravage is a much blockier cat than you expect going in. I don't mind it, but there's no ignoring it either.

Soundwave can store a single cassette in his tape door and the eject button opens the door as you'd expect going in. The transformation from robot to tape deck is pretty simple and not very much different from the original G1/Microman toy. You do have to get a few things exactly right or he won't tab together correctly. It's not too hard thankfully.

Soundwave overall is pretty great. I already really liked the Siege version. I can't really complain about an improved version of it. He's classic G1 Soundwave with modern toy upgrades such as plentiful articulation. When you buy this, you know 100% what you're buying it for and you're getting exactly that. 

I'm not sure if he can still change into the spaceship mode the original Siege toy has. I didn't even bother trying, I already have that toy (and Soundblaster) and wanted this for the obvious reasons. I don't really have anything to complain about either. Though have seen some complaints about some of the random gaps in robot mode from part storage in alt mode.

That's kinda a 'is what it is' thing with Transformers though, just going to happen sometimes. I've seen others complain that it's another G1 update, which is another 'is what it is' thing. Hasbro is a big successful company, their going to do what makes them money. That's just how the world works. It is what it is.

For me, Soundwave is another one of those classic characters I just can't get enough of. I don't mind when they get experimental with him or when they do something like this. He's one of the more iconic parts of Transformers and as the line approaches 40 years it's legacy is going to be more and more important. They'll make a brand new looking Batman and release a traditional one right after. They'll be a new bad guy in Star Wars and a updated Darth Vader figure on the hooks as well. That's just how legacy brands work and I don't have a problem with that. I'm happy to have another updated classic Soundwave.

That darn cat

I've been really looking forward to the upcoming Spark Armor figures from Cyberverse and early today the first looks at Cheetor figure popped up. If your dogs started barking like crazy, my bad, that was me. I am absolutely in heaven over this figure. I love Cheetor so very much and getting a new toy of him is something I'll break the sound barrier over.

Cheetor is a much more mechanical cat than his traditional Beast Wars look would suggest, and I dig that. I've always dug the mechanical look of animal based TF's in G1 and it looks great here. Weirdly enough, Cheetors Spark Armor partner is a reuse of the boat that comes with Bumblebee. I don't have any real complaint with that, it just seems odd. Bumblebee often comes with some sort of water themed gimmick as a throwback to his original special ability of being able to swim. Cheetor... not so much, but it doesn't look bad in armor mode at all. I'm guessing it has more to do with compatibility of the molds than anything.

The prospect of a Cheetor mold in a mainline TF line excites me as a fan of Transformers who fondly looks back at the beast era. I really hope for a ton of repaints. Obvious ones like Ravage or Tigatron or even something more obscure like CatScan or Cataclysm would be a great start. Actually a Shadow Panther or Panther from McDonald's Beast Wars Happy Meals would look great too. That's one of the great things about a more simple toy mold like this one, it lends itself to other things easily. Thinking about it, Tigatron with a blue jet armor would make for a great Tigerhawk.

Bumblebee trailer (even newer one)

It's extremely hard to not get excited for this movie.

Henshin Cyborg Jaguar

Now this is neat. Seeing the direct lineage of Henshin Cybord to Diaclone and Microman, I have to wonder exactly how much of a ancestor to Ravage this toy is. It's really cool looking regardless and I appreciate the interaction between it and the other toys in the commercial. I think my favorite part though, is the kids at the end.

And Nightracer too, waiting there for me, yes I do

I don't buy a lot of Masterpiece. I've got a few that I like quite a lot, but I don't buy every one that comes out. Occasionally they put out one that sings to me, and oh my did they.

Shadow Panther is one of those toys that I've always loved. Sure to most he's just a repaint of Cheetor as a quasi Ravage toy. But to me, to me he's special. Maybe I'm just ridiculous, but he was one of those must have toys at the time for me. Even though most fans passed on him at the time or bought one on clearance.

First off, the Cheetor design just really pops in those colors. Second, sue me, I like Ravage repaints of non Ravage toys. Don't know why in particular I like it when a Ravage is made from someone else, but I do.

Third, I have fond memories of buying mine. You see at BotCon 2002 there was a guy selling Ravage X-9's for a really low price. At the time I hadn't had much cash on me and when I saw the price, I ran to the ATM in the hotel. Which was out of cash. So I then ran to the ATM down the street, ran back, and ...

Some turd was walking away with all the Ravage X-9's to another table, in which then got marked with a much bigger price. Well, a snooty 'not shopping from that guy from me' and shortly after saw a guy selling Shadow Panther unopened for next to nothing. I had been wanting one so decided it was a good time to finally get one. So basically, Shadow Panther is basically the mascot for me not putting up with douchebags within the fandom.

I like Shadow Panther.