SDCC 2012 Shockwave and MARS Warehouse Meeting

I'm not usually one for reviews of official product, so bear with me. Also, most respectable sites out there reviewed this piece over a month ago, when it was released. Oops.

At the 2012 San Diego Comic Con, among the already nerd-erecting assortment of exclusive products offered, Hasbro released the GI Joe-Transformers crossover "Shockwave" HISS Tank. Using the most recent incarnation of the HISS from the delayed Retaliation movie, and repainting it in the striking metallic purple and gray color scheme of the classic Decepticon character, Shockwave, this set continues the series started with the SDCC 2011 Skystiker Starscream.

As well received as Starscream was, this Shockwave set tops it in many ways. Where repainting Starscream as a Skystriker was almost obvious to many fans, the more subtle combination of Shockwave and a HISS tank caught many by surprise. The Retaliation HISS has a very modern, almost futuristic design, that is easily lost on the retail movie release. But, once they add a new turret cannon, give it a sharp metallic paint job and adorn it with Decepticon symbols, it plays the part of a Transformer very well.

Also included were a pair of figures, Destro in a beautiful Decepticon allied purple deco, and a Constructicon BAT, a Battle Android Trooper in a classic Constructicon deco, another stroke of brilliance that no one saw coming.

On top of some pretty cool figures, the set has some of the greatest accessories of any recent GI Joe release. Soundwave makes an appearance in his classic tape deck form, complete with removable cassettes, and scaled down to GI Joe size. It is a beautifully sculpted piece, and has a backpack peg to allow it to be carried around by Destro. Possibly one of the coolest accessories of recent years, the suitcase full of money from the Pursuit of Cobra City Stike Destro is reused here as well. Rounding out the list is a repainting of the flatbed dolly and Mass device elements from the 2008 DVD pack, this time used in a clear pink and white to simulate "Energon", the life sustaining substance that the Transformers frequently fight over.

As I mentioned, the HISS itself is absolutely gorgeous. The metallic purple, gray and black color scheme changes the entire feel of the tank, bringing out details that the retail release leaves a bit flat. The new turret cannon, modeled after a vintage Shockwave gun barrel, is well done and brings the look together very well.

Hasbro absolutely outdid themselves with this set. It goes way beyond the Starscream Skystriker in terms of deco design and execution, and sets up an interesting "partnership" in Shockwave and Destro, both of whom tend to play second to their leaders, Megatron and Cobra Commander, both are known to be pragmatic and ruthless, and both would have no problem assuming command in the event of their leader's demise.

The set sold for $59.99 at Comic Con, and there were reports that it sold out by the second day or so. Much like the Starscream, the pre-orders (read: people going to the show that plan to stand in line and get one, but will sell it to you now and deliver later) for this set from eBay sellers topped $200 before it was available, but last I checked, they had leveled off to the $140 mark, give or take, once all the Hasbrotoyshop.com orders had been shipped (it was briefly available there for people who didn't attend the show). A lot of sellers are splitting the set up as well. The Constructicon BAT seems to be the highest ticket item, which I have seen sell for $50 to $80. Destro with some accessories can be found for $25-$40, and the lot of Soundwave and his tapes fetches around $20-$25. Those prices could easily fall with time.

When I finally got my hands on one, I was inspired to do a simple dio scene of the meeting of Destro and Shockwave, which is depicted on the back of the box in the form of a stylized comic page. I have been wanting to do a "high tech warehouse" looking backdrop for a while, something large that I could photograph custom vehicles against. I call this a "MARS Warehouse" and while the initial idea was a simple one, it quickly expanded to include additional figures (I was able to find a couple extra Destros, which I added Iron grenadier heads to for "Decepti-Grenadiers"), background elements like the crane and cherry picker, as well as some cargo boxes and MARS weapons. I'll go into more detail on some of the background elements in a later post.

The Robot Heroes Shockwave was provided by my 2 year old daughter, Fiona. She keeps saying "This is my Shockwave, that is Daddy's Shockwave."