Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Soundwave for the 21st Century, 16 May 2008
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars
It's easy to get a little jaded when faced with an update of a classic toy, particularly when that toy happens to be Soundwave, arguably the Transformer that defined the genre. In this case, however, Soundwave as an mp3 player is something that fans for years have been crying out for and at long last Takara have obliged, although this technically isn't an update of Soundwave (a blue version is available, if you can find it) but one made in the style of a Japan-only toy called Sound Blaster. Ok this might seem like little more than a cheap re-colour cash-in on the part of Takara, but I actually prefer the black version to the blue, not only because I think it looks cooler but also because it arguably looks more like a proper music player.
In the box you'll find Soundwave himself, a pair of white in-the-ear phones and various hands and gun accessories, but no memory card or battery. To get it working you'll need a single AAA battery and a mini-SD card - Takara say that it can take up to 1GB although other users have reported that their 2GB cards seem to work fine. The toy itself is somewhat smaller than the original Soundwave, pretty easy to transform and made of the kind of plastic you'd probably expect, with only parts of the limb joints being made of metal. The whole thing feels quite sturdy although perhaps a little bulky; all in all, not something you'd want to take out jogging or cycling if you have another player handy.
As an mp3 player (and for the price) this is actually pretty mediocre, with only a very simple interface (play/pause, forward, rewind and volume up and down buttons) and no screen. You have to transfer music to the mini-SD card before putting it into the player (it slots into the chest in the same way classic Soundwave's cassettes did - very cool) because there is no interface for connecting the player to a PC directly. Sound quality is fairly poor and mid-range heavy, although this is perhaps better than it being too full of bass or treble.
But let's be honest, you're not going to buy this either for its play value or for its mp3-playing ability, you're going to buy it because it's Soundwave, updated for the 21st Century. It's probably not something you're going to want to carry around with you every day, but it is a very good update of an absolutely classic toy that no self-respecting Transformers fan should be without. Whether or not it is destined to become a future collector's item I guess remains to be seen
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4.0 out of 5 stars
This takes me back...., 26 Oct 2008
Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars
i bought this for my son
'loved this, could have done with a screen, but otherwise a fantastic peice of work. The instructions are all in japanese, but if you know vaguely what you are doing, you should have no problems. Make sure you have a mini SD handy and a way to get music off your pc. Admiitedly it is expensive for an MP3 player without a screen, and it is a little bulky, but unless you are going to be dashing about with this thing, that shouldn't be a problem. A nice, sturdy little toy/MP3 player, for transformers fans....its fun too.'
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