REVIEW: DX9 Toys - War in Pocket - X33 Sonic Wizard (Soundwave)
As a kid, I grew up watching G1 Transformers with my uncle and envied his collection. Ultra Magnus, Galvatron, Skylynx, Metroplex, and more were kept on a high shelf, way out of my reach. Naturally, Transformers became a franchise I had an affinity to as a grew older. I followed Beast Wars (or Beasties in Canada) and started my own humble collection including Optimus Primal, Megatron, and a few more. Before high school, I packed those toys away, but was drawn back in when the Michael Bay Transformers reboot hit the big screen. My inner (and outer) child screamed and the itch to collect was back in full-force. Working full-time allowed me to feed the habit and before long, I collected most of the Hasbro line from the first three movies. Again, those eventually made their way to storage and the Transformers craze subsided.
That was until I learned about Revoltech. A Japanese toy manufacturer with a unique, patented joint system that opened my eyes to a whole new level of collectibles. I quickly scooped up all the G1 figures I could find, but I was kinda bummed out when I found out that Revoltech limited their Transformers run to Starscream, Megatron, Hot Rod, and two Convoys (Optimus and Ultra Magnus repaints). The original G1s didn't do it for me, and nothing that was stocked it stores complemented my new collection. I also didn't want to make the leap to Takara Tomy or Hasbro Masterpieces due to factors like size, scale, and the obvious drastic price hike, and I thought all was lost. That was until I learned about third-party Transformers.
Typically, I'm an official, name-brand, kinda guy, but these third-party (3P) manufacturers were (and still are) absolutely killing it! Sculpt, engineering, variety, scale, articulation... you name it and they seemed to be blowing Takara Tomy/Hasbro out of the water. Now don't get it twisted. 3P and knock-off (KO) in this particular case, are NOT the same because you can actually find both in this category. 3P would be a manufacturers unique take and custom engineering of a Transformer, whereas a KO would be exactly what it sounds like (a remould, identical copy of an official toy). I looked and looked, and finally found a few potential 3P manufacturers that had some figs to help me fill the gaps in my G1 collection.
ENTER DX9
Since I had a Megatron and Starscream, the next Decepticon I sought out was Soundwave. I found a Mech Planet Hot Soldiers version called Sound Board, and the figure looked great, but the cassettes (NOT Laserbeak, NOT Ratbat, and NOT Ravage) were pretty crude. Some of them weren't even included with the figure! Finally, I stumbled on DX9's Sonic Wizard. True G1 style, with THREE cassette bots! I couldn't resist, so I pulled the trigger and purchased my first 3P from TF Source Canada. It looks and feels like a quality toy, and the cassette bots put Mech Planet to shame. The only issue (which is a personal thing and my error) is that the scale is a bit too small for my existing G1 Revoltechs. Sonic Wizard is a full inch (OOPS) shorter than Megatron and Starscream. I guess I should have taken a look at the specs a little closer before I ordered, but I'm happy nonetheless. I know I'll be able to fake it if I use the right angles in my Toy Bacon photography.
Speaking of which, I uploaded a small gallery of vanilla shots below. Take a look and let me know what you think! You can also check out my YouTube review below, or buy a Sonic Wizard of your own Sonic Wizard at TFSource.
Transform and Roll Out!
