General Information
Release Date: April 2020
Price Point: $19.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: None
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com
- Generations Selects is a fan-dedicated line of figures featuring special edition characters that can’t be found in the main line Decepticon Frenzy, Decepticon Wingthing, Decepticon Skar and Autobot Knok alt modes fit inside the chests of WFC-S25 Soundwave and WFC-S55 Soundblaster figures (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- Fans can add to their Soundwave Spy Patrol collection and unite Frenzy with WFC-S46 Rumble to complete the dynamic duo from the 80s (each sold separately, subject to availability). Now it’s up to you to decide which Decepticon is red or blue!
- Convert Frenzy, Wingthing, Skar, and Knok into cassette-inspired V5, V6, V7, and V8 Sonicsurge Drone Armor modes in 3-4 easy steps
- Package can be flipped inside out to look like a cassette tape. The perfect backdrop to display these figures!
Fans can take their Transformers figure collections to the next level with Generations Selects, a fan-dedicated line of figures featuring fan-favorite, special edition characters you can’t find in the main line. This special edition Generations Selects WFC-GS10 Soundwave Spy Patrol (3rd Unit) 4-Pack is inspired by the G1 mini-cassettes. Decepticon Rumble, Decepticon Wingthing, Decepticon Skar and Autobot Knok alt modes fit inside the chests of WFC-S25 Soundwave and WFC-S55 Soundblaster figures. Includes Generations Selects Micromaster WFC-GS10 Soundwave Spy Patrol (3rd Unit) 4-Pack and instructions.
Background:
In the halcyon days of 2020 (and thereabouts) the Generations Selects sub-line was really going strong with over a dozen releases that were part of Earthrise. Often, these releases were figures that for one reason or another could not be released at mass retail (think Target or Walmart). One of these boxed sets featured four characters labeled as the "Soundwave Spy Patrol 3rd Unit" (a follow up to the Siege Spy Patrol featuring Laserbeak and Ravage and the second set featuring Ratbat and Rumble). In reality, only two of the characters in this set are "Soundwave minions". The other two characters Knock and Skar are actually meant to be teamed up with Earthrise Doubledealer (who I will review at a later time). Every figure in this set is a redeco/retool of figures from the previous Spy Patrols so definitely check out those reviews before this one. I won't go into detail on transformations for this review, instead focusing on the changes made to each figure for this release.
Packaging:
Like many of the figures released for Selects these four figures come packaged in a cardboard box. The top has giant Autobot symbol that looks like it was "spray painted" on the top and the "War for Cybertron" logo on the top and sides. The interior is fun, featuring graphics looking like Old Skool 80's cassette tapes (intended to be a backdrop for the figures). The four figures sit in a plastic tray inside with the instructions under them. I love the cassette tape print down to having a "Side A" and "Side B".
Retailer descriptions of this figure called him "Autobot Knok" while the instructions say "Decepticon Knok", but both names are misnomers. Knok is really not an Autobot or a Decepticon. The character was teamed up with the "Powermaster Mercenary" Doubledealer who would adapt his form and allegiance to whoever paid him the most. As part of his "disguise" Doubledealer was teamed up with two Powermasters. One was the humanoid shaped Knok who was his "Autobot" Powermaster while Skar was a bat who represented his "Decepticon" Powermaster.
While the alt-mode of this figure is "really" a cassette tape, it has the same vague shape of the Powermaster engine that served as G1 Knok's alt=mode. Focusing on the back of the cassette/engine, this figure mostly shows off red and grey plastic. There is a log of paint used on this figure including light blue on the sides and silver with dark blue towards the center. The silver in the middle is roughly equivalent to the grey parts of G1 Knok. I'm not going to really focus on the otherside of the "cassette/engine" since that will get a lot of focus when I look at the robot mode.
The base sculpt for this figure was previously released as Rumble so the alt-mode was meant to be a cassette that fit into Soundwave's chest and you can do the same with this figure. However, if you want to make him more like G1 Knok, you can take the "engine" piece from Doubledealer and attach it to the peg that swings out on the figure to create a G1 engine-like piece. This can then be fit into Doubledealer's chest compartment to look like he has Knok attached to his chest as an engine! I love this bit of interactivity between the two figures.
In robot mode, Knok features a new head sculpt. This piece is based on G1 Knok's head design which looks like the character is wearing a cap with a rounded visor in front and a mouthplate. The body is the same as Rumble's, but the designers painted it with a deco that is meant to evoke the original figure. Silver is heavily used on the head, torso and waist to echo the grey parts of G1 Knok. His arms and legs are mostly red plastic while his fists and thighs are grey plastic. A blue rectangle on the chest is a specific callout to a similar detail on G1 Knok. A bit of extra light blue and dark blue paint is used on each leg around the ankle/foot area. Overall this figure is beautiful and has a surprising amount of paint on it given its size class.
All nine points of articulation in this mode are nice and tight and you can still attach Blast Effects to the ends of his hands.
Hasbro released this figure as Decepticon Frenzy but the product description opens up the possibility of fans calling him Rumble if they wish. That said, his colors are heavily influenced by the blue colors of the G1 Frenzy toy, not the more lavender colors of the animated G1 Rumble so I consider this little guy Frenzy. Given all that, it should not surprise anyone that this figure is a straight up redeco of Siege Rumble.
Frenzy is made up of black and dark blue plastic. A lot of blue paint is used on the back of the cassette. The front (where you can see the robot face) shows off blue, silver and gold paint along with a tiny Decepticon symbol on the robot chest.
Like Rumble, there is a peg on the back of this mode that you can swing out to attach to other figures as a shield. This figure can also fit in the chest compartments of Soundwave and Soundblaster.
The robot mode features some beautiful deco. There is the aforementioned gold and silver on the face and torso, but he also has silver, red and gold colors on his legs that echo the stickers from the G1 Frenzy toy. All the articulation on this figure is nice and tight and Blast Effects can be fit onto the pegs on his fists.
Doubledealer's "Decepticon" Powermaster was Skar, a bat. Was he a smart techno-organic bat? Just a critter they roped in to being a Powermaster? Or was he purely Cybertronian? Just by asking that I've probably given this more thought than anyone who made the original toy did. What we do know is that Skar is a redeco and retool of Siege Ratbat, which is appropriate in terms of his beast mode. Like all the other figures in this pack, this alt-mode is really meant to be one of Soundwave's cassettes. However, for the purposes of teaming this guy up with Doubledealer, you can make this alt-mode an "engine" by attaching the "engine" piece from Doubledealer to the peg on the back of the cassette form. This then fits into the chest compartment on Doubledealer to make it look like he has a Powermaster engine in his chest.
This mode mostly shows off lavender colored plastic with yellow and silver paint. The grey plastic piece in the middle and some of the silver paint in the middle of this mode is a callback to the G1 Skar figure which featured engine details in the middle of its alt-mode.
The beast mode features a new head which was surprising to me. This new head is based on the design of G1 Skar's head which is very different from the Ratbat head. This includes a slightly "meaner" looking face and smaller ears with line details sculpted into it. The rest of the figure is the same as Ratbat.
This mode is made up of lavender plastic. The middle section of the body is painted yellow, another callback to G1 Skar. A bit of silver paint is used for the details that "connect" the main body with the wings. The eyes are painted red.
All five points of articulation are nice and tight on this figure.
In 1990 the Transformers toy line was refreshed with two main sub-groups making up the line up: Action Masters and Micromasters. Action Masters featured non-transforming Transformers figures paired up with partners and vehicles that could transform (don't think too hard about the premise). Soundwave was part of this line and came with a partner named "Wingthing" who transformed from a robotic bat to a "concussion cannon" blaster. So while Wingthing can be seen as one of Soundwave's minions, he did not transform into a cassette tape or fit into the Decepticon's chest. Over the years, Wingthing would appear again in the Transformers toy line as part of the Encore and Masterpiece toy lines. Each of those representations featured him with a cassette alt-mode and now we finally have our Generations version of the character.
Wingthing's alt-mode is a cassette tape intended to fit into Siege Soundwave's chest (though many fan reports say he fits better in Siege Soundblaster). This mode is mostly made up of orange and black plastic. Orange and black were the key colors on G1 Wingthing though the shade of orange was a bit different on that figure. Black and silver paint are used on this mode. Flip it around and you'll see black on the middle with a tiny Decepticon symbol.
Like the other three "cassettes" in this set, there is a peg that flips up on the back allowing you to attach this to another figure or attach accessories with 5mm ports.
In beast mode Wingthing is a straight up redeco of Ratbat. The eyes and middle are painted black with a small Decepticon symbol tampographed onto the middle of the chest. Silver is used on the round hinge sections on the wings. This mostly matches up with G1 Wingthing's appearance though that version of the character head a black plastic head. That said, Encore and Masterpiece Wingthing both have orange heads with black eyes so while not "G1 accurate", this figure does properly homae the previous two versions of the character.
All seven points of articulation on this figure are nice and tight. I'm also going to take a moment to shout out my appreciation for the ability of the beast mode head to swing forward. It makes the figure a bit more dynamic and it looks really cool.
Final Thoughts:
I love this set. I have always been a huge fan of the play patterns that involve a Transformers figure with a smaller partner. Soundwave and his cassettes, Doubledealer and his Powermasters and Soundwave with his Action Master partner are all represented in this pack and that's all sorts of fun. Since part of the idea behind Selects was to fill in gaps in one's Generations collection this set makes perfect sense for a fan to have. That said, I am writing this review years after the release of this set and nowadays it goes for ever $50 USD on the aftermarket. At its original $20 USD price this was well worth it, but at the current prices you really need to want these figures to snag this set. My recommendation would be to see if you can get this set closer to its original retail price (perhaps on sale online or at a flea market perhaps). This is a great part of any Generations collection, but it's not $50+ USD "great".
Pros:
- Excellent reuse of the Rumble and Ratbat sculpts.
- I am very happy that both Knok and Skar feature new head sculpts.
- Very nice decos for such small figures.
- I appreciate the ability to use Knok and Skar as "engines" as well as "cassettes".
Cons:
- I do wish it was within the budget to give Frenzy and Ratbat their G1 weapons in this set.
