JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Counterpoint: What separates Ultra Magnus, Rodimus Prime, PotP Optimus Prime from Siege Shockwave even though they all use the same figure + trailer armor gimmick?
I think the difference is in precedence. Ultra Magnus, Optimus Prime, and Ultra Magnus all have established alternate, smaller identities when they aren't either all "armored up" or "Primed" by the Matrix of Leadership. Shockwave was always just the base figure without the extra pieces tacked on. People who just want traditional Shockwave feel they have no use for the extra armor pieces, but will have to buy them anyway to get their ideal Shockwave. On the other hand, people complaining that Siege has too much G1 influence and should be more innovative should love the idea of a "powered up" version of Shockwave that they can customize with various additional parts.
A good counterpoint, though, to those that feel Shockwave's extra armor bits are "useless" and need to be relegated to the storage bin (or trash can), is that the entire line Deluxe through Leader class is engineered to be beefed up with various parts from the Deluxe Weaponizers. Think of Shockwave as coming with his own set of "Weaponizer" parts that can be mixed and matched on any other figure you want. Admittedly, they're obviously "Shockwave" themed parts, but they wouldn't look out of place on most of the Decepticon crew.