Soundwave and the cassette characters...

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Cliffjumper
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Soundwave and the cassette characters...

Post by Cliffjumper »

Right, this is really starting to bug me. Every time someone mentions a speculative alt mode for the new film for Soundwave, we get all these fanboys babbling about how the cassettes [or, the made up name: Cassetticons] will fit into this...

Soundwave's going to be a tank!

OMG LOL! Wil da cassettcons b bullets RAOMFUUA!

Soundwave's going to be a toaster!

LOL wil Rumble be a slice of granary an Lazorbeek a crumpett?

I mean, shut the **** up. If Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble et al are in the film, I'd prefer they worked towards making them actual characters as opposed to Soundwave's pets. Why do they need to hang around with him? Surely that makes Soundwave a bit of a pansy if he's reliant on a pair of ignorant midgets and some comedy animatronic animals?

Ravage's most shining moments are in the UK comic, where he's treated as a character. Not in the cartoon where he goes "Roawr" every now and then. I mean, halfway though Time Wars does Soundwave go "Ravage! Operation Sneak Around and Get Caught!". I mean, if you want the damn thing to be MTMTE, watch MTMTE and leave those of us not stuck in 1984 in peace and quiet. Why want a remake that's exactly the same as what's gone before? What are you people? Gus van Sant fans?

Thanks, I feel better now.
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optimusskids
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Post by optimusskids »

The cassetes didn't get much characterisation at all besides Ravage and Ratbat. I can't really see Ratbat just sitting in Soundwaves chest till he's needed either. Ratbat was an interesting character but He got some awful plot lines. I suppose it was mainly because the classic 'Con style of go in all guns blazing and take what you want. He had to rely on stealth unfortunately some one decided stealth was hypnotic car washes etc.

Buzzsaw never got any characterisation that I can recall. He was just called on when Laserbeak was busy a sort of stand in

Squawktalk and Beastbox who seem to have vaguely interesting characters never got any appearances.

I guess all the Cassettes needed to be fairly thick no other way to explain how they didn't rebel against spending 90% of there time in subspace and the rest of the time being shot at as Soundwaves Errand Slaves.
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Halfshell
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Re: Soundwave and the cassette characters...

Post by Halfshell »

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
I mean, shut the **** up. If Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble et al are in the film, I'd prefer they worked towards making them actual characters as opposed to Soundwave's pets. Why do they need to hang around with him? Surely that makes Soundwave a bit of a pansy if he's reliant on a pair of ignorant midgets and some comedy animatronic animals?


I suppose Minicons were a [fairly] sensible extension of the cassette principle. They're small independent characters that have a functional symbiotic relationship with a larger character.

There's no real point to this post. Just an observation [and implied agreement]. Right now I'm more concerned with when I can next get out to see Serenity again...
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Clay
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Re: Re: Soundwave and the cassette characters...

Post by Clay »

Originally posted by The HeartBrend Kid
I suppose Minicons were a [fairly] sensible extension of the cassette principle. They're small independent characters that have a functional symbiotic relationship with a larger character.


I got the new Soundwave Wednesday or so, and I had much the same thoughts. But you know what they forgot to give the new figure? Minicon pegs...

I consider that ball dropped. Way to go, HasTak!
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Comic Ratbat got to boss Soundwave about... Which must have pissed of the other cassets royaly.
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Golden Age PAX
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Post by Golden Age PAX »

well, they were the only animal Transformers at first, until the Dinobots came.
I think that rumble and frenzy were probably two of the more distinctive chatacters on the show. Also Ravage and Lazerbeak did have personalities and sometimes provided some humor.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by Golden Age PAX
well, they were the only animal Transformers at first, until the Dinobots came.
I think that rumble and frenzy were probably two of the more distinctive chatacters on the show. Also Ravage and Lazerbeak did have personalities and sometimes provided some humor.


Interesting fact: Laserbeak also has an 's' ;)

I'm struggling to find where, in the kids' show at least, Ravage and Laserbeak have personalities beyond being Soundwave's cat and Soundwave's parrot.

As for Rumble and Frenzy, well, for one they had the same personality, and I'd seriously argue that the "little punk" angle comes entirely from the vocal talent of Frank Welker [it was him, wasn't it?] for putting an edge into the voices...

I dunno, maybe I'm remembering harshly. Can someone give me a breakdown of characterisation and development for the Decepticon cassettes in the kids' show?

As a segue, is there actually any proof that the "animal" cassettes are actually any more sentient that the scout-thing Soundwave sends down that hole in the Comedy Clone episode?
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Post by RID Scourge »

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
Can someone give me a breakdown of characterisation and development for the Decepticon cassettes in the kids' show?


Laserbeak: The red bird, who spies on the autobots.
Ravage: The panther, who is stealthy and spies on the autobots.
Buzzsaw: The gold bird, who's around when they need extra troops.
Rumble (played by Frenzy): The punk, who has piledrivers.
Frenzy (played by Rumble): Fills in while Rumble (aka the real Frenzy) is having a smoke.
Ratbat: Is he a rat, or is he a bat? He's both! Ummm . . . he spies on the autobots when Laserbeak is no longer being sold.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Originally posted by RID Scourge
Laserbeak: The red bird, who spies on the autobots.
Ravage: The panther, who is stealthy and spies on the autobots.
Buzzsaw: The gold bird, who's around when they need extra troops.
Rumble (played by Frenzy): The punk, who has piledrivers.
Frenzy (played by Rumble): Fills in while Rumble (aka the real Frenzy) is having a smoke.
Ratbat: Is he a rat, or is he a bat? He's both! Ummm . . . he spies on the autobots when Laserbeak is no longer being sold.


Blew my case right out of the water :lol:
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Post by Golden Age PAX »

Well, one of the only times I laughed outloud while watching a Transformers episode was in the episode whee Megatron sways the people into thinking the autobots were evil. It was a season 1 episode that had some evil, fat, govenor character who had teamed up with Megatron with promises of power to come. After the autobots were expelled, there is a scene with Soundwave and his tapes in a disco. Lazerbeak gets kissed by a girl, and his reaction is priceless.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Yeh, but that's a random comedy aside. That doesn't equal a well-rounded character...
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Golden Age PAX
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Post by Golden Age PAX »

not to be too harsh on my favorite cartoon of all time...but who really was all that well rounded anyway? The main characters were mostly archetypes. Rumble had a strong, distinctive personality which is more than alot of the chronies had.
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dEcEpTiCoN MEGAtron
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Post by dEcEpTiCoN MEGAtron »

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
I'm struggling to find where, in the kids' show at least, Ravage and Laserbeak have personalities beyond being Soundwave's cat and Soundwave's parrot.
Well Ravage did get some characterization other than going "rawr", but it really didn't come until about another 12 years after G1 in a show called Beast Wars. Does that count?
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RID Scourge
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Post by RID Scourge »

Well, we can say that he had a character (by virtue of the fact that BW ravage is the same ravage), but not during the G1 cartoon. Also, could have been comic Ravage, as it isn't 100% clear which continuity BW fell in*.


*Probably the best move they made, as it gave them free-license to mess around with history a bit and if anyone complained, they could say that it was a universe with a past similar to G1, but not G1. Of course, with the stories they cranked out, they could have totally buggered the G1 characters for the fun of it, and most people wouldn't have cared, as the show was good.
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Post by Prowl1984 »

Finally, someone who's twigged on to this. i dont care what alt mode soundwave has, or whether or not he has minions. i just want him to be in the film, complete with cool voice. that's all that matters. i'd be pis**d off if he was still a 20ton walkman.

anyway, all i ever hear about this film is what soundwave's gonna be like, how about other characters? like will they play on sideswipe and sunstreaker being brothers? will shockwave be megatrons bitch or his downfall?
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