Soundblaster (G1)

This article is about the clone. For the original Soundblaster from 1980s Japanese media, see Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity. For a list of other meanings, see Soundblaster (disambiguation).

Soundblaster is a Decepticon or Mercenary from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"I've been blastin' and laughin' so long, that even my mama thinks that my mind is gone!"

Soundblaster is a clone of Soundwave created by Shockwave. Soundblaster takes no pride in this, with others describing him as a failed experiment. Regardless, his respect from the underworld grows as he leads Energon trades, not for the Decepticons, but as a Mercenary.

Fiction

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

Soundblaster was one of several clones created by Shockwave in the same program that produced Sunstorm. While in a tube, he was discovered by the Battlechargers, who released Sunstorm. The laboratory the clones were stored in was soon destroyed by Sunstorm. Night of the Combaticons Later, Prowl reviewed a recorded image of Soundblaster during his investigation of Shockwave's cloning experiments. The Omega Effect

Kre-O online comic

Soundblaster was present with the other Soundwave clones in an attempt to hypnotize the Autobot Kreons into slaves. Soundwave's Trap? Stop Operation Brainwash Humanity!

War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon

Voice actor: Rafael Goldstein (English), Yōhei Tadano (Japanese), Jesús Maniega (Castilian Spanish), Osvaldo Trejo Rodríguez (Latin-American Spanish)

Soundblaster took some of Impactor's parts, along with some new parts and created New Impactors, that serve as his goons.

A clone of Soundwave, Soundblaster was created by Shockwave but was labeled as a failed experiment, a detail over which he continued to feel unease. Becoming a Mercenary, he frequently received Energon from Bumblebee, who considered Soundblaster to be worse than a Decepticon and a bit unbalanced.

During one of these transactions, Soundblaster became suspicious of the bot's new company while one of his clients was being dealt with by local security. When Buzzsaw caught the Autobots trying to steal Energon, Soundblaster and his Dome Guards surrounded the thieves, believing the Decepticons would pay a better price than the Energon that Arcee had. Siege episode 5

The Mercenaries' dome then fell victim to a Decepticon virus designed to destroy the Alpha Trion Protocols that was contained within Bumblebee, the sudden systems crash providing enough of a distraction for the Autobots to escape with their ill-gotten goods. Siege episode 6

2019 IDW continuity

In Alpha Trion's search for lost Cybertronian artefacts, he had found himself in Soundblaster's company. When Ultra Magnus was searching for his mentor, Soundblaster projected a hologram onto the planet Obsidar to request aid as his ship came under attack from a hostile fleet. Storm Horizon Part 2

Games

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Sergeant Soundblaster, Weapons-Arms Dealer (2019)
  • Wave 4: War for Cybertron: Siege II
  • Rarity: SRT
  • Card Number: T45/T52
  • Stars: 12

Sergeant Soundblaster, Weapons-Arms Dealer is one of 52 character cards released in Wave 4 of the Transformers Trading Card Game, War for Cybertron: Siege II.

The card's artwork is based on the Siege Soundblaster toy, with line-art for both modes by Andrew Griffith, Bot Mode colors by Marcus Reyno, and Alt Mode colors by Oliver Morit.

Angry Birds Transformers

Soundblaster appears as one of the first unlockable characters. He is portrayed by Chef Pig. Angry Birds Transformers

Toys

For more Soundblaster toys, see: Soundwave (G1)/toys

The Headmasters

• Soundblaster (Decepticon, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: D-101
  • Accessories: Buzzsaw, tape case, rocket launcher, 3 rockets, "concussion blaster"

The original Soundblaster toy was repurposed as Soundblaster in the Dreamwave Generation 1 continuity.

As part of the Japanese The Headmasters series, Soundwave was redecoed in a new black and red color scheme, and his chest door was retooled so that he could now hold two cassettes at once. Soundblaster came packaged with Buzzsaw, who now sported a new sticker which would reveal the weak spot of Fortress Maximus when placed behind Soundblaster's translucent red chest door, in the same manner that Tech Specs decoders worked. The figure's stickers, however, retain Soundwave's blue coloration instead of being changed to work with Soundblaster's black.

• More information on Soundblaster at TFU.info

Transform Jr

• Soundblaster (Jr, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: D-101
  • Accessories: Cassette, launcher, 2 missiles

Just as his larger toy was, Jr Soundwave was redecoed and retooled to become Soundblaster the following year, sporting a black coloration and an enlarged chest door (though the door itself remains colorless, lacking the distinctive red tint of the large Soundblaster figure). Soundblaster retains all of Soundwave's accessories and features; the sticker for his non-transformable cassette partner remains the same, looking a lot like Rumble despite Soundblaster's package art now showing Buzzsaw.

• More information on Transform Jr Soundblaster at TFU.info

Generations

War for Cybertron: Siege

"Hey, I'm actually appearing in fiction this time! Take that, Night Ops Bumblebee!"

• Soundblaster (Voyager Class, 2019)
  • Hasbro ID number: WFC-S63
  • TakaraTomy ID number: SG-EX
  • TakaraTomy release date: March 27, 2021
  • Accessories: "M2 HI-KEP Concussion Blaster," "M2 LR-HD Sonic Cannon," "M2 EMTX Blitz Charge Blaster" (combine to form "M2 USW HF Sonic Compression Mega-Blaster")

Siege Soundblaster was repurposed as Soundblaster in the War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon.

A "Special Edition" figure for the 35th anniversary of the Transformers brand, Siege Soundblaster is a redeco and retool of the Voyager Class Soundwave from the same line, featuring a black paint job evoking his rebuilt form in The Headmasters. Soundblaster transforms from a heavily G1-inspired robot to an unfocused "Patrol Hovercraft" or, carried over from Soundwave, a “Cybertronian Sensor Lamp” or boombox mode. The figure retains the original's battle damage but has a red visor instead of yellow. Soundblaster also includes three weapons compatible with the C.O.M.B.A.T. System, two of which are based on his classic sonic blaster and shoulder cannon, and all three can combine to form the "M2 USW HF Sonic Compression Mega-Blaster".

As a nod to the original Headmasters toy, Soundblaster's chest door was retooled so that he could now hold two "Drone Armors" (from the Micromaster Soundwave Spy Patrol sets) at once, though the increased storage space results in a very conspicuous chest protrusion. Soundblaster's retooled door avoids the problems people reported with fitting Ravage into Soundwave. His left index finger molded out so that he can be posed pressing his own 'eject' button, as well as slots on his arms for Laserbeak to (loosely) perch on.

Soundblaster's "M2 EMTX Blitz Charge Blaster" can be slotted onto the back of the Siege Voyager Megatron figure, perfectly mimicking his G1 gun barrel placement. Whether this was intentional or not is unclear. There are also tabs on the sides of his chest, just in front of his arms, that appear to line up with the notches on the inside of his thruster blocks that seem to have been intended to allow them to fold flush against the sides of his vehicle mode, rather than being held above it by their struts. However, this is not possible as a result of the struts clashing against other parts even if they are modified to allow a wider range of movement.

The TakaraTomy release of the toy features a more show-accurate tape window, with a cleaner chest and Mercenary badge. This marks the first toy with a major difference between the same Hasbro and TakaraTomy product since the brand unification. The toy is exclusive to TakaraTomy Mall in Japan.

Soundblaster and fellow 35th anniversary figure Bluestreak were exclusive to Walmart in the United States. They were also available at general retail in Hasbro's Asian markets such as Taiwan and Singapore.

Selects

• Soundblaster (Voyager Class, 2021)
  • TakaraTomy ID number: TT-GS12
  • TakaraTomy release date: March 27, 2021

The TakaraTomy version of the toy is also being released under Selects, exclusive to Hasbro Pulse. The product description explicitly refers to this Soundblaster as the Soundwave clone created by Shockwave in the Dreamwave Productions comics and the War for Cybertron Trilogy cartoon.

Notes

• Like other cameo Kreons, Kre-O Soundblaster is made from existing Kre-O. He uses the Soundwave helmet colored black. He is specifically an homage to the "Blaster Black Version" of Music Label Soundwave (since his chest is purple/lavender instead of red).
• Hasbro never specified whether the Siege Soundblaster toy was meant to represent an upgraded Soundwave or a separate character within the scope of Siege toy bios, though Soundblaster's packaging having a different military division points to the latter. By coincidence or design, the TCG and Netflix continuities would follow suit.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Soundblaster (サウンドブラスター Saundoburasutā)