Name: Shockwave
Aliases: Longarm Prime
Allegiance: Decepticons
Function: Deep cover spy
Timeline: Transformers Animated
Secrets are the foundation of power.
Profile:
The sinister yet soft-spoken Shockwave has always been one of Megatron's most loyal Decepticon followers. He's a quiet, competent Decepticon who unquestioningly and efficiently carries out every order given to him by Megatron. Such is Shockwave's loyalty that Starscream once mused that "he oozes loyalty to the old fool like a bad energon leak". Shockwave's competency and loyalty have made him one of Megatron's favourites, and his unique ability to change his appearance, voice, and mask his energy signature made Shockwave an ideal candidate for an extremely dangerous mission: the covert infiltration and destabilisation of the Autobots at the highest level. Shockwave eliminated an Autobot cadet named Longarm and took his place, attending and graduating top of his class at the Autobot academy before advancing through the ranks of the Elite Guard. Thus "Longarm Prime" eventually became the highly trusted head of the Autobot Intelligence Division, after the previous head of intelligence, Highbrow, disappeared under mysterious circumstances (which Shockwave arranged). So perfect is Shockwave's disguise that nobody suspects him as an enemy spy. To avert suspicions, Shockwave has a ready supply of potential scapegoats to be sacrificed if reports of a Decepticon mole should ever emerge. Longarm Prime is a master politician with comprehensive personality assessments and blackmail dossiers on nearly every prominent Autobot leader; data which Shockwave has shared with Megatron, should he ever need to manipulate the leaders of Cybertron. Leading a double life can place a strain on even the most competent spy, though, and Shockwave has found he has very occasionally made mistakes which might potentially expose his secret identity. So far, he's been successful at tidying up these loose ends, but as the pressure on Longarm Prime builds, Shockwave's mistakes are becoming more frequent. He yearns for the day he might finally be done with his double life and serve Megatron openly once more, wearing his true colours.
Shockwave's Tank mode:
Longarm Prime's Crane mode:
Toys of Transformers Animated Shockwave
Transformers Animated Shockwave
| Shockwave robot mode images |
| Shockwave as "Longarm Prime" images |
Animated Shockwave's design is one that sticks in my head. I remember seeing the original model sheet at Botcon 2008, and thought that this awkward, gangly robot wasn't really Shockwave. And yet, it looks so distinctive! One thing Animated was so good at doing was distinctive silhouettes, and one thing this gangly Shockwave does well is compressing down into the stockier Longarm Prime, and both have their own individual and distinct looks. It's really well done, and is one of the better implementations of the idea. Not only that, but each identity has its own alternate mode, which is a really nice touch and really plays into the whole dual identity idea. The gimmick does come at the expense of some hindered poseability, though - it would have been nice if, for example, Longarm Prime could have moved his head. Even so, I really like how this one came out. It's another hit from a line that I truly love - Transformers Animated forever!
More information on Transformers Animated Shockwave at TFW2005
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Transformers Animated toys in my collection.
