For more pics, click on the image above

Prelude: Many thanks to fellow TF-fan BlackZarak, who loaned me his Soundblaster for this review. And many thanks to Laserwave13 as well, who supplied the additional pics of Soundblaster's packaging.

Remarks: Soundblaster is a repaint (with one minor engineering change) of G1 Soundwave, so just a few short words on the differences here. I’m not one hundred percent certain, but I think Soundblaster is actually THE original black repaint and the prototype of a character being upgraded into a recolored (read: more powerful) form. The Headmasters cartoon featured a titanic battle between Soundwave and his Autobot counterpart Blaster (called Broadcast in Japan), which saw both of them perish. Both were rebuilt one episode later with new colors and new names (Twincast in Blaster’s case), though one must say that Soundwave/blast got the better deal than Blaster with his blue repaint. Anyway, that’s the fictional background of this repaint.

Apart from the black color (which strangely did not spread to the stickers, which remain blue, even in this 2005 reissue of the original 1987 release) the major difference between Soundwave and Soundblaster is the tape deck, which was doubled in depth to enable it to hold not just one but two cassette tapes. Most of the Soundwave reissues in recent years have also used this enlarged tape deck. It also gives Soundblaster a bit more ‘chest’ than Soundwave, who was pretty much flat-chested when looked at from the side. Apart from these changes, Soundblaster remains the same excellent figure that G1 Soundwave was, is, and ever shall be.

Bottom line: every Transformers collector needs a version of G1 Soundwave and Soundblaster is as good as the original. Do you want him in black or blue? That’s entirely up to you, of course.

Rating: A-

I have this reissue and he's one of the jewels of my collection. As is his counterpart Twincast.

When I was a kid I had a Korean friend who would always go over there for the summer and come back with stories of the black Soundwave and blue Blaster that could hold two cassettes; not to mention the Powermaster Optimus Prime with the extra trailer that could combine with him.

These were like myths to me when I was young in the 80's and I'm so happy that I own all 3 of them now!

Soundblaster is awsome! I know very well that it's just the same old Soundwave toy in black with a larger tape deck, but there's just something about it that is just so cool! Maybe it is just the "foreign toy" thing, but Soundwave is 6 different types of cool too.

I thought Skywarp was the original Black Repaint

I really like Soundblaster's colors, but I've always hated the look of the double tape door. It's so awkward-looking. At least Twincast's extra space isn't just a giant box sticking out of his chest.

Yeah, but I find it's only really awkward looking in tape deck mode. TF's are often so oddly shaped in robot mode it just kinda blends in.

I agree that the door doesn't look great and I have never been a fan of the remolded crotch either. But the colors are wonderful. Really would've loved to see the new reissue get a purple door, but what are you gonna do?

Okay, I will rephrase: the original black repaint that is NOT supposed to be a different guy.

I don't know that we can call Skywarp the "black repaint" since it's become known that he and Screamer had their tech specs switched.
Skywarp was supposed to be the traitorous one not Starcsream. That's why he's all black with the purple details while Starscream and Thundercracker have similar/complimentary colours. To make Skywarp stand out from them.

Skywarp was still the new colour of that mold added for the Transformers line. They took the existing blue and white molds and made a black (and purple) repaint.