These are not simple collector’s figurines. They are impressive robots worth more than 1,600 euros, and I have tried them

I’m going to tell you an anecdote. A few weeks ago I received a press release in the mail, one of the hundreds and hundreds that come in a day. This note said something like Robosen arriving in Spain with the Soundwave G1, and of course, my geeky mind clicked. Soundwave is the right hand of Megatron, the bad guy from ‘Transformer’, and I thought “well, another company that makes collector’s figurines.” The thing is that I went to their website and I went completely crazy.

I was hoping to find a figure like some I have from ‘One Piece’ and company, but no. What I saw were some animatronics of more than 1,600 euros that take away the hiccups. Not just because of the level of detail, but because of how they move, talk and interact. Then I looked at the spec sheet, saw what they have inside, and thought “why not?”

So I wrote to Robosen to ask for the Soundwave, try it and tell Xataka how it is. Hopes? Zero. Not because of them, but because I understand that sending a 1,600 euro robot by courier in the middle of Christmas is something you want, which is something you want, you don’t want it. Well, not one, not two. But three. Robosen gave me not only Soundwave, but Megatron and a limited edition Buzz Lightyear.

Like a little child, I spent Christmas trying them and teaching them to every living being that entered the house. Because yes, they are one of those products that you don’t have the opportunity to try every day and that are capable of making you say “wow!”. I’ll tell you how it is.

There are figures and FIGURES

The animatronics come packaged with exquisite taste. A product of this type and price must convey premium aroma right out of the box and Robosen has certainly nailed it. Special mention deserves the Buzz Lightyear box, which is the same as the original ‘Toy Story’ box. What I want to get at is that everything comes very well packaged, with its rigid foam and closures to prevent falls during transport. No complaints.

“I am Megatron, leader of the Decepticons!”

I think the easiest thing is to show the robots one by one, so let’s start with the most impressive one: Megatron. This beast, whose price amounts to 1,612.33 euros At the time I write these lines, he was the one that convinced me to order the robots and try them out. It is inspired, like Soundwave, by the design of 80s cartoons and the attention to detail is spectacular.

Megatron, as every Transformer fan will know, takes the form of a tank, and here it could not be any less. The animatronic features 112 LED lights with red and purple accents, wheels inspired by real tanks, and a shiny metallic finish. That’s on the outside, but Inside it has 118 microchips and 36 high-precision servomotors that make it not only move, because it moves, but also transform. I think a video does it more justice than photos.

In both tank mode and robot mode we can interact with the device, either by voice or through the mobile application. These are the only three “buts” that I can say not only to Megatron, but to all the others I have tried:

• Voice commands only work in English and are predefined. If you don’t know English or your pronunciation is average, it is quite likely that the robots will not understand the command.
• The application is unique for each robot. It is not like the Xiaomi app, to which you can connect all the company’s devices, but Megatron has its app, Buzz Lightyear has his, etc.
• You cannot navigate the app if you do not have the robot connected.

For the rest, and removing that, the interaction with the robot is great. You can move it, talk to it to make it say phrases, start little theaters like the one you can see below these lines and, if someone is encouraged and has the patience and, above all, the art that I don’t have for it, program actions to share them with the rest of the world.

I had to lower him to the floor because he moves a lot during the scene and the platform reaches as far as it goes.

The robot’s movement is extremely precise. The engines make some noise, but nothing out of the ordinary. The voice is heard loud and clear and, when the movement is fast, the effect is very, very successful. By the way, programming can be done either on a PC, or by putting the robot in a position and recording the posture in the app. That’s easy to do.

Natural movement, that is, walking forward or backward, is brutal. Slow, but very, very precise and stable. The first time you move it it seems like real magic. That a robot this size remains this stable while standing and moving is impressive. In tank mode, movement is much more fluid.

Those nostalgic for ‘Transformers’ will surely like to know that the phrases have not been generated with AI, but have been recorded by original voice actor, Frank Welkerwho also voiced Soundwave. There are more than 270 original voice lines and you can generally interact with the robot with more than 50 voice commands.

Something that has me completely fascinated is that the robot feels alive. If you leave it on stand-by you will see it “breathe” and make small gestures and movements to give a more realistic impression. This is regardless of whether it is in tank mode or robot mode, and yes, in case you were wondering, yes, four pivots are included in the box that you can fire in tank mode.

“Soundwave top, AutoBots bottom!”

Thus we pass to his companion in fatigues, sound wave. This is the most recent addition to the Robosen catalog and has not yet gone on sale, but we have already been able to try it. Shipments will begin on June 30 and the price is similar to Megatron: 1,612.33 euros.

This robot is, mind you, the first Soundwave animatronic capable of achieving a complete transformation, that is, going from a cassette player to a robot that, in fact, works as a Bluetooth speaker and recorder. The transformation is, of course, impressive and, to prove it, a button.

Soundwave has 84 microchips and 28 high-precision servomotors. The finish faithfully reproduces the design of the Decepticons’ lieutenant, not only for the top cover where we would normally house the cassette tape, but for the top barrel that appears out of nowhere and the gun that becomes, of course, a stack.

Unfortunately, the application to control Soundwave is not yet available, so we have not been able to test it, but thanks to voice commands we can interact with him and see what he is capable of. It’s a shame, because through the app we could connect him with Megatron so they can do a joint theater.

The sound is super curious because He has a very peculiar eighties vibealthough that can mean that some phrases are not understood completely well, especially if you do not have an ear for English. Otherwise, Soundwave is on par with Megatron. It is less impressive, perhaps because Megatron is… a tank that shoots and moves, but the movement is equally precise and the result very striking.

“To infinity, and beyond!”

We finish with good old Buzz Lightyear, a limited edition on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the franchise (I’m 31 years old, writing this has been quite a shot in the chest). Although it is not a cheap product, it is a much more affordable collector’s item: 704.83 euros.

Taking it out of the box I’m sure I felt the same way Andy did when it was given to him for his birthday. Buzz is a fairly large robot, slightly heavy and full of incredible details everywhere. The recreation is taken care of to the millimeter. It even says “Andy” on the sole. We can also change his hands so that he adopts different positions.

The animatronic has more than 3,000 individual components, 23 servomotors and 75 microchips which make the movement ultra-precise. Combining it with around 200 original phrases taken from the film, we can achieve truly impressive actions. Watch the video above, you will surely be able to quickly identify which movie it belongs to.

Nevertheless, what I liked the most is the face. The Transformers don’t gesture, but inside Buzz’s face there are motors that move both his jaw and his eyes, so it looks like he’s moving and gesturing. The finish is impressive and I would say that it even has a certain magical component that I, as an official geek of this house of ours, loved.

I have to say that one of the highlights of the robot is that when you press the green button on the chest it speaks in Spanish. The most passionate of ‘Toy Story’ will remember that in ‘Toy Story 3’ Buzz has a bug and starts speaking in Spanish. The voice actor in the dubbed version was none other than Diego el Cigala, who starred in one of the funniest moments of the franchise. It was not like that in the original version, I leave you the sample:

In the Spanish dubbed version of Spain, Buzz speaks with the voice of Diego el Cigala. In the original version, he speaks in a less friendly neutral Spanish. Of course, in the original version it is funny because of the change it represents, but in the dubbed version they had to invent something to make the change nice. I wish the robot spoke like El Cigala, but maybe on another occasion.

In summary

We will all agree that, except for certain pockets, these collector’s items are expensive, but that doesn’t mean they stop being impressive. They are not toys, they are high-tech animatronics and, in that sense, they fully meet expectations.

‘Transformer’ is not a franchise that has historically driven me crazy, but I must admit that these robots have left me speechless. The precision of the movements, the ability to get into different postures and stay standing… It’s not so much that the robot looks cool, but everything that is happening in the background so that the actions can be carried out.

Buzz, for his part, seems like a spectacle to me. The Transformers are visually brutal, but Buzz Lightyear has a nostalgic component, a special toy, that I fell in love with. I think about how ten or 12 year old Jose would have had this in his hand and I can imagine him crying with emotion.

Images | Xataka

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