Images of Soundwave

Several factors inspired me to add a section devoted to pictures. It had been floating around in my intentions for quite some time, but after some gentle nudging by fans of this site, and after seeing the excellent Sound Clips Archive page put together by Neil Thayer (which sadly seems to have disappeared from the web), it became pretty obvious that there was a major element missing from the Soundwave Tribute. I also had the misfortune of seeing that godawful poster spewed out by Dreamwave (Spring '02) - surely the ugliest piece of Soundwave art I've seen in a long time. So here I'd like to showcase the only truly excellent and accurate source for Soundwave pictures - straight out of the cartoon. Some screen caps do have minor discrepancies, and I will make note of those, but you will see nothing as grossly hideous as what I've seen from some other sources.
This is, of course, not anything close to being the complete, definitive list of great Soundwave images, and I will surely add more with time. I also encourage people to send me pics or point me to them at other sites. Don't, however, be offended if I don't include something you send me - I'm very particular about what constitutes a suitable Soundwave image. But if I love it, I'll add it.
Each image on this page is a low-quality thumbnail of less than 5k, for speed of loading. If you click on each small picture, it will open a new window showing the larger and/or better-quality version. You will need to have java enabled on your browser for it to work. They're organized into several categories:

The Mystery of Soundwave
This is what Soundwave looks like!
Soundwave's Alt Mode
Soundwave at Work
Soundwave and Family
Soundwave and Megatron

The Mystery of Soundwave

These are images that convey a bit of the extraordinary nature of Soundwave. Here we have a telepath who misses nothing but keeps many of his observations to himself, sharing them at critical moments with the individuals who most need to hear them. He knows the rhythms of the cosmos and the secrets of the universe. He is attuned to the heartbeat of eternity.
Secrets
Secrets of the Universe - the fanzine cover.
Worlds
A being on the brink of many worlds. Con-Quest calendar image, December 2000.
Art
The famous Soundwave image created for me by Dan Khanna - proving that it is indeed possible to draw him correctly, and in such a way that captures his essence.
Secrets2
Secrets of the Universe, up close.
Energies
Soundwave and the mysterious energies of the cosmos.
Sun
"Someone to watch over you." I love the "halo" effect here.

This is what Soundwave looks like!

Artists and "official sources" take note - if you want to get him right, these pictures are some of the best guidelines available.
Perfect
One of my favorite images of Soundwave. A perfect picture.
Perfect
Another perfect one...
Perfect
And another.
Good
Close to perfect, but here he has one too many horizontal yellow lines to either side of his tape door. I almost didn't notice, because the head and face - the hardest parts to get right - are nearly dead-on.
Pose
A nicely dynamic pose, something you don't see from Soundwave that often.
Good
Nice close-up, though the faceplate looks just a touch too flat and angled here. It should be slightly more rounded.
Good
Very good image, though the audial sensors are somewhat off in their shape.
Good
And another good one - though he seems to be missing the red ring around his shoulder cannon here. This could just be a lighting effect, however.
FreezeFrame
Mid-air freeze-frame - a great pic!
Good
This one is quite nice, but again the faceplate is somewhat too flattened and angular, as are the audial sensors to both sides.
Good
Good image, but notice he's missing one of those yellow lines on either side of his tape door. Must have donated it to the image above. He also seems to have lost the red ring around his shoulder cannon again.
Close
Close-up without the added "Secrets of the Universe" effect.
Flight
Soundwave in flight. Missing the shoulder cannon's red ring, but otherwise perfect and from an unusual perspective.
Good
And another very good one to finish up.

Soundwave's Alt Mode

And this is what his alt mode looks like. No tanks, cars, missile trucks, or any other weird concoction - including CD players! There's seldom a good excuse for messing with perfection.
Tower
Cybertronian alt mode: communications tower. (It's not a lamp post; trust me.) This is the only other acceptable alt mode for him, and it's four million years in the past.
TapeRecorder
Earth alt mode. You'll notice he was rebuilt into a mode in keeping with his personality, not some random object. Even the mentally-challenged Autobot computer, Teletran-1, had at least that much of a brain.
TapeRecorder
Another shot of the tape recorder mode.
TapeRecorder
And an especially neat picture of the alt mode, since you can see what appears to be Ravage inside. This image is missing the yellow outline around the tape compartment, however.

Soundwave At Work

A Decepticon of many talents, here he demonstrates just some of his many special abilities.
Listener
Soundwave as listener. There are few energy emissions, whether audible or inaudible, that escape him.
Observer
Soundwave as spy and observer. Here he is in fact sneaking up on the Dinobots to evaluate their natures.
Broadcaster
Soundwave as broadcaster.
Broadcaster
Soundwave as broadcaster/signal disruptor.
Hacker
Soundwave as computer hacker/lock picker.
Hacker2
Soundwave as computer hacker - a more direct method. An aside: does Soundwave have a red line around his lower forearms, or doesn't he? It works both ways, really, and is a vanishingly minor point.
Viewscreen
Soundwave as mobile viewscreen. A rarely seen ability.
Warrior
Soundwave as warrior. Don't let his serenity fool you into thinking he can't thrash Autobots when he has to!
Warrior
Soundwave as warrior, yet again.
Protector
Soundwave as protector. This is an individual who watches out for the welfare of his fellow Decepticons.
Medic
Soundwave as medic. Here he delivers a life-saving burst of energy.
Researcher
Soundwave as researcher, investigating the secrets of the Key to Vector Sigma.
Inventor
Soundwave as inventor. Did you know he was the originator of energon cubes?
(See MTMTE part 1)
Guard
Though he has much specialized knowledge, Soundwave isn't above doing whatever it takes for the cause - including taking a turn at guard duty.

Soundwave and Family

The dedicated single dad with a few members of his vast brood....
Eject
Soundwave ejecting one of his many creations (yes, they do all fit in there). This one appears to be Laserbeak.
WithRavage
Soundwave with his oldest creation, Ravage.
WithRavage
Soundwave shares a father-son moment with Ravage as they watch the "big game."
WithLaserbeak
Soundwave with Laserbeak (Cybertronian mode).
WithChasm
Soundwave with Chasm, the mysterious traveler through time and space.
WithRumble
Soundwave may be a sympathetic and permissive parent, but when it's time to get real work done, there's no arguing with him. Here he directs Rumble into action.
WithRumble
Soundwave has learned that he cannot shelter his offspring from all the dangers of the world. So he makes sure they know how to defend themselves.
WithRumbleMegatron
Soundwave has encouraged his creations to have the proper respect for their leader.

Soundwave and Megatron

Such a loyal Decepticon must have an equally exceptional leader....
StandTogether
They stand together - an unbeatable team.
Intellect
Though their realms of focus differ, Soundwave and Megatron share a great interest in acquiring knowledge of the world.
Report
Soundwave reports his latest findings.
Confide
Megatron confides his plans to Soundwave.
StandBy
Though Megatron is the overriding hero of the story, Soundwave always stands by to offer his quiet support.
Rescue
On rare occasions Soundwave must step in to physically protect his leader. Here with Rumble to help.
PureGold
Pure gold.
Unbeatable
See, what did I tell you?...
Unbeatable
...An unbeatable team!

More images may be added as time allows