TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Sir Auros' review of: Tracks

Name: Tracks
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Warrior

I've been eagerly awaiting Tracks since pictures started floating around months ago. I didn't mind that it was originally going to be colored yellow, but was kind of pleased to see that Hasbro decided to make it blue instead. I wasn't so pleased that this delayed the figure hitting the market though, but since I still couldn't find a Hound or Silverstreak when Tracks was supposed to have come out, it doesn't really matter. The figure is really a mixed bag of really awesome, kickass parts and some really pathetic, poorly-designed parts. Also, my figure has at least two manufacturer errors that I've seen so far. The paint job on the driver's seat is botched, revealing red where it should be black, and the left missile launcher in robot mode is really loose. I might be able to tighten the missile launcher with a small screwdriver, but I don't feel up to painting the seat. I'd probably return it if there were actually anymore on the shelves when I bought it. I literally missed out on Meister (which is shipped in cases with Tracks) by only a few hours as I was in that store yesterday afternoon and again this afternoon. A pity, but on to the review...

Vehicle Mode:
Tracks is a Chevrolet Corvette and, like the car it's based on, looks gorgeous. My only real complaint is that it would have been nice had the seams been a little less conspicuous, but I realize that would have been nearly impossible to achieve and have the same robot mode. The paint job looks great (except for the missing patch on mine) and the interior is detailed well. I don't think the interior is quite as detailed as some of the other Alternators, but it's not as if it's easy to examine it like you could Sideswipe's. Tracks does have front tires that turn in unison like all the other Alternators out so far aside from Hound. The rear license plate is the only place you'll see an Autobot insignia on Tracks in vehicle mode, but I would have preferred a license plate instead of just the symbol, but I suppose it did have to go somewhere. If you like the aesthetics of a Corvette, then you should find this vehicle mode pretty sharp.

Robot Mode:
This is really where that "mixed bag" bit comes into the toy. The figure has great articulation on the arms, but terrible articulation the legs. The hood and doors of the car restrict the movement in the legs, and the feet are not attached by ball-socket joints at the ankles. This really causes balance problems with the figure and significantly restricts the poses you can put it in. This is pretty disappointing for an Alternator figure and definitely the low point of the robot mode. The legs also look really, really scrawny if the doors weren't there.

The hands also aren't attached on ball-sockets so they lack a lot of articulation that other Alternators have had so far, but his arms do both have built-in guns. That's insanely awesome and I wish more of the Alternators were so heavily armed. Tracks' armaments don't stop there though, the figure also has a gun (made from the engine, like most of the others) and two things that I refer to as missile launchers despite lacking the ability to launch anything. However, like I mentioned earlier in the review, the one on the left on my figure is loose. So loose that it really can't be positioned any way that will keep it from smacking into the figure's head as soon as I let go. I think this can be fixed with a very small screwdriver (maybe one from an eyeglass repair kit), but I haven't tried it yet and I really shouldn't have to fix something I just bought. The thing that irritates me about this is that this is the third Transformer that I've paid $20 or more for in the past few months that has problems with loose screws.

Transformation: 9 - Really tough the first time because I was terrified of breaking it (and it often felt like I would) and because the directions, as usual, are terrible. It is fairly well-designed though.
Durability: 7 - The missile launcher on mine was loose and I swear I'm starting to see some stress lines in a few places after only a few transformations.
Fun: 8 - Cool, fun vehicle and robot modes, but the articulation problems make it less fun for me and can hamper poses for display.
Price: 10 - $20 is still fair for a figure this detailed.
Summary: 8 - I still think it's a great Alternator, but the articulation problems could have been solved with simple ball-socket joints and mine was poorly-made.