G1 Tracks

Like most 1985 Autobots, Tracks is a character I don't remember as a kid. It's cool that his mold is unique amongst the TFs (until the e-Hobby repaint anyway), even though the Diaclone was red originally. I believe the toy was designed a little later than the bulk of the Diaclone cars, something the '80/'84 copyright might be referring to. The "hood-as-robot-chest" concept that most '84 Autobots have is gone, and the extra M.A.S.K.-like wings for flight mode are something new altogether. It is cool to see Tracks' flight mode used in the show; his vain lockjaw-speech characterization would be annoying if he wasn't such a good warrior with a separate mode for use in battle. The robot mode is well done, with good proportions and quite a lot of mechanical-detail stickers. The shoulder wings and dual missile launcher show that Tracks is a well-armed, capable soldier. The headsculpt is similar to the animated version, although Tracks' toy face is wearing a mask like Optimus Prime. A cool part of the mold is the upper chest, where a separate piece of white plastic resides - it has some lines and circles for more robotic detail, further enhancing the look set by the stickers. Another cool thing about the mold - Tracks has self-contained hands! They slide into place like Soundwave's hands. The vehicle mode is a very good representation of a Corvette. The flame design on the hood with the Autobot symbol is now a classic image for a 'Vette Autobot (which covers...uh, Tracks). The driver access hatch in the roof is a neat Diaclone thing which probably confounded a lot of TF kids in the 80s, wondering why the doors don't open (it would add needless complexity to an already sophisticated mold). The aforementioned "vehicular flight-mode" is implemented well - with the wings out, the arms acting as thrusters and the weapons array connected, I can really imagine Tracks doing some damage. Not one-on-one with the Seekers, mind you, but a shot from his Black Beam gun has been known to turn the odds in his favour. The packaging is standard TRU, with a good DW image on front, a pixelated pic on the back and no extras. Another cool Autobot from the era of cool TFs - recommended!