-
Toy Review - Reveal The Shield Turbo Tracks
-
wow you already have him?
he looks really good in both modes, but especially alt mode.
I'm so glad you didn't take pics of flight mode!
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kaiden
wow you already have him?
he looks really good in both modes, but especially alt mode.
I'm so glad you didn't take pics of flight mode!
i was but it looks so meh, so if only someone requested it...lol :p
-
His shield doesn't seem to need much revealing. Or is that a sticker over it?
I think he looks cool, but he's not a must-buy for me, though.
-
You are the first person globally to take some decent photos of him. Well done Optics!
Are they some panel problems I see on the car side-view (not fitting together properly) or just the way you transformed him?
Oh, and if you did remove the rubsign in favour of the faction symbol, it looks a lot better :)
-
Yeah, those pics make him look nice.
not entirely convinced though.
-
I'm convinced. I have to get him now. Really nice photos Optics
-
It looks like the back half of the car doesn't really connect well to the roof... is that the case or was it just dislodged for the photos?
-
To hell with you and your photos!
(I'm fairly sure you just upgraded me from a meh to a buy this now)
-
Wow!!
Just goes to show how the skill of taking a good picture matters so much...
Those are the first pic of Tracks that do some justice... even swayed me to not minding the Hasbro paint job.
This just makes me more impatient :(
-
Where'd you find this toy?!? (o_O) Interesting to see that the chest insignia is a tampograph instead of a rub sign as shown in promotional pics. So does he have a rub sign somewhere else? I've been assuming that was kinda the point of the "Reveal the Shield" line...
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GoktimusPrime
Where'd you find this toy?!? (o_O) Interesting to see that the chest insignia is a tampograph instead of a rub sign as shown in promotional pics. So does he have a rub sign somewhere else? I've been assuming that was kinda the point of the "Reveal the Shield" line...
I'd think that he stuck a sticker over the rubsign.
-
I saw Deceptic's Tracks IRL today and there's no rub sign - t'was a tampo. Moving right along, the actual toy looks pretty kewl, but the wingalings look a bit too short for my liking. I know some people don't like the Chopper flames, but I personally don't mind them at all. :)
One interesting thing to note was that Track's hand gun looks like Wheeljack's missile launcher. I realised that this mould was created with the dual intention of making it into Tracks and Wheeljack when 5FDP spun his lower legs around and went, "Look it's Wheeljack!" :) I know this isn't the first time we've seen HasTak design a toy with the intention of retooling/repaint it for another toy/character during the conceptual stage (as opposed to doing it as an afterthought as has usually been the practice before) - but it's interesting to see it becoming a more widespread practice.
-
We've seen pictures of an unpainted Wheeljack already - the legs are indeed spun around, he's got a body kit, a new head, and he uses the Tracks shoulder cannons as spanners (barrel as handle, the 3mm clip as the spanner head).
-
I'm starting to think the mould has more Wheeljack than Tracks! Either way i think they both look good. I just did a quick Wheeljack digibash from some larger E-hobby photos - here's hoping we see the real deco soon!
http://i52.tinypic.com/245y90g.jpg
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kurdt_the_goat
I'm starting to think the mould has more Wheeljack than Tracks! Either way i think they both look good. I just did a quick Wheeljack digibash from some larger E-hobby photos - here's hoping we see the real deco soon!
http://i52.tinypic.com/245y90g.jpg
nice. i like the legs spun around this way but not sure if i like the head. i definitely dislike the weapons/tools he's holding.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kaiden
nice. i like the legs spun around this way but not sure if i like the head. i definitely dislike the weapons/tools he's holding.
As I said above, as I understand it they're just Tracks' shoulder guns being held by the barrel with the clip serving as a spanner head, so if you don't like the spanner look you can just clip them on somewhere as guns.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kaiden
nice. i like the legs spun around this way...
Agreed. Having seen Tracks in the 'flesh' (thanks to Optics), the positioning of the legs just makes sense and looks so much better IMO.
-
Toy Review - Turbo Tracks
Series - Reveal the Shield
Sub-line - N/A
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - expected here Jan 2011 (released globally Nov 2010)
Approximate Retail Price - $25-30
Approximate Size -
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Sports car
Main Features/Gimmicks - (flip out wings and weapons)
Main Colours - Blue, grey, dark grey.
Main Accessories - 2 shoulder cannons
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rts10.jpg
-
A small review for our arrogant blue friend...
Tracks is quite nice overall. It's a good likeness to the G1 original, and the fact they've made the mold suit Wheeljack as well is pretty impressive. Leg articulation is a little limited and the wings get in the way of the arms slightly, but he can still get into some decent poses. The blue plastic used is very deep and consistent and doesn't have the 'milkiness' of a lot of recent hasbro stuff. There's a nifty bit of automorph in the chest that reveals the head and spreads the shoulders. Playability from a kid's perspective is really good, it's a very stable robot mode with good balance, a nice large footprint and no arms or legs prone to falling off too easily. The legs look a little hollow, in the front shin area, this is mainly due to the dual Wheeljack transformation. It's not as flimsy looking as the Straxus ankles, but still robs the figure of some much needed bulk. Similarly, the arms are a little weedy looking - good thing he's brought three guns to the party. Strangely, all three appear to be missile launchers of some sort, which logically could create some problems for him in a tight corridor battle. Tracks probably wouldn't let himself get into that situation in the first place given his personality. The backpack locks into place in a very satisfying way, unlike Perceptor's crappy loose arrangement. It's a shame the shoulder weapons have to be unclipped from the vehicle mode and reattached for robot mode, but again this is a concession made for the Wheeljack repaint more than anything. His face retains the bright-red high blood pressure look of the original, although the overall look of the face is more in keeping with the initial Classics figures, in that the face is very robotic and blank - more recent figures tend to have a lot more personality to the face, Wreckgar, Jazz and Perceptor being a great example. There's a nice dab of yellow/green paint on the inner shoulder that helps to break up the figure's profile too.
Vehicle mode is a mixed bag. Again it's a good representation of the G1 original, while being different enough to avoid any legal issues. The colour in this mode looks really nice, but it's let down by the ridiculous paintwork on the bonnet - to be fair, I always thought the flame on the original was a bit lame too, but it did work in a 1980's context. I can't see anyone spending that much money on a muscle car and then ruining it by painting on a bunch of fluro tribal flame patterns. Actually, I can, but it'd be a massively bogan thing to do which is at odds with Track's personality. Either way, I'll be looking at ways to get it removed - Alternator Tracks looked fantastic without it and I'm guessing the same will be true here. The huge gap in the back of the car is also a big let down, and seems like a massive design flaw. A little more design work could have seen this avoided. It's also disappointing that the car's undercarriage profile is wrecked if the missiles aren't attached. On the positive side, the whole thing locks together quite well and rolls along ok, which again is nice for the kiddies, and he does have brake lights which is more than can be said for Jazz.
The flight mode is a bit of a joke. I can't believe Hasbro went to the trouble of including additional molding to support it, although it could also be used as a weapon-mode of the car if they decide to further repaint the mold as one of the Omnibots. It makes me think of Cybertron Megatron's flying car mode, or Cybertron Prime's flying fire truck, except it's less well thought out than those were. At least they haven't tried to pass him off as a BS triple-changer like they did with Straxus and ROTF Mixmaster. Still, it's a nice reference to the G1 original toy and show regardless.
Another nice feature with all recent figures is double-sided instructions for transforming in both directions, this is a really good move by Hasbro rather than the old cop-out 'reverse order of instructions' spiel, becuase sometimes the way back isn't enitrely the same as the way forward.
Overall I would consider this guy an essential purchase for G1 completists, although if forced to choose between Tracks or Wheeljack, I would probably say that early pictures show Wheeljack to use the mold a little more effectively than Tracks.
-
United version
In vehicle mode this is a thing of beauty! Super glossy 'metallic' blue paintjob, his authentic metallic gold n red firebird flames and tampo'd Autobot symbols put him way above the RTS version not just in a G-oneness way but in general aesthetically.
Robot mode he is solid. I was gonna complain that he was squat (whereas Tracks the character has always been made to seem tall) but after looking at some pics I realised I had simply mistransformed him and he has an acceptable stature. In this mode I'd say he's on par or greater with the RtS version.
My only complain is the 'official' legs. They aren't well designed and he looks like he has flippers for feet. I agree with everyone else in saying that he looks way better with wheeljack configured legs. Well I lied I have another complaint. The head. I understand that it is very faithful to the G1 toy but its proportions are way too chubby for my liking. It's a very minor and very personal gripe though :rolleyes:
His hip joints are also quite loose which I find quite uncharacteristic for a Takara toy. On that topic I think Takara are learning all the wrong lessons from Hasbro as the United line still retains the dreaded twisty ties AND an increasingly Hasbro-esque packaging style (maximum air, increasing number of taped points)
Overall: Import this toy if you can afford it!
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sutton
I would probably say that early pictures show Wheeljack to use the mold a little more effectively than Tracks.
I 100% agree with you!
-
I really dig the vehicle mode. Nice. Not so fond of the way they did the 'firebird' on the bonnet. Flight mode is a bit 'meh' but I think its nice to still be there, although I suspect ists just an extra that comes from the robot mode. he does look a little squat to me. World well for WHeeljack, but cuts tracks short (pun intended :p)
Floppy feet and knees, mine is a little loose.
I got Jazz and Tracks together and thought I would like Tracks more than Jazz, but it has turned out the other way....
Tracks, maybe 7/10
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Lint
Overall: Import this toy if you can afford it!
Agreed. I have the United version too and I'd say he has by far the nicest looking alt mode in my classics collection. Love the flames and the red autobot symbols look very nice. Nice detailing for the mags, grill, head lights tail lights & exhaust too.
Only downside to me is I can't get the back half to sit 100% flush in alt mode. It always seems to be out by about 1.5 mm. Didn't think it was like that when I got him out of the pack, but can't recall for sure.
Nice bot mode, love the head. So G1 Tracks!
-
Im in the same boat as you guys I think. He's not BAD, he just isnt all that great. My biggest issue is he feels kind of fat and stumpy. Longer legs would have added a lot to him for me personally, and it's a shame that tears him down as much as it does. The Alt mode is cool, but the missles under the sides are to obvious.
In the end He's not to bad, but I suspect wheeljack will use the mold better.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oilspill
Only downside to me is I can't get the back half to sit 100% flush in alt mode. It always seems to be out by about 1.5 mm. Didn't think it was like that when I got him out of the pack, but can't recall for sure.
The back half doesn't sit flush and does ruin the smooth lines somewhat. But there's also a trick to getting his forearms into the back part of the car - they need to plug into it at a right angle first before flipping it shut.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Oilspill
Only downside to me is I can't get the back half to sit 100% flush in alt mode. It always seems to be out by about 1.5 mm. Didn't think it was like that when I got him out of the pack, but can't recall for sure.
Now that I've examined mine I can see that it doesnt sit perfectly flush either, but not by 1.5mm :eek:. Mine is out by 1mm tops. The roof part is near perfectly smooth but the seam between the car door and rear on one side of the car is slightly gappy. It's almost negligible.
I think the trick is getting the arms to fold up properly. I had to do what Sutton just mentioned above.
-
I like him, big thanks to Easy D for the figure. My only gripe is the damn instructions don't actually show that the whole wing assembly can pivot upwards and not just the doors. As soon as I figured that out, I got less frustrated and finished him transforming. That, and his feet are really flimsy, and I am worried he will want to fall over all the time.
-
Bought him a couple of weeks ago but only got the chance to open him up today - I must say: sexiest car mode EVER.
