Toy Review: Transformers RtS Turbo Tracks

Review: #8
Name: Turbo Tracks
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Reveal the Shield
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)
Variations: United Tracks has a more G1 inspired flame on his hood and metallic blue paint. Also retooled into Generations Wheeljack

VEHICLE MODE:



Tracks transforms into a blue car that doesn't seem to be based on any real life car to date. It's very angular, and I'm not really a fan of the shape of this car, but it's a plausible representation of Tracks. The missiles on the sides are really awful, and does a really bad job as pretending to be exhausts.



As much as I don't like the overall shape of the car, the back design is quite nice, and I can't fault it. It would be nice if the grill-like pattern at the back and the exhausts are painted, but it could have been worse. At least the hubcaps are painted silver, which is more than I can say with Reveal the Shield Jazz.



As much as I detest Transformers with both transparent and painted windows (I hate the inconsistency), it's pretty well done on Tracks. His front and side windows are transparent, while the back is painted black. Thankfully, the dark smoky transparent plastic and the black are a close enough match that it's not hideously obvious (it doesn't ruin the look).



Instead of the flaming decal he had in his G1 toy and also included in his Binaltech release, he has more of a tribal pattern on his hood now. Many fans have complained but it has grown on me, and I think that it does look quite nice, at least it makes Tracks unique.



Being in the Reveal the Shield promotion, Tracks features a rubsign instead of an Autobot insignia. In his case, the rubsign is found on top of his hood. Rubbing it will reveal the Autobot shield, I wouldn't recommend rubbing it too often or too hard, as the whole roof of the car is paint on transparent plastic and you risk eventually rubbing the paint off. Also, you will see by far the biggest panel line in the car is the whole back, even when pushed as far as it will go, and sitting flush, it is still very obvious.



The grill design is alright, I'm not a fan on how low it sits and how far the grill protrudes. He rolls well though.



A rarity nowadays, the underside of Tracks doesn't have much empty space, because of this I feel less 'cheated'. Only looking at the underside, you don't really see how Tracks transforms, which is great.



Comparing against Binaltech (BT) Tracks, I infinitely prefer BT Tracks more, it's sleeker and better proportioned, with a much nicer, richer, blue. Still, it is a nice vehicle mode, and is really subjective to the person's taste on whether they like it or not.

FLIGHT MODE:



Like the G1 toy and cartoon, Turbo Tracks features a flight mode, obtained by flipping a panel from the back, attaching the missiles, and pulling apart the doors and flipping out the wings. Very simple. Only looks good from the top down angle looking from the front (shown in the above pic).



From any other angle, and it really shows how much of an afterthought this mode is. The detaching of the doors leave an unsightly gap, and the car can't even sit flat on the table now.



One nice thing they did add specifically for this mode is a small panel at the back that you can flip over to attach the missiles. They didn't have to add it (and ruin the aesthetics in the process), so I'm glad they put in that extra attention.



The missiles takes some force to push into the slots, but holds very securely once attached, they rest too close to the car to look good though.



The flight mode can be improved by changing the configuration a bit, bear in mind that this is now a fan mode. Basically you're just pulling out the arms to cover the gap, and this makes a lot of difference.



It feels a lot more solid and displays a whole lot better as it's hiding the weird bits behind the doors. Plus, the back wheels fold up like on the original toy, there's still some problems like not being able to sit flat, but this is a third mode after all.

TRANSFORMATION:



One really nice aspect of his transformation is the way his gun is stored inside the back of the car, quite ingenious.



His gun, and two missiles detach for transformation, and uses the clip system. Track's transformation is very simple, yet quite elegant and fun, it does the trick, not too complicated, yet enough twists to be interesting. This is a toy that you can have fun going between the modes, sadly, the fun can be hampered by some loose joints like mine was. His automorph is well done, pushing up his chest will push out his shoulders, it's really fun when you activate it.

ROBOT MODE:



Robot mode is where Tracks shines the best, although there are still a few flaws. First of all, his chest, which is the hood of the car, is huge, and feels a bit too big for him. To be fair, it isn't as pronounced in real life and is fairly sleek. The cartoon model for Tracks and the original toy was really sleek, it's not replicated well here, and we see the liberties taken to ensure this mold works as Wheeljack. To be honest, I would rather prefer a smaller false hood like on BT Tracks than the huge thing on his chest here.



Don't look at him from the back! Looks very clunky and kibbly, particularly the legs (looks really weird with the whole hood of the car there, it's for the Wheeljack retool). Sadly, his wings isn't attached on his shoulders, but rather, on panels attached onto his back. They are adjustable, but just doesn't feel right and I feel cheated.



We see he has a huge protruding backpack, which is the whole back of the car. It only looks bad, as it's completely hollow, and it doesn't affect his balance. This backpack doesn't cause Tracks any liabilities.



His wings flip from behind his doors, they are a bit small, but from head on, they are in the right spot and looks pretty good, you don't notice that it's attached to some blue panels.



The head is well sculpted, but it just isn't to my tastes, it's too round, maybe if they didn't sculpt the side bits that makes him look chubby I'll like it better. He retains his red face and white head that seems out of place amongst the blue, his missiles hang overhead.



Speaking of the missiles, they clip onto some posts on a panel behind his head, which is slightly disappointing, I would rather they had incorporated it into the transformation and made it non-detachable. The missiles have shrunk in size, more than proportionally required, but at least this doesn't overwhelm the head. You can independently aim the missiles and point it to the air if you wish.



The biggest flaw by far is his feet, you can just see the major compromises they had made to be able to retool this into Wheeljack. The feet looks terrible, like flippers, or as others have suggested, duck feet or frog feet. It isn't helped that there is a hollow space in his shins. His feet look flimsy, and they are, you have to be careful when posing him as you'll find it easy for him to tip over due to the ball joint placement.



Being a comptemporary toy, Tracks is very poseable. I see people saying that the leg articulation is restricted, but I don't really see that. His chest piece can even lift up to allow a better range of motion. He has ball joints on both his feet/ankle and heelspurs, allowing him to stand flat on the table at whatever angle. One thing to note is that his gun fits tightly into his hands, you have to get the right angle and use some force to push it in, although it's a perfect fit, it won't leave any stress marks unlike Wreck-Gar...



Tracks not only looks short and stubby, he is shorter and stubbier than most deluxes! Comparing to the Henkei Alert (or Universe Sunstreaker) mold, it makes him look really really short, which is a big shame. I forgot to mention that the rubsign is now on his chest, and looks great there (that is, if yours is put on straight... mine is wonky).



Compared to BT Tracks, even though they're representing the same character, they really do not look anything alike aside from the white head and red face.



I must say I like the BT Tracks robot mode better, it's way more awesome in so many degrees.

Even though I mentioned all these bad things about RtS Tracks, I'm just being overly critical, and unfairly comparing him to BT Tracks, who is my most favourite Transformer figure ever. RtS Tracks' robot mode is decent, with many things done right, but his legs and feet really leave a lot to be desired.

OVERALL:

With a decent, if mediocre, vehicle mode, and a bland robot mode, there's really not much going for Reveal the Shield Tracks. Why get him, I hear you wonder? It's because he is Tracks! He has a kickass character model design, and I can see how the extremely kibbled BT Tracks will put some people off. RtS is a great low-kibble alternative to a representation of G1 Tracks, and is great, great fun to play with. I brought him initially just because I like the character (and he was on sale), but I'm glad I did, as he displays well and is a bundle of fun, I heartily recommend this toy.

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If you feel like seeing more pictures of this fabulous toy, check out seibertron.com's gallery.

Credits: I linked a few tfwiki.net and seibertron.com pages in the review, but all the photos and text is mine.

Last but not least, check out my other toy reviews in this page.

Book Review: Dread Mountain

Review: #53
Title: Dread Mountain
Series: Deltora Quest - 5th book
Author: Emily Rodda
Read Before: yes
My Comments: Beginning was boring, and there was nothing captivating at the start, but it does set up the plot of this book quite well, and introduces some critical characters and abilities. It picks up somewhere around the middle, where the main characters start to go on their quest, with a big bit of excitement. The monster villain for this book is really interesting (a giant toad). There aren’t many riddles and puzzles in this book, which dulls the excitement a bit, but the ending is really well done. I love how the villain didn't get defeated by force, but by thinking.
Rating: 6/10
Rereadability Factor: 5/10

Book Review: New Moon

Review: #52
Title: New Moon
Series: Twilight - 2nd book
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Read Before: yes
My Comments: It’s actually more bearable the second time around, probably because I expect what is going to happen and that it would be boring. Just like when I reread Twilight, New Moon lost most of it’s sweetness to me now. This book is probably the worst of the series, with a very boring and unnecessarily dragged out middle, there is nothing happening, but yet, the style of writing does make you a bit addicted and want to find out what is going to happen. I’m really getting annoyed at the repetitive thoughts of the main character Bella, it’s always “I don't want you to get hurt” or some sort of preposterous thinking, which is very unrealistic. At least the end is worth the build up, everyone knows that Edward is going to come back, so that’s no surprise, but at the end the reader gets to find out more about the vampires and that is really interesting, your curiously is really satisfied with all the tidbits the author reveals. Although its good, I’m not sure if surviving most of the book is worth it for the end. The epilogue made me cringe, it’s just so… naive on part of the main character Bella, but I cringe every time whenever the two lovers express relationship, it feels so stupid and not really that reflective of real life (actually it’s only the “I need to protect you” and “I don't believe you love me” parts), but still very entertaining to read. I would only read this book to get to the third and fourth books, on it own, it’s nothing special.
Rating: 7/10
Rereadability Factor: 3/10 (the boring middle makes it hard to convince yourself to read it again)

To Love-Ru (halfway point)

After having a little taste a week ago, I've decided to go through and read pretty much the whole series. One week later, I'm halfway, having read 80 chapters already and I really like it (particularly chapter 80 is quite funny, and in a way, quite sweet). Yes, sure it's episodic, with the stories pretty much not linking to any previous ones, but it's still really amusing and funny. There is a sort of overall story objective, and that is seeing the main character, Rito, try to express his affections to Haruna, but seeing him fall in love with the other main character, Lala. It's actually quite sweet seeing Rito slowly falling in love with Lala, and that he does care for her after all.

As the story goes on, the fan service dies down a little, I don't mind it so much (as the humor more than makes up for it) but there is still plenty of it. Some of the earlier running gags has stopped, due to the larger cast not allowing much time for them (and I liked those gags too...), and some characters being replaced by others as the chapter plots demands it. I understand why a lot of people don't like this style, but for me, I really love it, the humor is great and you don't need to think too hard about the story, it's just a fun way to mindlessly enjoy something. You can pick it up and leave it wherever you want, allowing a much greater freedom to read.

It does use a lot of the same jokes, with some minor changes but it works, I think you are waiting for it, and when it does, somehow, it's still interesting and hilarious. I do want to read more and more of it, and finally seeing how it all works out, and as of now, I don't think I would mind so much if I had to reread it or not (actually, I want to reread it).

I'm halfway and yet I'm not bored by it, I find myself laughing at every chapter, in some cases I think about it afterwards and still smile at the outrageousness of the situation. I admit, initially I wasn't in it for the story, but now I'm in it more for the comedy, definitely recommend this series if you like the sort of manga that has a super simple story but with quite a lot of situational humor.

Book Review: The Tale of Despereaux

Review: #51
Title: The Tale of Despereaux
Series: N/A
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Read Before: no
My Comments: To me, an utmost boring book, there is nothing compelling, it does not attract me at all. The story is boring, and you feel no push to get to the end, neither is there a significant build up towards the end of the book. The writing is not great and in general, quite disappointing. The story does not make sense, and is really outrageous. There are really no likeable characters at all, and the ending is not great, you read it, and thinking “oh ok, that’s all, whatever”, this is just generally something I would not read.
Rating: 5.5/10
Rereadability Factor: 1/10

To Love-Ru

Had a quick read of the manga To Love-Ru in the library today, and I thought it was very amusing and funny, I quite like it. Although it is a bit mature (if you're reading it, should be at least 18 as it has slightly offensive material), it was really good. Apparently (after seeing other people's comments online) it lacks in plot, but I guess it's popular for the comedy (and it is popular, with an anime and a sequel), and it is really good comedy. The type that I like, unexpected situations with the guy not really knowing how he got there, haha, and there's also the whole "girl out of nowhere suddenly falls in love with the guy" theme happening. Overall, I think it is worth a read :)

Update (i.e. a few days later): I've read 35 chapters in the last few days (not too bad, what with all the stuff I have to do lately) and I'm really enjoying this series. It is hilarious, although I guess it may be a bit too ecchi (or more specifically, a lot of fan service), lol, I suggest just read it in privacy (and at home, as I doubt that it'll be allowed to be read in a public place like internet cafe or library). I think it may be coz I haven't read many manga in the harem genre, so I'm loving it, and I just find it so amusing. It's not as episodic as I had feared (or as people had made up), there are 'episodes', or events, that last for a few chapters and it's like one big chapter, and within those, I got hooked, and I couldn't wait to see how it panned out. There are no character development but I like the overused elements, it's done in a slightly different way and I guess it's just that the whole manga is so fun to read, and I know it's no complex story (like Death Note, that is a really good and complex manga with a great anime), but it's really nice if you don't want to think too much and have a laugh.

Toy Review: Transformers AA Breacher

After a stop of more than two months after my last toy review, I've finally bothered to write up another one (just haven't found the time lately)



Review: #7
Name: Breacher
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Autobot Alliance
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Scout (Wave 2)
Variations: The Takara Tomy (i.e. Japanese) version uses a darker blue plastic and a repaint as Bodyblock has been seen

VEHICLE MODE:



Breacher transformers into a vehicle that is based off a Land Systems OMC Ratel IFV and it is a great vehicle mode, with a great paint scheme and perfect proportions. The gun on the turrets looks very natural and menacing.



Pretty much good to look at from all normal angles (obviously if you look at the bottom you'll see robot parts), there are no weird gaps anywhere, which is amazing considering he has a fairly complex transformation for a scout class figure. Even Windcharger, who has a simple transformation, has the rear of his vehicle not quite fully covering his back (the plastic used for his rear ends too high up, leaving a small gap, unlike a real car).



Nicely detailed all the way round, he has one little flaw, his side panels do not sit quite flush to the body. This isn't anything major but is a bit annoying, and it is not only on mine, a few people have complained about similar problems. What's great about Breacher is that all six of his wheels roll, I detest fixed molded wheels.



The number of panel lines visible might put off some people but the shade of blue they've used it dark enough such that it's not as noticeable. His gun utilises the clip joint system first introduced in ROTF Recon Ironhide, so it can be used by other figures that also has the bars (such as Sunspot). In addition to the clip joint in the turret, he has two bars on either side and two bars on top of the rear of the vehicle where you can attach more clip joint weapons.



If you're really looking closely, you notice that he doesn't have all that much paint on him, pretty much only the windows, headlights, and '28' and an Autobot logo tampographed on both sides and some rear red lights. That said, it does what it has to.



Aside from his rolling wheels as play value, his gun turret on top can rotate 360 degrees and also tilt up and down. He is also supposedly partnered to Seaspray much like Sunspot was to Mindwipe, in that Breacher fits perfectly onto Seaspray's hovercraft bed.

Overall, a great little vehicle mode that fits on the palm of your hand, great great fun but what's more... is this is his weaker mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

A complex transformation for it's size, although when compared to deluxe and voyager toys, it is not all that difficult. It is quite ingenious at how they had incorporated the rotating turret into his robot mode (as his waist, and it's now fixed). The first couple of times will be a bit frustrating and annoying, and it doesn't help that his joints, particularly the shoulder joints, are overly tight. When going back into vehicle mode, there are clips for everything, although some are not tight enough to hold the panels in place (such as the aforementioned side panels). It's a fun transformation, albeit not one you can do on a whim.

ROBOT MODE:



Breacher really shines in this robot mode, it's not based off any previous character so it's a purely new one. The proportions are GREAT on this guy, they have perfected the whole look, and few can resist the aesthetic, this is what made him so popular (and in fact, hard to find initially).



The placement of all the vehicle mode bits are good and adds to the awesome look, he doesn't look as great from the back but it is not a mess like some other toys. There's a few more touches of paint on this mode, but overall, still not what you would call as having a decent amount of painted details (he has enough sculpted details, just not the paint to bring them out).



His gun can be detached from the turret and clip onto either of his hands, but I find that it's a loose fit even though it was designed to do that. The clip is just a tad too small and so it wiggles, I find that just too annoying so I clip it onto the bars on the panels of his arms, which fits much more firmly and looks great there too.



In addition, the gun can stay attached to the turret, it's not even required to be removed for transformation.



Head sculpt is great, it's rare for me to love a head sculpt on first sight, but I really love Breacher's, looks suitably heroic for an Autobot and I can't explain it but it has that mecha look to it.



I love a lot of the little things that the designer has done but didn't need to, it really adds to the toy, an example would be the panels behind the legs. The designer didn't have to make it fold into his leg, it's not really required for transformation but they did, making Breacher look much better and more elegant from the side.



Breacher has great poseability, with only one major miss, and that's the lack of knee swivel, not that it's anything close to a clincher. He has practically everything else (bar a waist swivel as well I guess), ball jointed ankles, ball joints and swivel shoulders, ball jointed elbows, wrists and head, you can get a lot of good poses out of him. He looks great from many angles, his stature is really heroic and his big kneecaps is a great aesthetic touch.

OVERALL:

With a strong vehicle mode, involved transformation and a fantastic robot mode, there's not much you can dislike about Breacher, and since he's a small figure, price won't be dear too. This is one that I highly recommend, even at full price, everything about him screams the classical Transformers taste that every fan loves. A brilliant brilliant toy, this is one fine example of why I love Transformers, get him while you can!!!

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Credits: While a vast majority of the review is mine (including the photos), I've given links to a few other sites including Tfwiki.net and Wikipedia.

If you want more photos (I've only taken a limited number of photos in this review for your reference) take a look at Seibertron's gallery for this guy.

And finally, as always, the plug for my other Transformers reviews that I've done :P.