Tracks (G1)/toys

Tracks has many stylish blue car toys! Though he's stylish in any color, really.

Toys

The Transformers

Some looks just don't go out of fashion, my dear.

Tracks in a different colour, many kilometers away.

• Tracks (Autobot Car, 1985)

• Takara ID number: 44
• Accessories: black beam gun, 2 missile launchers, missile launcher mount, 4 missiles
• Known designers: Hiroyuki Obara (TakaraTomy)

Released in the second year of the US The Transformers toyline, Tracks is a redeco of the Takara Diaclone "Corvette Stingray" toy, transforming into a blue Chevrolet Corvette "C3" model year 1980-1982 with a large flame decal on his hood. His vehicle mode can achieve a flight mode via two flip-out wings and attachable rocket launchers; these rocket launchers have severely weak springs to prevent the tiny missiles from really going anywhere. In robot mode, Tracks is armed with a long rifle that covers most of his lower arm, and the two white rocket launchers are now mounted above his head. The rifle can also attach to his back for storage or for additional weaponry in flight mode. As this toy was originally a Diaclone mold, his roof/chest has an opening panel to allow a pilot mini-figure to sit inside.

In Japan, Tracks was part of the first year of Takara's Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers toyline. It visually identical to the Hasbro release (except for the packaging, obviously), but due to differences in US and Japanese toy safety regulations, the missile launchers are fully functional.

The European version of Tracks, released by Hasbro's then-newly-acquired Milton Bradley subsidiary, was initially a red car with blue launchers and missiles, consistent with the original Diaclone color scheme; the toy is also depicted in red on the mural scene on the back of 1985 Transformers packaging. This red Tracks was actually a Diaclone toy originally released in Europe by French company Joustra; when Hasbro/MB acquired Joustra's leftover unsold Diaclone inventory, the red Tracks-es were taken out of the original packaging, given rubsigns, and put into MB Transformers boxes. The styrofoam packing tray still has an empty slot for a now-removed Diaclone driver figure. It is believed that this is also the origin for the rest of the last-minute, second wave of MB-branded Transformers toys released in Europe in 1985.^[1] When Hasbro's name replaced the MB branding on European Transformers packaging, many of the MB-branded toys were re-released in the new packaging. The "Hasbro"-branded version of European Tracks now sported the same blue color as his US counterpart.^[2]

Tracks' sticker instructions have an odd error: the backpack is rotated 180 degrees, but stickers 9 and 10 are unmoved, making it look as though they should be applied to totally incorrect regions at the rear of the backpack—rather than at the front, in the regions they've been cut to fit, where they're visible from most angles.^[3]

This mold was used to make Road Rage, an e-HOBBY exclusive redeco based on the red European version.

• More information on red European Tracks at 20thcenturytoycollector.com
• More information on Tracks at TFU.info

• Tracks (Classic Hero, 1991)

• Accessories: black beam gun, 2 missile launchers, missiles, missile launcher mount

Tracks was re-released in a gold box as part of the European Classics reissues in 1991... in blue, not red. On this version, Tracks' shins are painted black, rather than the original version's unpainted gray die-cast metal.

As if I would be seen wearing that.

• Tracks with Basher (Action Master, 1991)

• Accessories: black beam gun, Basher partner/backpack
• Known designers: Andy Couzens (Hasbro), Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy)

Released in the seventh year of the European Transformers toyline (the year following the end of the line in the US), Tracks is a 3¾-inch non-transforming action figure sculpted to resemble his cartoon appearances more closely, although his white parts are now rendered in light gray. His construction is broadly similar to that used by the G.I. Joe figures of the time, having a swivel neck, shoulders and knees, plus ball-jointed hips attached via a steel rod internally secured by a rubber "o-ring". His hands have standard 3 mm holes which allow him to hold any other accessory in the Action Master line, plus his feet have holes in the bottom to secure him to larger vehicles. On top of that, the hole in his back is compatible with 5 mm posts.

He came with small tank partner named Basher, who forms a battle helmet/backpack for Tracks (or any other Action Master), colored in bright green and baby blue.

• More information on Action Master Tracks at TFU.info

From the people who brought you "Caddyblack", "Blackdraft", and "Black Kramer vs. Kramer"

• Black Tracks (Autobot Car, 2003)

• Accessories: black beam gun, 2 missile launchers, missile launcher mount, 4 missiles

A black-and-gray redeco of the original Tracks, "Black Tracks" was offered as part of a contest connected to the release of the Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Comics manga compilation. 300 Black Tracks figures were awarded through this contest, with names drawn and prizes mailed out in January 2003, though reportedly a fair few extras managed to sneak out onto the secondary market beforehand; these are in the same plain white box packaging as the prize version, just lacking the "you won" prize sticker found on the actual-prize versions.

The figure was apparently inspired by a black redeco of the Diaclone Corvette mold that was available in limited numbers from the R-Kioski store chain in Finland (which would then become the inspiration for Loudpedal). Only a few original examples have been found.

This toy was repurposed as an evil clone of Tracks in the mini-manga "Rodimus Wars".

• More info on TF Black Tracks and the Finnish Diaclone Black Corvette at TF-1.com

The Transformers Collection

• Tracks (2002)

• Release date: September 27, 2002
• ID number: 4
• Accessories: black beam gun, 2 missile launchers, missile launcher mount, 4 missiles

Tracks was reissued by Takara in late 2002 as part of their "book-box" The Transformers Collection series of reissues.

Near as can be told, there are no noteworthy differences between this and the original 1985 Takara release; yes, the launchers work.

This release is also the genesis of Road Rage and the above "Black Tracks".

Commemorative Series

• Autobot Tracks (2003)

• Accessories: black beam gun, 2 missile launchers, missile launcher mount, 4 missiles

Tracks was reissued by Hasbro as part of the Toys"R"Us exclusive Commemorative Series V, now officially named "Autobot Tracks" for trademark reasons.

This release is mostly identical to the original, with the big change being the missile launchers are now completely non-functional, lacking springs altogether.

Alternators

You can colour me blue, you can colour me yellow, but I will still be that most excellent fellow.

The official images always lie.

• Autobot Tracks (2004/2006)

• Alternator ID number: 5
• Binaltech ID number: BT-06
• Accessories: Engine/blaster
• Known designers: Eric Siebenaler and Mark McCall (Hasbro), Hironori Kobayashi (TakaraTomy), Marcelo Matere (packaging artist, rerelease)

The Alternators toy of Tracks updates his alternate mode to a licensed 1:24 scale Corvette Z06, featuring opening doors, an opening hood with an engine block underneath, a realistic interior, a "steering" mechanism that makes the front wheels move in unison, and rubber tires. Amusingly enough, his rocket launchers are stored next to the passenger and driver seats.

In robot mode, Tracks greatly resembles his Generation 1 self, though with one major difference: The roof of his actual car no longer forms the front of his chest. Instead, he has a pseudo-car-roof chest piece that folds down. His large shoulder pads, formed from the rear halves of the car, give the impression of the wings his original toy had. Equipped with a double-barreled gun (formed from his car engine), two pairs of double-barreled, slide-out wrist blasters, and two shoulder-mounted rocket launchers, Tracks is the most heavily armed Alternators toy.

Tracks was first released in Japan under Takara's Binaltech line with yellow as its primary color. The Hasbro version, named "Autobot Tracks" for trademark reasons, was initially also intended to be released in yellow first, with a running change to blue intended to come out later. However, when problems with the yellow plastic were discovered at the test shot stage, Hasbro decided to scrap the yellow version (presumably before it ever made it to the packaging stage), and instead released the toy in blue from the get-go. (Any rumors that the toy was shipped to stores and then recalled have never been backed up by any evidence.) A blue Binaltech variant was later also released to match the Hasbro version, which retroactively replaced the yellow version as the "main" color variant in Takara's promotional material for the line (even though the blue version's packaging and instruction booklet still depict the yellow version).

The main difference between Hasbro's Alternators version and the Japanese Binaltech version is that both color variants of Binaltech Tracks have the majority of their car body panels constructed of die-cast metal, which are also fully painted, whereas the Alternators version is made out of unpainted plastic. In addition, the blue version of Binaltech Tracks (which is a slightly darker shade of blue than its Alternators counterpart) also came with a large reproduction of his Generation 1 predecessor's hood flame sticker. This sticker was eventually released with Hasbro's own Alternators Swerve, a retool of Tracks.

Initially, Chevrolet had denied Hasbro and Takara the license for the Z06 Corvette. Thus, an auxiliary plan for Tracks was devised, this time as another "well-known American sports car", a Dodge Viper. Eventually, though, Chevrolet had a change of mind and granted Hasbro and Takara the license for the Corvette design after all. As a result, the Viper sculpt was slightly redesigned, given a new head sculpt, and ultimately ended up as Sideswipe instead (called "Side Swipe" for trademark reasons).^[4] The Tracks head sculpt originally designed for the Viper body ultimately ended up being used for the Corvette version of Tracks, though.

In addition, the original prototype for Tracks (seen in the Takara stock photos on the toy's packaging and in the Hasbro instructions) featured a spring-loaded trigger mechanism for the arm cannons, which was changed to the final toy's manually deployed cannon mechanism starting with the test shot stage.

Due to only shipping in two waves, Tracks initially ended up as one of the rarer Alternators toys. When Hasbro tried to relaunch the line in 2006, a re-released Tracks (with no changes other than the different packaging) was part of the first wave of the new assortment. Ironically, the re-released Tracks ended up as a shelfwarmer this time around.

This sculpt was retooled significantly to make Alternators Battle Ravage (aka Binaltech Ravage), and later given a second retool that only replaced the head sculpt for the aforementioned Swerve.

• Archive of Binaltech Tracks's bio and tech specs
• More information on Alternators Tracks at TFU.info
• More information on yellow Binaltech Tracks at TFU.info

Transformers (2010)

Gee, that handheld clip-on launcher looks familiar.

• Turbo Tracks (Deluxe, 2010/2011)

• Accessories: 2 white clip-on missile launchers, 1 black gun/clip-on launcher
• Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro), Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy)

Part of the fifth wave of 2010 Transformers: Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class toys, Turbo Tracks transforms from a blue sports car kinda resembling a Jaguar F-type into a winged robot. Tracks comes with three C clip weapons, one of which can be handheld, while the missile launchers clip behind his head, a callback to his original toy. He can also assume a flying car mode by folding out the wings in car mode and moving the missile launchers from under the doors to tabs on a rotatable flip-out panel just behind the rear window. This configuration frees up the launchers' clips, allowing Cyberverse accessories to be attached. His main gun can then attach to his underside. As part of the first wave of the Reveal the Shield promotion, he sports a rubsign.

Turbo Tracks was redecoed into BotCon 2012 Tracks and retooled into Generations Wheeljack, Timelines Runamuck, and Timelines Over-Run.

• More information on Turbo Tracks at TFU.info

United

Few people know that Tracks is a card-carrying member of the '70s Preservation Society.

• Autobot Tracks (Deluxe, 2011)

• Release date: January 29, 2011
• ID number: UN-13
• Accessories: 2 white clip-on missile launchers, 1 black beam gun/clip-on launcher

United Tracks is a redeco of the above Reveal the Shield Deluxe Tracks. United Tracks features a more detailed paint deco, including metallic blue paint on his blue-plastic panels, a Generation 1-style flame hood symbol, and a painted rear trunk grille and tailpipes. He lacks the yellow paint on the chest/shoulder parts, and the waist deco is now silver. United Tracks has light blue painted eyes to Turbo Tracks's unpainted smoky gray. Unlike a good portion of Turbo Tracks figures, the red paint on United Tracks's face comes all the way up to the crest of his helmet. Despite all these changes, the two figures have identical (or nearly identical) plastic colors.

As with all United versions of the Transformers toys, Tracks lacks a heat-sensitive rubsign, replacing it with a tampographed Autobot sigil.

The instructions show an extra step from the Hasbro release: flipping down the rear tires while the car is in flight mode.

Kre-O

• Kreon Class of '85 (Kreon figure set, 2015)

• Set number: B5152
• Voted: Most Worried About This Superlative Messing Up His Paint Job
• Accessories: Rifle

Kre-O "Autobot Tracks" is a small brick-built Kreon figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body tampographs are heavily toy-based, but he has a cartoon-based face design.

He was only available as part of the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con-exclusive "Kreon Class of '85" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through Hasbro Toy Shop after the show.

Q-Transformers

• Tracks (2015)

• Release date: October 25, 2015
• ID number: QT-17

Q-Transformers Tracks is a redeco and retool of QT-04 Crosshairs with a new head, transforming into a super deformed Chevrolet Corvette C7. Some units have their arms swapped during installation, leaving him with functional but upside-down arms.

For reasons unknown, the release of Tracks was pushed back several times: initially slated for release as part of the fourth wave on March 21, 2015, he was first moved to wave 5 on June 27th before ultimately seeing release by himself on October 25th.

Masterpiece

"Are you implying that I wasn't a masterpiece before this??"

• Tracks (2015)

• Release date: November 7, 2015
• ID number: MP-25
• Accessories: Gun, grille-gun, Raoul minifigure, Blaster boombox, flight stand, rear-view mirrors
• Known designers: Hironori Kobayashi (TakaraTomy)

Masterpiece Tracks transforms into an officially-licensed Chevrolet Corvette "C3" model year 1980-1982, which can also achieve the character's traditional flight mode. As with other figures in the Masterpiece line, he is intended to be an accurate representation of his cartoon model. Roughly as tall as a Voyager Class figure, he is also in scale with MP-10 Optimus Prime, and can fit inside Prime's trailer in vehicle mode. In contrast to larger entries in this line, Tracks lacks die-cast parts, and his tires are cast in hard, non-rubberized plastic. Additionally, following the trend started with Wheeljack, his side mirrors come detached out of the box, and can be found separately packaged inside the instruction bag. An extra pair is included in case of loss or breakage.

While the original Tracks toy had the flight mode rockets on top, this version has the rockets underneath and adds tail fins to the top, which the G1 toy did not have. The rockets can be moved to the top to emulate the original toy but this is more of a fan mode configuration.

For accessories, he comes with his traditional handheld black beam gun, along with a version that can be plugged on the vehicle mode's front grill to recreate the scene from "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1", a flight stand for the vehicle, a small figure of Raoul (based on his "Make Tracks" color scheme), and a small non-transforming Blaster in boombox mode.

Tracks's leg transformation, rotating the side-panels 180 degrees to put the tires on the backs of his legs, is based on a misreading of his cartoon animation model, or at least an incomplete reading of the model. The model's back view shows the tires are still oriented towards the front of the legs, just pushed behind the inner robot-leg portion along with the rest of the car's side-panel.

The mold was retooled into MP-25L Loudpedal and further retooled into MP-26 Road Rage.

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

You think this is a backpack? If that's the case, then I am the clear winner when it comes to making it look good.

• Autobot Tracks (Deluxe Class, 2021)

• Hasbro ID number: WFC-K26
• TakaraTomy ID number: KD-15
• TakaraTomy release date: November 27, 2021
• Accessories: Missile launcher, blaster
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy)

Part of the third wave of Kingdom Deluxe Class toys, Tracks is a Deluxe-sized mold that transforms from show-accurate robot to show-accurate approximation of the Chevrolet Corvette "C3" in 21 steps. From that, he can also transform into a flying car in 8 steps, with tail fins much like the Masterpiece toy to boot. Unusual for a Tracks figure, the two missile launchers over his head are one accessory that can be hand-held or attach to any of the 5 mm ports as part of the C.O.M.B.A.T. System/F.O.S.S.I.L. Technology. He also features 3 mm posts to attach Fire Blast effects.

This Tracks toy is in fact so show-accurate that it depicts the hood flames as solid red like the Sunbow cartoon, instead of the multi-color flames of most prior toys. Also unlike prior toys, his wings are entirely a solid white, as the pieces are cast in unpaintable plastic.

Tracks also has the same misreading of the animation model as the above Masterpiece toy, rotating the legs' car-panels around 180 degrees. A design flaw is present in numerous Tracks copies, where the legs frequently untab. Fixes for this include pushing the pin on the leg a tiny bit further in, as well as lengthening the tab via tightening it or using any of the plastic ties included in the figure.

For Tracks, Hasbro chose a particularly inconvenient location for his obligatory tampographed Hasbro product code: On the front side of his right shin. Additionally, Tracks has an extremely minor misassembly in that the rear jet mode fins are swapped left-to-right, which affects nothing except the contour of the back edge of the trunk. Thankfully, they're easy to pop off and swap around, if one were to even notice in the first place.

Like most of this toyline, Tracks comes with one of four possible holographic Golden Disk cards for his wave, which reveals a possible destiny of a key character.

It’s also notable that the photograph of Tracks’ flight mode on the back of his packaging is slightly mistransformed. His arms are tilted so that the blue portions that form his car mode’s sides are facing upwards instead of the sides with the red arrows. This mistake is not present in the instructions nor most other stock photography. Speaking of his box, his robot mode is pictured with grey joints at the knees instead of the white ones seen on the toy itself.

Tracks was redecoed (with a new head) to Road Rage. In an artistic error, Track's head in his package art is based on Road Rage's art.

Merchandise

Decoy

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images.

• Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)

In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Tracks was available in part of a massive multi-pack of similar mini-figurines. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his Tech Spec ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of Transformers board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something.

• Tracks (Decoy, 1987)
  • Decoy number: 15

The Hasbro Decoy release of the Tracks game piece is almost identical to the Japanese version, except the number on his back is a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded Throttlebots, Aerialbots, Protectobots, and Technobots.

• More information on Decoy Tracks at TFU.info

Transformers Trading Card Game

• Tracks, Autobot Warrior (2020)
  • Wave 5: Titan Masters Attack
  • Rarity: SRT
  • Card Number: T40/T46
  • Stars: 9

This card's set was originally set for an April 2020 release, however due to the global COVID-19 pandemic the release was pushed back to May 29, 2020.

Jada Toys

• Tracks (Scale 1/24 Die Cast Vehicle, 2019)
  • Accessories: Collectible coin

Announced by Jada Toys in 2019, Hollywood Rides Tracks was planned to be a 1/24 scaled non-transforming die-cast car with rubber tires based on his original Chevy Corvette C3 alternate mode and possibly featuring opening doors, front hood and back trunk. Similar to the Robot Powered Machines, the car would have featured a sculpted robot mode underneath. However, the product remains unreleased and is most likely cancelled.

Tracks would have come with a collectible coin with his face engraved on it.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

• Tracks (Scale 1/32 Die Cast Vehicle, 2019)

A 1/32 scaled version of Tracks was also announced, but remains equally unreleased.

Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

ULTIMATES!

• Tracks (ULTIMATES!, 2021)
  • Accessories: Evil Alien Robot alternate head, left & right closed fists, left & right "gripping" hands, left & right open hands, pistol, rifle, Blaster boom box, "Tank"

Part of the second wave of Transformers ULTIMATES! from Super7, Tracks is a 7-inch-tall non-transforming action figure based heavily on his cartoon character model. Despite his retro look, he has way more articulation than the original, including multi-directional joints at the neck, shoulders, wrists, hips, and ankles; plus swivel biceps, elbows, and knees. His hands pop out at the wrists so they can be replaced with his additional spare hands in different poses.

Tracks includes a number of accessories, a mix of items from the original cartoon and -curiously enough- his Action Master incarnation. On the cartoon side, he has his normal pistol, a "masked" alternate head from "Attack of the Alien Robots", and Blaster in boombox mode (calling back to "Auto-Bop"). He also has his Action Master rifle and partner Basher, though Super7 promotional materials labels this simply as a "tank". It plugs into the back of the Tracks figure and the turret can replace his head.

Preorders for Tracks (and the rest of Wave 2) opened on July 29 2021, and closed on August 27, with the toys purportedly shipping in summer 2022 but actually coming out one full year later.

Pop!

• Tracks (2021)
  • ID number: 96

Released as part of the Pop! Retro Toys segment and exclusive to New York Comic Con 2021, Funko's Pop! Tracks is a super deformed vinyl figure based on his original Generation 1 toy.

• Tracks (Digital Pop!, 2022)
  • Rarity:
    • Monochrome: Common
    • Static: Common
    • Glowing: Uncommon
    • Chrome: Uncommon
    • Original: Rare

NFTs depicting Tracks in the Funko style.

Micro Machines

• Optimus Prime Hauler Playset (2022)

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References