Name: Tracks
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Warrior
Timeline: Generation 1
Looking good is what life is all about.
Profile:
If asked to describe himself using a single word, Tracks would say, without any hesitation, "beautiful". A total narcissist, Tracks always believed he was a pinnacle of Cybertronian beauty - and this opinion has only intensified since he came to Earth and received his Corvette alternate mode. "Humans have such a refined sense of style!" he often says. It is widely believed that if he didn't have to transform from time to time, Tracks would remain in his alternate mode indefinitely, given how much time he spends admiring himself, waxing his bodywork and chrome, and soaking in the adoration of humans admiring his paint job as he rolls by. Several Autobots have tried to talk to Tracks about the amount of time he spends on his appearance, concerned he is prioritising it over more important things, such as fighting the Decepticons. They point to Tracks' performance in battles, where Tracks is overly cautious and risk-averse because he tries to avoid ruining his bodywork, as well as skipping training sessions to buff his paintwork. Tracks almost always dismisses the concern as jealousy. Unfortunately, while he has a good spark, Tracks has a habit of driving others away with his pretentious attitude. This even includes his own brother, Needlenose, who fell out with Tracks many years ago and has since joined the Decepticon ranks. Tracks often hopes that Needlenose might one day see the error of his ways and join him on the Autobot side; this is in spite of the fact that it was Tracks who was largely responsible for their falling out. Unfortunately, Tracks is often unable to accept the possibility that he's in error, being blinded to the truth, and his own failings, by vanity.
Chevrolet Corvette "C3" mode:
Flight mode:
Author notes:
One of my favourite aspects of Tracks' story in recent years was his relationship with Needlenose in the IDW comics. I really liked how IDW picked up on those two guys having a similar facial structure - with the knight visor forehead - and similar personalities (Needlenose was a fashionista, and Tracks being self-obsessed), and built a connection between them. I decided to work that into my profile of Tracks, which sets up a bit of a conflict between the two - because Tracks is more or less incapable of understanding when he is in the wrong and saying sorry, he has never reconciled with Needlenose, and now the two 'bots find themselves on a collision course.
Toys of Transformers Generation 1 Tracks
Transformers Masterpiece Tracks
Masterpiece Tracks was a particularly interesting release. He's one who really captured the dynamic look of Tracks' design in the cartoon, with the distinct shape of the Corvette car mode changing into the equally distinct robot mode from the Generation 1 cartoon. That itself is a real achievement, since Tracks' previous toys have usually had a less than dynamic robot mode for the sake of having the alternate mode look as it should. This comes at the expense of the torso, which feels a little awkward - I'm never left with the feeling that the torso is solidly locked in. Even so, he is an interesting and fun design. I like him, and his retooled version, Road Rage.
More information on Transformers Masterpiece Tracks at TFW2005
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Transformers Masterpiece toys in my collection.
