WFC: Kingdom Autobot Tracks

Hey, it’s been a minute since my last blog post, and I am sorry about that. I just couldn’t come up with any ideas for this one plus my free time was lacking this past week and any free time I had, I was just exhausted. As a result this one might not be my best work but I want to get it done so I can move on. This time I am looking at a figure that a lot of people really hate for one reason in particular. I understand it, but the fix is straightforward and so I find the hate overblown. Anyway I am looking at Kingdom Tracks.

As I stated, Tracks here gets a lot of hate for his legs, which I can partially understand since he has a misassembly that makes his legs really loose and floppy. Now there are multiple fixes for the legs (this is the one I used) and all of them are pretty easy. He has a few other minor issues but I will cover them when I get there, but I think he is on par with figures like ER Trailbreaker and Siege Sideswipe. I guess now is as good a time as any to get in to why.

His head is the best Tracks head we have ever gotten on a mainline figure of the character. The stark white helmet makes all the details visible and I love that the head crest feeds directly into the side spike slopes. The red face is present as it is iconic to the characters design and is looking as good as ever. It is very round and smooth compared to the rest of the head but it works well. The eyes are a nice lavender blue but I would have gone with a brighter blue so they stand out more. Head articulation is pretty limited because of the shape of the head and collar so it can only move about 40 degrees left or right.

The torso is pretty wide but not unproportionately so. He does have a faux chest which works really well and I think if it wasn’t fake he would be way out of scale with the rest of the WFC gang. The fake windows are painted in a nice metallic sand blue and he has his traditional yellow badge block in the center of his chest. Now the torsos itself is pretty two-dimensional because of transformation but you can really only tell from certain angles. He does have quite a large backpack which is almost entirely clear plastic since it is the entire top and back of the car, but this doesn’t bug me. His design requires him to have a backpack and it doesn't get in the way of any articulation at all.

Moving on to Tracks’ arms which are pretty nice. His shoulders have both the wings and wheels on them, and similarly to ER Trailbreaker, the wings are attached to the shoulders but they are not nearly as awkward looking as those panels. I do really like the red and yellow details on his forearms as they bring some much-needed color. Articulation here is pretty standard; shoulder rotation, outward shoulder movement, bicep swivel, and 90 degree elbow. Nothing in the wrist unfortunately, but he does have a bit of a backwards butterfly joint thanks to transformation.

Finally we are onto the legs, and while I have already covered the rampant QC issue with them, they have some other issues besides that and most of it has to do with the articulation and joints used. The actual design and shape of the legs is pretty good. I do think they could use some more colors as they are primarily grey and black with only the blue side panels to break it up. Now lets move onto articulation and I will point out my issues as we get to each one. Starting at the top with the waist which has a full rotation despite the large backpack. These hips have soft ratchets for outward movement which is a choice but not a big deal. The issue I have with them is the the back and forth movement are mushroom pegs, which aren’t the most stable. Thigh swivels and knees are what you have probably come to expect from a modern day figure. The ankles are my other main issue and while the range of motion they have is excellent, they are ball jointed so they could end up becoming loose over time. On top of that they are attached to the side panel not the actual main leg, which means if you haven’t done the fix it is very hard for him to stand.

His Weapons are pretty simple, just his gun and his missile pods. Tracks gun is a reference to his gun in the original cartoon and it looks good even if it is just a detailed cone. Of course it can be plugged into either hand or any of the other various 5mm ports around him. The missile pod is neat and, like the gun, is based more off the show appearance than the original toy. The main difference is obviously the smaller missiles but also detail wise they are much more akin to the animation model. The missiles are obviously meant to plug into the top of the backpack so they rest right above his head but they can of course be plugged in anywhere.

Transformation is neat and for the most part pretty simple. The only confusing part can be the legs, but the engineering is actually really cool, you just need to make sure everything is lined up correctly while doing it. The corvette mode itself is beautiful, the blue is stunning and I love the flame detail on the hood even if it is a bit basic. I also appreciate that the rims are painted silver, it really brings the whole thing together. Tracks is famous for his flying car mode which is incredibly stupid looking, but also extremely fun and lovable and of course this toy can do it. It is just as dumb as every other time it has been done but pulls it off almost as convincingly as the Masterpiece figure. Both the weapons can be stored in these modes, just plug them together and plug them onto the back. I think my only issue with this figure is the lack of a flight stand port in vehicle mode, seems like an oversight not to include one on a figure with a flying alt mode

So that is Kingdom Tracks in his full glory. Once I fixed the legs I really started to enjoy this figure and his engineering. Like I said in the beginning he is just as good as Earthrise Trailbreaker and Siege Sideswipe so it should come as no surprise that he gets the same rating. 6.5/10.

I know this post took way too long to do, especially for how short it is. I just had a lack of time and energy to write these past couple weeks. Unfortunately that may continue into the new year, or at very least the next month or so. I will try and get a new Gallery up every week as they are pretty easy to do and I have a bunch of figures I want to sell off or know I won't do reviews on and that way I am still updating the website every week. On the topic of galleries, Tracks gallery has already been up for a about a week so check that out. With that all said, I will see you all when I see you.