The Tracks of the Years

    Full Disclosure- he's going to gripe about lost toys again- Tango

     As the bird said- yes I am, but hopefully for nearly the last time. Back in the 1980s, there were two toys I really really searched for. One was Optimus Prime, found finally at an Osco drug of all places. The other was Tracks- searched for, and finally located by my then-Brother-In-Law Doug where he worked, at Service Merchandise.

     Tracks was a bit of a quandary for me- he was not a particularly likable character, being narcissistic and conceited, and very obsessed with his appearance and finish. but he had a showcase episode, and man, did he look cool.

so I had Tracks, and still have his gun and missiles.

and over the years, I have tried to replace him.

     There was Alternators Tracks. The Alternators were innovative for their time, and taught the Takara and Hasbro engineers a lot. but he's... flat. Horribly and unforgivably flat. And no flamey design on the hood. and awkward. For being fully articulated, a lot of him gets in the way of a lot more of him when it comes to movement

     The next tracks to come my way was Reveal-The-Shield Turbo Tracks- Hasbro has needed to make some of the more general names more specific, so they add and "Autobot" here, a "Turbo" there, a "Special Ops" someplace else- you get the drill. I ended up with the US and Japanese (United) versions because... flamey hood

     

We are more alike than unalike

     Is he tracks or isn't he? Blue Corvette, Red face, but he is AOE Hot Shot. no wings, but he has that bitchin' trench coat. the original design had this with a flame-painted hood, so I think Tracks may have been the original intent- he is movie Tracks to me, anyway

     And then, there was a rumor, and then confirmation...

     MASTERPIECE TRACKS

     He was delayed, about a month, but here he is from my friends at The Chosen Prime

     Tall, Graceful, with a shiny finish and requisite flamey hood, he mostly fills that hole in me that the loss of G1 tracks left. I'm going to pause for a point here- you are asking yourself..."why didn't he just Ebay up another G1 tracks?"

     Well- I have asked myself the same question over the years, gone looking and...it's someone elses tracks, not mine. I can't get myself to buy an actual replacement. I have complicated rules. 

     The last point about the Masterpiece tracks is this- he has one advantage over his brothers.

He Can Fly

     Tango can respect that- Tango stayed on my shoulders all the way through the photography session for these cars.