Man, I love me some Internets. On the one hand, I do miss the surprise factor we used to have in the olden days, but on the other, seeing a toy inside and out before I get it is a great way to make sure I’m only buying what I really want.

(Seriously, I’d say it’s so Tracks looks as dramatically different from Wheeljack as possible, despite them having the exact same torsos and arms.)

Here’s a picture with Tracks’s arms hanging out the side, filling in the gaps along his vehicle mode: http://www.shortpacked.com/?attachment_id=4260

It’s totally made-up by me, and it achieves much of the same silhouette of the original Tracks toy, but I prefer the bare wings.

As for the Alternator, I never meant to suggest that it was better than the RtS version on all counts. I said it had comparable poseability and Dery-accuracy. The lack of a flight mode is already a knock against it, and I agree it has an overcomplexity problem. I suppose if I didn’t own any Trackses, and I was looking for a single toy now, the RtS version at least tries to hit all the marks – and for the cheapest price, to boot. But as it is, if I want a cartoony Tracks robot on my shelf, I can get out the Alternator, and if I want a nice-looking jet-car, I can use the original. Not ideal, of course – the ideal would be both in the same toy – but the RtS mold is also far enough from the ideal that I’m content giving it a pass in favor of its Wheeljack variation.

I’ve had a predisposition to flying toy cars around in the air since I was a child.

Do I detect a closeted M.A.S.K. fan?