tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post8936308095449486249..comments2024-03-28T12:59:09.525+00:00Comments on Transformers Square One: Takara G1 "44 Tracks" QuickieMazhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-25158215347765046142014-07-24T17:36:11.670+01:002014-07-24T17:36:11.670+01:00Oh shush you Bluestreak fanboy, Sunstreaker is so ...Oh shush you Bluestreak fanboy, Sunstreaker is so much nicer than virtually all the other Diaclone moulds. That head sculpt is worth a million Bluestreaks alone :D<br /><br />Now on the Diaclone version, the underbelly is much more secure. Mould degradation started early on this one I suspect.<br /><br />All the best<br />MazMazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-23431989031004208582014-07-24T10:40:21.292+01:002014-07-24T10:40:21.292+01:00waitaminute.... what about Bluestreak, heh.
I lov...waitaminute.... what about Bluestreak, heh.<br /><br />I love Sunstreaker to bits and when little loved him to pieces, but mold-wise, I don't think he should be up there with any "best mold" type lists. Out of the G1 diaclone inspired molds, I think Sunstreaker is one of the weakest molds.<br /><br />Car shape is odd; unweildly underbelly flap that becomes loose really fast; disproportionately long arms in robot mode...etc etc.Heroic Decepticonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18017245701029351849noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-17799195650690359832014-05-18T13:01:40.632+01:002014-05-18T13:01:40.632+01:00There's almost never aesthetic reasons for thi...There's almost never aesthetic reasons for this when looking back at vintage era, it was almost always to do with a practical strengthening of a part or just for better functionality. It could also signify the mould/parts available when production started up again ata different facility. Maybe the mould for that particular section had degraded or been lost, necessitating the production of a newer mould - and maybe it had to be based off the only reference material they had, the box art?<br /><br />All the best<br />MazMazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-65939982112251133582014-05-16T07:13:38.995+01:002014-05-16T07:13:38.995+01:00Wow, that's very interesting about the proto a...Wow, that's very interesting about the proto and the Euro gold box. It would seem to point to, as you said, all the tail-end G1 Tracks and the G"1.5" Tracks having the raised wheel pins - a particularity, then, of that (rather protracted) time period.<br /><br />Afterwards, when Tracks was once again manufactured (early 2000s with the Hasbro/Takara & ehobby reissues), they moved on to yet another, 3rd type of wheel pin, a flat and circular design (which is not quite the same as the first type of "flat" wheel pin).<br /><br />I'm still intrigued by the decision to redesign, as it were, the wheel pins during the "second" period (G1-G1.5, or 1985 to early, I think ?, 1990s), and not only that, but so that it resembles the original diaclone box drawing. It just seems like such a small thing, that I can't help wondering if there was a practical rather than esthetic reason behind it...<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-19332913181336724732014-05-15T12:52:08.694+01:002014-05-15T12:52:08.694+01:00Alright, now this is interesting. Just had a quick...Alright, now this is interesting. Just had a quick look at some of my pictures and I've noticed:<br /><br />- Diaclone Black and red : flat<br />- MB red: flat<br />- 85 UK Hasbro Tracks: flat<br />- 85 Takara Tracks: raised dots<br />- Reissue Road Rage: flat<br />- Reissue LD Black Tracks: flat<br /><br />And if the 1986 Hasbro Europe have the four raised bits too, then it means the late 1985 Takara Tracks and 86 Hasbro Europe mould (from Takara) would be of the same batch and just indicative of the last G1 runs of the toy. <br /><br />Looking at the yellow proto found in Hasbro UK ex-employee's possession, that too has the four raised circles:<br />http://tfsource.com/blog/the-appeal-of-pre-production-part-2/<br /><br />So I'd be very keen to know if the Euro gold box Classic Heroes Tracks has them too...<br /><br />*checks*<br /><br />Yep. The Classic era Tracks with the black painted shins fromt he gold box toys have the four raised circles too.<br /><br />All the best<br />MazMazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-1384401617093444212014-05-15T09:48:32.832+01:002014-05-15T09:48:32.832+01:00There's something I'm curious about - the ...There's something I'm curious about - the four raised dots on the wheel pins of the Takara G1. Unless I'm mistaken, I've only seen that on the 1986 European-issue Tracks (and a Tracks with a US box, but not sure if it wasn't part-swapped). Practically every Tracks (G1 or diaclone), that I've seen anyway, seems to have the hexagonal pins (while the reissue as the flat circular pins, but anyway...). I haven't yet looked very deeply into this, but couldn't help wondering if there might be something to it. What I find intriguing is that the box art, from diaclone on, has always shown the four raised dots on the wheel pins as well, so that it's like they retroactively redid the wheel pins, although why at this late stage and why only for the Takara and European releases ? Perhaps these 2 came from the same stock ?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-62192164833361683322014-05-07T10:11:00.520+01:002014-05-07T10:11:00.520+01:00Yes I did....but I am crazy too, so.... ;-)Yes I did....but I am crazy too, so.... ;-)Redalb79https://www.blogger.com/profile/09762521918134100188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-59186046511560373652014-05-05T13:33:45.666+01:002014-05-05T13:33:45.666+01:00You really must have thought I was crazy to swap t...You really must have thought I was crazy to swap that for your styro haha!<br /><br />All the best<br />MazMazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-9921680117510546972014-05-05T13:32:55.296+01:002014-05-05T13:32:55.296+01:00Very close battle between Mirage, Sunstreaker, Tra...Very close battle between Mirage, Sunstreaker, Tracks and Sideswipe for best car mould. And Smokescreen.<br /><br />Useless.<br /><br />;)<br /><br />All the best<br />MazMazhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07887074236416592668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-28307056269997718822014-05-05T10:11:14.472+01:002014-05-05T10:11:14.472+01:00LOLLOLRedalb79https://www.blogger.com/profile/09762521918134100188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8236113499472054360.post-9792604749996292172014-05-03T21:52:12.127+01:002014-05-03T21:52:12.127+01:00It's taken me 25 years to appreciate the Track...It's taken me 25 years to appreciate the Tracks mold. Looking at all of the different variations has really hammered home just how striking the vehicle mode really is.Optimal Omegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12112470936085807477noreply@blogger.com