General Information:
Release Date: November 2020
Price Point: $19.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Shared Exclusive (BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Hasbro Pulse etc.)
Accessories: Blaster, Shoulder cannon/weapon
I have a very distinct memory of walking in Manhattan, New York City with my mother when I was a kid and seeing something seared into my brain. We were waiting at a crosswalk and another kid wound up standing next to me, and in their hand was a yellow Sideswipe. Not Sunstreaker, but Sideswipe in a yellow color. This stunned me as a kid because I had no idea such a thing existed. For the longest time I thought it was a knockoff but years later I realized it was more than likely a Diaclone yellow Lamborghini variant! Many years later, Takara Tomy would reintroduce this figure as part of its series of Diaclone themed G1 "reissues". They took the opportunity to create a whole new character as well: Tigertrack! This Autobot is a dedicated sentry who has a powerful set of sensors that can see past optical illusions and camouflage. After that release there was a Masterpiece version but in 2020 fans were able to add a more affordable version of the character to their collections via the Selects line!
This figure is a redeco of the Siege Sideswipe figure with the addition of the hand held blaster from Siege Red Alert. Check out my Sideswipe review for my detailed look at the sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the sculpt for this release.
Accessories:
Tigertrack includes three accessories. Two are the "rocket launcher" (non working) and "rocket/blaster" that were included with Siege Sideswipe. He also includes a third weapon: a blaster using the same sculpt as the one included with Red Alert. The result is Tigertrack having the "complete" set of weapons that the original Diaclone yellow Lamborghini figure. The "rocket launcher" and blaster are black plastic. The "rocket/blaster" weapon is yellow plastic but painted silver. I think it is great that Hasbro put this set of weapons together for Tigertrack. It pays proper homage to the original figure but also adds to the value of the purchase since this is a straight up redeco with no retooling.
Robot Mode:
As you can guess from the story I told above, Tigertrack is basically a yellow version of Sideswipe. His chest, shoulders, back and lower legs are all yellow. Other parts including the forearms and thighs are white and the rest of his parts are black. The contrast between the yellow and black colors looks great and the white color helps break up those two colors from one another.
There is not a ton of paint on this figure but where you do see paint it is meant to serve as callbacks to stickers on the the G1 Tigertrack toy (or reissue if you prefer). There is a red Autobot symbol on his chest which directly calls back to the Autobot symbol sticker on the G1 Tigertrack's chest. The headlights on his chest are painted silver, a reference to the headlight stickers on the G1 figure. Red squares are painted on the lower legs and they (you guessed it) call back to stickers on the original Tigertrack figure. I would have liked a few more paint applications on the legs because the black plastic on the lower legs and feet wind up blending into each other a bit too much. Still, overall the figure definitely "pops" visually and despite not having any new parts, he looks distinctive from Sideswipe.
All eighteen points of articulation are still nice and tight on this figure. All the attachment points for weapons (including the slots on either side of the head, the arms and legs) are in good shape, with weapons fitting nice and snug. I have not experienced any quality control issues with my copy of this figure.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing open the front panels on the lower legs.
- Swing the feet up into the lower legs.
- Rotate the waist around.
- Swing the front of the vehicle mode up.
- Swing the arms up.
- Swing the small panels on the back panel out.
- Swing the lower legs up over the thighs, then swing the lower leg panels back into place.
- Swing the arms down, then swing them up at the elbow.
- Swing the fists inward (but not all the way).
- Swing the arms into the bottom of the vehicle.
- Swing the flaps on the sides down.
- Swing the panel from the mid-body of the robot mode down.
- The weapons can be attached to the ports on the sides and top of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
Tigertrack's vehicle mode clearly shows some Lamborghini design influences with its low profile, angled lines and the vents located towards the middle. In many ways, this looks to me like a futuristic version of a Lamborghini so it fits the character perfectly. This mode shows off a combination of yellow plastic and yellow paint on clear plastic. The designers did a much better job matching up the yellows on this figure than they had with Earthrise Sunstreaker. The yellow paint is slightly lighter in tone than the yellow plastic, so it is not a perfect match but it does look good.
Additional paint details are done in red, silver and black. The silver is used on the headlights and the sides of the wheels. Red is used for the Autobot symbol on the car hood and finally black is used on the vents towards the middle and the doors on the sides. Sadly the rear lights are not painted, but he still looks good from the front and side angles.
All three of the 5mm ports in this mode can accommodate his weapons and they hold nice and snug.
Final Thoughts:
I loved the Siege Sideswipe figure and this is no exception. I missed out on the G1 "reissue" Tigertrack figure years ago so this was a great "second chance" to add the character to my collection in a Generations scale. If you already own Sideswipe and have no particular attachment to the character then this may not be for you. However, if you are like me and enjoy Diaclone references and this sculpt in particular this is recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt in both modes paying homage to G1 Sideswipe.
- Good deco.
- Includes all three accessories intended for this sculpt.
- Excellent Q/C with tight joints and plenty of pinned in parts.
- Fun homage to a figure and character that is fairly obscure in Transformers history.
Cons:
- I would have liked a couple more paint apps on the lower legs.
