Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 19, 2010 17:01:30 GMT
The Race Track Patrol are Decepticon Micromasters vaguely modelled round a race track theme. I say vaguely - two are definitely race car but the other two are almost interchangeable with the Sport Car Patrol from the year before. The Race Track Patrol - along with two other 1990 Micromaster Patrols, the Construction & Air Patrols - were sold in Japan in the same year as part of the Transformers Zone toyline where they were numbered D-341. The observant will spot that this means they're Destron toys - they are the only Destron Micromaster Patrol - the only other Destron Micromasters are the Thunder Arrow pilot (Skystalker in the west) and his repaint Metrobomb who was packed with Metrotitan. Interestingly the recent warehouse find of carded 1990 Micromaster patrols is the other 3 releases that year - the Monster Truck, Hot Rod & Military Patrols. This indicates that three 1990 patrols that did get to Japan that year were earlier release and all boxed together too in the west.
As ever this Patrol consists of two co-moulded pairs:
Barricade & Roller Force (the two more Formula 1 like cars): Pink & Blue/Green plastic.
Groundhog & Motorhead: Purple & Yellow plastic
Barricade
Barricade is a blue/green Formula-1 race car with a bit of a chunky rear spoiler
Transformation: Fold the spoiler back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the nose onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
Barricade is a competitor in the "worst colour clash" stakes having his body & upper legs exposed as being a shocking pink with yellow paint applications to the waist and faceplate. Standard Micromaster articulation of turning shoulders and bending but linked hips & knees.
Vehicle is OK but the robot mode is hideous. Nothing a repaint wouldn't fix.
Groundhog
According to TF Wiki.net Groundhog is a Dodge Shelby Charger. A quick look at Wikipedia and Google images can't render anything that looks like this purple car which is long and wedge shaped with two fins at the rear.
TF: Fold the rear of the car back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the bonnet onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
The purple used for the car doesn't combine that well with the yellow of the body & upper legs - with silver paint applications on face and waist - but it's a better combination that those on Barricade or Roller Force. standard Micromaster articulation as above.
Odd car but OK robot.
Motorhead
Motorhead is a yellow Chevrolet Corvette. He's the most normal car looking of this team and it would be easy to swap him into the previous year's Sports Car Patrol.
TF: Fold the rear of the car back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the bonnet onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
We get a purple body revealed here which doesn't work too well with the yellow of the limbs. Standard Micromaster articulation again.
Too ordinary looking, not enough like a Race Car for this team.
Roller Force
Roller Force is a Baja off-road buggy which is a similar vehicle mode to his co-mould Barricade, albeit with an enclosed driver's compartment. Think Fizzle or Joyride.
Transformation: Fold the spoiler back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the nose onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
Roller Force's robot mode has the same problems as Barricade - this time the body is blue green to the limbs pink but the colour clash is the same even down to the yellow paint applications. Standard Micromaster articulation here, but the lower legs formed from his shoulder are very short.
Needs a repaint like his co-mould and something done about the legs.
Overall: My least favourite Micromaster team of 1990 - the second year. In fact it's my least favourite Micromaster team full stop. Horrid colour combinations. Of the four Decepticon teams only one is Air based. One of the remainder is Military, which I can fit into my definition of Decepticons and it features a helicopter, but for half the Decepticon Micromaster teams to be cars - which I consider to be more Autobot - is too much. One team I can put up with as a reference to the Stunticons but two
?? Decepticons to my mind are Planes, Animals and Construction Vehicles. (but see elsewhere for why the Constructicons should be Autobots !) I also have a problem with the Decepticon Micromasters being half the number of the Autobot Micromasters - they're so out numbered ! Make the Battle Patrol Decepticons in the first year then swap these with the Air & Construction patrols this year to even the sides up.
As ever this Patrol consists of two co-moulded pairs:
Barricade & Roller Force (the two more Formula 1 like cars): Pink & Blue/Green plastic.
Groundhog & Motorhead: Purple & Yellow plastic
Barricade
Barricade is a blue/green Formula-1 race car with a bit of a chunky rear spoiler
Transformation: Fold the spoiler back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the nose onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
Barricade is a competitor in the "worst colour clash" stakes having his body & upper legs exposed as being a shocking pink with yellow paint applications to the waist and faceplate. Standard Micromaster articulation of turning shoulders and bending but linked hips & knees.
Vehicle is OK but the robot mode is hideous. Nothing a repaint wouldn't fix.
Groundhog
According to TF Wiki.net Groundhog is a Dodge Shelby Charger. A quick look at Wikipedia and Google images can't render anything that looks like this purple car which is long and wedge shaped with two fins at the rear.
TF: Fold the rear of the car back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the bonnet onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
The purple used for the car doesn't combine that well with the yellow of the body & upper legs - with silver paint applications on face and waist - but it's a better combination that those on Barricade or Roller Force. standard Micromaster articulation as above.
Odd car but OK robot.
Motorhead
Motorhead is a yellow Chevrolet Corvette. He's the most normal car looking of this team and it would be easy to swap him into the previous year's Sports Car Patrol.
TF: Fold the rear of the car back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the bonnet onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
We get a purple body revealed here which doesn't work too well with the yellow of the limbs. Standard Micromaster articulation again.
Too ordinary looking, not enough like a Race Car for this team.
Roller Force
Roller Force is a Baja off-road buggy which is a similar vehicle mode to his co-mould Barricade, albeit with an enclosed driver's compartment. Think Fizzle or Joyride.
Transformation: Fold the spoiler back to become the legs. Stand. Fold the nose onto the robot's back and swing the arms up.
Roller Force's robot mode has the same problems as Barricade - this time the body is blue green to the limbs pink but the colour clash is the same even down to the yellow paint applications. Standard Micromaster articulation here, but the lower legs formed from his shoulder are very short.
Needs a repaint like his co-mould and something done about the legs.
Overall: My least favourite Micromaster team of 1990 - the second year. In fact it's my least favourite Micromaster team full stop. Horrid colour combinations. Of the four Decepticon teams only one is Air based. One of the remainder is Military, which I can fit into my definition of Decepticons and it features a helicopter, but for half the Decepticon Micromaster teams to be cars - which I consider to be more Autobot - is too much. One team I can put up with as a reference to the Stunticons but two
?? Decepticons to my mind are Planes, Animals and Construction Vehicles. (but see elsewhere for why the Constructicons should be Autobots !) I also have a problem with the Decepticon Micromasters being half the number of the Autobot Micromasters - they're so out numbered ! Make the Battle Patrol Decepticons in the first year then swap these with the Air & Construction patrols this year to even the sides up.