The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:35 pm

The past few years have irked out two great molds that can portray characters with varying aesthetics.

Sunstreaker had been used five times by Hasbro and three times by Takara, and was the basis for many customs. Until..

Tracks came along. Used five times by Hasbro and two times by Takara, a heck ton of customs, and who knows in the near future.

So, who's better?

News Credits: 11 · by **kirbenvost** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 10:17 pm

They're both really great molds that pull off the different character thing really well, but I feel the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe mold does a better job of being the same mold portraying two significantly different-looking characters. If you look at Wheeljack/Tracks, they look like pretty much the same toy with remolded parts. But due to the reversible torso design of the Sunstreaker mold, they end up looking really different while having an actually smaller amount of remolded parts.

News Credits: 1 · by **dirk2243** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:00 pm

kirbenvost wrote:They're both really great molds that pull off the different character thing really well, but I feel the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe mold does a better job of being the same mold portraying two significantly different-looking characters. If you look at Wheeljack/Tracks, they look like pretty much the same toy with remolded parts. But due to the reversible torso design of the Sunstreaker mold, they end up looking really different while having an actually smaller amount of remolded parts.

I have to agree here. Get that extra differences with the reversible torso puts the Sunstreaker mold ahead in my opinion.

by **Valandar** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 11:05 pm

Plus I like the proportions and articulation of the Sunstreaker mold better, meself...

News Credits: 5 · by **zodconvoy** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:01 am

I had to vote Sunstreaker/Sideswipe. The Tracks mold isn't really different enough. And I'd hardly call Shattered Glass Tracks a fifth character. You might as well say that Punch and Counter Punch are separate characters because you own two of them and have one as a bot and the other as a con. Plus, I'm currently turning a Red Alert into a Chromedome with a head I got off of Shapeways. My opinion may change when I get Runamuck and Runabout but I doubt it.

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:40 am

Hmmm. I'm leaning more towards the Tracks/WJ side, due to the changability of the weapons, but alas that's due to the clip system, something the SS mold doesn't have.

News Credits: 273 · by **Delicon** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:20 am

They're both great molds, but since you mentioned "interchangeable", the Sunstreaker mold would take the prize there. Sure, you can turn the Tracks mold intyo a lot of cool things, but the Streaker mold is the only one that is capable of a dual bot mode.

by **SJ21** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 6:30 am

I like the Tracks mold better. I think it does a better job if differentiating the two characters. Tracks and Wheeljack look more different to me than the Lambo brothers.
I think its the legs that really set them apart. They look different and Tracks is a bit taller than Wheeljack. The Lambos are the same size. To me, the chest flip doesn't change them all that much.

by **Doubledealer93** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 8:05 am

voted sunstreaker mold. all the repaints/retools are living proof that he is the most interchangeable. im surprised the classics rodimus mold was not a choice considering how many repaints that thing has.

News Credits: 1 · by **MightyMagnus78** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:04 am

I've got a bit of a soft spot for that Tracks mold, although Sunstreaker is still awesome.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 9:05 am

The Sideswipe mold's the better interchangeable mold. The two robot modes from Tracks just aren't as different as the SS mold.

Still, however good the SS mold is at being two different robot modes only 2 of the characetrs made out of it really use the Sunstreaker robot mode ... and one of those also uses the Sideswipe mode as well (Punch/Counterpunch). It's hard to see it as so interchangeable when the feature is so underused.

News Credits: 4 · by **craggy** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:25 am

pretty much agree with the general opinion that Sunstreaker does a better job of giving us different looking toys out of the same thing. I don't own any version of it though, whilst I do really like my Tracks and Wheeljack, who are both plenty different enough for me.

edit: the knees on the Lambo mold really put me off.

News Credits: 387 · by **Nekoman** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:26 am

I kind of dislike how excessively they've used both of these molds, but by far Sunstreaker is better.

The problem with the Tracks mold is that it just doesn't work the best for anything besides Wheeljack. It's stumpy looking, whereas Sunstreaker has a more average build.

News Credits: 2 · by **paul053** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:17 pm

I vote for Sunstreaker mold.

Few points I don't like the Tracks mold:
1. Robot mode is way too short.
2. The backpack is bad.
3. Robot mode must have wings.

Though I don't really like Sunstreaker's hollow legs, but I think it is better.

by **Son of Primus** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 12:30 pm

I voted for the Lambo mold, while I believe Tracks/WJ is a great mold, WJ to me just looks like a shorter Tracks. Now I have seen the fan transformations of Runamuck/Runabout and I must admit those do make it seems like a different mold.

News Credits: 1452 · by **Blurrz** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:29 pm

paul053 wrote:I vote for Sunstreaker mold.

Few points I don't like the Tracks mold:
1. Robot mode is way too short.
2. The backpack is bad.
3. Robot mode must have wings.

Though I don't really like Sunstreaker's hollow legs, but I think it is better.

Doubledealer93 wrote:im surprised the classics rodimus mold was not a choice considering how many repaints that thing has.

By interchangeable I meant it was engineered in mind to portray multiple different characters with varying aesthetics.

The Rodimus mold is just an overrated figure who was saved from shelfwarming by a third party.

by **RAcast** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:11 pm

As much as I like the Tracks/Wheeljack mold, I've gotta give it to the Sunstreaker mold for being more interchangeable for all of the already mentioned reasons.

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Thu Apr 05, 2012 10:33 pm

I only have one of each molds. Generation Red Alert and Generation Wheeljack.

If I just ignore the remolding aspect, Red Alert is a far more superior toy. The vehicle is okay, like Wheeljack's, but the robot mode is far more better proportionate and better articulated. Red Alert's transformation is more intuitive and more fun than Wheeljack's. I learned lately that the Red alert mold can easely have TWO BOT MODES IN ONE WITHOUT ANY REMOLDING.

Not only Red Alert is basicaly a superior toy, his repaints possibilities are ridiculously huge.

by **Yotsuyasan** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:36 am

I voted Tracks / Wheeljack, and here's why.

Sunstreaker / Sideswipe was obvious. I mean, they may not have been the same toy in G1, but they both had similar alt modes and they were supposed to be brothers, anyway. So it makes sense that they would share a mold. You may as well have included the Seeker mold in your poll, as far as I am concerned, if you were astounded at how well a shared mold worked for these two characters.

Tracks and Wheeljack on the other hand? My first thought on hearing that they would share a mold was, "Ooohkay... that's kind of a wierd choice." I thought the designers were being a bit lazy. But then you get them in hand, and it totally works. Both characters manage to look distinct, and have iconic elements of their original selves. (Not really related to the mold itself, I'll admit, but the Reprolabels really help both Tracks and Wheeljack out, too, I'd have to say.)

Shameless self promotion time! I don't have a review up of the Sunstreaker / Sideswipe mold. (I have been meaning to write one... I've declaired April to be "Hot Rod Month," but maybe I'll do it for May's first review...) But if people want to see my further thoughts on Tracks and Wheeljack, as well as see some photos of them both together, I have a review of them on my website. End shameless sell promotion! (Well... except for my signiture...)

by **Optimum Supreme** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:19 pm

I think they're both great but would probably give a slight nod to Sidestreaker. I love Wheeltracks, though, and thought it was very ingenious when they were able to get such a cool WJ out of the same mold as TT.

by **NTESHFT** » Fri Apr 06, 2012 7:34 pm

Blurrz wrote:
paul053 wrote:I vote for Sunstreaker mold.

Few points I don't like the Tracks mold:
1. Robot mode is way too short.
2. The backpack is bad.
3. Robot mode must have wings.

Though I don't really like Sunstreaker's hollow legs, but I think it is better.

Doubledealer93 wrote:im surprised the classics rodimus mold was not a choice considering how many repaints that thing has.

By interchangeable I meant it was engineered in mind to portray multiple different characters with varying aesthetics.

The Rodimus mold is just an overrated figure who was saved from shelfwarming by a third party.