Loudpedal is an 'exclusive' figure from the 2016 Tokyo Toy Show. I say 'exclusive' because it seems like he was readily available at the major online retailers soon after he was announced. That was how I got my copy of the toy.
He is an homage to an oddity of pre-Transformers toys. There is a rare Finnish Diaclone figure which the wider Transformers/Diaclone collecting community were largely unaware of until the early 2000s. Check out this article on tf-1.com for the full story. This sort of obscure reference is the perfect thing to release as an exclusive.
Loudpedal's bio says he's a very gifted sonic engineer. He's able to use sound blasts offensively or use a sort of echolocation to track enemies. Despite these skills he's fairly weak and timid for a Decepticon and only Exhaust is aware of everything he's capable of.
Vehicle mode:
Loudpedal's vehicle mode is a Corvette Stingray. It is unchanged from Tracks or Road Rage apart from the color scheme. The glossy black plastic and dark purple windows work very well with this alt-mode. The flame decal on the hood is done with metallic paints and is very cleanly done.
Like the two previous releases the hood opens. The engine is painted in silver and all the details are nicely sculpted. I have no idea if this is an accurate Stingray engine but it looks nice none-the-less.
Flight mode:
Loudpedal's flight mode adds a little more color to the mix. When I first got the figure I thought the green was a really odd choice. Having seen a few pictures of the Finnish toy Loudpedal homages I now know it's accurate. But it still seems weird.
The flight mode is unchanged from the previous releases. It's silly in a fun way. Loudpedal includes a clear purple version of the display stand included with Tracks. You could have him flying on your shelf if you wished.
Transformation:
Loudpedal's transformation is unchanged from Tracks and Road Rage. Refer to their review.
Robot mode:
Loudpedal's robot mode is identical to Tracks apart from the head. He's mostly black and dark silver/grey with a few spots of color to break things up. As I said above some of the color (the green in particular) seemed like an odd choice when I first got the toy. But the original was just as colorful with it's stickers applied.
While most of the joints on Loudpedal are as solid as Tracks and Road Rage my copy of the toy's faction symbol panel is loose. It will sit flat in either position. But the slightest bump will cause the panel to flip back about half way. Not a big deal, and chances are it's not a widespread issue.
Where Tracks got a cartoon accurate head sculpt Loudpedal's matches the original toy. I think Takara made the right choice giving this head design to a Decepticon. It has a very sinister look to it in my opinion.
Loudpedal's posability is standard for a Masterpiece figure. His forearms are fairly long but he's otherwise well proportioned. The wings and backpack don't impede his movement. You shouldn't have any real issues getting him into action poses.
Accessories:
Loudpedal's main accessory is his gun. This is the same gun that was included with Road Rage. He can be posed well holding it in two hands and it's more impressive than the pistol Tracks came with. Like Road Rage his hand doesn't grip the gun particularly well but there's a small tab that plugs into a slot near his wrist (see the first robot mode picture) that makes a solid connection.
There are four stickers included to complete the homage to the Finnish Diaclone toy. The CS sticker is in two parts that go on the hood covering the Decepticon symbol. You transform Loudpedal with the chest symbol flipped around so the car mode does not need to be factionless. The other two stickers get placed on the wings. I have no intention of using them.
The Raoul figure from Tracks comes repainted to match his appearance in the G1 episode Auto-Bop. Like the original release I'm not really a fan of this accessory. That said it doesn't take anything away from the figure so there is no harm in Takara including it.
Finally Loudpedal comes with a boombox. The colors homage the pre-Transformers colors of the toy that would become Blaster/Twincast. This can be stored in Loudpedal's vehicle mode behind his windscreen.
Final thoughts:
I really like Loudpedal. To me he's exactly what an 'exclusive' release should be. An obscure character or homage that will appeal to a small group. It seems like a waste when major characters are made exclusives and large portions of the fandom aren't able to get the toy cheaply or readily.
Loudpedal's exclusive status does make him slightly more expensive than Tracks or Road Rage. Not significantly so but if you're only getting one version of the mold that might be enough to put you off. If you were to only get one figure and you're on the fence about which version to get I'd say go with Tracks. He's the best value for your money. But I'm sure Loudpedal will be very much appreciated by those who are fans of black repaints, Decepticons, Diaclone or just think he looks cool.
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