Tracer

Soooooo... she inks comics? Name: Lena Oxton Age: 26 Occupation: Adventurer Affiliation: Overwatch (formerly) I know even less about Overwatch than I do about Fortnite (the first time I ever heard of the game was when the internet's biggest cry-babies got mad that the designers had changed Tracer's butt; the second time was this Tweet), so this should be a fun review. I do know that Tracer is pretty much Overwatch's mascot, the one most centrally identified with the game in the minds (and other bodyparts) of the public, and that's why she's the first one we're reviewing. Though everyone knows these are just here to pass the time until Mattel gets their Battleborn toys onto shelves. Tracer was a test pilot flying an experimental prototype known as the Slipstream. During the first flight, the jet's teleportation matrix malfunctioned, and Tracer's molecules were desynchronized from time, leaving her stuck in a ghost-like form. The white harness she wears on her chest helps anchor her in the present, while her brown leather flight jacket ties into her past. The big chunky shoes make sense for someone who runs everywhere, and the colorful leggings are, well, fun to look at. Clearly the Overwatch Ultimates won't be going the same route as Marvel Legends, because this isn't some generic base body that will get repainted into everyone: it's very clearly just Tracer, and that's all it's going to be. Those grey panels down the sides of her legs? Sculpted in, and given a complete texture. Tracer may be British, but Overwatch's art style definitely gives her "anime hair" - it's all wild and spiky, and I just realized it's because she's speedstering everywhere. It's like riding in a convertible! The toy has translucent yellow goggles to protect her eyes from debris, and there's a cute pursed-lips smile on her face. You may be surprised by how small the Tracer figure is - I know I was. Although the packaging is the same general size as Marvel Legends', Tracer is a scant 5⅝" tall, and that's counting her hair spikes! It seems Overwatch Ultimates are being done in a strict 6" scale, rather than the inflated 6" scale we're used to with comicbook figures; that, coupled with the character selection thus far, suggests Hasbro is thinking of collectors, and wants anyone who's already bought some Figmas to be able to comingle their collections. The articulation takes everything Hasbro has learned from doing Marvel toys, and finds small ways to improve it. For instance, instead of a hinged chest and swivel waist, she has a balljointed chest, and a hinged waist; it makes for a more naturalistic range of motion. Beyond that, she also has a balljointed head, hinged neck, swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists, balljointed hips, swivel thighs, double-hinged knees, and swivel/hinged ankles. She's fun! And you can get her into whatever kind of butt-based victory pose you want, you filthy filthy nerds. Tracer is easily identified in the game by the streak of blue light she leaves behind her as she runs. And although her chronal accelerator has a hole in the back, the toy doesn't include any such thing to plug in there. Aww, sad! The accessories she does come with include her twin pulse pistols and two trans blue energy flares that plug onto the barrels. Thanks to digital sculpting, they can be mirror images of each other, while only fitting on the barrel one way. There are two alternate right hands - one open, one with two fingers extended for a salute - but the gun-holding pair look too large on her body. Kind of the opposite problem Hasbro had when they first picked up the Marvel license. Remember when all their figs used to suffer from "tinyhand"? And finally, the figure includes her Pulse Bomb, which plugs onto the small of her back. Overwatch is basically "what if Team Fortress 2 were slightly less silly and the characters had actual histories?" Hasbro is going hard on the license, and we can't blame them: it's one of the two most popular games around, and Fortnite (the DC to Overwatch's Marvel) was already split up between McFarlane and Jazwares. I'll play the game once it's free, or somebody gives me a copy, but you don't have to know anything about Overwatch to know that Tracer is a good toy. -- 05/19/19

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