Legacy Dragstrip

To Dragstrip, winning is everything. He would rather be scrapped than lose. Combines with other Stunticons to form Menasor.
Signature weapon: Gravity Blaster - Enhances gravity field to disorient enemies.

Prelude: If I had a nickel every time I bought a Dragstrip figure and then didn’t buy the rest of the Stunticons, well, I’d have two nickels now. Which isn’t a lot, mind you, but it’s weird that it happened twice. So here we have Legacy Dragstrip, arm ornament of the Menasor combiner. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Dragstrip is a Deluxe-class figure and a very toy representation of the original G1 cartoon character, as well as the original G1 toy. There are some design differences, such as the double wheels on the shoulders pointing backwards instead of up, but overall it’s a very strong likeness and easily recognizable.

No complaints in terms of articulation or detailing, Dragstrip performs strongly in both categories. The only complaint I have in terms of looks is the back, which openly displays what feels like a dozen screws. Maybe those could have been hidden a bit better. Otherwise, though, the robot looks and moves very good. Dragstrip carries two laser guns for weapons, which can also combine into a single double-barreled gun. The guns can be stored on the back or on his thighs, though not really comfortably. 

So bottom line: a decent Deluxe figure, strong character resemblance, only minor complaints. On to the next mode.

Alternate Mode: Dragstrip transforms into a pretty close approximation of the Tyrrell P34 Six-Wheeler race car, the same mode he had back in G1. The car looks pretty decent and it’s kind of a fun feature that the pilot seat is actually the back of Dragstrip’s robot head. The engine visible on top of the car is not actually the one from Dragstrip’s chest (you can see that one in the front of the cockpit), but rather forms from his thighs. Not a problem, just something worth mentioning.

You can mount both of Dragstrip’s blasters on top of the car and… yeah, that’s pretty much it. A nice car mode, once again a strong likeness to the original toy and animation character, so no real complaints here unless you’re a rabid opponent of fake parts.

Combiner Mode: Now usually I’d write something like “Dragstrip becomes an arm or a leg of the Menasor combiner”, but in this case I must change that to “Dragstrip splits into two separate car-halves that attach to Menasor’s right arm as an ornament”. There is nothing even remotely arm-like about Dragstrip in this mode, the car simply falls apart into two pieces that you attach to an existing robot’s right arm (not compatible with the left one), done. Which, surprise, is also the main reason I skipped the Legacy Stunticons.

I do enjoy, however, the option of the robot splitting into two at the touch of a button on the back. Makes for some fun “cleaved in two” options for display (see picture no. 15).

Remarks: Ten years ago, when Combiner Wars came out (and how is it possible that’s already been a decade since then?) Dragstrip was in the first wave of figures available in German stores and I bought him. Then Hasbro, for reasons that defy reason, simply skipped the second wave, which would have contained the rest of the Stunticons, and then I got fed up and sold Dragstrip, never completing the Menasor combiner. Fast forward to 2022 and Legacy Dragstrip is the first of the Legacy Stunticons available in store and I bought him. This time no waves were skipped, but once again I didn’t buy the rest of the Stunticons. Not because the wave was skipped, but but because of my dislike for the combiner design.

So be aware, said dislike probably colors my review of this figure a bit. Dragstrip is a fully decent stand-alone figure, nicely portraying the character from G1 in toy form. And yeah, I know that cartoon Menasor really did look like a larger robot where the Stunticons simply attached in car mode, but still. That’s not my style of combiner, so I’m skipping it. But if you’re looking for a cool Dragstrip figure and/or like the style of the “skeleton”-combiners, this figure is for you.

Rating: C+

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