Here we have Roadtrap and Battleslash in their vehicle modes. Representing the pick up truck and helicopter that make up Battletrap, they feel about as robust as their original counterparts. While Roadtrap fares up fine with a decent front section that at least has the grille, headlights, and windshield all painted in different colors from the prominent blue, Battleslash looks like he flew straight out of the Power Core Combiner limb philosophy. Sure, the truck has a chest section in the back with no attempt to conceal the bot mode head or the waist and hips of Battletrap, but at least it isn't stuck with a gaping hole in the front like some penis shaft, both the canopy and rotors being undersized, and a tail thicker than Geewunner's head. I know Doctor Lockdown's going to do his Australian reeing while pulling up a sign that says "IT'S A LEGENDS FIGURE", and yes it is, buddy, it's not a Core Class. Anyways, while some will defend this for being a smaller figure, I wouldn't have bothered with Battleslash if I never wanted to complete the Duocon himself.
Here they are along with the altmode components of Skytread. Since the latter group lacks any individual robot modes, it leads to their vehicle modes being much better than the POTP duo. Sure, they look about as comparable to the old G1 Scramble City limbs in terms of proportions, but it's still better than what Battleslash has.
Transforming Roadtrap feels similar to the way Bumblebee works, with the roof being the chest while the front becomes the feet, and the bot mode is even bulkier and aggressive than the yellow scout wished he could ever be. His chest is angular like his head sculpt, the armpit wheels are an underrated detail we see on Transformers, and he still gets to wear Vans. Nice shoes even in the smaller bot mode! He does feel cold from the back, though. As for Battleslash, his proportions are about as puffy as the Michelin Man with birthing hips that are wider than Shakira's hips that don't lie. I guess the head is about as "nifty" as the one that was used for the Decepticlones from the same year, and the torso is also kind of cool apart from the insignia rubbing off the chest. I even like the arm-mounted copter blade like the ones we usually see on most heliformers. However, the dumpy proportions and the reverse chest meant for Battletrap can't compare to his pooper scooper piece hanging from his butt. His little blue shoes are funny, though.
They share almost the same level of articulation, with neck rotation and ball joints for the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. They don't have weapons, but they retain 5mm weapon ports as seen on Legends figures since Thrilling 30.
And as for the Battletrap formation, it's almost like an Energon Powerlink at a smaller scale! Battletrash forms the feet and body with a wild transformation that feels like switching out the smaller, insignificant arms and head with better ones while having the cockpit on the chest where it should be. As for the feet and legs, they understandably have less to do since Roadslap is halfway there anyhow but that torso at least results in beefy kneecaps that will be hard to bust. Together, they form the leaner-than-usual Battletrap! Despite his synched waist, I love how dynamic and lean he looks compared to Skytread, and I'd argue that designing him this way is better than making him as blocky as his fellow Duocon. He just has that Animated-esque influence to him that ironically is more stylized than the Legacy figures we got, from the superhero torso physique to the stomping boots once again in the form of these nice shoes named Vans. I know some will complain that the arms aren't blue, but I think a better way of integrating the Battleslash arms would have been better.
His head sculpt is almost like if the Seeker heads were blue instead of grey and has visors that looked better than whatever crappy eye stickers were used on the old G1 toys. His articulation is slightly enhanced compared to the individual bots. While he still has swivels for the neck and ball joints for the shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, he now has a waist swivel, ankle articulation via the ball joints that were originally Roadtrap's knees, and a pseudo ab crunch thanks to the hinge used on the connector being on a hinge.
For a size comparison, here he is alongside Siege Skytread, showcasing the duality of engineering between two Legends figures that combine into a Deluxe-sized figure, and a Deluxe figure made up of two vehicles with half the parts used to make a Legends figure each. I find both of them have their own pros and cons, from the more visually unique character design and appealing colors of Battletrap to his athletic proportions and the concept of having bot modes for his vehicles; meanwhile Skytread manages to have better looking vehicle modes, a more solid robot mode, and including weapons. By the way, anyone prefer the name Skytread over Flywheels; the old name honestly suits Battletrap better since he has wheels, while tanks and jets are usually known for battling.
And for anyone wondering, you can swap each other's components to make Battletread and Skytrap (Battread? Skrap?), though be aware of any different tolerances. The colors work less this way, but maybe you can try Slamdance out since he's a blue and red repaint of Skytread. So with that out of the day, do I recommend POTP Battletrap? For the most part I think he's the best the character's going to get for an update. I don't think you should wait for another stab at him that just removes the bot modes. Battletrap won't need a slightly, slightly, slightly, slightly, slightly better version of himself when we still need characters like Powerglide, Octane, Broadside, Defensor, Abominus, and Predaking. Prices on Battletrap will vary on the seller, no doubt with prices fluctuating thanks to his ROTB incarnation, but if you see him for less than $50 since Roadtrap is harder to find, get him.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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