Dragstrip has been pretty prominent in some way, shape, or form in many TF media, as was the case with some of his fellow Stunticons. He was also the member of his team to be represented in the Combiner Wars line the same way he was the first of the team to be presented in the Legacy line. It was neat to have a G1 combiner with modern engineering and mass retail accessibility due to how most combiners before then were third-party offerings and seemed impossible to obtain. As we'll go over later on, Menasor did show he had a terribly aged character design that makes me interested in seeing how the Legacy version would turn out. So let's see what the Legacy version has to offer.
Here is Dragstrip in his vehicle mode, back to a more classic F1 formula race car with six wheels to distinguish him from Mirage. That and the overall design goes for a more classic look while Mirage (at least in the Kingdom figure) manages to have a more Ligier design by comparison). This vehicle mode's sleek, the difference in size between the rear tires and the four smaller tires add to the extended traction and power transfer for the rear vehicle, and the use of caramel brown and pinkish-red helps stand out from the dominant yellow body. The silver paint apps here and there are nice, though it is mostly found from the engine at the back. I have to knock some points off for the robot head being exposed on the back. Sure, it's not facing upwards and the head is hollow, but why would it be left in that spot as such?! At least the Decepticon insignia on the front bumper is tampographed nicely and looks symmetrical, which was something that slightly affected my Kingdom Mirage.
The side profile is low and long as mentioned before, which adds to the sleek nature of the vehicle he's taken form of. The deco is more limited from the side, but I have to comment on the way the snap-on pegs for the tires are, as they contrast compared to the rear tires due to the pegs being left in the same shade of yellow.
The guns can be placed on the back of the vehicle, allowing for some pretty solid weapon mode features that make for a more subtle addition to the vehicle mode compared to leaving the more prominent weapons of Sideswipe on the sides of his altmode.
For a vehicle mode comparison, here is Dragstrip next to his Combiner Wars counterpart, showcasing a major contrast between his alternate mode choices. While the Combiner Wars version is more of an Indianapolis-styled car, this new Legacy figure returns to his old school days of being a G1 car mode. Both designs are neat, though the CW version did feel like it was trying to be an in-between amalgamation of Dragstrip and Mirage since it was inevitable that he'd be reused in the line. Legacy Dragstrip is made specifically for himself unless we get a Gen Selects multipack of his G2 colors. One plus on the CW version is his seat is still intact compared to the G1 version.
The vehicle mode can be split in half simply by pressing a hidden button on the back of the toy. This allows you to have the figure set up for the inevitable Menasor courtesy of the skeleton frame of the Commander Class Motormaster. That has me excited for what we'll get from Combiner teams from this moment onwards, as the lack of partsforming with the Combiner Wars version was ambitious yet left the Hasbro figures a little dated with certain things. If you want to try this out, don't be like PrimeVsPrime and use scissors like he did!
Transformation is pretty involved, which is something that I did not expect in any way considering how basic the Combiner Wars version transformed. Instead of the extending legs and shoulder hinges, the figure uses more intricate parts to help make the conversion feel more interesting, from the lower legs using hinges to open them to the panels on the forearms and the wheels on the shoulders, the spoiler splitting in half, and that torso transformation being ingenious! The resulting robot mode is a much more refined version of the G1 character design, albeit with the spoiler halves now serving as the alternative to the wheels that we previously know the character design for. I like how it turned out as a much more traditional yet better engineered take on said model, though I wish the rest of the body has more color to break it up beyond the torso and the tires. Sure, the sides have those paint apps, but look at how the lower legs have no paint while the backs do because they possess the engine! Of note, this figure appears to have a pin on the back, likely a magnet for the combiner mode, and that slit underneath the flight stand is what serves as the lock to separate the halves for the arm mode. But while Skids had to deal with his robot head having a chunk of the car mode hood on the back, Dragstrip has no brains on the back of his head, much like poor Core Class Hot Rod!
Speaking of the head sculpt, it is very nicely done with the use of purple, red, and silver paint apps to make it a visually colorful head. It is much blockier than I expected, though, especially after being used to the Combiner Wars version. His face also isn't blue. His articulation is consistent with what we received during the War for Cybertron trilogy, with a neck swivel, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel (don't worry if it's loose since it comes from the tab being from the combiner feature), hips move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. He also has two twin pistols, which he looks great holding due to them being nicely painted and fitting his character pretty well.
His accessories can also combine into a twin barrelled gun, which is something that almost works well. No idea why the tabs are on the same spots for both. Anyways for a robot mode comparison, here he is with his Combiner Wars counterpart, who is taller and much more stylized by comparison. You can tell now that the CW version was made as trying to be a bit of an amalgamation between the character it was made for in mind and the reuse, Mirage. The original Combiner Wars figure was alright for its time, but I think the Legacy version wins for prioritizing its own character in mind without relying too much on trying to be a reused figure for another character. Its engineering also wins, though I do wish it had the same amount of color break up that the CW figure had, though not to the same extent.
Already while the Stunticons are near completion, we got Shadowstrip, who is actually a G2 repaint of the same guy. We're not sure if we'll get the other Stunticons in the G2 color schemes as of this writing, but he is still compatible with Legacy Motormaster.
The approach that the CW figure went in having both arm and leg modes was appreciative for its time, though it has led to an issue regarding the Combiner Wars figures having to utilize mostly identical conversion traits, and the way the Legacy figure only prioritizes being an arm and only when it's split from the waist down helps that particular figure work as an independent release much better. So don't take the image of Megatron splitting him in half as a negative towards the Legacy figure as while he has a hollow head and lacking color breakup in robot mode, he is otherwise an outstanding addition to the line and has me excited for what's to come with the Legacy line's Stunticons from here.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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