General Information:
Release Date: October 2022
Price Point: $24.97 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Wal-Mart Exclusive (with limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse)
Accessories: Blasters x 2
Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon:
Universes collide! Transformers: Legacy brings together fan-favorite characters from across the Transformers multiverse. Figures feature deco inspired by their universe with an updated Generations design. In honor of the almost 40-year legacy of Transformers entertainment, the fandoms come together from across the Transformers multiverse, all in one toy line.
The race is on! Bots from across the multiverse have gathered on Velocitron to participate in the Speedia 500, a planet-wide race to determine its next leader. Shadowstrip is determined the win the Speedia 500. He’ll run any bot off the road that gets in his way.
Includes: Figure, 2 accessories, and instructions.
- UNIVERSES COLLIDE: Universes collide with Transformers: Legacy! This epic line of Transformers toys brings together fan-favorite characters from across the Transformers multiverse
- VELOCITRON SPEEDIA 500 COLLECTION: The race is on! Bots from across the multiverse have gathered on Velocitron to participate in the Speedia 500, a planet-wide race to determine its next leader
- G2-INSPIRED DESIGN: This Transformers 5.5-inch G2 Universe Shadowstrip robot toy is inspired by the unreleased figure based on Transformers: Generation 2, updated with a Generations-style design
- 2 EPIC MODES: Action figure converts from robot to racecar mode in 16 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: Comes with 2 blaster accessories. Accessories attach to figure in both modes
- Ages 8 and up
- Warning: Choking Hazard - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Packaging:
When the original Generation One figures were released, they were packaged in a rectangular box with a large flap on the back. They sat inside the box in their alt-modes relying on the package artwork to show off the robot mode. However, for quite some time now, Transformers have been mostly packaged in robot mode instead, a move partly intended to show off the value of the figure you are purchasing. This has led to more vertical packaging that discarded the old "rectangle box with flap" design. Aside from some Vintage reissues and the Vintage Headmaster line, this style of packaging has been very rare in modern day releases.
Enter: the Speedia 500 collection! This entire line features its characters packaged in G1 shaped boxes complete with a rectangular shape, a window in the front and a flap on top. The only exception is Scourge, who is packaged in a big, closed box with an illustration in front. The background features a wonderful black to blue gradient and each box features the text "Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection". A lot of graphics on the boxes are references to the race including arrows and even the symbol of Velocitron itself boldly shown off on the front of the boxes. Each character does feature new box art including Shadowstrip. Shadowstrip has artwork showing off both modes. The flap on top has the vehicle mode while the left side of the rectangular section shows him in robot mode. There have been some questions about whether or not Shadowstrip is just Drag Strip in disguise. However, since he's called out as being from the "G2 Universe", I believe he is an alt-universe version of Drag Strip (or Dragstrip if you prefer) since the Legacy Dragstrip does not list a specific universe on its packaging, indicating it is from the G1 inspired universe of Legacy. The back of the box shows the figure in both modes, calling out a 16 step transformation.
To say I love this packaging design would be an understatement. It manages to blend some nostalgia with a modern day line and the graphics are all consistent with the world of Velocitron itself.
Background:
Back in the early 90's, Hasbro attempted to revive the floundering Transformers franchise with a series of toys known as Generation 2. This line ran for a few years before the brand made a hard pivot into Beast Wars. During this time period, several G2 toys were never given mass releases including redecos of the G1 Stunticons. A few samples of this set have made their way onto ebay over the years (one going for over $26,000!). You can see the set here on TFW2005 to behold the amazing colors on this set. During the Combiner Wars series, a G2 themed Stunticon set was released featuring a G2 Dragstrip. This time out, the designers have once again taken a crack at a G2 style Dragstrip with this figure.
Accessories:
Shadowstrip includes two blasters. Each has the same basic design, featuring a rectangular body with a targeting scope on top and a thin barrel in front. This design is based the character's G1 weapon. The blasters feature tabs and openings on the sides which allow them to connect to one another to form a dual weapon. The weapons are made of black plastic and they are painted metallic blue. The handle is a 5mm peg and the ends do fit Blast Effects.
Robot Mode:
The original G2 Drag Strip was mostly black with some blue parts with a checker flag pattern that appeared on his spoiler and the sides of the figure. This figure seeks to emulate that look. Dragstrip features no tooling changes. It is the same head sculpt and body as Legacy Dragstrip.
This figure is made up entirely of black plastic (though I believe there are two types of plastic used as the back panel is not quite as shiny as the rest of the figure). Details are filled in with gold, metallic blue and red paint. The gold is nicely distributed. You'll find it on the torso, arms, legs and feet. The head is painted metallic blue with a red face - a combination of colors taken straight from the unreleased G2 Drag Strip figure. Black and gold is a classic color combination and it looks great. I do wish there was a bit more blue somewhere as it was fairly prominent on the original figure but it's not a huge deal.
There are twenty two points of articulation in this mode. This includes four in each arm and six in each leg. He can hold his weapons in his hands or you can use one of the eight other 5mm ports on his back and lower legs. I'm not sure why he has so many ports but I'm guessing it's a combination of his ability to merge with the Stunticons to form Menasor and to carry over the play pattern with Weaponizers and Fossilizers from previous toy lines. The joints are all relatively tight, so no concerns from me about quality control.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach all accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- On each arm, rotate the forearm armor forward.
- Swing the back wheel on each shoulder down.
- Swing the feet back.
- Swing the chest and head piece forward.
- Rotate the halves of the vehicle mode's front end out.
- Swing each arm up, connecting those sections together in the middle.
- Rotate the chest/head section around, swing the head back then extend the chest piece and extend it, then push it down. Lock the tabs on the chest piece into the corresponding slots on the forearm armor pieces.
- Swing the panels on the back of the lower legs out, then swing the lower legs up over the thighs, then close the panels.
- Connect the two lower legs together.
- The "hooks" on the lower leg pieces should slot into the openings on either side of the chest armor panel.
- The blasters can attach to the ports on either side of the engine section towards the back.
Vehicle Mode:
The black and gold colors carry over into the vehicle mode (of course) but the emphasis of the gold color winds up being on different areas. First, we now see the checker flag graphic more prominent on the sides of the vehicle (echoing the design of G2 Drag Strip). There are also gold racing stripes that start on the spoiler and end on the front of the vehicle. Also, the engine behind the driver's seat is also painted gold. I really love the way these details look and they break up the black color, keeping the vehicle from looking one-note. Some metallic blue is used on the front "windshield" piece and the blue from the robot head appears in the driver's seat. I really appreciate the gold used on the sides of the wheels as this was a detail often left unpainted in the past to save costs.
While I do love the deco, my copy of this figure was not perfect. The gold paint on the spoiler has a slight scratch on it. I speculate the paint had not completely dried when this piece was moved along the assembly line, causing the "scratch". The plastic itself is unharmed, it is just an odd paint detail. The copy of this figure I am keeping mint in box does not have this issue so I would not consider it a line-wide problem.
Combiner Form:
Unlike the "Scramble City" style of Combiner Wars Dragstrip, this new version is intended to look like the cartoon version of Menasor which was, for lack of a better description, a giant robot with cars slapped onto its arms and legs. Dragstrip will form part of Menasor's right arm, so the vehicle mode form basically splits in half on the arm piece. You can do this now if you use a tool like a flat head screwdriver and press the rectangular opening on the back. This will "split" the two halves of the vehicle into the "arm armor" for Menasor. I'll cover this in more detail once Motormaster is released.
Final Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of any figure that acknowledges G2. This goes doubly so if that figure pays homage to an unreleased figure. Shadowstrip does both while looking great at the same time. I loved the original Dragstrip release and I feel the same here. Unfortunately at the time of this writing both Hasbro Pulse and Walmart's web site are sold out of this item so I recommend trying to find him in store (but keep an eye on their listings just in case). Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Great sculpt that looks a lot like the G1 cartoon model.
- Good articulation.
- Intuitive and straightforward transformation.
- Pays homage to an unreleased G2 figure.
Cons:
- The "scratch" on my gold paint is unfortunate.
- I would have preferred if the parts flanking the head could have been moved out of the way.
