Unite Warriors Drag Strip

Next on the list of Stunticons is Dragstrip, the winning obsessed speed freak.  On the original toy, he was very yellow.  This one is bigger and still very yellow.  Is he TOO yellow?

Vehicle mode

Dragstrip has gone from being a excessively wheeled formula one car (more along the lines of a well, drag racer.) to a fairly standard formula one styled car.  It doesn’t look bad, but it has taken a bit of the menace out of the vehicle mode.  The vehicle is also rather lacking in details, making it rather plain to look at as it’s rather smooth and well, an F1 race car.

Vehicle Colours

Colours are predominantly yellow, with a darker yellow.  There’s Two types of cheese on this guy, with some red line striping on the front wing and the rear spoiler.  The only other colour is the black, which is rather cleverly interspersed at the front, middle and back.  It uses the black of the tyres as well as some next to the cockpit, which will later become shoulders.  The final colour is the silver of the cockpit and engine.  Colours are minimal, but used effectively. Comparing him with pictures online, I actually found him to be much more eye pleasing in person.

 

The weapons can be plonked onto vehicle mode with his hand/foot gun being able to be mounted on the area where the air intakes would be making him incredibly un-aerodynamic.  He also comes with a short sword/knife thing. Which has two handles, one is angled so it’s almost like a gun sword, but even then it will stick out at an angle, while the other is a straight handle.  Annoyingly though, this weapon doesn’t have anything that indicates a gun at all.  Plus when stuck on to the side of the vehicle mode, it’s at an awkward angle.  Something like a scimitar that can be plugged onto either side would have been more appropriate, keeping in line with the speed theme and all.

 

 

Transformerisation.

Transformation is simple and quick, it also takes a lot of cues from the G1 toy.  Extending the legs, flipping the arms from the side and flipping the nose over to his back.  It’s pretty nice.

Robot mode Colours

Here is where he looks the most yellow.  There is a slight change in the yellow of the plastic from between the torso and the legs.  He has a small bit of yellow paint around his combiner joint, which also adds the most colour to the robot mode.  The silver highlights of the engine in vehicle mode are now on his ankles and the red from the spoiler has now become his toes and the only colour of the body that is kind of exciting.  Although the lack of other colours does draw your attention to his head,  and makes the small insignia on his chest noticeable.  Rather cleverly, the black on the shoulders frames his head rather nicely I think, overall it works pretty well.

 

Looking good.

Sculpting is rather nice, it’s rather simple on the front as it seems to use a lot of the vehicle mode, except on the back of his legs for some reason and on top of that, it actually looks pretty nice indeed.  I think he actually looks all right despite the plain-ness.



 

His head sculpt is great.  It’s nicely segmented giving him a cool robot looking face his nose and mouth are still recognisable.   One thing I appreciate is that TT have added some silver paint to his visor, which effectively covers up the blood tears he was sporting when Hasbro released him, I am pleased to see this, as the blood streams looked a bit.... crap.

 

Posey time

The good thing about Dragstrip’s sleekness is that his joints are relatively unhindered.  He manages to sport:

• Ball neck on a hinge flip for transformation
  
• Ball hinged shoulders
  
• Bicep swivels, hinged elbows, hinged wrists (Transformation)
  
• Hinge waist
  
• Ball hips and thigh swivel
  
• Hinged knees

 

It’s such a shame that he is lumbered with such stupid weapons.  Sure the short sword doesn’t look too bad but the footgun just looks generally awful in his hand it’s WAY too big for him and just ruins any theme of sleekness this guy.  It can be mounted on his shoulder and looks OK as some ridiculously chunky shield, but otherwise it’s just a pain.

Size wise Dragstrip manages to fit fairly well with a lot of other figures, old and new alike.  As well as other lines too!

 

I like to use Dragstip as an arm due to his slim nature, although he looks fine as either foot or arm.
Overall, even despite the incredible amount of yellow on this guy, I rather like his look.  I had a friend pick me up a Hasbro version of this guy, just in case I didn’t like him, but I kind of do, he’s good fun and has a lot of character and in hand the slight differences on the colours manage to make up for his initial plainness.

Plus with a stand on hand you can have some fun with him!