It took me a hot minute to realize that G2 Universe Shadowstrip was not a G2 Dragstrip with a new name. While superficially similar - both are mostly black with some blue - it's not at all colored like the prototype. It does use the Dragstrip [FOTD #2,435] mold, but the coloring seems to have more in common with the Primitive Optimus Prime [FOTD #1,765]. You don't get the crazy blue markings or wacky decals, but it does evoke Generation 2 enough that you probably won't even notice.
It's a nice robot. Molded in black seemingly completely, the figure gives fans what they love - black repaints - but puts it under the banner of "G2 Universe" which is usually code for "many colors." Here the black body has gold highlights (subtle, classy) as well as a metallic blue head with matching blasters. The paint is so thick, I can't quite get those blasters to connect to make a double gun - maybe you can, but I don't want to scrape off any paint. It's too beautiful. Inside the blue helmet is a red visor with what appears to be a barely-lighter red with a dash of orange face. The glossy paint of the face combined with the metallic hues of the helmet really pop, giving this figure personality to spare while highlighting the sculpted grooves in the helmet. I already liked Dragstrip, but Shadowstrip makes me realize why.
The body doesn't quite enjoy the same level of beauty. Black absorbs the detail, and the gold highlights - while gorgeous - are few. You can see the knee vents, the toes, even the shoulders. You get gold wheels and some classy gold checkerboard flag tats on the arms, but they're more or less out of sight if rotated just a bit. While G2 is usually in-your-face with big nametags and gaudy graphic design, Shadowstrip lacks these features. If it didn't say "G2" on the box I bet fans would not necessarily immediately clock it as such. With a little more blue, it might be the G2 Dragstrip of your dreams but instead it's a new character. A G2 Dead End is coming to go with him, so you can still probably build a G2 Menasor some day, but when, and if there will be a matching G2 Dragstrip is unknown to me. This one is certainly on board the good-enough train (toot toot) and I wouldn't be sad if Hasbro doesn't revisit an even-more-90s G2 Dragstrip down the road.
Transformation is the same as the G1 flavor, and is relatively easy to do. What surprised me is that I forgot how the wheels hang off the back of the arms, and how a few other bits lock in place quite nicely. This is a good pleasant puzzle of a toy, and everything holds together well.
The car looks nice - but it doesn't do much. You have spinning wheels, and places to put the blasters. It lacks faction symbols (like many G2 toys) while looking like this could be a 90s toy - except it's too nice to truly be the kinds of eyesores we loved back then. This is the G2 toy even G1 fans will admire.
I got mine from Hasbro Pulse, because Walmart's sold out before I had a crack at it. As far as I know, as of writing this, few to none ever made it to actual Walmart stores so I assume there are thousands of units waiting to be sold somewhere, eventually. (The first Speedia wave had pegwarmers and I saw some blown out as low as $7.) A pity - they were good designs, but too many $25-$35 exclusives hitting all at once can make someone feel a little more picky. If you can get Shadowstrip for a reasonable price, it makes a great Menasor arm and just looks cool on his lonesome. I'd recommend it, even at the full $25.
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