View Poll Results: Worth buying?

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Thread: Toy Review - POTP Battleslash & Roadtrap

  1. #1
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Default Toy Review - POTP Battleslash & Roadtrap

    BATTLESLASH
    Series - Generations
    Sub-line - Power of the Primes
    Size/class - Legends
    New/remould/redeco - New
    Wave - 2
    Released here - April 2018
    Approximate Retail Price - $19
    Approximate Size - 10cm
    Allegiance - Decepticon
    Alt-mode - helicopter
    Main Features/Gimmicks - combines with Roadtrap (sold separately)
    Main Colours - Greyish white with black accents
    Main Accessories - none

    ROADTRAP
    Series - Generations
    Sub-line - Power of the Primes
    Size/class - Legends
    New/remould/redeco - New
    Wave - 2
    Released here - April 2018
    Approximate Retail Price - $19
    Approximate Size - 10cm
    Allegiance - Decepticon
    Alt-mode - off-road vehicle
    Main Features/Gimmicks - combines with Battleslash (sold separately)
    Main Colours - blue with red, black, yellow and silver highlights throughout
    Main Accessories - none

    Overall Thoughts

    The G1 fanboy in me kinda misses the Duocon gimmick which is completely gone from this new set of toys, but the gains that they've made in sacrificing the gimmick more than makes up for it. Let's face it, the G1 Duocons are slaves to their gimmicks and there's not a whole lot more to them outside of said gimmick. Battleslash and Roadtrap have given this up in favour of just having two solid transforming action figures who can combine.

    As relatively small and inexpensive Legends Class figures who need to be able to combine with each other, I think that they've done a truly outstanding job. The transformation on each figure is surprisingly complex yet fun and intuitive. Both figures are reasonably well articulated, and the combined robot mode is also really poseable and quite stable too. The decos on both figures and the combined form are also really well done. The sculpting and detailing look really nice. Battleslash kinda has a "thunder thighs" feel to his upper legs, but when you see that it really bulks out the combined robot mode's upper arms then it's easily understandable.

    I personally would've preferred the combined robot mode's face to be silver and maybe with a different coloured visor (e.g. red). It would've offset the blue helmet better than the Smurf blue that they went with for the face, but it's not a deal breaker. The official transformation for the combined robot mode has the helicopter rotors getting in the way of the legs, but it's easy enough just to reposition Battleslash's arms and get it out of the way. The toy doesn't come with any accessories but they all have 5mm post compatible fist holes. Although the combined robot's fists have the helicopter's rear landing strut sticking out which can make it tricky to attach some guns. They do kind of make it look like he's carrying a pair of knives.


    Quite frankly the combined robot mode is a better 2-bot gestalt than any of the Transformers Energon Powerlinx 2-bot combiners. Sure, the top and bottom halves can't interchange, but who cares about that? Okay, Battleslash's helicopter does have an unsightly gap in the front and Roadtrap's thighs and waist do stick out from behind the vehicle mode, but considering everything that this toy has to do with its Legends Class budget and price point, it's easily forgivable. There are really no unforgivable drawbacks on this toy and I cannot recommend them highly enough. Oh, and if you're wondering why I keep saying "Combined Robot Mode" instead of Battletrap, it's because the combined robot mode doesn't officially have a name. Obviously every G1 fan is going to call it Battletrap but yeah... technically it's nameless. But hey, that didn't stop us from naming our new Constructicons or Autobot Rescue Force members back in 1992, so why stop now?



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  2. #2
    Join Date
    4th Jun 2010
    Location
    Canberra
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    Default

    I need to transform them a couple more times I think, because there were bits of each transformation that I found fiddly or annoying. The combined mode is definitely the best, the individual modes have suffered a few painful compromises (particularly the rear end of Roadtrap's vehicle mode).

    On the whole though, quite an achievement and I'd love to see more combining Legends like this. CW-style Combiners are super tired by now, but this is something fresher.

  3. #3
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    14th Nov 2009
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    Comparing Roadtrap's leg-mode to other leg-formers like Armada Jetfire, RID Midnight Express, and Generations Mini-con Assault Team's Heavytread (as opposed to the Powerlinx combiners interchangeable gimmick), there are some pros and cons.

    I like how they were able to achieve a good middle ground between robot/leg modes. Jetfire had a good robot mode but a poor leg mode which looked good standing straight but was not able to handle the combined form weight in any other poses; Midnight Express had much more poseability but looked terrible as a standalone bot; and Heavytread basically had no neck as his head was set in his chest. As a standalone stocky basic fig, his robot mode looks great, and is comparable with Cybertron Armorhide.

    The main drawback for me, is using his head as waist articulation and the foreseeable degradation on the neck ball joint over time (this drawback does not affect any of his fellow leg-formers). While it's nice to give Battletrap waist articulation, this is not a set-standard for other deluxe-sized figs, and certainly not expected of combiners. Over time and play, Roadtrap's head joint will become as floppy as those Funko POP figures. As a design-decision, doing without waist articulation for the combined form would have been also been easier and potentially make Battleslash's giant nozzle-hole less of an eyesore.

    Overall I really liked this fig as this was a super nostalgic character for me because he was introduced in one of two Headmasters cartoons my dad acquired on VHS tape when I was a kid. That same episode, where he and Flywheels were featured, made them appear to be super awesome arse kickers (took a while to figure out that the actual toys totally sucked as Transformers, and was wayyy smaller than any of the Headmasters/Targetmasters).

    Bring on Flywheels!


    変われ! ヘッドマスター! Kaware! Headmaster!
    戦え! ヘッドマスター! Tatakae! Headmaster!


  4. #4
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    14th Jul 2014
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    Finally picked up Roadtrap and I agree with the sentiments above-both vehicles suffer, but the results are worth it! Really like the combined mode-it has more articulation than some DLX figures!!!

    Only downside is the lack of a weapon-both for the combined mode but also Roadtrap, but the clear inserts from the POTP combiner hands have proved their use again to complete the look of this one!

    I'm unsure why they don't advertise the combining feature on the box, surely that would sell more toys than the ability to kinda sit a Prime Master on top (if they only had space to feature 1 gimmick)???

  5. #5
    Join Date
    29th Jun 2011
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    Melbourne
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    On shopping for these guys, I found a TRU with one in stock without the other, then the same on the website of an online retailer (one character in stock and the other sold out). Who is buying one without the other? WHO IS IT!? THIS MADNESS MUST STOP!!!
    Last edited by M-bot; 17th May 2018 at 12:34 PM.

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  6. #6
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    7th Mar 2012
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    Great little figure/s. I thing I can add that hasn’t been said already but my big complaint is the price. I found these guys at TRU and paid full price of $19.95 each. So this essentially amounted to a $40 deluxe. That’s far too steep. I’d probably fork out the cash for a Flywheels if they release it but at $20 a pop, this size class is too rich for my blood.

    Quote Originally Posted by M-bot View Post
    On shopping for these guys, I found a TRU with one in stock without the other, then the same on the website of an online retailer (one character in stock and the other sold out). Who is buying one without the other? WHO IS IT!? THIS MADNESS MUST STOP!!!
    I found Roadtrap twice by himself prior to finding a set. So it does seems a little weird but I suppose it’s because the box makes no mention of them combining. So if you are like normal mums and dads and not really familiar with Battletrap, it’s understandable.

    But still frustrating.
    Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

  7. #7
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    14th Jul 2014
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    Wollongong
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trent View Post
    Great little figure/s. I thing I can add that hasn’t been said already but my big complaint is the price. I found these guys at TRU and paid full price of $19.95 each. So this essentially amounted to a $40 deluxe. That’s far too steep. I’d probably fork out the cash for a Flywheels if they release it but at $20 a pop, this size class is too rich for my blood.
    But you also get 2 decent Legends figures-not perfect (or as good in vehicle mode as many of the other legends figures which are often very nice), but I think they have equivalent individual robot modes to other legends so even if you don't display them separately the engineering/possibility is there... so imho that's not a super fair comparison (ESP as some Toyworld's/Toymates are charging that much for POTP DLXs lol)

  8. #8
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    This guy(s) is an absolutely wonderful toy. There's some compromises in the individual toys but for a G1 toy as weird/obscure as Battletrap to get such a wonderful update is just great. Even more bizarre when you consider that Flywheels would have sold better first, being a Jet/Tank combo...

    I cannot for the life of me understand Hasbro's insistence on practically no promotion of the combination aspect of the POTP toyline...seems like crazy marketing to me.

  9. #9
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    5th Feb 2010
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    I'm actually reasonably keen to get this. Usually legends figures in 2018 are a bit dear for my money, for what we get anyway, but the combination aspect just about gets this over the line.

    Would love to see Flywheels in the same style.
    I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.

  10. #10
    FatalityPitt Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sutton View Post
    Even more bizarre when you consider that Flywheels would have sold better first, being a Jet/Tank combo...
    Yeah, that's true. But if they released Flywheels first, people on tighter budgets (or with lesser incentives) might be adequately satisfied with Flywheels that they might only see Battletrap as an 'extra bonus'; then the Battleslash/Roadtrap duo might peg warm. Hasbro seem to have realized that it's better to release the 'less cool' toy first before the 'cool one'.

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