In the rear of the car is a 5mm peg hole which can be used to mount the post for his Plasma Energy blaster, which is moulded in purple plastic and can turn from side to side. Since I'm reviewing Dragstrip first - there was one loose in my spares box that I found on a market stall in the 90s - The construction of the weapon is the same as the vehicle weapons used for the other Stunticon limbs and two of the Protectobots: a 5mm peg at right angle to a rectangular block of plastic ending in a post which inserts into the base of the gun. Like all of the vehicle mode add on weapons for the Stunticons, the blaster looks like one part too many and a bit excessive mounted on the car mode, whereas by contrast the Stunticons opposition the Aerialbots have too few add on weapons. A little modification to the design would have improved the blaster no end: Mould a 5mm post into the bottom of the weapon which would then fit a 5mm socket on the top of the post. Put that socket in a piece that could pivot backwards and round the rear of the block. This gives you a gun that can turn & elevate plus a larger weapon that the combined robot can hold. For a further enhancement, put a 5mm peg hole in the back of the connector which will allow the weapon to be mounted on the robot's wrist at the same time as the hand. Hasbro/TakaraTomy: Take note for any reissue!
Transform: Remove the plasma energy blaster. Fold the engine forward into the driver's compartment. Pull the rear of the car back and stand with the top of the car facing you - the spoiler will pivot up to form the feet. Fold the nose of the car back onto the robot's back revealing the head. Raise the arms from the side of the toy and place his purple Gravito gun in his hand.
Dragstrip's robot mode looks tall & thin, with the car sections containing the front wheel rising up above the level of his Scramble City connector head, which is moulded in purple plastic with a pale blue painted face. Earlier versions of this toy feature a silver metal back, on later copies of the toy this part is plastic. Articulation is limited to his shoulders turning. His hands can each hold his Gravito handgun but he's unable to use his Plasma Energy Blaster in this mode which is a bit of a failing.
Dragstrip can form a limb for Menasor or any of the other Special Team/Scramble City style combiners:
Arm Mode: Take the car mode, fold the head down under the car and plug into a shoulder socket. Insert a fist into the 5mm peg hole at the rear.
Leg Mode: Take the robot mode, shorten the legs and fold the arms straight down to the sides. Clip the head into the bottom of a Leader's leg. Peg a foot into the 5mm peg hole.
Traditionally Dragstrip is Menasor's right arm.
Dragstrip's perhaps a little gaudily coloured, but F1 cars do race in some odd colour schemes. I'd prefer him as an Autobot without the cannon but he's a competent enough small Transformer for the time he was released.
Dragstrip was released in the US & UK in 1986 as Stunticon S4 and was also available in the Menasor giftset. In Japan he was numbered D-52 and also sold in the D-55 Menasor giftset. He was re-released in Europe in 1990 as a gold carded European Classics toy. Around this time both Aerialbot Fireflight & Stunticon Dragstrip, minus his Plasma Energy Blaster, were offered as a mail away by Weetabix in the UK - see This Thread at the 2005 Boards for details. In the mid nineties a supply of the Chinese Menasor giftsets entered the UK and were available in toyshops over here.
Of all the Stunticons Dragstrip is probably the most identifiable, as a race car. This makes him an easy target for repainting: take a race car toy, paint it yellow, Dragstrip. And yet this has only been done once! Classics Mirage was repainted as Universe Dragstrip. Given how many race car Mirages there have been over the years it's a surprise this has never been done before. In particular why wasn't Go-Bot Mirage/Double Clutch ever done as Dragstrip? The rest of the GoBot/Spychanger moulds would have made wonderful Stunticons. Even as I wrote this review a new Power Core repaint emerged showing Leadfoot in yellow packed with Destructicon & Rallybot repaints seemingly as Power Core Dragstrip with Stunticons.
However since it's the only existing repaint of Dragstrip we can hold out hope that when a reissue of the Stunticons eventually comes along E-Hobby will provide us with this as an exclusive repaint.
As a race car Dragstrip is immediately analogous to Mirage. Swap the yellow for white, the purple for blue, apply some blue paint and you're onto a winner as an Autobot Repaint version of this toy.