Windy City Chase

Autobot Slap Dash and Decepticon Trenchmouth are new characters in the Transformers multi-verse, and so have no dedicated individual backgrounds other than what it says on the box:

“Everything SLAP DASH does, he does in a hurry. Not because he’s fast- though he is- but more because he’s lazy. Careful planning just isn’t his thing. Unfortunately, TRENCHMOUTH is not the sort of Decepticon you want to fight without some foresight. He may be a filthy, poorly tuned road hog, but he’s also a smart, canny fighter.”

(Umm… okay.)

Autobot Slap Dash

This toy is the second repaint of Autobot Nightbeat, which debuted in the “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” toy line. There are no changes to it other than plastic & paint coloring.
The choice of coloring, however, seems to be based on Generation One’s Autobot Wheelie, whose vehicle mode is somewhat similar.

Vehicle Mode

Robot Mode

Decepticon Trenchmouth

This toy is the third repaint of Autobot Knock-Out, which debuted in the “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” toy line. There are no changes to it other than plastic & paint coloring.

Vehicle Mode

Though both wheels spin freely, there is no kickstand to keep it upright. Coincidentally, because of his transformation, Trenchmouth can turn his front wheel side-to-side a little.

Robot Mode

I will say it can be a bit of a pain to get Trenchmouth (what the Hell kind of name is that??) out of his vehicle mode, especially when it comes to separating the bumper and back wheel parts, but I still like his transformation. I kinda wish the panels on either side of his legs would snap into position rather than always free-turning. I also liked how his right arm has a blaster instead of a hand, and how both halves of the back wheel are on ball joints to allow you to reposition them as you wish in robot mode. Nice small changes. I do fear, though, that his ankle joints are too lose and will eventually give out and never hold him upright again.

For Slap Dash, getting everything to realign in vehicle mode can be time-consuming and a bit of a pain. But it is a totally adorable compact muscle car he changes into, very European commuter car-ish. The little Automorph bit in his torso is nice, but the first few times you do it can be tricky because you don’t know where to hang on to. Also the lower half of his head (this little figure has a movable mouth when even the larger Leader-class figures don’t!?) can slip down too far over time, necessitating a fishing trip every two-or-three transformation cycles. The kibble on his lower arms can get in the way once in a while, and he is a bit disproportionate body-wise, but overall his poseability is quite superb for such a little figure. No weapons for Slap Dash, shrug?

To be honest, the only reason I got these two was because I missed my chance to get any of their earlier incarnations, whether it be from lack of money or disinterest in the colors used in the repaints. AND I got both in the same two-pack! Trenchmouth’s colors are not the best, but they’re not puke-y like some of the previous ones. He’s got more attitude that his partner in this set too, though the kibble panels on his legs might drive some crazy. And Slap Dash is what he is, and I would have gotten any of his predecessors. He’s a bit of a pain to transform, but both modes are on the satisfying side even if his alt mode is more reminiscent of the cartoon-y G1 Wheelie rather than the serious Bayformers style. Recommended if you like repaints of these two.