Episode 14
These need some love too
Art by Ed and his bro Ben!
Hi guys its a couple of days since my last blog. After reading the latest Wreckers comics and going back into the older marvel comics I decided that it was time to look at the brothers in the Wreckers crew! Yep, that's right, we are going to be looking at Top spin and Twin Twist the Jumpstarter brothers two characters I feel should get a lot more attention!
Luckily in my own collection I have the G1 set of Top Spin and Twin Twist as well as the Homage to them from Mech Ideas and the Auto Assembly/TFCon set which were a homage from South American and Argentinian Transformers line (Sid if this is wrong let me know and I shall use the magic edit button to get my facts right)!.
As you all know I like the retrospective view so lets start the blog wayyyyyyy back before the Transformers line had officially started with Diaclone.
Diaclone Bakuten Attack Robo:
These would join The Transformers line as the Jumpstarters.
Drill Tank Type — Available in two decos. Dark blue limbs with grey chest or dark blue limbs with red chest. (Transformers releases Twin Twist/Salt-Man Z/Robot-Man Z all utilized completely new decos)
Jet Type - Available in two decos. Dark blue chest with red limbs or dark blue chest with grey limbs. (Transformers releases Topspin/Salt-Man X/Robot-Man X all utilized completely new decos)
Drill Tank Type — Available in two decos. Dark blue limbs with grey chest or dark blue limbs with red chest. (Transformers releases Twin Twist/Salt-Man Z/Robot-Man Z all utilized completely new decos)
Jet Type - Available in two decos. Dark blue chest with red limbs or dark blue chest with grey limbs. (Transformers releases Topspin/Salt-Man X/Robot-Man X all utilized completely new decos)
Look I found a Diaclone picture!!!
As with most Diaclone hard to obtain and probably very costly, be very proud if you have these in your collection because I'm pretty sure they are scarce! Can't tell you much about transformation except to presume they are the same as their G1 cousins who we shall talk about in the next paragraph down!
Generation One
A bit of history on G1 Topspin and Twin twist. They are supposed to have some of the fastest mechanisms for Transforming taking just 0.4 of a second to switch modes. They are both impulsive warriors and are a part of the Wreckers team. They both have futuristic Cybertronian modes and the Hasbro toy featured a pull back motor on a catch that when released flips them to their robot modes. Their has been many knock off versions of the Hasbro Toys since their release in 1985 (still happening today) and one company even trademarked their own name to the K.Os they had made and called them Fliptrons! My Jumpstarters were given to me but since then I have had multiples of these in joblots I have purchased over the years.
TechSpecs on the back of all your original Transformers toys!
When I hear their names it makes me think of Tennis!
Love seeing G1 Transformers with their boxes!
Sometimes they even came with insturctions!
Ahh cool out of the cupboard come my G1 Granddaddy's
Twin Twist robot mode
Vehicle mode
Top spin robot mode
Vehicle mode
Twin Twists head
Top Spins head (This picture continuously came out fuzzy with the G1 head)
Side view
Back view
Ahh good old G1, articulation being the full arm swing in robot mode and the pull back action in vehicle mode. Mine have seen better days but they are still pretty easy to obtain on places like Ebay. Transformation is pretty much a simple catch that when the vehicle collides with something (after being pulled back) it does a flip and lands on its big flat feet! They were great fun when I was a kid!
Knock Offs
As you will see in the photos below there are hundreds of bootleg copys of the Jumpstarters...... I thought to share just a portion of photos from google!
Lets start on Knockoffs..
Which we shall call K.Os......
And more....
And more..
Interesting colour schemes..
Here's another..
And his alt mode...
These guys got their own copyright!
Nearly Twin Twist
And a few more alt Flipflops!
Part of Simon Furmuns Marvel UK Wreckers!
G1 Top spin and Twin Twist met their end during Time Wars (Rack n Ruin is the green double headed bot), I don't believe they made it to the cartoon series, Funnily IDW did restore them for Last Stand of the Wreckers (an amazing story)!
Argentinian Jumpstarters
Saltman Z
Saltman X
Robot-Man X
Robot Man Z
Salman X and Z were the redecos of Topspin and Twin Twist, still released as good guys in South America. Same toy but apparently with poor stickers. In Argentina the word Salt in this case actually meant Jump so it would be Jumpman!
Takara
I even managed to find a Takara Jumpstarter picture for y'all!
Brr-icy Customs
They are amazing and fully Transformable!
My good friend Bryce made these he said he made the first battle damaged set in 2011 for the Cybertron.ca and TFCon charity auction, and never made another set of battle damaged ones. Clean sets he think he made upwards of fifteen sets. They are made from WFC Megatron, g1 heads and drills, some putty work, and a g1 Devastator chest wing Highly sought after to this day I know that if I had made these I would be proud!
Mech Ideas
Prototypes
Advertisement now called Apex and Geminus The Demolition Crew
I rather liked this one!
Nice packaging!
Bio
Lovely vehicle mode
Nice and tidy!
Weapons storage Hammer fits snuff underneath as an engine block with twin exhausts!
Its Hammertime!
You cant touch this!
Never corner this guy!
Mashed up face!
Again lovely vehicle mode
Lovely weapon storage
So clean and tidy, love it when everything has a place!
Poseability is amazing!
Weapons can be where you choose!
Alternate weapon configuration
Vehicle modes with their forefathers!
IDW Last Stand of The Wreckers one of Nick Roaches finest stories!
Well what can I say about the Mech Idea twins? Well for starters the packaging is c'est magnifique! I love the fact that you can take these out and put them back in the box if you desire. Something to add is that the first run of these came with the spare battle damage head so if your wondering why you didn't get one then I must say sorry but you didn't get a first run of these toys! Lets get down to the Transformation. Relatively simple, they both transform exactly the same way, just a few fiddly moments but that's plugging the arms back into vehicle mode when transforming the first time...... it does get easy tho! The paint job is fantastic. They are a brilliant homage to G1 Topspin and Twin Twist and boy are these guys poseable! The Bio on the back of the packaging is fun and its really a nice idea that we got the alternative packaging as one giant sleeve so in a sense that Transforms too! I love the storage of the weapons simply genius! Ok lets say the bad points I guess a mild improvement would have been a few more stickers and perhaps articulated hands (there he goes with the hands again)! Ok the only bad things are that they are a little bit loose but if your good at customising you will be able to sort this out. These are well worth the money, an absolutely essential purchase for fun toys that are still up with the best quality today! The designer of these toys should be proud!
Auto Assembly 2013
The Mech Ideas set got repainted and repackaged for the conventions of 2013. First they were at TFCon and after at Auto Assembly. What was really fantastic was the fact the designer had made the packaging transform so they could be sold at each convention! Robot Manuel X and Z were the first Auto Assembly official figures and what a cracking set to start with!
Nice advert for Auto Assembly's first Show figure!
Lovely artwork on the packaging!
Auto Assembly Bio
Look its the other sleeve for TFCon!
And here's the other!
Fantastic Robot Modes!
Lovely!
Great detail in the face!
Bit blurry this one but I will try and get you another photo soon!
With their Apex Twin brothers!
Well what can I say about these other than the fact they are amazing toys! Quality is on par with most of todays toys from the Transformers Third Partys, but with probably a little bit more fun squeezed in! Look amazing on display with Masterpiece and Chug figures! Lovely packaging again, both the bios are brilliant and you even get the other convention backing in the Transforming packaging too! Same as pretty much the standard Apex twins except the joints are just a little sturdier (well mine seem to be)! The chrome on these is gorgeous becareful tho as it may come off if handled too much! Overall I think the Auto Assembly organisers did a brilliant thing in having these as their first official figure, they will bring many years of joy to the purchasers for sure!
Something I had forgotten about....
Shared from Tuxedo Mike!!!
My good friend Tuxedo Mike reminded me about these TFCon 2013 custom class exclusives, this turned Geminus and Apex into the Decepticon Clones Wingspan and Pounce. This is a very limited set and I believe that their are plans for a few more custom parts in the works! Thanks again Mike!
Lets look at some other versions of Topspin and Twin Twist!
Dark Of The Moon
Top Spin made it to Mr Bays D.O.T.M film
Personally I'm not a fan of the toys from the Michael Bay films..... I don't mind watching the films but like I say its not my G1 ya know
FOC
Top Middle and Right Top Spin and Twin Twist
FoC had their own Wreckers Combiner and Top Spin and Twin Twist made it here as part of that team!
Puddleformers
From puggleformers .... Soft Toys
Made by Cally Karishokka's Puggle Creations hand-made plushes stand roughly two and a half inches tall by two and a half long can be obtained via Ebay and Botcon!
And these two....
Custom Kreons of Top Spin and Twin Twist
Mech Ideas or the Auto Assembly sets will look great with your Masterpieces!
I hope you enjoyed this blog, it was great for me to get these toys out again, especially the Mech Idea twins and to see they fit in lovely with my collection.
Thanks for reading the blog, if theirs any feedback or comments you would like to give me please comment on here or on my page on facebook! Please like and share and until next time Geronimo!!!!
Special Thanks!
Ed and Ben
Auto Assembly
Brrr-icy
Tuxedo Mike
Google for the plethora of photos of toys that I did not have myself
My Mentors who continue to inspire me
MattMan and Ninja James
And Katy who made me a lovely breakfast for dinner!
Check out these latest reviews from my amazing friends!
http://theforgedserket.wix.com/tfblog#!Hay-this-isnt-Starscream/cmbz/56b7650c0cf2dc1600e842f6
http://toyboxsoapbox.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/maketoys-rm01-cupola-review-masterpiece.html
http://masterforceuk.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/unique-toys-buzzing-review.html
http://blog.kapowtoys.co.uk/grandus-designs/
Great comprehensive review, excellent stuff
ReplyDeleteThanks dude, a lot of people helped with the inspiration on this one, I know theirs a few unmentioned people but if I ever find out who they are they will get a nice big thank you :)
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ReplyDeleteGreat review, Roger. It actually made me regret skipping Mech Ideas Topspin and Twintwist when they were produced.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Roger. It actually made me regret skipping Mech Ideas Topspin and Twintwist when they were produced.
ReplyDeleteIts never too late dude, lots of people sell them and dont forget the conventions exclusive are quite often about too, and thanks for your compliments it means a lot!
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