Dark of the Moon Topspin

Robot Mode: In a toyline that is very quickly becoming renowned for the lack of paint applications, Topspin is a veritable explosion of color. Mostly blue, he carries quite a few gold, white and yellow highlights. He did not completely escape the “Paint? What Paint?” philosophy, as his arms are mostly unpainted grey plastic, but in comparison with his Wrecker-mate Roadbuster he looks like he fell into a paint bucket. So very nicely done in terms of the paint job, at least by DOTM standards.

The second thing that comes to mind here is the robot’s excellent posability. Topspin has double knee joints, ball-jointed feet and ball joints connecting the legs to the (twisting) hip, too, giving him enormous posing potential. His arms aren’t quite as posable in comparison, but the weapon pods behind his shoulders make up for that, as they can point just about every which way, too.

And speaking of those weapon pods, each is equipped with three guns, two of which are removable and fully compatible with Mechtech ports, so they can be swapped with other Transformers. Topspin also has two Mechtech ports on his forearms, so he can reposition his own weapons there if you want to. Topspin’s own Mechtech weapon is a type of Crossbow that can be transformed into a capture claw. Personally I like the crossbow mode better. It shares the problem all Mechtech Deluxe figures have in that you can’t fix the transformed weapon mode in place unless you remove the screw.

Finally, the sculpting. Most important to note: Topspin has hands, even though it looks like he doesn’t. They’re sculpted into his arms, sitting between the two claws on his arms. The claws are posable, by the way, but just barely. The rest of the body is very nicely sculpted, showing lots of details and – for once – the paint actually brings out quite a few of them. The head is once again a point of contention, as it features a mullet and sunglasses to portray the stereotypical NASCAR fan, but I don’t have a particular problem with that myself. Oh, and in case you were wondering, those triple exhaust pipes on his shoulders are just ornamentation, they are not part of the vehicle mode. So the bottom line: Possibly the best Deluxe-class robot I’ve yet seen in DOTM. Two thumbs up.

Vehicle Mode: Topspin transforms into a NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevy Impala stock car, specifically Jimmie Johnson's Lowes and Kobalt sponsored #48 car. Unlike Roadbuster, Topspin’s alternate mode is the “Brute Mode” / “Stealth Force Mode” of the vehicle, meaning he’s got guns and armor plating all over, pretty much ruining any attempt at camouflage. Now apparently we’re going to have the reverse situation in the Human Alliance line, where Roadbuster will be in “Brute Mode” and Topspin will be a normal car, but I digress.

In this mode Roadbuster carries the four removable weapons that are on his shoulder pods in robot mode. All these weapons sit in standard Mechtech ports, so you can swap them for other Mechtech weapons at your leisure. Additionally he has one more port on his hood, where his crossbow / claw weapon can be mounted. Finally the car is covered in sculpted detail, most of it part of the “Brute Mode” so he doesn’t look like a standard-issue car. To sum it up: not a vehicle mode for those who slavishly adhere to the whole “Robots in Disguise” motto, but a good-looking one nonetheless.

Remarks: Topspin was never referred to by name in the third live-action Transformers movie, he was always just part of the Wrecker trio and the most important thing he did was to help free Optimus Prime from the cables he got himself tangled up in (for over twenty minutes). Oh, and earlier he helped rip apart a generic Decepticon pilot. That was pretty much the extent of his participation, he didn't have so much as a single spoken line. Oh, and apart from being blue and a Wrecker, he has nothing in common with his G1 namesake (who was a jet, not a car).

Given my general dislike for the third movie and my disappointment with the first Deluxe-class Wrecker Roadbuster, I was rather reluctant to buy this one. Now, though, I’m thankful I did. Topspin is leagues above Roadbuster, possibly the best Deluxe-class figure in the DOTM toy line I’ve seen so far. The big shoulder pods might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love them. So bottom line: A great toy. If only it wasn’t connected with such an atrocity of a movie...

Rating: A-