Toy Review - DotM Deluxe Autobot Topspin

[griffin]

Toy Review - DotM Deluxe Autobot Topspin

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Toy Review - Autobot Topspin (Wrecker)
Series - Dark of the Moon
Sub-line - Mechtech
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here - not yet (should be here May/June 2011)
Approximate Retail Price - $24-30
Approximate Size - 14cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Armed Nascar Race car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Convertible Mechtech weapon
Main Colours - Blue, grey
Main Accessories - Mechtech weapon, 4 small guns

[SharkyMcShark]

Cracking figure. Wasn't going to get it in this size class originally but I saw it in the shop and it looked so awesome I had to get it.

• complex well worked transformation (well, compared to the rest of the DotM stuff)
• lots of guns (dettachable too if you're looking to arm up any of your other 5mm hand figures)
• Mechtech gun is a fairly good concept and well executed (bowcaster style thing that has the bow bits flip forwards as a claw)
• Great articulation - all the usual stuff + shrugging shoulders, side to side ankle joints and pincer joints for his hands
• Vehicle mode well sculpted
• Makes the back of vehicle becomes shoulder weapon pods concept work better than Roadbuster does on this size level
• My only criticism is that like the rest of this line it lacks a bit of paint detailing in robot mode.

This feels in terms of quality and size like a Transformers 07 or RotF deluxe (ie not tiny and crippled by idiotic mechtech weapon). Definitely buy this figure.

Also this is an amazing design and if they do this at the HA size class I'm all over it

[Gutsman Heavy]

Sweet, I've been wanting this guy for a while now, good to hear he lives up to my imaginary hype. Will buy.

[Pipesqueak]

He really is awesome. And to think he was only on my 'maybe' list...shame on me.

[Deceptic_Optic]

[Gutsman Heavy]

Can't unsee!

[griffin]

I liked this one... probably the best DotM Dlx so far. Probably because I like the armoured car design, making it more playable in both modes. The backpack in robot mode kinda sucks though, and I couldn't seem to lock it in anywhere (and moving it around too much makes the panels pop out of their small ball joints).
I would have liked to see it utilise its smaller weapons in robot mode, as they just seem to be "decoration" with the focus being on the Mechtech weapon (which aren't even screen accurate, being just a toy-based gimmick).

I'm finding that the deluxe cars in the movie-verse (even in the earlier ones) are mostly just a tucking in of the arms and legs under the vehicle shell, with some panels on the limbs becoming the sides of the vehicle. It ends up giving most movie toys a tortoise look (flip it over and there are all the limbs), but also means lining up of panel parts instead of limb parts... (I miss the blockiness of Gen1, and even BW, which had the entire limb lock in securely - movie toys often have a thin panel & tabs holding back/concealing limbs, which can distort the outer shell if the limbs aren't aligned perfectly).

This one was fairly easy to do, and less fiddly than most, because like that Gen1 description above, the sides of the car are the entire legs, not just panels pinned to the legs. It's the advantage of having the armoured car look, instead of the smooth sides of a regular vehicle (that have to become a chunky, sculpted limb somehow). The sculpted robot limb didn't need to be hidden behind smooth car panels... which made it easier to work out and secure in car mode.

Plus, the colours make this one look a lot nicer than all the black & grey Dlx toys in the early waves. It's the brightest looking figure in the first 3 waves (Bee doesn't count because he's so overdone it is boring), making this worth buying for it's look on a TF3 display shelf, and for its more "funner" play value.