Topspin is another of the Wreckers introduced in Dark of the Moon, and like the other two has a NASCAR alt mode, this one of a dark blue car sporting "Lowe's" logos. For this version, he's in the weaponized version of his alt mode, and is BRISTLING with weaponry. He's got four (non-firing) guns-- two on the roof and one on each car door-- that are pegged into Mechtech ports. He also has one additional port on the top of his engine-- a bit of an odd place given how much it would interfere with his "view", but this is where Topspin's actual Mechtech weapon is "supposed" to peg in in this mode. Topspin's is one of the simplest Mechtech weapons-- it transforms from a gun to a claw by pushing forward on the back end for some grabby action-- but it's effective, minus the ability to lock it into claw mode. The proportions of Topspin's car mode are pretty spot-on considering all the pumped-up mechanized detailing on him, and with the exception of some of the bits you can see inside his windows, he's got no robot extras whatsoever. His paint detailing is decent enough, what with the silver exposed engine and white-and-red stripes on the sides, but a bit more paint on the front end to highlight his various headlights would've really been appreciated.
    Topspin's transformation to robot mode is interesting and intuitive without being complex, and is just generally rather fun to do. I particularly like how the sides of the car fold in on themselves to become the legs. His core proportions are generally pretty spot-on-- he's a bit leggy, but this is accurate to his movie CGI model. It looks like he has big two-pronged claws for hands, but upon closer inspection, he actually has hands molded onto the inside of the claws, so the claws are more wrist-mounted tools than his actual hands. The mold detailing in this mode is pretty darned amazing, even moreso than the vehicle mode-- Topspin is COVERED in pipes, ridges, springs, and the like, and his chest design is quite nice, particularly with the tailpipes going up to his shoulders. His headsculpt is my favorite of the DotM Wreckers', having a metallic version of a mullet on him, along with the same "sunglass-optics" that the other Wreckers have, and with excellent light piping to boot. It definitely has personality, that's for sure! Topspin's main color scheme of dark blue and gray, while not bad in and of itself, is a bit dull, and the bright yellow in this mode-- when used as an accent as it is-- really helps the color scheme, a lot more than you think just a few paint apps would. I wish there were a few more on his feet, though at least his feet springs are painted a greenish shade of copper to give him a little accent coloration there as well. Topspin's hood and front fold behind his back in this mode and generally stay there out of the way, even if they don't peg in. What does bug me are the rather blatant pieces of car kibble made of his rear hood and back end that hover above his shoulders here. Turning his car guns around can give him some shoulder-mounted firepower, but they're still just kind of unsightly. Plus, when transforming him the ball joints these pieces are on can come undone a bit too easily. As for Topspin's articulation, he can move at the neck (at two places), shoulders (at three places), elbows, at the base of each claw finger on the back of his hands, and at the waist (though the kibble on the back can get in the way a little), hips, knees (at two points), and ankles. Many of these are on ball joints, as well, and he's pretty well-balanced so you can get some fantastic poses out of him. I do wish his knees could rotate, but that's his only real flaw in this area, and that's pretty minor.
    Dark of the Moon deluxe Topspin may not be quite perfect, but he's a great toy all around and one of the best original designs to come out of the toyline. He's got a ton of weaponry, great detailing, an awesome car mode, great articulation, and tons of personality. His only major flaws are the big pieces of shoulder kibble hanging off his shoulders in robot mode; highly recommended if you like the movie aesthetic.

Review by Beastbot

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