TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Justin's review of: Twin Twist

Name: Twin Twist
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Demolitions
Subgroup: Jumpstarters
"War is wherever I want it to be."

Nothing feels better to him than sinking his drills into a slab of steel. Loves the scrap metal results of his destructive fury and showing off... will attack anything: enemy Decepticon or harmless lamppost. Optimus Prime worries about his uncontrollable nature. Goes 200mph... has two 6000rpm diamond-tipped drills... twin ion impulse blaster shoots explosive 100lb TNT shells. Goes from vehicle to robot in .4 seconds.

The jumpstarters… Twin Twist and his companion Topspin. They are a strange breed indeed. There are two kinds of Transformers fans, those who like the jumpstarters and those who don’t. There is also a subset of those who do; these types build large armies consisting entirely of Topspin and Twin Twist. I find myself owning both Jumpstarters only as a result of wanting to see if they were as bad as I had heard. I am writing this review in a vain attempt to pry open the hearts of the majority of Transfans to accept these tiny misfits into their collections.

Alternate Mode:
Twin Twist’s vehicular mode is that of a Drill Tank. For some reason, Hasbro and Takara love drill tanks. I have never really seen one here on earth, but perhaps on Cybertron they are a necessity to everyday life. Rather than ponder the reasons for this mode I am forced to accept it for what it is and use this as a departure point for a journey through the underrated essence of Twin Twist.

The tank mode is primarily off white and blue with most of the splashes of color coming from the stickers depicting weaponry and circuitry. Two chrome drill bits protrude from the front of the tank each one roughly one inch long (the overall length of this figure is roughly three inches). The most mold detailing goes into the tank treads. The chunks of plastic representing the treads are notched to simulate texture and include little rollers and various mechanical parts molded in as well.

I always do my best to accurately describe the figures I am reviewing so at this point I have to mention something no Jumpstarter fan likes to admit. Twin Twist’s alternate mode is a drill tank as previously mentioned, but it is instantly recognizable as something else- a robot folded in half. The hands are painfully visible as is the robot head peering straight up through the top of the tank. These are a necessary evil for what turns out to be the only neat feature Twin Twist has.

Robot Mode:
Let me start by saying Twin Twist’s alternate mode is a bit on the weak side. Were it more complicated the gimmick wouldn’t work. Okay so are we ready to transform Twin Twist? To transform Twin Twist place him on a long flat surface such as a table or tile floor, pull him back until the friction motor clicks, then let go, he should zoom across the table eventually slowing down jumping into the air and landing on his feet in robot mode. Pretty neat huh?

No new colors are added to Twin Twist in robot mode. The torso is the same blue present in tank mode. The arms and legs are off white. The few details present are provided by stickers. The stickers add silver, red, and yellow to the mix. After 20 years many of the stickers on my Twin Twist have become brittle and the adhesive has lost all effect. This could be related to the life my figure had led before I obtained it, but most of the Twin Twist figures I have seen for sale suffer the same affliction. A single Autobot insignia is located on the figure’s chest. The rubsign is located either on the lower middle of the torso or on the foot (I’ve got the torso version).

The head sculpt is a bit bland. Twin Twists helmet is off white while the face is silver. Twin Twist’s face can best be described as angular. The face is complemented by a very humanlike nose. The mouth looks like a broad open smile perched upon a protruding chin. The eyes resemble a pair of pilot’s sun glasses. The rear of the head contains a small switch. This can be flipped to either the right or the left to aid Twin Twist in transformation. If the figure is not landing on its feet use the switch to adjust his balance.

Articulation is one factor hurting most of the original Transformers figures. Twin Twist is no exception. Leg movement is virtually nonexistent. The legs are attached by a small bar at the bottom, so moving one leg brings along the other. The legs cannot be held in any position other than an upright standing position because they are spring loaded to provide the automatic transformation. The arms are free to spin 360 degrees about the pinned shoulder joint. Hopefully Twin Twist’s enemies always attack from the front with honor and courage, because his head cannot be turned in either direction or be made to look up or down.

The only accessory that came with Twin Twist was his chrome gun. This gun is huge; its length is over half the height of the figure. With the weapon in hand this figure is slightly less of the laughing stock of the Transformer’s shelf. There is not really place to put this weapon in vehicle mode, so don’t be surprised if you run into this figure missing his weapon. Twin Twist is a strange little fellow, if you aren’t too demanding of a Transfan go ahead and pick him up he will at least be worth a chuckle the first couple times you transform him.

Transformation: 7- This is the gimmick here, automatic transformation. While this removes any degree of difficulty from the equation it gets some originality points. The robot is poorly hidden in vehicle mode however.
Durability: 8.5- This guy is all plastic so he doesn’t scratch too easily. A few of the figures I have come across have had the latch on the chest (which holds the legs in place for vehicle mode) broken. Something about the stickers on this figure has lead to them becoming brittle over time. It is nearly impossible to find a Twin Twist with clean and firmly attached stickers. The gun is the only accessory which may be lost.
Fun: 5 - The gimmick isn’t enough to make this guy fun forever. For some reason he still sees a fair amount of time off the shelf. There certainly are figures that are more fun, but there are some that are less fun as well. The articulation provided is almost identical to the Rodimus Prime figure which is held in much higher esteem.
Price: 8- I got this guy with gun shipped to my door for $4. If you know a lot of Transformer collectors personally, you can probably get someone to give you one for free. Whatever you do, DO NOT buy Twin Twist with the intent to sell.
Overall: 7- There is no denying that this figure relied on a gimmick to sell. That is no reason to pass on him however. I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. This figure is great for the new collector, being vintage but not expensive. The lack of articulation is no greater than that of many more popular figures. The lack of disguise is a bit of a letdown but this figure is not as bad as many people want you to believe.