Twin Twist (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Autobot. For the Aligned Autobot, see Twintwist. |
- Twin Twist is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Twin Twist will sink his drills into anything, tearing it to shreds at the smallest excuse. He loves violence and fighting as much as your average Decepticon, full of fury and the desire to show off just how much destruction he's capable of doing. Optimus Prime sometimes worries about his uncontrollable nature, but no one can argue that he isn't an effective warrior. It's probably not much of a surprise that he fits right in with the Wreckers.
As a Jumpstarter, Twin Twist and his brother Topspin can transform between modes in a fraction of an instant (.4 of a second), significantly faster than most Transformers. He is sometimes partnered with the Titan Master Flameout.
Fiction
Marvel The Transformers comics
Twin Twist was a member of the Wreckers, and trained diligently with the other Wreckers in preparation for Operation: Volcano. When the operation's linchpin, Ultra Magnus, was required elsewhere, Twin Twist agreed with the others to drop the mission and redirect their efforts. However, after Twin Twist protected the weak in a bar brawl at Maccadam's, it was he who helped change everyone's mind by renewed their fighting spirit. Twin Twist and the others returned to training for Operation Volcano.
Twin Twist grieved with the other Wreckers when their leader, Impactor, died saving the life of Emirate Xaaron as Operation: Volcano ended horribly. Target: 2006
After both Megatron and Optimus Prime wound up teleported back to Cybertron, Megatron set about spreading false rumors that a Decepticon spy, disguised as Optimus, had been set loose to infiltrate the Autobots' ranks. Twin Twist helped capture what he believed to be the imposter alongside the rest of the Wreckers. ...The Harder They Die! The Wreckers readied to gun down their captive, only for the execution to be interrupted by Outback. Though the little guy wasn't able to convince the others that Prime was the real thing, he created the distraction necessary for the Autobot leader to escape his restraints and vamoose. Under Fire! Distant Thunder! Prime's name was eventually cleared, and he begun rallying the Autobot forces on Cybertron, leading them on raids to plunder Decepticon resources. Twin Twist participated in several of these raids, leading up to one which would serve as a distraction, allowing Prime and Ultra Magnus to sneak up on Megatron and take on the Decepticon leader. Resurrection!
Twin Twist somehow wound up within the newly space-borne Ark alongside the Autobots under Grimlock's leadership, and was one of several Autobots who attended the trial of four human children who were charged with aiding Blaster in a mutinous plot. Spacehikers!
After Impactor's death, Wreckers rookie Springer took his place. Some time later, Twin Twist stood with the Wreckers in the new Autobase in Kalis when a nuclear reactor exploded and hordes of zombie Transformers began pouring out of Cybertron's lower levels. Twin Twist was captured and imprisoned with the other Wreckers and Emirate Xaaron in Flame's underground base. Legion of the Lost! Twin Twist and the rest of the Wreckers managed to break out of their cell as well, reacquired their weapons, and once more took up the fight against the zombies patrolling Flame's headquarters. They then bumped into a returning Springer, now accompanied by Ultra Magnus, Fizzle, Sizzle, and Guzzle. Unfortunately, any further progress towards Flame's inner sanctum was blocked off by a massive blast door. Though their weapons proved completely ineffective against it, the Autobots managed to get through when Trypticon arrived, repaying a favor that fellow Decepticon Flywheels owed Ultra Magnus. Unfortunately, they came to confront Flame too late; his machines had already destabilized, and the countdown to Cybertron's destruction had already begun. While Springer, Ultra Magnus, and Xaaron dealt with Flame, the rest of the group cut through the remnants of madbot's zombie army, and headed back to the surface. There, Twin Twist learned that a zombified Impactor had forfeited his (un)life in order to prevent the whole planet from blowing up. He joined the others in remembering Impactor's two heroic deaths. Meltdown!
Soon, the time travelling Galvatron who wandered Earth had attracted the attention of the Wreckers. After Twin Twist helped his fellow Wreckers memorize the stats of their foe, they warped themselves down to Earth to face him... and right into the middle of a heavily populated Earth city. Though Springer worried that this had totally compromised their mission, as they didn't want to inflict any casualties on the innocent humans, the Wreckers nonetheless threw themselves at Galvatron. Twin Twist and his Jumpstarter partner Topspin focused their efforts on Galvatron's equally time-tossed Targetmaster brethren, Cyclonus and Scourge. Eventually, to stave off further collateral damage, Springer lured the two Decepticon cronies out of town, leaving the rest of his crew with the opportunity to gang-up on Galvatron. However, they were unwilling to leave Springer to the Decepticons' mercies, and instead pursued him, allowing Galvatron to escape them. The Wreckers' mission ended as a total failure, and they returned to Cybertron to plan anew. Wrecking Havoc
However, this only delayed the inevitable. Galvatron's presence in the present day had started to unravel the space-time continuum. Twin Twist and the rest of the Wreckers reluctantly teamed up with the Decepticons' counterpart organization, the Mayhem Attack Squad, to counter Galvatron.
Quickly, Galvatron began depleting the Wreckers' ranks. Though Roadbuster died inflicting a horrible head wound on Galvatron, this only made the Decepticon angry. With renewed fury, Galvatron tore through the Wreckers. He defeated Rack'n'Ruin and Twin Twist simultaneously, killing the latter by tearing off his head. Time Wars
Transformers Annual 1986
When Prowl and Bumblebee detected Decepticon activity in the Amazon, the pair brought Topspin and Twin Twist along to investigate. Prowl was hesitant throughout the mission, and suggested the group turn back upon encountering a roadblock. Twin Twist wouldn't hear it however, as he and Topspin were eager for some action. He easily forced his way through the roadblock with his drills, and the group picked up a trail left behind by Ravage afterwards.
The Autobots trekked for days until they came upon the Decepticons' hideout. There, the enemy was excavating crystals which could bring new Decepticons to life. Prowl suggested that the Autobots hold their position and contact the Ark for reinforcements, prompting a debate within the group. While the others were distracted by their argument, Bumblebee took it upon himself to push on alone, only to be caught in Thrust and Starscream's cross-hairs. Prowl and the Jumpstarters were forced into action, but found themselves paralyzed with fear partway into their descent; Dirge had also been posted as a guard, and was using his fear-inducing engines on the Autobots. Prowl managed to neutralize this newest threat, and the Jumpstarters resumed their rescue attempt. Together, they blasted Starscream out of the sky and sent him crashing into Megatron's mining operation, destroying it utterly. Thrust retaliated by burying the Autobots in an avalanche, and by the time Twin Twist clawed his way out, the Decepticons had already fled. Hunted!
Marvel UK future timelines
In the year 2510, Twin Twist witnessed the end of the old war and the start of a new one. With the last Decepticon destroyed, the Autobots began arguing among themselves as to whether Springer or Ultra Magnus should be Rodimus Prime's chosen successor. A scuffle broke out and casualties happened on both sides, leading to a new Autobot Civil War between the Technobots and the Wreckers, with Rodimus sitting in the middle of the war zone, emotionally crushed by the renewed conflict. Peace
Decepticon Poison
In one possible scenario, Twin Twist was amongst the troops that Optimus brought to the Decepticons’ poison lab, in order to foil the Decepticons’ plan of poisoning the humans’ nearby water supply.
If the Autobots decided to launch a full-frontal assault, as suggested by Ironhide, Twin Twist was one of the Autobots Optimus called forth to gun down the laboratory. The laboratory then caved in on itself, signalling an Autobot victory. Decepticon Poison
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
During the "Dark Ages" of the Cybertronian civil war, a time in which both Megatron and Optimus were thought dead, both the Autobots and Decepticons splintered into several smaller factions. Twin Twist joined Springer's Wreckers, who came to frequent blows against Ratbat's Ultracons. During one of their missions, they battled Devastator in order to keep the Tagan Heights out of their enemy's control. Twin Twist tried to topple the combiner by drilling into his left foot. Amazingly, the strategy did not work. Escalation Defensor joined the fight, but the resulting clash between the two combiners was so brutal that Twin Twist and the other Wreckers were forced to retreat to avoid becoming collateral damage. When the ground-bound Wreckers became boxed-in as the area was collapsing around them, Twin Twist used his drills to dig an underground escape route. Devastation
After the creation of the Micromasters in fuel-starved times, Twin Twist came to work for a unified Autobot faction once more. He was guarding Autobot HQ when Countdown and Groundshaker returned from an interplanetary mission. His fellow guard, Topspin, asked the little 'bots where Optimus Prime was, only for the new arrivals to inform them that they had failed to locate the lost Autobot leader. Destined for Nothing Later, due to the machinations of the Decepticon-allied Micromaster Skystalker, the Autobots and Decepticons were tricked into an all-out brawl, despite resources being at an all-time low for both sides. Twin Twist was battered in the conflict that came about, but the Autobots were spared total defeat when a cross-faction group of Micromasters revealed the scheme that had brought the fight about. The Autobots and Decepticons abandoned the battlefield in response, allowing the war to prolong itself further. Victims of the Revolution
In the present, Twin Twist and his compatriot, Topspin, served as guards under Shockwave's regime. Neither of them were all too please with Cybertron's current government, though they did their best to keep silent about it, knowing that Shockwave had eyes and ears everywhere. Brothers' Burden Being elite soldiers, they also were members of Ultra Magnus's shock team. When Menasor was released to wreak havoc on Iacon, Twin Twist tried to attack his left foot. This time, it actually worked and toppled the giant. He survived the battle and uncovered evidence of Decepticon treachery in Menasor's rampage. Passive Aggression Soon after, a full Autobot uprising was underway, and Twin Twist helped in the final push that toppled Shockwave's regime. Revelation
Twin Twist and Topspin continued to serve with Magnus on Cybertron after Shockwave's rule was overthrown, and attended a meeting where the Autobots' forces were divided up to better defend the planet against future threats. The Route of All Evil
The Beast Within
Twin Twist participated in a savage battle against the Decepticons, though he did not fare too well, being on the receiving end of a beat-down courtesy of Soundwave. The Beast Within
IDW Generation 1 continuity
The Jumpstarters have a branched spark: a rare condition that means the two of them can share each other's pain and feelings, and sometimes perceive each other's circumstances. Twin Twist was the first to get involved in the Wreckers. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3
Teamed with Scoop, Twin Twist was working on drilling out a storm tunnel for Springer on Varas Centralus when they got the call from Optimus Prime to return to Cybertron to investigate the possible return of Thunderwing and rescue Jetfire's expedition team. Stormbringer #2 After Roadbuster and Whirl saved Afterburner and Nosecone from a squad of Centurion drones, Twin Twist's drills were invaluable for tunneling into the hidden base of Bludgeon. Stormbringer #3
Proving that obsessions exceed universal boundaries, Twin Twist continued his bizarre obsession with left feet by trying to drill the toes off the revenant Thunderwing. This time, he got kicked and stomped on for his trouble. Stormbringer #4
When the Wreckers were again called upon to battle Thunderwing on Corata-Vaz, Twin Twist was there, trying alongside his comrades to get past the massive Pretender to a Nega-Core it was guarding; a device essential for bringing forth the Expansion. One wonders why he didn't just tunnel underneath to get past Thunderwing... Spotlight: Hardhead Spotlight: Doubledealer
When Jetfire managed to remotely override Thunderwing's predetermined directives for a brief time, the Wreckers got by and found the Nega-Core. Twin Twist and Topspin then began attempting to decommission it, ultimately prepping it for transport through a space bridge portal. Once Autobot teams on different planets had reached the other Nega-Cores, Topspin carefully explained to everyone the process by which to properly unlatch and move them. Jetfire lost control of Thunderwing by this point and it turned back to resume attacking the Wreckers, but they managed to survive. Spotlight: Sideswipe
Sometime later, the Wreckers apparently had a battle with Turmoil and his crew of Decepticons that went badly. Twin Twist's fellow Jumpstarter Topspin and five other Autobots were taken prisoner aboard Turmoil's cruiser. Led by Kup, Twin Twist and the remaining Wreckers made a successful rescue attempt, thanks in part to their new recruit Drift. Spotlight: Drift With Kup back in the field, however, he recruited Springer and several of the Wreckers for his personal strike team.
Over two years later, the Wreckers were reformed and were taking on new recruits; Twin Twist and Topspin were still part of the team. While meeting the new guys, they saw Ironfist briefly fall unconscious. Twin Twist was going to have Perceptor fetched to check the guy out, but Ironfist claimed he was fine... while Guzzle revealed that Ironfist was the secret identity of "Fisitron", the historian behind the Wreckers: Declassified datalogs. Twin Twist was stunned, and then amused to find his official file was top secret and that Ironfist really wanted to know what was in it. While Topspin claimed they were just two normal guys really, Twin Twist gave a friendly warning for "Fisitron" to do "no more prying". Last Stand of the Wreckers #1
Before the assault on Garrus-9, Twin Twist briefly talked with Topspin about the vicarious perception they were experiencing, but decided not to let it distract them. During the assault he was placed in Springer's pod, and manned the pod's gun until he was knocked over by an enemy blast. Rather than falling to his death, he was saved by Impactor. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2
Upon planetfall, Twin Twist's group was followed by a group of Decepticons. The Wreckers responded with lethal force while Springer took a look at Twin Twist's wound. Needing to get to the cell block apparently below them, he painfully transformed into his drill mode— which was felt elsewhere by Topspin. He drilled directly into a large room and was again saved from his fall, this time by Springer. He reached a computer terminal and realized they had accidentally triggered a defense mechanism and were going to be vaporized. They tried to escape but were zapped by a high concentration of energy. Twin Twist came to in the presence of Stalker, who asked him to open wide as he brought a scalpel toward Twin Twist's head. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3
Stalker tortured Twin Twist in earnest, ravaging his face and eventually causing the Wrecker to pass out from the pain. Stalker left the Autobots alone briefly so he could go fetch the endoscopic claw, another torture device. Twin Twist woke up just in time to hear the bound Springer and Impactor arguing. Stalker returned with the horrific-looking instrument and resumed his torture of Twin Twist, despite the Autobot's desperate pleas. In the Aequitas chamber, Twin Twist's anguish was experienced by Topspin through vicarious perception. Rather than let his brother suffer any further, Topspin offered his spark up to bypass Aequitas' suicide lock. The two Jumpstarters died simultaneously, their shared last words being "Wreck and Rule!" Last Stand of the Wreckers #4
After the liberation of G-9, Twin Twist's remains, as well as that of the other fallen Wreckers, were transported to Earth along with the survivors. Last Stand of the Wreckers #5 They were later interred in the Zone of Remembrance at Debris, the Wreckers' headquarters. Zero Point
Cloud
Transformers Legends comic
In 2004, Twin Twist was a founding member of the new Wreckers unit. Bonus Edition Vol. 7 Their team continued to 2005 and beyond. He was present when his teammates raised concern about their commander's increasing girth in the 2030s. LG19 Sprung Prologue
Games
Transformers Legends
Twin Twist was a member of the fearless Wreckers squad which liberated Garrus-9 from the grip of Dreadwind and the Air Strike Patrol, though they destroyed most of the facility in the process. The Wreckers
Toys
Generation 1
- Twin Twist (Jumpstarter, 1985)
- Accessories: "Semi Automatic Cannon-Rifle"
- Twin Twist transforms into a Cybertronic twin-drill tank via a very simple, one-step process. His vehicle mode features a pull-back motor which propels him forward; after a short distance, a latch on his body releases his spring-loaded legs, and the weight and momentum flips Twin Twist up onto his robot mode feet. A small lever on the back of his head adjusts the timing of when his head hits the floor, and thus his kickoff angle, hopefully making this gimmick work better.
- The Mexican version of Twin Twist featured a running change in that early models had their faces painted red instead of silver; these toys were also sold on the European market.
- This mold was redecoed to make Salt-Man Z and Robot-Man Z.
Generations
- Titans Return Twin Twist is a heavy retool of Topspin, featuring a new faceplate, shoulders, feet, and backpack with treads replacing the wings.
- Twin Twist sports a great deal more paint than his brother. Unfortunately the paint applied to the hips can cause tolerance issues when transforming him, requiring more force to fold the legs up into their vehicle mode configuration.
Legends
- Targetmaster Twin Twist (Deluxe, 2018-03-31)
- Japanese ID number: LG65
- Accessories: Headmaster, blasters, Spoil Targetmaster
- Legends "Targetmaster Twin Twist" is a redeco of Titans Return Twin Twist. He is packaged with Spoil. /img/goods/5/4904810964049.jpg
Notes
- The Jumpstarters were originally Diaclone "Baku-ten (Blast-flip) Attack Robo" toys. The "Drill Type" that would become Twin Twist was available in two different color schemes: both had dark blue limbs, but one had a red torso while the other had a gray torso.
- Twin Twist appears in his red and blue Diaclone colors on the 1985 Hasbro packaging mural.
- The portraits of Topspin and Twin Twist on their bio cutouts were originally reversed, causing some children a bit of confusion. This was eventually fixed.
- Character models were created for both Topspin and Twin Twist back in the '80s, but they were never used in animation, not even in a commercial.
- Twin Twist has been found in a piece of Pretender concept art, likely being used as a pitch for the Pretender toy concept of simplistic Transformers in humanoid shells. His shell closely resembles that of Waverider though there are noticeable differences between Waverider's box art and the Twin Twist test art.
- Cloud Twin Twist is a minor "virtual redeco" of Fall of Cybertron Twintwist.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Twin Twist (ツインツイスト Tsuin Tsuist)
- French: Double Torsion (Canada)
