Topspin (G1)
| The name or term "Topspin" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Topspin (disambiguation). |
- Topspin is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Facing off against Decepticons isn't nearly enough of a challenge for Topspin. He'd rather pit himself against Nature itself. No mountain is tall enough, no river treacherous enough to give him pause. Alone against rough terrain, be it on land or in the sea, is where this Wrecker's fuel pump really gets going. Though he loves the challenge he's not fixated on conquering new terrain, he simply enjoys pitting himself against it. As he says, "The thrill is in the journey."
As Jumpstarters, Topspin and his brother Twin Twist can transform between modes in a fraction of an instant, significantly faster than most Transformers.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Topspin was a member of the elite Autobot force the Wreckers. Topspin played a bit-part in Operation: Volcano. Target: 2006 After delivering a few pointless lines to establish his personality, he achieved very little until he suffered from a bad case of death by Megatron in the Time Wars, being the first of many casualties inflicted upon the hopelessly out matched Wreckers and Mayhems. Topspin wasn't seen again... at least, with his head attached.
Marvel UK future timelines
In the year 2510, Topspin 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 bawling like a baby. Peace
Dreamwave comics continuity
In the Dark Ages, Topspin split off from the Autobots with his fellow Wreckers to act as an independent faction. Under Springer's command, they frequently clashed with Ratbat's Ultracons for territorial control, especially in the manufacturing area known as the Tagan Heights. War Within: The Dark Ages
In the modern era, Topspin continued serving with the Wreckers in the new Unified Cybertronian forces. The Wreckers now operated under Ultra Magnus as his personal guard. Brothers' Burden When the Stunticons were unleashed on Cybertron as Menasor, the Wreckers took arms to bring him down. After Twin Twist drilled the combiner in the foot and brought him down to ground level, Topspin shot Menasor right in the face with his electro-blasters. Passive Aggression The Jumpstarters remained in Magnus's command after Shockwave's deposing. The Route of All Evil
IDW comics 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 went into the Wreckers first. Topspin was happy to just be a cartographer, but it was impossible to stay in such a role when his 'other half' was running around chasing down Squadron X. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3
Topspin fired heavy artillery at the Decepticon siege mode armature on Varas Centralus. Stormbringer #2 He medically treated Nosecone on Cybertron after the Wreckers rescued him and Afterburner from Centurion droids. He then voiced the Wreckers' PR campaign to the Technobots. ("Leave it to the professionals".) Stormbringer #3
He also led the hit and run against Thunderwing. He is a true Robot of All Trades. Stormbringer #4
When the Wreckers were again called upon to battle Thunderwing on Corata-Vaz, Topspin 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. Spotlight: Hardhead Spotlight: Doubledealer
Jetfire managed to remotely override Thunderwing's predetermined directives for a brief time, so the Wreckers got by and found the Nega-Core. Topspin and Twin Twist 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, it was Topspin who 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 survived. Spotlight: Sideswipe
After a battle with the Decepticons, Topspin was taken prisoner by Turmoil alongside several other Autobots. Kup and Springer sprung them from the detention block on Turmoil's cruiser, but the Wreckers apparently went their separate ways after this mission. Spotlight: Drift
Over two years later, the Wreckers were reformed and were taking on new recruits; Topspin and Twin Twist were still part of the team. While meeting the new guys, they saw Ironfist briefly fall unconscious. Topspin was concerned, but Ironfist claimed he was fine... while Guzzle revealed that Ironfist was the secret identity of "Fisitron", the historian behind the Wreckers: Declassified datalogs. They were amused to find their official files were top secret, with Topspin joking (badly) he should call himself Top Secret. When Ironfist raised the idea of finding out what was in their files, Topspin remarked there was nothing special: they were just two normal guys. Last Stand of the Wreckers #1
After adding their old commander Impactor to the team, the Wreckers prepared for their mission: to infiltrate Garrus-9, which had been taken over by Overlord, rescue the Autobot prisoners there and find Aequitas. Topspin was teamed with Perceptor, Ironfist, Rotorstorm and Pyro, and to his chagrin, he soon learned that Verity Carlo had stowed aboard their pod as well. They successfully crashlanded on Garrus-9, only to find themselves face-to-face with Overlord himself. Last Stand of the Wreckers #2
Topspin felt a sting of pain as Twin Twist was injured on the other team, but that was the least of his worries: Rotorstorm was killed, and he and the others failed to even dent Overlord. They opted to make a run for it, but were tied down by Ironfist, who had gone into shock after witnessing Rotorstorm's death. Annoyed, Topspin slammed Ironfist against a wall and questioned why someone like him was even part of the Wreckers: they certainly hadn't voted him in. He went to tell the fanboy "People die in stupid, pointless ways. Deal with it.", which at least snapped him out of it and allowed them to keep going. As the team made their way toward Aequitas, Topspin told Pyro about his branched spark with Twin Twist and voiced his opinion on the late Rotorstorm, whom he hadn't been too fond of, but respected anyway because he had been a Wrecker. After Perceptor opened Aequitas's chamber, Topspin helped carry the comatose Fortress Maximus inside. Last Stand of the Wreckers #3
Topspin was unimpressed to learn that Aequitas was just a big computer, and that their important mission was to download its contents. Suddenly, he was struck with intense pain as Twin Twist began to be tortured by the Decepticons. After a few minutes of agony, he recovered in time to learn that Aequitas was password-protected and demanded a spark donation in order to boot up. He suggested that they force-feed the computer a Decepticon, but was told that the victim had to be willing to do it. The other Wreckers agreed that Topspin could not be sacrificed, as that would kill Twin Twist as well, which would be a waste of a life. However, Topspin began perceiving his brother's feelings as he pled for the the torture to stop, and eventually got up and volunteered to take his life for both of their sakes. After explaining that since the two of them would die anyway, they could at least go out with some dignity, Topspin plugged himself into Aequitas and exclaimed "Wreck and rule!" as he let it take his spark. Last Stand of the Wreckers #4
After the liberation of G-9, Topspin'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
Toys
Generation 1
- Topspin (Jumpstarter, 1985)
- Accessories: "Particle Beam Rifle"
- Topspin transforms into a Cybertronic jet. He features a pull-back motor in vehicle mode that propels him forward on smooth surfaces; after a short run the latch that keeps his spring-loaded legs releases, causing him to flip forward and into upright robot mode.
- Early versions of Topspin contain the letters "D.A.R." on the wings. These are a holdover from the original pre-Transformers Diaclone release, and evidently stand for "Diaclone Attack Robo".
- This mold was used to make Salt-Man X and Robot-Man X.
Notes
- The Jumpstarters were originally Diaclone "Baku-ten (Blast-flip) Attack Robo" toys. The "Jet Type" that would become Topspin was available in two different color schemes: both had dark blue torsos, but one had red limbs while the other had light blue limbs.
- According to early Hasbro production materials obtained from the collection of Ron Friedman, Topspin was at one point going to be the "red pop-up vehicle". This notation presumably stems from his red-limbed Diaclone colors.
- A pair of Topspins appear on the 1985 packaging mural that do not match the colors of the released toy. They appear to be either in Topspin's light and dark blue Diaclone scheme or an inversion of his final blue and white scheme. The tininess of the images makes accurate color assessment difficult.
- The portraits of Topspin and Twin Twist on their box-back tech-specs were originally reversed, causing some children a bit of confusion. This was eventually fixed.
- Animation models were created for both Topspin and Twin Twist back in the '80s, but they were never animated, not even in a commercial.
Foreign names
- French: Virevolteur (Canada)
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