By Loran
Ah, the Twins. Characters that annoyed people so much they got taken out of the third Transformers film altogether. They never really bugged me, though, and the scenes that were written for them in Dark of the Moon probably would’ve made some people hate them a little less, but I guess the damage was done. Besides, I think Brains and Wheelie played the “plucky-annoying buddies” role much better than the Twins ever did, and thankfully nobody calls them out for being “stereotypes.” Also, Wheelie not humping anyone’s leg gives them a few points in that regard.
Since it would be a bit silly to cover them separately, I’ll be tackling both Skids and Mudflap in this review.
Both Skids and Mudflap transform into the same car this time around, the Chevy Spark. It is what it is, really, but I like this vehicle mode on Mudflap more than the Trax from Revenge of the Fallen. It’s not a cool car, for sure (which is probably what caused the original versions of these two to shelfwarm so badly) but it’s nicely detailed. I find myself liking Mudflap’s deco more.
Both of them have two MechTech ports on their roofs.
Now here’s what sold me on these two: Their transformations are MUCH MUCH SIMPLER than their Revenge of the Fallen counterparts. I was actually able to get them both into robot mode without instructions on the first try. I still have to look at pictures of the ROTF toys just to figure out what the heck I’m doing!
Yeesh, talk about downsizing. Their previous figures were tiny, and these two are even shorter. Right off the bat, though, there are two huge improvements: they’re much less “backpack-y” and they’re more stable. There is still some considerable backpack, but it’s not like half the car is just hanging there. They still have the “one big hand, one little hand” thing going on, but with no gimmicks, allowing them to hold their weapons in either hand. However, they do come with their share of problems.
Mudflap’s windshield/hood has been a huge source of ire for me, as it almost never stays in place. The hinge keeps popping out! Also, one of his shoulders is really stiff and forces the slide joint out sometimes.
Skids has the ugliest feet I have ever seen. I mean, damn, look at that profile. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so absurd. Well, okay, maybe I have, but these are just… why, how. Mine also has a bad ball joint on his big hand and likes to pop out a lot.
Their heads are pretty much the same as the last figures. Yeah, they’re derpy, but they’re still sculpted pretty well.
The poseability on these two is… well, it’s atrocious. Skids’ knees don’t even bend the right way! They tend to just lack a lot of joints, or have them placed in odd areas like Skids’ almost useless shoulders. Really, Skids is the real offender here, but Mudflap’s stoutness doesn’t help him much either. The first two figures were much more poseable. Actually, let me rephrase that-they WERE ACTUALLY poseable.
The MechTech guns are mixed as well. I like Skids’, having a similar design and function to Nitro Bumblebee’s, and actually being easier to use. Also like Nitro ‘bee, Skids has a MechTech Port behind his head… and it’s just about as useless. He also has MechTech ports under his forearms. Mudflap’s MechTech folds out into a really ugly axe. It’s the same one that comes with the Deluxe Prime, and it just doesn’t do much for me. He lacks a port behind his head, but also has the ones on his forearms. Mudflap wins in one regard here: 3mm clips on his shoulders!
Between the two, Mudflap is the winner. Skids is crap, plain and simple. For all their flaws, the figures from Revenge of the Fallen are much better. BUT I still recommend these because of their simpler transformations (which is why I’m displaying them). But if you want good Twins, get the Human Alliance versions. They’re bigger and more expensive, but I think they’d be worth it.
