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| STRENGTH | 6 | INTELLIGENCE | 8 | SPEED | 5.5 | ENDURANCE | 8 | RANK | 5.5 | COURAGE | 6.5 | FIREPOWER | 1.5 | SKILL | 7 | OVERALL | 48 |
Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) -
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) -
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 70 (Season 3 #5), September 19th 1986 / Episode 74 (Season 3 #9), October 8th, 1986
First Toy Appearance - 1986
Click here to see Figure Details and review
Figure Details
AKA 'Trash Talk'
Manufacturer - Maketoys
Toyline -
Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the chest
- Added an Autobot symbol to the bonnet
Review
Swerve was a pretty nothing character during the G1 era if truth be told, never represented in the comics or really doing much until very recently, when IDW re-invigorated him and turned him into some much-needed comic relief for the series. Because of his resurgence in popularity, the last couple of years have seen a veritable flood of homages come through, both through official channels as well as some venerable (and less-than-venerable) third parties. Firstly, Hasbro Asia decided to retool their Sergeant Kup mould which, to be honest, didn't work very well. Then iGear produced one of their signature abominations by spewing forth an oversized monstrosity with a badly faded colour pallette. The Hasbro had another crack, this time producing a much more appropriate mould, but which was also legends class, and thus lacked some articulation. At the same time, SXS announced plans to repaint their rather tepidly-received Gears homage. And then in stepped Maketoys to trounce them all.
Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
Yes, this is more like it. Here we have a figure who is about the same size as Windcharger, which is my ideal for minibots in general. He is well-proportioned, with chunky feet and broad shoulders, thanks to the massive wheels on display. There are no wheels jutting out on the leg, because these cleverly tuck away for a neater silhouette. Swerve comes with a decent representation of the 'Shoomer' gun which caused him much consternation in the IDW's 'More than meets the eye' comics. You could also buy his 'first blaster' as an option but I prefer to homage classic G1 as much as possible, not the contemporary series. Also, he comes with a clear plastic serving tray and several beakers - this homages his role as Bartender, also in the IDW comics. Maketoys have gone with a non-standard 4mm slot in his fist as opposed to the pretty much universal 5mm size. This enabled them to keep the hands nice and compact, I guess. The paint apps are fairly minimal but what are in place are very well applied and really evoke Swerve well. The base plastic is actually the right colour, as opposed to iGear's washed out mess. Also the headsupt is very over the top, I'm not crazy on the mad grin but again is very IDW. As an added bonus you do get another head which represents what his face looked like after being on the wrong end of the Shoomer. This can easily be popped on in place of the 'stock' one.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
I'm really torn about this, because it is a very neat-looking vehicle but I'm not that keen about the overall aesthetic. I love the wheels and the proportions seem to hark back to the 'Choro-Q' based G1 minibots. Something I've noticed which is slightly odd is that there are visible screws on the bodywork between the front and rear wheel. These parts form the forearms in robot mode, and again the screws are visible. I find it strange that Maketoys did not put the screws onto the inside of the forearm, so they would be less seen in robot mode, and not seen at all in vehicle mode. This is going to sound strange, but it makes the whole thing more obviously a toy. I mean, I know it is a toy (technically adult collectible, LOL) but I find it odd. In a nice touch, the windscreen opens to reveal a moveable spotlight, not sure why, but it shows good attention to detail.
Transformation 8/10
The rear of the truck/buggy is lifted clear to unfold the legs, in a transformation seen many a time before. The feet are then unfolded. In a neat touch, the rear wheels are folded into the calf, stowing them nicely. The arms detach from the sides of the vehicle and they are extended by pulling on them. The hands are unfolded and snapped into position. Most of the time the hands pop off their tiny ball-joints unless you use the tab on the forearm to push into place instead. Then on the roof section the rear parts fold down and tab together, this allows for the sides of the main roof to be folded into the 'armpits' giving a better-proportioned robot silhouette. This is pretty clever stuff, and I particularly like the concealment of the rear wheels.
Poseability 8/10
Swerve has a ball-jointed head, although in order to move it, you will most likely need to remove the entire chest section - a feature that is present to allow the head swap. This is because it is set into the torso section, so is forgivable. He also has waist swivel. He has ball-jointed shoulders and hips, with an extra joint at the shoulder. There is also bicep and thigh swivel, with tight ratchet-like joints in the elbows, and more traditional joints in the knees. Both the hands and feet are on ball-joints, although expect the hands to fall of quite easily, and the balls are set very narrow. He balances reasonably well thanks to his ball-jointed feet, although he seems prone to tilting backwards.
Quality 7/10
The plastic is pretty decent, and on the whole the paint apps are very well applied. It feels like a well-designed toy but I am disappointed with the hands detaching too easily, and also the opening bonnet feels quite floppy. I also think that having to pull the chest section out to easily move the head is a problem, because I imagine that feature was designed to be used only a few times.
Overall - 38/50
This is a real improvement over the other iterations of Swerve I have seen, and I am more than happy with the size and aesthetics of the robot mode, which I feel look great with the other Hasbro and 3rd-party figures. I'm not sold on the alternate mode, but then I'm not likely to use it much. This is a really nice (and reasonably priced) addition by Maketoys. Recommended.
