Update: Corrected the retail price, it’s actually SGD $31.90. Thanks to the fan who helped spot the error!
Swindle is a member of the Combaticons and retails for SGD 31.90 Thanks Hasbro for sending him over, along with the other Decepticons that form Bruticus! He’s a retool of Rook, which is pretty amazing given that Rook is an armoured SWAT vehicle while Swindle is an army jeep.
Swindle is the most memorable Combaticon, because he had an entire episode to himself that cemented his personality in our collective young minds. In fact, I daresay Swindle could be the most memorable Combiner member, with Silverbolt and First Aid being close behind. Swindle was popular enough to star, by himself, in Transformers: Animated, although that incarnation of him was a lot funnier.
Packaging
Swindle sports the same type of comic packaging for Deluxes in Combiner Wars, but his expression in the comic is rather hilarious. He looks like a deer caught in the headlights, rather than a menacing robot. Given that his alternate mode isn’t as fearsome as the other Combaticons, and also because he’s a bit of a coward (aren’t all swindlers?), you could say that’s apt.
Even in package, the comic shows off the lavish detail in Swindle’s mould (which is a function of the detail that Rook’s mould gave him). It’s more obvious in the alternate mode though.
Contents
So Swindle comes with his one weapon (just one gun) and the limb weapon. In hindsight, “appendage weapon” works better than “limb weapon” but that just brings up funny connotations. So I’m going to stick with limb weapon.
His regular gun is silver from handle down, probably because it doesn’t need to be black since that’s the portion that’s going to be covered most of the time. Well, if that spare paint can go somewhere else, bonus point!
You can see his surprised look even more clearly here, like he just got ambushed by a bunch of Autobots. Poor Swindle. Did you get swindled?
Robot Mode
In robot mode, Swindle has that broad-shouldered, thin-waisted look. It’s even more pronounced than Rook’s mould, because Swindle doesn’t have any kibble hanging down his back to make his waist any larger. As a result, he looks pretty strong for a Transformer who’s main feature is his ability to cheat people.
There’s also a huge amount of details on his shoulders and legs, which again is a holdover from his Rook origins. If you’re a customiser (which I’m not), you could have a lot of fun filling in those details. Maybe we would have gotten more paint apps in another universe!
Alternate Mode
The only quibble I have with his alternate mode is that his fists are highly visible. Besides that, it’s a ginormous amount of detail for an army jeep, and these are the retooled parts to boot. Effort! The tan look also helps with the desert feel, which is where I presume Swindle would be stationed most of the time if he were, you know, a robot in disguise.
Overall
Swindle is one of the more evocative and distinctive of the Combiner components, and such makes for a good character with lots of story potential when you’re playing with him. Again, we’re really buying the Combaticons for their ability to become Bruticus, so this may not be a factor for you.
But if for some odd reason you’re looking to just buy, say, one of each Combiner limb (and thereby depriving another fellow collector of a full set, you fiend!), then you’d probably get Swindle from the Combaticons. That’s assuming you’re not into planes, however.
Check out the rest of my Combaticon reviews over the next few days!
Combaticon Toy Reviews
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