Goddammit, I hate when I can’t find a vintage toy to photograph alongside my updated version. I know my Swerve is SOMEWHERE.
So Asia got these exclusive Transformers and we’re getting them later as exclusives blah blah blah, and Swerve was one of them. I want more than him, but he was what I was able to order, which turned out okay, since I’ll be able to get the rest for domestic retail price anyway. I’m only paying import prices for Swerve. That news of them coming stateside came just in time. (I got mine from TFSource, btw, which is one of the big sponsors of TFWiki.)
Long, long ago, Swerve was a truck. Then he was a car, then another car, and then even more cars. This is the first truck he’s been since the original, unless I’m having a brain fart. He’s Generations Kup with a new head, the alternate one featured in Kup’s instructions. And he’s, y’know, in Swerve colors.
He’s not nearly as awesome as my Kup, not gonna lie. First of all, Kup has always been one of my favorite characters and his toy here has been on my desk for a year because I love it that much; second, mine has a cigar ‘cuz of that third party head I got; and third, he’s a glorious combination of brilliantly saturated teals since he’s the e-Hobby release. Swerve’s combination of red, white, black, and light gray is very attractive, but it’s not friggin’ teal, y’know? Teal is the friggin’ bomb. Swerve’s use of this mold isn’t bad, not by a long shot, he’s just not the best use of this mold. That’d be hard anyway, so I don’t hold it against him.
The weird thing about Asian Swerve (and the rest of his Asian-exclusive toyline) is that while his packaging is completely English… the domestic-release ones displayed at Comic-Con had Chinese all over them. I guess maybe they think kids will think that’s neat? Maybe! I really have no idea.
I like him a lot. He will quest to annoy Red Alert, and also bug Tailgate.
…questquestquestquest
Quest!
I love Swerve thanks to The MtMtE comic and I like this toy in these colors. But I don’t like one as the other. I need a Swerve that’s cute and small and stout.
But I might snag this to use as a generic or someone else, just cause it does look cool.
See, this toy is for the folks who liked Swerve before seven months ago.
Yeah, he doesn’t even have a visor. He can’t be MTMTE Swerve for me!
but G1 Swerve also had a visor, so basically, it’s weird that this guy isn’t Gears
Yeah, I’m not sure who this head was designed to be, but I suspect Swerve wasn’t the original intent. I think this head, like the skull head for the RTS Laser Prime mold, was a result of allowing the designers to be creative rather than do a direct update of an pre-existing character.
You guys should just get Encore #30 or whatever with the G1 Mini-bots. The Swerve that comes in that set looks spot on!
Normally I don’t bother with G1 reissues, my love of G1 doesn’t really extend to the toys since they’re sort of, well…dated. I did get that set for cheap though, and Swerve is my favorite of the set; with his sculpted smirk he’s one of the few G1 toys with any personality. Despite that, he won’t really fit in well in a classics display. This one will fit better, but it’s going to be hard for me not to see this guy as a red Kup, and if it had a headsculpt like the Alternator did it would have helped sell it as Swerve. Oh well, the Swervequest continues.
See, I agree for the most part Magellen, especially how G1 toys have not aged well, but I disagree that he doesn’t fit with Classics. Swerve is supposed to be small. Quest small in fact. So I do keep Encore Swerve in my MTMTE shelf (and yes, I have a MTMTE Shelf…lol).
I may re-purpose this version as Gun Runner or some Generic guy, but I do like how he looks.
No argument that he looks pretty cool, I’m not sure who’d I’d repurpose him as though. I guess Kup is such a unique character that it’s hard for me to see him as a common body-type, I feel like it’d have to be another old-timer and there’s not many of them.
He looks like he’s ready for a good quest!
Way cool! He actually looks really great. I believe I have two G1 Swerves, an actual “vintage” minibot that has somehow survived the test of time without breaking or being lost in a move, and from a minibot reissue-pack from a few years back.
I never really got the ice cream joke (or the ramjet likes toast joke, which as far as I can tell, doesnt have a backstory, just something someone used as a sig and it stuck)
but Swerve is a source of my own in-jokes (a friend made a Swerve-named account to troll sei bertron and would constantly proclaim that “Swerve is a repaint of Gears, only WAAAAY cooler”)
and so now I own G1, Alternators, Universe, Cybertron, ROTF, and Chevy Swerves, all of this long before MTMTE jump-started his popularity.
(amusingly, Universe is the one I paid the most for, got 2 of the Alternator at retail, before it was realized that he was super rare)
So, yeah, I definitely want this guy to be my default Swerve. And I have to debate if the Japanese Prime Swerve is also worth it
Swerve is my Hot Shot, I guess
The Swerve/ice cream thing comes from the main image on this page: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Joe_Kyde
It was created by the article’s subject, Joe Kyde, who loves Swerve and also works for Hasbro. I imagine he’s why we get a lot of Swerves, trucks or no.
That’s funny because Hot Spot is my Swerve…lol.
I’m still waiting for them to make Rung into a toy. Complete with (detachable) microphone thumb.
And blast-away head! (thanks to Swerve…)
Maybe giving this Swerve release a musket laser isn’t the brightest idea. He is a really bad shot. (could be he drinks too much of his own product at his bar)
Sure, he’ll see a release when they do a Scrounge with detachable fingers(and arm.) Though, with all the obscure things that are seeing release these days it’s not that far-fetched, minus the thumb part of course.
My Swerve comes today. I’ve grown to like him because of IDW, he’s basically the Swindle of the Autobots. I just think its funny that he keeps getting bigger as NOW they’re making PRIME Breakdown into Swerve.
The fact that Swerve had fans before MTMTE goes to show that every G1 character has the potential to be someone’s favorite character. Did the guy even get characterization in the British Marvel comics?
Anyway that’s why I tend to be against Simon Furman’s Pen of Character Slaying.
I just hope MTMTE gets Hasbro to pay attention to Skids. He’s always been a favorite of mine for no justifiable reason.
I have in inkling RTS Jazz’s alternate head is Skids.
That would be awesome. 1.) RTS Jazz mold is all kinds of perfects. 2.) We NEED a good, new Skids. 3.) Skids > Wheelie (but it looks like we’re getting Wheelie anyway…)
Agreed, we actually discussed that back at the time when SG Treadshot was revealed. I hope Hasbro releases it, it’d certainly be serviceable as him, but the resurgence in popularity due to MTMTE might make Hasbro consider investing in an entirely new mold for him. Fingers crossed.
I would love that. Love it. But I’m not counting on it. Hasbro’s current focus is PRIME and FOC. (Totally fine with FOC focus!) – so I wouldn’t expect any Generations toys out unless they make FOC Skids, which would be all kinds of so much awesomes!
Me too, Magellan. I always liked him even before I read the one Marvel US comic where he gets to do things. I can’t even say why. I liked the blue minivan, I guess? And he’s not even a minivan.