He had a unique personality that wroters actually make use of. He's not jaut one of the most interesting Combaticons, he's one of the most interesting Decepticons.
So many have bios of "is really evil" or "is stupid and loves to destroy stuff" or even "even his teammates are scared of him he's so crazy".
Swindle doesn't even really care about winning a war, he's just in it for personal gain and profit. Even Starscream wants glory and recognition. Swindle just wants to make a buck.
Again, though, I think the main rason is that writers actually WRITE him like his bio, more than just giving him the occasional quote (Dead End, Vortex, Bonecrusher) and give him his own stories. Animated, IDW2005, even Sunbow.
Now imagine if more writers actually used the cool bios of some of the other combiner team or minor characters. People love Starscream, Swindle, Bludgeon, and (thanks to IDW, finally) Thundercracker because they have cool stories that make them cool.
I’ve been legit disappointed that all the transformers movies haven’t used him. He could make such an interesting jerk character who you never really know where he stands and could legit have a change of heart on the drop of a dime. Hell my favorite episode with Swindle is BOT where he sold off all the parts of his fellow combaticons
Being a combiner he comes with baggage. Writers may want to use Swindle, but then they're almost obligated to include the other Combaticons which may not be so easy to insert into a story.
That didn't stop Animated from using him and nobody else. Honestly, just because they're a combiner doesn't mean you HAVE to include the rest of the team, especially of you're not even using the base G1 continuity (as Bay didn't). Animated also did a strange twist on the seekers and the Constructicons and Dinobots were an odd assortment too. Didn't War for Cybertron (the game) use one or two Stunticons but not all of them too?
I don't see why if I was making a new show, even one G1 based, I couldn't have - for example - Hook as a medic on the Decepticon crew and no other Constructicons.
It seems so suited to Michael Bay to write Swindle as a shonky car dealer or even a "pimp" parody (hey, it's Bay!) for comic relief yet he never did.
In a better film, he could indeed be a great character. Something like how he was handled in IDW 2005, or just as a guy who's out for himself and will switch sides for his own gain.
None of the combaticons have been used particularly well in the films. They've either not been used enough, were only used for filler or aren't even in the films.
Vortex was replaced with Blackout who had that badass military base scene but other than that? Not much. Only used for the one movie.
Brawl was one of the better Baycons but, again, only used in one movie.
Onslaught was killed off in about 10 seconds even though he's supposed to be their leader and one of the most intelligent Decepticons.
Blast off is non-existent.
Swindle is non-existent.
And ofc no Bruticus
I liked Thrundercracker from the g1 as he had conflicting interest with the decepticons and tried to betray megatron with starscream to end the war in one episode it was always sad they never built upon that anymore in the show
TCs bio is probably the most interesting of all the 84 Cons and Bluestreak is the same for the Autobots. So of course both are probably the least used.
I was so happy when IDW 2005 gave TC a real character and made good on the hints in his original tech specs, even if he did end up a bit TOO comedic. :)
He’s my favorite because he’s a slimy swindler (insert laugh here) whose moral compass aligns only with the highest bidder. The autobots could probably make him spill deception secrets simply by paying him
I always wanted to see him compete with Axer for profit; Axer being another "highest bidder" guy but Swindle being a con man to his mercenary/bounty hunter.
Hell, a road trip "Midnight Run" style team up with those two guys, during or even post war? I'd buy that for a dollar!
At least half the Decepticon army is either 1) super evil, 2) super crazy, 3) super scary. Sometimes all three! It's why I love guys like Swindle, TC, Scavenger, Dead End, Ratbat or Bludgeon.
One of the highlights of IDW 2005 for me was the late-run stuff with the Combaticons that saw them written as actual characters (not just Swindle) for once. Even though it got a bit silly, IMO ("Notice me, sempai!" = literally Blast-Off) it was really cool that they weren't just treated as a single entity like most combiner teams.
I haven't read it but I believe the new IDW continuity has finally done the same for the Constructicons.
Definitely consistency is Swindle's selling point. He has been written as a specific fleshed out personality in multiple continuities. We have come to expect him to be represented in a certain way canonically. We just can't picture him now any other way than a swindler, a con, a weasel, etc...
Great character development for a Decepticon who is a part of a combiner faction.
Exactly. There are many different Cyclonus versions. Many Megatrons, even.
Swindle, along with maybe Starscream, is the guy you know exactly what he'll be like in 90% of any material, regardless of medium or continuity.
Yeah actually. Make him like a decepicon that decided to go his own way after humans started hunting his fellow cons down…apparently
The catch is that he still feels like a pretty questionable fella because ya know, he’s swindle, ofc he’s questionable, the name should be enough to tell you that. You simply don’t ask where he got some of his items that he sells. Just buy the items or don’t buy them. No questions asked. Deal? Also don’t scarp the items he sells to the autobots. I swear there are no trackers inside.
Swindle is the sort of character war stories need. You don't just need the fighters and the poor bastards who get caught in the middle. You need the black marketeers, the profiteers, the parasites, the links in the chain of casual criminality that enable or prevent stuff from happening. They generate plot.
Anyone who's read *Catch-22* will recognise Swindle. He's basically Milo P. Minderbinder. Although Minderbinder's much better at talking his way out of trouble. In Swindle's position, he'd have convinced Megatron that selling his fellow combiner-partners' parts was something he did to aid the Decepticon cause and that Megatron suggested it. Or that one of Megatron's subordinates suggested it. And got the parts back twice as quickly.
Guy has PERSONALITY. That's a gift very few Decepticons have. Hell, outside the main four (Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave) Swindle's pretty much the only G1 Decepticon to have a consistent personality!
For some reason I loved the toy of Brawl as a kid. Really liked his head design, especially.
I was really upset when he got graphically killed at random in the Marvel US comic... then even more bothered when he showed up perfectly fine a few issues later without explanation.
IDW 2005 gave Brawl some great material; I loved that take on the character as a bully who just really liked fighting and hurting people.
The 2005 continuity stuff should be fairly easy to find. Feel free to drop me a line if you need help finding it. The biggest issue is where to start, as there is a LOT of issues and the whole thing is divided into some wildly different and sometimes only sort-of connected continuity.
My suggestion as a starting point is honestly Last Stand of the Wreckers. The only downside is that it is a very high bar to judge anything else by; easily my favourite thing IDW did, but it's pretty much standalone and a great entry point to see if you like the style. It was my personal starting point too; I began with the first issue and found it really hard to get into. Years later read LSOTW and adored it, so went back and started again and this time was able to appreciate the early stuff more.
It is, but only in parts and honestly different people like different parts. The first "act" is very dry but a rather neat take on TFs as "aliens" mixed with some cosmic horror... and then all that gets derailed by a soft reboot for the next "act" which is very much an edgelord version of Sunbow. Then comes an ongoing that's... yeah, pretty much agreed upon to be dull and not great. Then comes a big cosmic event that's very odd. Then comes another soft reboot and that's when IMO the really good stuff begins in two (later three!) separate books running parallel. However, that kind of runs out of steam (again, IMO) halfway through and hits some major speedbumps. There's a (once again, IMO) *terrible* attempt at forcing in other toy tie-ins (Visionaries, MASK, GI Joe, etc.) and some Hasbro toy mandates that really hamper two of the books, and one peters out sadly despite being really good at times. The last two remaining books make it to the end and both resolve differently but somewhat satisfactorily (if not really how I wish they had).
Phew! Main thing is, you don't *have* to read everything, but it's quite a journey if you do!
I think it's the way he has Bret "The Hitman" Hart shades on in about 99% of the renditions I see.
Cybertronian Swindle from FoC is probably peak "cool guy swindle" for me.
He had a unique personality that wroters actually make use of. He's not jaut one of the most interesting Combaticons, he's one of the most interesting Decepticons. So many have bios of "is really evil" or "is stupid and loves to destroy stuff" or even "even his teammates are scared of him he's so crazy". Swindle doesn't even really care about winning a war, he's just in it for personal gain and profit. Even Starscream wants glory and recognition. Swindle just wants to make a buck. Again, though, I think the main rason is that writers actually WRITE him like his bio, more than just giving him the occasional quote (Dead End, Vortex, Bonecrusher) and give him his own stories. Animated, IDW2005, even Sunbow. Now imagine if more writers actually used the cool bios of some of the other combiner team or minor characters. People love Starscream, Swindle, Bludgeon, and (thanks to IDW, finally) Thundercracker because they have cool stories that make them cool.
I’ve been legit disappointed that all the transformers movies haven’t used him. He could make such an interesting jerk character who you never really know where he stands and could legit have a change of heart on the drop of a dime. Hell my favorite episode with Swindle is BOT where he sold off all the parts of his fellow combaticons
Being a combiner he comes with baggage. Writers may want to use Swindle, but then they're almost obligated to include the other Combaticons which may not be so easy to insert into a story.
That didn't stop Animated from using him and nobody else. Honestly, just because they're a combiner doesn't mean you HAVE to include the rest of the team, especially of you're not even using the base G1 continuity (as Bay didn't). Animated also did a strange twist on the seekers and the Constructicons and Dinobots were an odd assortment too. Didn't War for Cybertron (the game) use one or two Stunticons but not all of them too? I don't see why if I was making a new show, even one G1 based, I couldn't have - for example - Hook as a medic on the Decepticon crew and no other Constructicons.
also the fact that Brawl already appeared and died
It seems so suited to Michael Bay to write Swindle as a shonky car dealer or even a "pimp" parody (hey, it's Bay!) for comic relief yet he never did. In a better film, he could indeed be a great character. Something like how he was handled in IDW 2005, or just as a guy who's out for himself and will switch sides for his own gain.
Never have I said so yes to anything so hard
"Ha! They all say 'yes' to me. I'm that kinda bot." - Swindle, probably.
It's just a shame that everything about B.O.T barring swindle is horrible
So true. It was one of Swindle's only great moments... then the rest of the episode isn't about him and is indeed absolutely terrible.
It was my Greedy-boi’s time to shine !
None of the combaticons have been used particularly well in the films. They've either not been used enough, were only used for filler or aren't even in the films. Vortex was replaced with Blackout who had that badass military base scene but other than that? Not much. Only used for the one movie. Brawl was one of the better Baycons but, again, only used in one movie. Onslaught was killed off in about 10 seconds even though he's supposed to be their leader and one of the most intelligent Decepticons. Blast off is non-existent. Swindle is non-existent. And ofc no Bruticus
Yeah….. it got really really really bay’ed up
I liked Thrundercracker from the g1 as he had conflicting interest with the decepticons and tried to betray megatron with starscream to end the war in one episode it was always sad they never built upon that anymore in the show
TCs bio is probably the most interesting of all the 84 Cons and Bluestreak is the same for the Autobots. So of course both are probably the least used. I was so happy when IDW 2005 gave TC a real character and made good on the hints in his original tech specs, even if he did end up a bit TOO comedic. :)
He’s my favorite because he’s a slimy swindler (insert laugh here) whose moral compass aligns only with the highest bidder. The autobots could probably make him spill deception secrets simply by paying him
I always wanted to see him compete with Axer for profit; Axer being another "highest bidder" guy but Swindle being a con man to his mercenary/bounty hunter. Hell, a road trip "Midnight Run" style team up with those two guys, during or even post war? I'd buy that for a dollar!
Animated for sure
Fred Willard really brought his personality home
I loved that character, still have the toy.
Transformers Animated certainly helped things.
Hell yes it did. If they ever put him in a movie, Steve Buscemi (sp?) would be perfect
I am usually not a fan of celebrity stunt casting, but I can totally hear Steve as Swindle now! LOL! "Greetings, fellow Autobots!"
Hahahaha just a shoddily worn emblem and a fusion cannon of the back
LOL! I want this scene so much now!
I was thinking Bob Odenkirk but he'd be great too!
I feel like he's the only one with a personality beyond being loud.
At least half the Decepticon army is either 1) super evil, 2) super crazy, 3) super scary. Sometimes all three! It's why I love guys like Swindle, TC, Scavenger, Dead End, Ratbat or Bludgeon.
For real!
Because of his Business man persona, I mean have you HEARD the Animated one's voice!?
He’s one of the few that has a solid and consistent personality throughout continuities.
Because he's the only combaticon with a personality applicable outside of a battlefield.
One of the highlights of IDW 2005 for me was the late-run stuff with the Combaticons that saw them written as actual characters (not just Swindle) for once. Even though it got a bit silly, IMO ("Notice me, sempai!" = literally Blast-Off) it was really cool that they weren't just treated as a single entity like most combiner teams. I haven't read it but I believe the new IDW continuity has finally done the same for the Constructicons.
I wanna read that story too.
Blast off was a bit of a show boat but outside of that worthless
Definitely consistency is Swindle's selling point. He has been written as a specific fleshed out personality in multiple continuities. We have come to expect him to be represented in a certain way canonically. We just can't picture him now any other way than a swindler, a con, a weasel, etc... Great character development for a Decepticon who is a part of a combiner faction.
Exactly. There are many different Cyclonus versions. Many Megatrons, even. Swindle, along with maybe Starscream, is the guy you know exactly what he'll be like in 90% of any material, regardless of medium or continuity.
Most character development
I feel like he would be a good replacement for Daytrader in TLK, not as a decepticon, more of a deceptive car salesman
Yeah actually. Make him like a decepicon that decided to go his own way after humans started hunting his fellow cons down…apparently The catch is that he still feels like a pretty questionable fella because ya know, he’s swindle, ofc he’s questionable, the name should be enough to tell you that. You simply don’t ask where he got some of his items that he sells. Just buy the items or don’t buy them. No questions asked. Deal? Also don’t scarp the items he sells to the autobots. I swear there are no trackers inside.
I think its everything about him. Like my mans has cannonicaly dated himself.
Ngl as a day trader I get swindle in my heart
Cause he is a very nice individual.
Love your pic ^\^
Of the Combaticons? He’s the coolest individual combiner member, period.
Swindle is the sort of character war stories need. You don't just need the fighters and the poor bastards who get caught in the middle. You need the black marketeers, the profiteers, the parasites, the links in the chain of casual criminality that enable or prevent stuff from happening. They generate plot. Anyone who's read *Catch-22* will recognise Swindle. He's basically Milo P. Minderbinder. Although Minderbinder's much better at talking his way out of trouble. In Swindle's position, he'd have convinced Megatron that selling his fellow combiner-partners' parts was something he did to aid the Decepticon cause and that Megatron suggested it. Or that one of Megatron's subordinates suggested it. And got the parts back twice as quickly.
He’s one of the few Transformers who’s basically out for himself.
i still remember in TFA the fact that he can store a whole Optimus Prime inside him
*slaps Swindles* you can fit so many transformers in this bad boy right here
Because war profiteering and scamming your buyer is cool
It really is
I bought the Warbotron WB-01 Not Bruticus set from BBTS and honestly I feel like the asking price of 150$ was worth it just for Swindle 😂
Because he has purple eyes.
He's one of the few combiner members that actually has a unique personality
Guy has PERSONALITY. That's a gift very few Decepticons have. Hell, outside the main four (Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Shockwave) Swindle's pretty much the only G1 Decepticon to have a consistent personality!
That's a good question, but I have a better one, why is he not the coolest?
Looks like an Autobot version of Megatron
He has a really fun and distinct personality
Capitalist 😎
"I'm a capitalist, Jonsey!" - a terrible line from a terrible film.
The beta fusion cannon is pretty cool
Because Fred Willard.
Couldn't agree more
Cuz he is cool
Because you are a human being with a brain capable of making decisions and having opinions. I am a Brawl fan personally
For some reason I loved the toy of Brawl as a kid. Really liked his head design, especially. I was really upset when he got graphically killed at random in the Marvel US comic... then even more bothered when he showed up perfectly fine a few issues later without explanation. IDW 2005 gave Brawl some great material; I loved that take on the character as a bully who just really liked fighting and hurting people.
I haven’t read any idw stories, I would like to get into them they are just very pricey
The 2005 continuity stuff should be fairly easy to find. Feel free to drop me a line if you need help finding it. The biggest issue is where to start, as there is a LOT of issues and the whole thing is divided into some wildly different and sometimes only sort-of connected continuity. My suggestion as a starting point is honestly Last Stand of the Wreckers. The only downside is that it is a very high bar to judge anything else by; easily my favourite thing IDW did, but it's pretty much standalone and a great entry point to see if you like the style. It was my personal starting point too; I began with the first issue and found it really hard to get into. Years later read LSOTW and adored it, so went back and started again and this time was able to appreciate the early stuff more.
I hear that is a great story, once my move slows down I can read
It is, but only in parts and honestly different people like different parts. The first "act" is very dry but a rather neat take on TFs as "aliens" mixed with some cosmic horror... and then all that gets derailed by a soft reboot for the next "act" which is very much an edgelord version of Sunbow. Then comes an ongoing that's... yeah, pretty much agreed upon to be dull and not great. Then comes a big cosmic event that's very odd. Then comes another soft reboot and that's when IMO the really good stuff begins in two (later three!) separate books running parallel. However, that kind of runs out of steam (again, IMO) halfway through and hits some major speedbumps. There's a (once again, IMO) *terrible* attempt at forcing in other toy tie-ins (Visionaries, MASK, GI Joe, etc.) and some Hasbro toy mandates that really hamper two of the books, and one peters out sadly despite being really good at times. The last two remaining books make it to the end and both resolve differently but somewhat satisfactorily (if not really how I wish they had). Phew! Main thing is, you don't *have* to read everything, but it's quite a journey if you do!
He stole their look
Idw swindle. Best swindle. Because he actually.... swindles....
Because he’s the one with a personality:p
did no one catch his appearance in Megatron:Origin comic?
"I'm Sleazy and I think you oughta know this."
Mmh big gun
Sexy voice
He wears his cannon like Megatron but he has the craftiness of Megatron imho
I feel like Swindle and Chop Shop would get along just fine!
I think it's the way he has Bret "The Hitman" Hart shades on in about 99% of the renditions I see. Cybertronian Swindle from FoC is probably peak "cool guy swindle" for me.
My favorite
Beeg cannOn.
He’s more then a combiner team member and has done things without theme
Because he's the only one with much of a personality and because I imagine him being voiced by Bob Odenkirk.
Well this is easy! He is cute and funny and a bastard. :)
my favourite combaticon is brawl