TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Blackjack's review: Swoop

Name- Swoop
Allegiance- Autobots Dinobots
Function- Bombardier
Motto- "Bombs Away!"

Swoop has always been my favourite Dinobot, even compared to Grimlock. Perhaps it's my childhood fascination on Pterodactyls. The flying lizards were my favourite dinosaurs when I was little. (and, when I was older, I learned that they ain't dinos exactly. Ain't biology fun, kids?) Anyway, coupled with Swoop's alternate mode, his unique head-design, and his excellent portrayal by Furman in 'the Icarus Theory', 'What's in a name' and 'Grudge Match', Swoop quickly became a more fascinating character to me than Grimlock. But that's personal preference... Grimlock's still loads of fun.

Anyway, Swoop is there from the beginning. Almost. While he was shown in the first year of comics and the first season of the TV series, his toy didn't hit the shelves until early 1985, the second year, like Shockwave and the rest of the Dinos. At least that's what I heard.

Anyway, G1 Swoop was a gray-and-red awkward-looking pteranodon. In the original TV show, he was created alongside Snarl when the other three Dinobots went berserk or something. He more-or-less always appeared alongside his fellow Dinobots, kicking Decepticon arses.

In the US comic he's basically the same, the slightly smarter and friendlier Dinobot (considering the competition, that doesn't really say much). He continued in active duty, most notably when Grimlock became Autobot leader. Swoop is killed in Tokyo with the other Dinobots by Starscream during the Underbase saga. This is not the end of Swoop, though, as the Dinobot was later resurrected by Grimlock using Nucleon. He continued to appear in Earthforce. The UK comics, meanwhile, developed a highly engaging character in Swoop. First, in 'the Icarus Theory' and 'In the National Interest' story arcs, where Swoop's mind was invaded inadvertently by a human... Meh, read the comic. It's collected in Best of UK-Dinobots. Later, he went against his old nemesis--Divebomb. G1 Swoop apparently used to be called Divebomb in the Marvel comics continuity.

The name Swoop have been used a couple of times, all for Dinobots. G1 Swoop is the first to bear the name, obviously. After G1, Hasbro lost the trademark to Swoop for some time, and we got Terranotron instead. Swoop returns in the Energon toyline, and is marketed as both Swoop and Terranotron. The Pteranodon Minicon in the Classics toyline is also named Swoop. Then, there's this feller.

Got carried away again, didn't I? I actually forgot this review is about Animated Swoop. Ah, retro...

Animated Swoop was created inadvertently when Megatron, still trapped as a head, rebuilt three dinosaur robots into transformers, in hopes of creating a new body for himself. Predictably, these Dinobots went runamuck and blew stuff up. A mishap with the Cyber Allspark Key managed to give the Dinobots life and sparks. While the Dinobots were stopped by the Autobots, Prowl and Bulkhead transported them to Dinobot island. Swoop and Snarl mainly acted as the dumb thugs to Grimlock, who isn't really very bright either. They tangled with the human supervillain Meltdown, Blackarachnia and the Elite Guard to name a few.

BEAST MODE

Swoop's alternate mode is based on a pteranodon. Unlike the blocky and clunky original G1 toy, Animated Swoop takes pointers from Beast Wars' more fluid and bestial beast modes (namely Terrorsaur, who shares the same altmode). Thus, Animated Swoop's beast mode is much better compared to his original G1 toy.

Remember that review of Movie Scorponok where I said all the work is put in the scorpion mode and the robot mode is just like a bonus? Same thing here with Swoop. But this time, apparently all the work went into the robot mode, and the pteranodon mode is secondary.

For one, Swoop's wings are too... how to best put it... squat. It should've been wider vertically. The legs are too long, and the hand/claws keep popping off from the wings. The head/beak just looks awkward and the robot kibble... well, none of it is hidden, save the head.

Still, Swoop is rather impressive, once you get over the awkwardness of the beast mode--at times he looks more like a duck than a pteranodon. He's mainly gray and blue, with yellow for the claws and beak. The wings are light-gray-bluish colour, and the crest is bright red. Not a bad palette.

Overall, nothing too special, but I'd wished for more posing abilities with the beast head.

ROBOT MODE

Now this is everything the beast mode isn't. Well-proportioned body, a nice head sculpt, actual weapons, and a thoroughly badass look. The pteranodon mode just looks goofy compared to this baby.

Taking pointers from Nick Roche's IDW redesign of Swoop, Animated Swoop's robot mode is very bestial. The large claws form the legs, the fore-claws form the hands, the beak slides down to become the chest, the crest becomes the head, and the wings serve as a cape-like thing.

Swoop, with the sleek but powerful looking armour, manages to look like a old-style knight, with that shoulder armour and everything. His face is etched into a stern expression, and he's very show-accurate.

Posability just blows me away. Any possible joints have been added. Head, neck, shoulder rotation, shoulder blades, elbow, hands, hip, waist, knees, ankle... coupled with Swoop's sleek body, he can strike quite a number of poses.

His wings, swept down like a cape, adds to his superhero/knight look. The fact that his fingers are claws in beast mode adds to his coolness factor. And his feet... the predatory claws in beast mode, Swoop's feet gives him a very predatory look.

Swoop's included weapon is possibly the best one in Animated. Snarl's giant cheez stick, Ratchet's can opener, Prowl's street light, Sentinel Prime's pathetic chopstick and Oil Slick's barrels all pale with Swoop's weapon. Unlike many of the recent Transformer weapons, which are mostly either tiny dinky guns, or weirdly-shaped kibble-weapons. Swoop's weapon is a ball and chain, gray with translucent orange cracks in it. Definitely something more compared to the pathetic weapons of the Animated line. And, unlike Oil Slick, Swoop's spiked-ball-and-chain weapon actually has a chain that looks impressive.

If future Animated figures are like this... well, it's gonna be damn hard to hunt them down. It's hard enough to find Swoop and Sentinel Prime.

Marks out of ten for the following:

TRANSFORMATION- 2/10 technically, the beast mode is the robot mode with wings extended, crotch rotated, armour pieces adjusted and beast head raised.
FUN- 15/10 With super-poseability, a cool weapon and claws... and being a Dinobot...
DURABILITY- 6/10 Poseable toys are very susceptible to ball joint wear, but it's a price I'm willing to pay.
PRICE- 9/10 Swoop actually manages to be worth the money, unlike, say, Snarl or Cheetor.
OVERALL- 10/10 Get him. Get him now.