All it takes to propel an obscure, forgettable character into the spotlight is a good story and good writing. Swerve has benefited enormously from this thanks to James Roberts’ excellent Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye IDW comic series. Sure, Swerve has popped up in various Transformers lines since his debut in the G1 days, but I feel confident in my assertion that this is the first time anyone has ever cared one lick about the character, and, as a result, the demand for a figure based on his look in the comic has kinda gone through the roof. Hasbro has had a legends-class Swerve stuck in perpetual limbo for months now (aside from a very limited Asian release last fall), and iGear released a Swerve last year that almost worked (but totally didn’t work at all), so MakeToys was able to effectively beat everyone to the punch by releasing what could be the definitive More Than Meets the Eye Swerve in this new 2-pack.
What we get here is a set figures containing “Trash Talk and Cogwheel” (based on Transformers characters Swerve and Gears, respectively). In the G1 days, Swerve was pretty much a later-wave Gears repaint/retool. But now because of Swerve’s popularity in the comic, it sort of seems as though Gears has now been relegated to the role of repaint/retool since he’s barely appeared in the comics at all and demand for him isn’t as fervent. Not that this matters at all, really, because what we get here are two high-quality figures that can go toe-to-toe with any official Transformers release.
*Please note: the Autobot sigils were added by me after opening the set. The figures do not come sporting their sigils, and no sticker sheet is included.
The set is called “Trash Talk and Cogwheel” because, and it’s very easy to forget this, this is not an official Hasbro/Takara Transformers release. This is a third-party set of unofficial figures by MakeToys that look so good and are so true to their source that it’s difficult to not view them as “official” releases. Even their packaging is top-notch. It is as professionally done as anything on the market and showcases what you get inside beautifully.
‘Bot Modes
Now, the star of the set is definitely Trash Talk (Swerve) — he’s the one people are plunking down their $70 to get when they buy the set. But I’ve got to be honest and say Cogwheel (Gears) may be my favorite of the two. Swerve’s ‘bot mode is very true to the source. In fact, it’s such a specific design for Swerve that I didn’t think it would work as well for Gears, but it actually does. It’s an easy gap to bridge since they were originally very similar in design with just a few differences, and that’s what we’re seeing here.
It’s the big wheels on their shoulders that really make me think “Swerve,” but they can work for Gears too since he has been depicted with something similar, however briefly. Maybe it’s just the colors, but I’m really liking this Gears figure a lot, way more than I expected to.
The design in general is handled well here and there is no obtrusive kibble to speak of, really. Their ‘bot modes look great from any angle.
Swerve’s head sculpt perfectly captures the look and spirit of the character from the comic. And he’s smiling! How often have we seen a Transformer figure of any sort with a big grin on its face? I can’t think of one, so this attribute alone makes Swerve stand out among his peers. It’s packed with personality and warmth. Swerve’s extra head that he comes packed with references a specific scene in the comic where he manages to blow off his own face accidentally — this is definitely a nod to the fans of Roberts’ series.
Gears comes with a swappable head as well, and both heads are based on a different source from what I can tell. The one pictured above is an homage to the original G1 figure, and that’s the one I’ve chosen to display him with since I have massive amounts of affection for the G1 figure. Plus, it further distinguishes him from Swerve. The other head is based on his brief appearances in the IDW comics, so its cool to have the two different display options.
It’s a bit of a process to actually swap the heads out, which is a little disappointing. You have to separate a large portion of each figure’s upper torso in order to do the swap, and even then, it’s not that smooth a process. According to the directions, you should be able to just pop one off and pop the other on, but it’s not that simple, naturally.
The heads sit on a tiny ball joint and it’s very tight. Too much force will surely cause the little joint to snap — I saw stress marks forming as I attempted to tug on Gears’ head. So in order to preform the swap, you have to take the head apart via one or two tiny screws on the back of their heads. If you don’t have a small enough screwdriver, then you’re basically stuck. I was able to swap out Gears’ heads, but it was honestly more work than it was worth, which is a shame because both heads are pretty cool, but I doubt I will ever attempt to switch them out ever again.
The best accessory in the set is the tray of energon drinks. Swerve is a bartender in the comic, so it’s a delight to be able to display him with some drinks to share with his comrades.
All three pieces — a pitcher and two glasses — can be removed from the tray, and most Transformers figures can hold them to make it look like they’re throwing back a cold one. It’s interesting how just a figure’s holding one of the drinks can change the look and personality of the character and figure, like Skids (pictured above). It’s a pretty great accessory and almost worth it for the cost of the set alone.
Both figures come packed with a rifle, but Swerve’s drink tray is the only character-specific accessory in the set.
Each figure comes packed with tons of articulation for a Transformer figure. Their articulation breakdown is as follows:
- Ball head
- Ball shoulders
- Hinged/swivel elbows
- Ball wrists
- Ball ab joint
- Ball hips
- Hinged knees
- Ball ankles
All of this results in highly posable figures that are pure hand-candy to play with.
I initially assumed Gears would be too small to fit anywhere in my collection, but his size really isn’t too bad. He is on the small side for a G1 Masterpiece display, but he works well enough in a Classics display. And when compared to the G1 figure, it’s clear that this take on the figure isn’t too drastic a departure from his original look. It actually works very well as a modern update and raises the figure above being a simple Swerve retool/repaint.
I’m happy to have this figure in my collection because a year ago I had purchased iGear’s Cogz, but found that figure to be rather underwhelming. I’ve been wanting a good updated Gears after ditching that initial tease, and I’m feeling pretty happy about MakeToys’ effort here.
Alt Modes
Their alt modes are neat little homages to their G1 alt modes with a certain Cybertronian flair to them. Alt modes do not appear often at all in the comics, but this is actually a faithful rendering of Swerve’s comic alt mode based on the very few times it’s appeared.
MakeToys nailed it. I’m not much of a “car guy,” so I have absolutely no problem with the comics focusing on Cybertronian alt modes if there are going to be alt modes at all, and I appreciate the effort and care that went into making Swerve so accurate in both modes.
It’s nice to see steps were taken to make Gears his own figure in both modes. Even though it’s fairly minor retooling that went into making Gears, it’s enough to make him look like a unique figure.
Again, Gears has barely appeared in the new comics, so it’s more difficult to gauge his alt mode’s faithfulness to the source, but fortunately for us it’s a cool, fun alt mode in its own right.
They’re not the most sophisticated figures in the world, and when you flip their alt modes over, this is what you see (above). And I should point this out — their hands and wrists fold up in their alt modes, but when transforming them to their ‘bot modes, those wrists have to be snapped into place to form their arms. It is extremely difficult to do this the first time.
Their wrists seem to want to just flop around loosely, but they will snap into place with the appropriate amount of force — you’re going to have to apply way more force than you’ll be comfortable with and it’s going to be scary, but it’ll work. Just make sure you’re not pushing on the ball joints; too much force will certainly snap them off, so it’s a delicate operation, to be certain. But once you snap them in place that first time, it’s easier each subsequent time.
Their hoods open to reveal what appear to be “eyes” staring out at you. Swerve has a ball-jointed cycloptic eye, and Gears has a pair of static optics staring out at you. I have no idea what these are in reference to, if anything (I can’t remember them from the comics), but they’re a cool feature.
Their weapons and Swerve’s drink tray can be attached to their alt modes, and I like the tray of drinks attached to Swerve’s alt mode — it makes him look like a little butler drone or something.
Also available, but not included with this set, is Swerve’s “My First Blaster,” a weapon he used in the comics and brought to life with exceptional detail here. The blaster needs to be assembled, and I didn’t get a chance to photograph the loose parts before my wife got all excited and had to put it together right there and then. It’s an awesome extra that looks exactly like the gun in the comics — I only wish this gun had the sound effects as well.
Between Hasbro and Takara’s own efforts and the efforts of third-party teams like Maketoys, my IDW Transformers collection is quickly becoming my favorite set of Transformers toys, surpassing even Masterpiece, perhaps. This set is an absolute joy to own. While a bit on the pricey side at $70 (plus another $13 for My First Blaster), I don’t feel any regret or buyer’s remorse. I now have what I consider my definitive IDW Swerve. I’ll still be picking up Hasbro’s Swerve later this year because I simply must own both versions, but I feel confident in saying this is the better figure, even if for the accessories alone.
Gears turned out to be a nice surprise too, so that just made the set all the more satisfying to own.