Of all the GDO releases, I have the most mixed feelings about Swerve. I wasn’t going to get him in the first place and passed him up twice when I found him at Toys R Us, but I ended up getting him when I ordered Wheelie from the site because I didn’t want to pay full shipping for just one figure, so I begrudgingly tacked on Swerve to my order. On one hand, I’m glad I did because he really is a nice figure, but, on the other hand, he’s not quite the Swerve I really wanted. I’m happy to add a Deluxe Swerve to my shelves, but when I look at him I have to continually remind myself that this is Swerve and not just a red Kup. The likeness to the character I’ve gotten to know via IDW just isn’t there, so I have to wonder if Hasbro was even going for that at all.
Despite not being on a lot of people’s radar as far as characters go, Swerve has somehow made it into many Transformers lines over the years, from G1 to Alternators to the movie line and more. He was even released as a special edition Chevy Aveo figure that was first available directly from Chevrolet for a very short time. But we were first introduced to him in 1986 as a repaint/retool of the Minibot Gears. This initial release saw him featured as a red pickup truck with these weird white things in the back that would become his legs, so it would seem as though this new GDO rendition is attempting to emulate that figure. It does a decent enough job of it, at least as far as the alt mode goes.
The above description is interesting because it doesn’t necessarily sound like the character I know. He only made a couple very quick appearances in the G1 cartoon, and he hasn’t been in the movies, so I’m most familiar with him through the current Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye comic from IDW. There he is portrayed in a less-serious light, even acting as the proprietor of a bar until Ultra Magnus bursts his bubble. This is the version of the character I know best and the design does recall the G1 figure. It would have been nice to get a Swerve that resembled this IDW look, but until that day comes, the GDO figure will serve (no pun intended) as a placeholder. And since the card’s description sounds so little like the character I know, it would seem Hasbro may be taking the character in a different direction, so maybe this figure works with that in mind.
Gears has not seen any kind of release in the Classics/Generations line, so Swerve ended up being a repaint of a different pickup truck — Kup. It’s not a bad choice and it definitely serves his alt mode well, but the ‘bot mode may not be among the most satisfying for some. Ideally, we would have gotten a ‘bot that resembles the character in the above comic, but Hasbro did what they could with the Kup mold, and, for the most part, I’m willing to accept it as Swerve. Considering how many different looks Swerve has had with each release, this one really is just as good as any other (however — it appears Renderform is on the job with a new head to more closely resemble the IDW character). Since Kup has been the only character to make use of this mold so far, it’s difficult to look at Swerve’s ‘bot mode and not see “Kup” to at least some extent, but the new head sculpt and the very sharp red, white, gray, and black color scheme do help in differentiating him from that old curmudgeon.
As far as accessories go, he comes with the same “space musket” Kup did. I’m not sure just how well it really suits the character, but I suppose it’s better for him to come with a weapon of at least some sort rather than nothing at all, so this big ol’ gun will do.
Since he shares a mold with Kup, he also shares all the advantages and drawbacks of that mold. The ‘bot mode is a very handsome one and it is a favorite of mine from the Generations line. It looks cool and the articulation is decent. Unfortunately, there is some kibble that gets in the way, particularly the panels on his arms. They constantly get in the way, and I have yet to find that “sweet spot” that will keep them from being in the way when I try and pose them. The two wheels at his shoulders can be a bit of an annoyance as well, but it’s easier to keep them out of the way. I like the way the ‘bot mode looks, but, again, it does require that you make an effort to accept this bot as Swerve and not just a red Kup.
The alt mode should hold no surprises for anyone who owns Kup. It’s exactly the same, but red! I’m a fan, but I can’t say I’m all that crazy about the huge Autobot faction symbol on his roof. It’s a little obnoxious; a rub sign like the original would have sufficed.
Overall, this figure just doesn’t scream “Swerve” to me largely because I have been conditioned by IDW to have certain expectations of the character that just aren’t met by this figure. But it is a nice figure when judged purely on its own merits, though, and since his description makes it sound like this may be a different take on the character, I do think he’s worth picking up. He doesn’t appear to be the most in-demand figure of the GDO assortment, perhaps because he doesn’t benefit from instant name recognition like Wheelie, Springer, and Cliffjumper do, so he shouldn’t be too hard to track down should you decide to pick up one.
Like the other GDO figures, this guy is another Toys R Us exclusive. So, as always, keep that in mind as you hunt.
