Swindle (Movie)

2008-01-10T04:46:39Z

12.77.7.61: /* Transformers (2007) */

{{Template:Disambig3|Swindle}}
:''Swindle is a [[Decepticon]] in the [[Movie (franchise)|live action Transformers film]] [[continuity family]] and ALSO a bunch of mass-produced drones on both sides.''

[[Image:Swindle-gamedrone.jpg|thumb|250px|right|KABOOOM! Heh heh heh heh heh.]]

'''Swindle''' is one of many Decepticons ordered to [[Earth]] by [[Megatron (Movie)| Megatron]] to cause havoc for the Autobot forces there. He's well suited to the task. Swindle is not a great fighter and, more, he's dumb as a post, but he takes great glee in blowing things (any "things") to pieces and that's worth something right? Generally he leaps and hops around the battlefield like a madman, blasting explosives out of his chest cannon and laughing uncontrollably. Havoc is a given when he's around. He's also an enthusiastic but unfortunately ineffectual interrogator.

Sometimes there are lots of him.

On both sides.

== Fiction ==
[[Image: SwindleMovie.gif|thumb|left|150px|Given his intelligence stat I'm impressed he managed that coherent a sentence.]]
=== IDW Prequel Comic ===

Swindle (or ''a'' Swindle, one could argue the apparent intelligence displayed as evidence for either, really) was in charge of torturing the location of the [[All Spark]] out of [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s team after their capture at [[Tyger Pax]]. Even though he killed one of the team, he failed do extract any information from them, but succeeded at pissing off [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], who dismissed all of his underlings... then promised the relieved Swindle a slow and torturous death.

Luckily for Swindle, Megatron took off into space and was lost before he was able to follow through on his threats.

{{note|Swindle inexplicably has modern-[[Earth]] car [[kibble]] on him when he is seen on pre-Earth-contact [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] centuries before the automobile was invented... while Bumblebee and the other Autobots do not. Hm.}}

===Titan Magazines===

A lone Swindle manned a Decepticon outpost that [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and his cadets stormed. Faced with Ironhide's bigger-than-Texas cannon, the lone Swindle silently surrendered. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 5}}
{{-}}
==Drones==
===''Battle For the Allspark'' online game===
[[Image:Swindle head.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Swindle units can be either Autobot (top) or Decepticon (bottom)]]

Swindle units have excellent speed, fair attack power, but very weak defense. They are differentiated primarily by their heads; Autobot versions have a faceplate with separate eyes, while the Decepticon versions have a lens-head.

===Transformers The Game (console)===
Swindles are very common foes sent against both sides, though the largest concentration of them is in [[Tranquility]]. The Decepticon ones are particularly fond of lying in wait in their car modes and springing sneak attacks on any passerby Autobot. They are stronger than the [[Scrapper (Movie)|Scrapper]] units, but not by a lot, and are generally easily disposed of.

Aside from the head model differences, Decepticon Swindles are a deep wine color, while Autobots are green.

===''Transformers: Autobots/Decepticons''===

Swindles appear as common enemies throughout the game, mainly in Tranquility and Hoover Dam, and are in both versions of the game. The Swindle body type appears as several automobile forms, including the Beater, Sportster, Notchback, Import, Gunner (Autobots Exclusive), Stunt Car (Decepticons Exclusive), Lightning Rider, Tricked Out Car, Racer, Hot Rodder, Raider, Transport (Autobots Exclusive) & Scout (Decepticons Exclusive). All forms use the Autobot visor version of the head.

===Transformers Mix & Match book===
[[Image:Autobotdrone mixnmatch.jpg|thumb|100px|left|Acting like a body builder isn't going to impress chicks.]]
Swindle appeared as an Autobot drone that had been captured by [[Sector Seven]]. It defended [[Maggie Madsen]] and [[Glen Whitmann]] from [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] as they signaled for reinforcements.

===Titan Magazines===
Grey Swindle drones were sent in their dozens in constant attacks on [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. He was able to shoot at them whilst simultaneously punching the head off another drone because he's bloody ''hard''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 1}}

{{-}}
==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
*'''Swindle''' (Deluxe, 2007)

[[Image:Movie_Deluxe_Swindle_toy1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Full court shot from Thorias, really showing what a man with a cannon in his chest can do.]]

: Swindle transforms into a Chevrolet Cobalt. He's the Decepticon version, with the lens-head and is remarkably accurate to his video game design. As with most of the Movie road vehicle toys, replicates his vehicle mode realistically, even if the sculpt design is slightly genericised and has no official licensing.

:During transformation, his [[Automorph]]ing gimmick flips out his head/chest section on its own from his upper torso. His torso also features a spring-loaded cannon that extends when a button on his back is pressed, and the cannon structure itself can be extended from the torso to give a more impressive appearance. This cannon gimmick can also be used in car mode, where it looks like a super-turbo-nitro exhaust pipe.

:As is the standard in the Movie toyline, Swindle features reasonable articulation in robot mode, with ball jointed shoulders, hips and wrists and swivels at the elbows and knees. His head can barely move, but a modification may be done by the owner to increase its range of motion.

:This mold was later redecoed into [[Camshaft (Movie)|Camshaft]].

{{-}}

==Trivia==
* A squad of toy-like bright red Swindles appear in a cutscene of the console game... but as Autobots. Hm.

* Promotional renders for the console game also reveal a blue Swindle, though they never appear in this color in the game proper.

{{charstub}}
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category:Drones]]
[[Category: Movie characters]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Payload (Movie)

2008-01-10T04:14:23Z

12.77.7.61: I actually get both versions of this mold, one from early in the line and one post-holiday season.

{{disambig3|Payload}}

:''Payload is a [[Decepticon]] and a type of mass-produced drone in the [[Movie (franchise)|Movie]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Payload-gamedrone.jpg|thumb|right|250px|SWAT? Maybe more like SMITE.]]

Transforming into an exceptionally fast and powerful armored truck, '''Payload''' is the one the Decepticons rely on to procure the money and energy they need to function on Earth. Whatever they need, whereever they need it, in their quest for the [[Allspark]] it's Payload's job to get it to them, even if he has to smash right through Autobot lines to do it.

Both the Autobot and Decepticon armies make use of drones based on his design, which are heavily-armored, brutal melee fighters.

==Fiction==
===''Prime Directives'' prequel comic===
Payload was one of the Decepticons who took part in the Battle of Tyger Pax. He was also with [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] during the interrogation of the surviving Autobot defenders. {{storylink|Prime Directives, Part 1}}

===''Battle For the Allspark'' online game===
[[Image:Payload head.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Payload units can be either Autobot (top) or Decepticon (bottom)]]

Payload units of both sides have a strong defense, good attack, but poor speed. They are differentiated by little more than the make of their noggins; Autobot versions use a facemask-with-optics model, while Decepticons have a circular lens-face.

===''Transformers: The Game'' (console)===
Payloads show up in [[Mission City]] to put the hurt on both Autobot and Decepticon alike. Their primary attack is an unstoppable running charge that can send even the likes of [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] reeling. The only way to break them out of this attack is to nail them with a thrown object or melee attack when they briefly pause between charges.

Payloads also appear in the bonus [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] levels on both sides.

Aside from the aforementioned head differences, Decepticon Payloads are dark blue, while the Autobot versions are silver-white.

===Transformers: Autobots/Decepticons===
Payload's body frame has been shown in numerous forms: his Armored Truck mode, a Peace Van, a Moving Truck, a School Bus, an Ice Cream Truck, a Death Truck, a Peace Truck, a SWAT Van, and a Prison Van. Certain forms have either the Autobot head or the Decepticon head, but which game is unimportant; the same vehicle has the same head in both games. Oddly, some of these use the smaller robot form of [[Dropkick]] rather than the larger body of the Armored Truck.

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Transformers (2007)===
*'''Payload''' (Deluxe, 2007)
:''Japanese ID number'': '''MD-17'''

: Payload transforms into a [http://www.alpineco.com/armored/swat/Bulldog2.html |Bulldog II Armored Truck] model based on the Decepticon-drone coloration and face type. In robot mode, his midsection has a large push-out grabber-claw that extends waaaaaaaaaaaaay far out. However, in order to do this, the claw-shaft sticks far out of his back in robot mode, making posing and display in narrow spaces difficult. It also makes him hard to balance.

: Several pieces on Payload tend to pop off easily: his brush guard, midriff-plate/claw-center, and even his upper shoulder/head assembly. The mold was later retooled to include larger pegs for the shoulder/head assembly and an added tab on the brushguard, to connect to the new slot in the claw plunger. While this was intended to give the pieces a better fit, it actually puts more pressure on the parts and causes them to pop off even easier. The chest piece, however, fits fairly well on either version but is still easy to remove.

==Merchandise==
* '''Payload''' (3D Battle Card, 2007)

: In the [[3D Battle Card Game|Transformers 3D Battle Card Game]], the Payload is on the Decepticon side. Pieces punched out from two different cards can be assembled to form a SWAT truck or a robot, while a third double-sided card gives its stats and attacks for each mode. He uses the same piece layout as [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]], though his lens-head peeking up over the back end of his vehicle mode looks less doofy than Ratchet's does.

==External links==
* [http://www.transformersgame.com/battle/index.html ''Battle For the Allspark'' online game]

* [http://www.wizards.com/transformers/ 3D Battle Card Game at Wizards of the Coast]

[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Drones]]
[[Category: Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category: Movie characters]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

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Swindle (Movie)

Payload (Movie)