Swindle (Armada)

2009-09-08T10:08:15Z

83.11.68.123:

{{factions|minicon|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Swindle}}
{{picsneeded}}

:''Swindle is a [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Armada (franchise)|Armada]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Swindle-AR-model.gif|right|250px|thumb|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
'''Swindle''' is a sneak who is mainly concerned for himself. He's a smooth-talker with a gift of gab and bluff who can wheedle people into seeing his way... at least, long enough to get what he wants. He actually gets along very well with his [[Decepticon]] "partner" [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], but how much of that is a ploy to catch the Decepticon unawares has yet to be seen. Swindle lacks the strength of character to be a good guy, but suffers too many pangs of conscience to be a bad guy, try as he might.

:''Japanese name'': '''Grid'''
:''Polish name'': '''Kanciarz'''

==Fiction==
===Armada cartoon continuity===
Swindle was discovered in a forest, and subsequently claimed by Starscream as his Mini-Con partner. Starscream used Swindle's power to prove the strength of his [[Powerlinx]]-activated [[Null-ray|Null Laser Cannons]]. {{storylink|Jungle|Jungle}}

Swindle would continue to serve as Starscream's partner, and apparently developed loyalty to him, but it is unknown if this was genuine or a result of the Mini-Con [[servility program]]. Swindle went with Starscream when he temporarily joined the Autobots {{storylink|Regeneration|Regeneration}} (and when he subsequently left them) {{storylink|Crack|Crack}}, and would later use his inherent Mini-Con powers to upgrade both himself and Starscream after the latter had been severely damaged by [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]]. {{storylink|Puppet|Puppet}}

Their partnership ended in tragedy on Cybertron. In his final stand, Starscream Powerlinked with Swindle and shot a futile blast at [[Unicron]]. Just before being torn apart by Unicron's energy bolts, Starscream broke the link with Swindle, sending him to safety. Swindle lamented his partner's death, while [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] assured him that Starscream's long battle was finally over. {{storylink|Cramp|Cramp}}

It is unknown what became of Swindle after this.

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
====''Armada''====
Swindle was a resident of [[Mini-Con Village C52]]. He was part of the mass effort erecting an [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] Dome to protect their village before the Decepticons attacked. When Cyclonus burrowed under their defenses and brought down the dome, Swindle was captured and sent to a Decepticon Chop-shop for mecha-sectioning and re-wiring.

It was Swindle's bad luck the next day when Starscream chose ''him'' for the attack on Cyber City. While the Mini-Cons left at the base staged a mass breakout, Swindle was left with the Decepticons for a million long, long years...

After the Mini-Con reactivation signal brought the Decepticons to Earth, Swindle pretended to have escaped from Starscream in order to gain the trust of humans [[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] and [[Rad White|Rad]]. They promised to bring him to the Autobots for protection, and successfully evaded a Decepticon attack, but Swindle betrayed them to the Decepticons. Megatron intended to merge humans with Cybertronian technology and create a power source, much as he had the Mini-Cons. Rad was outraged, they had ''escaped'', but after a million years of slavery, Swindle believed his freedom was the Decepticons' to give. When Megatron subsequently refused to free him as promised, Swindle liberated a group of captured Autobots who drove the Decepticons off. Swindle briefly believed he had won the freedom he had tried to buy, but Starscream activated a retrieval device, yanking him back into custody.

Swindle was among the Mini-Cons summoned to the Moon by [[Dualor]]. When the Fortress was destroyed he returned to Earth in an escape pod and was subsequently recaptured by Megatron, who had the foresight to implant tracking tags in his Mini-Cons.

Swindle was allowed to rejoin his fellow Mini-Cons for the joint battle against Unicron. He took part in the ceremony at the [[Loop]] which badly damaged the Chaos Bringer.

====''Energon''====
Ten years later, Starscream appeared without Swindle. Swindle's fate remains unknown. {{storylink|This Evil Reborn}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===Armada===
[[Image:Armada-toy_Swindle.JPG|right|250px|thumb|]]
*'''Starscream with Swindle''' (Max-Con, 2002)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''MD-02'''
: Swindle was available only with the larger Decepticon [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], transforming into an Indy-style race car. He is designed to fit between Starscream's Null Laser Cannons, and can also be clipped on the underside of Starscream's jet-mode cockpit, deployed by pressing down on Starscream's canopy. The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] version has merely the tiniest of tone changes to its color.

: This mold was [[Redeco|redecoed]] to become [[Zapmaster]], and is the basis for the mold used by [[Mirage (Armada)|Mirage]] and [[Top Gear]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Mini-Con/Swindle/swindle.htm More information on Swindle at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
[[Image:Armada-toy_Zapmaster.JPG|right|thumb|200px]]
*'''Starscream Super Mode with Spark Grid''' (Max-Con, 2003)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MD-09'''
: In Japan, the toy known in the [[Hasbro]] line as [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] was instead a "powered-up" version of Starscream, and the Mini-Con followed suit. In this "Spark" version, Swindle is almost completely identical to Zapmaster.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Mini-Con/Zapmaster/zapmaster.htm More information on Spark Grid (actually Zapmaster) at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
*'''Starscream with Swindle''' (Built to Rule, 2003)

: For the Hasbro ''[[Built to Rule]]'' building block system, Starscream came with a small, building-block-based version of Swindle. This version can be rebuilt from robot mode into something kind of vaguely resembling a race car. Sort of.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Mini-Con/BTRSwindle/swindle.htm More information on ''Built to Rule'' Swindle at TFU.info]''

===Merchandise===
[[Image:Swindle-MSCF.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Micro-Mini-Con]]
In Japan, a tiny PVC micro-figurine of Swindle was released with the [[Super Collection Figure|Mega Super Collection Figure]] version of ''Armada'' Starscream. Like the other Mini-Con PVC micro-figurines in the series, the soft-plastic pegs that keep his arms in place were painted over, and as such are susceptible to snapping off if you try to move the arms. Extra-special caution should be taken with these parts.

{{-}}

[[Category:Armada characters]]
[[Category:Built to Rule]]
[[Category:Mini-Cons]]

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Swindle (Armada)