Swindle (FOC)

The name or term "Swindle" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Swindle (disambiguation).

Swindle is a Decepticon Combaticon from the Fall of Cybertron portion of the Aligned continuity family.

Who's got two thumbs and loads of personality in his box art?

Unlike his fellow Decepticons, Swindle doesn't really care about the fate of the universe. No, the war for Cybertron is actually a pretty good business opportunity! While he's acting as the leg of Bruticus, Swindle thinks only of what he'll get in trade for Autobot bodies he's stomping once the current battle ends.

“	The money machine is on the move!	”
—Swindle, Fall of Cybertron

Fiction

The Covenant of Primus

The Combaticons remained behind on Cybertron after the launch of the Ark and the Nemesis. Swindle and his comrades fought against the Wreckers to help Shockwave maintain control of Cybertron. The Covenant of Primus

Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe

Swindle and the rest of the Combaticons had the ability to merge into the mighty Bruticus! It is not known whether they followed Megatron to Earth in his quest for the Allspark or if they remained behind on Cybertron, as they had yet to have been seen adopting an Earth vehicle mode. The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe

Games

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)

Voice actors: Steve Blum (English)

Eh, I didn't want to be in the Hall of Fame anyway...

Starscream tasked the Combaticons with intercepting an Autobot transport. Onslaught tasked Swindle with patrolling the area to take out any scouts who might give away their operation. Though they successfully destroyed the bridge, the diverted transport still had plenty of anti-air defenses to keep Starscream's aerial forces at bay, so Swindle was sent in. Driving underneath, he destroyed the transport's wheels before taking on a pair of titans. The transport converted to a flight mode, so Swindle grappled on board and started taking out the transport's anti-aircraft cannons by blowing up their ammo. Working his way around to the other side of the ship, he discovered that the Autobots had destroyed the controls for the shields so he couldn't blow them up, so instead he had to join the other Combaticons on their drop ship so they could take it out. The team combined into Bruticus and stormed through the rest of the Autobot defenses, though in the process they damaged the transport so badly that it crashed. The enraged Starscream ordered the Combaticons arrested.

Swindle and the Combaticons were later freed once Megatron was resurrected and defeated Starscream. They were aboard the Nemesis as it pursued the Ark and Swindle took part in the assault on the Autobot ship's engines as part of Bruticus. The giant took out many Autobots before he was taken down by the combined efforts of Jazz and the Aerialbots before floating free of the Ark. Fall of Cybertron

Swindle also appears as a playable character in the Escalaton map, 'Downfall'. He appears alongside Quake and fellow Combaticons Onslaught and Brawl. Swindle serves as the team's Ammo Supplier.

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark

Rise of the Dark Spark

Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (3DS)

Rise of the Dark Spark

Transformers Universe

Swindle was in charge of the production of Megatron's armada as well as supplying the Decepticons with weapons and ammunition. Transformers Universe

Transformers: Battle Tactics

For one week only, get up to 125 of my cores! Only 30 minutes each core!

Swindle (FoC) participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character who first appeared in the "Bruticus' Chaos" event, and could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 25 cores of this character, which could be obtained from missions during that event. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Toys

Generations

My Alternators Swindle head makes Derrick Wyatt SO ANGRY!

• Decepticon Bruticus (multi-pack, 2012)
  • Accessories: Blaster

The first version of Swindle released was made available as part of a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive "Decepticon Bruticus" gift set that contains all five Combaticons in game-accurate colors. Like most Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive toys, it was initially sold at the store's booth at San Diego Comic-Con and made available at the store's website a few days later.

Swindle's alternate mode is an SUV-like Cybertronian Assault Transport vehicle with large wheels, with the main color being a muted ocher. His "auto-neutron turret" weapon accessory can be attached to the roof using the same 5mm post post also used as a handle for holding the weapon in robot mode.

In addition to his robot and vehicle modes, Swindle can also combine with his fellow Combaticons into Bruticus and serve as any of the gestalt robot's four limbs, though his official configuration shown in the instructions is the right leg. (He features hands attached to his legs via hinges which are not addressed by the instructions, but are required for his retool Roadbuster, who serves as Ruination's right arm.) Although a fairly sturdy leg, Swindle fares somewhat poorly as an arm, due to the lack of anything to secure his robot mode's arms and his vehicle mode's hood in place while in arm mode. His "auto-neutron turret" weapon can be combined with the other Combaticons' weapons to form Bruticus's Sonic Cannon.

Swindle suffers from a design flaw: The small tabs used to attach the robot mode's chest section to the legs in vehicle or gestalt limb mode (using different slots for the tabs) are prone to showing stress marks, and eventually breaking.

A redeco of Swindle in more "flashy" colors was available as an individually-released mass retail toy (see below), whereas a redeco in Generation 2 colors (as the Generation 1 Swindle character) was released as part of a shared Amazon.com/BigBadToyStore exclusive Decepticon Bruticus gift set. The sculpt was also retooled into Roadbuster, as mentioned above.

(Hasbro Version Pictured)

Remember folks, always stay gold. With a bang. (TakaraTomy Version Pictured)

• Swindle (Deluxe, 2012)
  • Series/number: 01/#005
  • PART 4 OF 5!
  • Japanese release date: 2013-01-26-2013
  • Japanese ID number: TG06
  • Accessories: Blaster

• Known designers: Lenny Panzica (Hasbro)

A redeco of Swindle from the Decepticon Bruticus gift set was available individually alongside his fellow Combaticons as part of the second wave of the Fall of Cybertron-themed 2012-onwards Deluxe Class Generations assortment. These versions of the Combaticons replace the game-accurate, Generation 1-inspired decos with more "flashy" colors apparently homaging the color scheme of Bruticus Maximus. Swindle replaces the ocher from his gift set release with a bright shade of yellow.

Aside from the colors, mass retail Swindle is identical to the version from the Decepticon Bruticus gift set.

The Takara release of Swindle has the yellow plastic from Hasbro's release covered in a gold paint. He features more game-accurate colors, including a painted purple visor, more detailed shoulderpads, and silver feet.

• More information on retail Swindle at TFU.info

Platinum Edition

• Grimlock vs Decepticon Bruticus (Multi-pack, 2013)
  • Accessories: Sonic Cannon

Platinum Edition "Decepticon Bruticus" is a seemingly-identical re-release of his San Diego Comic-Con 2012 toy. He comes with a redeco of Fall of Cybertron Grimlock.

Notes

• Someone at High Moon Studios was evidently looking at Alternators Swindle when designing this Swindle's head. Which is funny, because Alternators Swindle's head was designed to look like Trailbreaker, meaning that this Swindle's head looks less like of a Generation 1 update than his fellow Combaticons', lacking the Scramble City-style cube shape and G1 Swindle's characteristic square "sunglasses".

Foreign names

• Japanese: Swindle (スィンドル Swindoru)
• Russian: Fingal (Фингал, "Black Eye")
• Mandarin: Zhàpiàn (诈骗, "Swindle")