Sweep (G1)

This article is about the 1986 Decepticon. For the 2003 Mini-con known as "Sweep" in Japan, see Run-Over.

Sweeps are Decepticons from the Generation 1 continuity family.

A rare moment of not being shot by Galvatron.

Sweeps are the minions of Scourge created by Unicron. Sweeps are visually indistinguishable from Scourge himself, although Sweeps do not necessarily have identical voices. Although only a few are seen initially during Unicron's threat, there appears to be an inexhaustible supply of them later on. That's actually a good thing, as Galvatron tends to shoot them.

Like, all the time.

Only three Sweeps have been graced with defined personalities and identifiers, namely Sweeps Two, Six and Seven.

Dumb Sweep.Sludge calling the kettle black, "Webworld"

Italian name: Incrociatori

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Generation 1 cartoon

Voice actors: Jack Angel, Dick Gautier, Jerry Houser, Aron Kincaid, Chris Latta, Hal Rayle, Frank Welker (English), Yoku Shioya (Japanese)

Two Sweeps were created by Unicron from the fallen Decepticons Shrapnel and Kickback, though seconds later there were suddenly more of them. They soon followed Galvatron to Autobot City, where one Sweep was destroyed by the Dinobots' fire-breath. The Autobots fled the city, but Galvatron's troops followed suit, and the Sweeps killed Ultra Magnus on the planet of Junk. The Transformers: The Movie

One of the great continuity problems within the G1 animated series concerns the minions of Unicron. Namely, Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps. The issue stems from the original script never specifying which Decepticons were thrown off Astrotrain and remade into Galvatron’s followers essentially rendering them generics. As the third season episodes were most likely made using the script and not the as-yet-unfinished film, the Insecticons regularly reappeared in later episodes as well as later on in the movie itself. Much scuttlebutt has been made about who has been turned into who, but ultimately, it falls on the viewer to decide who were the genuine article and who were Decepticons that simply looked like these characters.

"They're mongrels. No spots! No spots at all!"

After Galvatron's defeat at the hands of Rodimus Prime, the Sweeps followed Scourge and Cyclonus in their search for him. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1

They eventually discovered him on the planet of Thrull, only to be attacked by their crazed leader. Galvatron sent every single Sweep crashing into the planet's plasma pits, and the only one that fought back did no damage whatsoever to his leader. They all survived, though, and followed Galvatron's commands after he regained his senses (kind of). Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2

Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5 Dark Awakening Starscream's Ghost Surprise Party

Much later, three Sweeps hunted the Decepticon exile Octane alongside Scourge and Cyclonus, and cornered him in a crypt on Cybertron. When Scourge ordered the Sweeps to enter the crypt, all three cowardly refused to be the first one in, until Cyclonus got fed up with it and offered to fight whoever was the last one in. Starscream's Ghost Scourge was later possessed by the ghost of Starscream, and the Sweeps briefly fell under the command of Cyclonus. Ghost in the Machine

Webworld The Big Broadcast of 2006 The Quintesson Journal

A number of Sweeps later followed Galvatron when he was tricked by the Quintessons into releasing the dangerous Trans-Organics sealed beneath Cybertron's surface. They didn't fare too well against the monsters, and even worse against the one known as the "Dweller". As Galvatron fled from the beast, he threw the remaining Sweeps at its horde of Energy Vampires in order to slow them down. The Sweeps all became Energy Vampires themselves, but were later cured by a massive power surge. The Dweller in the Depths

During a battle with the Autobots, "Sweeps Six and Seven" made an attack run on the enemy position. This is the only known occasion when the Sweeps received any form of individual identification. Call of the Primitives

The Burden Hardest to Bear

When the madness-inducing Hate Plague spread throughout the universe, the Sweeps were among its numerous victims. At least one of them were shot down by Galvatron as they chased him across Chaar. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

The varying number of Sweeps is never explained in-fiction. As many as five excluding Scourge have appeared simultaneously, "The Dweller in the Depths", not even counting the various destroyed Sweeps. One fairly popular fanon explanation is that since the Sweeps were formed from the bodies of Insecticons, they possess similar cloning powers, but this has never been supported by any official material.

The Headmasters cartoon

Approach of the Demon Meteorite

G.I. Joe vs. Transformers

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 3 The Art of War issue 5

Timelines

Cyclonus, Scourge, and his Sweeps surrounded an Autobot shuttle during a surprise attack. They lost track of the shuttle when it disappeared into a nebula. Wings of Honor

Toys

Generation 1

• Scourge (1986)
  • Japanese ID number: D-71
  • Accessories: "Disintegrator Ray", "Laser Blaster"

Well, while technically not "Sweeps", any additional Scourge toys you may own can easily function as Sweep toys, what with the characters being identical and all. This works especially well if the Targetmaster version is used for Scourge and the original version for the Sweeps.

Scourge transforms into a Cybertronic hovercraft. On early releases, the blue on the center of Scourge's alt mode was paint. This was changed to two stickers for later releases. The stickers on his ankles tend to get damaged through normal transformation. Some releases of Scourge came with a piece of a four-part The Transformers: The Movie poster with glow-in-the-dark elements.

• More information on Scourge at TFU.info

Titanium Series

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

• Scourge (6-inch Cybertron Heroes, 2006)

Titanium Series Scourge can also pass for a Sweep if you really want him to. He once again transforms into a retro-futuristic hovercraft, this time with a more accurate sculpt to his animation model (except for a really big forehead) and significantly improved articulation. While not 100% accurate, the wings in particular are now hinged in the middle to allow them to open wider, and the legs have a much more closely detailed design.

• More information on Titanium Scourge at TFU.info

Timelines

• Sweeps (multipack, 2009)
• Accessories:

Two, Six and Seven came in an exclusive three-pack at BotCon 2009, all three being identical redecos of the Timelines Scourge toy available at the same convention. The mold is a retool of Cybertron Sideways with a new head, transforming into a blue and white alien spacefighter. The Sweeps are armed with "battle shields" with Cyber Planet Key-activated pop-out blades.

The original version of this mold was also used for the Japanese DVD-exclusive Noisemaze Mass-Production Version and Universe Ratbat.