Swindle (Animated)

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 from the Transformers Animated continuity family.

"Ladies and gentlebots, I'm going to show you the greatest upgrade ever made. The SwindleCo™ Blast-o-Matic™ can blast your enemies to julienne fries with all the precision and quality you've come to expect from a SwindleCo™ product. But wait, there's more!"

Quick, hide the silver! An entrepreneur with few equals, the smooth-talking Swindle is always ready to make a deal. Trading extensively with many alien races and loaded down with their respective technologies, his goods are highly useful to interstellar warlords, bounty hunters, and many, many others. Though nominally a Decepticon, he just views the Cybertronian civil war as yet another business opportunity, one which has kept him living posh for centuries and could be great for his bottom line again now that it's starting back up.

Scruples? You'd sell your own motherboard to the highest bidder.—Megatron scoffs at Swindle's spiel, "SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy"

Fiction

Animated cartoon

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Events from IDW Publishing comics are in italics.

Voice actor: Fred Willard (English), Dieter Memel (German)

While Blitzwing was negotiating with Lockdown, he was interrupted by Lugnut, who was incensed that his comrade-in-arms would deal with bounty-hunting scum. Finding himself outgunned in this fight, Blitzwing was extremely lucky to find that Swindle had chosen that moment to pay a visit to the base on New Kaon. Providing the Triple Changer with enhanced weaponry (and a convenient payment plan), Swindle watched as the fight escalated. Each time, he was more than happy to provide each side with ever-increasing hardware, up to and including planetbuster weaponry. So much for New Kaon. Once the pair of Decepticons found out that Swindle was arming both of them, they took things up with customer service, leaving Swindle a fair bit worse for wear. But, he took it in stride. After all, the customer is always right. Everything Must Go

"What would you say if I told you that you don't have to fight Autobots? You'd say I'm crazy, right? That I'm out of my head? Well that is exactly what I'm telling you about this amazing product from SwindleCo™!"

Swindle found out about the situation on Earth after a little business transaction with Lockdown. Upon his arrival, he made a deal with the newly formed Society of Ultimate Villainy: they'd steal components he needed, and he'd give them monetary compensation. He set the arrangement up anonymously, communicating with them through the radio in their new getaway vehicle, a present of sorts that he'd provided. When they had stolen the parts, he had them construct a generator. Sadly, the deal went sour when he asked Slo-Mo to hand over her AllSpark-powered timepiece. She refused, and he let them in on his little secret: He was the getaway vehicle.

"That's not all, though! If you order right now, I am offering this exclusive accessory package, compliments of the good folks here at SwindleCo™!"

He dispatched most of the SUV and used his force field (acquired in a deal with a race known as the Vok from Nexus Zero, nice folks) to protect himself from Slo-Mo's watch. He took it from her and contacted his old client Megatron. After a few pleasantries, he demonstrated the generator's ability to freeze everything mechanical in Detroit, including the Autobots. Unfortunately, before the deal could go through, a shielded Autobot and the SUV burst in and managed to knock him over the side of the parking block on which he had stationed himself. While he managed to reacquire the watch, he was frozen in his vehicle mode when a blast ricocheted off of the Autobot's shield. He was last seen being towed by the police, who promised to strip apart the paralyzed Decepticon and sell his insides at a police auction. Bloody hell! (The irony probably wasn't lost on him.) SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy

Swindle was later "apprehended" by Sentinel Prime... in that Sentinel paid a fine to the Detroit police department and had the still-stuck-in-vehicle-mode Decepticon towed to the Autobot ship. Five Servos of Doom He and almost all of the Earth-based Decepticons were transported as prisoners back to Cybertron. Predacons Rising

Travelogue

Now, at no extra charge, I'm willing to throw in these little items I picked up in a little excursion to the planet Dahros. By the way, if you should ever find yourself on Dahros, trust me, you do not want to visit the Northern hemisphere. The locals are surly, the service is lousy, and the energon is always watered down.Swindle gives travel advice, "Everything Must Go"

Swindle travels extensively, to provide his customers spectacular bargains from the far corners of the universe. His trade route includes:

• The Vok of Nexus Zero, who manufacture superior force-field technology.
• The planet Andellor, who make an excellent anti-gravity cannon.
• Talos Four, manufacturers of the triple crusher cannon.
• The world of Torkulon, source of the spectacular decompression pump.
• The planet Dahros, which produces the amazing product that is glass gas.
• Menonia, source of the robotic panacea of "super glue."

He has also obtained, by unknown means:

• Omega bombs, planet-busting weaponry presumably from the Quintessons
• Nemesis Shields to defend against said bombs, which are Mini-Con technology.

Toys

Animated

File:SwindleDeluxe.jpg

"Are you seeing this? Are you loving this? I'm so excited I could almost spring a leak."

• Swindle (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Accessories: Large "Scatter blaster" gun, missile

Part of the fifth wave of Animated Deluxes, Swindle transforms into an armored Humvee-styled vehicle with a roof-mounted cannon. This cannon mounts on his right arm in robot mode, and features a spring-loaded launching missile. The cannon also features an additional gimmick: when the missile is inserted into the cannon, the slits on the weapon change from a deep, clear purple (the same color used for the eyes, chest windows, upper arms and fingers) to a painted orange-red. He also features a flip-out Gatling gun in his midsection, as well as his twin over-shoulder double-blasters. The Gatling can be deployed in vehicle mode (and is even depicted on the cardback that way), but it rides so low that the front wheels won't touch the ground.

• More information on Swindle at TFU.info

Trivia

• Swindle made his appearance because Derrick J. Wyatt lobbied hard for him to show up. [1]

• Swindle's design is quite heavily influenced by his Generation 1 namesake's animation character model, from the "squarehead" with large, purple optics to the windshield-chest with grill-stomach to the right-arm-mounted cannon which can be mounted on the back of his vehicle mode. As a result, Swindle is the first of only two Decepticons to not have red eyes in Animated.

• Swindle is a double-homage, as he also features a chest cannon that is quite similar to his movie namesake's.

• He also makes a reference to Binaltech Swindle, who possessed a force field because his body was meant to be Trailbreaker's, but couldn't use it. This Swindle doesn't have that issue.

• He has a bolo tie. That's awesome.

• Derrick J. Wyatt has noted that Swindle's mannerisms are based on Ron Popeil. In fact, in "Everything Must Go", Swindle even uses Ron's signature catch-phrase "Now, how much would you pay?" (Coincidentally enough, "Weird Al" Yankovic has done a song about Popeil...)