Swindle (G1)

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 Generation 1 continuity family.

He'd sell you for a nickel, that schemer.

Capitalist first, Decepticon second, Swindle is a con-man, an opportunist, a hustler—or as he would put it, an entrepreneur. Unlike his fellow Combaticons, the Autobot-Decepticon war is to him merely an opportunity for networking, cutting deals, and making profit. He's an expert on all manner of weaponry and their market prices, and he prides himself on being able to sell anything to pretty much anybody. All he needs is a smile.

Swindle can combine with the other Combaticons to form Bruticus.

“	It's...it's not my fault, Megatron! This greed is built into my personality component!	”
——Swindle, after selling the other Combaticons's remains, "B.O.T."

Italian name: Crasher

French-Canadian name: Filou (Swindler)

Hungarian name: Svindli

Fiction

American cartoon continuity

Voice Actor: Johnny Haymer (English), Osamu Saka (Japanese)

Step right up! Step right up! Everyone's a winner; bargains galore!

Swindle was originally a Decepticon criminal on Cybertron who apparently got caught and had his personality component locked in a detention center, where he was stuck for millions of years. He was eventually liberated along with four other prisoners by Starscream, who installed Swindle into an old military jeep found at Guadalcanal on Earth. Starscream dubbed the Decepticons "Combaticons" and ordered them to help him defeat Megatron. While Swindle and the others were not too happy with this, Starscream blackmailed them into it anyway. The plan eventually failed, and Swindle and the Combaticons were banished to an asteroid along with Starscream. Starscream's Brigade

It picks up the kids from school; it gets rid of unwanted facial hair; it gets rid of embarrassing ink spots; it delivers a pizza!

The Combaticons later escaped the asteroid and attacked Cybertron together as Bruticus. After being defeated again, Swindle and the Combaticons were reprogrammed to be loyal to Megatron. It's debatable how well that reprogramming took with Swindle. The Revenge of Bruticus

Megatron next ordered the Combaticons to steal fighter planes by using Middle-Eastern criminals as go-betweens. Swindle was the personal ride of Ali, the thief leader, and led the caravans with parts to Megatron. He later merged with the others to form Bruticus, who was defeated by the Aerialbots as Superion. Aerial Assault

Act now! Act now! And receive as your gift to you, they come in all colors, one size fits all!

Bruticus was next defeated by Defensor, and Swindle was the sole survivor of the team. He proceeded to sell the parts of his comrades to various people for a sweet finder's fee. Megatron was less than happy with this, however, as he had just constructed a giant death-ray for Bruticus to wield for him. No Combaticons, no Bruticus. Swindle tried to plead off his greed as a programming flaw, but Megatron wasn't having any of it. He installed a bomb in Swindle's head and gave him 15 hours to rebuild his fellow Combaticons or suffer their fate. The most elusive piece was Brawl's personality component, which had been raided from a junkyard by some high school kids building a homemade robot. Swindle had to fight through a trio of Autobots in order to recover the personality component, but succeeded in time to have the bomb removed. B.O.T.

Swindle is plainly a team player.

After the Decepticons were exiled to a burnt-out husk of a planet called Chaar in 2006, they dropped dangerously low on energon. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 When the Quintessons arrived to make a deal, Dead End went out to meet them, then deferred to Swindle's skills to bargain a reasonable price for their services. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2

Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5

Fight or Flee Surprise Party

Later, Swindle, along with Motormaster and Laserbeak, finally became so dissatisfied with Galvatron's leadership that he openly grumbled that the Autobots would be doing the Decepticons a favor by killing Galvatron. Cyclonus interpreted this as treason, but Swindle brushed him off. Both he and Motormaster warned Cyclonus that if Galvatron's madness wasn't cured, the Unicron-forged pair would face rebellion. Webworld

You got it buddy; the large print giveth, and the small print taketh away!

On another occasion, Swindle singlehandedly infiltrated Metroplex for Galvatron and miraculously managed to fend off a lone Autobot pacifist like First Aid to steal the city-bot's transformation cog. After returning from his mission, though, Swindle's greed got the best of him, and he attempted to make Galvatron bid for the cog. After Megatron put a bomb in his head, why Swindle thought bargaining with the even less stable Galvatron was a good idea is anyone's guess. Lucky for Swindle, Galvatron was in one of his less manic phases at the time and only blasted the greedy Combaticon a few times instead of ripping out his primary fuel pump with his teeth. The Ultimate Weapon

The Burden Hardest to Bear

As part of Bruticus, Swindle was one of the victims of the Hate Plague. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers manga

Swindle and the rest of the Combaticon team came to assist Menasor when he got into trouble with Superion and Defensor. As Bruticus, the team broke Defensor apart easily enough, but fell victims to Superion's electrostatic discharger rifle. The weapon hit Swindle and Brawl, who disconnected from Bruticus, allowing two Protectobots to steal their positions as Bruticus's legs. Swindle was left chasing after Bruticus as the Autobots took control of the combiner's flight systems and flew away with him. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 5

Megatron later ordered the Combaticons to capture an escaped puppy which he had imbued with Decepticon super science. Powerglide eventually arrived to stop them, leading to the dog using its super science to give the Autobot Scramble Power. Swindle combined with his teammates to destroy Powerglide, but he and his Minibot friends used Scramble Power to combine and drill a hole straight through Bruticus, forcing him to retreat. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 8

Scramble City OVA

When the Stunticons were dispatched to hinder the Autobots from constructing Scramble City, they were held up by the Aerialbots, so the Combaticons were sent to aid them. Swindle combined with the others to form Bruticus, who teamed up with Menasor to defeat Superion. Unfortunately, Scramble City was finished in the meantime, and soon arrived on the scene and defeated Bruticus. Scramble City

Binaltech

Nice to meet you! Please disregard the gun.

In 2003, Swindle used his contacts to reverse-engineer the Cosmic Rust virus and ensure a large percentage of the Autobot force on Earth was incapacitated. When the Autobots joined forces with Earth's manufacturing industries to create the Binaltech project, Swindle worked with Starscream and his Decepticon faction to infiltrate the project for their own ends. Using modified cerebro-shell technology to turn human workers into sleeper agents, the Decepticons managed to sneak some of their own personality components into the facilities and replace them with those of the Autobots planned for the new bodies. Therefore, the Central City Institute of Technology thought they were upgrading the Autobot Trailbreaker, only to have Swindle come online instead.

Swindle's bait-and-switch wasn't totally effective, though—the Binaltech warriors only had their weaponry fully equipped and activated after coming online and arriving at Autobot City, so Swindle was not equipped with functioning versions of Trailbreaker's force field and other abilities, having to instead outfit himself with armaments from his own munitions depots. He was also banned from the Binaltech electro-cell recharging centers after his ruse was uncovered, and therefore had to rely on the Exponential Generator technology provided by Starscream's human ally, Doctor Arkeville. Though upgraded since its inception, the generators were historically unstable (like, "might blow up an entire planet" unstable).

The Headmasters cartoon

Swindle and the Combaticons were among Galvatron's troops when he ordered an all-out Decepticon invasion of Cybertron Four Warriors Come out of the Sky, but even the power of Bruticus couldn't stand up to the newly arrived Fortress Maximus. The Mystery of Planet Master The Combaticons were subsequently sent to Earth to stop Hot Rod from bringing the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus Prime, but were ambushed by the Protectobots and buried in a rockfall. Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime They were next seen defending Trypticon's city mode from an Autobot spy, but were distracted by the Aerialbots. The Great Cassette Operation

Galvatron eventually managed to invade Cybertron once more, and Swindle and the others were again part of the attack. They soon encountered those pesky Protectobots again Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1, and were taken out of action by Defensor. Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2 As Galvatron was thought lost in the battle, Scorponok took control of the Decepticon forces and ordered the Combaticons and Stunticons to protect a giant carnivorous plant he had planted in San Francisco. When the Autobots arrived to kill it, Bruticus duelled with the Trainbot combiner Raiden. Head On!! Fortress Maximus The Combaticons later fell under Sixshot's command, and he ordered them, along with the Terrorcons and Horrorcons, to attack an Autobot energy facility in Miami. Ultra Magnus Dies!!

Swindle was later present at Scorponok's inauguration as Decepticon leader after Galvatron had died for real. I Risk My Life for Earth The Combaticons were then stationed at the planet Master, where they failed to lure Fortress Maximus away from their base. The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide As Scorponok's plan to destroy Earth came close to fruition, Swindle was part of Bruticus as the combiner sunk the luxury liner Queen World and defended a death tower in Australia from Defensor. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1) As Bruticus, the Combaticons participated in the final battle with the Autobots at the North Pole, and retreated into space when Scorponok's energy-absorbing satellite started tearing the Earth apart. The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)

Zone OVA, manga and story pages

Seeking to create a Decepticon Zone to counter the Autobot Zone, Decepticon Emperor Violen Jiger gathered together the Nine Great Demon Generals, upgrading them with powerful new armor and weaponry, then sent them forth to conquer planets. Swindle was of those summoned, but only as part of Bruticus. Zone Part 1 Transformers: Zone Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Thanks to his brief time housing the Matrix in his mind, Buster Witwicky experienced a series of dreams outlining the future of Cybertronian technology: the Special Teams. These dreams were random and chaotic at first, as he was chased through his dreamscape by Combiner robots and witnessed the Combaticons merge into Bruticus. After Optimus Prime joined Buster in his dreams, the information became more linear, and the Autobot and human beheld a future scenario in which Swindle and the Combaticons joined forces with the Stunticons against the Protectobots and the Aerialbots. Working off this information, Wheeljack began to conceive a way to reverse-engineer and improve upon Devastator's combination technology. Unfortunately for the Autobots, Soundwave had managed to tap into Buster's dream frequency, and the Decepticons received the same information to build their own Special Teams. Second Generation!

The Combaticons' first U.S. appearance was unexplained in the American comic. However, it may be assumed that they were created in the same way as the Stunticons were. (It is possible that they were recruited from Cybertron. See the article on the comic issue Afterdeath! for more.)

The Combaticons joined Megatron on a mission to invade the company Energy Futures Industries in order to steal a hydrothermocline, which the Decepticons wanted to take for their own energy resources. This mission resulted not only in success for the Decepticons, but also in the death of Autobot leader Optimus Prime, despite Swindle's individual failure in his part of the mission. Afterdeath!

This is all kinds of wrong.

Swindle soon accompanied his fellow Decepticons to a new base in the Caribbean, at which time Megatron disappeared and Shockwave assumed command of the Earth-bound Decepticons. Shortly afterwards, Shockwave dispatched Swindle and the other Combaticons to assassinate Galvatron, who was buried under lava at Mount Verona, but they were defeated by a trio of human women and the Throttlebots. Ladies' Night

Lamb bhuna last night?

Swindle (and the other Combaticons) battled Defensor on several occasions, though without great success. He had better success during the Decepticon ambush of the Autobots on the Moon, where the Autobots had gathered to resolve a leadership dispute. Swindle attacked Brawn with his Scatter Blaster and commented that although Brawn was not a great Autobot warrior, he would have a bright future as spare parts (presumably to be sold at a premium by Swindle himself). When the combined forces of Blaster and Grimlock managed to pierce the ship's protective force field, Ratbat commanded all Decepticons on the surface of the Moon to return to the ship and retreat. Totaled!

Swindle also served as part of the "friendly" staff on the beach of the Decepticons' Caribbean island when the Decepticons used the base as a human vacation resort. Swindle was there to serve every need that the humans might require. Club Con!

Generation 2

Swindle gave Megatron a tour of the Warworld when the Decepticon leader forcibly took command of the Decepticons back from Bludgeon. This ultimately led to a chamber where many new Decepticon bodies awaited, needing the Matrix to give them life. The Gathering Darkness

He was later seen briefly as part of the first wave of defenders when the Warworld was attacked by the next-generation Cybertronians commanded by Jhiaxus after the Autobots and Decepticons had forged an alliance of necessity against said forces. Swindle's fate was not revealed, but considering the Cybertronian troops—led by the traitor Starscream—killed several Decepticons and ultimately overtook the battleship, it didn't look too good for Swindle. Total War!

Dreamwave comics continuity

Swindle sided with Starscream when the Seeker tried to usurp command of the Decepticons from Megatron (what a surprise) shortly after the onset of the Cybertronian civil war. He assisted in the interrogation of Laserbeak instead of joining Shockwave in the assault upon Iacon.

Millions of years later, Swindle, along with his fellow Combaticons, was imprisoned by Shockwave, presumably as war criminals under the terms of the new peace treaty with the Autobots. He was sprung by Starscream after the Nemesis's crew returned to Cybertron, though. Wonder what that cost him. Starscream then brought the inactive Combaticons with him to Earth and gave them new modes based on deactivated vehicles from a nearby abandoned military testing ground.

When Sunstorm appeared on Earth, the battered Combaticons were ordered by Starscream to combine into Bruticus and deal with the crazed zealot. It did not end well. Black Sunshine

Who wouldn't trust a bot named "Swindle"?

The repaired Combaticons were brought to Guadalcanal, where they could hone their somewhat lackluster combat skills and listen to Starscream's long-winded aspirations of glory. When Swindle commented on Starscream's mental state, Brawl agreed, stating that he'd like to pull the Air Commander's cerebro circuits straight out of his faceplate so they could get a better look at them, to which Swindle suggested a "deal" for this to happen. Starscream overheard their conversation and informed the smaller Decepticon that the only "deal" he needed to worry about was how Starscream would deal with Swindle for his scheming. Starscream nevertheless let it pass for the moment in order for the Combaticons to test themselves against the magnificent Autobot Sky Lynx. Unfortunately, the Combaticons did not fare well when the crafty Autobot split into his two forms, with Swindle, Brawl and Onslaught nearly getting crushed by the Lynx's right paw.

This was the least of their troubles, however, as Predaking showed up as soon as Sky Lynx was deactivated. As the Combaticons closed in on the Predacon combiner, Swindle had trouble keeping up with the rest of the group before they formed Bruticus. This encounter also did not end well. The Route of All Evil

IDW comics continuity

Swindle: Master salespitcher.

Shortly prior to the formation of the Decepticons, Swindle was working as a lackey for Megatron during the height of his gladiator period. Megatron Origin issue 3

In modern times, Swindle was an arms dealer being hunted down by Ultra Magnus for violating the Tyrest Accord. He managed to deal for his freedom 29 stellar cycles ago by selling Magnus information on the whereabouts of Scorponok. Magnus recently caught him again, but it's so far unknown if Swindle managed to bargain for his freedom once again. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus

Some time later, on Earth, Swindle was amongst a band of Decepticons who had been watching Omega Supreme; seeing several Autobots led by Hot Rod in discussions with Omega, the Decepticons briefly attacked them until Swindle proposed an alliance with the aim of getting off-planet. New Arrivals, Old Encounters

Legends anthology

Two for the Price of One

Timelines

There are three Swindles running the pawn shop "Swindle, Swindle & Swindle". The jingle says it all. As does the image of three grinning Swindle heads on their sign.

"Three times the Swindle means three times the deal. Come on down, it's a total steal!"

To distinguish the Swindles, they have the following designs:

• Swindle the first: Generation 2 Swindle.
• Swindle the second: Generation 1 (all plastic) Swindle.
• Swindle the third: Generation 1 (die-cast version) Swindle.

Ask Bug Bite, Bulletbike, and Treds about the Triple-S sometimes. Withered Hope I, Lowtech

Toys

Generation 1

File:G1Swindle toy.jpg

Eh, I'd rather have elbows than shoulders anyway.

• Swindle (Combaticon, 1986, 1987, 1991)
  • Team ID number: C2
  • Japanese ID number: D-68
  • Accessories: Large "Scatter blaster" gun, small "Gyro-Gun" pistol, decal sheet

Swindle transforms into a tan FMC XR311 combat support vehicle. He features a large, back-mounted cannon with a small pistol attached to its side. In robot mode, he is armed with both weapons, which are used as hand-held artillery. Swindle normally operates as Bruticus's right leg, but as a Scramble City-style combiner toy, he can also be used in any other available limb slot with any torso-robot.

There are two different versions of the original release. The initial version uses purple-painted die-cast metal for his chestplate. This was later replaced with gray plastic.

The Combaticons were re-released in 1991 as part of the European-market "Classics" line. This version (which uses the plastic chestplate) was retooled to remove the rubsign indent from his vehicle mode hood, a change made to a lot of the toys in this series.

This mold was later redecoed into Operation Combination Leyland, Robots in Disguise Rollbar and Universe Rollbar.

• More information on Swindle at TFU.info

Generation 2

File:G2Swindle toy.jpg

WhY mY ShOuLdErS—oh wait, never mind.

• Swindle (1994)
  • Team ID number: C2
  • Accessories: Large "Scatter blaster" gun, small "Gyro-Gun" pistol

For the Generation 2 toyline, Swindle had all of his tan parts redecoed bright red with purple camouflage paint and his windshield painted black. (This latter color was a sticker on the original release.) In robot mode, he has a bright purple torso, making this release quite garish.

• More information on Generation 2 Swindle at TFU.info

Alternators

If you buy from this Jeep, it won't be cheap.

• Swindle (2004)
  • Alternator ID number: 8
  • Japanese ID number: BT-09
  • Accessories: Handgun

Alternators Swindle transforms into a yellow Jeep Wrangler Sport. He is a retool of Alternators Hound with a new head, new tires and a new bumper with bullbar. In vehicle mode, his doors open to reveal a realistic interior, his hood opens to reveal a fake (and inaccurate) engine bay, and his tailgate opens by hinging up at one end. As with Hound, he lacks the steering feature common in other Alternators but has spring-loaded suspension.

In robot mode, Swindle is armed with a small laser pistol stored in his spare tire. He is otherwise mostly identical to Hound except for the changed parts and color.

Swindle's head sculpt, as well as the rest of this tooling, was originally intended to be used for an Alternators version of Trailbreaker, who was canceled due to trademark issues.

The same mold, with the Swindle retoolings, is used by Rollbar.

• More information on Alternators Swindle at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

G1 Series

• Bruticus Maximus (2008)
  • Accessories: Quad blaster (hand/foot), Decepticon-type energon star

Universe Swindle is a redeco of the Energon Blackout/Stormcloud mold, transforming into a tan assault helicopter somewhat similar to an Apache. He was only available with Universe Bruticus Maximus giftset. When combined with the other Combaticons, Swindle is nominally Bruticus Maximus' right leg, though he can be used in any other limb position. Appropriately enough, his markings include dollar signs ($) on the air intake housings flanking his cockpit.

This mold was also used to make Fun Publications Transformers Collectors' Club-exclusive Topspin and Universe (2008) Vortex. Universe Swindle and Vortex were later sold as Revenge of the Fallen Swindle and Vortex.

Trivia

• The character models of the Combaticons are heavily... okay, heavily made-up. Early models of the team which were a bit more accurate to the toys — except for the heads, oddly enough, where the show models are quite accurate — have shown up in various sourcebooks, though Swindle's is still off in some very odd ways.

• The packaging of the 1990 European Classics release of the original Onslaught toy depicted the Combaticons in new color schemes, despite the fact that the actual toys looked identical to their original releases. While it may never be known for certain, it has been theorized that these colors originated from a packaging printing error rather than a legitimate attempt to redeco the Combaticons.

External links

• Swindle's Universe profile at NTFA.net