Swerve

This toy was kindly provided by Soundwave.ca, who is a marketer for TFcon. Go and check out TFcon for more information on Canada’s annual Transformers Collectors Convention. Let’s get to the toy, eh? Swerve is a toy with a strange past. According to information gleaned from the always unbiased TFwiki, he was originally sold for 12.80 Euros in Chevy branches located in Switzerland (forgive me for saying Sweden in the video) and the United Arab Emirates. With customs fees and shipping the toy would cost over a hundred dollars (!) just to get one delivered to America. In 2010, he was part of a promotional campaign in Ontario, Canada where you could fill out a survey and get a free Swerve. C’est la vie.

Swerve’s vehicle mode is a Chevy Aveo. We don’t get too many Transformers cars that are just regular sedans, so Swerve is a nice change of pace. He’s more or less a deluxe class figure in terms of size and complexity.

Car mode is nice and compact, with only a few obvious seam lines. The toy is all plastic and rolls smoothly around on its wheels.

I really appreciate the little touches like the painted taillights and the authentic Chevy logo.

Swerve’s transformation and robot mode are pleasantly basic and reminiscent of a classic G1 Autobot car. While he doesn’t have any accessories, Swerve’s straightforward design is satisfying to the point where he doesn’t need anything else.

One little detail I like is the use of Swerve’s wheels on his feet. The VOTOMs fan in me immediately associates those wheels with those of an AT Fatty. I can definitely picture Swerve doing some roller-dashing with those wheels.

Swerve doesn’t have an abundance of articulation, but what he has works well. Again, he is essentially a deluxe class Transformer.

Rounding off, we have Swerve’s head. It has a little of the Transformers live action aesthetic with the overall shape of a goalie mask. His eyes feature light piping, and his head is on a ball-joint. You can also barely make out the Autobot symbol on his chest, which for some reason was done in red paint with no outline on a toy with a slightly less red body. Maybe it’s stealthier that way. In the end, I like Swerve. He’s a competent Transformer toy who stands up as being equal to any regular release.

Once again I’d like to thank CDX member and TFcon staffer, Soundwave.ca for providing me with this toy. Check out their website you hoser.