PotP Swoop ***Proofed Skyquake87***

Working area for reviews.

Moderators: Skyquake87, ganon578

Post Reply
User avatar
ganon578
Posts: 2210
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: NoCo

PotP Swoop ***Proofed Skyquake87***

Post by ganon578 »

Name: Swoop
Function: Whatever robotic Pteranodons do (bombardier-ing, I guess?)
Subgroup: Power of the Primes
Size Class: Deluxe

How will the fearsome Dinobot bombardier wield the Power of the Primes?

Each Power of the Primes figure comes with a randomized card that pairs the character with a Prime Master to give various effects. I pulled Quintus Swoop:

Seeds Prehistoric Life Across the Universe

Not too bad for a Pteranodon bent on world domination!

Swoop’s been a long-standing character in Transformers, dating back to the 1984 episode War of the Dinobots. He and Snarl are the last two of the five Dinobots to be constructed by Wheeljack and Ratchet. The first three - Grimlock, Sludge, and Slag - were created a couple episodes earlier in S.O.S. Dinobots. Though I don’t fully remember 1984 (since I was 4 years old) I would imagine kids in the mid-‘80s quite enjoyed the Dinobots. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy robotic dinosaurs? I know I do. Swoop isn’t my favorite of the five dinos (that would be Grimlock, because he’s a freaking T-Rex!) but that doesn’t mean that ol’ Swoop is a poor toy. He’s actually pretty darn good, so let’s get to it!

Alternate Mode:

Swoop’s dino mode is a high-flying Pteranodon. Comparing it to a real pteranodon is a little unfair, as he’s more based on the original toy than anything. We'll just stick to comparing him to another lump of plastic.
Swoop’s main dino body is a little on the chunky side, though as I mentioned that’s more in line with the toy than an actual dino. Save for the wings, he’s still quite compact, and everything is tabbed in securely. The head can be moved up and down and the jaw opens too. The wings themselves have some articulation, so you can move them a bit and change his look in flight. I don’t have a proper flight stand to use him on, but I think that would work fantastically well for display (there’s some small holes for pegs on the belly). As it is, he can still stand on his two little dino feet, with wings spread and head forward. Either pose looks fine, so you’ll have some options there. My only gripe is the poor positioning of his weapon storage – a small hole under the underside of the head/neck allows you to peg in the sword, but consequently keeps his beak shut. I wish there were an option to store it on his back or under his wings. You can kind of store it under his belly, but it’s at an odd angle, so I don’t think this is optimal. Overall, Swoop has a very nice dino mode, and one that’s not entirely static like some of the chunkier ground-based dinos.

Robot Mode:

Aside from tucking/untucking his arms and folding/unfolding his legs, Swoop doesn’t have much in the way of transformation. It’s easy and intuitive, and it gets the job done – just don’t go looking for anything to ‘wow’ you.

Swoop’s robot mode is also well detailed in the sculpt, paint, and various plastics. Tampos and paint are clean, and the design and visuals work well. Hasbro’s version has a torso done in blue to match the cartoon model - I believe the original toy had a red torso. I personally like the blue better, as the remaining Dinobots are all silver, red, gold, and black. Having another color in there gives the group some diversity, though I can see where consistency might be an issue for some people.

If the dino mode was a little boxy, the robot mode surely isn’t. Swoop’s thin build allows him a wide range of articulation, and I find that I fiddle with him a lot because of it. He has standard joints for a deluxe class figure in this era, but there isn’t anything to hinder him at all. Even the wings can be tilted away if needed. He’s quite balanced to boot, so you can put him in a wide range of stances. As for accessories, Swoop comes with a red sword as well as a piece of ‘Prime Armor’ that can attach to his chest via two tabs on the dino head. As usual, this armor piece makes him look horribly bloated, and I don’t ever attach it as armor. I suppose he could also use it as an extra large boxing glove? At any rate, Swoop’s pretty solid in robot mode, and there’s enough to do with him to keep you busy.

Combiner Limb Mode:

Consistent with the other deluxe figures in Power of the Primes, Swoop can either be a leg or an arm to combine with the other Dinobots and form Volcanicus. He works well in either form, though I prefer him as an arm. He has good range of motion in arm mode - and he’s a flyer - so it makes more sense to me to put him up top. The other bulkier dinos can serve as legs in my opinion, basically because they can't jump to get up there.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: Nothing showy, but it works well and is intuitive. 6/10.
Durability: Not a brick, but definitely high quality stuff here. 8/10.
Fun: I think Swoop has two great modes that have a lot going on. Add in the combiner aspect (that doesn’t hinder the other modes) and you have a winner. 9/10.
Aesthetics: Swoop does a good job in both modes for display. A flight stand would also go a long way, but you have to get that separately. 7/10.
Articulation: Nothing is hindered, and range of motion is good. Additionally, you can move wings and the head in dino mode. That’s a bonus. 8/10.
Value/Price: For all that you can do with Swoop, the $17 price tag is fair. Do I wish Deluxes were still $15? Absolutely. But the market is what it is. 8/10.
Overall: I honestly think Swoop is just fine on his own. Two really good modes, great fun. If you pair him with others from CW or PotP (and even TR a little) there’s a lot to offer. As part of the Dinobot group, even better. But if you had just him, I think you’d still have some fun. Recommended. 8/10.
Image
User avatar
ganon578
Posts: 2210
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2007 5:26 pm
Location: NoCo

Post by ganon578 »

And a couple more photos to add...
Attachments
IMG_4206.jpg
IMG_4203.jpg
IMG_4201 (1).jpg
Image
User avatar
Tantrum
Posts: 671
Joined: Thu Apr 26, 2012 1:24 am
Custom Title: Systems Analyst
Location: Aquidneck Island, RI, USA

Post by Tantrum »

The Prime Armor can also make a backpack for the robot, with tabs on the thumbs connecting to slots in the wings. I like to give both boxing gloves to Slag, and give Swoop the sword and gun.
Alleged "poems"
that don't follow a rhyme scheme
are not poetry
Post Reply