Swoop (Transformers Animated)

Bombs away!

Name: Swoop
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Bombardier
Sub-group: Dinobot
Timeline: Transformers Animated timeline

Toyline: Transformers Animated

Profile:

Like Snarl and Grimlock, Swoop is fairly primitive compared to other Cybertronians, even if he is the smartest of the Dinobots. Like his fellow Dinobots, he prefers the solitude of Dinobot Island - as much as he enjoys flying over to New Detroit and watching humans flee at the sight of his shadow, the fact that doing so attracts the attention of the local authorities, the Autobots, or - worst of all - the Decepticons really takes the enjoyment out of the experience. And so, Swoop keeps to Dinobot Island where he can soar the skies in peace. Swoop holds himself to higher standards than his fellow Dinobots - while Grimlock and Snarl enjoy smashing things, Swoop stands aloof from the others, not taking the same kind of joy in smashing things. Make no mistake - Swoop does enjoy a good fight (he is a Dinobot after all) and the sound his ball and chain makes as it impacts on Decepticon armour, but he feels there is more to life than smashing and stomping. Flying is just as much fun, if not more. This has led Prowl to speculate that Swoop is fully capable of speech like Grimlock - but that for whatever reason (possibly a lack of intelligent conversation) Swoop simply chooses to not speak.

Abilities:

Compared to his fellow Dinobot brethren, Swoop has only above-average strength - physically he is on par with some of the stronger non-Dinobot Cybertronians, but he's a distant third compared to Grimlock and Snarl. Swoop makes up for this with his exceptional speed and agility - he's by far the most nimble of the three Dinobots and has exceptional speed and maneuverability in the air. He's also smarter than the average Dinobot.

In pteranodon mode, Swoop is capable of flight, and can dive at speeds of up to 250 mph. While he's not as fast as many of the flight-capable Decepticons, Swoop is far more maneuverable. Swoop's wings function as solar energy collectors which he can store as an alternative energy source, giving Swoop exceptional fuel efficiency and allowing him to function almost indefinitely provided he has sufficient solar reserves. Swoop's pteranodon mode is capable of unleashing a sonic scream which can short out the audio sensors of everyone within a close range. Swoop is capable of lifting up to ten times his own weight in pteranodon mode, a talent he uses to pick up boulders, buses and anything else he can find to drop on enemies. In robot mode, Swoop wields a ball and chain. Much like Grimlock's thermal greatsword, Swoop's ball and chain can be charged using his energy reserves (or collected solar energy) to ignite it, generating incredible heat and melting Decepticon armour on impact.

Weaknesses:

While intelligent by Dinobot standards, Swoop's intelligence is far, far below average. By conventional standards, he's not particularly smart. Swoop's solar energy collection depends on him operating in conditions where there is suitable sunlight available - he is less energy efficient in nighttime operations. Swoop's wings are extremely fragile - they can easily be damaged by Decepticon firepower, and once damaged Swoop is grounded, unable to fly or collect further solar energy.

Pteranodon mode:

Additional images of Swoop:

More information on Swoop at TFW2005

Author notes:

Transformers Animated Swoop is one of my favourite versions of Swoop. He's got so much personality - that's something I always praise Transformers Animated for, and Swoop is a great example. His tall, slender build gives him a unique silhouette - he looks visually very different from the other Dinobots and feels like a lithe, agile, and fast warrior. He also feels a bit aristocratic in his bearing - the wings behind him look sort of like coattails. I wrote these ideas into Swoop's bio. Swoop's design is a great reflection of the character's traditional role as the "less resilient but fast" type of character.

When writing Swoop's abilities, one aspect I needed to square was his quote from the packaging bio - "bombs away". That's a reference to Swoop's traditional role as a bombardier. The problem is Animated Swoop doesn't actually have bombs. My solution was inspired by how Swoop can hold his ball and chain in the claws of his pteranodon mode - and so I imagined Swoop carrying out his role as bombardier by picking things up and dropping them on Decepticons.

Overall, Animated Swoop is a fun character and that is reflected by his toy, which has a ton of personality and excellent poseability. He's another triumph for the Transformers Animated line, and a great demonstration of what the Transformers Animated line can really do.