What happened to Swindle?

[Outrider74]

I just realized this while watching my DVD of the TF cartoon. Everyone knows that Swindle's toy looks nothing like on TV, in either mode. The head, and the colors are about all that match. But, the way they drew Swindle looks a lot like it would work as a toy. In fact, from what I see, the transformation wouldnt be a lot different from G1 Streetwise (protectobot cop car). Not only was he a 'real' Jeep, he looks much better in robot mode than the toy. Fat, sawed off pinheaded runt whose shoulder joints are almost on his hips! So what happened to the version? Were they planning on re-tooling him for the U.S. and then they scrapped the idea before the cartoon could be fixed? Anyone know if the TV version ever had a toy, even as a prototype?

 

I know licensing wasnt an issue on this. Jeep hadn't become psychotic about letting their vehicles for another year or two. Proof of this would be that Swindle's toy came out a year earlier than the throttlebot Rollbar, who was a pretty convincing CJ-7.

[mx-01 archon]

Just one of those issues where the show model was completely redone from the toy. Like Ironhide/Ratchet, Skyfire, etc. In G1, the toys came first, so it's an issue of the animators not making it like the toy, not the toy not being like the show.

[Outrider74]

I gave that some thought, but unlike Ironhide/Ratchet and Jetfire, the show version of Swindle is feasible as a toy. From the looks of him, you'd swear it was based on something that actually existed.

[mx-01 archon]

Yeah, well, G1 animators were wierd sometimes.

[Bodycount]

the ones who took over after Floro was fired were pretty bad with their work....

And if you notice, all of the combaticons have weird parts on them that SHOULD transform that way, but don't....