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Swindle
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Combaticon
Function: Munitions Expert
First Comic Appearance: Transformers #24
"Make deals, not war."
Profile: Don't let Swindle's easygoing, good-natured personality fool you; within him beats the fuel pump of the most greed-driven street hustler. Without blinking an optical sensor, he'd trade Decepticon leader Megatron's right arm for a toaster if he needed the toaster badly enough (and if he could get the arm off of Megatron!). He is an opportunist without peer. He thrives on wheeling and dealing and seemingly is capable of procuring anything to fulfill the design and equipment needs of his armaments work. Although the weapons he builds are much appreciated, his fellow Combaticons know that Swindle's efforts on behalf of the Decepiicons are a mere sideline to his actual purpose: He is solely concerned with himself, and most of his entrepreneurial activities are for his own personal material advancement. If he thought it were in his interest to trade with the enemy, the Autobots, he probably would. He is truly a one-robot "black market."
Abilities: Perhaps Swindle's greatest talent is his gift of gab. He could probably sell oil to an Arab sheik, if given the chance. In both jeep and robot modes, he uses two weapons: a scatter blaster that shoots bursts of explosive buckshot-type pellets over a wide area, and a gyro-gun that disturbs the balance centers of Transformers, severely hampering their driving, flying, and/or walking. With his fellow Combaticons, Swindle combines to form the giant robot Bruticus.
Weaknesses: In jeep mode, Swindle can't handle sharp turns at high speeds very well and is prone to overturning. Although his exterior is fairly well armored, a direct hit on his unprotected and open dashboard can easily disable him.
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