Here’s a Better Look at Studio Series 86 Swoop

Looks great, can't wait to get this guy
Can't decide if I want him to keep both swords or if I wanna give one to Slug. Or maybe I'll give it to Snarl and give snarls sword to the tiger stripe Grimlock. Decisions decisions

YAY Finally!!!!! I must have him. He was always a favorite of mine!

MUCH better! I like what I see!

Wow. Finally.
Here are my initial thoughts, starting with the criticisms.

The wings in dino mode do look a bit short.
From top to bottom, the torso in dino mode looks a bit thick.
Having a blaster would’ve been nice, but I can understand the swords.
The bot mode really should have forearm panels.

Obviously none of these come anywhere close to being “deal-breakers”. But I also wouldn’t necessarily call them nit-picks either. For being Leader class with substantially less engineering and parts than the other 4, at least a few items listed above should’ve been non-issues.

For me, as far as what can be seen in these stills, the positives far outweigh and out-number any negatives.
The highlights for me are definitely the bot mode, and the face and head sculpt…. Again based on what I can see, Hastak nailed the look of his face and head…. This alone makes me really happy. The whole bot mode is fantastic, the proportions look to be on point, and I like that the torso collapses together for dino mode.
So I am beyond excited to get this figure.
I’m also thankful that Snarl and Swoop have been the last two released since they’re my favorites.

Looks like my ranking of these Dinobots is:
1: Snarl and Swoop
2: Grimlock
3: Sludge and Slag

I can’t wait to see images of all 5 together.

Confounded , Infernal, slaggin' Box art pics, not showing his number deisgnation... . You know thats gotta be on purpose. But Im guessing its going to be SS 86 26. Although we now live ina world with two 86-24's (Buzzworthy label aside), so I'm not sure why I still keep track, Hasbro obviously dosen't

I did see that there is a swivel hinge on each wing that would allow that last section to rotate into a different position; it may not make the wings look longer, but they can be put into more of a dive-bombing, aggressive look.
This is a guess, but it’s what I’m seeing.

For reference:

william-james88 wrote:The newly revealed Transformers Studio Series toys were on display at Wondercon allowing fans to check them out.
Toy Shiz posted a video of the various toy displays which includes Swoop. Below are screen caps of that video, giving us our best look yet at the figure in both modes which are very G1 accurate. Preorders for this figure go up next thursday.

Video is broken

I can't tell you folks how VERY excited I am to see that this guy is finally revealed to the world! There is no doubt in my mind that I will be preordering this guy when it goes up on Hasbro Pulse!

Sowndwave76 wrote:I did see that there is a swivel hinge on each wing that would allow that last section to rotate into a different position; it may not make the wings look longer, but they can be put into more of a dive-bombing, aggressive look.
This is a guess, but it’s what I’m seeing.

I've noticed that as well. We don't get a good image of the back side of the toy in robot mode to tell, unfortunately.

So people on Facebook and Reddit can now stop complaining that we havent' seen him and now complain that

*his wings are too short
*he only comes with 1 other sword

or other complaints. Yaaaay!

For my part, not that there was a whole lot of doubt, but I'm sold. I'll preorder him ASAP on Thursday. Swords are whatever as far as I'm concerned, I got the solid red Nonnef swords for everyone (including Snarl so he'd match the others) so if anything now I'll have a surplus Grimlock sword. I could give it to the tiger stripes version I suppose.

Well at least people can't complain about him being too small, he takes up the whole box and looks like a giant with all those Deluxe figures on the display.

Emerje

Overall, he looks pretty good.

I really hope we get a red version eventually, to go with comics Grimlock.

Why couldn't they give us a couple of Dinobot group shots?

I'm a little bit disappointed for Swoop. For its simplicity and hollowness, Hasbro could've/should've provide the missing weapons of his brethrens. I personally am not too mad about missing swords, it's Snarl's gun that I wanted.

Oh well, it's in Hasbro's habit of skimming out on design/accessories for a last member of a group, like Menasor breakdown, so I half expected it.

Sowndwave76 wrote:Wow. Finally.
Here are my initial thoughts, starting with the criticisms.

The wings in dino mode do look a bit short.
From top to bottom, the torso in dino mode looks a bit thick.
Having a blaster would’ve been nice, but I can understand the swords.
The bot mode really should have forearm panels.

I can’t wait to see images of all 5 together.

Hastak definitely erred towards the character sheet. the wings aren't necessarily too short widthwise but they're definitely thinner along the lengthwise axis than they ought be. If they were to do a toy color version I'd really like to see the wings retooled because while they look *fine* as they are, the point where the wings "connect" to the body at the bottom should be further down.

Taking a closer look at Swoop from different angles, it seems that they did indeed follow the animation model pretty closely, except in one aspect. And that's the wings.

I add the disclaimer, that this is Sunbow we're talking about. And they're notorious for going off-model. But with Swoop at least, I noted some consistency. The official model drawing for Swoop is this one:



As can be seen for the Dino mode, the wings have a distinct triangular web connection to the shoulders, and to the back dino legs/claws. There are also additional angles near the shoulders/neck to give it a more pinion/webbed appearance.

But in the show, the lazy animators rarely followed that setup. Instead, the wings connected in a fairly straight line without any additional bends or angles. There was also a distinctive three-hinge setup for each wing. It could fold where it joined to the body. It also folded near the middle of each wing. But there was also another hinge half-way between the second hinge, and the wing tip. And in the show, they USED that extra hinge to give Swoop's wings more flapping/curling ability, as shown in this screenshot:



The 86 Leader Swoop figure seems to be trying to mimic the image of Swoop shown at the top left of his model sheet, which shows him looked at from the top and down. I would rather they had followed the other model images which show expanded wings, and the tri-hinge setup. Nitpicking, maybe. But if they were really going for 'on-screen' accuracy, then that setup was the one the animators actually used for the episodes wherein he appeared. It gave him both a wider wingspan, and more articulation. And it looks like they COULD have done it pretty easily.

Well, I gotta say, that is the UGLIEST Commander class figure I've ever seen. 0/10. You failed us, Hasbro! Just call it quits, now. This figure blows!

Sabrblade wrote:Well, I gotta say, that is the UGLIEST Commander class figure I've ever seen. 0/10. You failed us, Hasbro! Just call it quits, now. This figure blows!

Agreed. just terrible. And the sound bites, sound nothing like Peter Cullen. Nothing!.

Overcracker wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Well, I gotta say, that is the UGLIEST Commander class figure I've ever seen. 0/10. You failed us, Hasbro! Just call it quits, now. This figure blows!

Agreed. just terrible. And the sound bites, sound nothing like Peter Cullen. Nothing!.

:BOWDOWN:

Wow. Just a horrific figure. WTF were they thinking?

Blaster was underwhelming, kinda funny that this is his 3rd release of the exact same mold. I won't get it the same way i did not get the first 2, but glad for people getting the cartoon colors.

Swoop looks pretty good, hopefully he will keep the trend of odd numbered dinobot releases actually being good.

Also, I hope we get a red version, I would like that one to go on my Beast Wars shelf.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Also, I hope we get a red version, I would like that one to go on my Beast Wars shelf.

In that case, wouldn't the smaller Selects POTP Red Swoop be more size-appropriate? Since The Veteran was a Maximal rather than an Autobot.

Sabrblade wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Also, I hope we get a red version, I would like that one to go on my Beast Wars shelf.

In that case, wouldn't the smaller Selects POTP Red Swoop be more size-appropriate? Since The Veteran was a Maximal rather than an Autobot.

True, and I do have him, but I use a spare Blue Swoop as the Veteran and I use Red Swoop as Ptero, and they are arms to my Magnaboss, seeing as how Tigatron is on Battle Core Maximus and I do not own Unit-3 yet.

william-james88 wrote:
Fans were also teased with announcements that these figures would be coming out:

-RID Sideburn
-Cybertron Hot Shot
-Infernac Nucleous
-Vector Prime

I know these guys were leaked a while ago, but it's still cool to get their announcements. Vector Prime is one of my all-time favorite Transformers characters, so I'm excited to see the Legacy take on him. He has two distinct looks between Cybertron and Aligned/IDW, so it'll be interesting to see what they go for given the lack of a Universe identifier.

I'm also curious whether Hot Shot will be his original body or his Cybetron Defense Team body.

#1 Signal Lancer fan wrote:I'm also curious whether Hot Shot will be his original body or his Cybetron Defense Team body.

Probably his first body since his Cybertron Defense Team body previously already got an update as a Selects figure retooled from Siege Hound.

Sabrblade wrote:

#1 Signal Lancer fan wrote:I'm also curious whether Hot Shot will be his original body or his Cybetron Defense Team body.

Probably his first body since his Cybertron Defense Team body previously already got an update as a Selects figure retooled from Siege Hound.

BMac also explicitly mentioned in an Instagram comment it would be the car Hot Shot

We have quite a few new images to share with you below, all from Hasbro. Firstly, Evan Brooks, the Hasbro designer behind Swoop, wrote an Instagram post about the toy and includes new images. We get a better idea of the wingspan, which seems G1 (show) accurate and we get that important group shot.
Also, we know that Hasui is the Takara engineer behind this release, as with all the other Dinobots. He's the master behind MP 10, HFTD Leader Starscream, Titan Devastator and so much more.

We then have official images of the Studio Series 2024 wave 2 deluxes, voyager and leader from Hasbro, showing their in package images. Enjoy!

Definitely picking up Side Burn and Hot Shot on sight.

The real question is... will they eventually give us the repaints for both? Super Side Burn and Excellion. Hopefully Excellion is easier to Gert this time around than he was originally.

Vector Prime might be interesting. I own the original one, but would like to see what a modern take on him does. At least his soft rubbery wings and sword probably won't be a thing.

Sweet pics

That Sideswipe looks WAY better than the first mold from back in the day.

Overcracker wrote:Definitely picking up Side Burn and Hot Shot on sight.

The real question is... will they eventually give us the repaints for both? Super Side Burn and Excellion. Hopefully Excellion is easier to Gert this time around than he was originally.

Vector Prime might be interesting. I own the original one, but would like to see what a modern take on him does. At least his soft rubbery wings and sword probably won't be a thing.

His sword was soft plastic? I remember it being hard plastic for some reason.

william-james88 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:Definitely picking up Side Burn and Hot Shot on sight.

The real question is... will they eventually give us the repaints for both? Super Side Burn and Excellion. Hopefully Excellion is easier to Gert this time around than he was originally.

Vector Prime might be interesting. I own the original one, but would like to see what a modern take on him does. At least his soft rubbery wings and sword probably won't be a thing.

His sword was soft plastic? I remember it being hard plastic for some reason.

Soft and wobbly, sadly, at least the Hasbro Version.

Galaxy Force had apparently a stiffer sword, though I never owned him so can’t confirm that.

william-james88 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:Definitely picking up Side Burn and Hot Shot on sight.

The real question is... will they eventually give us the repaints for both? Super Side Burn and Excellion. Hopefully Excellion is easier to Gert this time around than he was originally.

Vector Prime might be interesting. I own the original one, but would like to see what a modern take on him does. At least his soft rubbery wings and sword probably won't be a thing.

His sword was soft plastic? I remember it being hard plastic for some reason.

The Hasbro version (left) used soft plastic for the sword and wings, while the Takara version (right) used a harder non-bendy plastic.

So it looks like in the original photos from the display at WonderCon, Swoop’s wings weren’t transformed completely; the circular hinge I spotted is used to extend his wings.
In those photos, that hinge is at the back of the wings, but in recent photos, those are in the front (once the wings are opened all the way).
Now I don’t think this makes some ginormous difference, but definitely helps.

Sabrblade wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:Definitely picking up Side Burn and Hot Shot on sight.

The real question is... will they eventually give us the repaints for both? Super Side Burn and Excellion. Hopefully Excellion is easier to Gert this time around than he was originally.

Vector Prime might be interesting. I own the original one, but would like to see what a modern take on him does. At least his soft rubbery wings and sword probably won't be a thing.

His sword was soft plastic? I remember it being hard plastic for some reason.

The Hasbro version (left) used soft plastic for the sword and wings, while the Takara version (right) used a harder non-bendy plastic.

Ahhhhh the good old days of child safety standards, and when they mattered.

I may have skimmed over the article, but does Swoop really come with a flight stand?

-Kanrabat- wrote:I may have skimmed over the article, but does Swoop really come with a flight stand?

No. He's just flight stand compatible.

Sabrblade wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:I may have skimmed over the article, but does Swoop really come with a flight stand?

No. He's just flight stand compatible.

Tsk.

Having tiger strip Grimlock, I gotta admit, I wouldn't say no to G2 coloured Dinobots. The blue and green swoop in particular.

~ Grim

Big Grim wrote:Having tiger strip Grimlock, I gotta admit, I wouldn't say no to G2 coloured Dinobots. The blue and green swoop in particular.

~ Grim

I would be on board with this.

I would also like leader FOC Dinobots, though I can wait on them until we finish the live action leader dinobots.

BTW, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are in stock at Amazon, bought mine last night

Yep, it looks like the designers used the model sheet section that depict Swoop's wings in a configuration that doesn't really follow what they actually did in the cartoon.



In the cartoon, no matter what the model sheet conveyed, they drew Swoop's wings so they reached further back, attaching closer to his rear 'claws'. And the section of the wings which connected to the body were not angled forwards. They went pretty much straight out from the side of the body, tapering slightly inward. This had the wings extending out further, and using a 3-hinge setup for better 'flapping' poses, not a 2-hinge setup.



I wish they'd gone that way instead. It would give Swoop more presence with a wider wingspan, and I'm sure they could have accommodated the 3-hinge wings with the engineering and not sacrificed the robot mode's cartoon accuracy.



The 2-hinge setup, combined with the shorter wingspan, diminishes the appearance of the wings by comparison to how he was conveyed, in action, on the series.

I am a bit surprised the wings don’t have 3 hinges…
Sure, the torso expands/collapses, but there is very little transforming in either the arm or leg areas; fewer parts and less engineering overall, and therefore I figured more would’ve gone into the wings and the wing articulation.
Thankfully this doesn’t affect the appearance of the bot mode.

Every one of these Dinobots has at least a slight issue with their dino mode. But considering they are pretty legitimate Leader class figures, it doesn’t seem like these issues could have been adequately addressed in this budget. Even scrapping the couple pack-in figures probably wouldn’t be enough.
I’m confident these are the best Dinobots Hastak will release for a very long, long time.
Anything better will not only be years and years and years and years down the road, but guaranteed they will be much more expensive, without any guarantee they’ll be as large or larger.

I’m very happy with all 5.

3rd party wing extensions in 3…2…1….

Just waiting for him to be up for preorder...

Rodimus Prime wrote:Just waiting for him to be up for preorder...

Same, not waiting like I did with Snarl and then have to scramble to find one. I'm surprised it didn't go up this week like SS Suntreaker and SSGE Sideswipe did since they were all revealed at the same time.

Emerje

One good thing to me about Swoop: he appears to continue the trend of odd number release dinobots being good. He looks great. I am continuing to enjoy him as more photos come out.

Emerje wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Just waiting for him to be up for preorder...

Same, not waiting like I did with Snarl and then have to scramble to find one. I'm surprised it didn't go up this week like SS Suntreaker and SSGE Sideswipe did since they were all revealed at the same time.

Emerje

Preorders go live at 1 today on Pulse.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:One good thing to me about Swoop: he appears to continue the trend of odd number release dinobots being good. He looks great. I am continuing to enjoy him as more photos come out.

Emerje wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Just waiting for him to be up for preorder...

Same, not waiting like I did with Snarl and then have to scramble to find one. I'm surprised it didn't go up this week like SS Suntreaker and SSGE Sideswipe did since they were all revealed at the same time.

Emerje

Preorders go live at 1 today on Pulse.

He had already sold out when I checked at 1:20. So much for that! Ordered one on BBTS. Was hoping it would go up on Target, but it hasn't yet (Target Prime is available again so there's that).

Emerje

Put in my preorder for two copies of Swoop with Amazon just a little after noon.
I thought this guy was wave 2…. Even if he ships in July, that’s third quarter…
Oh well.

It’s kind of crazy that I’ve preordered the last TF figure on my “Most Wanted” list…
Anything and everything else is just icing now.

Absolutely brilliant! I had an appointment today which prevented me from being able to place and order at Pulse, so I guess I'd have to try y luck with EE's questionable availability.

Till-all-R1 wrote:Absolutely brilliant! I had an appointment today which prevented me from being able to place and order at Pulse, so I guess I'd have to try y luck with EE's questionable availability.

If it makes you feel any better, my Autobot 5 pk will be here from Entertainment Earth in 6 days even though I want to say the original ship date was for sometime in July.

Nabbed Swoop off Gamestop. Last G1 Swoop I'm ever gonna get.

Yes his wings could stand to be longer. I'm hoping for a 3P fix but I wonder how it can be done. I see rivets in there. Honestly, though, all the dinos have their own unique flaws. Grim has missing front teeth. Slag has a gun where the tip of the tail should be. Snarl has their weird tail. Sludge has a hollow belly! It would be inconsistent for Swoop to be perfect!

TBH, though, even if they're all just 10% shy of 100% I'm glad to have the set. I never thought we'd get large, official, Dinobots.