Got a new toy yesterday, and he skips right to the front of the line of #Transformers mini-reviews. It’s G1 Swoop. More specifically, a KO, a knock-off, fake, counterfeit, whatever you want to call it. Was looking for a replacement beak and this was cheaper, so why not?

The Dinobot molds are supposedly lost, so this is the next best thing to getting a “real” reissue. I was nervous about a KO of Swoop, as he is one of the most fragile G1 toys. The bubble is slightly too wide for the box, and I think this one was packaged upside down. Let’s open!

Here he is, all shiny and chrome. The toy does not feel sturdy, but then again most Diaclone-based toys don’t, in my experience. The plastic feels slightly more flexible than my G1 original. Maybe that’s just in my head, or maybe it’s the effect of age.

He’s naked out of the box, not even the factory stickers are applied. Never fear, all of them are included, even a rub sign! I find putting stickers on rather frustrating but it is part of the original experience. Did I feel the same way when I was ten? Can’t remember.

Here he is after 30-40 minutes of stickering. Some of these decals are TINY. I dropped one and it just disappeared. Couldn’t find it anywhere on my worktable. I suppose I could have checked the carpet but life’s too short. Can you spot the missing sticker?

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Swoop comes with a sword and two missile launchers. The box art suggests one launcher on the wing, one in hand, and the sword in the other hand. I dislike that asymmetry, but hey, he’s a Dinobot and they don’t worry about aesthetics.

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Swoop is heavily chromed. The chrome on the wings is so thick that one wing can’t fold back all the way, as you can see in the picture. The missile launcher on that side would hardly fit in the hole. I had to wear the chrome down a bit for it to stay on.

After a harrowing transformation (I was so terrified I’d break him), we have dino mode. Even with the stickers there’s lots of empty space, though there are cool details molded in that help with it. Since 1985 it has bothered me that his robot arms are so visible in this mode.

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I rather like this configuration, even if I was too scared to get the landing gear out. All told, I’m pleased with the quality of the KO. I won’t be going all KO here on out but for toys that don’t have reissues or reasonably priced originals, I may dip my toe in a little deeper.

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