G1
Mini Vehicles: Swerve

Origins

Swerve was retooled and redecorated from G1 Gears. Swerve was based on the design credited to Hideaki Yoke (which may not be the case, see our Gears article for more). The original US Patent for Swerve, titled Reconfigurable toy vehicle (aka Transformers G1 Swerve) was filed on October 4, 1985 (U.S. Patent No. USD295300 S).

Description

Swerve resembles no real vehicle, but was obviously insipred by the jacked-up off-road pickups of the day. He has an oddly-shaped white bed topper, a small chrome grill, and shares his deeply treaded plastic wheels with wave-mates Pipes and Outback. Like all the former Microchange Mini CAR “big vehicles,” he also shares a similar, very simple, transformation scheme. His arms pull out from the sides, and his legs swing down from the rear of the vehicle. Also like the others, his bright red face is molded on the bottom of his white vehicle chassis.
Date stamp location: Under front fenders, above wheels
Rubsign location: truck cab roof, rotated sideways

Collector Notes

Due to his abject simplicity, Swerve does not have any of the frailties or weaknesses of many of his contemporaries.

Variants

The US/Japan release of Swerve has no known variants, having been likely produced from a copy of the Type 4 Gears tooling. Swerve’s most notable international variant comes from Mexico. All Swerves produced by Mexican licensee Plasticos IGA use an unaltered Gears mold, but Swerve’s maroon and white deco.
Type 1 With rubsign, "©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1974-1983 ©Hasbro 1974-1983", small kneecaps
Type 1 MX Without rubsign, sparkly metallic maroon Type 4 Gears mold, "©Takara Co. Ltd. Japan 1974-1983 ©Hasbro 1974-1983" stamping. Note the unaltered Japan stamping, despite being produced in Mexico.

Availability

Swerve was available worldwide in 1986. He was released again in Japan’s Transformers Encore in the set Bumble & Minibots, featuring additional paint applications.

Swerve was available in 1986. Swerve was available again in .
Case Assortments (Item#/Asst#): 1986: Mini Vehicles with Patch (5911/5711.05), 3 per 24; : Mini Vehicles Assortment 3 (5911/5711), 3 per 24
MSRP: $2.99 (1986),
Packaging: Blister card with instructions and Tech Spec on back
Robot Points: 1/2 Autobot
Paperwork included: A random one of ten iron-on patches with “Prizes in Disguise” entry form (early 1986), “Look Inside for a Special Offer!” (late 1986)

Redecos & Retools

Swerve’s mold has not been re-used.

Character Bio

FUNCTION: METALLURGIST
“Molecular structure is the window to understanding.”