Strawberry flavoured Sideswipe.

Another G1 redeco. Hooraaaaaaaaay.
If that sounded sarcastic, it’s not. I like bright and cheerful redecos of movie figures. This guy even gets a new head to sit on his shoulders.
You can check out my thoughts about the mold in the Sideswipe review. This review will focus on the new paint and whether or not you should double dip and get two of the same mold.

Vehicle mode

So red. Like an apple. A matte red apple.
While the silver paint in car mode on Sideswipe was his main selling point, red actually looks very nice on this mold.

Transformation

Same as Sidewipe. No mold degradation here.

Robot mode

New head! And it looks good! Whether or not it looks like G1 Sideswipe or G1 Swerve is… up to interpretation.
Gotta say, the new colours and head really sell that this is a different character. He’s not Sideswipe in a new jacket, he’s Swerve!

Gimmicks

Same as Sideswipe. He’s got double arm-blades and moving knee-guards.

Toy or collectible?

The mold itself is a good toy for older kids. It’s just complex enough to be fun but not frustrating. Unfortunately, Swerve here is kinda expensive and I would flinch giving him to a child because of it.
Somehow, Swerve ended up becoming more rare and sought after than the original ROTF Sideswipe. Not obscenely expensive, but expensive. So I guess that by default makes him good for collectors. That, and he’s a good Transformer overall.

Closing

Honestly, you should get Swerve if you have Sideswipe. But then, you should get rid of Sideswipe and replace him with any of the newer Bayverse Sideswipe molds that were released.
That way Swerve has a unique mold all for himself.
That’s my two cents anyway.