The Sweeps are a subgroup of Decepticons in the The Transformers: The Movie and all physically resemble Scourge.
They were voiced by Neil Ross, Corey Burton, Frank Welker, Ed Gilbert, Jerry Houser, Beau Weaver, Paul Eiding, Chris Latta, Aran Kincaid, Dick Gautier and Jack Angel.
In the mobile game Transformers: Earth Wars, Sweeps once again appears as a subgroup of Decepticons.
History[]
The Sweeps were among the new Decepticons created by Unicron, seemingly out of the remains of the Insecticons. They served Galvatron as he took back control of the Decepticons and then attempted to gain the Creation Matrix.
After the events of the movie, the Sweeps went into exile with the other Decepticons on Chaar. They tended to accompany Scourge and Cyclonus and were among those who retrieved the lost Galvatron. Despite this, they were often on the receiving end of Galvatron's temper, and sometimes also that of his lieutenants, as well as tending to take a high casualty rate during battles. In "Starscream's Ghost", Cyclonus threatened them into searching a dark cavern for the fugitive Octane, while in "The Dweller in the Deep", several of them were transformed temporarily into energy vampires when Galvatron sacrificed them to escape from the Dweller.
They last appeared in "The Return of Optimus Prime" among those infected with the Hate Plague, joining Cyclonus and Scourge in attacking Galvatron.
In Earth Wars, their treatment is not much better than the TV animation. Sweeps here serves as aerial task force for Decepticons. Considered as expendable and easily replaceable by Decepticons' chain of command, the missions they are given to fulfill are so extremely dangerous that they are deemed suicide missions. In fact, Sweeps are given minimal amount of briefings and trainings, then send to complete their missions - often in the grilling line of enemy fire. Majority of Sweeps agents are not too smart and life value of Sweeps are as equal to that of insects. Not surprisingly, life expectancy of Sweep agents is short.
But there is an exception to the rule, and that exception is Scourge. The leader of Sweeps, Scourge is a veteran Sweep who had survived multiple suicide missions.
