Prowl (Energon)
Vehicle ModeRobot Mode
Allegiance: Autobot
Size: Deluxe
Difficulty of Transformation: Easy
Difficulty of Powerlinx Transformation: Medium
Color Scheme: Dark blue, bluish black, pale tannish gray, gray, and some transparent dark blue, transparent dark red, transparent aquamarine, gold, bronze, silver, sparkly off-white, and black
Powerlinx ports: None
Rating: 5.8

    Prowl's vehicle mode is some kind of futuristic race car/police car hybrid. It's got the general (and I mean GENERAL) shape of a race car, but it has sirens on the back fin, and "POLICE" is emblazoned on him in four different areas (along with some Japanese writing, but I can't read it). I really don't like this mode- his proportions are WAY off. He's too wide when compared to his length, his window/driver's seat is far too small, and his back fin is way too short, among other things. It just looks rather silly, really. One look at him and you can tell how he transforms (similar to Armada Swindle), and... I don't like that, especially on a deluxe-sized toy. His gun also is mounted on him in a rather odd way in this mode- because of the placement of the holes, it's basically attached to either one side of the car or the other, instead of a more preferable centered position. The robot head is also rather obvious on the backside of this mode. That's not to say that Prowl has absolutely no positives in this mode, though- it's just that they're far and few between. One good thing is the color scheme- blue, gray, black, and gold with a few other accent colors makes for a good Autobot scheme, and it's appropriate for a race/police car. And although the mold detailing is lacking in some of the larger areas, there's a few areas- like the gun- where it's pretty good. An especially cool detail is that, when you roll Prowl along on the ground, you can see painted mechanical detailing INSIDE his rear wheel! Prowl's silver Autobot Powerlinx symbol is on the top left side of this mode, to the rear of the "POLICE" emblem.
    Prowl's robot mode is almost laughable. His proportions are absolutely ludicrous. So much for being even the slightest bit intimidating... Okay, where to start? His chest sticks out so much it looks like he has to continually peer over it, for one. His arms are a little on the small side, and have because of their blocky proportions, they have noticeable gaps near the joints. The large wheels on top of his shoulders also look a bit goofy, seeing as how the arms aren't actually connected to his body, but rather, just those huge horizontal shoulders. From any view except head-on, you can easily see his legs go all the way up to his NECK. His feet are also a little on the clonky side, although that's no different from most of the other Energon Autobots. In addition, Prowl oddly has no Powerlinx ports like his Autobot brethren, although he does have two Minicon ports on his gun. On the plus side (and pretty much his ONLY plus side) is that Prowl has rather good articulation in this mode- he can move at pretty much any point except the waist, and his head movement is restricted a little. But you can still get him into a fair number of poses.

Prowl as top half (Powerlinx Prowl)Prowl as Bottom Half (Powerlinx Rodimus)
    Prowl's Powerlinx modes are really his main selling point- they're actually some of the best out of all the Energon Autobots. As the top half of a Powerlinx robot, Prowl generally looks good, except for his overly large lower arms, which just have flat fists on the top of them. The robot parts hanging behind his back actually complement the mode rather than just look like kibble, and his overall proportions and articulation are nice.
    As the lower half of a Powerlinx robot, Prowl still retains some pretty good proportions. The robot extra stuff hanging off the back looks more like kibble in this configuration than it does in the other mode, though. The pelvis does tend to stick out a bit, but the chest plate can actually rotate upwards to cover the chest of the upper Powerlinx robot. It's a very innovative feature, and it was obviously meant to go this way, even though the instructions don't mention it. As legs, Prowl also has pretty good articulation.

    Prowl has some pretty nice Powerlinx modes, but that's not nearly enough to save this dismal figure, as BOTH of his individual modes are absolutely atrocious. Prowl's a perfect example of how a gimmick can completely ruin a toy. Not recommended unless you're a completist or you just really like the Powerlinking gimmick.



Prowl Bio:
MOTTO: "You can run from justice, but I'll catch you."
Prowl is an Autobot and head of security for several strategic bases. He is faster than any of his comrades in both robot and vehicle mode. His powerful cannon can fire weapons of restraint on his enemies, such as energon nets and cages. In vehicle mode, he is a Formula One police car capable of great speed and maneuverability. Any Decepticon that has tried to escape his pursuit has met with failure. Prowl is able to powerlinx with Inferno. He is a true team player but his suspicious nature prevents him from completely trusting any of his Autobot teammates.
Strength: 7.0
Intelligence: 8.0
Speed: 10.0
Endurance: 5.0
Rank: 7.0
Courage: 8.0
Fireblast: 7.0
Skill: 8.0

Review by Beastbot

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