Review of
Transformers Animated Prowl.
I, along with a handful of other lucky Transformers fans in Hamilton, Ontario, were given the chance to purchase the first wave of deluxe class
Transformers Animated figures this week when they unexpectedly showed up at retail in one Wal-Mart in Hamilton. I thought I would share my find with you all in a series of photo reviews. Up first is
ProwlVehicle Mode
As in the cartoon, Prowl transformers into a black and gold police motorbike. His bike mode is great in that no glaring apparent robot parts are visible. His throwing stars fold up and peg into the spokes of his wheels, blending seamlessly into his vehicle mode. Thankfully, he has a kickstand, which allows him to stand up. The only articulated pieces of his robot mode are the handlebars. His windshield, headlights, and siren lights are all cast in a translucent plastic. In areas, the paint is a little flaky and sloppy, but nothing that is unexpected from a mass-market, cartoon-based figure.
Transformation
On the first try, it took me a few minutes to get used to his transformation, especially in his conversion from robot mode back to vehicle mode. You want to make sure you don’t try to make the left leg into the front wheel, or try to transform his torso with the legs in the way. Since his arms and hands transform into the seat and back-portion of the bike, during transformation they fold forward. You can completely transform the arms without changing the rest of the bike; hence, motor-bike with arms!
Robot Mode
In robot mode, Prowl is also very show-accurate. He is articulated at the neck (ball-joint with only a swivel movement), shoulders (ball-joint), elbows (ball-joint), waist (ball-joint that only leans forward), hips (ball-joint), knees (swivel-joints), mid-leg (swivel joints at wheel spokes that allow back and forth movement) and feet/toes (ball-joints). Despite joints that should allow a wide-range of motion, Prowl is disappointedly limited given that his character is a ninja of sorts. Prowl has no heels; therefore, if you try to pose him in any way that requires his legs to support his weight, he will fall backwards. It does not help that the sides of his bike mode protrude from his back like wings, making him top and back-heavy. For the most part, however, all his joints move freely and with ease; you just won’t get many cool standing poses with them Due to a lack of paint, the features on his face are fairly indistinct. It is hard to distinguish his nose from his mouth although they are sculpted.
Another gripe I have about his robot mode is what I like to call “Prowl’s Package”. At his crotch is a very obvious and odd-looking peg that aids in keeping his feet tucked away in vehicle mode. In robot mode, however, it looks like Prowl left his fly open. Very distracting.
Accessories / Features
Prowl comes with two throwing stars that integrate into his bike mode. They fit fairly well into his sculpted hands; however, they do have a tendency to fall out in some positions. Thankfully, Prowl has another feature that helps. On the bottom of his forearms are his police siren lights. They rotate around to become daggers/blasters as an added feature. They also have a secondary function; they help keep the throwing stars in Prowl’s hands. Finally, Prowl comes with a streetlight on a rope. I like this weapon as it allows Prowl to have a melee weapon as well as projectiles.
Overall, Prowl looks great in vehicle mode, but in robot mode has some articulation and design issues that are slightly disappointing
Prowl: 4/5
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