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Prowl | G1, The TF Collection (2002)

The third entry to the website is The TF Collection's version of the original G1 Prowl. A mainstay character in various iterations of Transformers, his origins all start with this toy mold...

The 360 Scans 

 
Robot Mode

 
Alt-Mode

The Context

This is Prowl from the G1 TF Collection released in 2002, which is of course a remake of the original G1 Prowl figure released in 1984. The mold used for Prowl’s alt-mode is actually based on a Nissan Fairlady Z, and originated in the Diaclone toy line.

Although Prowl is one of the more prominent characters from the original G1 cast, of both comics and cartoon, he was not actually the first Autobot to be released in toy form that used this mold. That honour belongs to Bluestreak, and indeed the mold was later reused again to make the character of Smokescreen. This is one of the earlier instances of reselling the same toy molds as a simple repaint, a trait amongst Transformers toys that is more commonly associated with the Decepticons Seeker jets - yet the Autobots had their own trio of mold-mates too! 

The vehicle alt-mode is meant to be that of a Nissan Fairlady Z, and Prowl is no exception - it’s just that his mode sports additional law-enforcement stylings. The same trick of grouping Prowl, Bluestreak (sometimes renamed as Silverstreak) and Smokescreen together has been pulled several times across various Transformers incarnations.

Prowl has probably been the character that took centre stage in the Transformers media due to the Police additions to his vehicle mode making him stand out from the more generic looking Bluestreak and Smokescreen. Prowl’s a Cop! He’s on the Autobots side. They must be the good guys, right? Ah, to be young and to see the world so simply again...

I really can’t stop buzzing off the twin missile launchers enough

What I think about this Bot

First of all, this is a great Transformers design. The alt-mode looks like a legit (toy) car. The robot mode strikes that perfect balance of not hiding what the alt-mode is, and instead incorporating the vehicle parts that don't limit the robot mode or its pose-ability, and instead actually proudly hints at where the various vehicle parts would go and how it would look. The original G1 toys were a mixed bag, but the Autobot cars in particular set a great example of this finely tuned balance that Transformers toys today must still try to get right. 

This particular mold is also known for being incredibly fragile, and although this particular figure is from the later TF Collection re-release, the fragility in the design remains. This is a figure that I handle with great care when transforming or moving on display. It's no wonder that original versions of the three ‘Fairlady Z’ characters command such high prices in the collector's market. Having photographed Prowl for this website, I can definitely say that I was concentrating hard, and being very precise when handling him!

Of course, comparing any of the 1980’s toys to later versions is always going to be unfair - technology and toy design is so much more sophisticated now, and so I’ll try not to make that a running theme on this website, as it should be a given. What I can say, is that despite the fragility, if you had a complete version of this toy as a kid in the 80’s, it must have blown your mind. 

This is one of the earliest examples of a toy, ever, successfully turning from a decent and solid toy car, into an articulated robot in disguise - one that also sported shoulder missiles. And he was a Cop!

I’m too young to remember if Prowl was a big deal in the UK, and I’ve almost never seen him on sale in the second hand market, probably due to breakages (no survivors) and high collectability as a result. Perhaps he was more common in other markets such as the US. If so, I can see how Prowl at the time, especially if complete, would have been an amazing toy.

For me though, because I don’t seem to remember him being a big deal in the UK, and because his character was more or less ‘background’ and very generic (until the IDW iteration) I’ve not got much of a personal stake in Prowl. I’m not a G1 completist, but even so, having a complete G1 figure in decent condition and with all the accessories does feel good, and he’s always looked right when displayed next to Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and Bumblebee.

Still, there’s no getting away from the fact that this is a 1980's design, complete with any mechanical weaknesses imposed by the technology of the time. I do like one particular feature, the chunky ‘pelvis lock’ when his mid-section rotates during transformation, it feels reassuringly solid, and its the sort of idea that I’d have thought would be more at home in modern-era Transformers. Sadly, it’s the only aspect of his transformation that inspires much confidence. Converting Prowl (and many other G1 characters) today feels more like performing surgery than playing with transformations. 

Though an amazing design for it’s time, the Fairlady Z / Police car also features some odd proportions if the alt-mode hasn’t been aligned just right. On the 360 scans here, you can see that the front and back halves of the car are slightly out of alignment. The rear windows can also give the impression that his left and right sides are out of synch too. It’s such a minor quibble, but it’s also a fair observation. I suspect that other G1 car-characters don’t have this perspective issue quite as badly as Prowl, Bluestreak or Smokescreen.

All in, my particular figure is in great condition, with all the accessories (packaging not complete, but almost) and so I’m happy to pass this along the spacebridge network and say that this toy is… For sale!

STATUS: For sale!
My Dad's Nissan never looked this good

The GIFs



Wrap Up

It may seem like I'm being a bit harsh on G1 Prowl - I hope that isn’t the takeaway. As I say, if you had a complete version of this toy in the 80’s, you must have felt unstoppable. “Get a load of my shoulder missiles Decepticons! I am the Law!”

Alas, Prowl the character was never actually that exciting in G1, and as I’m sure is the case for many older fans, the most exciting thing he ever did was to actually die gruesomely in Transformers The Movie…

When kids cartoons grew up - fast

Thankfully, later writers in the IDW Comics Universe took Prowl’s description as being a military strategist, whose motto was “Logic is the Ultimate Weapon”, to some very uncomfortable and fascinating places story-wise.

Playing the role as the Autobot's logician, Prowl mentality of “the ends justifies the means” saw him at the centre of so many machinations throughout the entire IDW comics run, trying to win the war through puppeteering, manipulation and duplicity - and that's only talking about the Bots on his own side. All of these stories added up to taking a bot who had been a very generic and boring ‘goody’, into one of the most compelling, intriguing and unexpected ‘baddies’ anti-heroes the Transformers franchise has ever had.

Perhaps I’m actually selling him, because I’m terrified of what Prowl is actually capable of...

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Further Info & Links

For more information on the original G1 figure, its re-releases, Diaclone origins or character background, check out these amazing Transformers websites and related links;