Review: #64
Name: Samurai Prowl
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Animated
Year of Release: 2009
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 6)
Variations: a retool from the original deluxe Prowl
BIKE MODE:
I'll start with the basic bike mode first. Prowl transforms into a stylised motorcycle, however, the proportions are more realistic than other Animated toys, and it is a very very well formed bike. There are many subtle mode changes here in the retool, from the sharper front mudguard, smaller side cowlings and the change to translucent blue plastic. Not all of it are positive though, the change of the police lights from red and blue to just baby blue really hurts.
Prowl has a flip down kickstand to let this two-wheeled vehicle stand on display. Simply put, this is an amazing motorcycle, there are no robot kibble anywhere, which is a testament to how great the engineering is. However, due to the small side cowlings, you can see the hip pieces when viewing directly from the side. Obviously both wheels roll, and there's a lot less paint this time around.
There's some nice details such as the molded gas cap, and odometer type molded details behind the windshield. Neither are painted so they're hard to pick out unless you're really looking for it.
BIKE MODE (WITH SIDECAR):
Obviously, the main attraction here is the sidecar (that transforms into armor for the robot mode). There are two pegs on the sidecar that corresponds to two slots on the main bike. However, I find that only one of those slots on mine can peg it, doesn't affect anything though.
The sidecar also rolls, but not very well. Why? Because only the outer half of the wheel rolls, the inner half houses the sword and is a fixed piece. The sidecar looks like a natural extensive of the bike itself, with a matching colour scheme and sharp angles.
However, the sidecar is a bit hollow, literately. Since Samurai Prowl is still sold as a deluxe, I guess they couldn't afford more plastic than what they have here, especially with the additional paint applications. It's a bit disappointing and feels half baked at times (but still an awesome extension).
I don't know if it is just me but the front of the sidecar feels like it's too far off the ground, so it's best to look at Prowl from an angle.
There's also a weak attempt at a seat of the sidecar, it doesn't really work, due to the hollowness.
Prowl as a bike on his own is a bit too small and thin for a Deluxe (in my opinion), now with the sidecar, it bulks it up.
It's a really nice bike mode in the end, and if you don't like the sidecar, you can leave it off. Great paint scheme and great proportions makes this mode a winner.
TRANSFORMATION (TO ROBOT MODE):
Prowl is a partsformers (what else can you expect when the sidecar was designed around an existing toy?), so the sidecar and base robot transforms separately. I have no problems with this, since I love Transformers with 'super armor'. The transformation to robot mode is ingenious, especially with how the wheels are dealt with. It is amazing and very innovative. However, due to the retool, getting back to bike mode is much more frustrating and more of a pain than the original version (this is due to the thigh swivels being added). Prowl relies a lot on balljoints, and these will wear out over time. Getting the feet back into position in the motorcycle is a mess, and more than likely you'll give up. The transformation into robot mode though, feels very natural, and this is probably the best ever bike transformation ever.
ROBOT MODE:
Apparently, according to TFwiki, 80% of the robot mode is retooled or recoloured, which is pretty impressive (it's pretty much creating a whole new toy). The robot mode is amazing in how it uses the motorcycle elements, and I think we can all agree that the use of the wheels as his shins is pretty ingenious
Not all of the retool was positive though, since there is a noticeable reduction of size for his head, making it out of proportion (a 'pinhead' if you prefer). The lack of paint is also more apparent here, but black works for Prowl (you can say he's more ninja like...).
He's pretty thin though, emphasized through his skinny limbs and proportions that is the norm for Animated. Sadly, they took away the ninja stars, you can still pull them out (with some force) but they don't open.
The completely is a completely different sculpt, as mentioned, it is smaller than the old one, but it does add in light piping... of sorts. The eye visor is made of translucent blue so it does look good.
The cowlings on his back can also be pulled up for further screen accuracy (although the purpose of this is to put on the samurai armor). Prowl can be a bit hard to stand due to the curve of his feet, and lack of heelspurs.
Poseability is excellent, he's loaded with ball joints and swivels. A pretty good robot mode with some minor flaws.
TRANSFORMATION (SIDECAR ARMOR):
The sidecar is very simple to convert into the samarai armor that Prowl wears. You basically detach the wheel shield/sword, and unfold everything, then just clip it onto Prowl's back. It's simple, it's effective and it works (very well). The wheel sword/shield can attach to either arm, and you wrap the armor around Prowl's limbs. They are all on balljoints so it's really easy to manipulate, for an accessory (of sorts), this is well engineered.
ROBOT MODE (WITH SAMURAI ARMOR):
Now, the star of this figure, the sidecar samurai armor as seen in the episode A Fistful of Energon. It was cool in the show, and it is cool here. The execution is good, but does leave some to be desired. The armor bulks up Prowl A LOT. However, donning the armor makes him even harder to balance.
The armor pretty much wraps around Prowl. There are good and bad points of this, the good: there aren't too many pieces to lose and the sidecar is more stable; the bad: Prowl loses a lot of poseability.
From all angles, Prowl looks beefed up and much more powerful. He does lose the nimbly look, he's more brute strength here now.
Unlike the promotional pictures and in the show, the wheel shield/sword does not split into two, and it's such a shame. The singular wheel looks too thick and big for only one hand, and this thickness overwhelms the small sword.
I forgot to mention earlier that you can still switch the light bars at the bottom of each arm forward just like the original toy. They're smaller, so they won't look as good.
The helmet is attached to an 'arm' via a balljoint, and just rests on top of Prowl's head. It looks pretty good though, but this restricts head motion to pretty much nil.
When viewing the helmet from the side, it doesn't look as great, with the visor jutting out so much and unnaturally. Shoulder motion is also blocked by the shoulder armor. It should be noted that all the placement of parts is due to personal preference, since they sit on balljoints and have a million ways of placement.
This sentence from the TFwiki site pretty much sums the samurai mode of Prowl pretty nicely: "Prowl loses a lot of his original maneuverability when you put his Samurai armor on, and also becomes a little more tricky to balance, but that's the price you pay for the ability to blind your enemies with overexposure to pure awesomeness and blue translucent plastic." In other words, he is so awesome in this mode that he's worth the negatives the armor has put on him.
OVERALL:
I love this toy, other people may think he is inferior to his original version, and in a way, yes. However, the compromises you'd have to take in order to accommodate this armor and I'll gladly take them. The sidecar adds a ton of playability and makes Prowl look so much better. You get four separate modes out of one figure, that is a pretty good effort, and what's more, it's still priced as a deluxe. Highly recommended, especially if you haven't got the original version yet.
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