Tow-Line (RID)

2010-07-20T23:56:03Z

168.156.70.25:

{{picsneeded|Original Car Robots Japanese versions of the toy}}
{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig2|the Robots in Disguise Autobot tow-truck|the Energon Autobot van|Tow-Line (Energon)}}
:''Tow-Line is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:RID TowlineWreckerhook biocard.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Stop draggin' my, stop draggin' my, stop draggin' my car around!]]

"'No parking' means 'no parking'!" is '''Tow-Line''''s motto, and it allows for no exceptions. He is so single-mindedly fixated on this apparently senseless purpose that he has been known to tow fire engines away from hydrants, seize children's tricycles, and even impound other Autobots who violate human traffic laws in the course of a mission. Such extreme irrationality, coupled with such total predictability, makes him both a hindrance to his fellow Autobots and an easy target for his enemies.

In battle, he wields his mighty Wrecker Hook!<ref>Bio on the R2 DVDs. [[Chris McFeely]] was having fun that day!</ref>

{{quote|No parking means no parking.|Tow-Line about every second|"[[Tow-Line Goes Haywire]]"}}

:''Japanese name'': '''Wrecker Hook'''

==Fiction==
===''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Lex Lang]] (English), [[Masami Iwasaki]] (Japanese) [[Oreste Baldini]] (Italian)

[[Image:RID Towline botvehicle cartoon.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Heroic mindless fascist]]

One of Tow-Line's first acts on arriving on Earth was to tow [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]], much to the latter's disgust. Under [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]]'s supervision, Tow-Line began towing away [[Metro City]]'s illegal parkers. Unfortunately his zealousness extended to towing away tricycles, wedding cars, mailmen named [[Moe]], and so on, leading Prowl to reprimand him.

Tow-Line's work was not lost on the Predacons, who ambushed him and dragged him away to do a bit of reprogramming with a disk. Soon Tow-Line considered the other Autobots as villains and began towing [[X-Brawn]]. After reasoning failed, X-Brawn attempted to use his grappling hook, causing damage to the other Autobot's circuits, and resulting in Tow-Line dumping him down a hole at the power plant.

Side Burn was also captured easily, but while carrying [[Rapid Run (RID)|Rapid Run]] through the city, Tow-Line was spotted by Prowl and [[Koji Onishi|Koji]]. Intercepted by [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] and Prowl, he was soon rescued from the disk's control and apologized profusely for kidnapping his fellow Autobots. Even after learning his lesson, Tow-Line still cheerfully hauled off Prowl for parking illegally. {{storylink|Tow-Line Goes Haywire}}

Tow-Line aided in a deception, helping to disguise [[Team Bullet Train]] and Optimus Prime as a transforming dragon in order to trick the Predacons into leaving some statues alone. When [[Railspike (RID)|Railspike]] and Optimus toppled over while operating the robot, Tow-Line was able to pull it back into an upright position using his grappling hook. {{storylink|The Ultimate Robot Warrior}}

[[Movor]] briefly tracked Tow-Line from space in an attempt to locate the Autobots' hidden base, but as Tow-Line was spending all of his time towing cars, it wasn't much help. Later Tow-Line and the other Autobots ambushed the Decepticons as they tailed Side Burn. {{storylink|Attack from Outer Space}}

[[Image:Maximus Emerges Towlinesideburn.jpg|right|200px|thumb|][WRECKER HOOK!![http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Wrecker_Hook_%28RM%29]]]
Tow-Line towed Side Burn to [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]]' hiding place, so that the Autobot wouldn't get [[Kelly (RID)|distracted]] on the way. {{storylink|Maximus Emerges}}

He was also called in as part of the contingency plan created for the event that [[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]] learned of the location of the Autobot base. Assembling with the rest of the Autobots near a lake, he took part in the battle against the combined Decepticon/Predacon forces. {{storylink|Surprise Attack!}}

Together with the other Autobots, he shielded Optimus from Galvatron's paralysing beam, allowing the Autobot leader to regroup and form [[Omega Prime]] with [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]]. After the final battle was over, Tow-Line towed some more cars just for the fun of it. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Car Robots===
*'''Wrecker Hook''' (Flipchanger, 2000)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-017'''
**''Accessories'': Grill/rifle

: Wrecker Hook is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Machine Wars]]'' tow trucks [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] and [[Hubcap (MW)|Hubcap]]. He changes from truck to robot mode with a single-step, spring-loaded transformation activated by lifting his towing hook up, plus he has a (non-firing) blaster weapon stored under his grill.

: This mold was also used to make ''[[Robot Masters (franchise)|Robot Masters]]'' [[Wrecker Hook (RM)|Wrecker Hook]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Autobot/Towline/towline.htm More information on Tow-Line at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

*'''Super Wrecker Hook''' (Flipchanger, 2000)
**''Accessories'': Grill/rifle

: A limited-edition, clear-orange version of Wrecker Hook in "Super Mode" was made [[Exclusive|exclusively]] for Daiei stores in Japan, free with the purchase of the [[Build Team]] gift set for a limited time.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Cybertron/ClearWreckerHook/wreckerhook.htm More information on Super Wrecker Hook at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Robots In Disguise===
[[Image:RID Towline toy.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Scooby Dooby Doo. Where are you?"]]
*'''Tow-Line / Skyfire''' (Deluxe, 2001)
**''Accessories'': Grill/rifle

: For the [[Hasbro]] release of the toy, he was available only in a Deluxe-level two-pack with the [[Decepticon]] [[Skyfire (RID)|Skyfire]]. The only difference between the Hasbro and [[Takara]] versions is the size of the Autobot symbols.
{{--}}

==Notes==
*There is speculation among fans that Tow-Line is the same character as amnesiac [[Wrecker Hook (RM)|Wrecker Hook]] in the [[Robot Masters (franchise)|''Robot Masters'' series]], due to them being from the same Japanese continuity family and sharing names and molds. However, there is little to no actual fictional support for this.... Then again, there is little to contradict it, either, as Wrecker Hook's role in the ''Robot Masters'' storyline is minor at best.

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise characters]]

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Tow-Line (RID)