Tow-Line (RID)

This article is about the Robots in Disguise Autobot tow-truck. For the Energon Autobot van, see Tow-Line (Energon).

Tow-Line is an Autobot and a Decepticon from the 2001 Robots in Disguise continuity family. He is also called "Wrecker Hook".

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!

No parking means no parking.Tow-Line about every second, "Tow-Line Goes Haywire"

Fiction

2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon

Voice actor: Lex Lang (English), Masami Iwasaki (Japanese), Oreste Baldini (Italian), José Arenas (Latin-American Spanish)

Heroic mindless fascist

One of Tow-Line's first acts on arriving on Earth was to tow Side Burn, much to the latter's disgust. Under 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 through the city, Tow-Line was spotted by Prowl and Koji. Intercepted by 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. 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 and Optimus toppled over while operating the robot, Tow-Line was able to pull it back into an upright position using his grappling hook. 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. Attack from Outer Space

Not the kind of hookup Side Burn was hoping for.

Tow-Line towed Side Burn to Fortress Maximus' hiding place, so that the Autobot wouldn't get distracted on the way. Maximus Emerges

He was also called in as part of the contingency plan created for the event that 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. 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. After the final battle was over, Tow-Line towed some more cars just for the fun of it. The Final Battle

Japanese cartoon continuity

As this fiction takes place in a different continuity family, "Wrecker Hook" will be used to refer to the character.

Mailmen named Moe BEWARE.

Robotmasters

Following his battles with Destrongers, Wrecker Hook somehow lost his memory. By the year 2004, with no clue of who he really was, Wrecker Hook sided with the Decepticons thinking doing so would help him to one day find answers to his past. As a Decepticon, he honed his skills as a mechanic, able to effect repairs on most anything and without complaint. He also seemed to have formed a friendship with his fellow Decepticon Wingstun. Armed with his new Boost Hammer Wrecker Hook became is a danger to everyone around him on the battlefield.

Robotmasters is explicitly placed in the Japanese cartoon continuity by Takara's 2007 Transformers timeline. However, none of the several pieces of actual Robotmasters fiction tells the story of the line in its entirety, and each of them relate certain events in notably different ways. Precisely which of the versions covered below should be considered the canon one for the cartoon timeline is unknown. Most likely, it's a little of everything.

Pack-in comic

Wrecker Hook was part of a contingent of Decepticons led by Beast Megatron against the Autobots in pursuit of solitarium. The Decepticon army proved to be too much for Optimus Prime till Optimus Primal arrived through the Blasty Zone to assist. The New Battle Begins!

Online comic

Wrecker Hook followed the new Decepticon leader, Beast Megatron in an attack on Autobot City. However, they were foiled when the Autobots focused their firepower on Megatron and he ordered a retreat. Clash! The Two Leaders With Psycho-Orb and Air Hunter, Wrecker Hook later took the time to gang up on R-Blade, but were sent scurrying away when Optimus Primal, fresh from the Blasty Zone, came and defended the fallen Autobot. Enter the War! Optimus Primal

Along with Wingstun, Psycho-Orb, and Air Hunter, Wrecker Hook was selected as one of the recipients of the Arsenal Force weapons Starscream forged in a bid against Beast Megatron. Wrecker Hook himself received the Boost Hammer. Starscream Grins 3 Times... He was later present when Air Hunter announced the return of the original Megatron and joined the others in leaving their base. Strategic Meeting: The Mysterious New Warrior

3D diorama manga

With the Arsenal Force, Beast Megatron powered up Wrecker Hook, along with his comrades. However, this did not last long, as Victory Saber appeared to foil the plot and dissipated the Arsenal Force energy. Robotmasters Vol. 3

Metrowars

Wrecker Hook was still with the Decepticons after 2035, and fell under Straxus's command. Wrecker Hook was part of Straxus's team piloting Darkmount during the Decepticons' attack on Scramble City. Metrowars

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 and 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 toy was released with a differently-sized Autobot symbol in Hasbro markets as Tow-Line.

• More information on Wrecker Hook 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 exclusively for Daiei stores in Japan, free with the purchase of the Build Team gift set for a limited time.

• More information on Super Wrecker Hook at TFU.info

Robots in Disguise (2001)

"Scooby Dooby Doo. Where are you... parked?"

• Tow-Line / Skyfire (Deluxe 2-pack, 2001)
  • Accessories: Grill/rifle

A redeco of the Machine Wars Hoist/Hubcap mold, Tow-Line transforms from robot to a long-nosed towing truck and back via spring-loaded autotransformation activated and locked with his towing arm. His truck grill pulls off to turn into a shielded rifle in robot mode.

He was only available in a Deluxe-level two-pack with the Decepticon Skyfire. The only notable difference between this toy and the Takara "Wrecker Hook" version is the size of the Autobot symbol on his hood.

• More information on Tow-Line at TFU.info

Robotmasters

Not from some far-off universal stream where Hook joined the Wreckers.

• Wrecker Hook (Destron, 2004)
  • ID number: RM04
  • Accessories: "Aiming Shot" grill-rifle, "Boost Hammer"

As part of the first assortment of Robotmasters, Wrecker Hook is a heavily-painted redeco of the Machine Wars Hoist/Hubcap mold, transforming from a tow truck to robot with a spring-loaded one-step transformation. The grill of the truck detaches to form his "Aiming Shot" blaster weapon.

Unique to this release of the mold is the solitarium weapon called the "Boost Hammer", a clear-plastic flail. It can be combined with the other Decepticons' solitarium weapons to form the "Arsenal Force" megaweapon.

• More information on Wrecker Hook at TFU.info

Notes

• There was speculation among fans that Wrecker Hook was the same character as the Robots in Disguise character Tow-Line, who was called "Wrecker Hook" in Japan and used the same mold. This would later gain more ground when Car Robots (the Japanese name for Robots in Disguise) was fully confirmed as being part of the Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity, rather than the weird stand-alone it seemed to be to some. Wrecker Hook's brief cameo in "Metrowars", which had appearances from several faction-jumpers, further sealed the deal.
• It has been speculated that the new-mold weapons in Robotmasters are actually unused accessories from the Takara "LED Powers" Microman series, which was abruptly canceled in late 2000. The last section of the line included transparent plastic weapons that could be combined to form armor or larger weapons for the individual Microman figures. The handle size is also identical between the solitarium parts and the "Shining Tector" Microman weapons.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Wrecker Hook (レッカーフック Rekkā Fukku)
• Russian: Tyagach (Тягач, "Tractor")