Nightprowler

Nightprowler is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family (via the 2003 Universe series).

Watch out where the Waspies go, you can't beat that yellow snow (leopard).

Nightprowler is a renegade Autobot who hunts his enemies in the cover of darkness.

Fiction

The AllSpark Almanac

The Ulchtar of Aurex 603.0 Kappa broke into Primax 388.0 Gamma Zone's Satellite Penitentiary. There, he retrieved the personality components of the renegade Autobots Screechwing, Spiketail, Nightprowler, Albitron, and Leatherhide. The five formed the Combatibots that could merge to form Toxitron. The AllSpark Almanac II Subsequently, as part of Toxitron, Nightprowler joined the Thirteen Great Demon Generals. Ask Vector Prime, 27 June 2015

Recordicons

And you don't feel the steel til it's hanging out your back!

Nightprowler came to the aid of Batbot when the latter was attacked by Howlback. When Howlback protested that they were ganging up on her, Nightprowler asserted that it was just called "teamwork" when the heroes did it. Recordicons #21

Toys

Universe (2003)

whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat

• Nightprowler VS. Waspinator (Halloween Horrorcon Value Pack, 2004?)

• Accessories: Water-shooting gut-gun, tail-blaster

Universe Nightprowler was to be a snow leopard-themed redeco of the original Beast Wars Deluxe Class Cheetor toy. The cat mode's stomach area could detach to form a hand-held water-squirting blaster (which also works in beast mode, it just shoots out of his feline form chest), and the tail/butt would detach to form a hand-held non-firing blaster. His robot mode head also features a "mutant head" on the back, revealed by flipping his head down and forward 90 degrees or so.

He was originally planned to be part of a Walmart exclusive "Halloween Horrorcon Value Pack", facing off against a new-deco version of Transmetal Waspinator. However, this set was one of many canceled Universe toys (Walmart was already swimming in underselling exclusives).

The four "Halloween Horrorcon Value Pack" toys were first revealed to the public in 2004 when several loose test-shots showed up on eBay, without any form of identification. Roughly two years later, Hasbro's official Transformers website added a new product checklist, which included two "Halloween Horrorcon Value Packs", complete with character names, which lined up perfectly with the mysterious unreleased toys. Those listings were removed from the checklist days later, but the mystery was solved and Nightprowler got his name out there.

In 2014, Nightprowler randomly turned up in a display at Hasbro's Transformers 30th Anniversary San Diego Comic-Con Press Breakfast.

• Halloween Horrorcon test-shot gallery

Beast Wars mold: Cheetor

Hasbro: Beast Wars Cheetor (blue eyes) Cheetor (red eyes) Cheetor (green eyes) Cheetor (Fox Kids) Tigatron Universe Nightprowler (canceled) Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Cheetor Vintage Beast Wars Cheetor Tigatron Takara/TakaraTomy: Beast Wars C-3 Cheetus C-3 Cheetus (redeco) C-8 Tigatron D-7 Shadow Panther Beast Wars Telemocha Series TM-03 Cheetus TM-11 Tigatron TV Magazine: Beast Wars C-3 Gold Cheetus

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Linkin Park × Transformers

Shouldn't he be an AC/DC special edition instead?

• Transformers Linkin Park Soundwave: Special Edition (September 23, 2013)

• Accessories: Left and right missiles, tape case

Linkin Park Ravage (with Buzzsaw or Laserbeak's weapons) was repurposed as Classics Nightprowler.

Linkin Park Ravage is a gold and ... also gold redeco of Ravage. He is packaged with Linkin Park gold redecoes of Soundwave, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, and Ratbat on a flocked-purple plastic tray inside a special commemorative box. He has no stickers, factory-applied or otherwise.

Linkin Park Soundwave: Special Edition was limited to 2000 pieces.

Legacy

We might be waiting a while for a new Leatherhide.

• Autobot Nightprowler (Deluxe Class, 2022)

• Accessories: Tail whip
• Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro)

A redeco of War for Cybertron: Kingdom Cheetor, Legacy "Autobot Nightprowler" transforms from a robot reminiscent of his unreleased Universe figure into a snow leopard. Nightprowler's tail can detach to become a whip, similar to Cheetor's Transmetal toy. In beast mode, his jaw can open and close to adorably change his expression. Nightprowler has an Autobot logo on his forehead, as his unreleased toy was originally intended to be an Autobot.

Nightprowler shares the same issues regarding his beast mode neck tab as the previous usages of the Cheetor mold.

The official stock photography used by many retailers depicts much of his body as being molded in beige while his hands and beast mode feet are molded in a darker shade of beige. This color scheme was, however, changed to light and dark grey respectively for the final release.

The figure was a Walmart exclusive in the US and a Farmers exclusive in New Zealand. Coincidentally the retailer that the original Nightprowler was supposed to be in was also Walmart. Unlike other boxed Deluxes from that line, his packaging has a plastic window. He and his case-mates Sandstorm and Buzzsaw were notable shelfwarmers, and then showed up in huge numbers at discount chain Ross for the 2023 holiday season.

This figure was retooled into Shadow Panther. The mold's robot and beast mode legs were also reused on the Hasbro PulseCon-exclusive War for Cybertron Trilogy "Covert Agent Ravage".