Prowl (TM2)
| The name or term "Prowl" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Prowl (disambiguation). |
- Prowl is a complete continuity headache thanks to some idiot, appearing in numerous convulted portions of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Prowl is not a verbose Maximal, preferring instead to listen. He gathers information, analyzes it, and instantly suggests an appropriate course of action. His logical mind is without match among his Maximal brethren, who rank him among their best military strategists. Prowl feels that he fulfilled that same role in a previous life.
Origin
The Transformers: The Movie (1986) was not released in Japan until 1990, leaving Japanese animators unaware that many characters died during the movie. As a result, these deceased characters continued to appear in subsequent Japanese series.
The story of the Binaltech collectors line (2003-2005) included a Genetronic Translink system which allowed Transformers to simultaneously operate multiple bodies—a possible explanation for the survival of many of these characters.
Prowl had been specifically indicated as dead in the episode "Dark Awakening"[1] (1986) prior to his appearances in The Headmasters (1987), complicating things. Enter Prowl II, an identical clone (sort of) with Prowl's memories intended to retroactively make these appearances Prowl II rather than Prowl.
In early 2008, the Beast Wars Sourcebook explained that the Transmetal 2 Beast Warrior Prowl (1998), who believed he may have been the original Prowl in a previous life, was in fact the semi-clone from Binaltech.
Fiction
Japanese animated continuity
Binaltech
Offered a glimpse of the fast-approaching future by the time-travelling Decepticon Ravage, Wheeljack was witness to the death of Prowl and various other Autobots in the year 2005. In an attempt to alter the course of these events, he began Project Bodyshop, developing new Binaltech bodies for his comrades that they would be able to control via the GT System. A body was developed to be used a secondary unit by Prowl, and designated "Prowl 2."
When Prowl came under attack from Decepticons on a mission in the vicinity of Saturn, Wheeljack made a desperate attempt to preserve Prowl's life by attempting a long-range transfer of his spark into his new body via sub-space. Unfortunately, the process malfunctioned and Prowl's spark was lost. The body, however, had already been programmed with Prowl's datatrax, and Chip Chase, recalling the time years before when he had taken control of Prowl's body, and volunteered to have his own mind transferred into the shell, bringing it to true life as the new Prowl.
The Headmasters cartoon
Prowl takes part in the defending Autobot City from Sixshot's attack. He and Sideswipe are supporting Ultra Magnus when the the Decepticon offensive breaks. Prowl notes they were lucky.Four Warriors Come out of the Sky
Later Prowl attends a briefing at Metroplex where Ultra Magnus assigns several units of Autobots to run interference with Decepticons for Hot Rod as he retrieves the Matrix of Leadership. Prowl accompanies Ultra Magnus's unit.A Dream Is Born, Double Prime
Before Beast Wars
Prowl II appears to have undergone recycling, losing all specific memories of his prior existence. He remains convinced that he was a great military strategist in a previous life.[2]
IDW Beast Wars comic continuity
Prowl was one of the protoforms left behind by the crew of the Axalon on prehistoric Earth. He was activated and put in chronal phase by Razorbeast at Magmatron's request, but was protected from Magmatron's Predacon shell-program by Razorbeast's viral code.
Accompanied by Night Glider, Sonar, and Air Hammer, Prowl sped to meet up with Razorbeast. These fliers and a phalanx of other Maximals finally reached Razorbeast's team just in time to fight off an army of Predacons. In the battle that ensued, Prowl battled Sky Shadow.
Prowl air-lifted Snarl (who cloaked them both) in an effort to put a chronal displacement device on Shokaract. However, when Snarl jumped off, Prowl was visible once again and was blasted out of the sky. Fortunately his sacrifice was not in vain. The Ascending issue 4
Toys
Beast Wars
- Prowl (Deluxe Transmetal, 1999)
- Prowl is a Transmetal 2 bio-mechanical Hunter Owl with a flip-around-reveal spark crystal in his owl-skull. In beast mode, he has a spring-gear-activated spinning-wing attack gimmick. Oddly, the advertised robot mode for this figure has limited range of motion, since its wings would prevent its arms from moving forward. However, box art suggests folding the wings over the shoulders, rather than sticking out sideways from the chest.
- His toy was released in two color schemes. The first one is white, turquoise, and red. The second is black, blue, and red, and was done as a "running change" variation under the same individual DCPI number rather than as a completely new release.
Robots in Disguise
- Prowl 2 (Spychanger, 2002)
- Prowl 2 is a Spychanger released in a 2-pack with Side Swipe. He features a white-blue-yellow color scheme, a gun which stows between his legs in vehicle mode, and a ginormous Autobot symbol.
- Prowl 2 subsequently received a solo carded release with commemorative Tiny Tin.
- Neither toy included a tech-spec, and consequently, just exactly who this figure represents can be debated. The Binaltech storyline refers to Prowl's Binaltech body as "Prowl 2" as a callback to this figure, but since — in Japanese continuity — RID/Car Robots is part of the Generation 1 animated continuity, it might be argued that this figure might represent either RID Prowl or Prowl II, here, although any specifics would be pure speculation.
Binaltech
- Prowl (Binaltech, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: BT-15
- For his standard Japanese Binaltech release, Prowl recieved a vehicle mode deco based on a real Japanese police car (the Hasbro Prowl's deco being based more on the original Generation 1 toy), a different spoiler mold, different rims, right-side steering, a Japanese police cherry blossom emblem instead of an Acura logo, and gray plastic instead of stony-blue. He was also labeled as a "Honda Integra Type-R", the model's make in Japan.
- Prowl Vivid Blue Pearl Edition (Binaltech, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: BT-15
Like Jazz, Prowl got two different Binaltech decos released in equal numbers. The second version, known as Vivid Blue Pearl Prowl, is a civilian version with no police lights, a mostly blue interior, a Honda logo (instead of the cherry blossom emblem) on the grill, and a solid blue car-shell. His robot-mode parts remained mostly the same color, however.
This mold (the Japanese blue Prowl variant, combined with parts from American police Prowl) was used to make Alternators Camshaft.
Footnotes
- ↑ Prowl's death mentioned by name in "Dark Awakening" from Ten popular but incorrect rumors about Japanese Transformers (#3).
- ↑ "Believes himself to have been a great military strategist in a former life." from TM2 Prowl's (1998) tech-spec.
