Name: Prowl
Series: Generation 1
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Military Strategist
Alt Mode: None (was a Nissan 280ZX)
ROBOT MODE
Height: 9.5cm Width: 4.5cm
A white robot with black forearms and a black groin, Prowl has grey face with red eyes and red antennae. There are dull blue panels on his boots - representing the rear window of the car, whole the chest features yellow headlights and black around a white bumper. There's an Autobot logo sticker on his chest as well, rounding out a fairly simple set of colours which capture the character well enough, even if the details are a little too simple. There are vestigial moulded tyres on the back of his shoulders - which are painted black - but there are no shoulder launchers, doors or badges on his shoulders. It's a nice colour scheme but an awfully bare looking Prowl.
The chest is still a Nissan, even if the shape is a little too rounded, and the windows on his boots are obvious, but I can't help lament how much detail has been stripped away here. The taillights on his feet are gone - simple stickers would have gone a long way - but all the stickers in this set are for the bike. To be fair, there is a windshield and strobes moulded onto his back - and both are painted - so it's not all bad. He's not so much a bad Actionmaster as a disappointing Prowl.
Prowl's poseability is the same as every other Actionmaster - his head turns, arms rotate and legs have G.I. Joe poseability (fully poseable hips, knees bend 90 degrees). The black gun from his Turbo Cycle can be held as a handgun, and this works fairly well. The engine cover can detach to form a handheld shield, and while it looks like he's holding an engine cover, I like the fact that the designer bothered giving us this feature.
Turbo Cycle
A while racing motor bike with blue wing-like spoilers on the back, an orange seat, black wheels and black weapons on either side. The windshield is smoky plastic while the headlight is painted yellow and the handlebars are black. There are yellow stickers on either side sporting Autobot logos - giving this bike a total of four allegiance symbols. I like the fact that this bike's colours match Prowl, since there are some Actionmaster accessories that clash badly with the accompanying robots.
Both wheels roll and they're flat and wide - it's possible to roll this bike along on the table, and the ridged tyres will make some noise. There's no kickstand but it can roll a few inches without overbalancing, although this is a lot harder if Prowl's riding the bike. The left side sports the gun while the right side sports two black missiles. Prowl doesn't sit on this bike incidentally - he holds the handlebars and floats behind it, with his feet splayed on either side. While it doesn't look awful, I couldn't say this looks natural either.
This bike mode is fairly impressive - it's the highlight of the set for me, and while it's not fantastic, it's better than many of the "alternate" modes amongst the Actionmaster vehicles. The colours make sense, the play value is sensible and the add on pieces are just that - add ons. The wheels, windshield, etc are all integral parts of the bike.
Transformation to battle emplacement is fairly simple - essentially the bike folds on itself to become a standing cannon. The seat reveals a blue cannon, which looks like it should fire the missiles, however it's only a cannon - they plug into the end and nothing more. The side panels open up, revealing the base and tyres to be detachable - the tyres become outriggers for the emplacement.
This is more a cannon stand than a weapon for Prowl's use. There's no real way for Prowl to man this weapon, which looks like a mashed up bike more than anything else anyway. The gun sits on the side, but it makes more sense in Prowl's hand.
A decent bike mode gives way to a disappointing cannon mode which doesn't do much other than attempt to offer us a transformation. I'm not impressed overall, even if the bike mode is decent, because neither mode really adds play value to the figure itself.
VARIATIONS
None that I know of.
OVERALL
Prowl is one of my least favourite Actionmasters. The robot does look like Prowl and the colours are decent match, but he still looks underdone with so many defining features left off. The bike mode is okay, but it gives way to a fairly useless cannon stand thing - not enough to really compliment a somewhat disappointing tribute Actionmaster. I wouldn't say the figure is bad, but it needed to be better to work well as Prowl, and the fact that it comes with a poor accessory seals the failure for me - 4/10
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