Picked him, here's my short review. Vehicle mode is awesome. Looks sharp, colors work well. The G1 Prowl paint apps are a very nice touch. Feels like total homage. Robot mode on the other hand, leaves much to be desired. His arms, his shoulders to be specific, have a new type of "joint" on them ... basicaly all swivel, nothing holding it in to place, pops off easier than a ball joint and not as sterdy, by far. His articulation is limited to his head, arms, elbows, wrists. His knees bend, but not even close to really counting as articulation, the back end of his legs stop the knees from moving any more than maybe half a degree in terms of angles. All in all, I give him a 3 out of 5. He looks neat. But an articulated balanced toy he is not. If you like looking at Prowl, keep him robot mode -- otherwise, like the past few Alternators, his shining moment is in vehicle mode. Here's to hoping for a GOOD articulated Alternator. Meister isn't looking as bad as he first was these days.
Are his arms and head the same pearly white plastic used on the BT version? Do the mirrors and head crest seem like they'll break easily?
Eh, I just want him to cannibalize his head for my BTA Alert. Actually ... you wouldn't mind checking if that's doable, would you? -XCN-
I just discovered something totally awesome: you can twist one of his forearms 180 degrees (along with his wrist) and attach his 'baton' like a tonfa. Also, you don't have to touch the mirrors to open the doors. It's easy, just pull down his side/floor panels and open the doors from the bottom.
I put Silverstreaks head on Prowl's body but I didn't get a chance to put Prowl's head on Silverstreak's body. It fit pretty well so it should be doable. I want to do the leg swap trick to give Prowl more leg articulation. I agree with the arms. They're too easy to pop off.
As long as they don't fall apart like the BinalTech version supposedly does, I can stand having a lighter coat of paint.
The best description I've heard for Prowl: "It's like a person wearing a Transformers costume made of cardboard."
I think the head sculpt is the best of the Alternators so far. I saw it and instantly remember Action Master Prowl and the best known close-up shot of Prowl, when the smoke comes out of him after getting shot in TFTM. Just a great sculpt... perfect.
In case anyone was trying to figure out which screws to unscrew for the leg swap. It's the three on the back of the thigh. Lick a dummy, I was unscrewing the one on the sides. Not too tough. It does make the transformation scheme a lot simpler now.
Just to be clear on this... by switching the legs, this doesn't affect the transformation at all, correct?? and which 3 screws did you unscrew Soncreen? (when you can, could you draw circles on your pic to point exactly where? yes, i am estupido) Apparently I see 6 unscrewed screws... 2 of the medium screws and 4 of the smallest ones. Looks like you put pressure in unscrewing the 4 small ones
I just did that one a few mins ago on my BT. It improves the articulation a lot but I don't like how it looks as much. Too similar to Grimlock and Wheeljack. So I switched it back. Besides I was only borrowing the screw driver so if I reversed it then later wanted to change it back I wouldn't have a screwdriver to do so.
I'm quite young compared to the rest of the fandom, I don't have the same sense of nostalgia for G1 as most of the fandom does so I don't really care if an Alt or BT doesn't looks exactly like their G1 counterpart. Besides If I wanted to put it back to normal sometime in the future I don't have the right sized screwdriver to do so.
good news for ya, those pen-sized screwdrivers cost under a buck at really any hardware or dept store I understand what you're saying, just didn't understand why you would hold it against prowl to make him look like his self *L* Andy
Prowl is easily my new favourite alternator. I've always been a sucker for the gee-wun Prowl toy and this alt version, while not completely the same (it's more like the RiD spychanger!) is still pure love. I performed the leg swap and IMHO it makes this guy even better. I love the G1 decal styling and the head sculpt is a right on. This IS Prowl. When mine arrived on Friday, it felt just like when I kid and first got my hands on it.
Doh, that looks like a better method. Thanks for heads up. Dragstrip85 my leg mod sucks compared to the other but just so you know, it is the 2 big screws and the 4 small screws. So many young whippersnappers here.
im bummed to find out about the articulation. the greatest thing about alternators are the poses you can put them into, and being able to stand unaided. meister always rocked. as does hound and any of the subarus. i have to say im dissapointed with most of them though.