Dave's Transformers Rant: Deluxe Wave 4 Downshift Tow-Line [Updated 9/30/04 with official bios.] This pair is essentially "G1 Homages The IP Lawyers Didn't Grok". You see, when the toy designers make a mold, they don't get to pick the name. They have to submit a list of several names, and the lawyers decide which one gets used. And while the designers are clearly knowledgeable fans in this case, the lawyers don't seem to care. I guess that with toys already out on the shelves with the names Wheeljack (Armada/HoC), Ironhide (Energon), Ratchet (Universe) and Skids (Commemorative Series), the lawyers wanted to protect Downshift and Tow-Line. Ah well. Note: I may revise this and merge in Demolishor's review. These could be considered the rest of Wave 3, keeping to the pattern of "two Powerlinxers and one Decepticon per wave" that was used in waves 1 and 2, but this pattern is broken by the next batch (Hot Shot recolor, Decepticons Slugslinger and Sharkticon). CAPSULES Downshift: An excellent Wheeljack homage (and it's named Wheeljack in Japan). Sleek vehicle mode, decent transformation, poseability is pretty good within the limits of the Powerlinxing requirements. Good Shirt mode, so-so Pants mode. And it LOOKS lovely. Strongly recommended despite its flaws. $9.99 at Target. Tow-Line: A cross between G1 Ironhide (mold) and Skids (head, colors), this has a LOT of play value. It does, at a Deluxe size, what many Ultras have tried to do and failed, and it can Powerlinx with itself. The robot mode is a little spare, but hey, it's only half the toy! Strongly recommended. $9.99 at Target. RANTS Packaging: I got these in the old style Energon packaging, although I am told they also exist in Powerlinx Battles packaging. Got the second comic/ catalog with each. They're twist-tied into the tray in vehicle mode, and each also has a plastic shield wrapped around them to protect certain details and keep the vehicles from rattling open in transit. Oddly, the two have different cardback designs. Downshift's back has the Energon story blurb in three languages, co-sells for Tow-Line, Rodimus and Cliffjumper, and pictures of Downshift powerlinxed with Rodimus in both configurations. Tow-Line's ditches the story in favor of showing a bunch of Powerlinxing combinations, and has Downshift and Shockblast as co-sells. Tow-Line also lacks the large multilingual "choking hazard" warnings that Downshift has. They have different P/N's, so I guess this was an older Downshift left over from an earlier run that got crated up with a newer Tow-Line. Both come with double-sided instructions, with the back side covering the Powerlinxing modes. AUTOBOT: DOWNSHIFT Altmode: Sports car G1 Homage: Wheeljack Function: Road Warrior Motto: "If I can't beat 'em in battle, I'll beat 'em on the road." Downshift is a fast and courageous young Autobot. He relies on speed rather than strength to get him out of tight spots when battling the Decepticons. Although he is considered a good soldier by Optimus Prime and Hot Shot, he has been warned about rushing into battle without a solid plan of attack. Hot Shot, especially, can relate to this headstrong young Autobot and has vowed to mold him into a mature and seasoned warrior. [My 'fanfic' version] Function: Field medic Motto: "If you don't get to them in the Golden Astrosecond, forget about it." Built in the same group as the infamous traitor WHEELJACK, it's often been commented that the two should have had each other's names, given DOWNSHIFT's aptitude for rapid battlefield repairs and his buildmate's shift down into despair. While at his best on smooth roads, DOWNSHIFT has learned to make his way across shattered battlefields at impressive speeds. Once at the location of a casualty, he has the calm demeanor needed to effect repairs on a downed AUTOBOT while under fire. And, if necessary, DOWNSHIFT can force DECEPTICONS to go to the repair bay. Between his jammer missile and his double barrelled laser carbine, DOWNSHIFT is clearly one medic who ignores the dictum: First, do no harm. [end fanfic version] STR 6 INT 6 SPD 9 END 8 RNK 6 COUR 9 FRB 7 SKL 8 Avg 7.375 There are no elements of G1 Downshift that I can detect in this mold, other than being a white car with doors that opened (at the bottom, like G1 Wheeljack, rather than at the top, like E.Downshift). Vehicle Mode: I've seen this described as the front of an 80s Mustang muscle car grafted onto the back of a Lancia Stratos (the car that G1 Wheeljack turns into). [Later note: My usual car trivia source suggests that the front end is more like a Mercedes CLK, the car used as inspiration for Spiral of the Street Speed Team in Armada.] The sportscar is mainly white, with metalflake kelly green and metalflake bright red patterns reminiscent of, but not identical to, those of G1 Wheeljack (who himself was based on an actual racing car's patterns, IIRC). The headlights and windows are clear red plastic (taillights are painted red), and the rear window slats are painted a sort of shiny ick pale green/gold. The hubcaps are this same ick greengold, and the wheels and rear spoiler are a very dark warm gray. A silver Powerlinx cog is on the rear driver's side fender. The rear driver's side wheel has the Spark Crystal in the hub, and it spins with the wheel. The car is 5.5" (14cm) long, 2.5" (6.5cm) wide, and a low-slung 1.5" (4cm) high. The wheels roll freely as long as the Energon weapons aren't scraping against them. There are pegholes just behind each front wheel that let you attach the weapons as exhaust pipes, but they touch the rear wheels and prevent free rolling. There are also pegholes above each rear wheel, for positioning the weapons AS weapons. There's no real robot kibble, but if you turn the car over, the robot mode is pretty much completely there, hidden inside the car shell. The car's doors open in gull fashion, although this looks a little weird and you just see Downshift's butt inside. As mentioned earlier, there are two Energon Weapons. One is a missile launcher in clear red plastic with a missile that looks like an exhaust pipe. The other looks like a double-barrelled carbine, and is non-firing. The two weapons cannot connect to each other directly, but are designed to both connect to the spoiler when it's detached. The carbine is hollow on one side, so it's best attached to the left side of the car. Each also has a Powerlinx hardpoint as one of its pegs. Neither has a peg that will allow it to be held normally by the robot...they have to be held sideways, or just placed on the shoulders. The car's spoiler is removable, and has a peg so it can be held at the middle and holes to insert both guns. The resulting doublegun is pretty awkward-looking, but it can be held by Shirt Mode. Transformation: A bit more complex than you'd think from looking at the bottom of the car. Open the doors and separate, making the roof and doors just sort of wrap around the hood. Once you do this, the rest is pretty easy, with the feet hidden behind panels and everything out in the open. One cool touch is that the exhaust pipes at the rear of the car fold down to become shoulder guns. Robot Mode: 5.5" (14cm) tall at the head, which is a really nice updating of the Wheeljack head plan, including a lightpipe red eyes with clear plastic "ears" that light up nicely when held in front of a lamp. Shining a laser into the back of the head has a satisfying effect as well. There's a LOT more of that green/gold plastic in robot mode, it's in the shoulder hinges, the forearms, the pelvis, thighs, knees and feet. The chest is a false car roof much closer to the way the roof of G1 Wheeljack looks. There's a red-painted small Autobot symbol molded into the center of the "collarbone". Jointing is okay, for a Deluxe Powerlinxer. The head and shoulders are ball joints, the elbows are hinges. The hips swing out to the sides, but not forward or back. The "knees" are at mid-thigh and bend on a ratchet. Where the knees should be are long-axis swivels so you can position the boots. The feet have hinge ankles and a certain amount of other poseability due to the transformation joints. There is no waist, a necessary loss due to the Shirt Mode. One odd design element is that the door bottoms are mounted on the forearms, protruding about a centimeter past the fists. This gives him a melee weapon of sorts. [Later note: Something I noticed but neglected to mention at first: the toes are molded to look like the front end of the Lancia Stratos, another clear Wheeljack homage, since the front end of the Stratos formed his feet.] Shirt Mode: A rather clever bit of swinging and twisting gets the head around to the other side as the legs separate to become Powerlinx arms. The robot arms become either shoulderpads or over the shoulder cannons, depending on your preferences. I prefer putting them out to the sides as shoulderpads and folding the exhaust pipe guns forward. The arms only lift out to the sides at the shoulders, and do not swing forward and back. The elbows are good, and the robot's knee swivels become forearm swivels. Pants Mode: Unlike most, Downshift does NOT have the legs lengthen in any way for this mode. Rather, he cracks open just below the collarbone, so he gives his partner a longer torso instead of longer legs. This can result in some slightly odd proportions, but it works well with Rodimus. The arms and head are just sort of hidden out of the way, and there's a few ways to do it other than the one shown in the instructions. Overall: There are limits to the poseability, some awkward bits, and it's a shame they couldn't call this Wheeljack, but it's a lovely little toy. Even the icky gold/green works well in the general scheme, and the dynamic white/green/red pattern is even more eyecatching now than on the original. I like this better than any of the first four Powerlinxers. AUTOBOT: TOW-LINE Altmode: TV Broadcast Van G1 Homages: Ironhide or Ratchet, Skids Function: Tactician Motto: "A soldier's greatest assets are his comrades." Tow-Line's devotion to the Autobot cause and his loyalty to his teammates make him one of Optimus Prime's most trusted soldiers. What Tow-Line lacks in strength, he makes up for in intelligence and endurance. He has been known to outwit many Decepticons in battle and has proven to be an extremely valuable Autobot in the war with Megatron. Towline would prefer to avoid combat whenever possible but does not hesitate to jump into a fight in aid of a fallen comrade. Megatron has warned his warriors never to underestimate Tow-Line. [My fanfic version] Function: Communications Motto: "All the news that'll give 'em fits!" Starting life as a salvage vehicle, TOW-LINE soon found he had a talent for sniffing out more than just useful wrecks. Soon, he had totally abandoned his original job and taken up the self-appointed role of muckraking reporter, ferreting out secrets and scandals and broadcasting them on his own unauthorized channel. It's said that at least one peace treaty between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS broke down because of his...inconvenient...news reports. Of course, given how many people want his spark crystal mounted on a wall, he's had to toughen up. His broadcast tower can emit multispectrum blasts capable of melting several centimeters of armorsteel in a single microsecond burst, and his armored drone can go places where he might not be welcome. Its heavy armor also protects him when he combines with it for his vehicle mode. He has the Spark of Combination, although no one knows why Primus chose HIM for this honor, and few are willing to team up with him. Still, he can Powerlinx with his own drone, so he doesn't mind so much. [end fanfic version] STR 6 INT 9 SPD 7 END 8 RNK 4 COUR 6 FRB 8 SKL 6 Avg 6.75 Tow-Line bears even less resemblance to previous carriers of the name than Downshift does. The main homage is the "truck splits into robot and drone base" format from G1 Ironhide and Ratchet, but the paint job is clearly Skids, and the face looks to be based off of Skids as well. Vehicle Mode: This isn't just a generic conversion van with an Energon rig on top making it a news van. It has ladders on either side, making it clear that someone's supposed to go up on top and operate stuff. ("Stuff" being a technical term used in the news biz.) It's 5" (12cm) long, 2.5" (6cm) wide and 2.5" (6cm) tall without the Energon gear. If you attach the gear and extend the antenna boom, the overall height is a bit over 5" (13cm). The Spark Crystal juts somewhat awkwardly from the driver's side door. Colorwise, it's got a split personality. From the sides, it's pure Skids, a darkish blue with a red and silver stripe running along the side and zigging up near the back. The ladders aren't painted separately, which looks a bit odd. (Side note: Skids was not a van, he was a compact car with a vanlike profile, kinda like the PT Cruiser is these days. Hence my http://www.http://www.protoformproject.com/dvd/drawings/ecamshaft.JPG "Energon Camshaft", drawn before I realized Tow-Line was a Skids homage already.) The top is baby blue with gold paint, and the front is white with gold headlights, a red Autobot symbol, and clear red windows. There's a silver Powerlinx cog symbol on the passenger side door. The wheels are the sort of brownish warm gray that all Go-Bot wheels are, with gold hubcaps. There are no hardpoints on the vehicle, but there are three 5mm pegholes. One on either side near the upper back, and an off-center one on the roof that lets you mount the Energon unit well-centered. Due to the way the toy is designed to split apart, there's no robot kibble at all visible in this mode. There are drone-leg bits visible, which you can deploy in this mode for a sort of off-road configuration. Or just drop the tread part a tiny bit, and it's like the Monster Garage sand rail project. The Energon unit has one hardpoint on top of it, and has both a small swiveling transmission dish and a larger boom antenna (not as tall, proportionally, as a real TV broadcast van, but it's nice). It doesn't really look like a weapon no matter what you do to it, though. The main broadcast piece does tend to pop out of its socket pretty easily, though. Transformation: Fold down the sides of the van, this lets you separate the two parts. The tops of the ladders actually hook over the roof and lock it down, a niec touch. The top half transforms into the robot mode, with some nice design touches. The bottom folds pretty simply into the drone, although it's kinda cool that the rear doors of the van fold down onto the drone so smoothly. There's a pair of pegholes spaced so that the Energon unit can plug over the Powerlinx clips and flesh the drone out. Robot Mode: 5" (13cm) tall and a bit spare, but that's because most of the kibble forms the drone. While the bottom of the vehicle front is left on the drone, there's a secondary piece that covers the Powerlinx clips and has the shape of a partial front bumper in brown-gray. The head, forearms and thighs are made of this same brown-gray, the shoulders and some of the internal joints are more of a tan or taupe or something. The face is painted gold, as are the eyes...no separate color for them, which is a bit disturbing. The chest is the white and clear red vehicle front, the boots are sky blue, as is the collar area. The shoulderpads (kinda a small version of Armada Red Alert's) are dark blue over clear red with the start of the side stripes. Admittedly, not the most unified color scheme, but it doesn't clash too badly. Poseability is good. The head turns, the shoulders are universal joints, the elbows and hips are ball joints, the knees are hinges. The toes can point as part of transformation. There are good long heel spurs, making for good stability. Shirt Mode: The robot only has a Shirt Mode, no Pants Mode. It transforms along the lines of Inferno's Shirt Mode, with the robot legs swinging up over the shoulders and becoming guns (barrels flip out from the toes...do they shoot grapples on toe-lines?), and the robot arms are the somewhat stubby Powerlinxing arms. (http://www.protoformproject.com/dvd/images/towlinepants.JPG is a cobbled-together Pants Mode for the robot. Required swapping the legs at the hips, though.) Drone Mode: This forms a platform 5" (13cm) long and wide, that can rise up to variable heights on the front treads and the swung-back front wheels that are now rear wheels. It has five 5mm pegholes for mounting various weapons or hardpoints, and if you lift up the van's rear door panel, Tow-Line's robot mode can sit on the platform, straddling the Energon weapon. The front tread unit can be separated into two legs on ball joint hips. A brace of three machinegun barrels is molded into the side panels, painted gold. If you remove the Energon weapon, it's the Pants Mode for this toy, making for a sort of Robotaur thing. Self-Powerlinxed Mode: The combination of Shirt and Pants for this toy results in a sort of hybrid, with enough battle platform for a few allies to ride along. And if you de-transform the Shirt part somewhat and install the Energon unit, you get the following really cool battle platform shown here: http://www.protoformproject.com/dvd/images/towline090104.JPG I have it in lowrider configuration, with Butler Gundam as the gunner. Overall: Sometimes a Transformers design is clearly very ambitious, but also clearly failed to work out due to the limitations of budget and so forth. Tow-Line is a rare example of an ambitious design working very well. It does look a little cheap and flimsy in places, but it doesn't hurt the play value. And while it's a little weird, it's a great toy to use to introduce someone to the Powerlinx concept, since he can link with himself! No need to buy a second toy to get use out of the Powerlinxing gimmick. Dave Van Domelen, very happy with both of these toys. P.S. Late note, some people are reporting trouble with the paint covering the clear plastic on the roofs and doors of these guys flaking. I haven't had that problem myself...yet.