Energon Checkpoint

Prelude: Now, pay attention! In Energon, Prowl is a blue F1 racer that looks Mirage, while Mirage is a boat and a Decepticon. Don’t get me started on Downshift who looks like Wheeljack. And there is this white police bot that totally looks like Prowl but is called Checkpoint. And this Checkpoint, who looks like Prowl, wears the body of Rodimus (who is neither Hot Rod nor Hot Shot), and came in a two-pack with the Prowl who looks like Mirage. Got it? Good, then let’s say go!

Many thanks to my buddy Fuchs Geronimo, who loaned me Checkpoint for this review.

Differences: Now I’ve already reviewed this mold three times. There was Energon Rodimus in 2005, Botcon Thunderclash in 2009, and most recently Superlink Black Rodimus Convoy in 2023. Hence this review here will focus on what makes this version of the figure different from the others.

Checkpoint is a repaint with no structural changes. The body is now mostly white with black highlights, some black and yellow stripes, and the red forehead chevron we know from G1 Prowl. He has a blue and a red stripe on his feet, which become the roof of the truck mode, so they simulate police lights. The words “A-26 SWAT” are printed on his front fender (the lower leg in robot mode), mirroring the name of the 2-pack he came with (Autobot SWAT Team).

The alternate mode of this figure is still a futuristic-looking racing truck and I still love this mode. The robot mode is okay, if a bit limited by the Powerlinx gimmick. Like Energon Rodimus, Checkpoint can Powerlink with most other Autobots from the Energon line as either an upper or lower body. If you are wondering why there are no pictures of that, it’s because the black hinge piece holding the upper and lower body together broke. It doesn’t hurt the robot or alternate mode, but the Powerlink modes don’t work unless you can flip back the upper body.

So bottom line: nothing new here except the colors, but they look pretty good on this mold.

Remarks: Checkpoint never appeared in the Energon TV series and didn’t appear in the Dreamwave Energom comics, either. He was slated to appear in the latter, but Dreamwave went bankrupt before he could. He did have a small part in the “Force of Habit” text story from the Transformers Collectors Club, but that is the only entrance in his CV, I fear.

The Autobot SWAT Team two-pack that contained Checkpoint was a K-Mart exclusive in the United States and while you can still find it on eBay today, it goes for a pretty penny. I never had any interest in the grey Prowl it contained, but I’d still love a Checkpoint, preferably without a broken Powerlinx hinge.

So bottom line here: an awesome mold, despite the limitations of the Powerlinx gimmick, and looking really good in Prowl’s traditional colors.

Rating: B