Sentinel Prime

"Without law, all is chaos."

Affiliation: Autobot 
Function: Elite Commander

Alternate mode: Snowplow

Weapon: Battle Lance
and Energon Shield

SENTINEL PRIME
At this point in 2008, we don't know Sentinel Prime's full story.  We know he entered the Autobot Academy at the same time as Animated Optimus Prime.  What we don't know is why Sentinel Prime graduated and went on to become a commander within the ranks of the Autobot Elite Guard, while Optimus Prime did not even graduate.  Hopefully, this intriguing plotline will be explored further. I'll bet Sentinel Prime has something to do with it.  Time will tell!

What we do know about Sentinel Prime is that he is the most arrogant, pompous, condescending Autobots ever to be portrayed in Transformers mythos.  A, "constant pain in the skid plate" to Optimus Prime and his crew, he seeks only his own self-advancement through the Elite Guard ranks.  Although he publicly touts the virtues of following the rules, there is no length he wouldn't go to, to make himself look good and other Autobots look bad to senior ranking Autobots.

Robot Mode Power: Sentinel Prime carries an Battle Lance and Energon Shield capable of withstanding the heaviest of Decepticon artillery.

Vehicle Mode: Pickup truck with snow plow.

Character description from package "tech spec":  Graduate of the same class as Optimus Prime at the Autobot Academy, Sentinel Prime is a commander of a squad of the best Auto bots have to offer -the Elite Guard.  though he is a powerful warrior and cunning leader, he is also obsessed with following rules to the absolute letter.  He is unbending in his interpretation of procedure and dislikes the way Optimus Prime and his crew improvise.  If he had his way, the whole group would be sent back to Basic Programming.

Galactic Powers and Abilities:
> Battle lance fires energy bolts
> Shield can absorb energy and convert into fuel.
> Thinks humans ar gross, and may be contagious.

Other appearances: Although he has made no other appearances in toy form in Transformers, his namesake has been mentioned on several occasions.  According to the G1 Marvel comics series, Sentinel Prime was the immediate predecessor to Optimus Prime.  The Autobot Matrix of Leadership, was passed directly from Sentinel Prime to Optimus Prime early in the first great War of Cybertron.  This story was corroborated in the Dreamwave comics series, The War Within.  Therein, Sentinel Prime was assassinated by Megatron near the onset of the great war.  This is the first toy made of this character, and is presumably a different individual with the same name.

Bibliography of significant appearances: Sentinel Prime is one of only two members of the Autobot Elite Guard to make a cameo appearance in the Transformers Animated movie into Transform and Roll Out.  (The other was Autobot Supreme Commander, Ultra Magnus.)  His character was also heavily featured in each of the following episodes:
08 Along Came a Spider
14 The Elite Guard
15 Return of the Headmaster
16 Mission Accomplished