Toy Review - Studio Series LDR Grimlock

[doublespy]

Series - Studio Series
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - new
Wave - 1
Released here - April 2018
Approximate Retail Price - $90


Dino mode:
He's big and impressive. COVERED in sculpted details. Lighter than what you expect but very overall pretty a very solid dinosaur, aside from the 'bot mode butt flap which could've easily had a locking tab instead of just hanging there against gravity with mere friction of the hinge that it attaches to. I found you can have one side of the rubbery piece rest on one of the tail spikes to stop the butt flap from drooping.

The dry brush look is very awesome in person. I personally don't mind the small gaps on the body. Articulation is somewhat limited in dino mode. The already ball jointed feet are no sort of locked on the side to side direction due to transformation, and the jaw hinge has only two click points and it doesn't even fully close, which makes him look quite derpy with his half open mouth. Luckily the 'bot arm joint is still accessibly in dino mode which now has the upper body turn side to side. This is quite helpful in creating some aggressive dino poses.

https://i.imgur.com/2tNBDObh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/HL88WAMh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/uHDfcIGh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/avXsnzJh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/v89xHr1h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Mo9NE1wl.jpg


Transformation:
Surprisingly simple for its size but very effective. It's almost like sculpt and paint were taken as priority on this figure. I wish there'd be more in the leg transformation to further distinguish between 'bot and dino legs. But all in all I think the end results are quite impressive.

'Bot mode:
I agree with the internet that this is the mode that shines. Again, that dry brush is GODLIKE. In find the whole thing looks better under natural lighting. You could even argue that this is the best paint job on a mainline Transformer toy, ever. Combined with the ILM CGI-powered sculpt and the sheer size, this guy just has this incredible presence, which I could only feel from Masterpiece figures like MP-36 Megatron. I especially like how they didn't skimp on the faux dino head details, and how the waist armor pieces integrate seamlessly as one piece of skirt armor.

Articulation is adequate. The armor pieces do bump into each other in some more dynamic poses though, and the ankle ball joint has quite limited range.

https://i.imgur.com/Vixmnygh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/GGro7oWh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/9930v85h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/41s5WAch.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/gE6BFXoh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/siY2qZSh.jpg


Overall:
Grimlock is a really strong start to the Studio Series. I'd long lost interest in the mainline movie figures and was gonna just cherry pick 2 or 3 figures from this new line. But just seeing them on the shelf in person and owning two figures, and how they look together completely changed my mind that I'm considering going completionist. Goes to show what HasTak are capable of when they're not being cheap.

[FatalityPitt]

hehehe Guyver Grimlock!

I saw this at Myer yesterday. I like the brushed metal look.

[Magnus]

More information for the opener:

Series - Studio Series
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - new
Wave - 1
Released here - April 2018
Approximate Retail Price - $89
Approximate Size - 25cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Stylised Tyrannosaurus rex
Main Features/Gimmicks - New, screen-accurate design
Main Colours - Grey, green
Main Accessories - N/A

Tyrannosaurus rex mode

A stylised Tyrannosaurus rex. The proportions are strange - the head is large, the neck is indistinct, and the upper torso is thin when viewed from above. On the other hand, the legs are massive - all the better for charging at speed, I suppose.

While the entire figure is moulded in dark grey, the figure has had metallic green paint applied to it with what appears to be drybrushing. The green makes for an interesting effect - it gives the impression of an oxidised copper patina (think of the domes on the roof of the Queen Victoria Building or the Statue of Liberty), although real oxidised copper is dull green. On the CGI model, the patina seemed to hint at Grimlock's age without making him a rusty brown.

There are gaps in the upper torso, and the tail appears uneven, but the overall appearance is still aesthetically pleasing because of the colours and the screen-accuracy of the moulded details. That said, the previous leader class figure had a more cohesive tyrannosaur mode.

Transformation

Grimlock has an asymmetrical transformation that evokes The Last Knight's voyager class Scorn or the original Beast Wars Megatron.

The old leader class figure actually had a more screen-accurate transformation scheme, with the tyrannosaur legs forming the robot arms and the torso swinging up and around to form the lower torso and legs; however, it had a strangely elongated torso as a result. The Studio Series version's torso is far shorter.

Robot mode

Suitably big and imposing. Designing Transformers involves a compromise between the two modes, and it seems that priority was given to the robot mode here.

Grimlock has no accessories, but he does have a weapon - his right forearm forms a morning star, capped with a spiked ball where his right hand would be. Even though this is screen-accurate - Grimlock's arm takes on this configuration when he initially attacks Optimus Prime - this may be a negative for people who would have wanted Grimlock to have both hands.

His dragontooth mace as a weapon to be wielded in his left hand would have been a nice addition.

Verdict

Both modes look good, but the robot mode is the superior one.

Yes, there are a few areas where the old leader-class figure is superior, but they're overshadowed by the far more screen-accurate appearance of Studio Series Grimlock in both modes.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I managed to not buy this when visiting Sydney a week ago because of limited funds. Reading these reviews makes me wish I’d given in to my greedy instincts and grabbed him.

Great review/s :)

[Dimi194]

I don't have much to add except I don't like beastformers, and I really don't like them in their beast modes
BUT
I love this guy in BOTH modes.

10/10 would recommend.

[UltraMarginal]

I'm tempted by this guy but i'm struggling to get past the fact that his bot mode has two complete T-rex heads, one on each shoulder.

[doublespy]

I'm tempted by this guy but i'm struggling to get past the fact that his bot mode has two complete T-rex heads, one on each shoulder.

One of the very reasons I think he's awesome! :p

[philby]

I'm tempted by this guy but i'm struggling to get past the fact that his bot mode has two complete T-rex heads, one on each shoulder.


Is it not one half of a head on each side? Or 2 actual whole heads?

[Sutton]

Is it not one half of a head on each side? Or 2 actual whole heads?

2 complete heads. You can see the other one at the back end of the dino mode, sort of inverted inside-out - it's pretty well hidden, but once you see it you can't unsee it.

[UltraMarginal]

Is it not one half of a head on each side? Or 2 actual whole heads?

look at some of the available photos of bot mode from the back.

[philby]

That is so weird!

[UltraMarginal]

That is so weird!

I know right, it's like having extra moulded wheels in a bot mode that don't need to be there.

[SharkyMcShark]

I picked this up at the weekend on the basis that I was close enough to having all the SS figures that I might as well complete the set, and I actually really enjoy it a lot.

The robot mode is freaking cool - I love the amount of detail devoted to something that got essentially 10 seconds of screen time, total. It's incredibly large for a 2018 leader class figure, and I dig the mace/fist. I'm less put off by the fake head than I thought I would be. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age?

Transformation is essentially taken from AOE Scorn - robot legs deform into dino legs, one arm becomes the head, the other arm becomes the tail, and the robot torso becomes the dino ribcage. I think this is also BW Megatron's transformation?

Dino mode looks incredibly menacing. Articulation is probably average. Nothing in the neck, arms at the shoulder, torso swivel along the robot mode shoulder joint, and nothing in the tail. The legs can be worked with, especially if you slightly untransform them to free up otherwise locked up joints.

[Sutton]

I picked this up at the weekend on the basis that I was close enough to having all the SS figures that I might as well complete the set, and I actually really enjoy it a lot.

The robot mode is freaking cool - I love the amount of detail devoted to something that got essentially 10 seconds of screen time, total. It's incredibly large for a 2018 leader class figure, and I dig the mace/fist. I'm less put off by the fake head than I thought I would be. Maybe I'm getting soft in my old age?

Transformation is essentially taken from AOE Scorn - robot legs deform into dino legs, one arm becomes the head, the other arm becomes the tail, and the robot torso becomes the dino ribcage. I think this is also BW Megatron's transformation?

Dino mode looks incredibly menacing. Articulation is probably average. Nothing in the neck, arms at the shoulder, torso swivel along the robot mode shoulder joint, and nothing in the tail. The legs can be worked with, especially if you slightly untransform them to free up otherwise locked up joints.


I'm in the same boat as you - I had every other release already, I've been impressed with those (even Crowbar!) so thought - why not? Especially at the Toyworld sale price of $59.

Very glad I bit on this one. Without a doubt this is the most badass/evil/ominous mainline transformer I've ever seen. This is the sort of thing I'd expect from a third party release, not Hasbro. What's really cool is that I've seen heaps of 10 year olds in the toy shops getting excited about it too.

Now I just have to cross my fingers it's not possessed and tries to kill me in my sleep.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I love this guy in BOTH modes.

10/10 would recommend.

Seconded! :D

If the Dino mode didn’t have the odd gaps I’d almost say this is MP rather than SS worthy!

[Silverbolt]

Finally opened got around to opening Grimlock over the weekend and I think I can select a lot of the comments already mentioned in this thread. It did prompt me to pull out the leader AOE Grimlock. There really is no comparison.

One is like a care bear and the other is out for blood.

It makes me wonder why they thought the AOE leader (and voyager) could represent the character from the movie.

I love the detail in the sculpt. He just looks brutal.

Id recommend him just so you can pose him next to TLK voyager Optimus.

[SharkyMcShark]

It makes me wonder why they thought the AOE leader (and voyager) could represent the character from the movie.


As with many of the toys released at the time of the movies, they were based on concept art, not the final look.

The final look was a lot less knight-themed.

[GoktimusPrime]

Another thing to bear in mind is time. They would've only had limited time to develop those toys. Plus Studio Series has the luxury of hindsight. Obviously later toys should be better than previous ones, not vice versa. *cough*Cyberverse*cough*

[GoktimusPrime]

Pretty late to this game. Picked one up today as I managed to nab one for $49. :)

Visually this toy is absolutely gorgeous and the robot mode feels like the character has jumped out of the screen and become real -- a feeling that we normally associate with Masterpiece. Overall the pros absolutely outweigh the drawbacks on this toy; it's quite amazing what they've done. And I am quite appreciative of how everything on this toy is self-contained (unlike the AOE Leader who has parts of the dino mode forming the weapons). But even with the gaps in the Dinobot mode, it's still a much better Dinobot mode than the AOE Voyager and Leader. Yeah, the AOE Leader has the most solid looking Dino mode, but bear in mind that a good chunk of the back panel forms the shield, and the tail becomes the mace. Studio Series Grimlock is achieving a superior screen-accurate look while not resorting to "cheating" with removable parts, so I gotta award points for that. :)

Having said that, I find that some of the drawbacks include:
* The main one which everyone else has mentioned - gappy dino mode. Particularly the visible left hand which looks like he's uppercutting his own dino head.
* Right hand was sacrificed for a non-detachable spiked ball weapon. I'm guessing that this decision was made for budget reasons (the cost of the paint ops alone must've been bonkers).
* No other weapons/accessories; including the notable absence of Grimlock's spiked maul. The closed left fist means that he cannot hold AOE Leader Grimlock's mace or shield, although it should be possible for him to hold the Voyager's maul (which is more canonically accurate).

Overall, as a mass release Leader Class figure, this feels like the best that they could've done for this toy.

Beast mode
https://image.ibb.co/jpXBrz/studioseries_grimlock01.jpg

Robot mode
https://image.ibb.co/jif9de/studioseries_grimlock02.jpg

"We're giving you freedom! You defend our family or die." ←Optimus Prime liberates Grimlock by enslaving him :confused:
https://image.ibb.co/cY4D4K/studioseries_grimlock03.jpg

Objects in mirror are closer than they appear
https://image.ibb.co/mCaLjK/studioseries_grimlock04.jpg

Michael Bay's comedy gold
https://image.ibb.co/jHOUde/studioseries_grimlock05.jpg

Comparison with the AOE Voyager and Leader, Dinobot mode
https://image.ibb.co/bSU2ye/studioseries_grimlock06.jpg

Comparison with the AOE Voyager and Leader, robot mode
https://image.ibb.co/fqefjK/studioseries_grimlock07.jpg

Spiked ball weapon
https://image.ibb.co/nvovJe/studioseries_grimlock08.jpg

"Bio-Boost!" :p
https://image.ibb.co/df5Wrz/studioseries_grimlock09.jpg

[UltraMarginal]

Nice Pictures Gok!