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Toy Review - Grimlock
Series - Masterpiece
Sub-line - N/A
Size - N/A
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - N/A
Released here - August 2010
Approximate Retail Price - $150
Approximate Size - 23cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Tyrannosaurus Rex
Main Features/Gimmicks - Moving Jaw, changing eye colour, light up sword/sword.
Main Colours - Grey, gold, red, black.
Main Accessories - Sword, Gun, Crown.
http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/2010excl09.jpg
While the $150 price tag may scare many off...
Masterpiece Grimlock is truly worth every cent.
:D
Doesnt scare me:D! What scares me was the price of the first release which they flog for more at ebay, waaaaay more. When the sightings for this guy was confirmed I snapped up mine as soon as the paycheck cleared heheheh
While I was happy to pay $150 for this toy, I disagree. Considering that:Quote:
Originally Posted by Grievous
+ MP Ultra Magnus sold here for $80 and is a larger and more sophisticated mould.
+ MP Starscream sold here for $100 - similar size and also more complex mould.
+ IIRC Hasbro's MP Optimus Prime sold here for approx. $100.
...I don't remember the Australian RRP for MP Convoy w/ trailer.
Masterpiece Grimlock is of a similar size to the MP Seekers and is the most simplistically engineered Masterpiece toy. Being simplistic isn't necessarily a bad thing - I do think it's a well made toy... but it doesn't justify the $150 asking price. Compared to all other Masterpiece Transformers released in the Australian market, I'd say that Grimlock represents the poorest value for money. It'd probably be cheaper it get it from an overseas online dealer like RobotKingdom.
Naturally there are advantages to buying a toy from a brick and mortar store; like being able to visually inspect the toy and packaging and of course, being able to bring it home and open it straight away. And there's the relative ease of refunds/exchanges if there's any issues. But for anyone with more patience than me, I'd recommend considering purchasing it online if it's a substantially cheaper option.
Okay, price issues aside...
It's a simple yet nice toy. The simplicity makes it feel the least "Masterpiece-ish" of all MPs. Upon transforming this toy it felt only half-Masterpiece, half-G1 to me. Also, the hands are the least articulated of all MPs. The left hand is about as articulate as Optimal Optimus and the right hand can only move the thumb - it's otherwise just a typical solid fist with a hole. Considering the LED gimmick in the right hand, I can understand why this is - but again, this can all detract from the "Masterpiece" feel of the toy. On the plus side he can hold his weapons real nice and tight (unlike other MPs who too easily drop their weapons during handling/play).
The eye colour change thing is a neat feature and allows the toy to cater for people who want cartoonlike blue eyes, or toy-accurate (and comic-like) red eyes. I prefer the red eye setting because it is toy-accurate and more like the comic, which goes together with the crown (which Grimlock only ever wore in the G1 comics). But he looks nice with the blue eye setting too - it's all a matter of personal preference. :)
While the toy is smaller than the MP leaders, it's about the same size as the Seekers. Much like Binaltech/Alternators Grimlock, they've compensated by just bulking up the toy - and the bulk is impressive looking. One small gripe I have is that the robot shoulders are set just a tad too high and kinda makes him look like he's perpetually shrugging. The LED gimmick works as you'd expect (e.g. like G2 Laser Rods, Micron Legend Hot Shot etc.) - the sword conducts the light quite well throughout the blade, but the gun barrels only illuminate at the tips -- the shafts themselves remain transparent. I was hoping the entire barrels would light up. As a result it only really looks cool if you look down the barrels of the gun, from an angle it kinda looks meh.
The tail on mine has a few loose hinges and I find they don't lock in very securely in robot mode (as a result they sometimes inadvertantly swing out during play). The ratchet joints on the knees are also super-tight which is annoying during toy play because the entire toy shakes when you're doing fast action animated play (e.g. making the toy walk or run in robot mode).
The crown is a really neat feature and as a G1 fan I fap all over it. ;) It looks really G1 accurate too. My only gripe is that it doesn't 'lock' onto Grimlock's head - rather it just sits there. This can be annoying during play, like when I bend Grimlock's stiff knees and the toy vibrates with the crown falling off! Sometimes when moving about the crown also becomes lopsided. So I guess we need an MP Snarl to readjust Grimmie's crown. :)
I'm really glad that Hasbro decided to take the original MP Grimlock colours and add the crown to it, as I really wasn't a fan of TakaraTOMY's Yomtov-coloured MP Grimlock. And of course, TOMY's original MP Grimmie didn't come with the crown. Now the crown is probably meaningless for people who aren't fans of the G1 comics - so for fans of the G1 cartoon I'd recommend getting TOMY's original MP Grimlock as it comes with accessories relevant to the cartoon (apron, tray, brain scanning thingie etc.). But Hasbro's MP Grimlock is perfect for my taste! :)
The packaging is just dull - more like an oversized carded toy than a boxed one. I wanted to just throw the box out (but kristofferer came and took it off my hands :)).
I love MP Grimlock. The transformation is so close to the original G1 toy (aside from the legs) that most fans should be able to pick this up and have a fiddle straight away without referring to the instructions too much.
I don't care that it has simple engineering, and I'm sure that for those that 'play' with their toys, the fun factor would be a lot higher. Trying to stage a battle using MP Prime sucks when it takes 20 mins to transform him after you utter the words "transform and roll out" :p
As I said, there's nothing wrong with the engineering per se... I just don't think it justifies the $150 price tag.
I do think MP Grimlock is a very nice toy, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. But it's the equal 3rd highest price I've ever paid for a Transformer toy (on par with what I paid for G1 Scorponok; only Brave Maximus and Fortress Maximus were more expensive). Maybe I'm just a tight-arse. ;p
That was $200, I split mine with Gamblor as I needed only the trailer, but it was a hit miss, if you recall there were a lot of complaints of poor QC such as missing parts so I thought when I opened mine to inspect I was holding my breath praying that it isnt damaged as there were no other ones left on the shelf to exchange it to. Target Blacktown came out with about 3-4 only.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
and your last comment on yourself on reply #6 is what happens when you've got a kid to think about heheh so you're excused, for the moment....:p when she grows up and gets a part time job on her own, that wont work anymore, means you gotta have another Yuki, maybe a Kaen this time heheheh
Im liking very much as 5FDP said the near G1 transformation coz as I mentioned I dont need instructions for him, makes playing so easier. I lke the crown accessory too. Apron and other stuff I can always get a Sylvannian Family stuff for that heheheh, mebbe Barbie line ( oh rival company)has an apron only clothing for sale ( must not be pink hahahaha), brain transfer device, nah. Dont need that. On a segway note though, does that mean the Technobots were huge bots as well particularly Scattershot? coz he was eyelevel with Grimy in his Dino mode, while most of the the time you see him enter like that Grimy towers above the rest in that mode even Prime? Or is that just one of those dissapointing size issues with G1 cartoons?...... did I just answer my own query, sigh?
There should be a 'buy Takara MP-08X King Grimlock instead' option for the poll. I vote for that. (I voted 'yes' anyway.) :)
It's a fantastic mould and Grimlock was my favourite Transformers character as child. I don't like the colours of this version, possibly because my love of Grimlock was a result of the comics and so the yellow-golds and blue-blacks of King Grimlock evoke extra nostalgia that this one doesn't. But at least it comes with the crown rather than the waiter accessories. The brain-sucking device would have been cool for cartoon fans who own Computron, though. This is the best Masterpiece mould so far by a landslide - only Rodimus looks to even come close.
Well it's worked out all for the best, cos if I'd gotten the first TOMY version w/ the apron, tray and brain scanner, then I wouldn't bother getting any other version -- then I'd be miffed at missing out on the crown. I'd probably ask anyone if they're willing to sell me the crown, but I don't think I'd get any takers. Okay, just hypothetically speaking, who _would_ have sold me the crown? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
So while unintended, it's worked out well for me that I didn't get the original TOMY version. :)
G1 cartoon and consistent scale = fail. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
We never had such issues in the G1 comics. Aw crap. :p
So Omega Supreme wanted Megatron to meet Hasbro people? :D:p;)Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I think I paid $220 for mine. Was the only one that Target Penrith had so I put it on layby. Then a few weeks after I got him out of layby, there were like 10 of him on the shelves :p I must have been lucky though because mine does not suffer from any of the QC complaints.Quote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
As for Grimlock, I would be tempted to buy one, even though I do have the TakTom version. But when you need every spare penny, I just can't justify buying another version of him. Maybe they will still have a few when I actually have money again.
I said at the WA meet yesterday that something that is really putting me off MP Grimlock is that the T Rex mode is too upright - which I know is accurate to G1 but I still find annoying. I was told that you could position the beast mode in a more realistic manner and that it had the balance for this -does anyone have a picture of this?
I really do like this MP. The only draw back for it is how loose the Tail section is due to the 'wag' gimmick. Otherwise everything works. My only other gripe with Hasbro MP's is their lack of the little instruction booklet and card.
Is it worth the $150 price tag? Probably not but as long as we keep paying, they'll keep charging.
1AZRAEL1: mebbe you could sell your TakTOM Grimmie and use the money to help pay for a Hasbro one? You could sell your TakTOM one for a cheaper price and keep the tray, apron and brain scanner and be one of few collectors to own a single MP Grimlock with all of his accessories! :D Just a suggestion. :)
Pretty much! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ic_faith11.jpg
Tell me you don't want one now!Quote:
Originally Posted by SharkyMcShark
http://i35.tinypic.com/2j1vteb.jpg
He is the master of balance!
http://i36.tinypic.com/jjoa5y.jpg
And the other conclusion we can draw, is that i need to do some dusting!
I don't have the Hasbro MP Grimlock, I went TAKTomy and had to get a 3rd party crown.
After having a gander at Kup's Comic King Grimlock and the Hasbro Grimlock at Toys R Us I must conclude that any MP Grimlock is a good Grimlock. At least until Hasbro release a Universe style repaint.:D
Thanks kurdt!Quote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
Urge to buy getting stronger.
I like the figure but being a fan of complex conversions made Grimlock slightly disappointing. The looseness of the tail was weird but I like the subtler use of the light gimmick. When I saw that cut out bit on his right side snout, I thought it was a manufacturing error but noticed everyone elses had it. It was just for the hinge of the flip-top portion of the head.
I know, I'll be looked at funny when I say this. I don't give a rats bottom about the crown. I'd have rather the waiter gear and brain doodad. Should have just picked up the Japanese release.
Well it all depends on whether you're more of a fan of the G1 comics or the G1 cartoon (ya know, despite the fact that the comics had vastly better stories and lasted 6 times longer than the cartoon; but hey, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent blokes :p ;) :p)Quote:
Originally Posted by Stompy
Like I said, Hasbro version rocks for lovers of the G1 comics, and TOMY version rocks for lovers of the G1 cartoon. And of course, each version can change between red or blue eyes depending on whether your prefer toy/comic accuracy or cartoon-likeness. So in the end everyone's happy as you can just choose between the TOMY or Hasbro version depending on your preference! Yay! :D
I'd definitely go for the TOMY version if I preferred toon-likeness. I think the crown's pretty meaningless if you're not a fan of the comics (just as the apron, tray and brain doodad (I like that term :)) doesn't that much for people like me who prefer the comics. Is the Japanese version still in stock anywhere? I haven't checked any import stores in Sydney for ages and I don't know what it's like in Melbourne. Any online dealers have them in stock?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stompy
From a purely visual point-of-view I like the comic Grimlock the most. The combination of the yellower gold and shadow grey (and that spectacular box)really hits a home run for me. Shame I'll never be able to justify buying one. :p
Don't be silly, it's Grimlock and Grimlock is king that's all the justification you need. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Doubledealer
Haha, this is true! Maybe I could also convince myself that the gold on comic Grimlock is real, not plastic. :p Perhaps someone could tempt myself and others further with some nice piccies of ol' bluey? ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord_Zed
I have the original TT version. I'll likely get the local release as well, but not until a sale, and I'll just be keeping it sealed as a spare.
I don't see how they could have maintained such G1 accuracy (kibble included) without maintaining the simplicity. Otherwise, it would have just been complexity for complexity's sake, and that's never any good.
As to the accessories, they all stay in the box for me. I not really into playing "dress up".
Well they prolly would, its TRU so they would keep flogging it off til every last one sells, not that they'd lower the price though, coz that's a big no no I guess for them.....:p;)Quote:
Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1
I agree - and I have no qualms about the simplicity per se... just should've been a cheaper toy as a result.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
The crown means a lot to me, as it represents a poignant phase in G1 lore and a pivotal phase in Grimlock's character development, as well as social commentary (i.e. how an elected leader can become a despotic tyrant and how absolute power corrupts absolutely etc.).Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
I didn't read the comics until years after I saw the show. So basically while the crown looks cool, it doesn't affect my decision at all. Maybe I need to read the comics again :p
They may lower him, but maybe only a few dollars :pQuote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
IMO, it's dumb for them not to have layby, they would make so much more money if they did. The problem with today's market, is everyone is basically penny-pinching to try to stretch our their money. Layby is great for expensive stuff. Alot of people just don't have the funds to splash out and buy things outright. I remember how heartbroken I was when I was in there when Universe 2.0 came out, I grabbed a trolley and filled it with all the new figures, and the total came to about $400. When I asked about layby they said they don't do it. I was so sad :(
But on the plus side, I have them all now and even would have paid less for them :D
I got him today, and there was this horrible feeling that in Six months he'll be in Toyworld for 50 bucks, much like Masterpiece Starscream.
I couldn't wait that long.
The way they're selling ATM I'd say it would be a long time before they go on clearance... if they ever do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallestblue
Arrived earlier in the week from RK, and at that price I'd say its a much more convincing buy than the price at TRU, IMO.
I love this figure- it is so awesome, granted its my first masterpiece fig, but I love it. I love the simplicity of the transformation- mimicking the g1 fig.
Minor gripes:
The fingers in robot mode are not as articulated as I'd have liked (would have liked extra articulation in the fingers), and I don't like the small peg system he uses to hold the weapons.
I'm thinking about getting the Takara version in the future, just for that extra satisfaction of the colours of the gold and grey.
Just a minor question:
Do you think he scales properly with classics figures?
A minor reason I bought him was to display on my classics shelf, as some have said they would do. He is quite large compared to the deluxes and voyagers- is he meant to tower over them in g1 continuity- or even comics? I tried to watch some g1 eps to give some clarity- but still very unsure. I mean is he meant to be taller than prime and magnus?
Are there any site/resources anyone can link me to clarify on the scale of grimlock and the other autobots?
See here buddy :)Quote:
Originally Posted by gdmetro
Yeah but animators and artists frequently ignored that scale guide. ;)
As an adult I don't think I qualify to answer a question for minors. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by gdmetro
Oh wait, I'm emotionally immature... yay. Grimlock was portrayed as being taller than Optimus Prime by about half a head, but usually wasn't "towering".
Here are some piccies as a guide:
Grimlock next to Optimus Prime
Grimlock and Megatron
Grimlock and Super Powermaster Optimus Prime - which would make Grimlock positively gigantic considering that Super Powermaster Prime was once portrayed as being this huge! (but he normally wasn't that big :p)
Grimlock with Cosmos, Beachcomber and Wheeljack - but notice how Wheeljack is smaller than those minibots!
G1 was just never terribly consistent with scale! Grimlock did literally tower over other Transformers in Transformers, as you can see here. Click here to read more about the whacky world of Transformers scale! And that's why I'm personally not fussed with having my toys in scale (unless they're so far off scale that it makes it hard for the toys to interact with other toys in play, like say Beast Machines Nightscream, Supreme Cheetor, Ultimate Bumblebee etc.)... but yeah, otherwise I'd do my head in trying to get my toys to be in scale with canon considering that canonical scale often contradicts itself. That and the toys came first -- Grimlock _should_ be shorter than Optimus Prime, but Marvel/Sunbow made him taller.
Thanks mate!Quote:
Originally Posted by 5FDP
We are all minors at heart here :)Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Thanks for the links, really appreciate it.
I watched an ep of g1 where megs transformed into a gun for starscream? to shoot and perceptor turned into a human sized scope- no logical scale. :D
From what I can tell MP Grimlock is slightly out of scale with classics figs (just a tad taller and bulkier), but for my purposes of displaying him its okay. The reason I asked was that I was not sure about his relative size- always just thought he was same size as prime.
Now.. what to do with my henkei grimlock..
G1 will always be full of inconsistencies, sizing, color changes, losing abilities previously displayed (e.g. flying)...here's some unexplained ones I found ages ago in some forum I already forgot which one :p
http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...s/TFStrip3.jpg
Okaaaay back to the thread now . soweee:p:o
Continued from here
It's basically the same mould as the MP Grimlock that TakaraTOMY released last year... so no, I wasn't surprised by its size at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkyWarp91
It's the same size as MP Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp, but smaller than MP Optimus Prime and Megatron. In other words, Grimlock is shorter than the leaders but the same size as other non-leader MPs. And this is normally the case anyway. Grimlock's always been either the same size or shorter than the Optimus toy of the same series/era, with the arguable exceptions of Beast Wars* and Classics**.
TBH, not really. Not unless you really want this toy and you can't be bothered importing it from somewhere like Robot Kingdom. But as mentioned before, there are advantages to buying it from TRU - like being able to inspect the article first hand and the instant gratification of having the toy straight away.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkyWarp91
I haven't measured MP Grimlock yet, but the MP Seekers are 21.5cm which is about the average height of an Ultra. So if Grimlock's around the same size then he's the same height as an Ultra.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22..._mpheights.jpg
----------------------------------------------------------------
*Beast Wars Grimlock, a Deluxe, is taller than Basic Optimus Primal but he is shorter than Ultra Optimus Primal.
**Classics Grimlock is taller than Ultimate Battle Optimus Prime but shorter than Classics Optimus Prime. But again, Ultimate Battle is arguably not part of "Classics" and the Optimus Prime toy that is clearly labelled "Classics" is a Voyager which is taller than the Deluxe Classics Grimlock toy.
Thanks for the input re: whether Grimlock is worth it guys. I'll probably give this MP a miss, the only MP I want is MP Prime with the Trailer. I'm sure if TRU don't sell this fig well they'll drop it down to 100 at most.
there's only a few left
I dont care about the price. I love this Grimlock and would much rather pay 150 then 350 for the other MP versions floating around.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...ps54d14072.jpg :p
I had a look and fiddle with the MP Grimlock toy that Hasbro released last year (MP-03). Wow... that Hasblow Grey. :eek: The crown on was also pretty loose and prone to falling off.
My Takara grey was not solid grey and was quite the same as Hasbro.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I have no issue with the crown.
Those who missed it, that was it. I still remembered I got it for $120 Aust from US TRU shipped here.
I seriously have no issue with scale though, people keep being bugged that is wrong size and wants a third party whatsoever. For me is like "how many grimlocks do we need?"
My Takara one had loose legs too. In the end I sold my takara one and kept the Hasbro.