jazzy_josh: I'd recommend either Classics Grimlock or Masterpiece Grimlock. I wouldn't recommend Energon Grimlock at all... stylism aside, it's a seriously craptastic toy. I personally find Animated Grimlock to be fairly pedestrian... and as Cat said, just doesn't aesthetically fit with Classicsverse.
There are some different versions of Classics and MP Grimlock - but the ones that were released in Australia (and thus should be the cheapest to get I imagine) are Classics and Hasbro's Masterpiece Grimlock. Other possibly more expensive versions are Henkei Grimlock (same mould as Classics Grimlock but some bits of it are chromed) and two different TakaraTOMY MP Grimlocks - different decos and accessories.
If you're gunning for Masterpiece Grimlock, then here's my advice:
+ Hasbro version: recommended if you want a toy in more toy-accurate colours, also the same colours used in the UK Marvel comics. Comes with the King Grimlock crown seen in the G1 Marvel comics.
+ TakaraTOMY version, regular retail: recommended if you want a MP Grimlock that looks more like the cartoon - toy comes with the 'brain scanner' and 'waiter' accessories that Grimlock used in Season 3.
+ TakaraTOMY version, limited exclusive: recommended if you want a US Marvel comic-accurate looking version - colours of the toy based on the way Grimlock was coloured by Nel Yomtov. Comes with the King Grimlock crown.
All the MP Grimlocks have an LED gimmick which allows his sword to light up in robot mode and the eyes can change colour between blue and red in dino or robot mode (so you can have toy/comic accurate red eyes or cartoon-like blue eyes). But be aware that MP Grimlock has the most simplistic engineering out there for a Masterpiece Transformer, and yet this toy was never cheap, even when it first came out. I'd recommend checking out someone else's MP Grimlock IRL for yourself before splashing out money on this toy.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
I'm amazed that people can even still post acquisition posts in the past few months considering how FEW new toy releases we've had in stores since Dark of the Moon came out! I'd post acquisitions on this thread more often if freakin' Hasbro released more stuff!![]()