While I was happy to pay $150 for this toy, I disagree. Considering that: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).
Reply With Quote