Toy Review - Hasbro Masterpiece Grimlock

[griffin]

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.

[Grievous]

While the $150 price tag may scare many off...
Masterpiece Grimlock is truly worth every cent.

[liegeprime]

Doesnt scare me! 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

[GoktimusPrime]

While the $150 price tag may scare many off...
Masterpiece Grimlock is truly worth every cent.

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

[5FDP]

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"

[GoktimusPrime]

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

[liegeprime]

...I don't remember the Australian RRP for MP Convoy w/ trailer.

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.

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.... 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?

[Sky Shadow]

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.

[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....

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?

So while unintended, it's worked out well for me that I didn't get the original TOMY version.

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?

G1 cartoon and consistent scale = fail.

We never had such issues in the G1 comics. Aw crap.

[liegeprime]

We never had such issues in the G1 comics. Aw crap.

So Omega Supreme wanted Megatron to meet Hasbro people?