In just about one month’s time, the Dinobots are set to make their big-screen debut in Michael Bay’s Transformers: Age of Extinction, but retail has given us a sneak-peek into what the movie’s Dinobots are all about by way of Hasbro’s new line of Age of Extinction movie figures. Leading the pack is the big boss himself: Grimlock. This is definitely Grimlock as we’ve never seen him before because, aside from transforming into a giant mechanical lizard of some sort, this interpretation bears only a slight resemblance to the character we all know and love.
In the brand’s 30-year history, Grimlock’s design has remained fairly consistent throughout the years and across all the different interpretations of the line. G1, War Within, Animated, Energon, the video games, etc. are all slight variations on the same basic design. Even the Pretender Grimlock’s inner ‘bot is based on the classic G1 look. Really, and please correct me if I’m wrong, only the Beast Wars figure has taken any real design liberties, and that was only because they shoe-horned the character into the line as a Dinobot repaint. (If you’re unfamiliar with Beast Wars, there’s a character named “Dinobot” who has no ties to the G1 Dinobots, but may be a bigger badass than all the G1 Dinobots put together. Sorry, guys.)
This interpretation, however, is a pretty radical departure from Grimlock’s G1 look. So how does it fare overall? Let’s take a look!
Grimlock’s packaging is the new standard voyager packaging. It does a well-enough job of showcasing the figure, and it looks as though his bio on the back of the box may be giving us some insight as to what his role is going to be in the movie. The trailers indicate that he’s some sort of powerhouse that isn’t necessarily on board with Optimus Prime at first, which is something that’s consistent with the character from both the comics and cartoon. I really haven’t cared for the past two Transformers movies, but I’m definitely curious about this one. 
The movie Dinobots’ robot modes all look like knights of some variety or other, and I swear Grimlock looks like a samurai of some sort — that’s all I can think of when I look at him. I think that can be attributed to the shape of his helmet, his hip armor, maybe his “boots,” and his color palette — that probably tells you how much I know about samurais, but still.
Now, the samurai look isn’t a total departure for Grimlock. The 1989 Pretender figure’s outer, “human” shell has some design attributes that were samurai in nature, so maybe that was the inspiration behind this design.
Grimlock’s ‘bot mode is mostly good. I love the look and design of this take on the character, but the figure does suffer from some kibble that gets in the way of his articulation. Straight-on, he looks awesome. I’m a big fan of the split dino head that extends from his shoulders, and the paint apps and plastic colors all work together to make a handsome figure.
Once viewed from the side or from the back, however, his design somewhat falls apart. His lower dino jaw and his dino back/hump just hang purposelessly from his back. They don’t lock in anywhere and are just sort of “there.” He really isn’t much to look at from the back in general; the hollowness of his legs become quite evident, and there’s a distinct lack of paint apps that make him look pretty blah. Clearly, this is a figure that’s meant to face forward in the display.
His head sculpt is one of the figure’s stronger features, and it’s here where we actually see some resemblance to the Grimlock we’re more familiar with. His “teeth” can be seen on either side of his mask/helmet, and this is a trait he shares with later interpretations of the classic Grimlock design. There’s a lot of great detail here that could be brought out more with some dry-brushing or some other kind of detail work.
Because of the very basic samurai design and the color palette used, I can’t help but think that he’d almost make for a better movie version of Beast Wars Dinobot than he would Grimlock.The Pretender figure was decked-out in mostly primary colors, so this is still closer to Dinobot in terms of colors.
When I first saw pics of his ‘bot mode, Dinobot leaped to mind way before I was able to wrap my mind around the fact that this is supposed to be Grimlock. I mean, this figure being either characters is a stretch, but both are often depicted with sharp teeth in ‘bot mode, and maybe if the mask were to be painted blue, then maybe it would resemble Dinobot even more than it already does. Just a thought. But I am awfully tempted to work this guy into my Beast Wars shelf to make up for the fact that all we have are criminally undersized Dinobot figures.
He’s decently articulated and can hold a wide range of dynamic poses. His kibble does get in the way, particularly the kibble around his hips and forearms, but it’s all manageable. The design of his arms is the bigger point of frustration here, though. His dino feet tab in on the sides of his forearms, but this forces his hands to stay locked in a position that isn’t ideal for holding his weapon (picture him doing bicep curls — that’s the general positioning of his hands).
The forearm tabs can be freed to give his hands some better range of motion, but then the dino feet become obnoxiously obtrusive. It’s not the greatest design from an articulation standpoint.
His articulation in ‘bot mode is as follows:
- Swivel head
- Swivel and ratchet shoulders
- Bicep Swivels
- Hinged elbows
- Swivel wrists
- Swivel and ratchet hips
- Cut thighs
- Hinged knees
- Rocker ankles
- Hinged feet
His only accessory is this huge mace/spear thing. It’s an intimidating-looking weapon, and one that suits Grimlock’s personality because it looks powerful and deadly, like something only he could wield. Unfortunately, there’s no good way for him to hold it. This odd little handle was added to the spear portion so he could at least hold the thing, but it’s impossible for him to hold it in any way that seems intuitive and logical. A good two-handed grip is not possible.
Because of the wonky design, I’ve opted to forgo the mace in favor of a Fansproject sword that was intended for the original Classics Grimlock figure:
This works so much better for me. It was included with Fansproject’s G3 Trailer accessory for Classics Optimus Prime, and it’s a perfect fit here.
He’s a pretty standard size for a modern voyager. In the above pics we see him with the Fall of Cybertron Platinum Edition Grimlock, and then with his wave-mate Evasion Mode Optimus Prime. Of the two, I have to say Optimus is the better figure in the assortment, but I am fond of Grimlock here when all is said and done. Both figures are selling like hotcakes in my area, so that’s encouraging to see.
Grimlock’s dinosaur mode is sure to stir the bigger controversy here. Personally, I think it looks more like some weird dog than it does a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but your mileage will certainly vary. It’s the “ears,” the brown plastic, and the black tiger stripes — they make him look like some sort of cross between a robotic dog and a T-Rex. And he has an action feature in this mode. There’s a button that can be pressed that makes his jaw snap shut. Neat, but I’d prefer it weren’t there.
It’s really not the most elegant dino mode in the world, but it’s growing on me. I think. I find myself not being as bothered by it now as I was when I first got him out of his package and transformed him, so take from that what you will.
When viewed in profile, he’s almost… OK. But when you look at him stratight-on or from the back, he’s a mess. That tail — it’s similar to the Fall of Cybertron Grimlock where you force his feet together and Presto! You get something that’s supposed to be a tail.
The emphasis here is definitely the ‘bot mode because the dino mode just looks too all over the place and clunky in comparison. Normally I display my Dinobots in dino mode, but this guy is staying in ‘bot mode.
Really, it may just be the combination of plastic colors and paint. If there were more brown and less grey, particularly through his midsection and tail, then there might be some unity in his design and execution, which is really what it needs. But as it is, it’s a clunky, haphazard mess.
There’s hope for the tail, however. It’s not a great solution or anything, but it does make it look better, albeit a bit “long.” His mace and spear can be attached to his tail to make him more formidable in this mode. It looks silly, but still better than just having that weird tail there as it is. It’s difficult to find space to pose him in a display like this, though, because it takes up so much darn space.
When you see him posed with a classic version of Grimlock, like the Masterpiece figure pictured above, it really drives home just what an odd design this is. The comparison makes him look like some kind of dino-tiger or something. It’s just strange, and it’s doesn’t even really resemble what we’ve been seeing in the trailers for the movie.
I may not be that big a fan of his dino mode, but I really like his ‘bot mode quite a bit. It’s not a perfect figure by any means, but it’s a fun figure. I was able to snag him and the new voyager Optimus Prime during Amazon’s BOGO50% sale, so I feel as though I got my money’s worth with this figure. His robot mode is definitely worth it for me.
Man…Bayformer designs are just crap.
This toy looks absolutely ridiculous. Those colors on that plastic just makes it look cheap as hell, and the sculpt quality and detail is terrible. Still don’t understand why people buy this movie junk.
Idk…I am still on the fence about this”Grimlock”. Good review though.