Toy Review: “Transformers: Age of Extinction” Voyager Grimlock

NAME: Grimlock
ALLEGIANCE: Autobot
ALTERNATE MODE: T-Rex
CLASS: Voyager
SERIES: M4: #002
CO-SELLS: Optimus Prime (Evasion Mode)

GRIMLOCK is the ultimate wildcard.  The DINOBOT leader has the power to decide the fate of Earth almost singlehandedley. His ferocious strength makes him a devasating force in battle.  If that strength can be focused and harnessed for good, it could be enough to turn the tide. If not, it could be what seals Earth’s doom.

Fans have been calling for his inclusion ever since the first movie was announced. “We want Grimlock!” they shouted, loudly and repeatedly. Supposedly those same fans were told that robotic dinosaurs didn’t make sense within the movie universe.

Well, either they do make sense now or Michael Bay has thrown sense out the window.

…. yes, I realize what I just wrote.

So, we have Grimlock but he doesn’t look much like his Generation 1 namesake. How good of a toy is he? Let’s find out.

Grimlock in Package Gallery:

ROBOT MODE

Grimlock is packaged in robot mode, and from the first glance you can see that this is a completely different mechanical dinosaur than what we’re used to. There are spikes and plates and what look like bony protrusions. He’s got what look like dinosaur teech on his pectorals, he’s carrying a big-ass spiked club, and his T-Rex head doesn’t just flip back behind him like most G1 inspired Grimlock’s have had.

I love the look of this guy. I don’t care that he’s got a metallic brown, black and silver color instead of silver/grey and yello. I don’t care that he doesn’t have the characteristic dino head backpack. This Grimlock just looks mean, standing 7.5″ (19 cm) tall.. The plethora of spikes means you don’t want to run afoul of this ‘bot. The deco is extremely nice, providing contrast without overwhelming you. Like Slug, you can tell that this guy is armored and ready for battle. His Autobot symbol rests on his upper torso, small and unassuming, unlike Grimmy himself.

His weapon is a bit…. weird. It’s got the big black spikey end, it’s got two points at the other hand, but the way he holds it seems unlikely to be effective as a weapon. The handle seems to be in the wrong place to swing it. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he should just grasp the shaft instead; that would make for a better weapon. The grey portion of his club is 5.25″ (13.3 cm) long; add the black spikey end and the entire weapon measures 6.625″ (16.8 cm) long.

As for articulation, he can kind of tilt his head up and down, but there’s no turning of his head. He has shoulder, wrist, hip and knee joints. His ankles pivot up and down thanks to the transformation process, but there’s no ankle posability. So he’s somewhat limited in the poses he can make.

Grimlock in Robot Mode Gallery

TRANSFORMATION

Flip the top part of his backpack out of the way to swing his T-Rex head pieces up, then peg the head pieces together.  Unpeg his dino feet from his arms, rotate the feet into position and pull the heel spurs out.  His thigh coverings pull out to become the dino chest and arms.  Then flip up his chest and robot arm assembly into position.  His robot feet flip out to form the end of his tail.  His robot legs rotate around his torso and peg together to become the rest of the tail.  Push his dino chest panels into place and then flip his T-Rex neck panel down.

T-REX MODE

My first reaction to this was “Grimlock’s T-Rex mode is a mess.” His weapon is supposed to just slide onto his tail, but I had problems getting the tabs in the slot, even when it was lined up. After I got that working, though, I still don’t quite get why he needs the club on here. It’s dumb. He’s got a tail already, use that; the club doesn’t add much, and in fact, the extra length would require more energy to swing it. It’s only there so that you can keep all the pieces together. I say leave it off.

The panels his dinosaur arms are on also just move into place without pegging into anything. This seems like an odd design choice. At the very least it feels like they should peg together, or peg into the waist piece, just to keep them from falling out of position. Another thing about his dino arms – the stock photography and instructions show them as black, but they’re brown. Think I would have preferred them black.

The rest of the deco doesn’t seem quite as cohesive in T-Rex mode. I think this might be a case of the robot mode taking preference over dinosaur mode when it comes to colors. The fact that parts keep shifting around and unpegging doesn’t help matters. Things seem a bit loose in dinosaur mode, and I bet you’ll be pegging things back and moving panels around as you fiddle with him. Not quite a solid figure as I would have hoped.

What I do like? There’s a button the left side of his neck. Press it, and his mouth closes. Great action feature there. I also love his green eyes, which have little details inside them, just like Slug’s. I love that he’s not posed like G1 Grimlock – his spine is pretty much parallel to the ground.

Grimlock in T-Rex Mode Gallery:

FINAL THOUGHTS

Grimlock as a T-Rex is an okay toy, but not as good as I would have liked. Little things about him bug me, almost like this was too ambitious a design for a Voyager. I’m curious what his Leader class T-Rex mode will be like. That being said, his robot mode is pretty damn nice. Impressive looking design, nice deco choices, and solid engineering makes for a robot mode that will take priority over his alt mode for me.