Review: #160
Name: Grimlock
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Animated
Year of Release: 2008
Size Class: Activators (Wave 3)
Variations: repainted into Fireblast Grimlock
DINOSAUR MODE:
Grimlock, unsurprisingly, transforms into a robotic dinosaur. It is very stylized but still looks excellent and it's a good design.
He's got some kibble (his robot legs) near the back of this mode, which makes him too chunky to look good. He features a gold tipped tail.
Even in beast mode, he can't escape the Animated trademark of a huge, jutting jaw.
A neat feature if that his jaw is jointed so you can open and close the mouth for some chomping action.
There a gap from above where the purpose (as far as I can see) is to show off the Autobot symbol but it doesn't line up perfectly and it feels redundant as there's a bigger Autobot symbol on his left side...
Being an Activator, Grimlock features a spring-loaded transformation. Bad thing here is that the clips aren't big enough (or the springs are too strong) to hold Grimlock perfectly. the front half of the dinosaur easily flips back when you handle him.
Size-wize, with a beast mode, he is fairly big but light as he's a bit hollow. It's still a great mode though.
TRANSFORMATION:
Grimlock's automatic transformation is pretty neat. The front half flips onto his back and his torso, along with his legs, shift upwards. It looks great. You do need to them fiddle with his arms, fold back his tail and flip up his legs but that doesn't require too much effort. This is a good transformation.
ROBOT MODE:
Grimlock's robot mode is as faithful to the cartoon as his beast mode. The only bad thing here is the out of proportion arms which are much longer than you'd want. You can fold it at an angle to make it appear shorter but it's not perfect.
Grimlock carries a bit backpack, being pretty much the rest of the dinosaur (now that I realise, Grimlock is somewhat of a shellformer).
Unfortunately, due to this backpack and the way the feet fold up, it makes he can easily keel over backwards (the long heelspurs are useless as the ankle joints are giving way).
The head sculpt is good and the head can slightly turn from side to side.
Once again, he is a decent size, especially considering how much he shortens by when compared to his dinosaur mode.
Poseability is excellent, but once again you gotta watch out with those ankles to prevent him from falling over.
He's got joints in most areas, only lacking in a waist joint.
A great robot mode hindered by his ankles and long arms, but that's unavoidable as making his arms shorter would make the dinosaur mode look really weird.
OVERALL:
A good rendition of Animated Grimlock. He looks accurate in both modes and is plenty of fun to play with. The spring loaded transformation works. Just a fun toy all around.
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