Grimlock's mecha t-rex mode is replicated in this Masterpiece toy down to quite exacting detail when compared to his cartoon appearance (including the now scientifically-incorrect posture where his tail nearly drags on the ground). He's pretty huge-- roughly Leader-class size, but with more detail-- His mold detailing is extraordinary, eith little details like pistons and bolts all over the place-- including on the chromed plastic INSIDE his tinted-clear neck (like on the G1 toy, but much more involved)-- it all looks VERY cool. I wish he had a FEW more paint apps to help break up all the milky gray-- like on the sides of his tail, for example-- but what he has is adequate, what with the couple of tubes on his stomach painted, as well as all the chrome plastic and the details on his legs. His teeth and arms are chrome silver, and look extremely well-done here-- and yes, his mouth can open and close (and there's even a little "torch gun" inside his mouth). His other points of articulation in this mode are at the neck (at two places), shoulders, elbows, at the base of each of the three fingers on each arm, at the tail at two different sections along it, and at the hips, knees (at three places), at the base of each rear claw on his feet, and at the base of his two front claws on each foot (as one piece). What's quite cool is just how much Grimlock can swing his bulky tail (which is even more impressive when you consider his transformation)-- fling it to one side at its base in the middle of the body, and his head will swing back and forth in that same direction, in a "thrashing" action! Another gimmick Grimlock has in this mode is that, by opening up the top of his dino skill and rotating his eye pieces around, you can give him either toy-accurate blue eyes or show-accurate red eyes. A very nice touch, that. I am a bit disappointed that he can't store any of his robot accessories in this mode, though.
    Grimlock's robot mode-- as with most Masterpiece toys-- is where most of the design work is focused around, and it's exceptionally well-proportioned. With his large shoulders, beefy arms, bit stomping feet, and barrel chest, this version of Grimlock perfectly shows off his tough character. I kinda wish that, at this scale, there was something that could've been done with his "dino bits" other than just flipping them behind his shoulders and back, but it IS cartoon-accurate, which is I'm sure what they were going for. At least they stay out of the way, and the dino head locks into place quite well. (The transformation itself is a bit simple for a Masterpiece, but still pulls off a few surprises that tend to give Grimlock his better proportions in this mode than his G1 toy had-- the way the tail transforms into the legs is particularly ingenious.) The introduction of a bit more red and black in this mode-- around the waist and upper arms-- helps to give Grimlock a bit more of that color variety he was lacking in dino mode. The red, blue, and green bits on his legs also look pretty cool. His articluation is simply astounding-- he can move at the neck (at two points), shoulders, elbows (at three points), at the thumb on each hand; at the base of his index finger and his other three fingers (as one piece) on his left hand; at the wrists, waist, hips (at three points), knees (at two points), and at the ankles. Of note is that one of those points of movement at the knees is a nice lateral joint that can help Grimlock get his legs at quite an angle with his feet still flush against the floor-- it's VERY impressive, though his waist movement is limited a little by the dino kibble on his back. Oh, and in case you're wondering why Grimlock's right hand has less articulation than his left hand-- it's because his right hand can actually light up! By pressing a button on his right shoulder, a BRIGHT red light shines through the hole in said hand, illuminated either his sword or his gun (whichever he's holding in that hand) quite well. Just, eh... don't look directly at the fist hole without a weapon plugged in it. Again, it's REALLY bright. Grimlock's golden chrome crown fits perfectly on his head in this mode, and fits with the chrome gold chest quite well. (The chest also has some REALLY nice details underneath the tinted transparent part, including an Autobot symbol.) Another gimmick Grimlock has in this mode is that you can flip a switch on the back of his head to change his optic color from red to blue, just like you can do to him in dino mode.
    Masterpiece Grimlock is, appropriately, simply a masterpiece. It's particularly impressive just how well his robot proportions and articulation are, given his dino mode, and his gimmicks are top-notch. If I had to nitpick, I'm not fond of how he can't hold his robot weapons in dino mode, and how simply his dino bits fold up onto his upper back in robot mode, but again, that latter's G1 accurate. Definitely a prime recommendation for any Transfan, provided you can afford the fairly hefty price tag.

Review by Beastbot

(The above pics are from Hasbro.)

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