Toy Review - Age of Extinction Grimlock (Voyager)

[GoktimusPrime]

As someone who owns the Voyager, I think it's a dreadful toy. But I also feel that it's better than the Leader, so IMHO it's the lesser (and cheaper ) or two evils. I got Grimlock at a discounted price, and even then I feel ripped. If you are going to get this toy, do yourself a favour and try to avoid paying full retail for it.

[Mythirax]

As someone who owns the Voyager, I think it's a dreadful toy. But I also feel that it's better than the Leader, so IMHO it's the lesser (and cheaper ) or two evils. I got Grimlock at a discounted price, and even then I feel ripped. If you are going to get this toy, do yourself a favour and try to avoid paying full retail for it.

Haha poor Grimlock, I guess beauty is in the eyes of the beholder for him When I first took him out of the package, I'll admit, I didn't like it. But once I transformed it a few times, put parts in spots they're not meant to go. I really fell in love with it - He has his flaws, but compared to that leader. You can't go past the voyager. For anyone unsure though, discounted might be the best idea. I paid the $49 myself, but I feel I got my monies worth (least I tell myself that heh).

[GoktimusPrime]

I think he's an incredibly sub-standard Voyager. Comparing him with even more recent Voyagers like Dark of the Moon Megatron and even Grimlock's casemate, Evasion Mode Optimus Prime, and I find that these toys poop all over Voyager Grimlock. And whenever I think of this toy's full price I am reminded that I paid about the same for my pre-ordered Masterpiece Autobot cars.

As mundane as Evasion Optimus Prime's colour scheme is, I've found that it's an incredibly fun toy to play with. I just don't get that same enjoyment when I play with Grimlock. The engineering level is actually below that of Beast Machines -- and I find that's the case with all of the AoE Dinobots, actually. Okay, Beast Machines were bad Transformers toys, no doubt's there... but from a technical POV a lot of them were actually pretty well designed action figures (just not good Transformers). Much like the cartoon series, if it weren't Transformers it'd be actually pretty good. Take a look at say Deluxe Class BM Optimus Primal. Yes, it's a ridiculous looking gorilla mode and incredibly unorthodox^bizarre looking robot mode (the whole rounded technorganic aesthetic), but from a design perspective it's an exquisitely well crafted toy. The sculpting is so well done that you can see muscle fibres ripping across the body of the beast mode, and there's even airbrushed paint apps on the toy. And the beast mode is the weaker of the two for that toy -- the robot mode is remarkably solid for a Deluxe figure, whereas Voyager AoE Grimlock looks "half hollow" in robot mode from behind. Yeah alright, Optimus Primal's Shuriken gimmick sucks, but AoE Voyager Grimlock's weapon isn't great either. And this is compared to a Beast Machines toy; a line that's notorious for sucking!

But yeah, if you "have to" get an AoE Grimlock, the Voyager looks to be the best (or least worst) version. I'm not going to pay double the price for the Leader Class version; especially after seeing what passes for a Leader Class toy these days w/ First Edition AoE Optimus Prime. For anyone else who's unsure or not in a hurry to own this toy, I highly recommend waiting until it's on sale. As Paulbot says, paying full price for this toy is just paying an "impatience tax."

[Sinnertwin]

So please stop calling them elf shoes. Please. For the children.

You're right, they're not shoes. They're CFM Boots

[Zommael]

You're right, they're not shoes. They're CFM Boots

The Dinobots are sexeh.

[GoktimusPrime]

More pics:

Medium shot of head/torso


Grimlock's gap-tastic dino mode


Transformation

[Mythirax]

Grimlock's gap-tastic dino mode

Unless you did it deliberately, the panel above his robot-mode head is not pushed in all the way in your photo. Making him very gappy.

First photo has how it's meant to be. The second photo I think looks much better, holding Grimlock's arms up higher. To make the body look more solid and rounded.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I think I hadn't locked those tabs in when I took that photo (I was mucking around w/ this toy in the car while waiting for the wife to finish her shopping ); I locked it in later but was ceebs to take another shot. It still leaves a gap though (as can be seen in your pics), just not as big. But that panel certainly doesn't sit flush. And while I can see the merit in your modified transformation of Grimlock, as you rightfully pointed out, the official transformation has the chest panels swung down which exposes robot kibble from the sides, although your config would reveal more robot kibble from front on.

[Mythirax]

Yeah, I think I hadn't locked those tabs in when I took that photo (I was mucking around w/ this toy in the car while waiting for the wife to finish her shopping ); I locked it in later but was ceebs to take another shot. It still leaves a gap though (as can be seen in your pics), just not as big. But that panel certainly doesn't sit flush. And while I can see the merit in your modified transformation of Grimlock, as you rightfully pointed out, the official transformation has the chest panels swung down which exposes robot kibble from the sides, although your config would reveal more robot kibble from front on.

Yeah, sadly some cracks and gaps still stay. But the same amount of robot kibble seems to display in either modes it seems. You can see in my previous post a more front on version with the arms like that. As for official transformation, I hate how so many images and instructions seem mistransformed now-a-days - I like the takara version better with the black arms, the colors seems to blend better in my opinion

[Zommael]

I have to say, I'm with Mythirax all the way on this one. To me, the leader looks like a bigger, less well-proportioned, more chrometacular version of the Voyager in both modes. I can't justify paying twice the price for a toy that looks less good and has a more complex transformation.

On the other hand, the voyager feels like a pretty solid figure despite the breakage I experienced the first time I transformed him. I know that should make me judge the toy worse, but I just can't. I like his transformation, it's for the most part intuitive, fun, and different from other Transformers with similar alt modes (I still insist he's a carnotaurus rather than a T-rex, but that's just me).

The colours are good. I particularly like the "tiger stripe" like pattern on the back. The blue eyes don't bother me, and I've noticed they match the rest of the dinobots released so far in shade. I wish Hasbro could have slapped some more silver paint on the robot legs, as there's a good amount of their signature grey in there, but oh well. Part of the reason I'm so hot on the colours might be because they're the same as those of my favourite soccer team, but at the same time, I do feel they fit and the gold looks good.

I wasn't at first sold on the weapon, until I realised the hollow head is designed to accommodate the tail attachment. However, I wasn't sold on that particular formation, either, until I'd looked at it a bit. I removed the handle which meant his tail ends in a wicked looking spiked mace rather than the thin shaft. I can see the shaft portion forming part of the tail, but for me, it doesn't look as good as the tail does without the weapon or with just the head attached. I'm not sure at all, but it looks to me like the shaft portion might once have been meant to attach to the underside of the dinosaur, but the feature was scrapped. That is pure speculation, though.

My preference is for Mythirax's alternate transformation, but either one does leave a noticeable gap. To some extent, I'm fine with that: he's a mechanical dinosaur, after all, and the parts aren't completely identifiable as robot parts.

In robot mode, I feel he has a more well-proportioned, powerful look than the leader version. He is still a fairly lean robot, but also more solid looking to me than the other version. I'm a fan of the headsculpt too.

But more than anything else, to me, despite the alterations that are always made for the movies and the obvious difference to the G1 toy, this toy feels like Grimlock. He has the ferocity, the power, and the vicious look of the character. I for one find this to be a worthy version of the character.