Transformers Studio Series 86 Grimlock and Autobot Wheelie figure review

I’ve been loving my rewatch of the Transformers cartoon series and it reminded me of why I loved Grimlock. He has such a childish mentality only matched by his power. I never managed to get one of the Masterpiece Grimlock figures so I was ecstatic to get him in this Transformers Studio Series 86 line. I do really need Hasbro to announce more of his fellow Dinobots or at least Slag and Sludge very soon. For now, let’s take a look at the most powerful of the Dinobots.

Packaging: Grimlock is a massive figure so he gets the larger standard size packaging with a big prominent Transformers along the side and the Transformers The Movie logo.

I love the artwork on the sides featuring a transformed Grimlock with Wheelie catching a ride.

The larger packaging does make the lack of much text on the back stand out.

Likeness:  For most of the movie, the Dinobots were in their alt mode, which was an interesting choice since they were shown more often as robots in the cartoon. Our only look was when Prime sics them on Devastator. It’s worth using The Movie as the reference here since the designs were more detailed than the cartoon.

That helps make this figure look even more impressive with all of the paneling Hasbro included. This was a case where going simple and basic would have been just fine and accurate to the source material yet the extra effort is really appreciated.

 

Alt Mode: Grimlock transformers into a tyrannosaurus rex or at least a robotic version of one.

Course it’s not like there was gonna be a rack of actual dinosaurs running around for the Dinobots to blend in with so authenticity wasn’t a necessity in this case.

Transformation: Grimlock can transform in 24 easy steps. Not bad considering his height and scale. I had a lot of fun transforming Grimlock. He’s probably the smoothest of the Studio Series I’ve transformed so far as everything flows in a natural manner.

Scale:  Depending on the episode, the Dinobots towered over the other Autobots sometimes standing twice as tall. Optimus Prime would come up to his nose in some episodes.

For this figure, Hasbro went even bigger scaling Grimlock up so Prime only comes up to his chest.

After binging the cartoon, I like the much larger height for him used with this figure.

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Paint: Hasbro didn’t go with the full chromed out gold for the torso, but did go with the darker chest shield like the G1 figure. That’s a nice throwback nod.

The color combinations match up well with the G1 figure with the darker grey legs and metallic blue, red and green panels along the knees and shins. The gold accents with the feet/claws also pops.

I didn’t have any flaws with paint chipping or oversprays/run-offs. As usual my biggest gripe is I wish the light for the eye area was brighter to show a bit more “life” with the figure.

Articulation: Grimlock has terrific articulation in both modes. I was impressed by how easily he moved in robot mode. He can strike some fun poses and seems ready to bash Decepticons in either form.

I wish his dino mode head had deeper up and down range so he could look down on characters a bit better. Moving his legs back allow him to “hunch” down to get closer to eye level with characters though it’s gonna be hard to have him in listening position for petrorabbit stories.

And while I’m on wish mode, a swivel neck joint would have also allowed for a bit more creativity with poses. That’s not consistent with how the original toy was so I get why Hasbro/Takara kept things simple.

Grimlock has:

• neck
• jaw (dino mode)
• arms (dino mode)
• bicep
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbows
• wrists
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hips
• thighs
• knees (double-jointed)
• ankles

Accessories:  Grimlock never actually used it in the movie, but he does come with his big blaster. It’s appropriately scaled although I did wish Hasbro also included his sword for a fully battle ready version.

Additionally, he comes with Wheelie, who’s far more of an accessory than a bonus figure. His legs are stuck in a squatting, seated position so he can’t stand on his own. He’s fine for his main use in the movie, but it’s definitely not like you’re getting a transforming Wheelie.

In keeping with the theme of this series, the inner package backdrop features a diorama from the Dinobots dramatic courtroom appearance. It’s not perfectly scaled, but it is a nice touch and from the right angle can work just fine.

Worth it?  I got Grimlock and Wheelie for $50. I think that’s a pretty decent price considering Grimlock’s size and Wheelie is enough of a bonus for some added value.

Rating: 10 out of 10

I’m really enjoying the work on this line. Grimlock really left me excited about adding the rest of the Dinobots to the collection. He adds another key character to The Movie roster and is probably my favorite one of the line so far.

Where to get it?  I got Grimlock from Hasbro Pulse although I’ve seen enough reports that they’ve also been in Target and Walmart stores. If you aren’t having any luck, you can always order him from Amazon or Entertainment Earth.