Kingdom Grimlock

Prelude: Do you know Grimlock? Of course you know Grimlock, who doesn’t know Grimlock? But do you know that Grimlock was part of Beast Wars? That he was a repaint of Dinobot? That he appeared in the IDW Beast Wars comics? That he got a figure in the Kingdom toy line? Well, now you know! And knowing is half the battle. The other half? Stomping Predacons into the ground, I guess. So let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Grimlock is a repaint (with a new head) of Kingdom Dinobot, so this review will focus mostly on the differences between the two figures. Grimlock’s new paint job is a mixture of white, black, and grey, along with some gold for the legs and feet. The original Beast Wars figure was a Gold Plastic Syndrome victim, we shall see in a few years if the same holds true for Kingdom Grimlock. The paint job isn’t one hundred percent accurate when compared to the original Beast Wars Grimlock, as we’re missing a few black spots on the chest and the forearms weren’t grey, but overall it’s a close match. Apart from the new colors there are no changes to the body of the figure and personally I like the color mix. It’s a bit eclectic, granted, but I like it.

The new head is an interesting tidbit, as it looks more like an Optimus Prime head than a Grimlock head, to be honest. In fact, though, it’s basically the original Beast Wars Dinobot head, as in the one from the original toy, which looked nothing like the kisser Chopperface would sport in the TV series. So, Optimus Prime? Grimlock? Dinobot? Take your pick. Again, I like it.

No other changes to the robot mode. Same great articulation, same weird weaponry, same excellent robot mode.

Alternate Mode: Of course Grimlock transforms into a Velociraptor as well, no changes here except the paint job. Now the original Beast Wars Grimlock was mostly white in this mode with black Dalmatian spots all over his back. Here Kingdom Grimlock differs quite a bit, as he is mostly white on the sides and belly, but his back and his lower legs are grey, while the top of his head is black. Not sure which one is the weirder color choice, to be honest.

No other changes to the beast mode. The colors look weirder than those of Dinobot, sure, but that’s about the only difference.

Remarks: Grimlock never appeared in the Beast Wars TV series. He was a toy-only character (and “just” a repaint, at that) and whether or not he was the actual G1 Dinobot leader was a topic of much debate, despite his toy profile text making it pretty clear. IDW finally made it canon through their Beast Wars Sourcebook and Grimlock’s appearance in the two IDW Beast Wars miniseries. So, given that we got a great Dinobot toy in the Kingdom line, it was not much of a surprise that we would get a Grimlock repaint out of it, even if it was just in a two-pack with a G1 figure. Still waiting on that Hardhead repaint.

I know a lot of people got the two-pack only for Mirage, but me, I really just wanted Grimlock. Not sure why, to be honest, apart from being an avid Beast Wars fan. Maybe the oddity of having such a famous character in such a barely-known form somewhat appealed to me, I guess. So bottom line: not really a figure for Grimlock fans (at least not those who adore his classic G1 look), but Beast Wars fans who like the more obscure characters from the old line will like him, I’m sure. Now let’s just hope the gold plastic will hold out.

Rating: B+

Picture Gallery: