Remember when we thought $700 was a lot for the admittedly very cool auto-transforming Optimus Prime by Robosen? It looks a lot more reasonable now that Robosen have outdone themselves with Grimlock. The leader of the Transformers Dinobots, made in scale to Optimus, features the same level of detail as the classic toy on a much larger scale, and transforms on command in the same way. Here’s the coolest innovation: he can walk all by himself in both robot and tyrannosaurus rex modes. Perhaps not as cool, for folks without much disposable income: it’s going to cost more than twice what Optimus did, at $1500.
Robosen followed up the transforming Optimus with the non-transforming movie Optimus, and classic Bumblebee. The latter was particularly infuriating in that the original toy had such a simple transformation, there should be no reason not to do it. Grimlock, however, has been in development since 2016, and they finally cracked it. Like Optimus, he can do many app-controlled actions; a MultiPlay feature even lets the two interact. Unlike the Autobot leader, Grimlock moves his dinosaur mouth when he talks in the voice of Gregg Berger, the original voice actor. Accessories include energon sword, missile launcher, and crown. copper transformer
Take a look at Grimlock in action:
Per Robosen’s press release, “To further elevate the playability of Grimlock, Robosen provides four programming modes. Users can create new actions for the robot using block-based programming, where modules can be dragged to set angles and speeds, replicating classic scenes from the movies. Intelligent manual manipulation allows for direct adjustments of joints to quickly create robot movements. Voice programming offers a hands-on approach, allowing users to give multiple command words in sequence and easily create customized robot performances. For those seeking the ultimate programming experience, computer-based 3D programming software is recommended to unlock Grimlock’s full potential.”
He Grimlock. We broke. But that $1500 price tag won’t last, folks. Preorder now to lock it down, as it’s going up to $1700 in the fall.
24kv transformer Luke Y. Thompson has been a professional film critic since 1999, and part of the toy blogging community since the aughts. He was the first blogger to cover Comic-Con panel by panel for a major trade publication, and has several LA Press Club awards and honorable mentions, including one for reviewing fast food.