Thursday, July 28, 2011
Review: [Hasbro] Transformers Power Core Combiners Grimstone with Dinobots
| Figure Information | |
| Manufacturer: | Hasbro |
| Origin Series: | Transformers: Power Core Combiners |
| Scale: | Non-Scale |
| Height: | Scout-size Robot Mode: Approximately 11.5cm tall Combiner Robot Mode: Approximately 18.5cm tall |
| Original Price: | 20 USD |
| Figure Box: |
Again as usual, read back from the other 5-packs since this is the 4th 5-pack review if memory serves me right XD. Anyway, Grimstone's art is as usual pretty nice, and it seriously it slightly different from what you'd expect as a combiner dinobot. But is the toy really worth it?
| Figure Details: |
The manual and box says his alt mode is a Triceratops but as far as I remember from several video reviews out there that it isn't a triceratops but another dinosaur, however, I'm too lazy to research anymore so just that, it's a dinosaur, whether Tricera or not, a Dino's still a dino. XD
Now the good part on his dino mode is that it's really a Dinobot at first look, the color scheme and all, it's downright a part of the dinobots as we knew them back in G1 and the best part of it, Gold and Silver are as what they are, a really really decent paint job. The red's pretty good too though again as my usual gripe, there's the power core peg behind which is off from Grimstone's color scheme but still over all, it's a nice beast mode and luckily he doesn't have guns sticking out there.
If you've noticed above, he has a powerlinx port on his tail so you can arm him if you want to but what good weapon can it be? I've gone with Caliburst but better leave Grimstone alone as a dino without anything equipped, afterall, a Dinobot is at its strongest in beast mode.
Transformations's very simple and really the scout bot mode, for me, looks a little odd. I guess it's that his body is too wide or that his legs are too short; the shoulder pads are a little weird sine the dino kibble goes to the back and I think if it was put in front it'd look so much better; again the paint's retained but this time, a big amount of red pops out
As much as how bad the place of the powerlinx port on the beast mode was, it's even worse here XD It's at the back like Darkstream's but at least trying out an axe minicon works better with him since it's more like a part of detail now than weird parts dangling behind, so, it's a saving grace IMO.
Now going to his Drones and I seriously do not know what they are in actuality but following the box and manual it would be the Spinosaurus, made to form the right arm; and additionally, it's mouth can open XD
Next is the Parasaurolophus that forms the left arm; and you can play around with its arms. XD
The 3rd is the Pachycephalosaurus which forms the right leg and whose arms can also be moved a bit. XD
Last of the drones is the Ankylosaurus, which forms the final limb that is the left leg! Its tail has a hinger which you can play around to have it smash things like the dinosaur it is.
I guess the drones are really nice they all blend together pretty well but I must say the Spinosaurus is a little out of place since of all the drones, it's the only one that has no blasters. XD
Anyway now to form the torso mode and combine Grimstone with his dinobot drones, the main attraction of this pack IMO. Grimstone's combined mode is this massive and really gorgeous piece of bot a real comeback from how bad the scout mode looked like for me. It's really a great mode though I must comment that his right arm and leg since they're really just dinosaurs hanging there XD But as for the other side it's pretty cool. The overall color palette is amazing, it's really a good overall balance between general dinobot colors and it's very consistent, one thing that no other 5-pack can pull off, not even Crankcase and his destrons.
| Articulation: |
Going to scout bot mode first, basically he only acts on a swivel but as a bonus thanks to transformation, you can use the hinge to make him look up which is a nice touch since more points of articulation does make it a lot more better in play value.
Grimstone's shoulders work around on a hinge and a swivel but the hinge is a little limited thanks to the kibble there so he can't fully stretch his arms sideways and additionally, his arms does swivel 360 but it's a little complicated to pull off thanks to the kibble ramming on each other; he doesn't have any bicep swivel nor a wrist swivel; what's good though is that his elbows are double jointed and lastly, thanks to his to his transformation, he's once of those TFs that can actually punch inwards thanks to a hinge on his chest.
The legs does a better job actually, being more free and all, he does have a thigh swivel and a hinge on the knee, but the said hinge does suck since it can only bend a bit; he also doesn't have any ankle joint and his heels fail to support him since they're too thin and then move, so this guy falls down often.
What's weird though is that the knee joint also works the other way around and it does bend more that way thanks to his dino mode, lol.
Grimstone as a scout, well, he seriously doesn't do much as by himself alone, his balance sucks, his arm articulation would have been good but thanks to the kibble, it becomes more annoying than fun to play around with, he can't even do a kick without any suppost thanks to his lame excuse for heels and the sad part, you can't use the combiner pegs to act as support which helped balancing a lot of PCC scout modes.
Arming up Grimstone does change his boring factor, but then again, that would include the use of other pieces but still, he's pretty cool once he's armed and it somewhat redeemed his bot mode for me, but scoring purposes, this is not counted. XD
Now going to the combiner mode, Grimstone's head possesses the same as his scout mode though this time around, the hinge that allows him to look up works a LOT better, since the hinge is now really in the neck rather than the scout's which was somewhere on the back of his chest.
Arms are the same as all 5-packs, now bicep swivels nor any elbow joints but that's a given for me since even the original combiner toys were bricks (unless you get the 3rd party improvements) But still compared to the scout's shoulder articulation, the combiner's better in a lot of ways.
Going out of the book, you can untab a part of the shoulders from his back to have a more flex which is good actually, but it doesn't match up to the amount of flex that Stakeout (or Smolder) gives by untabbing.
Leg articulation remains the same, though again, a weak point from the scout was highly improved in the combiner by giving him double jointed knees which really work wonders.
The combiner is the saving grace for me actually, though it's limited, it's a given and the fact that he can be so much more fun to play around with even without any weapons (actually there is since the Parasaurolophus' tail acts as some kind of arm blade for big Grim here and seriously, he does a lot more than the scout and not to mention that he really looks way more awesome than his scout mode.
| Final Thoughts: |
Grimstone's a great addition to the PCC IMO but his scout really sucks for me big time; though the dinosaur mode and combiner modes are saving graces, do get him for a good display piece and an awesome detail and not to mention that he's the first (I think) Dinobot combiner (excluding the weird energon power linking which I'm not sure even if it's to be called a combiner); but if you're after the scout, then no, I'd suggest getting more worth it packs than him.
| Rating (Out of 10) | |
| Details | 9 |
| Articulation | 7.5 |
| Price | 8 |
| Overall: | 8.17 |
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Cool!!!!!
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