Picked up the FoC Grimlock today.
As hard as I've been on Hasbro since the launch of the Prime and FoC toys (awful awful cheapass super expensive lines, both of them. Dominated by badly designed toys), and as much as I've found the FoC Dinobots to be complete abhorations that could get better designs by lobotomy patients...

All this considered... this Grimlock toy isn't half bad. The robot mode looks better in person than it does in pictures, and it looks shittons better than it does in the game.

Engineering is still badly designed, and feels waaaay too cheap. But he doesn't feel nearly as much of a ripoff as one of the modern almost scout sized $16 shellforming deluxes.
He's extremely hollow, and while that doesn't play through as much in robot mode, it does later on. His hollowness and shoulder design leave him feeling floppier than he really is, and kinda flimsy. But that's becoming the standard anyway.
His size is truly impressive, even when put with real deluxes (Like the fairly large RtS Jazz). He stands almost as tall as some ultras, and will positively loom over the micro-sized deluxes Hasbro makes today.
His overall design, as I said looks a lot better in person than in pictures. He has a very different feel than other Grimlocks. Moreso than any others, he looks and feels like a gladiator (That's neither a complement or a complaint. It's juts an observation. Grim's usually portrayed as a gladiator, so it's appropriate. But he's the first one that does).
In fact, he looks so different from past grimlocks, that if you slap a different set of colors on him, he really wouldn't look like Grimlock at all. That's kind of surprising since he reeks of Grimlock. But really only his arms are distinctly Grimlock. Everything else is Grimlock-esque, but but very differently shaped.

In robot mode, the only real complaint I have is his deco. I can't imagine what they were thinking? I don't think it's possible to give him a more boring deco.
Silvery grey, slightly lighter shade of silvery grey, bland gold, greyish gold, gunmetal grey, and charcoal. With a couple bright red highlights, and bloodred translucent plastic.
His chest and crotch, and dino claws are gold. Head is gunmetal. abdomen, that strip across his chest, and the tech details around his head are charcoal. And some greyish gold details on his legs. Everything else is grey. Incluuding the traditionally red crotch, and black fists and upper legs.

His dinosaur mode is complete rubbish. It has no redeeming value. It's less accurate than the original G1 toy. And that is pathetic in this day and age. There are two year olds that can draw better dinosaurs. Stand aside BW Dinobot and MP Grimlock, you're no longer the worst dinosaurs in the modern age of transformers.

Either way, for $22, it's a much better offering than anything else hasbro has given us since they relaunched Generations. And it's a better robot than I was expecting.
This is only the second transformer I've bought since Hasbro started Prime, that I don't feel ripped off. (Arms Micron Lioconvoy is the other)

Now... fuck FoC and give us a voyager IDW Grimlock, Hasbro! Give us one that's right!

Thanks for the mini-review. I'm still on the hunt for him myself, but I've been lucky enough to get both Soundwave and Soundblaster, but have yet to run across Grimmy. Once I get him, I will add my own thoughts on the toy.

But in FOC Grimlock's defense, he's not supposed to look like an Earth dinosaur. He's a space dino ;). And MP Grimlock's alt mode was supposed to look like the cartoon, not an actual T-Rex (which it pulls off beautifully). So blame Sunbow and Floro Dery for the inaccuracy, not the MP toy design. I can't say much about BW Dinobot's alt mode, even excusing the influence of Jurassic Park and the limited scientific knowledge of velociraptors at the time.

In other news, MP Soundwave is awesome and I highly recommend him, even at $190 (but you might want to wait for the TRU release). Laserbeak is equally amazing in his own right and does some really neat engineering tricks.

Def waiting for the TRU release on MP SW.

There's no excuse for an incorrect dinosaur.
Ever.
I don't care how braindead the FoC game designers are, they can look at a fucking picture and replicate it.

And Masterpiece means perfect in both modes. Takara is way too obcessed with a reaaaally awful 80's cartoon.
MP Grimlock has a great robot mode, but he's just an expensive non-transforming actuion figure to me.
Dinosaur alt modes are my top priority. Robot modes are incidental and unimportant.

As for BW Dinobot... that wasn't so much a slam on his dinosaur inaccuracies... it's that he's got a reeeeally bad beast mode. Dinosaur or not.

Do you like the Classics 2.0 Dinobot better? I thought the robot mode was okay but hated how his missle became his weird looking drill sword.

Yeah. While it's not an accurate dinosaur, I do think the Universe Dinobot is a much better beast mode. Far from perfect. And as far as accuracy goes, it's a better go at it than Generations FoC Grimlock.
Though like you, I hate his tail assembly. Mine won't hold the missile anymore. (Seriously, so glad Hasbro's gotten over their "Everything needs missiles" phase).

For the record, I think the best attempt Hasbro's ever done at a dinosaur, is the BW10/Cybertron Beast Planet Megatron mold.
It's a good representation of BW Megatron, and it's a largely accurate tyrannosaur.
I don't really demand perfection. Just, it's not hard to get it right. To me, the FoC Grimlock's dinosaur mode (Both game *and* toy) is like putting a vaguely car-shaped block on four wheels, and calling it a porche.
And the pushback I get when I express my dissatisfaction with such a weak attempt is frustrating at best. Usually people tell me "Just be happy and buy it anyway." or "It's a space T-Rex, it's not supossed to be accurate" (I know you said that as a joke, Treb, but others have said it to me, seriously), and "It's just a dinosaur. Who cares? No one knows dinosaurs don't drag their tails. That's what kids still get taught" (Which is absolutely 100% incorrect).
The TF fandom accepts people who insist on model accuracy realism in vehicle modes. But anyone who wants them to just pay attention to something vaguely resembling anatomy for a beast are almost austricized.

I came to the conclusion recently tha tbad alt modes stand out more when that type is in the rarity.
During Beast Wars... a bad car would have stuck out like a sore thumb. While a bad beast mode (Like Dinobot) really just sort of falls into the crowd.
During Cybertron where they both got a lot of attention, it really didn't matter as much.
But now when on average when he get one new beast every couple years, the bad ones really stick out... while a bad jet just sort of falls in with everything else.

Too bad U. Cheetor's robot mode isn't even half as magnificent as his beast mode.

Also keep in mind, that I don't have issues with older toys. The G1 Dinobots toys I don't berate. But if Hasbro made updates that were just as inaccurate as toys that were designed in the late 70s based on contemporary popculture, then I have issues (Even less accurate in the case of MP Grimlock).
So... I'm not asking nessisarily for photo realism. Big robotic looking dinosaurs are awesome, but it's not hard to make them look like robotic versions of what they're intended to be. Don Figueroa managed to blend the two beautifully in Maximum Dinobots. That's what I ask for. And I don't really think that's really asking too much, in an age where we have Alternator level realism at the deluxe level.

Sorry... got off on another essay. I guess I just have a lot to say about the subject, and not a lot of people really seem to understand, even though it's not really that different a viewpoint than the fans who want realistic vehicles over fantasy ones.

Toy Fair just OMG!

Trailbreaker(cutter) finally! My ark crew is nearly complete!
IDW figures directly finally! About time and the perfect way to fill in holes or start new collections. Very interesting idea for the Bee CJ switch. AI CJ and IDW Bee should pair up nicely! That Megatron is all kinds of badass too.

SPRINGER!!! Time to sell off warbot defender. Can't wait to have IDW inspired springer to go with Drift, Kup and Perceptor +the FOC wreckers.

Blitzwing!!! Looks like he has a face switching gimmick again. With him, the earth crashed decepticons should be about close to done now too.

And finally Metroplex...
Just yes. Just God YES.
In scale to Cyberverse, which is all kinds of epic. But then also outright epic for Kreons, Megablok Halo Spartans, and much much much more.
Now I really want to build my own G1 cast via cyberverse and legends. Like Commander Ironhide, etc to fill in spots. I've been planning on doing it for awhile but damn this mold is a real kick in the pants to do it.

Sorry. So much awesome and had to react vocally already about it all.

Best Toy Fair yet and we haven't even gotten to the Marvel stuff yet.

The only reveals that will make it home with me are Blitzwing and Trailcutter.

Never cared anything about Trailbreaker, and never felt like he was missing from my collection. But that's one of the better looking molds Hasbro has done in a while.
And for Blitzwing? Everyone's talking about how he's animated in classics form, like Lugnut and Lockdown. I don't see it.
Aside from his legs, he looks pretty G1 to me. I don't even see any head spinning gimmick. (helmet is way too small)
I'd prefer an animated homage, myself, though.

Metroplex is waaaaaay too expensive. Unless I can find one on clearance, I'll never have him. (And I never find TFs on clearance. Ever. Never find them at marshalls, or ross, or any of those places).

The rest are all varying degrees of pass. While I have no desire to ever own another musclecar bumblebee (I have half a dozen. Most don't cheat the robot modes. And none of them force it onto G1 Bumblebee. Hate that concept), I'm soooo glad to see Fall of Cybertron is over.

Yep, Hasbro have really delivered!
Actually as crazy as this might sound, I don't really want any new molds now - Skids as a repaint of RTS Jazz, Hoist from Trailbreaker, Sandstorm from Springer, iGear to downsize Cogz and Fansproject to make a Defensor and I'll be done!!!

I just wanted to bump this thread since there never seems to be any transformers discussion anymore on this forum.

Agreed bmorr, this thread needs to be more relevant.

heres some appreciation of my latest addition
http://imageshack.us/a/img811/8341/zrvb.jpg

I've only seen springer once and I unfortunately didn't have any funds. I've yet to see him or blitzwing again...

Glad to have found Sandstorm no need to hunt for anything now. What do you think of all those new Takara mps that are coming out? So many!

they look really nice, but i cant afford them.

Really excited for the MP's and cant wait to get sandstorm. Where'd you find 'em? TRU in Cali maybe? :) that's the only place I've heard of sightings so far.

nah man out in massachusetts.

the new wreckers figs ar enow available and in stock at HTS:
HasbroToyShop.com Search Results Page

yeah but they def retain there values.
MP Soundwave is going to boss!
Except there missing one, I don't get why they list only 4. Going to wait till all 5 come out before I order.

Seeing this thread active again is like welcoming back an old friend. Sometimes I prefer the (generally) more relaxed TF discussions here versus TFW. Not nearly as much rage, ego or sense of entitlement.

And it's been a while since the last time I said this, but for me it's almost as if there is just too much good stuff coming out or on its way. I kind of wish Hasbro/Takara would slow down a bit so I can catch up (maybe TF4 will help me in that regard).

Hold off for the US releases. Soundwave is coming, and hopefully Sideswipe, the Datsun Bros., Wheeljack and Bumblebee (F'n MP Bee!!!) will follow suit. Unless TRU gets froggy, those should be much more affordable than importing them.

True. And most of the time, they are worth the price.

Oh, he is. He is. ;)

Of course, I'm going to try as hard as I can to get the US release as well, so I can have a toy-accurate version. It will be the only MP mold that I will have double-dipped on that wasn't a separate character (i.e. the Seekers and soon the Datsun Bros).

Weird.

I'll definitely pick up Ruination, mostly for the novelty of the combiner and to have toy versions of the Wreckers in a unified aesthetic. But I'm going to wait and pick them up at retail. I've had no trouble getting every other FOC release that way, as long as I was willing to wait a little while.

I was unhappy with those figs( bruticus) the first time, so they're a skip for me.

With the MP Lambo bro's isn't it a matter of licensing for Hasbro though? I would love it though if they did bring them over though for sure and the rest of the other Takara MP's but until then I'll have to go with them for now, plus if anything I can always sell the Tak MP's for the Hasbro one's if it came to that so either way it's not bad.

I'll wait till they're in stock before I get all the Dat Bro's though since I have the 2014 MP's on pre order, and get them that way, looks like RK is the way to go with them since even with the shipping it's cheaper to get them from there and they're still in stock too currently.
Although I wish they were a tad bit bigger then Voyager size...

As far as the last wave of FOC's yeah, I've been able to get them and I still see remnants of them, come on wave 4!

This is just too awesome BotCon 2013 Hasbro Display Case Images Transformers 30th Anniversary - Transformers News - TFW2005 The original Predaking.