Grimlock (Transformers Animated)

Where Decepticons? Me Grimlock hungry!

Name: Grimlock
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Berserker
Sub-group: Dinobot
Timeline: Transformers Animated timeline

Toyline: Transformers Animated

Profile:

Grimlock is the ferocious and boisterous leader of the Dinobots, and the only one of the trio known to speak; albeit in a very simple, caveman-like style. Grimlock approaches problems in one of three ways: stomp it, smash it, or burn it. There's nothing Grimlock loves more than stomping so hard the ground shakes, or letting out a huge, hearty roar to send everything nearby running in fear. He's as ill-tempered as they come and always spoiling for a fight. Grimlock is incredibly stubborn, too - once he gets an idea into his head, he won't stop until it is done. And unfortunately, because he's a bit gullible, it is all too easy for individuals with less than honourable intentions to manipulate Grimlock and his awesome strength to their own nefarious ends. That's not to say that Grimlock is a bad guy, though - he might be loud and destructive, but he absolutely hates bullies, and that means he hates Decepticons, and will smash them whenever he gets a chance. Plus, Decepticons tend to be strong warriors - and nothing gives Grimlock more satisfaction than smashing a strong opponent into little, itty-bitty pieces.

Abilities:

Grimlock is extremely strong and resilient. He is the strongest of the three Dinobots, each of whom are physically as strong as some of the most powerful Decepticons. Grimlock's physical strength almost rival's that Megatron himself. His solid build and thick armour makes him almost impervious to damage from conventional weapons. Grimlock is immune to high temperatures that would melt other Cybertronians - allegedly, he can even survive being thrown into an active volcano.

In Tyrannosaurus mode, Grimlock's jaws can bite through metre-thick steel cables or Decepticon limbs. A single stomp from his feet can split the ground and collapse buildings. Grimlock's mouth in dinosaur mode conceals a flamethrower, which can release a high-intensity blast of super-heated plasma which can melt solid rock into lava. In robot mode, Grimlock wields a thermal greatsword. The sword's weight and jagged cutting edge make it extremely damaging both in cutting through Decepticon armour and dealing blunt force trauma. Grimlock is able to use his own energy reserves to charge up his sword, causing the blade to burst into flames and melt enemies with its searing heat.

Weaknesses:

Grimlock is extremely slow moving in both of his modes, and he is even slower witted. Most opponents can either outpace Grimlock or out-think him. Because he's so simple minded, Grimlock can be easily manipulated, meaning at best he's a fickle ally; at worst, he's a one-Dinobot destruction derby rampaging through downtown New Detroit. Unfortunately Grimlock is incredibly stubborn - if someone does manipulate Grimlock to fighting for a less than noble cause, it is almost impossible to convince him that he is on the wrong side.

Tyrannosaurus Rex mode:

Additional images of Grimlock:

More information on Grimlock at TFW2005

Author notes:

Transformers Animated Grimlock is perhaps one of my all-time favourite versions of Grimlock, both in the show and as a toy. I like his design - it is clean and it nicely exaggerates all the iconic features of Grimlock's design to give him a great, "larger than life" look - especially that barrel chest that emphasises the character's physical strength. Best of all, the toy completely nails the animation design - he looks like he walked out of the show and onto my toy shelf. You don't see that too often in the Transformers line, but Animated Grimlock manages a show accurate look without compromising any of the details of either of Grimlock's modes. Not bad for a toy from 2008! The toy has some good poseability too - there's no ankle tilts or bicep swivels, but neither of these omissions stop you from putting Grimlock into some excellent poses.

Grimlock has two action features. His sword has pop-out flames. It is a pretty cool idea, activated by having Grimlock twist his wrist while holding the sword - so you get the idea that he makes the sword "flame on" in the heat of combat. Unfortunately the execution just makes the sword look a little awkward - it isn't the blazing sword Grimlock occasionally uses in the cartoon. The other feature is a chomping jaw action in dinosaur mode, and I have fond memories of using this feature to make the Dinobot commander "talk".

Grimlock is extremely fun in the show. He's never played entirely straight, but he's not entirely comic relief either. Grimlock showing up is usually a big deal, and he gets some good moments throughout the series. Writing a profile for Grimlock, I wanted to reflect what makes the character so entertaining and stay true to the feel of Transformers Animated - so while I've referred to the Generation 1 bio, I've intentionally downplayed some of the aspects of the bio to stay truer to how the character feels in Transformers Animated. The abilities section gave me trouble, since there isn't a whole lot to Grimlock's abilities - he's just really, really strong and has a blazing sword. I didn't want to overcomplicate Grimlock, so kept that part simple. I did choose to make reference to Grimlock's "Magma" redeco in the Activators line, which had a bio about how Grimlock survived being thrown into a volcano and the only change was a new deco - hence why I included a tolerance for super high temperatures.

Overall, Grimlock has a solid toy and a great character. I have a special space for Grimlock in my heart, and this Grimlock has a throne in the middle of that space.