Grimlock was the first of the really controversial Takara Japanese Binaltech releases. For the first time in the line, a character whose G1 alternate form was NOT a car saw release. Designated BT-10 in the series, the former Tyrannosaurus-Rex "Grimlock", leader of the Dinobots and self-appointed King, was now a Ford Mustang GT. It was a bold move by the designers of the line seeing as how there were still plenty of vehicle-based characters that could have been used at that stage like Sunstreaker, Prowl, Ironhide, Mirage, Red Alert etc. Maybe it was an attempt to keep the line fresh, unpredictable and innovative.

The release was not really that much of a surprise seeing as how the fandom had seen many pictures and auctions for the Alternators unpainted test shot of the Grimlock Mustang toy. There were of course cries of "Grimlock is a dinosaur, not a car!" which is to be expected with such a bold move. I don't think there was ever any chance that BT-10 would be universally well-received due to the varying nature of the fandom's interest in this toyline. To be honest, I personally didn't have a problem with a Dinobot being used, my main problem was that I felt the test shots looked terribly plain. When painted samples started to surface and Grimlock's shiny silver finish was confirmed, I started to warm to the toy, but still fully expected to like this figure the least in the whole line.

The Mustang is a very popular car in the States and even internationally to some degree. It is probably currently not as recogniseable as an Impreza, Viper or Corvette. It is however a classic example of an American muscle car which suits Grimlock's brutish and powerful character well. Seeing as how he's no longer technically a Dinobot, his function is now Lieutenant Commander.

The packaging is exactly what you'd expect from Binaltech; compact, well-presented, uniform and 'metallic'. The circular apertures on the side of the box give enticing peeks as to what you will find inside as usual. Grimock has the same shine to him that BT-03 Streak does, and it's a good thing they chose Grimlock as I don't think this toy would have looked as good without the metallic finish.

If you're a regular follower and collector of the Japanese Binaltech line, then there are no surprises in store for you when you open up BT-10. The standard highly-secured clear plastic inner packaging, twisty-ties and cardboard display stand are all there. The paperwork/weapon baggie is also present and I'll cover that shortly. Here are a couple shots of Grimlock on his display stand:

As with all the Cybertrons (Autobots) released so far, Grimlock has a dark display stand which in his case really brings out his shiny silver scheme and makes for a striking spectacle. The chrome hubs are a lovely touch as always and stand out significantly on Grimlock.

The standard of paperwork and accompanying peripherals doesn't take any sort of dip and they prove just as much of an interesting distraction as with any other Binaltech release so far. The booklet contains just as many nice pictures and artwork as before, and as usual the System Description artwork deserves special mention. The two shots of Grimlock's head show his eyeband and also the eyes moulded within that eyeband. Historically Grimlock has always just had the one-piece eyeband. The collector's card is just as expressive, colourful and beautiful as ever. The photography on the back of the card probably doesn't do the toy enough justice. In the flesh, Grimlock has a greater shine and is more imposing than the robot mode suggests. That is however much more preferable than having a toy that doesn't live up to the accompanying artwork/photography. The main picture above also shows the engine/gun and the ever-present opinion form.

The story is that Grimlock's dinosaur body was severely damaged by adversaries of the Autobots and his desire to return to the battlefield allowed the Autobots and Ford to provide him with a body that employed all of the previous technological advances of Binaltech. Grimlock, not surprisingly, hates his new form. But just like myself and various pockets of the fandom, he'd be harsh to dismiss it so readily!

The above pictures show just how intimidating this vehicle looks. If Grimlock was ever supposed to be a car, then they selected the right vehicle. The Mustang's features are very reminiscent of earlier models of the car. A historic car with a strong pedigree, not unlike Grimlock himself. The chrome hubs and red interior show up very well due to the lack of exterior contrast. Despite being an obvious muscle car, the Mustang still has enough curvy features to make it look sleek and fast, especially towards the rear. The muscle seems to be concentrated towards the front end.

There's no doubt at all that Grimlock's vehicle mode exudes a feeling of power and strength. The above views of the toy show just how intimidating it can look from up close. It has definite bulk but it certainly doesn't give off the impression that it would be sluggish. I do very much like the rear end of the vehicle. Despite being somewhat simplistic, the GT symbol in the middle of the two brake lights looks excellent. The rear spoiler is also a very subtle but significant touch. I must re-iterate how much I feel that this was the most appropriate colour to use for this toy as the features are done the most justice this way.

The next few pictures illustrate some of Grimlock's extra features in vehicle mode:

All of Grimlock's doors open in vehicle mode. The mammoth V8 engine that doubles up as BT-10's hand gun shines underneath the hood but probably isn't the most secure engine physically of the Binaltechs so far. It doesn't clip in in such an obvious manner as the previous releases. The driver/passenger doors are diecast on the BT Grimlock and despite what some people have said, I feel the toy does have significant diecast heft. I own all the Binaltechs released to date and I do not feel that they have skimped on diecast content for Grimlock. While it's true that I owned the Alternators version of Grimlock first and compared to that the BT is pretty heavy, compared to OTHER BTs, Grimlock is still weighty enough. His front bumper, both side doors and feet (rear bumper) are diecast.

The close up of his left front wheels shows in detail the sweetly chromed hubs and the vented brake discs underneath. The wheels are articulated (and articulated very well I must say) via the tabbed mechanism seen previously on the BT-06 Tracks. In the same picture you can see the nice metalflake effect of the paint and plastic.

The second-to-last picture above shows where Grimlock's sword is hidden away during vehicle mode. It's another nice touch and the sword clips underneath the car very snugly indeed. The last picture gives you some idea of how Grimlock comes apart in vehicle mode in preparation for transformation to robot mode.

Binaltech Grimlock is notoriously tricky to transform and might well present the biggest challenge so far in the line. It's not so much that it's hard to figure out how to transform him, the trick is to do it properly and not have any limbs or pieces fall off. The doors, arms and sometimes the legs are prone to coming off under pressure. It took much practise with the Alterntaors Grimlock for me to be able to get to a point where I could transform him without the need to remove parts and re-attach them later.

There is plenty of waist rotation and a particularly hazardous process involving the unfolding of the arms and the subsequent position of the doors. The legs and feet are perfectly straightforward but the head/hood process can also be a little troublesome at first. Needless to say, the end result is well worth the effort. Hugely wide shoulders, powerful arms and legs, a very strong vehicular presence in robot mode and a strangely recogniseable head. I say strangely because it may not be immediately obvious why this is blatantly G1 Grimlock, especially as the head is not THAT close to the original G1 toy, but I'll come back to that later. Grimlock looks decent enough when posed in static fashion as above, but when you start to explore this toy's poseabilty and articulation...

...he really comes to life, and in a big way. Posed dynamically with both weapons held, Grimlock looks seriously fearsome and intimidating. The sword and gun both have small pegs that fit in the hands snugly. There is a great deal of leg and arm articulation and the wings give him a nicely unique look. There is a great deal more red in robot mode and I think it's very necessary. Not only does the red waist piece act as a nice homage to G1 Grimlock, but it also breaks the possible monotony of an all silver robot much like it does on BT-03 Streak. The head/neck is also very well articulated and the number of poses open to Grimlock are endless. He did originally have a missile launcher as well, but the double-barrelled gun and electro-sword are more than sufficient and true to Grimlock.

Even without his weapons Grimlock is very easy to pose effectively and can portray any number of situations and circumstances. From running (1st pic) to standing (2nd) to being wounded (last pic above). When I first saw the test shots of Alternators Grimlock I really didn't like the idea of bright red seats as his feet but I've grown accustomed to them and think they work well enough. They allow for good stability during extreme posing. The subtle and small Autobot logos on his shoulders are also very effective as they do not draw any attention away from his main robotic features.

Grimlock can be posed equally as effectively sporting just his gun or just his sword...

Grimlock's robot mode gives the impression that it was made for absolutely nothing except fighting. Even his idle stances look menacing to the point of being threatening. The last two thumbnails show the absolute extreme of effective posing with weapons. I could have gone on posing and photographing Grimlock in robot mode for hours because it really was enjoyable and there was no shortage of cool poses. I discarded quite a lot for the article. The only thing that might qualify as a gripe is that when you raise the arms above his head, the doors point downwards and take away some of the robot mode's best identity, but again, it's not a really big deal and I'm sure you'll agree the last pose above is still quite nice. The detailing on the piece behind his waist and the insides of his legs is a credit to Grimlock's design. I really did not expect to like him this much. By far one of the most poseable of the BTs so far.

The Binaltech Grimlock was actually released after the all plastic Alternators version which came out in Asia, then the US.

Alternators Grimlock continues with the later-themed red packaging as opposed to the earlier blue Hasbro packaging. There is also no plastic window, just the bubble around the toy secured underneath the cardboard. Grimlock is No.9 in the Hasbro series compared to No.10 in the Takara series (there was no Smokescreen GT in Alternators, hence the discrepancy). As with most Alternators, the character art on the front is nice and he whole package is more colourful than the Binaltech packaging. Swindle is the co-advertised figure on the bottom of the box. While Alternators have the cool artwork on the outer packaging, the Takara photography is more dynamic and makes the toy look much more appealing in my opinion. The reflections drawn onto the cardboard insert are nice, but the stand as a whole is much less displayable than the Binaltech stand. The Alternators release does not come with an information booklet or a collector's card unfortunately.

Yes, the Binaltech has diecast and is heavier, but that's always the case. There are a couple more differences between the two releases however...

Apart from the first thumbnail picture, the Binaltech is always on the left and the Alternator on the right. Granted, they look pretty much identical. There is however a major difference and that becomes clear when you compare the hubcaps and the engines on the two toys. The Binaltech has shiny silver chrome hubs and a shiny silver chrome engine. The Alternator however has a duller grey unchromed plastic finish on its hub and engine. That is a bit of a shame for the Alternator because that little bit of shine adds quite a lot to the overall visual effect of the Binaltech.

I have also noticed that the Binaltech holds together better in robot mode, especially where the chest assembly attaches to the waist and arms. So the diecast heft, chrome and added stability (not to mention the packaging and paperwork) make the Binaltech superior in this case. There aren't many diecast sections that come into direct contact either so paint chipping is not as big a problem with BT Grimlock as with other Binaltechs. There have been many who have said that the BT is not worth the extra expenditure, but I must disagree on this occasion. There is a noticeable difference as far as I'm concerned.

Now to compare Binaltech Grimlock to his G1 predecessor:

They're both grey. I really don't think there's very much else to be said here...

Ok, this is where parallels can be drawn. Obviously the designers didn't go for anything in the way of homages when they changed Grimlock from an animal to a vehicle. The robot mode offers many a chance for comparison. I have already pointed out the red waist piece and the slightly similar heads, but the legs and arms are also of similar bulk and colour. Both have the grey wings and instead of small dino arms, BT Grimlock has its wing mirrors. The main differences of course are the silver (as opposed to gold) vehicle chest and wheels of the Binaltech interpretation, but that is to be expected and considering what a dramatic departure the BT is from Grimlocks's original form, they've done a very very good job and that should be acknowledged. I never liked the original Grimlock's robot mode as a toy anyway, so I was bound to be more satisfied with the Binaltech.

Now what of the robot head?

That's definitely Grimlock (notice the moulded-in eyes), but it bears little resemblance to the G1 toy's head apart from the fact that it has an eyeband and a mouthplate. That's hardly the standard of reproduction/update that Binaltech head sculpts are famous for though, so there must be more to it. Just to illustrate the difference, here is the Binaltech head (left) next to the G1 head (right):

But how about comparing the Binaltech head sculpt to the original anime representation of Grimlock in the first series of the US cartoon?

OK that's a bit more like it, now the eyebands are the same colour and both have outwardly-facing ears...but how about comparing the Binaltech head sculpt to the REVISED version of the cartoon Grimlock's head, the more commonly used later version...

And that is about as close as I can find. The definition and ridges on the mouthplate are exactly the same although the BT has a gold mouthplate whereas the cartoon Grimlock has the black mouthplate. Also the cartoon eyeband appears segmented. Both do however have the red trapezium on their forehead. The strange thing is that the evolved cartoon Grimlock head's ears now look an awful lot like the G1 toy ears. I guess it's fair to say the new Binaltech head sculpt is something of a hybrid but it is definitely Grimlock-derived with solid historic foundations...and I think the gold mouthplate is a marked improvement that makes the face that much more distinctive. That's what Binaltech is about, upgrading and improving.

That pretty much brings this review to a close. Here you have a toy with an extremely appropriate and quite attractive vehicle mode which transforms into an excellent robot who encapsulates every facet of the Grimlock character and throws in a major does of poseabilty and playability. It took a little getting used to but once the finished version was on the market, I did start looking forward to receiving the Binaltech (and the Alternators) Grimlock. It is definitely one of the hardest to transform, but it's something that can be perfected. I was very surprised to find that the engine and the wheels on the Alternator were not chromed but I guess it's nice that there's a difference between the two toys, and if anything it made the choice between the two easier. A little chrome doesn't make a toy, that's for sure, but the diecast content, supreme paperwork and uniform presentation of the Binaltech swing me again towards Takara. The extra display capabilities and the slightly better build quality (in my opinion) are enough to make the BT worth the extra cash.

Not everyone will agree, but then again not everyone will agree that ANY version of Grimlock is worth getting. Some still can't cope with the fact that he's a car, and some people truly hate the mould. I have actually found that a good deal of fans rate Grimlock as the best in the line so far, and a good few rate him as the absolute worst. I would say you either love him or hate him, but he's neither my favourite nor my least favourite.

In my opinion, he's just very very good.

All the best
Maz

You can pick up your own BT-10 Grimlock here