Review – Grim Squad Armodocs

Amazingly I’ve got several Glyos System Armodocs (Onell Design), but in the two years since the toy’s launch I haven’t posted a single Armodoc review. How did you guys not call me on this? No matter, because today we’re taking a look at the Grim Squad versions of the toy (Callgrim), and out of all of the colorways that have been released so far this may be my favorite.

Specifications

Let’s start our Armodoc review by looking at the sales text from the Callgrim shop. This gives us the basics on the toy and is about all that anyone new to the Glyos System series has to go on when looking at the design.

Each Armodoc is 4.75″ tall x 5″ wide, has 11 separate parts and is made of super durable soft vinyl with fully painted detail lines. Armodocs can be reconfigured into many combinations and are also interchangeable with The Rig.

And that’s it. Other than reviews at Plastic and Plush, Dork Dimension, and It’s All True a newcomer to the Glyos series had to go by the pics and description . . . and that’s a lot to ask of someone who is coming to the line by way of mass market action figures. Yes, $25 is a lot for a toy that’s less than 5-inches tall, but the Armodoc is a beefy 5-inches of vinyl and he’s a hell of a lot rarer than your typical Star Wars, Marvel, or DC Universe action figure.

You wanna talk limited edition? Each Armodoc colorway is usually extremely limited (say less than 500 pieces); that kinda makes the “limited to 5,000” that we see from time to time look like a joke. And unlike Masters of the Universe Classics, another toyline that’s sold direct online, these Armodocs are snatched up by fans and not flippers out to make a fast buck. But none of that answers why these toys cost $25/each.

As I’ve talked about before — my Panzer Ace review got deep into the costs of toy manufacturing — the fact that this is a toy from a small company and released in short runs accounts for the higher price. And unlike the Panzer Ace, I’ve actually talked with Matt Doughty about the hard numbers behind the Armodoc . . . and in my opinion the Armodoc is underpriced. For that matter, every single release in the Glyos System is underpriced; manufacturing and shipping costs continue to rise and several time in just the past year alone Matt has discussed increased operating costs and every single time I suggest that he raise prices.

But he doesn’t. Matt, Michelle, and Marcus all have a unique way of looking at manufacturing and sales and it goes entirely against everything that I know about running a business. Yes, I want to give customers as good a price that I can, but not at the cost of reduced profit and slimmer margins. But that’s exactly what Onell Design does with each new launch . . . and as a fan of the people and the toys I have to say thank you, Onell, for keeping prices low.

There Was Talk of a Review

I did it again, didn’t I? Sorry, guys, but I easily get distracted and unfocused and I just can’t look at the Armodoc without thinking about what it costs to make these toys. Anyway, let’s see if I can salvage this review and give you some actual thoughts on the toy and not just a rambling mess about manufacturing costs.

But before we start talking specifics I need to point out that as of this writing three different Armodocs are available. It’s a slight miracle, since these are not available every day, but if you want one see both the Onell Design store and the Callgrim shop and grab a few.

Reconfigurable and Adaptable

As with the other toys in the Glyos series, the Armodoc isn’t locked into a single configuration. The toy has two joint sizes — small and large — and a mixture of male and female connecting points. The above photo from the Glyos Transmission Web Log also shows how parts from the smaller figures can work with the Armodoc. You see, the smaller female joints on the Armodoc can hold a Gobon Blaster so with just a little work you can build off of the Armodoc.

And if you have several Armodocs then you can start to build bizarre creatures like the one shown below. (Again, photo from the Glyos Transmission Web Log.)

Sculpt and Design

The Armodoc clearly belongs to the Glyos System toy line. One real benefit to the line being the work of a small team is that everything is a part of the same design sense; looking at the Armodoc’s smooth, sharp lines you can instantly draw comparisons between the stylized details of the big guy and the details on the smaller action figures. I love that the series has a consistent look . . . but even more than that I love that it’s unlike anything I would have ever imagined on my own.

See this post at the Glyos Transmission Web Log for a look at the initial design sketches.

Paint

As with many of the Glyos System toys, the Armodoc gets most of its color from the base plastic and not paint work. The Grim Squad Armodocs, like a lot of toys in the series, is actually made at the factory by running two different plastic colors, swapping parts, and then painting the detail lines. And what little paint is there is applied cleanly, but do not expect to see elaborate and detailed paint apps like we find on mass market action figures and designer lines like the World War Robot* series.

Closing Thoughts

As with any Glyos System toy review here at battlegrip.com the first thing to keep in mind is that I consider everyone with the company a friend. I’ve been out to visit them several times, met them at shows, and talk with Matt frequently (and Jesse on occasion, whenever he’s not busy painting awesome artwork). So let’s be very clear that all of my thoughts about the toy line are influenced by the people I know who work on the toys.

That said, I think that anyone who is into building and customizing toys will find that owning at least one Armodoc can be very rewarding. You cannot make a lot of variations with just one of these, but you can have plenty of fun swapping the arms around, flipping the torso, and even stuffing small action figures inside the body.

Philip Reed still wants to paint an Armodoc or two, but each time he has tried has ended in failure. He just has to find a paint that bonds to the plastic without turning to goo . . . and it’s important that the paint also be something he can work with. Not that paint matters to you.