Review – Transformers Flip and Change Grimlock
Hasbro’s new Transformers Flip and Change Grimlock* was sitting at the store waiting for me on Saturday morning, and after mentioning the commercial last week I figured I should get a close look at the toy.
Packaging
I find it interesting that Hasbro went with such a very minimalist design for the packaging of their new Transformers toys . . . and that this isn’t completely a movie-branded toy. The red font on white box looks elegant and clean, and one thing I noticed was that this brand now really leaps from the store shelves. No other toy line out there has such a simple graphic design. The next time you’re at the store slightly blur your vision and you’ll see what I mean as most of the packages start to blend together. And then there’s this sea of white for the new Transformers line. Nice job, Hasbro!
Flip and Change
The Transformers Flip and Change Grimlock* has such a simple transformation that there’s no instructions inside the box. That process outlined on the back of the box is all you’re gonna get, but it’s mostly enough to understand how to transform the toy. There’s only two things Hasbro could have done to make this clearer:
- Use some damned words!
- Words like “put the arms down to the robot’s sides before transforming.”
Yeah, that would have been a huge improvement. Why? Because the toy won’t transform properly if you have the arms bent at the elbows.
Almost there.
The Transformers Flip and Change Grimlock* is a neat design that has you spin the toy to switch between modes, but it takes a bit more force than I expected and things don’t quite work as described. For example, multiple spins are needed since the spinning triggers some sort of ratcheting mechanism that opens or closes the chest based on direction of spin.
And speaking of the chest, the toy’s chest is flopping and ready to snap when the toy’s in dinosaur mode. That chunk of plastic just hangs there, waiting to get caught on something and ripped right off. It’s not a major flaw, but the instructions, chest, and stiff spinning mechanism take a brilliant design and bring it down to Earth a bit. But with some work Hasbro can perfect the process, and I suspect that if they apply more brainpower to this auto-transformation sequence it’s only going to get better.
Closing Thoughts
At 9-inches tall in robot mode you get a lot of plastic for your bucks with the Transformers Flip and Change Grimlock*, and I’d say this is a great choice for any kid who wants a Transformers toy and has a love of how things work.
The spin mechanic is very cool, if not perfect, and I’m really hoping Hasbro looks at the minor blemishes and flaws and finds a way to improve on the entire transformation process. A nice toy that just needs some refinement.