24 August 2009

The problem with MP-08 Grimlock

The problem with MP-08 is scale.

I gotta say that I was pretty disappointed when I saw this guy's prototype pics and later, its release pics on the 'net. In robot mode, he is little taller than a standard Binaltech/Alternator. And what's wrong with that?

What's wrong is that he can't even stand shoulder to shoulder with MP-01 Optimus Prime. He is in fact almost three whole heads shorter than MP-01 Optimus Prime when he should be towering over the latter.


Three and bit heads shorter than MP-01 Optimus Prime

MP-08 Grimlock is simply not to scale. The Transformer Masterpieces are approximately 1:24 scale because MP-01 Optimus Prime is very close in scale to, if not exactly to scale with, a Binaltechs/Alternator and the latter series is supposed to be 1:24 scale.

The Transformers Masterpieces were doing well so far, even MP-05 Megatron is to scale with MP-01 Optimus Prime (because they stand shoulder to shoulder), that is until MP-08 Grimlock went and threw a spanner into the works... interestingly, not an act he is foreign to judging by his G1 disposition.

(Disclaimer: I know the seekers, MP-03 Starscream, MP-06 Skywarp and MP-07 Thundercracker, are not 1:24 as well, but they cannot have been because a 1:24 scale jet would mean that the seekers would have to be more than 5 times the size of MP-01 Optimus Prime, and that would just be impractical. So, they were done as best they could, which is roughly slightly shorter than MP-01 Optimus Prime, like in the G1 cartoons.)

MP-08 Grimlock looks a bit like a joke next to MP-01 Optimus Prime.


Role reversal
Left - Grimlock hulking over Optimus Prime in the G1 cartoon
Right - Optimus Prime towering over little Grimlock

2 comments:

  1. I'm actually *not* a Masterpiece collector. I generally like having a collection of a particular line or assemblage rather than one-off's, so I haven't gotten Prime, Megs or any of the jets.

    However, I think when MP Grimlock is released later this year as a Toys R Us exclusive, I will pick him because someone suggested that he's the perfect scale for Classics. And my Classics could use a little Dinobot action.

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  2. I think MP Grimlock is a great toy and really faithful to his G1 toy incarnation. You'd no doubt appreciate that.

    It would tower over most classics figures for sure, but maybe that is how large Dinobots should be, I suppose!

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