Review: Transformers Studio Series Titan Class Grimlock from Transformers: Age of Extinction
- Mephitsu
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
The Transformers Studio Series Titan Class Grimlock was provided to us for review by Hasbro Pulse
"I was expecting a giant car!"
Grimlock, the leader of the Dinobots, made his first movie appearance in 1986 in Transformers: The Movie and would go on to get a revamp some 30 years later, thanks to Michael Bay, when he was featured in Transformers: Age of Extinction and then again in The Last Knight. It is therefore somewhat appropriate that during Hasbro’s Apology Tour for Transformers, Grimlock is represented, and with his 1986 movie figure only having seen a release last year, Hasbro has turned to the Michael Bay movies and the live-action Grimlock for the first Titan Class release of the Transformers Studio Series.
The first Grimlock figure was part of the first Wave of Studio Series Leader Class figures back in 2018 alongside Blackout, and was impressive in its design, converting between robot and dinosaur mode. The issue was always scale, and while big, the Leader Class did not replicate what we see on screen, and it was certainly not feasible for Optimus Prime to ride him into battle. Some 8 years later, the Titan Class release of Grimlock seeks to fix that scaling issue, bringing us an appropriately scaled Dinobot Leader. Grimlock arrives in an oversized box, fully sealed and with no windows, relying on artwork of Grimlock and images of the figure.
Inside the box, we have a plain cardboard inner tray in which Grimlock is sitting in Robot Mode, and with several ties holding him in position. To the side is a baggie full of extra parts, which we will explore in a moment, and there is also the usual pictorial red and black guide for construction and transformation.
Once Grimlock is freed from the inner tray, there is a bit more work needed to get him into the final robot mode. In the included baggie are the two teeth pieces that slot up and into the T-Rex head shoulder panels. You will also need to extend a few of his extra spikes to get him fully ready. There is one on his forehead that pivots upwards, and two more on his feet that extend upwards. The final pair for his knees are hidden behind the shin guards, which have to be opened via a side hinge first, so the knee spikes can be extended fully. With these parts extended, Grimlock is ready to battle in robot mode.
The figure, in this configuration, stands 15 inches tall to the top of the head spike. This is, of course, far larger than any other Studio Series to date, very similar in height to our only other previous Titan Class review, the Star Optimus Prime from Age of the Primes (2025).
Grimlock is constructed of the usual hard plastic used on all modern Transformers, with the figure predominantly relying on the base colour of this plastic to replicate what we see on screen. This is a mix of darker grey used on most of the outer-facing body parts and panels, with some lighter grey pieces around the feet, arms, and knees.
Across most of the darker grey pieces is an applied decor in a pearlescent metallic green tone that highlights the various shapes and designs of the main body, with a weathering finish applied in places to show this pitted and weathered. Final touches are added in silver on the chest piece, with the split head design having its teeth painted, even if the teeth of the main T-Rex head making up the two shoulders are not actually painted.
vs Leader Class Grimlock (2018) and Voyager Class Optimus Prime (2018)
The scale difference is apparent when you compare this new Titan Class with the original 2018 Grimlock Leader Class release, or the Optimus Prime Voyager from the same year.
Robot mode articulation is focused on the arms and legs, but you can move the head to the side and also tilt it forward within the confines of the neck and shoulders. There is also a rotation in the main torso to allow the upper body to swivel while keeping the legs in place.
Arms have joints at the shoulder (ratcheted), bicep, elbow and wrist, while the hands feature an opening grip thanks to a joint on the main fingers. The legs include hip joints, thigh swivels, knee joints and ankle joints. All of these are heavily ratcheted to support such a larger figure in posed positions.
In terms of weaponry, we return to the baggie from earlier, where you will find a large club-head piece and some connecting rods, and two halves of a spiked ball. The rods connect together to make a shaft piece for Grimlock’s enormous club, which can then be held in either of his gripping hands or between both for two-handed attack or defense poses.
The spiked ball connects either side of a hand, then joins over the hand to replicate the spiked club hand he also deploys in Robot mode. Both of these can be mounted on the back of the figure when not in use.
Transformation to Dinobot mode is done in 59 steps, covered in the included guidance, with video guides also available on YouTube, such as this one from PrimeVsPrime.
The conversion is straightforward when followed, and the larger format makes it a little easier to operate in places vs what would usually be more fiddly on the much smaller components we might find on a Deluxe or Voyager Class release. Grimlock’s tail is created from the club weapon we saw earlier, and that converts on its own into the triangular tapered tail before plugging into the back of the main figure. This piece also allows the round spiked club hand to be stowed away inside it.
Once converted, the T-Rex form of Grimlock is just as impressive as robot mode. With head raised and mouth open, it is marginally shorter than the 15-inch Robot Mode and measures 27 inches from nose to tail.
Despite all the articulation included in Robot Mode, the Dinobot mode is less mobile with the only key moving parts in the jaw, which opens and closes, and in the small front arms. The larger back legs are jointed at the hips, but then pretty much locked into position, while the tail is also static and does not bend or pivot.
The Hasbro Team has ensured the scene from The Last Knight where Optimus Prime rides Grimlock into battle can be replicated, and the best way to do this is via the 2026 release of Nemesis Prime who can plug into the back of Grimlock, who has been fitted with a 3mm peg/seat that lines up to the peg holes on many modern Studio Series releases which usually clip in to after market display stands.
with Voyager Class Optimus Prime (2018), not included
Sadly, we didn’t have that figure to hand, but we were pleased to see other options still work without the plug-in option, such as the Voyager Class Revenge of the Fallen Optimus we’ve posed in our images.
with Voyager Class Optimus Prime (2018), not included
Titan Class releases are impressive in terms of size and scale, and a perfect fit for Dinobot releases from the Bayverse movies. Grimlock looks great in both modes, a centrepiece for any Studio Series collection with no other release coming close in sheer size. Robot Mode offers more posing options, battling with either of the weapons and with full access to ‘human’ style articulation. The Dinosaur is arguably more visually impressive, but doesn’t quite have the range of movement in the legs and tail in particular.
Titan Class Grimlock is available at Hasbro Pulse for £184.99 plus shipping; it is due for general release in July 2026. Thank you to Hasbro Pulse UK, who provided this figure to us free of charge for review purposes.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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