Time to look at Toy World’s Grind Rod homage to the G1 Transformer Throttlebot toy Rollbar! This toy excels on about every level, and comes at a nice pricepoint to boot.
Video Segments:
Out Of The Box; Beginning
Alt. Mode: 2:05
Transformation: 3:03
Figure Overview: 8:40
Final Thoughts: 11:45
The robot mode of this is a dead-on homage to Rollbar: especially in the face sculpting. I do wish that they would have kept the green a bit darker, but in-hand the green they chose is very nice.
On thing that’s grown on me but hasn’t truly set with me is Toy World’s choice to have one open fist and one closed fist. The assymetry of it is a bit odd, and makes for limited photography since you can only have it punch from what side and the like. Two sets of hands would have been much better considering it’s one accessory is a gun which transforms from it’s spare tire.
This alt. mode on this is great. An updated “real world” styling to the jeep used in the G1 character model, it’s very impressive. Devoid of any sort of seeable robot kibble, it just plain looks clean. It also has great stability and rolls on all four tires with no need for modding or moving parts around.
The transformation is very straightforward both to and from the alt. and robot modes. Mildly complex with having to turn and align some pieces, but shouldn’t take more than 2 minutes either way.
The character’s poseability in it’s robot mode is where it really shines to me. featuring most of the necessary swivels and hinges, this toy was just great to pose and photograph. the two nitpicks that I have are 1.) wishing that the head were on a balljoint to allow upwards movement, and 2.) it had rocking ankles to further support him in wider poses. The second one I give a pass to because of the fact that his feet are literally the grill and bumper area of the car, so adding more articulation may have really taken away from the aesthetic of it’s alt. mode.
A fun update to a more obscure character in the fact that it’s homaging a Throttlebot, and thankfully it’s a good toy as well. There are rumors that the set of Throttlebots will combine somehow and that combination will be revealed with the last one! Until then, it looks like Toy World’s going to be releasing some great homages with a great look and good amount of articulation. If you were a fan in the slightest of the Throttlebots, then you’ll need these on your shelf.
Overall Score: 8.0/10
Enjoy a few more pictures of this figure below! Remember to click the pictures to view larger resolutions:
