I got this set about a week ago. It was sitting in POL. Maybe I overlooked it being mentioned, but during transformation when tucking the left arm in under the dino head does the new hand semi split the robot shoulder pad? It so, is that ok? I've been transforming it a little different to avoid that.

 

I am somewhat on the fence of getting this. Should I or should I save my money for other things?

 

It depends on how much you like the figure/character. The kit is expensive, but it really does a lot to "fix" an already amazing mold. I feel that after the kit, he is basically perfect. They also did an amazing job matching the paint job on the figure. The kit gives you articulated hands, his proper weapons, a better tail, and if still available, a tongue.

I give the kit a 9.5 out of 10. Only drawback, aside from pricing, is the hands are a bit fiddly when trying to get them to hold the weapons. Not a dealbreaker, but it takes patience to do it correctly.

 

^Agreed on all counts. If you really like the mold, this kit is a must, imo.

 

I ask as I am worried of QC Issues. I agree it is a nice looking kit, but I am worried if it won't be the best Quality in getting it. I also wonder if the new hands are the same size, or close enough, to his old had as well. I can live with the weapons being fiddly in the end

 

I cannot speak for overall run of the set, but mine was perfect. Fists are basically same size when closed. The fingers are molded together and pinned at the base knuckle, and the thumb has a hinge that raises upward (it can do a "thumbs up" pose).

DNA has put a lot of great sets, and I own many of them. This one is easily some of their best work, if not the outright best. I consider my SS Grimlock MP quality and articulated after adding this kit. Honestly I am shocked it is even in stock still, considering how popular the mold has been.

If the price hasn't scared you off, then I think it it a very worthwhile investment for one of the best SS figures to date, in my opinion.

 

Price isn't an issue. I have more than enough in BBTS Credit and it will have the tongue. I am still numb from when I bought Baldigus a few years back with prices, so this isn't that bad for me. Already ordered and waiting for this Friday to ship it out with some other stuff and Grimlock

 

Cool. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

 

Finally decided to pick this kit up, and I'm pretty happy with it. It's not without flaws, though, a few of which required mods to fix.

1. The head of the mace didn't fully peg together out of the box - that is, the neck halves/mace head fit together fine on their own, but the staff was too thick for the parts to close fully in mace mode. I shaved about a mm off the ends of both the tabs at the top of the staff, and with some 220 grit sandpaper widened the opening at the bottom a little bit. Now it fits together snugly. If you rotate the spiked side panels all the way out, the shaping on the small spikes still pushes the mace halves apart, which is annoying, but I can live with it.
2. The tabs on the side of the tail are way too thick for the slot on Grimlock's back; I got major stress marks the first time I pegged it in. I had to sand down a good third of its thickness and it's still a snug fit.
3. His tongue liked to pop off the ball joint when rotating into dinosaur mode position. There was some flash where the tongue part met the base and I had to file all that off, and a little more around the base of the post for good measure.
4. Edit: the large segment on the tail would not stay flexed to the right. Twenty seconds in boiling water followed by a vigorous bending back and forth fixed it.

I also got so frigging sick of Grimlock's front skirt popping off that I drilled and pinned it. Much happier with both the base figure and the upgrade kit now.

 

Yeah same here. They still bother me to this day. I just leave the tail part on his arm in bot mode, although he's almost always in dino mode so whatever. I really wish they had gotten the part storage down better before they released this. The way the mace has to completely come apart is annoying and not clever, and if they were gonna give him a whole new arm then why not have the tail transform into it?

Wish I had those skills. It's the one major flaw of his bot mode. Should have been two individually moving pieces.

 

Bro don't mind sharing a pix of the drilled and pinned front skirt? Thanks in advance.

 

Perhaps this can help to improve your kit: Heavy/Scratch: - Fixes for DNA Design DK-06 SS07 Grimlock Upgrade Kit

 

I'd never pinned a joint before, so I was rather worried, but it turned out to be really easy. I had a pin vice set I'd just bought a couple weeks ago for another project and that made it a lot simpler than if I'd had to use a power drill.

The pin came from DOTM Icepick; the one that holds his backpack on is the exact right length. I selected a drill bit the same diameter as the pin, and after removing the skirt just drilled through from one side to the other. I also ran the drill through the hole where the skirt pegged on to make sure it was the right size. Then slid the skirt back on and pressed the pin through with a pair of pliers. Whole thing took about five minutes max and was way easier than I'd expected.

Sure.

 

Thanks for the link to that hand drill/pin vice! I might actually buy that, as my dremel doesn't work with smaller bits. I wonder, if you cut the skirt in half would it still stay on, with each side moving independently?

 

You'd need a pin with knurling on both ends, or you'd need to drive small screws in from both sides. As is, if you cut in in half, one side of the skirt would slide right off the unkurled end and then the other half and the pin could slide right out.

 

I see. Thanks. Also, I just learned what knurling is like a week ago (from these boards) and it's already coming in handy!