Since this line more or less ended in 2014 (minus a couple of recolors), I wasn't sure if or when I'd get to the Ggrapptikk Grunt. Truth be told, I was kind of hoping the line would just die and I assume that it did. We see occasional updates from the Four Horsemen in forums or elsewhere saying that it isn't, but we haven't seen a new body type debut as a production toy since the first figures hit in 2013. This was a line with a lot of promise and fanfare, debuting near the end of the less ambitious Outer Space Men figures which, I still can't believe it, actually completed the original characters from 50 years ago. Plus the prototype second series. Plus a smattering of new characters. Power Lords updated 2 of the original figures, with numerous recolors and precolors of those molds basically grinding down any goodwill in the line's run. I'm not saying I wouldn't buy a Sydot if we ever got one, but I've got eight flavors of these 4-armed buggers and truth be told I'd have been happy with just one.
Minus the fallout, it's a decent figure. The green plastic does wonders to bring out the texture on his four arms and two feet, complete with giant, horribly ugly toes. The leathery body armor is cast in black, with limited painted details - a strap here, a screen or a button there. By swapping colors with a companion figure, the Four Horsemen did a great job of adding color to a largely unpainted figure with minimal waste - plus you got a unique helmeted head here. The head is also cast in black with red eyes, and you can see nifty details covering the face and round ear coverings that are incredibly detailed.
The figure pops apart at each point of articulation, bringing you about 17 pieces you can pop apart and swap. Each hand rotates at the wrist, but the shoulders, elbows, and knees have joints that bend and swivel - and if memory serves, the Power Lords were the first time we saw those on Glyos-compatible toys. It's great that you can swap limbs between Ggripptoggs and Ggrapptikks, but the designs do not really benefit swapping between this guy and other molds. The arms wouldn't have worked well with Pheyden or a Crayboth, or really even the Outer Space Men. As such, the swapping part functionality provided by the Glyos joints offer limited customization options, but unless you're making other 4-armed dudes, what's the point?
The figure has a nifty mace that can help prop him up, and it has a red cap on top of the staff's head. The head can be removed from the staff if you're so inclined, and you can swap it out with a short handle staff if you want. It's an option, but it's a boring one. If you only got one staff part, you wouldn't be left wondering why you didn't have an option - if anything, it's another piece for the junk drawer.
It sold out, and the secondary market has these at decent higher prices - for something made in the low hundreds, this is reasonable. I can't assume there's going to be much of a growing market for these unless they ever really launch the line with more than one or two figures a year, and even then I can't help but wonder how many people felt burned by the first line and moved to other Horsemen offerings or other lines completely. There's nothing else quite like this, but a fan with money would be better served to try to collect the original line just because there's an actual whole line there. This is a nifty aside, a glimpse into what may have been, and possibly one of the last sputterings of the hope that would have been a mini Glyos-compatible empire of retro action figure updates. It was a nice idea - it really was. But it just wasn't meant to be.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
