Me Grimlock not stupid

Considering all the rubbish TV shows I used to love as a child, I was undoubtedly very good at suspending my disbelief. However, even as a child I knew Dinobots make no sense whatsoever.

Grimlock: Dino and robot mode

I can understand that, for a robot of alien origin on Earth, the ability to turn yourself into a car and blend into a crowd might make some sort of sense. However, disguising yourself as a 15 ft. tall metallic dinosaur does not strike me as a particularly sensible way to become inconspicuous. I am also sure that their personalities irked me.

Sludge: Dino and Robot mode

Still, that does not mean Dinobots cannot be exceedingly cool as LEGO models, as shown by the tiny but fully transformable versions of Grimlock and Sludge built by Chief Supreme. I like the use of minifig headgear for the robots’ heads in particular. Dinobots may be stupid, but these are definitely clever.

2 comments on “Me Grimlock not stupid

  1. Zayden

    “stupid” is a word that we need to remove from the English language. The Dinobots were one of the most destructive forces around. Depending on which Transformer Universe you were using them in. In some cases they were rather bright and out right clever in how they took care of business. Grimlock himself was voiced both in the G1 Cartoon and later Fall of Cybertron game by Greg Berger. Not sure what “rubbish” you watched as a kid. But Transformers despite the flaws in the animation was a decent show.

  2. Ralph Post author

    ^Don’t get me wrong. As a child, I loved Transformers, as in the original animated series. I also particularly liked MASK and Robotech. Beyond cartoons intended to sell toys to children, I also loved Knight Rider, Airwolf, Blue Thunder and the A-Team, to name just a few. As an adult, despite plenty of nostalgia, I find them almost unbearable to watch. The vehicles are cool (I built some of them myself), but the plots make no sense, the dialogue is hokey and the animation /special effects are terrible. The Robotech Macross saga is just about the only one I can still stomach in small doses.

    My choice to use the word stupid is both as the opposite of clever (I think the models I blogged are clever) and as a reference to an actual Transformers episode that deals with Grimlock’s lack of intelligence, called Grimlock’s Brain. I quote:
    Grimlock: “Why do you think Grimlock stupid? Me not stupid. Grimlock smartest Dinobot of all.”
    Perceptor: “Unfortunately, that’s probably true. I just wish all the Dinobots had more sophisticated brains.”
    Grimlock: “Brains? Grimlock know how to bash brains. Maybe bash yours.”
    I could have gone for simple minded, I suppose, but it doesn’t have the same ring.

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