Re-Halloween Special!: Grimsword from Dungeons & Dragons by NECA

 

   
   Welcome to today's Re-Halloween Special! Yes, Re-Halloween. Wait, you've never heard of Re-Halloween? It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. You'd better read up on it, then, as it's on it's 13th year! I don't have a full seven days worth of Re-Halloween stuff this year but I do have a few leftover treats sprinked in. Today I'm checking out Grimsword from NECA's Dungeons & Dragons line based on the vintage 1983 LJN Advanced Dungeons & Dragons line. Grimsword was part of the second series and was released in 1984. I reviewed Zarak as part of 31 Days of Toy Terror so let's check out one of his compatriots, the evil knight who is obsessed with snakes. Grab some left over peanut butter cups and join me after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 8 1/4ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, swivel/hinge shoulders, bicep swivels, swivel/ hinge elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, balljointed neck, a barbell jointed head, and swivel helmet spikes. 

Accessories: 8 interchangeable hands, sword, shield, and flail.

Non-Scalper Price: $38- $43 dollars

The Positives:

* First off, at over 8 inches tall Grimsword is huge! This guy is massive and just an intimidating. Warduke is no slouch at all but he's only 7 1/4ths inches. Grimsword is a beast.

* He's also an incredibly well made and detailed figure. He likes snakes, and it shows. That massive snake is a sculpted part of his cuirass and is really differentiates him from the other evil black knights running around. There is some fantastic detail and paintwork on the figure that makes his armor look worn and battle hardened. It's excellent stuff all around! LJN's vintage figure was quite detailed already, so NECA didn't have to add much. He's very much a translation of the vintage Grimsword rather than a reinterpretation. 

* Grimsword's helmet is incredible. Rivets, damage, a plume sticking out; he's got it all. I love his red eyes peering through the eyeholes, too. It's very intimidating!

* The spikes on his helmet swivel, allowing you to position them in different ways. That's kind of neat and definitely a nice feature that wouldn't have been obvious to include. I like them straight up but images of the vintage figure have them placed straight forward, almost like the fangs on a venomous snake. 

* Here's a shot of Grimsword from the back. Is it just me or does the back of his armor almost have a serpent-like face molded into it? The excellent paint work continues all around. Check out the cool pattern on the mail visible between his armored plates. 

* Here's a closer look at Grimsword's snake design. The texture is incredible on the scales and it's brought out by the paint. I love how the tongue stretches out to the tip of his long right shoulder pauldron.

* And here's a close-up of the spiked elbow pads and the cool black armor all down Grimsword's arms. I love how ornate everything here is. 

* His right knee is just a simple, nasty spike for kneeing his foes but the left has a cool snake design. Spooky!

* Grimsword is a big guy and while his armor definitely makes his movement a bit stiff, it feels right for the character. As an action figure he's very sturdy. NECA has really stepped their game up again this year with this line and ALF (the only two NECA lines like this I've picked anything up from). Their quality is excellent and Grimsword does have an impressive array of joints. His shoulders are a bit stiff and required a little loosening but everything else works just as you'd expect. 

* Grimsword comes with eight swappable hands: A pair of gripping hands, a pair of fists, a pair of open palmed hands, and a pair of pointing gestures. They swap easily and each hand has the same great paintwork, showing off Grimsword's gauntlets. 

* Grimsword fittingly comes with a grim sword. It's a long, curved blade that looks pretty impressive. It's a decent sized sword, fitting a big guy like Grimsword wonderfully. 

* The snake design on Grimsword's cuirass has a rattle like protrusion at it's tail that is perfect for the sword to slip right into, keeping it in place and at the ready. 

* Since Grimsword likes snakes so much, he also comes with a really crazy looking flail with a cobra inspired handle and a very nasty looking spiked ball. 

* The paintwork on the flail is excellent with painted spikes on the ball and lots of impressive details on the serpent inspired handle. The little tongue poking out of the cobra's mouth is a nice touch. 

* Grimsword carries a large, heavy shield that's really nicely detailed on the back with a set of leather straps to hold it on to his forearm.

* Flip that shield around and guess what's on it? A giant snake. This thing is crazy huge and incredibly detailed with some nice paintwork. Grimsword sure likes to show off, doesn't he?

   Grimsword wasn't a figure I was planning to purchase but after I picked up Zarak I knew I wanted to grab a couple more of the villains. Grimsword is a large, impressive figure and one of the coolest looking medieval/ fantasy armored figures I own. A sturdy build, impressive paintwork, and some seriously nice accessories make Grimsword another Epic release in NECA's Dungeons & Dragons line. Shop around on these and you might find a deal though they're definitely quality figures worth the retail asking price. 





This is the first figure of Grimsword I've reviewed. For more reviews from NECA's Dungeons & Dragons line check out the following:
Zarak