This is NECA’s Ultimate version of Grimsword, the evil bruiser from the second wave of LJN Dungeons & Dragons toys, originally released in 1984 (OG version of Mr. Sword included for comparison). I will never understand why he isn’t called Grimflail, though, as the snake flail as always been his signature. It ties in with his ridiculous snake-themed armor!

Which, speaking of, I think the original Grimsword is both cool and objectively ridiculous, and previously suspected that the mix of cool and ridiculous would make it difficult for an Ultimates style figure to come off properly. As usual when I speculate, I am wrong! All the ridiculous elements are still here — the torso snake, the snake shield, the snake kneepad, the mohawk on the helmet, the bizarre ear-spikes, the faceplate that reminds me of a ‘80s dirt bike helmet. But somehow, none of that stands out as ridiculous. Partly this is just down to the quality of the sculpt and the paint job. But also, I think a lot of it is a result of physique.

Grimsword is a monster. He’s frickin’ huge. He makes Warduke look small — he is nearly a head taller! And he just hulks. It is a little hard to see in the photos, but he is just of a size that would be terrifying in real life scale. You’d take one look at that guy and feel all your bones breaking at once in your imagination. A beast. I love it.