Bitil
Entry posted by xccj
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A Makuta from the swamp! It's Bitil the Beetle, but without the good music. He is my fourth Mistika purchase, also my second Makuta purchase, so how does he add up?
The basic design works, but it's not all too impressive. You've just got one of the new Matoran bodies with basic Rahkshi leg limbs. It's a little boring. I thought the most remarkable thing about him would be his wings, but they're not terribly good. The Slizer arms look good for making poses, but he doesn't have a majestic winged appearance like some of the Phantoka, and they tend to bulk up his back. The extra long neck seems kind of odd, and would surely ruin a Toa set. However, since the Makuta are more animistic, it works for Bitil. The extra long neck is a far cry from looking like a beetle, but I think Bitil looks more like a bird with his neck extended.
Now, Bitil's power comes in the new pieces he's made up of. Now, all the silver pieces on him are new designs (although not primarily exclusive to his set) You've got spiked feet (also seen on Gorast) spikey leg armor (Tahu has some) large silver wings (check out Onua's shield) wicked looking staffs (I think they might be on the vehicles too) and of course the Nynrah. These seem good for MOCing, but I thing Lego went a little excessive on Bitil. Both the wings and leg armor seem too bulky for him, and the spikey feet aren't the best I've ever seen. (Maybe for clawed hands. I must admit, they do have MOCing potential) The staffs are pretty awesome, undoubtedly the coolest silver pieces in the Mistika group (Tahu's weapon as a while is more fun, and Lewa Phantoka's sword owns) However, I don't like the way he has to hold a sword and blaster in one hand... looks funky. I seem to remember having similiar feelings about Takadox and his knife and squid launcher. Back then, it was easy to toss the squid launcher, but the Nynrah is way too good, so I tried to attach it to his shoulder.
The color scheme on his is awesome. better than those silvery Nuva, with their dull, dark colors. Even the bright Phantoka Toa don't compare with their bley. The yellow and black are perfect... reminds me of good ol' Jet the Slizer. However, when I compared the two, I saw that this yellow wasn't the same shade as the old. It's lighter than keetongu-orange, but a tad... bolder... than Throwbot Jet or Mctoran Jaller. Of course, maybe it's just because these new pieces are... well, new, and my other yellow pieces have had seven years to fade. Anyway I think I prefer this yellow over keetongu orange. The silver compliments the set well enough (although, as I said, it's slightly overdone) and the red doesn't stand out too much, but it could've been without. The recolored Nynrah pieces are cool... I stuck the red tube onto Tahu's launcher, and the green projectiles look nice... not with Bitil, but still, lime is good. (Especially a lime that wont snap in half).
One thing I noticed about Bitil is that he takes uo alot of room, eve if he's not that bulky. But with wings spread and arms out, he's alot wider than my Toa Mistika in poses. The neck extension makes him look alot taller, and you wouldn't even realize that his body is a squat Matoran one. He's too thin and tall to be much of a beetle, and the pinchers on his mask look alot like a beak, so I keep picturing him as some sort of bird. One strange feature of his is the Matoran connection. Yeah, with the pieces included, the Matoran looks like it's supposed to rid him just like the Phatoka... with the Matoran sitting up perpendicular to the Makuta's back. But in the instruction manual, it shows the shadow Matoran riding on as a backpack, just like the Phantoka Toa. I prefer that method better, but I'm not sure where the connection piece is. 
Not that I have any Matoran to try it out with... well, I do have Vican, but I have him on Mutran's back.
Overall, Bitil is a sweet deal. Sure, he's not the pillar of canister sets, but he's alot better looking than Krika or Gorast (in general terms). Better yet, he comes with a cool variety of pieces, including a myriad of silvery weapons and claws, and pure yellow pieces. (I might even try for another yellow Toa Jaller MOC, now that I have correctly colored limbs) If you want a Mistika Makuta, I'd recomend Bitil first and foremost. Heck, he's cooler than most of the Phantoka too (although Icarax does look menacing... but he doesn't count, he's a Titan and nearly twice as expensive)
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