blogs_blog_1802

Meh. As I said in response to the original blog comment, I've always hated the Vahki. Many of their pieces were extremely large and specialized. They were clone sets to the extreme. And their piece counts were rather pitiful even for their time. A Toa Metru would get you between 44 and 49 pieces including unique mask and weapon molds, while a Vahki would get you just 32 pieces with just unique weapon molds — which, by virtue of their enormous size, could still be extremely hard to use.

 

Rahkshi were pretty cool though. Good piece count, and the best articulation any set of similar size could boast at the time. It's a matter of context, really — it says a lot that the only BIONICLE canister set ever with fewer parts than the Vahki was Toa Mata Onua.

Echoing Aanchir, the vahki were probably my least favourite sets in the entire history of BIONICLE. Big, ugly, specialized parts that are still nearly useless ten years later.

But I find a solid build, with a good frame work and no more joints than necessary, to facilitate really satisfying play.

 

Reading this made me think of Pridak. The biggest flaw (among several) about that set has to be the attempt at waist articulation. It's good that the designers were trying to do something different, but the result was pitiful and made the set flop around like a rag doll. And that's how I felt just trying to pose the thing on a shelf, much less play with it. I'm glad that design never appeared again (that I can recall).

 

Anyway, I agree to an extent, but it really depends on what you want to do with the set. As a kid I never had issues playing with sets with less articulation since imagination always trumps set limitations (and there was no 'rag doll' effect). Now as an adult, with them sitting posed on the shelf... they look kinda boring. Certainly much less dynamic than the Toa Metru.

 

But I find a solid build, with a good frame work and no more joints than necessary, to facilitate really satisfying play.

Reading this made me think of Pridak. The biggest flaw (among several) about that set has to be the attempt at waist articulation. It's good that the designers were trying to do something different, but the result was pitiful and made the set flop around like a rag doll. And that's how I felt just trying to pose the thing on a shelf, much less play with it. I'm glad that design never appeared again (that I can recall).

 

Anyway, I agree to an extent, but it really depends on what you want to do with the set. As a kid I never had issues playing with sets with less articulation since imagination always trumps set limitations (and there was no 'rag doll' effect). Now as an adult, with them sitting posed on the shelf... they look kinda boring. Certainly much less dynamic than the Toa Metru.

 

I dunno, my Toa Mata Kopaka has developed a bit of a "rag doll" effect in his hips. I guess as sturdy as those old joints were compared to some of the ones we got in later years, they still don't last forever. Even Pridak's waist didn't cause me any trouble at first, but I guess the top-heavy build resulted in that joint wearing out more quickly than it might have if it weren't supporting the whole upper half of the model.

 

Incidentally, I wouldn't complain one bit if we saw new attempts at waist articulation in sets. I've never quite come up with a design in a MOC that I'm 100% happy with, but it still strikes me as an admirable goal since there are a number of expressive poses that just can't be achieved with a fixed waist (including pretty much any contrapposto pose).

 

As a matter of fact, Queen Beast from the summer Hero Factory sets has a sort of waist articulation, which seems like it should be somewhat effective since it has two joints supporting the upper body rather than just one (sort of like Nidhiki's design in 2004, except slightly less limited). This will allow the upper body to flex backward and forward, as well as to twist slightly from side to side. Aesthetically, it's not the most effective, but I still have to admire the attempt, since it's arguably the first attempt at waist articulation to appear in a set since Pridak and Maxilos seven years ago. That set, however, is also a good example of a set that keeps its articulation in check. The front legs have one joint fewer than a typical constraction figure leg, presumably to make posing easier and better support the model's weight.

I dunno, my Toa Mata Kopaka has developed a bit of a "rag doll" effect in his hips.

 

 

To clarify, by 'rag doll' I don't mean the joints are worn and lose (although that would certainly apply). I mean that the design of the joint provides far too much freedom of movement and makes the set flop around. With Pridak it was incredibly difficult for me to pose any part of him without the whole top half turning to the side or bending over forwards. And this is how it was like brand-new out of the box seven years ago. It's a frustrating set to play with, I think.

 

All that said, I'm not opposed to a set having waist articulation. I don't think it's a necessary joint, but if I can be pulled off in a way that keeps the set sturdy then I'll have no reason to complain. I never got Maxilos so I can't comment on how well it worked for him.

 

As for Queen Beast, I'll wait until a review comes to form an opinion. I am a fan of articulation that's supported by two joints, though. I find that it works well because it's very sturdy but is still easy to position. I love Fenrakk's back legs for that reason, and I'm glad the most of the larger Hero Factory sets have been using similar joints in the design.

 

I dunno, my Toa Mata Kopaka has developed a bit of a "rag doll" effect in his hips.

To clarify, by 'rag doll' I don't mean the joints are worn and lose (although that would certainly apply). I mean that the design of the joint provides far too much freedom of movement and makes the set flop around. With Pridak it was incredibly difficult for me to pose any part of him without the whole top half turning to the side or bending over forwards. And this is how it was like brand-new out of the box seven years ago. It's a frustrating set to play with, I think.

 

All that said, I'm not opposed to a set having waist articulation. I don't think it's a necessary joint, but if I can be pulled off in a way that keeps the set sturdy then I'll have no reason to complain. I never got Maxilos so I can't comment on how well it worked for him.

 

I don't remember playing with Pridak being terribly bothersome, but it's been a long time. I do think that he did not benefit from the articulated waist nearly as much as a more realistically-proportioned figure would. A rotating waist, such as that of the original Makuta set or Evo XL Machine, might have suited him better than one that can rotate along three axes. But on a more realistic humanoid figure you might very easily want to see a more realistic range of movement, and that includes the ability to slouch, or to tilt the upper body from side to side.

 

Personally, part of the reason I am so fond of the idea of waist articulation is that it's basically the only joint from the Toa Mata that was conspicuously implied with a molded joint but never reliably actualized. We've seen articulation added in necks and wrists and elbows and knees, but hardly any sets have ever gotten real, honest-to-goodness waist articulation. And I think after thirteen years that's a real shame, since obviously it was important enough to the original BIONICLE designers to put a joint there, even if it wasn't one that actually worked.

Objectively, I agree with Aanchir and DV said above - the Vahki were not particularly good with regards to parts. The Rahkshi were kind of the same way, part-wise.

But I get the impression from Obsessionist's post that he was referring to the playability of the sets, not the usefulness of their unique molds in MOCs.