Gali Mistika
Entry posted by xccj
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It's that time again. Time for summer set reviews, by yours truly. 
Anyway, I got a good deal on three Mistika, so I'm reviewing them now. First up is that ever lovable...
Before you continue, be warned; these are my opinions on the set. I've seen alot of controversy over it, so if you have a problem about my views, keep it to yourself. (Unless you're just here to point out that, despite my constant assurances of the opposite, the Metru and Vahki limbs are the same length)
Okay, first a little thing on the canisters. Gali's canister totally throws you off with the bright Mata blue lid. However, there is Mata blue in the set... those stupid recolored pins and rods. But the majority of the blue is dark Metru blue... a color I was never much of a fan of. And now I see that silver doesn't go well with it. Yes, I was impressed by Tahu's silver and dark red color scheme, but the same cannot be said of Gali. The blue doesn't stand out, and just looks dull. And, in her case, there is way too much silver. She might as well be a Toa of Protodermis.
One last thing on the canisters... I discovered they didn't stack well. Better than the Phantoka, true, but not well enough for constant storage. Harumph. 
Now, onto Gali's build. Blah. The Piraka torso does not work (even when I flipped it, as shown in the image above). And the Inika legs as arm and leg pieces were too much for her... it made Gali look like the buff-est Mistika around. This would've worked well with Onua or Pohatu, but I don't see it with Gali. I don't mind her being as bulked up as the others (as apparent in her Nuva form) or even slimmer (like in the MoL movie) but being the toughest looking Toa? I don't think it fits her character or element. Sorry if you think I'm being sexist, but I don't think it works. (As a note, I already did away with the Inika leg pieces in her upper arms, switching them out for Onua's arms, which are slimmer looking and still in the same shade of silver)
The two pieces that stand out the most for Gali is her mask and shoulder armor. Okay, yes, I can't see any similarities between the adapted Kaukau and any of its previous forms. The shape isn't bad... not exactly feminine, but I can deal. And the fins... I was expecting them to be new pieces, but they're just the silvery fins also seen in Tahu and Onua Mistika. Slight disappointment there. They do make her look odd (although they give her an interesting look when you tilt them downward) but this isn't a major point of criticism. In fact, I may be able to make use of the fins in silver. The real problem is her neck attachment... it's hunched over. 
No, no, no, Gali is not a hunchback. Onua is, Pohatu is, so is Whenua and even Hewki Mahri. But not Gali. I gave her a traditional neck attachment (used a blue +o rod) which increases her height by a length and alos gives her better movement. Bulked up Gali is bad enough... bulked out and hunched over is too much.
The shoulder pieces are certainly the coolest parts of the set. They don't quite have the bulk of the Inika armor, as they leave alot of empty space around the shoulders, but the spikes are wicked cool. I can easily see these as weapons for some MOC... or even spiked feet or something. They look good, but again I have to question their use on Gali. It's only a short question, though, and I like them, and I can certainly see potential for them in future sets.
The Nynrah blaster... well, I've said I liked it before, so why repeat. However, it doesn't give Gali the same kind of dangerous look that Kopaka's lone Midak gives him. First off, her sight is some small dinky piece... nothing very intimidating. It could've easily been included along with a small melee weapon for her other hands. They could've done better with her. And she also looks rather meek because her whole flight ability comes from two wimpy legs on her ankles... at least Kopaka had giant wings. When I pose Gali with her Nynrah in one hand (with both hands it looks tacky) I just know she needs something more. Plus, overall, she's way too short, thanks to the low Piraka torso. When sized up to the Phantoka and other Mistika Toa, Gali (and Tahu) just seem too short. Yeah.
So, overall, Gali Mistika is full of disappointments. Too much silver, and what blue there is doesn't stand out. Jets might be enough to keep her in the air, but they don't look like much. The Nynrah is okay, but not enough to overcome the lack of a second weapon. The bulky legs and armor make Gali look too buff. And her mask power is useless since she'll just be mutated if she tries to swim in the swamp waters (Okay, so that last one isn't set related).
On the bright side, you have the spikey shoulder armor. And I have all three versions of Gali now. So, in the end, I bought this set for the two silver pieces and the collectibility value.
Yeah I don't think Gali is worth it... she looks better than Gorast, true, but if you want a good canister set, go for one of the other four Mistika.
So, while this is a depressing review, I still have two others that I will be writing up. And I only did Gali first because she was my least favorite. So, yeah, expect others soon.
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