BiomasterM2

Yeah, those legs really are kind of a bummer. The only thing I could think to improve them would be to attach a piece of Vorox/Skrall armor to the front of them using one of those three length connectors with two pins holes and an axle hole on the side. (like the green one under his chest piece) His shins would lose most of the animalistic look I like so much about them, but it would definitely help them look more complete, and I kinda like the look of having the dark red Bohrok eyes on his knees stick out from under the (presumebly) black Vorox armor like the hidden barbs some animals have as a form of self defense.

My main problem with this set (and ironically my main reason for liking it as well) is actually the exact opposite of the reason I dislike Akida as much as I do. Akida (to me at least) looks like she was designed to be a turret equipped hydropack upgrade for Gali first and foremost, with the parts making her look like an animal being added on as an afterthought. Ketar is the reverse, he looks to have been designed from the ground up to look as much like something you'd find wandering the desert waste's of Okoto as possible, and while he does accomplish that surprisingly well, it honestly feels like they forgot somewhere during the designing process that his primary function is to be combined with Pohatu. While his sword slashing function is pretty neat, (almost cute even) it becomes next to useless as a feature when he's in Unite Mode, and there's just so much stuff attached to the immediate vicinity of Ketar's combiner port that it makes Pohatu's Unite Mode look like a complete mess unless you remove Ketar's legs before you attach him to Pohatu's back. So as what is essentially a modern day Rahi set, I'd say that Ketar does a really good job at being a convincing piece of wildlife one might find exploring Okoto. Sure he has his fair share of flaws, but his imperfections give him a sort of cuteness (bordering on adorableness) that make it so I'd happily add him to my collection when the time comes. However as a set that's primarily designed to be bought in conjunction with Pohatu because of this wave's Unite Mode gimmick, I think Ketar does a terrible job at making me want to buy both him and Pohatu at the same time due to how awfully implemented their combined mode looks without making any modifications to it.

After seeing this review, my opinions on Umarak have changed from mild indifference to him being my favorite of the villain sets to come out of gen 2 Bionicle so far. Initially I didn't like the antlers because I thought they looked way too cumbersome for a set of this size, but seeing them from different angles and poses makes it really hard for me to imagine this set without them because of how much identity they add to it compared to the Toa sets. (them and his unique lower legs give Umarak the feel of being some kind of saytr like mythical creature, which I think is awesome) The scarring and general unevenness to his mask helps show that he's been through his fair share of close calls during his hunts, and the mixing of trans apple and black on Umarak looks just as good as the beautiful mix of trans violet and black present on Onua. I'm not really sure why they decided to give him nearly the exact same weapons that they gave Skull Archer earlier this year, but I honestly think they feel more at home on Umarak than they did Skull Archer, and I really like the addition of the 'stud quiver' he carries around next to the hilt of his backup knife. (hunters need to be prepared for anything, right?) The shoulders do admittedly look a bit gappy because of which connecionr on the Hordika neck they chose to use, but as you said in the review that can easily be fixed by simply using the other axle connection instead. His legs on the other hand, while I do really like the look they give to Umarak, I have to agree that their overall gappyness is the one major flaw with this set. (if someone could think of a solution to this one I'd be happy to hear it) I definitely see what you mean about the Mask of Control, if you cover the chin and horns the area around the eyes and almost Bohrok shape of its forehead make it look almost exactly like Makuta's MoL/LoMN CG mask. (and it almost looks like it could be the helmet off of a Predator, which is pretty fitting considering the set it comes with) So all in all, thanks to this review Umarak (which is a pretty cool sounding name) will probably be one of the first couple 2016 sets I pick up. The only other villain I have is an unbuilt Kulta, (I'll freely admit that I got the MMvsSW set purely because I love Ekimu's design so much) so I'll happily pick up Umarak as soon as I can (and probably Uxar because I'm really curious to see what the two look like combined) so my other sets can have a villain to fight on my display shelf.

I'll admit that my overall opinion on Akida has changed for the better after seeing this review, however she still won't be one of the sets I plan on getting. I do think they totally nailed the color scheme, the Creature head piece looks absolutely amazing in drak trans blue and silver and the addition of a stand was a nice surprise, but there isn't much else I can honestly say I like about it. Akida and Gali will probably have the best United mode of the wave because of how natural it looks thanks to the action feature, but the limited possibility and box like look Akida has because of it just isn't a fair trade off. To me, Akida looks less like a shark than she does a mobile artillery platform that's shaped like a shark, and as awesome as that sounds, it basically means she's just a brick with some fins and chain guns stapled to it.

I really do love the overall design of this set, so much so that I'd say Onua's new 2016 form has definitely replaced Ekimu as my new favorite constraction set to come out since Gen 1 Bionicle. The color scheme seems much cleaner than his 2015 form now that he isn't decked out in multiple types of purple, and deciding to go with just metallic gold instead of both gold and silver completely eliminates the main problem I had with his prior form. (which was otherwise my favorite of the 2015 Toa sets) The trans purple really does look beautiful now that it's displayed more prominently than it used to be, and I like how even the studs are cast in it now compared to the solid purple ones that came with the Protector of Earth. Although as much as I love his colors, I will admit that there are some choices made about them that I can't help but raise an eyebrow at. The most obvious of which, as noted by others, would be the asymmetric colors for his upper arms. I do understand why they went with having different connectors for each arm, (stability and all that) but if they weren't going to use another trans purple connector, then couldn't they have chosen a less obvious color to use than bluish grey? The other two problems, the use of trans clear for the crystal armor instead of trans purple and the silver color of his feet, are relatively minor nitpicks to me so I don't really mind them very much. I think they really nailed it with his overall build. Onua seems to have just the right amount of 'lean, but sturdy' compared to the other Uniters, with Tahu being (ironically enough) too bulky because of the new gold armor he's sporting, and the three smaller Uniters all either look too oddly proportioned or too skinny for the new torso piece. I think Kopaka looks fine) Onua's new form might not have the squat and sturdy look I liked so much about his Master form, but because of the Bohrok eyes that help fill in his torso and his having larger feet compared to the other Toa, I think he still looks every bit as strong as his 2015 self did. Now for his new mask, at first glance I'd say it isn't recognizable as being an upgrade to the Gen 2 Pakari he sported in his last form, but once you take a moment to really compare the two side by side you'll begin to notice that the similarities are indeed there. So once you throw that nice metallic silver into the mix, I'd say it's a fine evolution to his old mask. (although I can't say I care much for the way the trans purple and gold version looks) Now I especially love his new drill hammer, as it really reminds me of the trick weapons from Bloodborne. I like to imagine that the trans purple studs are actually a special type of explosive charge that Onua can set off to give extra force to his drill swings and to make his hammer swings have an explosive impact against whatever unfortunate bad guy happens to be near him at the time. It's like someone took a warhammer, a giant drill, and a revolver, threw them all into a blender, and served it with a bit of pile bunker sprinkled on top for good measure, everything about that result screams 'ludicrously implausible videogame/anime weapon' and I absolutely love it! However, there are some definite problems I have with it, such as how I don't care for the way that the head swivels at the point where it connects to Onua's hand and how you can't spin the drill without firing the stud launcher. Now for the main problem I have with this set, the Unite Mode. I'm really disappointed to learn that Terak's head just kind of hovers over Onua's with no way to lock it in place, and the added bulk Terak's claws and feet give to Onua's shoulders and waist make the whole thing look like a mess to me. Luckily I like Terak enough as his own set to get him regardless, but after seeing how the Unite Mode gimmick actually works in practice, I don't think I'm going to be getting any of the other Creatures with the exception of Ikir. (he's just such a cute little lava falcon that I can't not get)