» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «I agree with ToM about the Legends lacking the uniqueness that made the Glatorian awesome. The Glatorian each had a theme to them that you can tell the set designers ran with. The Legends are an unfortunate return to the aesthetic we saw in 2008, where a few unique parts were enough to differentiate a set. There's some good points here, of course, but they're nowhere near as overall exciting as the Glatorian.
Even with the Mata red, I just can't get excited about Ackar. He's so...uncreative. He's an Inika. Yeah, old-school colors are pretty sweet, but they're not enough to make a set. For the record, though, I'm perfectly fine with reusing Berix's helmet. It looks good on Ackar.
Kiina...I'm just not sure about. Her feminine torso is AMAZING, but the lanky arms and legs are not only overdone, they throw her proportions way off. I dunno, her whole body just looks awkwardly put together, aside from the torso. Also, those leg spikes are going to look ridiculous when she stands up straight.
Gelu makes me mad. He does so many things right. The mask is staggeringly cool, and the color scheme works so much better than Strakk's. However, compared to Strakk...he's an Inika. They tried their hardest to differentiate the Glatorian with unique builds, but Gelu is structurally uncreative. The snowflake arms don't help much. And I really disagree with those who like his weapon--it's stubby and strange-looking. But that mask...that mask almost makes him all worth it.
I just can't figure out Vastus. He's not bad in terms of how he's put together, but...he's just kind of ugly. His mask gives him a weirdly snooty expression (edit: compare his facial structure to this guy), he's got weird vine things sticking out in certain places but not others, and he's got those awkward Hordika legs again. The scythe is neat, and I like how it's put together. The Inika thigh on his abs gives him a much-needed bit of uniqueness. The open back would be really awkward, but for once, the Glatorian counter fills him out nicely. Mostly, I agree with ToM. If he had more vine things on his body, he'd look a lot better. Like this, he's a robot with wiggly bits.
Kumquat Nui. Can't unsee. Seriously, even a change as subtle as this to the Ignika's shape makes it look kinda silly compared to its old self. The flat top could easily have been preserved--just look at Vorox. Giving him a round head sort of throws off the whole balance of the mask. But anyway, the set itself is pretty nice. The Matoro shoulders on his thighs are a nicely unique touch, and the torso is fairly pleasingly proportioned. The yellow-black color scheme is a little odd--more black and less yellow would make him seem less bright--but overall, he's nicely put together as a black Glatorian with yellow armor. I don't like using his weapons as shoulder pads, but they don't look bad. His actual weapon, though, is really awkward, even with the inherent UDD parallel. I mean, how would you fight with that? It's not like you can fight two people at once with the two sides to it, it's too short. It's just...a thing. He's holding a giant thing with pointy bits poking out. Sure, he could put someone's eye out with it if he's not careful, but it doesn't exactly lend itself to the whole "legendary warrior" thing. He can't even swing it properly, due to how it's held. Excalibur it ain't. Also, yes, gold WOULD have been better, but it was apparently never a part of the design process, so I'm trying to ignore that.
Now for Stronius. Stronius is a good set. Stronius is a very good set. See, the problem with Vastus, Strakk, and Gelu is that they assume a mask and shoulders that match are enough to tie together a set nicely. Stronius proves them all wrong with minimal use of new pieces. The stubby spikes all over his head, shoulders, chest, thighs, and club all match. They fit together so well, they make him look like all his pieces could be uniquely made for him. He clearly looks like a Skrall, thanks to his head, but he's in no way a clone. Plus, the dark red makes it clear that he's his own creature, not just another Skrall. I'll admit the club is a bit strange, simply because clubs are awkward weapons as a rule, but I can forgive him that simply because he looks so cool. I am buying that set. No question.
To finish up, I want to rebut something ToM said about the Thornax. I love the Thornax. I wouldn't mind seeing them again next year. They just work so well. Not only are they easy to use, well designed, and light enough not to hinder posing, but THEY'RE UNOBTRUSIVE. If the designers have to come up with a new gimmicky way of shooting a projectile with every single wave, they're going to eventually run out of ideas and we're going to get more ridiculous things like the Cordak and Nynrah. The Thornax make perfect sense in the story, look absolutely fine when held by ANYONE, and don't distract from the real set. The launchers have always been an afterthought for me, and I absolutely welcome the return of something as unobtrusive and simple as the Thornax.