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The staff forgot to review Witch Doctor last year. Now what will I do!? I can't sleep at night without knowing the staff's opinions on this old retired no-longer-in-production Hero Factory set that I already have! This is an upset in the balance and order of the universe! I'm seriously freaking out here! Quick, someone on the staff go review it! I don't care if it's a lengthy review or just "It sucks." The universe can't go on without some sort of Witch Doctor review! On an unrelated note, I'm sort of tempted to find out exactly how many blog entries there are titled "I Just Realized". I only say "half-tempted" because I figure I'd give up before I reach the first hundred thousand.
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Presentation For casual consumers, this could be the difference between buying a set and choosing another. This section scrutinizes the container and instruction manual you see before anything else. Covering over 200 square inches of space with its front, the Baranus V7’s was the largest Bionicle box on the shelf at my local Target (Thornatus and Skopio being unavailable at the time). If the box’s size doesn’t grab your attention, then its excellent box art will. Sahmad rides, weapons at the ready, in the Spikit-drawn Baranus across what appears to be a rock bridge spanning a chasm of some sort. On the side of the bridge from which the Baranus rides, a lush jungle covers elevated terrain, while the Scarabax/Skrall symbol present on all of the summer 2009 containers hangs in the background like the sun. (The white spot that may appear to be a sun to readers is actually the flash from the camera.) In the corner is a picture-in-picture-style photo showing the breakdown of the set into Sahmad, the Baranus, and the Spikit. Also available for your viewing pleasure is the usual information about the set and Bionicle.com. On the back of the box, the Spikit (still hooked up to the chariot) stands growling at you while Sahmad stands off to the side, weapons still raised. Arrayed around the box are photos of how to fire the Thornax launcher, Sahmad standing on the Spikit’s back, the Spikit standing on its hind legs, and the two larger sets, as well as the Bionicle Action Figure Game logo. It is also of note that the Twin Cutters on the Baranus are in a different position than on the front of the box. More on this later. About the ‘larger’ sets mentioned above, it appears that the back of each vehicle set displays only the two sets above it on the hierarchy. This means that the Cendox displays the Kaxium and Baranus, the Kaxium displays the Baranus and Thornatus, and so on. One side of the Baranus also shows an advertisement for The Legend Reborn, with three screenshots showing Mata Nui riding on the Thornatus, Mata Nui fleeing from the Skopio, and Mata Nui with Click on his shoulder. Building Bionicle is before anything a building toy. This section describes and discusses the building of the set. When you open up the box, you’ll find three bags (appropriately labeled 1, 2, and 3), four large wheels, half of a Jungle Shield, one of Kalmah’s tentacles in black, and the instruction manual. Though it’s obvious from the colors inside the bags, the instruction manual confirms that the first bag (plus the tentacle) is used to build Sahmad, the second bag (plus the four wheels) is for the Baranus itself, and that the third bag (plus the Jungle Shield half) makes up the Spikit. - Sahmad comes together about as easily as any other Agori/Av-Matoran with only a few minor additions to the typical build. However, if you bought this set for the Agori, you either wasted your money or really wanted the few unique or rare parts Sahmad possesses. -- The chariot itself comes together quite easily, centering around a new piece that will be discussed later in the review. The build is simple but effective, beginning with the base and wheels shown in the first picture, then having you build the raised portion separately before attaching it to the base. - The Spikit is very simple to build, beginning with the ‘meat stick’ portion (my little nickname for the beginning of a build that is composed of a Technic beam with pieces clustered around it) shown in the first picture and progressing quickly into completion as you add the armor and legs. The finished model. The build of the Baranus V7 as a whole isn’t really something to write home about. It’s very straightforward method lacking any unexpected twists or tricks. kdmv Set Design This section examines the set after it is built, as well as new, recolored, or otherwise interesting pieces. The Baranus V7 comes with very few molds new to Bionicle. Among them are the previously mentioned base piece of the chariot, the helmets/heads of Sahmad and the Spikit, the wheel piece, and the buzz-saw-style thing. The base piece looks as though it could be very useful to MOCists with its many openings for pins. The wheels will also be very useful to MOCist who only buy Bionicle sets, widening their options for vehicles with wheels (I believe that such people were previously limited to Umbra’s roller-skate wheels). The Spikit head can be reversed to become a helmet for the Glatorian/Agori of your choice. This can look a bit creepy when looking at the V7 from the back, as it appears the Spikit is staring backwards at its driver. The Spikit head also appears on Telluris, and Sahmad’s helmet on Perditus. I realized after taking the picture that the lime green electro-blade actually first appeared on Tuma. There are four recolored molds to be found on the Baranus. These include the Agori 90 degree limb in orange, three-hole Technic beam in yellow (not Keetorange), and the multi-resistant shield in gunmetal gray. For those of you worried about the yellow Technic beams ruining the Baranus’ color scheme, don’t. Though I’m really not sure why they are yellow, they’re almost completely invisible inside the wheels of the chariot (refer to the second picture depicting the construction of the chariot and you can spot two of them). Otherwise interesting pieces are the half of a Jungle Shield currently available only in Gresh and the Baranus V7 and one of Bitil’s longswords, available before 2009 only in Bitil himself. Also interesting (though not pictured here) are two of Mantax’s pincer pieces in black, which could prove handy for MOCists trying to avoid silver. --- The design of the set is very simple, doing a good job of conveying Sahmad’s brutal, dangerous nature with its many blades and coloring. However, it is not by any stretch of the imagination complex, and does not possess any functions of any kind. It is simply a chariot drawn by a two-headed beast. Playability The set has been bought, built and visually examined. This section reviews the experience of playing with the set, including any functions or other outstanding features it may possess. - The Baranus V7 is good fun to play with, possessing 27 points of articulation accounting for the Spikit, Sahmad, and the two swiveling Twin Cutters on the chariot. Though I don’t have pictures specifically for displaying it, the Cutters have two main positions: the lowered one shown in the pictures above and the raised one shown on the back of the box. The wheels of the chariot turn very smoothly, gliding easily over wood, tile, or carpet. It is somewhat of a damper on the kiddy joy of drawing the chariot by the Spikit that once you put down the beast, the chariot continues rolling until it bumps into the Spikit. There are three pins on the chariot for Sahmad to place his feet on, allowing you to slightly change his position on the chariot depending on which holes on Sahmad’s feet and pins on the chariot you use. Roar. As shown on the back of the box, the Spikit can rear up on its hind legs to claw at a foe. When it does so, the Spikit looks very bearlike. Go, horsey, go! Also shown on the back of the box is Sahmad somehow standing on the Spikit’s back. Though I have been unable to achieve this exact effect, I have been able to make Sahmad straddle the Spikit like a horse. Though I have not had the opportunity to try out the Baranus in the Bionicle Action Figure Game, it will be interesting to invent new rules and regulations for vehicles. Plus, how cool will it be to watch Sahmad shoot down opponents as he rides past them? Conclusion This section chronicles the positive and negative characteristics of the set, its aspect scores, and any final thoughts on it as a whole. Pros What's good about the set? It’s a chariot drawn by a green two-headed bear – how awesome is that?Excellent wheels – they work on any surface, plus will be great for MOCs.Bionicle Action Figure Game – this really can’t be a con.Cons What's not? Simple build – something a little more complex for the price would have been nice.Lack of any kind of unique function – it would have really improved the set.Aspect Scores What does this set excel at? These four categories rate how it looks, the building experience, its usefulness in terms of parts for MOCing, and how much fun the set is after it's built. Appearance: | | | | | | | 7/10Building: | | | | | | 6/10MOCing: | | | | | | | 7/10Playability: | | | | | | | 7/10Overall, the Baranus V7 is an average vehicle set, without any really outstanding aspects. If you really want it, go for it, but other sets seem to be a better value (Kaxium, I’m looking at you). This concludes my review of the Baranus V7.
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Presentation For casual consumers, this could be the difference between buying a set and choosing another. This section scrutinizes the container and instruction manual you see before anything else. Note: Product was opened before being reviewed. In shape, the Glatorian Legends' canisters are almost identical to the winter Glatorian's, the exception being the lid, which is shaped to suggest an arena (older fans may notice its similarity to the Visorak canister lids). Gelu looks down imposingly from the canister's bright background, weapons at the ready. The ever-present Bionicle logo is emblazoned across the top of the front, with Gelu's name in smaller text below it. The age recommendation, set number, Glatorian Legends and Lego logos are ranged across the bottom. I'd like to point out how little extra information is on the front compared to canisters of previous years, maximizing the front of the canister's display potential. The back of the canister is not so blessed with open space. Crammed above the ridiculous amounts of legal text are: (from top to bottom, left to right): an advertisement for The Legend Reborn, the six Glatorian Legends looking less than their best, how to fire the Thornax launcher, Gelu's B.I.O. code, how to fit Gelu into his canister, and the Bionicle Action Figure Game Logo. Only one thing is notable about Gelu's instruction manual, and that is that it showcases the Legends and the vehicles twice - once on a wooden floor to promote the Bionicle Action Figure Game, and the second time against their typical thematic backgrounds. Building Bionicle is before anything a building toy. This section describes and discusses the building of the set. When the canister is open and its contents poured/shaken/dumped out, the expected assortment of blue and white pieces are seen in a pile. The building process took me about three minutes. I can't imagine anyone with experience building Bionicle sets taking much longer than that to assemble Gelu, who sports the now-typical hips-on-the-body, armor-on-the-torso, limbs-on-the-joints, armor/weapons-on-the-limbs, headgear-on-the-head build. If one planned to buy a set for the building process, I would recommend they save their money and buy Cendox or Thornatus instead, who seem to have the best building experience to offer. Set Design This section examines the set after it is built, as well as new, recolored, or otherwise interesting pieces. New, recolored, and otherwise interesting pieces are, sadly, not bountiful on Gelu. However, those he does possess are awesome indeed. In the top row are the only three new pieces included in the set, Gelu's helmet and Ice Slicer blades. While none of these pieces are groundbreaking - one is another helmet to add to the collection, the other two blades with which to do the same - they look wonderfully icy. It is of note that the semitransparent blue parts of Gelu's blades are composed of flexible rubber. In the second row of the above picture lies the only newly recolored piece in the set, an Inika chestplate in pure white. The third row holds otherwise interesting pieces, the half-snowflakes that premiered as Metus' shield. However, despite the lack of interesting pieces, what Gelu has is what makes him look seriously awesome. His helmet, Ice Slicer, snowflake armor, and color scheme give him a perfectly icy appearance. I applaud the set designers for inventing this combination of blue, white, and ice-themed pieces to create this visual masterpiece. Playability The set has been bought, built and visually examined. This section reviews the experience of playing with the set, including any functions or other outstanding features it may possess. In terms of poseablity, Gelu possesses the thirteen points of articulation that has become common in today's canister sets. The Thornax launcher, when fired, covers more ground than a squid launcher and less than a Midak, but is still one of my favorite launchers for its versatility - not only does it fire both Zamors/solidified air bubbles in addition to Thornax, but when disassembled, the pieces can be used for something other than a launcher! The pieces' ambiguous shape and pair of connection points provide a wide variety of MOCing possibilities. When posing Gelu, I did notice one small problem: It is somewhat difficult to pose him in a way that focuses on his weapon. After some contemplation, I have arrived at the conclusion that this is the weapon's fault. I have some difficulty imagining how one would wield a weapon such as the Ice Slicer held like that. Being held in the middle, it is not optimal for bashing as with a club, it possesses no extra elemental or ranged properties, and is too short and wide to be effectively used as a spear. Thus, Gelu's weapon is somewhat difficult to wield, and can be awkward in posing. Finally, time for the Bionicle Action Figure Game. I will confess that for anyone too old to be considered a kid, the game is boring due to its simplicity. With this in mind, I devised a new way of playing the game that includes melee combat, eliminates the canisters, and is infinitely more fun than the official game. Conclusion This section chronicles the positive and negative characteristics of the set, its aspect scores, and any final thoughts on it as a whole. Pros What's good about the set? Awesome icy theme - it's awesome.Well-done color scheme - something some other sets lack.Bionicle Action Figure Game - there's no way this can be a con. Cons What's not? Few new/recolored/otherwise interesting pieces - five is a pittance compared to some other sets.Awkward weapon - however cool it may look, something equally icy, but more practical would have been better. Aspect Scores What does this set excel at? These four categories rate how it looks, the building experience, its usefulness in terms of parts for MOCing, and how much fun the set is after it's built. Appearance: | | | | | | | | | 9/10Building: | | | 3/10MOCing: | | | 3/10Playability: | | | | | | 6/10 Overall, Gelu is the canister set to get if good looks are what you want. However, if this is not a major factor for you, your money would be better spent on other Bionicle sets. Thus concludes my review of Gelu. Until next time!
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I'm sitting in a Wal-Mart McDonald's with an unopened Kiina set. She won't be unbuilt for long.
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Yep, it's finally here. I present you my review of 8699 Takanuva at a whopping 2,000 words. XD Set Review: 8699 Takanuva By: ~ShadowBolt~ Welcome one and all! Today, I bring you a review of everyone’s favorite Toa of Light, Takanuva! Is he as good as everyone says? Are his little issues as bad as everyone says? Well, read on and find out! Presentation From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set. If you’re an unsuspecting buyer who just happened to be walking down the Lego isle, you have a really good chance of noticing Takanuva’s box. It’s sheer size and the imposing figure looming out of the box is just about the only thing that’ll attract buyers. The box isn’t brightly colored, and nor is it fancy, but it gets the job done with a simple and elegant design. In the center, you see Takanuva in a defensive stance and firing his Midak Skyblaster at some unknown target. (You never see the target in the packaging do you? ) Also, his mask is quite large and he looks like he could fall down with that blockhead of his… In the background, you can see the familiar blue/green background of the Swamp of Secrets and the stalactites of Karda Nui high in the sky. I personally have a little problem with this, from reading Bionicle Legends 10: Swamp of Secrets, my mental picture of the swamp is entirely different from the box. The swamp is personally a little too bright for my tastes and it doesn’t even resemble a swamp at all at a first glance. However, if you look closer, you can make out logs covered in green plant growth sticking out of the water, muddy islets and the greenish swamp water. It could be darker, but I don’t think it’s half-bad at all. Surrounding this is a mechanical design with a circular design carved into it and it’s all in dark blue, which I find pleasant since blue is my favorite color. On the top are the words “Bionicle” and “Takanuva” in all caps. I don’t know why they didn’t give Takanuva the Toa title. It might have boosted sales since a Toa on steroids might appeal to younger fans. On the bottom is the standard age range, piece count, set number section, the address of the official Bionicle website and The Lego Company’s logo. Front of Box The sides have the same boring text, legal information, etc… However, they added a life-size image of Takanuva’s mask. I don’t know why they did that, but it was a nice touch. The back is far more interesting… You see Takanuva in a similar pose, with his action functions below him along with his “amazing” B.I.O. CODE that only leads to a disappointing rotational view of him; basically Takanuva spins around in a circle. On the right, there is an entire column devoted to decent sized pictures of Rockoh T3, Jetrax T6, and Axalara T9. Below them is a group shout of the Mistika. Back of Box Finally we crack open the box, but I want to tell you how you should open it. Even though the directions say to use the tabs, don’t use them. You’ll end up tearing the whole box open that way. Instead, think of the back flap as a door. Try to open it from one of the corners as neat as possible and if you do it right, it should open very neatly and from the front and sometimes the back, you can’t even tell that it was opened. It works that well. Smart Way to Open Box Anyways, the pieces pour out (which I’ll cover in a later section) in neat baggies numbered 1, 2, and 3 along with his blades and Midak separate. Along side all these pieces, is the ever so crucial instruction booklet. Pieces and Booklet This year, the instruction booklet is a little bit different. It tells you to pour out your pieces on a table, not the carpet and it tells you that you should keep pieces from each bag separate. Not pouring them into one big pile. Also, it tells you that which bag makes which part on Takanvua – bag one makes his body, bag two makes his legs, while bag three makes his arms and weapons. It’s not a bad idea, but since I really didn’t need it, I really can’t say anything about it… Instruction Booklet 1 Instruction Booklet 2 Building Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it? Finally, we start the build. This build has to be one of the most interesting and fun builds I’ve ever encountered in my life. It’s so complex that I have to break this up into three sections. Torso: The design of the torso was a pleasant combination of the old and the new. It uses the familiar Inika torso, but that’s where the old basically ends. Everything else is basically building elongations to the torso and supports for the various limbs on Takanuva. It’s quite fun and interesting. My favorite part would have to be Takanuva’s neck. Surprisingly, it is actually double jointed very much the way Maxilo’s was. That allows him some more poseability and it just makes him even cooler. Torso Pieces Built Torso Legs: I have to admit this, building the legs is my least favorite part of building a Bionicle warrior set, but I enjoyed building his legs more than previous years. I dunno why… probably because they were extremely customized and extremely interesting for me to build. However, building the exact same leg the second time around is a bit boring, but what’cha going to do? The double-jointed design of the knees are pretty clever and I’m sure that would come in handy of one of the sockets in the knees were to crack. Then, the knee could still support the weight of Takanuva fairly well. Another thing about his feet is that when you hold the first Technic beam in your hand, you think, “His feet are going to be way too big…” But guess what? They don’t look bad at all. Large Leg Pieces Small Leg Pieces Front of Leg Side of Leg Back of Leg Takanuva w/ Legs Arms: These were a little more fun for me to build. The design was fairly custom and simple at the same time ( try doing that MOCers! ) Also, another odd thing about the arms is that the shoulder and elbow are not aligned with each other on the arms. It’s not a big deal and it doesn’t bother me at all. Arm Pieces Lance Arm Midak Arm Weapons: The Power Lance is a weapon that is both complex and simple at the same and it was a fun weapon to build and the result is nice. The Midak on Takanuva is just a small upgrade from your standard everyday version meaning that unlike other sets, there is an attachment on Takanuva's that allows it to be attached to his arm. I see it as a better version of my Midak attachment to my Makuta Spiriah MOC from a few months ago. Power Lance ~~~~~~ When you’re done building each limb, it’s a simple matter of snapping them onto the basic joint and attaching the support too. The weapons are just placed onto Takanuva and you’re finished. Set Design Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here. Now that you have finished him, Takanuva looks stunning! His sheer height and armored build look incredibly intimidating and cool. Please allow me to go over every part in his body in detail. Takanuva Complete Torso: It looks incredibly well designed from the front. The gunmetal Bitil wing does its job well, and you really can’t tell that it really wasn’t designed to be torso armor at all. Also, thanks to the armor and Takanuva’s large mask, the neck fortunately doesn’t stick out very much, so that’s great. The back is honestly a little rough, but it doesn’t look all that bad and if you decide not to buy Takanuva because of the back, I’ll just have to call you dumb. I remember reading another member saying that Takanuva’s Matoran arm supports can be considered as shoulder blades and I have to agree with him. The last thing about this torso is that the hip supports don’t stick out on him like they do on Icarax. That’s due to his large design. Front of Takanuva Side of Takanuva Back of Takanuva Legs: These legs happen to be designed incredibly well and I really have no complaints about them. The gunmetal thigh pads are a nice touch and they don’t protrude awkwardly at all. The gaps on the shins can bother some people but they don’t on me and they really aren’t that big at all in the first place. One odd thing I noticed was that his thighs and shins were exactly the same width, so if you think about it, it’s kind of odd. Usually, thighs are larger and they narrow down to the shins. Arms: They look great and there really isn’t anything bad to say about them. I quite like the Takadox heads, but they’re pretty freaky at the same time too. The claws are a bit awkward for me, but if I keep his hand pieces at a angle, they look much better. Umm... Takadox? You don't mind getting off of my shoulders, do you? Weapons: The Power Lance is a very interesting weapon that looks powerful and elegant at the same time. Surprisingly, the blades are very sturdy on the lance and they don’t seem to move about very much. The Midak Skyblaster attachment is really clever because it allows Takanuva one free hand and thanks to the supports, they don’t weigh down the sets at all. Best of all, it looks great! ~~~~~~ Before we move on, allow me to describe Takanuva’s new and interesting pieces in detail. The new pieces include: the new Avohkii, the gunmetal Bitil wing, and the white claws on his hands. The recolored pieces include his white socket joints (not pictured), two white Hordika feet, the two gunmetal Pohatu propeller arms, and the large white piece that makes up the bulk of his legs. New Pieces You know, Takanuva really doesn’t have that many new pieces, regardless, it really doesn’t give him the “feel” that he is old, but he doesn’t give the feel that he is “brand-spanking new”. You know what I mean? Playability The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with? I haven’t played with Takanuva yet, but I have posed him quite often. From what I can tell, he is incredibly poseable, but the supporting joints tend to limit his movement in some ways. The one think I really look forward to with Takanuva is the knowledge that when I play with him he won’t fall down like Maxilos would and that his joints won’t loosen like mine Brutaka did… Unlike most sets, Takanuva boasts a total of 16 points of articulation including his double-jointed neck and claws. That’s an incredible number for any Bionicle set and it makes Takanuva even more fun to play with. I could blab on and on, but I think this review is long enough and I’ll just let the pictures do the talking. Smackdown Against the Wall Piggyback Final Thoughts Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it? Pros What's to like?It's Takanuva.Avohkii resembles old version.The design is great and he is heavily armored.Weapons are stunning.Color scheme pattern is very similar to his old version.Is incredibly stable.Is incredibly stable.Still has white.Cons What’s not to like?His back is a little rough.Might seem too big for a Toa for some people.Some people may not like the blue and red pins (I don’t mind them)The lack of gold may irk people (Again, I don’t mind it)Gallery There you go! Hoped that review helped you decide whether to get Takanuva or not and I hoped you enjoyed reading it. ~SB~
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If You're Reviewing A Mistika For The First Time...
~ShadowBolt~ posted a blog entry in blogs_blog_1048
Read this before you start your review! Excellent Reviewing Tips ~SB~ -
Kinda... Well, I know you BZPers have read many set reviews of the Phantoka and their Matoran counterparts, but I was wondering, what set would you like me to review so you can get another opinion on it? Also, I'd be willing to review Toa Ignika if you would prefer a review of him, but I would rather not do a review of Mutran & Vican, Antroz & Radiak, Lewa & Tanma, and Icarax. So, please, say which set would you like me to review. Free cyber-cookies for anyone who gives a suggestion! ~SB~
