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Set Review: 70790 Lord of Skull Spiders


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I'll be completely frank with my thoughts on this set: It isn't for the kids.

 

LOSS has an uncanny amount of Technic pieces, unlike any constraction set since the Hero Factory vehicles. For a model, it very much reminds me of the 2001 Rahi, right down to the finnicky functions and lots of basic Technic usage. I'm getting a huge Rahi vibe from LOSS.

 

As for the appeal to kids, I fail to see any. It's a villain, it has a golden skull spider mask, but the model is very lacking by today's standards. Strictly looking at the demographic, I fear that I'll be seeing a lot of LOSSes (no pun intended) on toy store shelves, as kids flock to the more posable and appealing Toa and even the Protectors. LOSS always felt to be the odd one out of this wave, and this review proves it.

 

I'm not saying I'm NOT interested in the set; on the contrary, it evokes the 2001 Rahi like I already said. It has a unique build for CCBS constraction figures. The only comparison I could make is with 2011's Scorpio, but that uses CCBS bones for the limbs and looks generally a mess in my opinion. Of course, the system had just started, and it was still unique.

 

Saleswise, LOSS could be a hit-or-miss, a bit of a wild card. A good selection of parts for MOCing, so AFOLs could buy a bunch of them for parts packs. Kids could buy it for the big villain. But on the flipside, LOSS could be completely ignored for AFOL nostalgia for the Toa and kids wanting the cooler-looking and more playable Masters.

 

I guess time can only tell how popular LOSS will really be. As for myself, I'll definitely get one, just after I get my hands on the sets that will for sure be in high demand (Kopaka and Tahu are my top priority).

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Thanks for the review. Despite the negatives of the set, I am still interested in Lord of Skull Spiders. First of all, it has a surprising amount of technic pieces and the colours they come in are pretty nice (also, those new pins-!) Not only that, but while the action feature is a little bit underwhelming, the build looks fantastic, and you even said yourself that it was an all-around "fun build". A fun build always takes precedence over overall look (unless it is TRULY ugly, which LoSS is not) and play functions and the fact that this set seems to have the complexity of some older Rahi sets, I am willing to give it a chance.

 

 

Thanks again for the review!

 

-NotS

Edited by Nidhiki of the Shadows
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Maybe he would be cool back in 2001 as a Rahi, but not these days. Way too simple.

Simple? Really? I'd say this is one of the most complex sets of the year on a structural level. Certainly more complex function-wise than anything I've ever come up with on my own.I don't quite understand why so many people are bothered by this set aesthetically. He may not function as well as I hoped, but I still think he looks great. The printed chest plate makes an awesome face in my opinion (shame the eyes aren't fluorescent; the LEGO Group DOES have fluorescent red inks...), and the shape doesn't seem nearly as boxy to me as it does to other people.And as for the number of legs, I think it's stupid that people are even complaining. Nobody ever complained about Ussal Crabs or Nui-Jaga or Nui-Rama not having the right number of legs as far as I can recall, even though none of them ever did. Every single one of us learned how many legs spiders are supposed to have in elementary school. I get that. But on a fantasy creature that simply happens to be called a spider, that rule is no more mandatory than any other bit of biological trivia.On a certain level, it would be like nitpicking Pokémon because they aren't perfectly accurate to the creatures they're based on. Oh no, Butterfree doesn't have six legs like a real butterfly! Pikachu doesn't have whiskers like a real mouse! Meowth stands up on two legs instead of walking on four legs like a real cat! What a travesty!
Possibly blown a little out of proportion.

 

They only problem I have is with the face. If it was made up of lots of little parts, it would feel more 3D and lifelike.

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This looks like a pretty neat set. We've got the technic build, which we haven't seen in constraction since 2012, we've got the elastic band powered function (admittedly not massively effective, but hey, better than the -Rama), we've got the mask of ultimate power (at least, it kinda looks like that... with the four vultraz-like protrusions from beneath?). Very reminiscent of the 01 Rahi, very neat build, and not too pricey. Only qualm is the faceplate: using a printed chestplate is kinda making him seem like a fake, in a way :\ Like he's not actually real... that might not be noticeable when you actually have it in hand though, so I suppose he's one for the Like list [:P]

 

 

......Who am I kidding, like anyone's going to bother to read the above, or even care what I think about the set XP XP [:P]

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we've got the mask of ultimate power (at least, it kinda looks like that... with the four vultraz-like protrusions from beneath?). 

 

Am I missing something? Lots of Shadows do not resemble this mask here, not to me anyway...

Like, I can see some protrusions... but are they really that distinctive/individualistic?

 

I like this set & the actual faceplate doesn't bother me, I'd just rather other pieces sitting on it as opposed to  being printed. 

Edited by Iblis
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In a decade you might also conquer one million km2 of land,


& in over a thousand years you might have over a billion followers.


 


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......Who am I kidding, like anyone's going to bother to read the above, or even care what I think about the set XP XP [:P]

 

Of course we are :D Well I did anyway! I have to disagree on one point though. I think the fact that the Nui Rama came in a set as a pair already puts them ahead of the LOSS. As far as the function goes though, the Nui Rama could knock the masks off ANY other 2001 Bionicle set as well as each other. The LOSS has been shown to be basically useless at even picking up a mask let alone knocking one off. In my opinion the whole head-flick thing is flawed. There are no sets (that we've seen so far) that are able to strike the sweet spot on a Toa to release the masks. So what's the point? 

 

Give me composite-head, mask smashing Nui Rama anyday over printed face, cuddle bug LOSS...


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I never was really excited for this set honestly, I wanted to like it, but it just looked too generic. As soon as I saw all the awesome pieces laid out, I immediately changed my mind and saw pumped. The end result tho, was disappointment. The legs are spindly and immovable, the trans-orange pieces on top protrude awkwardly, the printed plate doesn't do much for me, the set sin't even shaped like the mini skull spiders, let alone any resemblance, and my biggest beef:

What is even the purpose of the function?!? Yes gear functions are cool, but the actual motion seems more like curling up and dying rather than grabbing or anything else menacing for that matter. The idea is there, the final set tho is kinda sad, which is unfortunate, I wanted the gold mini skull spider.

 

Give me composite-head, mask smashing Nui Rama anyday over printed face, cuddle bug LOSS...

AMEN. ROLL CREDITS.

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move along.

nothing to see here.

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Ah, the sole villian set of the first wave of 2015! I am surprised that the spider Lord's facial features are not stickers but comes printed into his head itself.

 

The spider Lord really reminds me of real life spiders except for its rather-bare/exposed abdomen.

Your left brain contains nothing right, while your right brain contains nothing left.

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I want to get excited for this set, I really do. Between the predominantly technic build and being animal-inspired (always did love those sets), it has things going for it that would really make me enjoy it.

 

As pretty as the printing is, the utter smoothness of the CCBS shell that is his face really throws me off. It makes him look very boring and dead (as in somebody smashed this spider already). The horrible articulation (joints where the legs meet the body too would have fixed this...) is a real bummer too. But that bare bones look to him? Just not good from what I can see.

 

But I am a completionist and do really want the gold spider mask, sooo...

 

~|ET|~

Edited by Electric Turahk

E-T... Phone home.

 

"He walks among us, but he is not one of us."

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I know that we are getting a very nice Pearl Gold Skull Spider mask, but you see Red Skull Spiders in the comic strips, and I think LEGO missed a trick by not adding a pair of Red Skull Spiders with this guy.

 

He just doesn't look like a good standalone set. He'll definitely sell less than the Toa.

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I think this set might actually fare better with the kids than adult/teenage fans. When I showed the sets to my younger brother, he thought the spider was one of the coolest. Look at it from a sales point: 2 years of research and tests led them to think this would be popular with the target audience: the kids.

I don't know if there are seriously enough AFOL's who won't buy this set that it will dramatically affect sales. As much as BIONICLE was brought back for the hardcore dudes like us, and the end of a day it's a toy meant for kids. 

 

As much as others don't like it, I for one am excited to see a unique gear function in a character that could potentially be an imposing threat to the Protectors. (Still waiting for the Summer Wave for a worthy foe of the Toa- fingers crossed for Rahkshi!) 

 

Question by the way: is the LOSS a "one-of-many" set like a bohrok/vahki/visorak/skrall, or is he one of a kind? The setup @ ComicCon confused me when they had 2 of them attacking the Toa... 

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I think this set might actually fare better with the kids than adult/teenage fans. When I showed the sets to my younger brother, he thought the spider was one of the coolest. Look at it from a sales point: 2 years of research and tests led them to think this would be popular with the target audience: the kids.

I don't know if there are seriously enough AFOL's who won't buy this set that it will dramatically affect sales. As much as BIONICLE was brought back for the hardcore dudes like us, and the end of a day it's a toy meant for kids. 

 

As much as others don't like it, I for one am excited to see a unique gear function in a character that could potentially be an imposing threat to the Protectors. (Still waiting for the Summer Wave for a worthy foe of the Toa- fingers crossed for Rahkshi!) 

 

Question by the way: is the LOSS a "one-of-many" set like a bohrok/vahki/visorak/skrall, or is he one of a kind? The setup @ ComicCon confused me when they had 2 of them attacking the Toa... 

This guy gets it. I think the reason why people on this board think that LOSS won't sell well and is pretty lack-luster, is because they're in the "older mindset" of things. As a kid, the bad guys were always my favorite, especially the bug-esque one's. (The Visorak hint-hint) I'm pretty sure LOSS will among be the best-selling of the wave.

Edited by Toaborox18
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I think this set might actually fare better with the kids than adult/teenage fans. When I showed the sets to my younger brother, he thought the spider was one of the coolest. Look at it from a sales point: 2 years of research and tests led them to think this would be popular with the target audience: the kids.

I don't know if there are seriously enough AFOL's who won't buy this set that it will dramatically affect sales. As much as BIONICLE was brought back for the hardcore dudes like us, and the end of a day it's a toy meant for kids. 

 

As much as others don't like it, I for one am excited to see a unique gear function in a character that could potentially be an imposing threat to the Protectors. (Still waiting for the Summer Wave for a worthy foe of the Toa- fingers crossed for Rahkshi!) 

 

Question by the way: is the LOSS a "one-of-many" set like a bohrok/vahki/visorak/skrall, or is he one of a kind? The setup @ ComicCon confused me when they had 2 of them attacking the Toa...

This guy gets it. I think the reason why people on this board think that LOSS won't sell well and is pretty lack-luster, is because they're in the "older mindset" of things. As a kid, the bad guys were always my favorite, especially the bug-esque one's. (The Visorak hint-hint) I'm pretty sure LOSS will among be the best-selling of the wave.

 

Its status as the only standalone villain set for the first wave will probably help its sales too. Older fans like us know that more villains are likely to show in the second half of the year, and will be content waiting. Newer, younger fans, on the other hand, will almost certainly want a "bad guy" for their Toa to face as soon as they can get it. And that applies regardless of which Toa they end up getting—a lot of kids are likely to only pick up their favorite of the six Toa at first, followed by a big baddie for them to face. And of course LOSS's mid-range price point is also likely to do it favors, since smaller, more affordable sets pretty consistently sell better than larger sets—pricing the main villain for the first wave at a very affordable $15 is no mistake.

 

So while we can debate all day whether LOSS's function is worth the form factor it results in, or whether a printed chestplate is really the best solution for its face, those gripes are likely to mean very little in regards to the set's overall sales.

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Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

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The set looks quite menacing. It's interesting that you can use a chest piece as a spider's face. The legs-clutching function seems quite fearsome.:) Anyway, the Lord of Skull Spiders looks like the Spider vehicle set from Chima in the first half of this year, and when it comes with Bionicle, it also reminds me of the Visorak. It is nostalgic that way.

There are some flaws in this set. The front of its body looks sort of exposed, with the mechanism being showed. Plus, it has six legs instead of eight. It feels unnatural for a spider that way. Usually, insects has six legs while spiders have eight, but the LOSS isn't actually an ordinary spider: it is just a separate species that looks and has some abilities like a spider. Well, nobody's perfect.

Also anyway, I wonder story-wise if the gold mask can control the Skull Spiders, making LOSS their leader. Hmm... Just wondering. We would soon find out when 2015 begins.

I like Lego, Bionicle, and Hero Factory!:)

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Not my favourite of the new sets. But the return of beast sets with an action feature is welcome in BIONICLE. Also seems like he has some useful pieces for us MOCers. :)

Tahu; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). Lewa; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). Onua; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). Kopaka; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). Pohatu; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). Gali; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Kaukau (x). 

Vakama; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). Matau; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). Whenua; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). Nuju; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). Onewa; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). Nokama; Huna (x) Ruru (x) Komau (x) Mahiki (x) Matatu (x) Rau (x). 
Matoran; Hau (x) Pakari (x) Kakama (x) Miru (x) Akaku (x) Huna (x) 
Rahi; Infected Hau (x) Huna (x) Kakama (x) Komau (x) Pakari (x) Ruru ()

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