Set Review: 71302 Akida - Creature of Water

[Hapori Tohu]

It's time to dive in to another 2016 Bionicle Set Review, and today BZPower Reporter Xccj goes beneath the surface to look at Akida, Creature of Water. This aquatic animal will be the new companion for next year's Gali, but is she worth the swim or is she rather washed up? Read on or watch the video review to see for yourself.

 

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[Rooster Nui]

It's nice to see that this set comes with a stand, much like Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder. Coincidentally or not, both sets do not feature the stands as parts of their respective box art. I guess they don't flow with the background environment.

 

Once again, a review has made my view more positive on the new sets. Remember, renders don't show everything.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

Overall I don't really like this set. Using almost exclusively Technic in this case makes for a set that looks like a jumbled mechanical mess rather than any sort of decent creature.

 

However, I am very pleased to see the fin piece from 2008 return! Are those in medium blue or azure? I'd presume azure, but it's hard to tell directly from the photos.

 

~B~

[Aanchir]

Good review! Akida has a pretty incredible value, I've got to say. 120 pieces for $10? I can count the number of Bionicle sets with a better price per piece than that on two hands (two are Vezon & Kardas and Voporak, and the rest are all bulk parts buckets). Even if you deduct the ammo for the stud shooters, that's still 96 pieces for $10! Most G1 canister sets cost $8–10 for less than HALF that many!

 

I was a bit unsure how much I liked Akida, but after reading/watching this review I definitely think it's a great set. Beautiful color scheme, creative build, and an authentically fishy look (though I think Jawblade had a better tail). I look forward to adding Akida and Gali to my collection! And of course, I look forward to your Gali review!

 

However, I am very pleased to see the fin piece from 2008 return! Are those in medium blue or azure? I'd presume azure, but it's hard to tell directly from the photos.

According to the text review they're Dark Azur. This may be the piece's return to Bionicle, but it appeared in Hero Factory as recently as 2012, and in the past two years it's been used in White in both City and Technic.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Aanchir

[NickonAquaMagna]

This is one of my favorite creature sets.

Edited December 9, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna

[Nato G]

While this review has certainly improved my opinion of the set overall, I still don't like the head. Not because its the same as all of the other beast heads, or because of the gap underneath, but because of the colours.

 

There's no silver anywhere else on the set, and the trans blue is a lot darker than any of the other blue shades used in the set. It looks like they've taken the head from something else entirely and just slapped it onto Akida's body. 

[Aanchir]

While this review has certainly improved my opinion of the set overall, I still don't like the head. Not because its the same as all of the other beast heads, or because of the gap underneath, but because of the colours.

 

There's no silver anywhere else on the set, and the trans blue is a lot darker than any of the other blue shades used in the set. It looks like they've taken the head from something else entirely and just slapped it onto Akida's body.

The "chest" of the set is silver, and in these photos the Tr. Blue doesn't look much darker than the regular Bright Blue Technic elements used on the top and sides. I don't think the head looks out-of-place at all. Granted, it would've been cool if the set used some of the same blended crystal add-ons Gali uses, but I'm not sure where it could use those that they wouldn't look out-of-place.

[BiomasterM2]

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.

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

huh, i still like kida but, not too sure i like exactly how far away from th body the shooter are, the boxart made em look closer. :0

 

still, p cool and totally reminded me of the Takea at a glance! (tbh if we didn't have the unity thing requiring same-heads, i bet it'd have the jaws feature!)

 

also it's blue and i'm a SUCKA for blue.

[Bfahome]

As off-system as the TECHNIC build is, I really like this set because it throws back to the classic Rahi sets of old.  This is definitely on the "buy" list next to Terak.

 

(Though most of the creatures are, but still.)

Edited December 9, 2015 by Bfahome

[fishers64]

 

Hmm...my thoughts mostly remain the same. I actually like the "guns go forward" feature and the fact that it's a fish with Kopaka wings.  

 

I really like the principle, although I'm not sure I want to buy the set just for how much joke/amusement value/bad fishers puns I can get out of it. 

[Petewa]

This thing's name just reminds me of my favorite Ninjago fanartist, for some reason.

[Lyichir]

Hmm...my thoughts mostly remain the same. I actually like the "guns go forward" feature and the fact that it's a fish with Kopaka wings. 

Technically Kopaka never used those wings, did he? Those smaller ones were introduced on the Mistika.

[masterchirox580]

This set is just kinda "meh" to me. Due to it not being a humanoid (and not being very big) there just aren't many interesting things that can be done with it. I'll still buy it though as it's by no means bad. 

[NickonAquaMagna]

This set is just kinda "meh" to me. Due to it not being a humanoid (and not being very big) there just aren't many interesting things that can be done with it. I'll still buy it though as it's by no means bad. 

 

For some, the simple fact that it's not humanoid IS the main draw of the set.

[Logan McOwen]

Yikes.

This to me feels like this theme's LoSS equivalent. The focus of the set's build feels like it's totally on the function rather than the figure, and design-wise it really suffers for it - like LoSS, it's another big clump of Technic with a couple of poseable bits tacked onto it to justify its listing as an action figure, when really it's just a gadget. That, and said function is hardly anything worth writing home about - If the guns were stowed away and could then be raised or moved outwards to reveal them, I'd be more impressed. But instead they... Aim down? Or something? Great, okay.

When connected to Gali, it doesn't add much to her. The only significant thing really is the guns, which is pretty pitiful compared to the wings Lewa and Tahu get.

In terms of parts, again, I'm not really very interested. The fins and the head are great and all, but everything else is either stuff we've already had elsewhere, or stuff that I can't see any real demand for. That, and having odd numbers of the longer bone pieces is infuriatingly useless to me as a MOCist - I dub this phenomena "Fangz Disorder", as it was the same story with that set's use of one solitary red 9M bone.

I will give the designers credit for adding a stand, though. That's better than just having the thing sitting on the ground.

All in all, I feel like most people are only giving this set credit because "Wow look a Technics!!!!", which I feel is somewhat contrived. I personally would've preferred another XT4 frame-based figure with a mechanism that swings its tail, similar to this. That way it could've been more poseable, it would be in-keeping with the rest of the creatures, and would have actually had some aesthetic appeal beyond its colours.  
 

1/10

Edited December 9, 2015 by Logan McOwen

[NickonAquaMagna]

Holy... people are being REEEEEEALLY harsh towards these creature sets.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Akida is an interesting set. I like that its build obviously helps it standout among the other creatures. I also like that Lego included a stand for it. I'm still undecided if I'm going to get this one though, but this review has given me some pros and cons to think about it.

 

Thanks for the review!

[RichardT1977]

It looks like 2016 is taking inspiration from some of the canonized MOCs from the old line (in this case, I see elements reminiscent of the proto drake, or maybe the lohrak).

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

Holy... people are being REEEEEEALLY harsh towards these creature sets.

 

Umarak just has a lot of alt accounts. :u

[Aanchir]

This to me feels like this theme's LoSS equivalent. The focus of the set's build feels like it's totally on the function rather than the figure, and design-wise it really suffers for it - like LoSS, it's another big clump of Technic with a couple of poseable bits tacked onto it to justify its listing as an action figure, when really it's just a gadget.

I'd agree that this is basically this year's equivalent to the Lord of Skull Spiders, but I think it's an excellent design for many of the same reasons LoSS was. It offers an amazing value in parts, a very unique creature design, a satisfactory amount of posability for the type of set it is, and a building experience that is very different from any other set its size (though I'm not sure if this set's action feature will be anywhere near as fun as Lord of Skull Spiders' grabbing function). I would definitely not mind getting a new set each year that meets all those qualifications, even if it's always the "odd set out".

 

When connected to Gali, it doesn't add much to her. The only significant thing really is the guns, which is pretty pitiful compared to the wings Lewa and Tahu get.

Gotta disagree there. From the picture on the LEGO.com cache, the fins and helmet make Gali look even faster, more powerful, and more graceful than she looks by default. And compared to Tahu, Gali's already a good-looking set on her own, so you don't have the creature's assets having to make up so much for the base Toa's faults. I do agree that Lewa and Uxar are easily the best Toa and creature this year, as well as the best Toa–creature combo, but I think Gali and Akida are a close second.

 

All in all, I feel like most people are only giving this set credit because "Wow look a Technics!!!!", which I feel is somewhat contrived. I personally would've preferred another XT4 frame-based figure with a mechanism that swings its tail, similar to this. That way it could've been more poseable, it would be in-keeping with the rest of the creatures, and would have actually had some aesthetic appeal beyond its colours.

In my opinion, the Technic-based build is a very small part of what makes Akida interesting. More interesting to me is the fact that it is a unique type of creature, not just a typical biped or arthropod, and the fact that it adds so much to the Gali set in the "power up" mode. Not to mention its awesome colors. In spite of being Technic-based, its design is very sleek and expressive, and I don't think the Technic construction severely hampers its form factor (though the Jawblade set from Hero Factory did have a much better tail). I can't say Akida epitomizes what makes the creature sets or the 2016 range as a whole great, and it's certainly not my favorite of the new sets, but sometimes it is nice just to have something unique.

 

Your fish-tail mechanism is pretty awesome and could have made a set like this even cooler, but I don't think it's a poor set just because it doesn't have a function like that. I hope that in spite of your frustrations with the set, you do end up getting Akida and revamping it, because with your skill with both coherent CCBS building and creative Technic functions, I'm sure you could come up with something incredible.

[abstractAgamid]

It's the one I'm mostly likely to get (maybe Terak or Uxar), but I would have liked if it had a shell piece. Maybe use a longer by 1 bone piece for the first part of the tail, put one of the 4-length azure shells Gali has on it, and use a 4-axle with a stop on the final time of the tail instead of a 5-axle (and remove the bushing there). I know this would require more types of pieces, but still.

 

It also has my favorite design of shadow trap.

Edited December 9, 2015 by abstractAgamid

[Aanchir]

It's the one I'm mostly likely to get (maybe Terak or Uxar), but I would have liked if it had a shell piece. Maybe use a longer by 1 bone piece for the first part of the tail, put one of the 4-length azure shells Gali has on it, and use a 4-axle with a stop on the final time of the tail instead of a 5-axle (and remove the bushing there). I know this would require more types of pieces, but still.

I agree, this could have made for a much nicer tail design. Currently one of the set's biggest aesthetic faults in my eyes is how bony the tail is.

[Logan McOwen]

Holy... people are being REEEEEEALLY harsh towards these creature sets.

Well, this wave is proving to be very disappointing for a lot of people, so I wouldn't be surprised ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

But I only really resent Akida and the Stone Creature. The other four are great.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Logan McOwen

[NickonAquaMagna]

What I'm trying to figure out is why it's disappointing. Would they really rather have another set of Protectors, with barely any changes from the last set? I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off. Very strange.

[Aanchir]

What I'm trying to figure out is why it's disappointing. Would they really rather have another set of Protectors, with barely any changes from the last set? I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off. Very strange.

I think it's a bit unfair to say the Protectors had barely any changes from each other. The only two Protectors that I'd say had barely any changes were the Protector of Jungle and Protector of Stone, and even then, they had very different weapons (which were a big part of those sets). The Protectors of Fire, Ice, Earth, and Water all felt pretty different to me.

 

And in general, different people like different things. I'm sure there are a lot of people who really like Technic-based building, but that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to like all Technic-based sets. Just look at how much hate there's been for Lord of Skull Spiders and Skull Scorpio, some of last year's villain sets that used the most Technic.

 

In Logan McOwen's case, he apparently believes Akida's build could've been more streamlined and lifelike if it had used a more CCBS-based build, and that the Technic components of the set could have been put to use for a more interesting function rather than just being structural. Which is probably true, although I'm not as bothered by that as he is.

[fishers64]

I don't know, if I wanted a fish made out of pure CCBS, I'd think that I'd be able to MoC one up using existing parts. The challenge for me would be digging through my stash to find or buying fin parts, but that doesn't strike me as a particularly difficult build. 

 

I think they were looking to add something to the standard "fish" build - namely, to give it a weapon. Melum, Terak, and Ikir have claws, Uxar has sharp legs and the Po-Creature carries a sword. If Akida didn't have some sort of armament, she would be the odd creature out.  

[Voltex]

Looking at this set, I'm a fan of it. I wasn't planning on getting any sets other than Lewa this time (gotta keep my Green Toa tradition, and he's my favorite of the Toa this time around anyway) because school expenses, but I might grab Akida as well.

[Triple]

Akida's large amount of Technic doesn't bother me, what does bother me is its overall look. The body is a little awkward with everything exposed, I'm all for Technic integration but I think Akida needs a shell or Technic panel to cover it up. Luckily I have two small blue aerodynamic Technic panels (boy do I hope they return) I think could look nice on Akida.

 

The propeller miniguns interupt the flow of the set, but a few little mods should be able to fix it. I like the weapons themselves and especially how they look when combined on Gali.

 

Overall Akida is probably my next favorite creature after Uxar, I definitely look forward to picking the set up and toying with the design.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Dr. Chronos

[Nescent]

Holy... people are being REEEEEEALLY harsh towards these creature sets.

Welcome to the online Bionicle community.

 

I think that people are quicker to criticize a set than they are to praise it. I'll usually point out a thing or two that I wish had been done differently, but that doesn't mean I dislike the set.

 

Although to be honest, there's nothing about Akida I don't like. This is absolutely my favorite Creature, and I didn't realize how many cool parts it comes with. Those trans-light blue Technic liftarm things look really interesting.

[abstractAgamid]

 

What I'm trying to figure out is why it's disappointing. Would they really rather have another set of Protectors, with barely any changes from the last set? I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off. Very strange.

I think it's a bit unfair to say the Protectors had barely any changes from each other. The only two Protectors that I'd say had barely any changes were the Protector of Jungle and Protector of Stone, and even then, they had very different weapons (which were a big part of those sets). The Protectors of Fire, Ice, Earth, and Water all felt pretty different to me.

 

And in general, different people like different things. I'm sure there are a lot of people who really like Technic-based building, but that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to like all Technic-based sets. Just look at how much hate there's been for Lord of Skull Spiders and Skull Scorpio, some of last year's villain sets that used the most Technic.

 

In Logan McOwen's case, he apparently believes Akida's build could've been more streamlined and lifelike if it had used a more CCBS-based build, and that the Technic components of the set could have been put to use for a more interesting function rather than just being structural. Which is probably true, although I'm not as bothered by that as he is.

 

I think Nick might've meant no changes from the last series, rather than between the sets.

[dviddy]

I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off.

Because it's very ugly. If I wanted Technic sets, I would buy Technic sets. I like CCBS sets because they offer something different. I find Technic builds boring and repetitive, and I don't enjoy them.

[Lyichir]

 

I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off.

Because it's very ugly. If I wanted Technic sets, I would buy Technic sets. I like CCBS sets because they offer something different. I find Technic builds boring and repetitive, and I don't enjoy them.

 

Not that this is necessarily your fault, but all this Technic-versus-CCBS talk that never, ever stops sometimes makes me feel like one of the only people who likes BOTH.

 

I mean, I loved 2015 Gali, a very solidly designed CCBS figure. I also loved Lord of Skull Spiders, an excellently designed creature set with a great function and an almost entirely Technic-based build. I enjoy building large and complex Technic sets—they're a great challenge, they're impressive when put together, and they're great to build together with Aanchir and sometimes other members of my family. I don't do much purely Technic MOCing (I can't wrap my brain around a lot of complex mechanical functions), but my best MOC of the past year, my 2015 Nui Rama, used CCBS and Technic in equal measure, and even implemented a Technic steering gear I'd grown to love after building sets like the Unimog. And I'll often doodle Bionicle vehicle designs on LDD, partly to try and learn the mechanics of things like differential gears. I think the introduction of the CCBS is the single best thing to happen to constraction since its inception. I also love sets like Akida, Lord of Skull Spiders, and even Skull Scorpio, and would absolutely hate for creative and highly functional sets like that to go away just because they're less pretty or posable than other sets.

 

In general, I think something that gets lost in this debate is the idea that not every set has to (or should) be perfect for all people. Everybody likes different things, and that's fine. But too many people talk like any set that fails to deliver on their particular interests was some sort of grave mistake. It's not. I would rather have a Bionicle that continues to experiment and push boundaries than one that only delivers basic humanoids and tried-and-true functions.

[Aanchir]

I also feel the need to mention, the "if I wanted Technic sets, I'd buy Technic sets" attitude neglects that even when they're built with Technic parts and building techniques, a Technic-based Bionicle or Hero Factory or Racers or Mindstorms set is usually much different from anything available in the Technic theme. The Technic theme, these days, is extremely grounded in real life. Gone are the days of wild and crazy subthemes like Competition/Cyber Slam. So if you want a set with that complex (and yes, for some people, tedious) Technic building experience but with more sci-fi or fantasy subject matter, you are obligated to look to other themes.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

What I'm trying to figure out is why it's disappointing. Would they really rather have another set of Protectors, with barely any changes from the last set? I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off. Very strange.

I think it's a bit unfair to say the Protectors had barely any changes from each other. The only two Protectors that I'd say had barely any changes were the Protector of Jungle and Protector of Stone, and even then, they had very different weapons (which were a big part of those sets). The Protectors of Fire, Ice, Earth, and Water all felt pretty different to me.

 

And in general, different people like different things. I'm sure there are a lot of people who really like Technic-based building, but that doesn't mean they're guaranteed to like all Technic-based sets. Just look at how much hate there's been for Lord of Skull Spiders and Skull Scorpio, some of last year's villain sets that used the most Technic.

 

In Logan McOwen's case, he apparently believes Akida's build could've been more streamlined and lifelike if it had used a more CCBS-based build, and that the Technic components of the set could have been put to use for a more interesting function rather than just being structural. Which is probably true, although I'm not as bothered by that as he is.

 

 

I wasn't talking about how different they are as individuals, though. What I'm asking is "Would people rather have a second wave of what are essentially more protector figures?" You know, like getting a subsequent wave of Matoran. Not that I wouldn't like that anyway, but hey, the variety of these is still appreciated in my book.

 

I find Akida's construction kinda funny, honestly. The core of the construction is one super long CCBS bone, and everything is built around that. But hey, it's a fish. The range of motion in the neck and tail will be enough to give it all the "swoosh," it could need, I feel.

 

 

I thought people would LIKE the increased focus on classic technic greeble an' whatnot, but it seems to be turning them off.

Because it's very ugly. If I wanted Technic sets, I would buy Technic sets. I like CCBS sets because they offer something different. I find Technic builds boring and repetitive, and I don't enjoy them.

 

Not that this is necessarily your fault, but all this Technic-versus-CCBS talk that never, ever stops sometimes makes me feel like one of the only people who likes BOTH.

 

Hey, me too. Part of why I admire the 2015 wave of Toa is because Lego managed to FUSE technic engineering WITH CCBS to create something that only the most jaded individuals could call "Just Hero Factory figures with the Bionicle name" with a straight face. But yeah, you need at least a LITTLE of that for it to really work the way it does. I would still like the figures if they were pure CCBS, but the fact that they demonstrate how CCBS + Technic can work makes me LOVE them.

 

As for Akida, I think she looks great. The color scheme is exotic and eye-catching, and aside from the turrets themselves that, for one reason or another, Lego basically NEEDED to include, she's pretty streamlined.

I also feel the need to mention, the "if I wanted Technic sets, I'd buy Technic sets" attitude neglects that even when they're built with Technic parts and building techniques, a Technic-based Bionicle or Hero Factory or Racers or Mindstorms set is usually much different from anything available in the Technic theme. The Technic theme, these days, is extremely grounded in real life. Gone are the days of wild and crazy subthemes like Competition/Cyber Slam. So if you want a set with that complex (and yes, for some people, tedious) Technic building experience but with more sci-fi or fantasy subject matter, you are obligated to look to other themes.

 

Indeed, and I like that these toys keep giving us glimpses of those older themes, with what bits of technic they have.

[Aanchir]

I wasn't talking about how different they are as individuals, though. What I'm asking is "Would people rather have a second wave of what are essentially more protector figures?" You know, like getting a subsequent wave of Matoran. Not that I wouldn't like that anyway, but hey, the variety of these is still appreciated in my book.

Ah, alright, I get what you're saying. To be honest, I wouldn't mind if we get some regular, Protector-esque villagers as future $10 sets, but I definitely agree these creatures offer more variety than getting those sorts of figures two years in a row.

[Lenny7092]

I like Akida a lot! She looks very much like a fish! I do love the blasters on her. Their color matches her very well. I also love how the colors make her look fish-like, too!

I also love the Shadow Trap's legs. They look menacing. It would be like a fish trying to eat an insect! I love the ocean vibe in the set as a whole! I also like the idea of having the gray stand thing in the set. It's sweet that it can hold the Creature. Boy, I would like to buy her when she comes out!

[Virid]

Wow, people are being really harsh on this set, personally this is my joint favourite of the creatures, alongside Uxar. I like the fishlike shape and feel to this set and think it has enough articulation, granted it has less than the other creatures, but other than perhaps another ball joint in the body, how much are you hoping to get out of a fish character, who doesn't need it? I appreciate the technic build, not because I particularly like technic, but because I think it looks good and works better for the form of this character than a CCBS torso with some stuff attached would. The technic build, along with the twin stud shooters also illustrate the fact that these are biomechanical organisms. A normal, organic creature would look weird with twin guns on its back, but I see nothing wrong with a creature which is part machine having them, you could even argue that the ammo is elemental energy, meaning no 'bullets' are required. And while the function is not exactly much compared to the others, it helps for the unity mode. Speaking of which, some people have said Gali doesn't get much out of it compared to say Lewa, who gets some wings; Gali gets twin stud launchers fins and a tail, more than Lewa gets.

[Lyichir]

 Speaking of which, some people have said Gali doesn't get much out of it compared to say Lewa, who gets some wings; Gali gets twin stud launchers fins and a tail, more than Lewa gets.

If you're going to count the tail on Gali, you should probably count the stinger on Uxar. Ultimately, based on what I've seen in reviews, I feel Gali, Lewa and Tahu get the most out of their combined forms, since they help fill their respective Toa out and the functions of their component sets are maintained on each of them. Pohatu's creature retains its function when combined but it's not clear what purpose it serves (since the blades mostly just flail wildly in the air), while Kopaka and Onua get some nice bulk but their creatures' functions don't really do anything when combined.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Yeah. I can sorta see Onua using Terak's paws as a second pair of arms to grapple an enemy and hold them close while he does some real damage, but all Melum can do is smack Kopaka on the sides of his head.

 

...which is pretty funny to imagine, I have to admit.

Edited December 16, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna