Master versus Unity Toa - The medium sets

[rednas3636]

As I can only ask 3 questions in one poll

 

Which version of Pohatu, Lewa and Gali do you like most? =D

[The 1st Shadow]

Pohatu: I love the new mask! It's gorgeous, and I love the newly recolored parts we'll be getting in the next iteration, but it doesn't seem to have the cohesiveness that the 2015 version does.

 

Lewa: I'm on the fence with this one. 2015 had a terrible problem wit the shoulders and neck, and the weapons were nothing to write home about, but his color scheme was far better, and I think I liked the 2015 mask better. The 2016 version has better shaping, though, but too much silver, which kinda ruins the color scheme. In the end, I think the new iteration fares better.

 

Gali: Eh. The new one has some nice new recolors, but I really don't like the way the colors (don't) blend, or the mask. I have to go with the 2015 version.

[Nescent]

From both of these polls, Pohatu and Lewa were the only ones that I voted 2016 over 2015. I like Pohatu's polearm weapon more than his boomerangs, and I just like the new take on Lewa in general.

 

I think I like the 2016 sets better overall, but it's because of the Creatures, the Uniting, some of the new pieces, etc. The individual Uniters don't impress me nearly as much as 2015's Masters.

[Naota Takizawa]

I'm not a major fan of the 2016 sets, Tahu is a mess of clashing details, Gali is the best looking one out of all of them, Lewa has too much silver, Pohatu's burnt orange got swapped out for some dark tan & lime, Onua is taller, but less muscular than he previous form & Kopaka's color scheme of gold, silver, light blue, white and dark blue don't look good together. They also share the overly detailed torsos & I'm not a big fan of having only the new eye pieces in transparent light blue & neon orange. At least they have new weapons and functions to redeem themselves.

[Voltex]

2015 for both Pohatu and Gali (Gali's 2015 form remains one of my favorite sets period), but I prefer Lewa's 2016 version.

[Lyichir]

I went with 2015 for Pohatu and Gali. I don't really DISLIKE 2016 Pohatu and Gali that much, but the execution on 2016 Pohatu is uneven and 2016 Gali is just less distinctive than 2015 Gali was, as far as I'm concerned. I did give 2016 Lewa an edge against his 2015 form, though—again, while neither set is bad, 2016 Lewa has a build that's nothing short of revolutionary that works amazingly well, while the most distinctive aspects of 2015 Lewa (his lanky, simian proportions and unique shoulder armor) resulted in drawbacks like the head being less posable than the other Toa.

[Aanchir]

I'm on the fence about Lewa, so I won't be placing my vote until I actually own the Lewa set. I loved the 2015 version, but as Lyi points out, the 2016 version does some brilliant things, and is without a doubt the most coherent-looking of the 2016 Toa. Its biggest faults as far as I can tell are that its arms are too short and it could use more of a contrasting color, like Bright Yellow (which works great for Uxar).

 

I definitely prefer the 2015 Gali and Pohatu to the 2016 versions, though the 2016 Gali still looks like a great set in her own right. Just not as great as the 2015 version was. I don't like how bony the 2016 Gali's thighs are, but her color scheme and asymmetrical design are great, and her mask is a nice evolution of the 2015 Mask of Water. Like Lewa, her arms are a bit too short.

[Akuna Toa of Sonics]

On the whole, the 2016 Toa don't look that great to me. Out of these options, though, I'd say Pohatu is the best, and I'd even say he's better than his 2015 set version. I think the colors really work, and the mask is really appealing to me. The added height works, too.

Lewa is a...good set, too, but what really kills it for me is the leg design. And Gali, while she was a great set in 2015, does not look nearly as good now. Her armor is too asymmetrical for me, and the blue is not distributed as much as I would like.

[NickonAquaMagna]

I've tried building Lewa's leg design with pieces I have, and I think they're really cool. I don't see what the big deal with the knees is, those nubs barely even stick out. What bothers me are his arms. His shoulders are raised so high that his hands don't even reach his hips. I'm gonna do something to make them longer.

[Bricko Botface]

Pohatu's 2016 version actually looks like its worth it's price, so I went for new.

 

Lewa... Hmm... I'd have to say it's a tie, which makes me wonder why I voted for 2016... Meh. :3

 

Gali, ehhh... while the new one has parts I would much rather have more of (trans blue for the win!), this year's Gali is a much cooler build overall.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

2015 sets for all three. I think that their builds are better than their 2016 counterparts. 

[fishers64]

2015 for Pohatu hands down. His master set was one of my favorites - so cool. His uniter set is one of the worst of the wave.

 

2016 for Lewa. His master form sucked. Uniter is pretty good, but not without flaws.

 

2015 for Gali. I like the 2015 versions' mask better, and 2015 Gali looks more feminine. And so much better.

[NickonAquaMagna]

2015 for Pohatu hands down. His master set was one of my favorites - so cool. His uniter set is one of the worst of the wave.

 

2016 for Lewa. His master form sucked. Uniter is pretty good, but not without flaws.

 

2015 for Gali. I like the 2015 versions' mask better, and 2015 Gali looks more feminine. And so much better.

 

 

I think the idea with Lewa was for him to be almost naked, if we look at the Toa's silver/gold/gunmetal parts as extra armor, and the more colorful pieces as their actual bodies. In Lewa's case, he just has chest armor, and boots and kneepads, because he doesn't want to be weighed down by any more kibble than he absolutely needs. He's the guy who jumps around a lot, so if anything needs protection, it's his feet. I do really like his new form, but I might change his proportions a bit, make it a mix of his two forms.

 

I also think it's cool how Pohatu's 2015 form looks like his left arm is covered in silver armor while his right arm is completely bare, so it's lighter and easier to throw things with. Add that to his function, and it's pretty clear that Pohatu is right handed. I like it when these sets tell you things about the characters. Too bad the current Pohatu doesn't have nearly as much personality.

 

In Gali's case, I think they're trying to do what they did with Lewa's master form. Master Gali has a very slick, streamlined feel, like she's wearing special armor made JUST for someone like her, and it works. Her Uniter form looks more.... skimpy, should I say? More stripped down, less like an armored warrior and more like an islander who goes fishing by spearing the fish while standing up in a boat, then diving in to grab them. It's not great, but it's pretty clear. It just depends on which feel people prefer her to have.

Edited December 29, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

First off - I'd like to state that I prefer the 2015 Masters as a whole much better than the Uniters. Yes, the Unity Toa have lots of awesome custom builds and ideas but colour-wise and proportion-wise are very much lacking. The Masters were nearly perfect in regards to function, weapons, colours and comprehensibility. The Uniters are kind of lacking in that respect, and almost need the creatures to complete them, which is a big no-no. 

 

That being said, I love Lewa Uniter of Jungle. His 2015 form had a much more livelier colour scheme and interesting design, but Lewa's Unity form is more cohesive, has a better build and at least the shoulders aren't restrictive, one of my least liked parts about his Master form.

 

As for Gali and Pohatu: Master forms win, no contest. Not a big fan of Gali and Pohatu Uniter thanks to some weird design choices and messy colour schemes. They don't even look that great with their creatures.

 

Masters win in terms of cohesiveness, but I'm sure the Uniters have much more fun builds.

 

-NotS

[NickonAquaMagna]

Here's the problem. With the 2015 sets, Lego had a system to work with that they'd refined to near-perfection for years beforehand. Now that they've shaken things up as much as they have, we have some serious growing pains to go through. So of course these very experimental sets are going to be very flawed. It's essentially their first try at something very new.

Edited December 31, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna

[fishers64]

I think the idea with Lewa was for him to be almost naked,

This is supposed to make me like the set more? O_O

 

Nah, the reasons I don't like Master Lewa - his mask (worst of the Masters IMO) and his weapons that weren't really that practical and were confusing - are they wings or blades, and if they are wings, why aren't they up higher?

 

I also kinda thought his arms were too long. That is not to insult his finer aspects - the bright green and keetorange parts, which are why I own that set (and have already disassembled it for MoCs ).

 

In Gali's case, I think they're trying to do what they did with Lewa's master form. Master Gali has a very slick, streamlined feel, like she's wearing special armor made JUST for someone like her, and it works. Her Uniter form looks more.... skimpy, should I say? More stripped down, less like an armored warrior and more like an islander who goes fishing by spearing the fish while standing up in a boat, then diving in to grab them. It's not great, but it's pretty clear. It just depends on which feel people prefer her to have.

Eh, Gali's a warrior. Save the fishing for the villagers.  

 

Here's the problem. With the 2015 sets, Lego had a system to work with that they'd refined to near-perfection for years beforehand. Now that they've shaken things up as much as they have, we have some serious growing pains to go through. So of course these very experimental sets are going got be very flawed. It's essentially their first try at something very new.

Valid point. However, it's still important to point out the flaws in Lego's new experimental process so they can improve. Without years of feedback that the Hero Factory sets were too simple, the Master's gearboxes would probably not be a thing today.  

 

Note also that the Master's also had experiments - like said gearbox - that hit the nail on the head. So not all expieriments = backlash/criticism , and when they do, it's important that the critics be heard. Otherwise improvement is unlikely to happen.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

 

 

Here's the problem. With the 2015 sets, Lego had a system to work with that they'd refined to near-perfection for years beforehand. Now that they've shaken things up as much as they have, we have some serious growing pains to go through. So of course these very experimental sets are going to be very flawed. It's essentially their first try at something very new.

Valid point. However, it's still important to point out the flaws in Lego's new experimental process so they can improve. Without years of feedback that the Hero Factory sets were too simple, the Master's gearboxes would probably not be a thing today.  

 

Note also that the Master's also had experiments - like said gearbox - that hit the nail on the head. So not all expieriments = backlash/criticism , and when they do, it's important that the critics be heard. Otherwise improvement is unlikely to happen.

 

 

 

I share that viewpoint on a great many things, pointing out missteps to prevent manufacturers from repeating them. The vibe I'm getting from a lot of people, lately, though, is "lego was dumb for even attempting something like this. They should've just known better and had the foresight to see why this is a bad idea! That's it, this breaks these sets for me! I'm not getting any of them!" and... I just don't think these are sub par enough to warrant such a scathing response. I think they're pretty darn good.

[Petewa]

I nulled, I like both versions of all of them.

 

Except for Gali...I just don't like either version of Gali...

[NickonAquaMagna]

I nulled, I like both versions of all of them.

 

Except for Gali...I just don't like either version of Gali...

 

Wow.

[fishers64]

 

I share that viewpoint on a great many things, pointing out missteps to prevent manufacturers from repeating them. The vibe I'm getting from a lot of people, lately, though, is "lego was dumb for even attempting something like this. They should've just known better and had the foresight to see why this is a bad idea! That's it, this breaks these sets for me! I'm not getting any of them!" and... I just don't think these are sub par enough to warrant such a scathing response. I think they're pretty darn good.

Eh, I wouldn't agree with the opinion in quotes. I'd take a more specific approach, saying that I like Onua but not Gali, Kopaka but not Tahu. 

 

Also I haven't seen any of these opinions in this topic. FTR it's starting to become a pet peeve of mine when people show up here and say "I saw *insert ridiculously exaggerated immature opinion* on another website" and then assume that people have immature opinions like that on BZPower so they fire off a defense here. In doing so, they are probably preaching to the choir.