Well, we've finally seen official and legal pictures of the 2008 summer sets. And, as always, ninety-eight percent of BZP complains. Chances are, almost every one of those members will end up buying them anyway. Same thing happened with the Mahri last year. And the Inika the year before that.

I, unlike last year, have few complaints, however. Yeah, I was pretty adamant on how much I did not like those Mahri. However, the Mistika don't have a lot of the design flaws those Mahri had. For example, having a set who's completely one color, then giving him a completely different-colored mask, i.e. Nuparu and Matoro. Nor are any of them sloppily thrown together, like Hewkii -- they all have at least some consistency. Now, I will give my thoughts on each one individually (well, almost; you'll see).

Makuta

Gorast: I'll bet anything she's based off of a mosquito, especially with that needle on the front of her mask. Love the lime green and black, good to see that LEGO saw how well they went together in Mutran and Vican. I like the four arms, which gives her a total of eight limbs, including the wings. Very cool, something we haven't even seen in a titan set.

Bitil: Likewise, due to his color scheme and mask, I'd bet he's supposed to look wasp-like. Good, wasps always freaked me out. Love his mask, and we get OLD JALLER YELLOW!! Hoorah! Love him.

Krika: My favorite, for the same reason I loved Vamprah in the Phantoka Makuta: he's unique. His head/mask is really funky looking, yet awesome. Not many get a head that match their limbs. Very spiny, and very nice. Love him so much.

Toa Nuva

Tahu: By far my favorite. I love his samurai look. Yeah, I think swords fit him best, but his shuriken thing still looks pretty cool. I think they could've done something different with the shield itseld, since a spinning bladed Gahlok-Kal shield was just done in Icarax, but whatever. Love his leg spikes. Not sure what the purpose is, but they look cool. I also like the fins on his shoulders (or wherever they're attached), adds to the Japanese look. And his mask! <3 The new Hau Nuva is awesome.

Gali: For the most part, I like her. My biggest issue is one aspect of the mask; it looks like the left side around the eye was melted partially. If they even that out, it would look pretty darn cool. I'm digging the fins on the top of it, and her spiked shoulder armor is sweet. A little disappointed in the lack of a melee weapon, but maybe there's something there that I can't see like Kopaka's bayonet.

Onua: Still looks nice and bulky. His large mask works out so well. The bright red things on his legs are a little painful, but not as eye-searing as Hewkii Mahri. If they make those silver or black, it would look all right.

Titan(s)

Takanuva: Well, he's techincally the only one, unless Mazeka is going to be one as well. Still, he is full of epic win. Love the black Takadox heads as shoulder armor. That big black torso piece is certainly interesting. I'm also loving the sheer complexity of him, one of the great aspects taken from Maxilos of last year. I also adore his Avohkii, as it's still quite recognizable as that mask. I can't wait to find out just how he got so big. And he has actual hands, another plus.

As for the vehicles, for whatever reason, I'm completely neutral on them. Seriously, no opinion whatsoever, and I don't know why. Maybe I'm just not a vehicle person, although the Ussanui still remains awesome with its great design. Not to say I don't like them, I'm certainly thrilled to see more complexity. I'm just a little worried that they might not sell well, as they're really expensive and if the 2001 Rahi are any hint...

Actually, I might not buy any of them for the simple reason that I don't think I can get that kind of money. I'll stick with the canisters and Takanuva while I wait for Mazeka pictures to emerge.

Oh, and one more thing. I see all these extremely negative complaints as to how the Nuva don't look anything like their old forms. After seeing the Phantoka, why on earth did you all suddenly expect the other three to look like revamped 2003 versions? Seriously, the only one truly recognizable to his past form of the Phantoka is Kopaka, and that's only because of his mask. I have no idea why everyone is suddenly amazed that the second group of Nuva don't look like their 2003 versions when the first three were barely recognizable to begin with.