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Klakk Review


Aanchir

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Again, a pictureless review. But hopefully there won't be enough to say about it that it needs pics. I've seen a couple decent reviews of this, but I will try to surpass them in adequately explaining this enigmatic set.

 

Presentation

From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

 

For those familiar with Brickmaster magazine, you probably know that the set arrives in a corrugated cardboard box. However, recently (I forget how long this has been going on) the set and magazine have been shipped together, no doubt to prevent one or the other from getting lost in the mail. Thus we have a considerably large box (roughly 8.5" x 13") holding the magazine, the set, and the much-anticipated new comic.

 

The set is in a bag akin to most small LEGO set packaging. Far more ephemeral than the typical BIONICLE packaging, but there's not much to see. The Klakk appears on the front at around actual size (larger than you might expect) above the address for BIONICLE.com and the obligatory Brickmaster logo that sets this apart as an exclusive set.

 

On the back of the bag you see an image of the Klakk in a "perched" position on all fours, as well as images and set numbers for (oddly enough) the six Matoran sets. I wonder if this is meant to go with them in any way...?

 

The instruction booklet features the image from the front of the bag and is surprisingly large. It is smaller than the typical canister set instruction booklet or the Toa Mahri/Mahritoran instruction booklets, but larger than your average small set instruction booklet. It warns you to divide the pieces neatly on a table and not on a rug as is the case with most post-2006 set instructions, but of course all but the pins and rods (plus a few connectors) came out with the instructions so a rug will have to do. Let's start building.

 

Building

Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

 

The construction of the Klakk is about as straightforward as it looks on the box, but you'll be surprised how nice it is to build a set this small that does not adhere to the norms for Matoran and similarly-sized sets.

 

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.

 

I'll begin by stating the obvious: you should NOT get a subscription just for this model. The magazine and comic have beautiful pics to which internet scans pale in imitation. But if you didn't think of buying the magazine until now, feel free to keep waiting.

 

Bottom view is possibly this set's worst angle due to its hollow chest. Thus it should be no surprise that the image on the box doesn't do it justice. So unless you hang it from your ceiling, it makes a good display piece.

 

The Klakk looks great overall, and the Aqua Warblade and Mistika jets blend well with the head to produce a cohesive whole. The black wings are a bit of a bother color-scheme-wise, and I'd have much preferred the gunmetal-and-silver blend from Vamprah's (thank you Bunda) front wings.

 

The jets on the head give the set a Boom-Box appearance similar to the Pokemon Loudred. Not a bad look for something with sonic powers.

 

The set hasn't got much to say for itself stylistically, but that's what one should expect of a 38-piece set with no new pieces to itself. Though if you need other sets' parts, like the jet engines, Gorast claws, or white waist and torso, this is a set to look forward to.

 

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?

 

Since the Klakk has no action features, you'd think there'd be nothing to say here, but you'd be wrong. The Klakk's poseability fits the bill, and let me tell you that it is superb. The arms, puny as they are, are perfectly-sized to grasp something to the creature's chest. Tridax pod? Unwary matoran? Homestar Runner fans, imagine the answer in a LIMOZEEN voice: I don't know! That's how it went through my head. But I'm sure you'll be able to put off scrapping this baby long enough to experiment a bit.

 

The wings have a wide range of motion, greater than that of Mutran's wings. I do not kid. While the joints are black, upsetting the color scheme as much as the wings, they were still a delight to see in the instructions. Sadly, the body is too small for the wings to fold behind ol' Klakky too well. Ah, well. Also note that most reasonable poses are possible in spite of the massive warblade coming off the back of the head

 

Final Thoughts

Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

 

Pros

What's to like?

  • Good set of parts
  • Great poseability
  • Pretty great-looking for a freebie
Cons

What's not to like?

  • No action features
  • Simpler than we've seen since... well, I guess the Hydruka. And I feel it beats those. But still simpler than some would like.
Really, as I said above, the $50-some price of Brickmaster is a waste of money for this set alone. But I hope noone thought that that would be a reasonable price for any freebie set like this. I am confident that, while it has NO action features, people who buy this set will put it to good use, either as scrap or as part of the collection. As was the case with Takanuva, if you know what you're getting into you're likely to appreciate this set.

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