Set Review: 71304 Terak - Creature of Earth

[Hapori Tohu]

It's that time of year again! Yep, time for us to start reviewing the 2016 Bionicle sets. We're kicking things off with 71304 Terak - Creature of Earth, Onua's little tunneling buddy. Will Terak burrow its way into your heart, or will it be left behind in a dark passage somewhere? Read our review and watch the video to find out!

 

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[Triple]

Lovely review! Terak was my favorite creature since the moment I first saw him. Great colors, great function, whats not to like? Thanks for uploading the combo-pic on your Instagram.

 

That "unity" piece looks very interesting. Could you show it with a few addons attached? Thanks.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Dr. Chronos

[Toa Zaz]

I'm blown away by the 2016 Bionicle sets. The fact that they're doing gear functions in these smaller figures now is astounding. I think they hit in out of the ballpark, great follow-up to a very good debut in 2015.

[Bfahome]

I'm getting Turaga vibes from the function here and it makes me really excited.

 

And also, like, Terak is really adorable.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Bfahome

[Infamousevil]

I am excited! Looks like I'll be buying some creatures then. Hmm, maybe Lewa, his creature, and Umarak to start off wiith.

[Petewa]

I find your lack of mid-build pics disturbing.

[Maskmaker of Light]

Great Review Black Six! After watching this review, I can wholeheartedly say that Terak is one if my favorite creatures. I really enjoy these creatures for taking advantage of the regular CCBS system, and going to its limits, by adding functions and pin-connected parts! Those Gold-Trans. Clear Flame Pieces are just what I need for my Self MOC, as well! Terak does everything well. From his color scheme to his function, he's a really solid set, especially just for $10!

Edited December 6, 2015 by Maskmaker of Light

[Wazdakka]

If BZPower has the sets so early, does that mean they might be released a little bit earlier than usual?

[Triple]

If BZPower has the sets so early, does that mean they might be released a little bit earlier than usual?

Well Lego did send out review copies for everything earlier, so I wouldn't say yes. I'm sure there will be stores who will have these sets on their shelves before Christmas.

[Tarn]

Lookit how cute he is.

Haven't thought too much about the creature sets but this guy's changing that. Have been really liking the move towards more Technic stuff and he's like a little...cave...bear...thing, who wouldn't want that?

[FrozenFlash]

This guy is probably my favourite out of all of the Creatures. Great pieces, design, and colors (the gold and purple go well together) all bundled in one small set.

 

Also, the gear functions with the arms going up make him look adorable. He just wants to be your friend !

[Petewa]

If BZPower has the sets so early, does that mean they might be released a little bit earlier than usual?

IDK, I got my first Gen2 Bionicle set late last December, when they're released really depends on the store you go to.

[Nescent]

It was nice to see all the new parts in detail. The hollow head does loot a little weird, but the design itself looks a lot better than I realized. I love the crystal-like, elemental texture used in the new addon and masks.

 

I'm also glad you pointed out the sturdier boxes - that is definitely something that needed to be improved from 2015.

Edited December 6, 2015 by Nescent

[Rooster Nui]

Whoa, nice review. You showed off the function fairly well, and now I like this set much more than I did before. I think we'll be seeing a lot of opinions change after people begin seeing the sets as actual sets and not just renders. 

 

It's somewhat of a shame just how hollow the Creature's head is; though I understand that it's so that it is compatible with combining to the Toa and Umarak. I prefer how it is now than to be missing out on some awesome "Unity modes."

[dviddy]

If BZPower has the sets so early, does that mean they might be released a little bit earlier than usual?

The sets we get are sent directly from Denmark, and are not from production and shipping stock. These aren't ones taken from pallets for delivery, they are put aside specifcally for fansites. So they have no bearing on when they will be released. And this isn't the earliest we've gotten them either, we had the ones for the relaunch a few months before they were available, but we weren't allowed to post about them. That happens a lot more often than some of you realize!

[Nato G]

First thing that jumped out at me here was the clear plastic on the new shells. The images of Terak and Onua from a little while back seemed to depict those shells using some kind of lighter purple tint, rather than being completely clear. 

[Volitak_Boxor]

Thanks for the review.  Terak looks pretty great to me.  The function looks nice, although I think it would've been cool for his arms to move in opposite directions (like Onua Mata).  It would be hard to fit all the required Technic bits in the back to make that happen, though (at least, if you want to preserve the aesthetics).  I'm a bit surprised that the crystal add-ons are blended to trans-clear, instead of trans-purple, but maybe that'll make them more versatile.  The Nuva symbol on the top of the box is a cool touch, too.

[masterchirox580]

Once again there is no way to measure my jealousy. I'm pretty impressed with the creatures (despite their lack of eyes). I imagine they were able to bring down the cost with the large use of small technic parts. 

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I shouldn't be surprised that we are starting to get Bionicle 2016 set reviews in early December, since it was around this time last year when we started getting Bionicle 2015 set reviews. But I will admit that I was surprised to see this so soon.

 

Anyways, the set look really good. I really like its trans-colored pieces, and its build looks cool too. I'm still deciding if I'm going to get any of the small sets for this year, but reviews like these will help with that decision.

 

Thanks for the review!

[Lenny7092]

It's great review a 2016 set this early in November, and I must say: this is a very cool and interesting 2016 set! I love the purple pieces, Terak's function, and the Shadow Trap! Terak and Trap are cute! The new pieces look interesting. I love how they work!

 

But there are a couple disappointing things that I noticed:

1. The Shadow Trap has one eye on one of its sides. Looks weird that way.

2. Terak's head doesn't look like it could clip on Onua's mask as I expected. Plus, his eyes don't have a specific color, just plain gold.

 

Anyway, very nice review! Looking forward to buy the set! (thumbs up)

[Black Six]

I'm working on my Onua review, which should be up today or tomorrow, and I have to take my complaints about Terak's hollow head back now that I've seen how well it fits on Onua's mask.

That "unity" piece looks very interesting. Could you show it with a few addons attached? Thanks.

What piece are you referring to?

 

I find your lack of mid-build pics disturbing.

I suggest you watch the video where you can see the build as it progresses.

 

If BZPower has the sets so early, does that mean they might be released a little bit earlier than usual?

We actually got these sets later than we got the 2015 sets last year, so I doubt it.

[Triple]

What piece are you referring to? 

Sorry for not being clearer, the golden Technic shell that makes up Terak's torso. Other sites have referred to it as the "unification piece"(which came from some French Amazon descriptions). It didn't click in my head when I first posted.

 

I look forward to your Onua review!

[Kopekemaster]

Augh... As much as I really want to read this review and check out the new pieces and stuff... I kinda want to keep it a surprise until I get them.

COME OUT SOON, NEW SETS

[-Windrider-]

So the review season begins! It's interesting to learn that there's more complexity to the Shadow Traps than it seems. I think I actually prefer these, at first glance, to the Skull Spiders, but I can see how the latter had a bit more personality, perhaps.

[Petewa]

 

I find your lack of mid-build pics disturbing.

I suggest you watch the video where you can see the build as it progresses.

Videos are blocked on this device, and I'm too lazy to find a decent electronic device which has access to YouTube.

[Black Six]

 

What piece are you referring to?

Sorry for not being clearer, the golden Technic shell that makes up Terak's torso. Other sites have referred to it as the "unification piece"(which came from some French Amazon descriptions). It didn't click in my head when I first posted.

 

I look forward to your Onua review!

 

You'll get to see it in use in the Onua review. There's not really much to it though.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Well, of course that piece doesn't fit CCBS' aesthetic. It wasn't designed to. It was made to look like that to appease the people who've spent all year complaining that CCBS isn't piston-y enough and pestering Lego to "bring back the REAL Bionicle" or whatever.

[Aanchir]

Well, of course that piece doesn't fit CCBS' aesthetic. It wasn't designed to. It was made to look like that to appease the people who've spent all year complaining that CCBS isn't piston-y enough and pestering Lego to "bring back the REAL Bionicle" or whatever.

The idea of this piece coming out as some kind of "appeasement" seems sort of far-fetched. The designers would've already been working on these 2016 sets before the 2015 sets even came out, so there wouldn't have been that much time for them to listen and respond to criticisms, certainly not on such an integral piece.

 

It seems more likely to me that its difference from CCBS is partially practical in nature. It needs to use Technic connections to function as it does, since it needs to be able to connect the creatures to the Toa, and has to be more securely attached to the set it belongs to than to its counterpart on the other set. Can you imagine pulling the creature off the Toa and their chest plate stays attached to the Toa's back?

 

As for its aesthetics, again, that seems to be partly a practical consideration. It's hard to mold a perfectly smooth and clean piece when you have to mold connection points into it on multiple sides, because then between the inner and outer surface you could end up with solid chunks of plastic that wouldn't cool properly. So it needs cavities molded into it to keep the walls from being too thick while still bracing the sides (same as with this Technic piece, which is structurally very similar). And on top of that, the piece might as well have some decoration, since unlike the Protectors, the creatures won't have a separate add-on on top of them.

[Nato G]

But there are a couple disappointing things that I noticed:

1. The Shadow Trap has one eye on one of its sides. Looks weird that way.

 

Pretty sure that's the Shadow Trap's front, not it's side.

 

I'm working on my Onua review, which should be up today or tomorrow, and I have to take my complaints about Terak's hollow head back now that I've seen how well it fits on Onua's mask.

 

Looking forward to it. 

[TwistLaw]

Well, of course that piece doesn't fit CCBS' aesthetic. It wasn't designed to. It was made to look like that to appease the people who've spent all year complaining that CCBS isn't piston-y enough and pestering Lego to "bring back the REAL Bionicle" or whatever.

LEGO did that because they tought it was a wise choice from a marketing standpoint. Whether it was to appeal to a small minority on the internet (lel) or not, there's no need to show such an attitude towards other people's tastes (as for me, I like this piece, but it makes sense with small sets because of its size; on Tahu is just ridicolous).

[Black Six]

 

Well, of course that piece doesn't fit CCBS' aesthetic. It wasn't designed to. It was made to look like that to appease the people who've spent all year complaining that CCBS isn't piston-y enough and pestering Lego to "bring back the REAL Bionicle" or whatever.

The idea of this piece coming out as some kind of "appeasement" seems sort of far-fetched. The designers would've already been working on these 2016 sets before the 2015 sets even came out, so there wouldn't have been that much time for them to listen and respond to criticisms, certainly not on such an integral piece.

 

It seems more likely to me that its difference from CCBS is partially practical in nature. It needs to use Technic connections to function as it does, since it needs to be able to connect the creatures to the Toa, and has to be more securely attached to the set it belongs to than to its counterpart on the other set. Can you imagine pulling the creature off the Toa and their chest plate stays attached to the Toa's back?

 

As for its aesthetics, again, that seems to be partly a practical consideration. It's hard to mold a perfectly smooth and clean piece when you have to mold connection points into it on multiple sides, because then between the inner and outer surface you could end up with solid chunks of plastic that wouldn't cool properly. So it needs cavities molded into it to keep the walls from being too thick while still bracing the sides (same as with this Technic piece, which is structurally very similar). And on top of that, the piece might as well have some decoration, since unlike the Protectors, the creatures won't have a separate add-on on top of them.

 

I think you're spot on Scott, and having built both the Toa and Creature now, having a sturdy connection point like this piece clearly works out. I suppose they could have done something like have a ball on one figure and a socket on the other, but that would have looked much uglier (in my opinion) and still not have been very secure.

[Saint-14]

Fantastic set and awesome review, B6! (Though it was a bit long, hehe, needed to find time to actually sit down and view it)

 

I can't wait to see the rest of the creatures in action, although I'm iffy on the head design these little sets are definitely a huge improvement on late Bionicle ones (I.e. Av-Matoran)

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

Well, of course that piece doesn't fit CCBS' aesthetic. It wasn't designed to. It was made to look like that to appease the people who've spent all year complaining that CCBS isn't piston-y enough and pestering Lego to "bring back the REAL Bionicle" or whatever.

The idea of this piece coming out as some kind of "appeasement" seems sort of far-fetched. The designers would've already been working on these 2016 sets before the 2015 sets even came out, so there wouldn't have been that much time for them to listen and respond to criticisms, certainly not on such an integral piece.

 

It seems more likely to me that its difference from CCBS is partially practical in nature. It needs to use Technic connections to function as it does, since it needs to be able to connect the creatures to the Toa, and has to be more securely attached to the set it belongs to than to its counterpart on the other set. Can you imagine pulling the creature off the Toa and their chest plate stays attached to the Toa's back?

 

As for its aesthetics, again, that seems to be partly a practical consideration. It's hard to mold a perfectly smooth and clean piece when you have to mold connection points into it on multiple sides, because then between the inner and outer surface you could end up with solid chunks of plastic that wouldn't cool properly. So it needs cavities molded into it to keep the walls from being too thick while still bracing the sides (same as with this Technic piece, which is structurally very similar). And on top of that, the piece might as well have some decoration, since unlike the Protectors, the creatures won't have a separate add-on on top of them.

 

 

Right, I keep forgetting how far ahead of time they have to plan this stuff. As well-designed as the piece is for use, though, I won't completely rule out that Lego may have ANTICIPATED that they'd get some backlash for using "Hero Factory parts" (ugh, I hate it when people call them that in earnest) in the new line, and it's just that they're only able to release so many "oldschool" pieces at a time. Last yeah, it was the weapons and the texture add-on for the armor. These year, it's the "unity" piece and the torso armor that, unless I'm off, has TWENTY-ONE PISTONS MOLDED INTO IT.

 

Like... dang. They must've known that people would want more pistons an' whatnot, and we're just seeing a sllllloooww transition from the new to the old with these lines. I know some people don't like the new, more greebily pieces, such as the torso armor, but try to understand why they look the way they do.