The set of 2008 that has attracted perhaps the most ire is the newest iteration of familiar Gali Nuva, that one token female among six boisterous Bionicle boys. Admittedly the fandom sometimes experiences difficulty accepting any change, but consensus often seemed to deem this representation of Gali as flawed. But how does the set itself stand alone? BZPower Forum Assistant Roa McToa is here to tell us. Read on to hear what she has to say!

Today were going to take a look at one of the new �fall 2008� Mistika sets, Toa Gali. At first glance she doesn�t seem herself as a character, but please read on, as you may be pleased with the way the set is designed!

Click on the thumbnails to see larger pictures!

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

First things first, You go to the store, all excited because you heard they had Mistika in stock. Getting up to the Bionicle section, you see them all lined up on the shelves in their well designed, flashy packaging.

The box front

The box front is very colorful, showcasing Gali Nuva in a flying pose, ready to blast the opposition with her Nynrah Ghost Blaster. You can see the background of the Karda-Nui swamp as well.

The box lid

The lids on the fall canisters this year are awesome! The incorporation of the Ignika really adds to the marketability, as it just looks so awesome sitting on the shelf. Looking at it closer, you can see that the mask is smooth on one side, and deteriorating on the other, to signify that the mask is flawed and disintegrating. Not to mention as well, that these lids have potential as building parts, even though they have no connection points.

The backside

The back of the bx showcases Gali and Tanma, and demonstrates that you can attach any Av-Matoran to Gali�s back, a good feature to carry over into the new sets from the Phantoka. There�s also a demonstration pic of how to fire the ghostblaster, and a Kanoka Club code! Rack up them points on Bionicle.com! There are also pictures presented along the top of the other five mistika, so you can Oogle them and want to buy them too.

  
Open Sesame

The box opens easily by cutting the label with your fingernail. I found the easiest way to remove the lid is by gripping the edge opposite of the mask, and pulling it up. It pops off with only moderate pressure.

Dumping out the contents, you can already see some awesomesauce...

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

Now that you have gotten through Oogling the canister design, ripping off the lid, and exposing the containers contents, its now time to start building her �Gali-ness.�

Laying out the parts you can see a myriad of new colors and pieces. You can see that the instruction manual is colorful just like the canister, and is laid out well like previous manuals. No complaints here!

New parts are Gali�s adaptive Kaukau, which is a really awesome mask despite what some people have said about it. It really gives off an awesome Gali feel, and emulates her character. Believe it or not, the mask looks feminine. Other new pieces are the Nynrah blaster, the gunsight, shoulder armour (WAY AWESOME), the head wings, and the little jet parts that attach to her boots.

Re-colored parts like the silver Inika legs, and dark blue socket joints are also made of awesome! Other parts are more run of the mill stuff that�s been around, but go well with the set in my opinion.

Taking the first look into the instruction book shows how to build the launcher.

It�s a pretty straight forward design that is a very effective launcher. The launcher is really easy to fire, moreso than the cordaks from last year.

Ta Daaa! And you have Gali! The building process is very straight forward, easy, and there are a lot of similarities of its build that are akin to the 2006 sets, but with a new neck connection, and extra goodies. Overall, pretty fun! The reward is a really cool set!

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.

The design of this set is well thought out in my opinion. Gali is very poseable, and all of her armor bits really suit her as a set. The mask has nice detail, and a satin finish. I think the LEGO group did a great job on her design.

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?

As far as playability goes, I would play with Gali a lot! I really like how she looks and feels. You can pull off some pretty fun and awesome poses with her, and she definitely holds her own against the Makuta.

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

I�d buy this set any day, no matter what people may say about it. It looks WAY better in person compared to the image on the box. Overall it�s a good purchase, and well worth the money spent.

Pros

What's to like?

Pros
What's to like?

• Her mask is Really Awesome!
• The new armor pieces are pure love, and really make the set.
• She is very poseable with nothing getting in the way of a good pose Easy build and clear instructions

Cons
What's not to like?

• The re-use of the piraka torso type design. I�d like to see something new from LEGO in this area.
• New leg armor would be a nice addition over the Inika type armor.

Overall, Gali is Kicken�! She would like it very much if she was added to your bionicle collection. What are you waiting for, go and get her already!

And here is the gallery if you need it.

That wraps up Roa's review. Be sure to thank her in the talkback thread!

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