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    Discuss This Story ReviewTuesday, January 22nd, 2008 at 1:46pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
    [Source: Darnzerf]

    It is time once again for another set review. Today BZPower Staff Member Darnzerf provides us with some insight on the final Toa set of the first part of 2008, Pohatu. To see what changes have been made to this Toa of Stone, read on!

    Pohatu's back, back in...Orange?

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 01

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

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 02 TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 03 TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 04

    The first thing you may notice when you see Pohatu's canister is that it is a canister. It's not one of those cheap Mahri canisters that you can barely store anything inside of. You can now store your set inside the canister. However, there is a similarity between the Phantoka canisters and the Mahri canisters. They both have a frame, the Phantoka's being some sort of webby goo or something. The lid is not made of the same sturdy plastic as the main canister. It's the same type of plastic that can be found in Costco packages, and it seems that it could break easily. On the front, you can see Pohatu gliding through the air. I find it somewhat amusing that the webbing separates the text on the CGI'd cover of the canister. Even the little Lego logo has its own little section.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 05

    The back isn't all that different from years of the past. It demonstrates how you can combine Photok and Pohatu, so Pohatu is carrying Photok. It also shows how to shoot the Midak Skyblaster, as well as a picture of Pohatu inside the webbed frame. Another thing to note on the back is the B.I.O code in the center of the canister (the new Kanoka code). The rest of the back is just all legal terms and words that most people don't pay attention to.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 06
    Ah, evolution

    The Pohatu's Phantoka canister is a lot bigger than its preceding canister. The orange on the canister stands out from the stony colors of years 2001 and 2002. It's a bit bold for a change though it's better than making the canister pink.

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

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 07

    The building is the fun part, for a new year brings new surprises and new ways of building.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 08

    Something new in the instruction manuals of the Phantoka (besides building different sets) is that on the very first page, Lego advises you to build your sets on a table, and organize them into limbs, connectors, etc. Perhaps Lego has gotten reports of losing pieces in the vast jungles of the carpet?

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 09

    Building Pohatu is pretty straight-forward. If you've built BIONICLE before, it will probably be easy for you to build this set with little confusion. A big thing you notice when opening the set is the Midak Skyblaster, because it is just so big compared to the rest of the pieces.

    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.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 10

    I find it sad that only 7 out of the 68 pieces of Pohatu are orange. That's only about 10% of the pieces. At first sight of Pohatu, you would think that the orange is plenty, however once you see the orange pieces compared to all the gray and silver pieces; you would think that you would need more. There are some new pieces that you can probably tell from the above picture.

    • Inika foot (Orange)
    • Piraka Thigh Armor (Orange)
    • Mask

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 11

    There are some pieces at first glance that you would have no idea what they would belong to without looking at the manual. The new pieces are

    • Pieces for twin propellers
    • Arms
    • New ball Socket
    • Midak Skyblaster
    • Weapons

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 12

    The new ball socket no longer has the indents on the front and back. This change doesn't seem to be affecting anything other than the color.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 13

    Pohatu's legs are bulky and short. The ball sockets are only one pin hole apart, rather than three. These, as well as the thick lower legs makes Pohatu seem bulky. This seems ironic, because don't bulky things usually fall out of the sky, instead of flying through it? Planes can do it, but Pohatu doesn't seem very aerodynamic.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 14 TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 15

    I think the most interesting part of the set is Pohatu's arms. They are not just the standard two pieces that you usually find in canister sets. The lower arm is connected through the ball joint with two axle holes at the end. The arms actually have functionality, meaning you don't have to just pose. If you spin the black piece, you can spin the propellers via a long axle rod. It's almost as if gears were back.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 16 TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 17

    The mask seems a bit off and feels uncompleted because the mask is virtually only the bottom half of the face. The top half is covered by a transparent blue piece. I personally don't mind this; then again some people might not like this idea. To me, it seems Vahi-like.

    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?

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 18 TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 19

    At first, I thought that Pohatu would seem a bit bland, for I didn't know you could spin the propellers. However, since there is functionality, as well as articulation, this is a fun set. There are only 12 points of articulation, but who really needs hands these days, when you can have propellers instead?

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 20

    Ever wondered how you connected Photok and Pohatu without Photok falling off to his doom? This explains how. On Pohatu's back, there are two pins that stick out. Photok has two holes in his chest that conveniently fit in. Voila.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 21

    Besides the arm functionality, the Midak Skyblaster is also something fun to play with. If you push the spinner backwards while the ball is inside, it can shoot the ball to about 10 feet (at least that's how far I can get). A remarkable thing about the Skyblaster is that it can fit up to four balls inside, which suitably is how many are included.

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 22
    Pohatu through the ages

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

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • Arm functionality, very cool
    • Matoran can attach to him
    • A lot of new pieces
    • New primary color
    • Many pieces can be used for MOCing

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • A bit too much gray
    • The Midak Skyblaster seems a bit too much like Zamor
    • The Midak Skyblaster is taller than Pohatu's head

    TN 8687 Pohatu Nuva 23

    Pohatu Nuva Phantoka is definitely a good set to buy. Not only can you shoot with the Midak Skyblasters, but you can spin both propellers. With 12 points of articulation, as well as all the functionality mentioned this is definitely an improvement from the past years. I would say that he is worth it, and you should go out and get him.

    Now that you've had a detailed look about the ins and outs of Pohatu Nuva, be sure to thanks Darnzerf for writing the review. Next up on our list is the Makuta Vamprah, a rather unique set. Stay tuned for that and all the latest Bionicle news right here on BZPower.

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