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Set Review: 8993 Kaxium V3
 Saturday, September 12th, 2009 at 7:50pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager[Source: Hahli Husky] It's review time again! Today BZPower Forum Leader Hahli Husky takes a look at the Kaxium V3. How does this motorcycle stack up compared to other sets from this year? Read on to see what she thought! Presentation
The Kaxium V3 is presented at a pretty dynamic angle, blasting over the barren wasteland and firing at an unseen foe. It put my mind into the "cool cool cool buy it buy it buy it" phase, thus I figure it's a successful design.
On the back, Scodonius and Kirbraz are shown standing beside their respective bikes, which are unattached. The Kaxium is also shown from above, just making it look that much cooler.
The recent larger sets I've purchased were kind of disappointing in that the boxes were too big for the content. But the Kaxium certainly warms the environmentalist's heart with a fuller box.
Inside are three bags, 1 being Scodonius and Kirbraz, 2 being the main bike, and 3 the "sidecar." Apparently the bike's back wheel is too large for a bag.
THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE I LOVE IT. Building
The build is certainly interesting, not extremely complex, but still there were a few moments I had to ponder. I also got my fingers pinched a couple times. The build took about 45 minutes, not counting the time to take pictures.
First up are the terrible twosome, who really are a no-brainer to build. I just had to look at the picture to understand how they went together.
I think the helmets look better this way around, but oh well. And is it just me, or are those faces causing your mind to reel the Transformers theme suddenly... yes, I thought so.
Oh, it's twins! They're so cute! I'm guessing Scodonius (his name is making me want fair scones) is the one on the right, and Kirbraz is on the left. The website is a little too vague on this. I do wish they looked slightly more different than one another. Oh well.
They have to attach firmly into the vehicles, but when they're not riding off into the sunset, I prefer to remove this piece. It just looks kind of ridiculous.
Next up is the main cycle!
Here are all the little bitty pieces, in case anyone is really truly dying to know. I wasn't looking forward to having those bright red crossbar pieces in the set.
Starting with the base of course. I appreciate how sturdy the main bike is.
Addition of WHEELZ!! ♥
And Mr. Scone's bike is done and awesome. The hook-up for the smaller bike is nice and subtle.
I knew those red pieces would show their evil little faces. When the Agori is not on his bike, these stick out and just say "I'm tacky look at me!"
So I just deploy the Bionicle cruise control for cool: the coveted ball. Sorry, these don't come in the set, but they should.
Last, we have what is called the sidecar... though we have to take this term kind of lightly, as how it's really a mini bike all on its own.
Again, small parts. No red.
The construction of this bike was really simple almost identical to the larger bike. Our wheel-popping blades on the sides are different, as well as the customary Thornax launcher, helpful for blasting foes, righting wrongs, and chasing evildoers/siblings out of your room.
This bike is much more flimsy than the main one. Without Kirbraz in it, the handle bars don't even have the decency to stand up.
Also, the hookup sticks out far enough to look slightly out of place. Make sure you're careful and attentive when building the wheels. I had to rearrange and situate them properly so they rolled freely.
These are the parts I had left over. Set Design
The Agoris' silver helmets are notable, previously found in red for the Cendox V1 set. I'm told the Technic vehicle base (circled in blue below) is new, and silver is a new color for the pieces from the Phantoka (circled in red.) AND I LOVE THE BIG WHEEL. *cough*
The Kaxium's big winner is the main bike. The intricacy is awesome, not to mention the wing-like attachments on the back. It was very well planned and designed. It's a shame the designers didn't seem to spend as much time planning the smaller bike. I spent some extra time modifying it.
However, mini-cycle is somewhat redeemed when hooked up to the big one.
Now we're ready to roll!
Altogether, the Kaxium V3 looks good. The color scheme is balanced, and I love having it out on display. One thing that can make it look a little more complete, though, would be the addition of flames or something out the back ends. And the BIONICLE ACTION FIGURE GAME can go back home, please. It looks silly.
Red pieces aaauuugggggg. I had to use my teeth to remove these. Playability
I immediately when out to the garage to stack it up to my dad's V-Star, which would probably crush it.
The Kaxium rolls pretty far, about 14 feet when together, 7 feet for the big bike, and the little bike either goes about 5 feet or flips over at the end of the ramp.
Stairs check!
Aside from the Thornax launcher, it stays intact! So really, I played with the Kaxium happily for about an hour before I had to stop. I have yet to fit other sets into the bikes, but I'm sure that'll be interesting. So playability is a big yes. Final Thoughts
Overall, if you're looking to get a quality vehicle set, but don't have the income of a settled adult, I would recommend this one. At first I was kind of apprehensive about Bionicle + motorcycles, but I felt like I got a good set for the price. Despite the attributes not in my taste, it was very easy to modify the Kaxium V3. I'll definitely be enjoying this set for a while.
I hope you all enjoyed Hahli Husky's review - make sure you thank her for taking the time to do so in the Talkback. We have a couple other reviews lined up after this one, including one that's extra-special (and extra-long). Keep checking back!
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