Day 26- Tahu, Master of Fire (Bionicle)

January 26th, 2015. Day 26 of 365.

Build Week, Day 5 of 6.

Subline: Bionicle (Reboot)
Price: $19.99
Parts Count: 89
Price Per Piece: Around 22 cents

Let me throw this out there: Bionicle was my JAM back in the early 2000s from the Mata Nui era all the way to the very end of the Metro Nui saga. When it leaked in Mid-2014 that LEGO was going to relaunch the Bionicle building line with Hero Factory pieces, I was super conflicted.

Rest easy, fans of Bionicle: The line is back and better than ever. Inevitably, I will probably end up buying all six of the Toa sets that are released and to start off we'll take a look at the same character that was my first Toa 14 years ago.

LET'S TAKE A MOMENT AND BREAK THE ICE, SO MY INTENTIONS ARE KNOWN.

sThe very beginning of the Tahu build ends with the completion of Tahu's basic skeleton. In this form, there are no armor or weapon bits, and the overall design is very simple and sterile. Tahu's shoulder armor and forearms are composed of clear orange pieces that rest on ball-joints (Due to the design of the forearms themselves, the forearm clear orange parts do not move), and every other main body component is formed from solid red plastic shells.

SEE I HAVE PITY IN WATCHING YOU SUFFER, I KNOW THE FEELING OF BEING DAMNED ALONE.

I'VE GOT A STORY BOOK OF MY OWN.

The biggest surprise of the build is the new Toa actually recreate the same exact gimmick from the original Bionicle line-up: Through a mixture of tons of rods, Technic pieces and gears, turning the yellow cog on Tahu's back moves his arms back and forth. In a major improvement to the line, the inclusion of the gimmick does NOT hinder poseability or the overall structure of the Toa, being nice and condensed inside the inner core of the torso. There are also black hinged bits in the back, which we will get to in a second.

DON'T YOU KNOW I AM YOUR PRIDE, AGENT OF WEALTH, BEARER OF NEEDS.

To truly complete Tahu's body the build includes six of the same basic armor piece, a unique chest piece and a Red Kanohi Mask of Fire (The set also comes with a Golden one for a combined mode with the also released Protector of Fire set. Or you can just throw it on him anyway. Whatever.) To top it all off, Tahu comes with two golden basic swords that mount on his back- and that's where the last bit of Technic engineering comes in:

AND YOU KNOW IT'S RIGHT.

The back hinged bits are perfect for the storage and posing of the various weapons and ornamentation on the Toa. For Tahu, these are used to store his golden blades and to have them in a variety of positions such as stored hidden behind his back, or as golden spikes angled above him.

I AM THE WAR. ARMING THE STRONG. AIDING THE WEAK.

Not to be content with having a mere two swords, Tahu comes with two giant Flame swords. These swords are complete with translucent red and yellow fire parts, and can combine into a surfboard for Tahu to... ride lava waves.. or something.

Look, for as much as I like Bionicle? It can also be really REALLY dumb.

But that's only the half of it: the new Bionicle line has swayed away from the static builds of the older line and onward into the customization aspect by learning from the past mistakes of the older line as well as learning from the style and lessons learned during the time of Hero Factory using the Creature Character Building System to basically turn Bionicle into a super-poseable customizable action figure line.

For example: Every single bit of armor on Tahu contains a ball socket. Every single piece of the skeleton of the Toa contains an exposed ball joint, allowing for you to rearrange and customize each figure. The more you collect, the more you can customize, and the poseability of the toy is RARELY compromised from whatever decisions you make.

Speaking of articulation, Tahu has a TON of it: Balljointed neck, shoulders, hips, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles ensure that Tahu can do a massive variety of poses. Additionally, Tahu's shoulder armor is also on an individual set of ball joints and swivels oddly enough not unlike the S.H. Figuarts line (Huh. I haven't covered that line yet, have I? It's almost like I'm waiting for something.) which ensures that nothing ever gets in the way of whatever poses you want to pull off.

Also, switching masks on Tahu is super easy: Simply press on the blue lightpiping section along the back of his "skull" and whatever mask he is currently wearing flies right off.

KNOW ME BY NAME: SHEPARD OF FIRE.

See? Customization. It's super minor, but there are still a ton of options you have with this set by itself, without buying any additional entries into the line.

THROUGH THE AGES OF TIME, I'VE BEEN KNOWN FOR MY HATE.

Ah, but that's not all! Each of the Bionicle sets come with one of the villains of the series: The Skull Spiders. These Spiders surprisingly each have four pieces of articulation, with each of their legs being on standard C-Clip hinge joints. Each spider also has clips similar to the ones the various masks have, almost as if...

BUT I'M A DEALER OF SIMPLE CHOICES. FOR ME, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE.

...Oh. Oh dear.

In summary: The problem I see a lot due to the recent launch of the Bionicle line is the initial sheepishness of those who want one of the Toa, but are very hesistent due to the pricing and the amount of parts you get in the set. The problem is: You're not paying for sheer brick or parts count like you are in other LEGO toylines. You're paying for sheer size and complexity. While, yes, the line does contain the very staples and basics of a Technic kit, the result of the build is a giant eight and a half inch tall robot man with a surprising amount of heft and articulation. The Bionicle line is possibly at the very peak of design with this new era of releases, and the $20 Price Point Toa releases might just be the perfect place and time to jump on.

Highly Recommended.

Day 26 Complete, 339 Days Remain.

Brick Week: Day 5 Complete. One day remains.