Lego kicks @$$ again with the new Bionicles
Written: Jun 15 '02 (Updated Jun 16 '02)
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Pros: Lego does it again with all new Bionicle enemies for the mighty Toa
Cons: Slightly more expensive than the original Toa (except in Australia - heh heh heh)
The Bottom Line: Tahnok and the rest of the Bohrok are excellent additions to the Bionicle line and provide a suitably kewl enemy for your Toa. Kids and collectors rejoice!
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| shocka's Full Review: LEGO 2002 Bionicle: Tahnok 8563 |
It's been a year since I first laid eyes on the almighty Bionicles by Lego, the excellent line of robotic action figures constructed completely from Lego Technic pieces, and I've never gone back. (For the background info on the great Toa and other Bionicles, check out my previous epinion here http://www.epinions.com/content_64420417156) Now, Lego has proven that lightening does strike twice and have hit back with all new Bionicle toys, the enemy infestation known as the Bohrok.
In the time before time, where legends were young, one word was never spoken,for fear that the legend was true. That word was BOHROK: six swarms of fierce, insect-like beings that use their powers to bring chaos to Mata Nui.
The Bohrok each come in a sophisticated cylinder package, like the Toa, including the Bohrok, a full color instruction booklet and a neat little comic. Although described as as insect-like, it's hard to determine what the Bohrok really are; I'd describe them as a combination of a robot, alien and insect. As you can see above, they have strange round heads with two big eyes and small, sharp fangs, with two short legs extending from below and two small arms extending from each side with weapons on the end; for each of the different types of Borhok (6 different swarms) there is a different weapon. Tahnok, the fire-Bohrok, has flamethrowers at the end of his hands to help him burn forests and attack his enemies. The Bohrok stand about 4 1/2" tall. Consisting of 40 individual lego pieces each, each toy is relatively easy to put together, although more complex than the Toa.
Cross the path of the Bohrok at your peril. Their jaws are equipped with ferocious fangs, bt their power comes from their hidden secret...
Although the various weapons on each of the Bohrok are neat, their actions and details are what really makes them a vicious enemy for the Toa. To begin with, each Bohrok has an attack action, a ferocious headbutt, with the push of a button on its back. This is designed to knock the mask off the Toa, but is great to attack any of your action figures. This can do a lot of damage and is very, very cool.
Secondly, the Bohrok can roll into a ball, Transformer-style; following the simple instructions, their arms and legs tuck into the body and make them into a ball shape, which can serve as a nice roll-attack into the Toa, as well as fitting into the great cylinder packages in a suspended "cocoon" state. Removing the removable sticker on the side of the clear cylinder and using the clip that attaches to the bottom of the lid, they hang like a butterfly in a cocoon against a nice Bioniclised background, which looks excellently creepy. These are great for storage or display.
A power so strong that even the mighty Toa are not safe. The power of the Krana.
The Krana are the parasite-like beings inside the Bohrok which control them, like a mask-shaped brain. Made out of a soft plastic, there are eight different Krana for each Bohrok, which give them a different role and power in the swarm. For example, my favourite Krana, Za, makes its Bohrok the leader of the swarm and gives them telekinetic powers. The Krana can be seen through the transparent top of the Bohrok's head, and are the same color as the Bohrok's eyes. Further, the name of a Bohrok's Krana goes at the end of its name to individualise it; i.e. my Tahnok came with a Ja Krana, so it's name is Tahnok Ja. To have a full swarm of one particular type of Bohrok, you must have eight of that type each with a different Krana. Krana are also sold seperately in little bags/boxes, including three Krana and two Masks of Power in either gold or silver. Each Bohrok is packaged with a random Krana, but it's interchangeable with one sold seperately, so that those rich enough to get large armies of Bohrok can make their swarms.
As a third action, when a Bohrok is beaten, its head opens and the Krana fires out, in attempt to land on the face of an enemy, which it will then control. Pressing on the Bohrok's eyes will open it's head and fire the Krana out, and the Krana fit neatly onto the face of a Toa like a mask. These actions are very impressive for what otherwise seems like a simple toy, and it details how much though effort and thought went into these new Legos.
Never underestimate their strength. Be always on your guard. Plan well. Act fast.
Overall, Tahnok and the rest of the Bohrok get two thumbs up from me and a huge recommendation. I like these enemies even better than the orignal Toa for their uniqueness and overall level of cool. One complaint from US customers is that they're slightly more expensive than the Toa, being RRP$8 instead of the original RRP$5. Fortunately, here in Australia they retail much cheaper, which means we can get the entire set and even build up armies at a cheaper price than our US friends! Although I've only bought two Bohrok so far, I'm so impressed that tomorrow I'm going to get the rest of the set, and then more next week. Well done Lego, you're on a role; and I'm definately looking forward to the next in the Bionicle series.
Only together can we survive. The fate of Mata Nui is once again in the hands of - the TOA!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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shocka
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