Glatorian

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends Ackar! Part 7 of 7

The Glatorian Legends Ackar!

Veteran warrior of the fire tribe!

Ackar has fought and won thousands of matches in the arena. Now he faces his greatest challenge: fighting alongside Mata Nui against the forces of the Skrall. His flame and spiked Thornax launcher will lead him on to victory!

* Ackar is equipped with a huge flame and a spiked Thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game.
* Measures over 8″ (20 cm) tall.

“Ackar, the primer Glatorian of Vulcanus, and the second confirmed member of Mata Nui’s band of Glatorian “helpers”. When you but the set, you see that Ackar seems a bit brighter than most red sets. It could be the lava. Or, it could be a lighter red than most red sets.

BUILDING THE SET:
Opening the canister, to your surprise, a pile of Mata Red pieces fall out, along with several orange pieces and a huge flame.

New pieces:
Mata red:
Inika leg
Shin guard
vahki leg
Inika chest back.

Orange:
Flame
Dekar blades (not if you own Power Miners)
Kongu Inika foot
Inika knee plate.

MN&Orange:
Berix Helmet recolour.

There are other assorted Mata red and orange pieces as well. There are also two Dark Grey hands.
You start off by building the torso. It is exactly like Gelu, except that it is Red and orange. The Life counter sits on his back. Like Mata Nui, the holder is a different colour (in this case, Silver) to what i was expecting (In this case, Mata red/Orange).

Legs: Mata Red piraka thigh – armoured by the knee armour – connects to Mata Red Inika leg, which conencts to old “hand” joint and an orange foot. Like Mata Nui, the shin guard connects in the same way, grey round pin to bottom hole.

Arms: Mata Red piraka thigh connects to flipped Vahki leg, then that connects to Dark grey hand. Two blue long pins connect through the top holes of the upper arm, and two Dekar blades connect to those.
His head is just like Berix’s, except that it uses a transparent red head, instead of a green one. Also, if you have read my Berix review, i said that i thought his helmet must have come from Vulcanus or a flame set. I can safely say: I told you so.

The thornax launcher halves connect to his right hand. A Scarab Shield half connects to his left hand, a red double-connector connects on top of it, and the flame connects to that. It’s the most custom flame sword in a flame set.

Ackar is more or less an Inika, but because of his innovative shoulder armour and his shin guard, he makes less of an Inika than Gelu. The helmet re-use is brilliant, especially in these colours, as there is a lovely colour of peach blended in the middle of the helmet. Again, shin guards rattle, and they look a bit less stupid on him when tilted because his feet are chunkier than Mata Nui’s.

Pro’s:
More Mata Red than anyone could hope for
More Orange
Flame sword
Berix helmet reuse
Head looks nice with said helmet
Different shoulder armour build.

Con’s:
Mata Red may look out of place as a main colour scheme
Dark grey hands

Shoulder armour can get caught on chest and can bend easily as a result.
In my view, Ackar is the best of the six. Not because he is an Inika or because of a flame sword, but because that he has a different build to most Inika-lookalikes, and he is Mata red and Orange, which widens MoC possibilities.

I give Ackar a 9/10. There are some things i would change on him, if i had the right parts, but other than those few things, he rocks.

Have fun building!
~Jonocam”

Popularity: 7% [?]

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends Gelu! Part 6 of 7

Brave and cunning fighter, Gelu!

Once a Glatorian of the ice tribe, Gelu now acts as an armed guard escorting Agori traders through the Dunes of Treason. Carrying an ice slicer and spiked Thornax launcher, he needs all his wits and skill to survive the dangers of the desert.

* Gelu is equipped with an ice slicer and a spiked thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures 7″ (18 cm ) tall!

Gelu; Once proud secondary glatorian of the ice tribe, now caravan guard since the Skrall attacked Atero.

Building the set:
A pile of White and Dark blue pieces spill out of the white-lidded canister. Also included are pieces of Metus’s shield.

New pieces:
White Kongu Inika chestplate
Ice Slicer halves
Helmet.

The torso is exactly the same as Kongu’s, which is getting really tiresome with the majority of these sets. But because of his chestplate colour and shape, it balances out.
The Life counter sits smugly on his back. As always.

His legs: Dark Blue Piraka thigh connects to Dark blue vahki leg, which connects to a Dark blue “hand” joint, and a white hewkii Inika foot. Like Strakk, his legs are armoured by white Inika knee plates.

His arms: Again, two Dark blue piraka thighs (with Inika knee plate), which connects to a white Metru arm and a White glat hand. Two blue round-plus half pins are attached to the plus-holes at the back of his upper arm, and the shield pieces connect to those.

His head: A blue Glat head and his helmet connect to a straight hordika neck. I think the helmet looks quite cat-like in it’s appearance with it’s long “ears” of ice and “whiskers”.

The thornax launcher halves connect on wither side of his left hand, while the halves of the ice Slicer connect to both halves of his right. Keen BIONICLE fans will notice that the “foam ice sword” is modeled after the Ice Slicer. Gelu is more of an Inika than all Legends put together, even Ackar. The constant build, and constant re use of the knee armour is bugging me. But, he seems to pull together pretty cool once he’s finished.

Pro’s:
White Inika chestplate
Ice Slicer and helmet look cool (pun intended)
more Metus shields.

con’s:
INIKA
Too much mixing of Dark Blue and white
Shoulders may seem too bulky
LONGARM.

Gelu is still quite a cool set. I would suggest that you wait until you’ve got the other legends to build him; Unless you’re a fan of white sets and can’t be swung by a review like this. I would still recommend him to anyone i know who likes BIONICLE.

Have fun building!

Popularity: 4% [?]

LEGO Bionicle Review Special: Glatorian Legends Kiina! Part 5 of 7

Kinna, The Powerful female Glatorian!

The most skilled female fighter in all of Bara Magna, Kiina wants nothing more than to get off this planet. Using her dual-headed vapor trident and spiked Thornax launcher, she fights beside Mata Nui for the chance at ultimate freedom.

* Kiina is armed with a dual-headed vapor trident and spiked Thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures 7″ (18 cm) tall!

“Kiina is the female secondary Glatorian of Tajun, and one of Mata Nui’s confirmed helpers in the newest movie, the other one being Ackar. The canister has a Mata Blue lid, which might raise some (false) hopes with some set collectors after what happened with Tarix and Berix.

BUILDING THE SET:
A pile of Dark Blue and Light blue pieces fall out.
New pieces:
Light Blue Vahki leg
Light Blue new connector piece
Shoulder/Leg armour
Helmet
Vapor trident halves
Light Blue Glat hands
Light blue Hewkii Inika feet.

The first thing you’ll notice is that, unlike all other canister sets this year, there is no Inika torso. This brings you attention straight to the instructions to find out how to build her torso. Two black technic “triangles” connect to a long blue pin in the middle hole, with two red plus-pins connecting to the plus-holes at the end. Two black round pins connect to the round holes below the long blue pin. The metru hip joint connects to these. Two grey Hordika Necks connect to the red pins, and the Light Blue Vahki leg connects to the long blue pin. The life counter connects to the back, via two more black round pins. If you found this confusing, i believe the instructions will be up shortly,

The legs: New connector piece connects to dark Blue Rahkshi leg, and then to “hand” joint, and then to light blue foot. The knee armor connects to the middle hole of the new connector piece. Kiina is the first blue set to utilize the Hewkii Inika foot. Build two of these.

Arms: Same build as the legs, just the rahkshi leg flipped and a light blue hand attached to the end instead of a foot. Again, two are needed.

The head, which is green like Tarix and Berix, connects to the Vahki leg. The helmet, of course, connects to the top of the head. The helmet has a colour blend of Blue and Silver: it is mainly blue, with silver starting from the “fins” at the front of the helmet, and to the eye sockets, and also a bit on the “tail”.
The thornax launcher halves connect to her left hand, while the trident halves connect to both sides of her right hand.

Kiina is quite a good set. She may have long gangly arms and legs, but this can easily be rectified by using Metru legs instead of Rahkshi ones. Also, because of the life counter pointing upright, and the tail of the helmet, both clash, and restrict posing. Other than those points, Kiina is one of the most unique of the six Legends.

Pro’s:
New build
Loads of pieces in light blue
first blue set to utilize the Hewkii Inika feet
Unlike Tarix and Berix, a continuos colour scheme
Custom torso
Light blue hands
Head (?)
Trident looks cool.

Con’s:
Life counter restricts posing
Head (?)
Arms are too long
Shoulder pieces in Grey
Torso is only just a bit taller than Tanma’s torso, and shorter than Mata Nui’s.

That’s my review on Kiina. She is a good set, and i would easily recommend her to a LEGO collector and any BIONICLE fan. I did have low hopes at first, but now i’ve got her, i think she is much better. Well done, LEGO, for another great set!

Have fun building!

Popularity: 1% [?]

LEGO Bionicle Review Special: Glatorian Legends Vastus! Part 4 of 7

LEGO Bionicle Review Special: Glatorian Legends Vastus! Part 4 of 7
Champion of Tesara!

Quick as a serpent, Vastus is a loyal fighter for the jungle village of Tesara. Skilled with any weapon, he is most dangerous with his paralyzing venom spear and spiked Thornax launcher. Challenge him in the arena at your own risk!

* Vastus is armed with a venom spear and spiked thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures over 7″ (18 cm) tall!

“Vastus, prime Glatorian of Tesera. How does he shape up?

New pieces:
Truly gigantic shoulder armour pieces (x2)
Helmet
Spear/scythe tip
Dark green “new arm” joint (x2)
Solid Dark green Inika feet (x2)

BUILDING THE SET:

Vastus uses the Inika chest. Like all Inika “Clones”, this is boring. Yet, Vastus uses it differently.
Firstly, it is attached backwards, similar to Vorox. Secondly, it is armoured by a Dark green Inika knee plate. Thirdly, the back has very little armour, being armoured by two technic pieces, the straight Hordika neck, and the life counter, which sits on his back as always.

The legs; Lime green Piraka leg connects to Dark green Hordika leg, which connects to lime green “old hand” joint, which in turn connects to the Dark green Inika foot. I really like this foot; ever since I found out about Lesovikk, I wanted Dark green Inika feet, as he uses Kongu Inika’s dual-coloured feet.

His arms; Dark green “new arm” joint connects to lime green Metru leg (from Nocturn of 2007), which connects to a lime green hand (from Tuma of 2009). The new shoulder armour, which looks like vines (with two snake heads) attaches to the top hole using a black round joint. Because of this connection, it may fall off from time to time. A silver Viking Horn from the Vikings sets attaches to the bottom of this armour.

His spear/scythe; a “number 8” technic rod attaches both hands together. The spear may be arranged in either hand, but it works the same both ways; the spear/scythe tip attaches to one hand (with black connector attached), and the thornax attachment attaches to his other hand. This is, as such, the only thornax launcher in a canister set, which uses a “number 4” rod instead of two “number 2” rods.

The spear/scythe tip is a nice weapon; it is a blend of Dark green (mostly handle) and silver (mostly blade). This colour arrangement is similar to Matau Hordika of 2005, whose Slicers were also Dark green (handle) and silver (blade). There is a dark green/silver snake on the spear/scythe tip – similar to those on his shoulder armour.

A Dark green/transparent Mahri “gill” attaches to the attachment, and the other end (after being twisted round the “number 8” rod three times, connects to the black connector on the spear/scythe tip. This is the first “gill” which has two colours; the rest being Silver. I hope that more get made in future years.
His head; Green Glat head connects to his helmet. The helmet, like the other Jungle sets this year, is wonderful.

Like Tarduk, it is all Dark green with three spikes jutting out one end. There is a large gap running down the middle of the helmet for the rest of the face, with two triangular holes for the eyes. Keeping with the snake theme, a snake head sits over the mouth/face hole, and two ridges curiously resembling fangs come down from the snake’s head and running down the length of the helmet. Like the tails of the shoulder armour, the tails on the helmet are tipped with Mahritoran blade look-alikes.

Vastus is, like all Jungle sets, brilliant. He is the only set to have the Hordika legs and to look cool with them, as they are not too thick, and not too thin, and as such suit his body and arms. The feet are also nice in Dark Green, and Lesovikk would certainly envy this guy. The “snake theme” of this guy is wonderful, but the shoulder armour pieces are exactly the same, and as such, look uneven when he’s finished. The spear/scythe is awesome, and I love how it incorporates the thornax launcher at the end. The dual-colour “gill” is also very nice.

Pros:
Head (?)
Hands(?)
Dark green Inika feet
Helmet
Shoulder pads are enormous and look extremely cool
Snake theme
Spear looks awesome
Hordika legs do not look out of place
Dual-colour “gill”
Mahritoran blade look-alikes incorporated in his armour.

Cons:
Head (?)
Hands (?)
Spear can be cumbersome
Torso way too unarmoured
Shoulder armour may pop off if posed too far.

Vastus is a very nice set; he is better than Gresh, and is about even with Tarduk. Well done, TLC, for another great set!
Have fun building!
~Jonocam.”

Popularity: 17% [?]

LEGO Bionicle Review Special: Glatorian Legends Stronius! Part 3 of 7

Bionicle Review: Glatorian Legends Stronius
This elite Skrall warrior is ready for battle!

A brutal warrior of the rock tribe, Stronius carries out the missions other Skrall warriors cannot. Clad in mighty armor and armed with a thorned club and spiked Thornax launcher, he is as fearsome as he is cruel.

* Stronius is armed with a powerful thorned club and spiked Thornax launcher!
* Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game!
* Measures over 7″ (18 cm) tall!

This is the most awesome set i have ever owned. i got it July 1. it is really awesome it is Better then Skrall in every way you can think of. i love the black and dark red colors. it comes with allot of cool parts.

Legs: black vahki lower leg. which i love to have. and on the top of the leg is the red metru nui with black hewkii 07 spike armor which is so awesome. feet are my favorite feet which fist showed up in the inika. with Hahli/kongu/nuparu being black i love i don’t have black of those feet yet and now i do.

Arms: i will start with the top arm. it is again red metru nui but nuthing on it ;[. and the 4arm is the vahki lower leg again which i love.and the hand is the new glatorian hand in dark red all the red parts on this set are dark red]

Torso: ok the new armor the this set has is awesome. it is really big and bulky. which i love. it has three of the big bulky armor. which covers what need to be covered and more. it is a really good build. and it has a life counter.

Head: it is the long neck disine the mask is really cool but big.

Weapons: the rock club is ROCKEN AWESOME it can throw a bionicle throe a wall. the thornax launcher. some people say it is not good but for me it goes just as far as the 2008 guns. he can just jump on bionicles to kill them it does more damage then the club or gun. or he can just run in to then or throw then against a wall. This is really worth the money. if you like malum get Stronius they are almost the same. over all i like toa Tahu 08 better then any bionicle but Stronius is my #2 best. thanks for reading. buy!

Popularity: 5% [?]

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends Mata Nui! Part 2 of 7

LEGO Bionicle: Mata Nui
He fights for freedom! Trapped on a strange world and stripped of his great powers, Mata Nui must unite a planet to save it from a great evil. Armed with a spiked Thornax launcher, scarab shield, and the powerful Mask of Life, Mata Nui leads the fight for freedom on Bara Magna!

Mata Nui is armed with a scarab shield and a spiked Thornax launcher. Includes 1 Life Counter for the new BIONICLE battle game. This Lego Bionicle Glatorian set has 52 pieces and measures over 8″ (20 cm) tall. Recommended for ages 7-16.

* Yellow in color, Mata Nui is the main hero
* Huge shield and massive shoulder armor
* Detailed hands, spiky Thornax launcher
* Be sure to visit www.BIONICLE.com for games, galleries and more
* 52 pieces

Mata Nui, great spirit of the Matoran Universe, now reduced to a Glatorian – or “toa” – on Bara Magna. That will be the one thing that the majority of set-buyers will be buying this summer.
The canister shows MN posing in the desert, looking downwards towards the buyer. He has a bright yellow lid.
Opening the box, a pile of Yellow-Orange pieces fall out.

New pieces/recolors:
New, smaller, Ignika
Shoulder armor (shield pieces in yellow)
Scarab shield
Yellow Onua/Krika chest
Yellow Inika legs
Yellow shin guard
Yellow upper limb piece with new connectors
Yellow Matoro Mahri shoulder guards.

BUILDING THE SET:
Like the majority of canister sets this year, he utilizes the Inika build – again, aggrivating, but at least he uses the Onua Mistika build, which i feel has been under used. it’s great to see it back again.
The life counter makes a return, and sits on his back. It’s a shame the holder is black, and not yellow, which would be a different color, a bit like Vorox and the Thornatus V9.

His legs: Two Black Metru arm-connectors (the short variety) connect to the yellow inika legs, which in turn connect to the feet. If anyone can remember the Bohrok and their rubber-band clips, a grey plus-hole variation is used to hold the knee armor in place – certainly different than the other sets.
The shin guard connects via grey round piece to the lower hole in both legs – it’s great for looking EPIC, but there’s a huge gap underneath if you happen to tilt your character’s feet downwards and look up. Also, they rattle.

His arms: The new connector piece – yes, that’s right – attaches to the black Metru arms, which connect to the yellow Glat hands. The shoulder armor connects to the middle hole of the shoulder armor.
His head is just like another Glatorian – no more Metru heads – at least not yet. The Ignika this year is much smaller than i anticipated. It looks beautiful and well-crafted, but it’s just too small – the ’08 Ignika could swallow it in one. He holds his thornax launcher in his right hand – like Strakk – and both halves of his Scarab Shield connect to his left. Because of the choice of thigh piece, his legs are shorter than his arms, giving him a small apish-appearance. But because of his longer Inika legs, his arms only reach to just below his knees, and not lower – for which i am thankful.

He has to hold the Thornax launcher a bit higher than it looks, as it drags on the floor if he just holds it normally. The scarab shield, despite looking nice, has too many large gaps in it, and doesn’t make that good a shield. Quite a few people will be dissapointed of one main thing – he is not gold, but Yellow. i however, think differently on that score

Popularity: 6% [?]

LEGO BIONICLE Review Special: The Glatorian Legends! Part 1 of 7

Complete your Glatorian LEGENDS Collection!

Send the Glatorian to fight alongside Mata Nui against the Skrall! Collect all six Glatorian LEGENDS for the ultimate match in the arena. Collection of six constructible action figures includes:

* #8984 Stronius
* #8985 Ackar
* #8986 Vastus
* #8987 Kiina
* #8988 Gelu
* #8989 Mata Nui

Glatorian are fighters, specifically fighters who battle on behalf of a village in return for food, shelter, equipment and other rewards. When two villages have a dispute, each sends a Glatorian to fight for them in an arena. The winning Glatorian earns for his villages the rights to whatever the dispute was about. For example, if Iconox and Tesara both claim an oasis, Gresh and Strakk might be sent to battle each other in a match. If Gresh won, Tesara would have ownership of that oasis. This system is designed to prevent wars from breaking out between the villages.

The beings who make up the Glatorian class are a separate species from the Agori. Many of them are veterans of past wars, and so have a great deal of knowledge about tactics and skills. A good Glatorian is equally as talented with a sword or axe as he or she is with a Thornax launcher. Despite that, Glatorian are almost always training, trying to learn new moves for use in the arena.

Of course, Glatorian do other things besides battle in the arena. They protect their villages in the event of attacks by bone hunters or desert creatures, sometimes act as escorts for trade caravans, and even (if they are really well paid), go out in search of water or other resources. Some Glatorian have turned away from the system and live in the wastelands as bandits – others have been exiled there for crimes in the arena.

While Glatorian are allowed to work for any village they choose, most “adopt” a village and stay there for most of their lives. Villages also have the right to decide what fights they will send which Glatorian to do, or if they want to keep a Glatorian at all. A fighter who loses too many battles may be reduced to only fighting to settle minor, unimportant disputes or may be released by his village.

While the world of Glatorian is a dangerous one, there are certain rules they are expected to follow in the arena. Striking a foe who has already conceded, or attacking an opponent after you have conceded, are both considered serious violations. Killing an opponent who has already given up is grounds for exile. Accepting a bribe from another village to lose a fight can also lead to exile in the wasteland.

“The Glatorian Legends are the best sets i have so far! Amazing to see that the price has already been dropped $10. Also the new yellow Ignika is smaller than the grey one for Toa Ignika last year but its still awesome! But the thing im really looking forward to is when Toa Mata Nui comes out with the new Special Edition Golden Kanohi Ignika!”

Make sure you return to read part 2 through 7 on the LEGO BIONICLE Glatorian Legends Set!

Popularity: 27% [?]