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    Discuss This Story ReviewSaturday, July 28th, 2007 at 4:39pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
    [Source: ~Makaru~]

    While Lesovikk is not yet available, the other store exclusive for this year, Karzahni, has begun appearing in some places. BZPower Forum Assistant ~Makaru~ was lucky enough to find one such location, and after purchasing the set was kind enough to review it for the site. So if this large warrior set has you interested, read on to discover the intricacies of the set.

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

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 1

    What�s remarkable at first is the box�s size. It�s almost twice the size as your typical Warrior type box. But then again, you are getting four sets in one. The front features our favourite demented Titan, Karzahni with his chain wrapped around Idris� blade while Sarda attacks from above. Behind, the Matoran trap sits inconspicuously.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 2

    The Back of the box is also interesting. Framed in an unusual golden pattern, there are images that depict each of the sets included, an image showing the trap and how it �attacks� Karzahni, and pictures of the four smaller sets released this year.

    It also shows an image of Voya Nui�s surface and the island under the water, and how it�s connected by the mysterious cord to Mahri Nui. There is also a Kanoka Club code.

    With its size and design, you�re bound to see this on the shelves of your Local Toys R� Us.

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

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 3

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 4

    You have four sets here, so you�re looking at upwards of 20 minutes for building time. First in the booklet is Sarda. His main construction is almost identical to the two Matoran sets released this year. Idris is nearly identical to Sarda, but with a few interesting qualities.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 5

    Karzahni, the biggest character in the set, is quite interesting and kind of challenging as far as Lego sets go to build. The trap is mundane and formulaic, but interesting nonetheless.

    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.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 6

    Sarda is not unlike Dekar and Defilak in design. The body is exactly the same, and the legs, aside from being silver Toa Metru feet, are also identical. His mask is a dark red Huna, identical to the one released with Toa Vakama so many years ago, and is the only Matoran set this year without a recoloured mask.

    But unlike the other Matoran, Sarda is armed with a set of silver Onua claws in one hand, and a melee-type weapon in the other made of two Mantax pincers. Also of note (and you MOCers will find this important) is the eyes. Their skulls aren�t empty.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 7

    The pieces used (both Matoran have them) are similar to lime green Toa Metru eyes, but they�re cut in half. The back half has been replaced with a plus rod connection. From this connection, an �air tube� runs from the back of Sarda�s head, down his body and connects to the back of his right thigh.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 8

    Idris is identical in design to Sarda, aside from the pieces for the feet, mask, colour and melee weapon. There are more transblue balljoint pieces that I love in her, but most worthy of note is her mask.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 9

    Unlike the great Ruru that came with Whenua Metru (and Garan. And Umbra), it isn�t black. For the first time since Toa Norik�s silver Kiril/Pehkui, with Dekar, Defilak and Idris, masks have been recoloured. And a dark blue Ruru is welcome to me.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 10

    Then comes Karzahni, who is understandably the most interesting set in this review. His design is basically quite similar to sets like Brutaka, Nocturn and Umbra. He has a body comprised of Piraka/Inika torsos and leg pistons. The legs and arms are essentially beefed-up versions of Toa limbs.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 11

    However, there are a lot of cool looking pieces with Karzahni. Lime green �teeth�, three green and lime Mantax armour pieces, two dark green Vakama Hordika heads and dark green Mantax and Pridak feet.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 12

    This, combined with two Ehlek heads, tail tips, iron grey Lehvak Kal handshields, Vezon�s cape and chains, Karzahni arguably has one of the more awesome pieces in the Warriors series this year.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 13

    The Trap, despite its size, is kind of dull. About 70% of the set is silver weapons, particularly Bordakh staves and Hewkii war staffs. This set, however, has a function. Two sets of claws close in to �trap� Karzahni.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 14

    The design of the function is similar to Nidhiki�s legs, where pressure on the bendable rods �snap� the claws into it�s two positions. Confusingly though, there is no trigger to set it off, so you have to touch the arms to make it close.

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 15

    Leg pistons allow you to set the angle at which the �body� sits.

    Overall, the collection provides a lot of cool elements and designs.

    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?

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 16

    The Matoran are kind of simple, and the trap gets boring quickly - Karzahni is definitely the crown jewl of the collection. It�s fun to position him in various poses�

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 17
    �from striking

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 18
    �to passive

    Thumb 8940 Karzhani Review 19
    �to confident.

    The squid launcher he comes with still suffers from the same problems as explained by previous reviews. Suffice it to say it�s mostly dead weight to the set.

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

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • Four sets in one
    • Old pieces in new cool colours
    • New pieces in new cool colours
    • Two of those amazingly usable eyepieces
    • No Zamor launchers

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • Sarda�s mask isn�t recoloured.
    • Some pieces, like the horn bits on Karzahni and the rear pincer on Sarda, frequently come loose.
    • The trap is mostly bland silver.
    • The set is USD$40 (CAN$55). This makes it the most expensive non-playset item this year. And it�s still unclear whether this is a good deal or not.

    I was kinda iffy on this set at first. Karzahni gets dumped into the ocean around the pit and mutates into this weird green creature. It�s not the multimasked gold and ebon titan we thought it was going to be half a year ago, but it�s not bad. Personally, I will be ripping him apart to MOC with, but Karzahni himself will look great in any collection.

    That concludes today's review. Hopefully you found it entertaining and insightful, and hopefully it gives you a better idea of what to expect from this set. Keep checking back for continued 2007 set reviews!

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