Today we bring you another look at Stronius, that oh-so-elite Skrall. BZPower Reference Keeper LewaLew takes a shot at sharing his thoughts on this set. So if you're interested to see it from another perspective, read on!

A couple things about Rebuttals and how they work:

• Rebuttals will be posted within one month of the original review's posting date.
• The rebuttal format will have the same sections as the normal review.
  • If the person doing the rebuttal has no disagreements on a particular section of the review, that section will be excluded.
  • The final section, instead of having 'Pros' and 'Cons' will be called 'Why I Agree' and 'Why I Disagree,' directed at the original review.
• Pictures are not required, but can be used if desired.
• Only one rebuttal will be done per set.

A final note, taken from the Talkback of our first Rebuttal:

The point of a BZPower Set Review (I'm not talking about any other type of review anywhere else) is this: The review is designed to inform members about the set, what it does, how it's made, what it looks like, how many new parts there are, and other facts about the set. In addition, it is a space for the reviewer to share their thoughts and opinions on the set, what parts they liked about it, what parts they didn't like about it, and their overall feeling as to whether or not it is a good set to buy. This last part is JUST AN OPINION and is not a fact, nor does it mean everyone else on BZPower should agree with them. Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to share their own opinions about a set in the review Talkback and also in the member set reviews in the Sets forum.

A BZPower Set Review Rebuttal looks at just the opinion part of that review and notes where the second reviewer's thoughts differ. It is not meant to be a full-fledged set review. The goal of a rebuttal is to give a second and separate review from a different perspective.

If you haven't already, you might want to check out Shannara's original review of Stronius for a more in-depth look at the set before reading this.

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.

Okay, first, I'd like to comment on how right -Shannara- was in noticing the awesomeness of the two-piece club, and the awesome spiky pieces. However, I do have a few disagreements with the rest of the review, and after all, that's what rebuttals are for...

First, the dark red. Seeing as the earlier Skrall set had Mata red, I was hoping for the same in Stronius. While it is nice to have the '08 mold of the leg pieces and new Glatorian hands in dark red, I would have preferred sticking with Mata red for this elite Skrall powerhouse.

In addition, I don't believe Stronius needs any more armor. The three armor pieces fit so well on his build that he looks mighty and powerful without the upper arm armor.

Next, the dreaded 'Strakk-neck' (or as I refer to it, the dreaded 'Krika-neck'). I am usually not in favor of any elongated necks, be they Toa Metru-limb 'Krika-necks' or long socket joint 'Giraffe Beetle Bitil-necks'. However, this is the first set I've bought that I believe uses the 'Krika-neck' correctly. It's obviously designed so the head can have more free movement, and it accomplishes that task well. The only problem with it is when you raise his head up, which is not what the set designers intended for the owner to pose Stronius, most likely. All in all, I'd say the advantages of the 'Krika-neck' outweigh the disadvantages, and is especially useful when creating menacing poses.

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?

The only problem I have here is with his shoulder armor. Almost every time I have the big fellow take a good club swing at Mata Nui, his shoulder armor starts coming off. Although the free moving pieces allow for more arm movement than other sets with that sort of armor, it's not that solid, and comes off easily. I would have liked it more if TLC had used one of those long blue pegs (yes, I don't mind colored pegs. I guess I'm just weird) and mirrored the rest of the shoulder armor connection to make it more solid. However, everything else about the playability is very nice.

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

Why I Agree
What aspects of the original review did you agree with?

• Canister is cool.
• New spiked parts are awesome.
• He's massive and powerful.
• A variation of the original Skrall would've been cool, and would've emphasized the fact that he's an elite Skrall.

Why I Disagree
What aspects of the original review did you disagree with?

• Old parts in dark red are cool, but Mata Red would've been better.
• He doesn't have upper arm armor, but that's okay, thanks to the new armor parts.
• The 'Strakk/Krika-neck' is used very nicely, and its flexibility makes up for awkwardness.

My final disagreement is my belief that Stronius is well worth your money, depending on what type of fan you are. If you're an MOCist, buy it, because the two-piece club is awesome, as are the new armor pieces. If you're a story buff, I'd say buy Mata Nui first, then wait on the movie if you've got some spare money. If you're a collector, get it, because he's an awesome set, and because collectors are placed on this earth to collect 'them' all, whatever 'them' refers to.

Be sure to keep checking back for more reviews and all the latest Bionicle news. Don't forget to thank LewaLew when you can for taking the time to do this rebuttal.

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