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Set Review: 70778 Protector of Jungle
 Monday, November 17th, 2014 at 8:36pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager[Source: Sisen] It's time again for another Bionicle 2015 review! Today BZPower Forum Assistant Sisen shares his thoughts on another one of the smaller sets - 70778 Protector of Jungle. How does this little guy stack up to the other protectors that we've looked at so far? Should you add him to your wishlist or wait for a clearance sale? Read on to find out! Presentation
Sure #BIONICLE2015 is a reboot. That doesn't mean there is a lack of nostalgia. Look at the packaging. LOOK. AT. IT. That might be the Protector of Jungle jumping around the swamplands picking off Skull Spiders with his/her power bow, but it has the undeniable mystic island feel that made Bionicle... well Bionicle. That jungle setting just stirs the memories of Le-Wahi, and the treetop dwellings of Le-Koro. Maybe you are new to all this stuff, but there is a lot of homage being paid. Thus, nerding out over stuff. Oh mention something about the box? The box is a box. It's nice and recyclable. Not for children under three years. (Who would even give a child under three years of age a box this small to play with, they cannot even make a fort out of it.) The artwork is cool and lovely, and much jungle. There is also some neat stuff about mask pop-offing (yeah, I said pop-offing), cannons that are not from the Pit.
Oh look comics! Comics are cool ya? Building
The build is a build is a build. Wait- is that torso backwards? *le gasp* No. There's back armor. Actual- bonafide- armor- backing- on- the- spinal- region- of- back. While the build is straightforward, the individuality of it is unique. If you take a look at [url plug here about protector of ice (http://bzpower.com/story.php?ID=7126)] , there is a different style which is kinda rad. Even though the protectors are not different price points or box sizes as the Toa, it gives a nice air of persona for each figure. No clones here. Set Design
There are probably a lot of things you can buy for $10, but what other cool buildable action figure can you buy that is this awesome? None, in my book. Maybe my opinion is a little biased being a fan of Bionicle though.
While the masks worn by the protectors are technically the same, they all have different color schemes and that's satisfactory for me. The mask has a transparent look, but there are streaks running though it that add a very unique aesthetic.
Eeeeek! Spiderasf;ldkjdsfa;lkjgdf;dlkjsdf. Sorry about that. Unexpected spider in a box. Was not expecting that. Those claws. That blue. Metru blue. If spiders were not so terrifying, it would make for quite the pet. Just look at the detail of the mask. There are layers that give the Skull Spider is bony like structure.
You have all seen this by now, but what's a biomechanical being without a cool glowy transparent cranium and intimidating mecha jawline?
Somehow. Somewhy. Somewho. Somewhere. This piece is going to be used fantabulosly. It looks so cool. Sure it adorns the regular old Hero Factor armor bits, but it could be used creatively. Some sort of armored backing for a turtle or maybe a Rahkshi.
If we did not already know #BIONICLE2015 was a reboot, there would totally be some mad theory about how these Keetongu colored pieces indicate that the Protector of Jungle is a resident from the southern islands where Tahtorak roam. Really, no one else was thinking that?
Why hello there, aren't you a mighty fine piece of heavy artillery. It is undeniable that this is reminiscent of a Cordak Blaster. However, it has one thing the aforementioned blaster lacked- usability. This would be perfect for one impressive Heavyarms Gundam MOC.
Girl or guy, look at that body. The Protector of Jungle stands tall and shows their roots. (Roots, get it?) While the figure does justice to #BIONICLE2001, it has a nice air of appeal to the Jungle themed element. If you compare the color balance of the set, the Keetongu-orange is what makes this stand out. For a jungle set, there is more yellow than any form of green. The green you do see is not even the traditional green of Olda. If you look at exotic wildlife in rainforest, you do see some harsh color contrast and vibrant coloring. Seeing more than the color green is actually a really cool developed concept. Plus there are vines coming off the feet! Does a Protector of Jungle grow vines from the feet, or do they just tie them on for the sake of appearance? Personally the silver is sort of odd, but still somehow works with the overall scheme. More yellow would have been way yellow, and more trans-color would have been too trans, so silver logistically makes sense. Playability
The level of playability with one of the smaller sets is somewhat surprising. There are interactive weapons to toy around with. Way better than flick-fire missiles, and in general fun to play with. Gatling gun-esque pieces are cool.
Plus there is a big bad in the box! This nasty little critter with a whopping five piece count ensures you have some form of playability. How many shots does it take to deter a Skull Spider? Is the Protector of Jungle just a bad shot, or is there tons of ammo to spare? Does a Protector have powers to channel though the bow? WHO KNOWS. Let your imagination run rampant.
Maybe the Protector of Jungle will use the power bow as a rocket and go sky-soaring, or do some super cool spinning move on the bow that leads into a nice foot-face connection inspired by Legolas fighting off orcs.
Skull Spider just wants you to scratch its abdomen, or maybe that's just a ploy to rip your face off. Final Thoughts
There are very few things to nitpick about the Protector of Jungle set. It has a nice color scheme (mostly) and provides some interesting parts in addition to some new ones. For the sheer level of nostalgia this and the other sets should be on your must have list, and that is not even including the parts value. This is the first time in a long time where my wallet is going to shell out moolah to obtain each set, which has not been done since pre-Spherus Magna. Big props to LEGO for providing us with these sets, and kicking off BIONICLE, not with a fizzle, but with a bang at New York Comic Con last month. Big thanks to Sisen for putting together this review! Any questions or thoughts you have can be directed to the Talkback topic where we'll do our best to answer them. Of course there's still more Bionicle reviews to come, along with more Bionicle news, right here on BZPower!
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