Set Review: 8685 Kopaka Nuva
Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 1:06pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Kohaku]
Once again it is time for us to bring you another set review. Today BZPower Blog Assistant Kohaku reviews the original (real-life-wise, anyway) Toa of Ice, Kopaka. To see how the redesigned Kopaka Nuva stacks up to his predecessors and other sets, look no further than the 'More' link.
There is a chill in the air... it is Kopaka Nuva. Kopaka Nuva is a popular Toa; this is the third time he is a set, however, there are important questions to be asked. Will he live up to expectations as a set? Will he freeze all that face him? Will I stop asking pointless questions so you can read the review? The answer to these questions and more... are in the next few paragraphs.
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
When you actually look at the canister you will notice it is different than the canisters from last year. The largest difference is unlike the Mahri these ones have plastic, not cardboard. A good move, as we can store our sets in the plastic containers.
The front has a covering which is very interesting compared to the Mahri; other than that we have the usual picture of the set in a pose.
The back shows Solek and Kopaka, then Solek on Kopaka's back. It also has gibberish that most people won't care about, such as where the pieces were made. The important, don't aim at eyes or face warning is
still present.
The container is two parts; the white covering is the first part. The texture on it is amazing, when one feels the side of it and looks at the side you will notice a ton of detail, detail which my camera
couldn't really pick up on. The inside is smooth, and overall I'd call it a work of art.
The second part is the canister itself. The main thing is the top comes off allowing you to dump the pieces onto your building area. However, the top can still go back on, so there is no need to throw it
out.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
Now I was hoping Kopaka would have something interesting in his design; however, it is the same Inika based design we've had for Toa.
The overall design is simple. You'll notice his weapon. A huge blaster capable of destroying the Makuta... at least that's what we hope.
Then we notice his jet wings... makes me want some jet wings... but alas, I am not an airplane. Overall, his build really shouldn't take more than five or six minutes.
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.
His pieces are interesting, many new, and many old. Then there are those with new molds. Either way Kopaka has plenty to offer.
Some of the more unique parts are his wings, mask, and bayonet. I love the wings, there is a ton of MOCing potential I can see from them. The mask... well is it just me or is Kopaka growing a beard?
Next up is the Midak Skyblaster. With Zamor Spheres as the ammo. These are now my favorite blasters.
Kopaka as a set is interesting this time around. Gone are the sword and shield of Kopaka from ages long past. In is a huge blaster with a bayonet. One thing I don't like is Kopaka looks odd only having the
blaster in one of his hands. The other is when he is posed with both hands, the white armor on his shoulders tends to get knocked off, I consider this a huge flaw.
Kopaka has 15 points of articulation, including his wings. Like I said posing him can be troublesome with the shoulder armor. Of course his head tilts up fully. On the subject, he has a rod sticking out of his eye. My feelings about this are mixed, I think they should have left the eyepiece out, and kept it on the left side of the mask. However, it is still an awesome mask and other than those minor things, I like it.
The only other problem I have is there is too much grey, Kopaka needs some more white pieces.
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?
Now the Midak are fun, they are spring loaded so they can shoot far. The Makuta won't stand a chance... we hope.
Kopaka is built for action and sniping his opponents. What's more is he can team up with Solek and battle!
When asked about this combination Kopaka replied, "...".
Of course with his duel laser sights he can snipe from around the world. Looks like our friend is going to be frozen by Kopaka.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- New pieces!
- Stronger joints!
- Weapons and equipment!
- Matoran can attach!
- Midak Skyblaster!
- He is Kopaka!
Cons
What's not to like?
- Arm articulation problems
- No new limbs or body pieces
- Too much gray
- Needs something besides the Skyblaster
All in all aside from the small problems, Kopaka is a great set. With many useful pieces and a cold attitude he is worthy of any collection. (Warning: Toa may melt if in sun for too long.)
Time to head on out!
And there you have it, another great review. Hopefully it gave you some insight into the set and helped you make a decision about whether or not to get Kopaka Nuva. Be sure to thank Kohaku for the review and keep checking back for our next reivew, Pohatu Nuva, and all the latest Bionicle news!
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