Set Review: 8953 Makuta Icarax
Saturday, February 2nd, 2008 at 8:49pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Toa Lhikan Hordika]
It's time once again for another set review. Today BZPower Staff Member Toa Lhikan Hordika details Makuta Icarax. What makes this fearsome villain who he is? Read on!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
The box is pretty basic. It's very much like the Titan/Warrior boxes that we've seen over the past two years and approximately the same size as Hydraxon's and Gadunka's boxes. What sets it apart from those other boxes is the fact that it says "Special Edition" on the front which I'm sure helps with catching people's eyes. Please forgive the price stickers. I tried to remove them, but it started to peel off the picture, so it was probably best that I left them on.
On the back of the box, we can see Icarax in a cool pose and pictures of his four functions in action.
On the top left corner, we can see that he still has Makuta of Metru Nui's head function where he's got two faces with the Kraahkan.
On the top right corner, we can see his four wings and it shows how they can all move up or down, which makes for some interesting wing poses.
On the bottom left corner, we can see that gears have not completely left Bionicle, because his right arm holds a shield that can spin through the use of gears.
On the bottom right corner, we can see that like the other Makuta sets, he can release a Tridax pod that contains Shadow Leeches.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
Here's what's in the box.
A pile of pieces.
An instruction manual.
Behold: 4 fearsome incredibly tiny Shadow Leeches!
His torso is pretty much the same as the other Phantoka Makuta as you can see. The "rib cage," Tridax Pod with Shadow Leeches in it.
The Kraahkan flip feature works just like the 2003 Makuta set did. You take the head, turn it backwards and then pull it down at a 90 degree angle. The only difference between Makuta Icarax and the'03 Makuta is the fact that Icarax's head is a Toa Metru head.
His legs and feet are pretty basic. His feet don't have a flat surface, but are curved instead. Thanks to the leg pistons that started coming around in 2006, he's pretty stable regardless of his feet.
Could just be me, but I think he looks very tall in this pic. His legs connect to his torso at four points which - along with the leg pistons - give him great stability.
His left hand is made up of two Ehlek Tri-talons holding onto two of Hewkii Mahri's warblade pieces that make up a wicked, double edged sword.
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.
For all of you gear fans, you'll be happy to see that Icarax does have two black gears that allow his shield to rotate.
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?
Icarax, like all other Bionicle sets, is fun to play with and pose.
AH! What happened to my chest?
Well this should be fun to fix...
This pose tends to remind me of Irnakk's box pose.
Here's a good battle stance pose.
As far as size goes, he's just a little bit shorter than Maxilos, but not too much which definately qualifies him as a Warrior/Titan set.
I think the Makuta of Metru Nui wants his Kraahkan back.
The darned Kraahkan theif is at it again. He's got Takutanuva's Kraahkan now!
The Brotherhood of Makuta thus far.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Good color scheme
- His rotating shield, which is very fun to spin
- His Kraahkan which we haven't seen as a black Kanohi since 2003
- The Tridax Pod and it's launcher - new pieces for 2008 that are fun to play with
Cons
What's not to like?
- The gears - for some it's a good thing, but over all, it inhibits posability
- No new pieces that you can't get from other sets
- You can't make his shield face forward without twisting his arm around
- Price: $25 USD Not too expensive, but I really think he could've gotten away with Mutran & Vican's price of $15 USD
Icarax is definately a must get. For those of you who were unable to get ahold of a Kraahkan back in 2003, this is a good chance for you to get it. His color scheme is pretty good in my opinion. Pretty much just black and red with some silver sprinkled on it.
He is also a must-get for all the gear fans out there who miss their precious widgets.
So there you have it. Over all Makuta Icarax is a good set in a few different ways. But if you're looking for a load of new pieces, he's not the set for you. For those who just love the Bionicle set line and the hardcore fans, Icarax is a must get that you shouldn't pass up.
Thanks to Toa Lhikan Hordika for providing this great review; be sure to thank him for it. Until our next review, Radiak, keep checking back here for the latest Bionicle news and updates!
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