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    Discuss This Story
    Set Review: 8974 Tarduk
    ReviewSunday, March 8th, 2009 at 8:31pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager
    [Source: Roa McToa]

    It's been a while since our last set review, but we haven't forgotten about them. Today BZPower Forum Assistant Roa McToa takes a look at one of the remaining Agori, Tarduk. How does this little green guy work out? Read on!

    So you've saved up some money, and you have decided to go and spend it on a Bionicle set. There are many new Glatorian sets to check out, but your eye catches on Tarduk. Yes, he's merely an Agori set, but there is more to this little guy. The mask is interesting, and his image is just popping out to you screaming to buy him!

    So you buy it and take it home.

    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 rather nice on Tarduk. The lids properly represent the dominant color in his color scheme, and the image on the front of the box is nicely done. The thought of this character whizzing through the forest is just plain cool.v

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 01 TN 8974 Tarduk Review 02

    The back of the box is plainer, as stated in other reviews. It features Tarduk on the back with his Glatorian partner. Gresh is awesome, and Tarduk looks to be a neat set counterpart to him. You can see the Bio-Code on here, of which you can take to the Bionicle website and enter to get cool Internet goodies! Lets open up the box and see what goodies we find inside!

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 03

    Dumping out the box, you can see that his mask looks a lot bigger and more exciting that what you see on the box, and the parts that come in lime and dark green are a new addition to the color range of those pieces.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 04 TN 8974 Tarduk Review 05

    The instructions are rather simple, plainly showing you how to build Tarduk on one side, and on the other is a poster with all six Glatorian in full battle regalia, urging you to go out and snatch ‘em up with their coolness!

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

    Onto the build!

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 06

    You really don't need the instructions for this set. You can look at the picture on the box to see what limbs go where, so we start off with the basics...

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 07

    And build up. RAAARRRGH!

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 08

    Completed, Tarduk looks at you with his menacing looking face and gnarly green claws. The colors are nicely distributed on the set, and the mask is ultra cool! An easy build, and it can be done in five minutes or less.

    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.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 09

    All put together, Tarduk is a rather bland set, like the other Agori. Other than having a really awesome mask, and all newly colored parts, he is nothing too new and special.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 10

    Moderately poseable, the figure looks like it would be fun to play with for a while, then get taken apart for its pieces.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 11

    As far as new parts go, Tarduk is in no short supply. The molds are familiar to previous sets besides the head and mask. The lime Mahritoran claws are also available in Tuma, and the lime torso and claws are always good to have. We haven't seen lime claws since Nui Rama! The head, which so many claim to resemble Iron Man, looks more like a biomechanical skull to me. Lightly Iron Man, but not good for an Iron Man MOC. The dark green legs and sockets are a joy to have in anyone's parts bin, as they have some great building potential.

    Now then... Examining the real gem of the set, the mask.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 12 TN 8974 Tarduk Review 13

    The angles are rather lovely on this gem of a mask. The long saber-like tendrils coming off of the back look fabulous, and really add a sense of jungle-ness to the set. The lines on the front are nicely done, and resemble something from Bionicle's past.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 14

    Looking at a row of Krana, you can see a minor resemblance to some of the masks.

    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?

    Tarduk is a stiff set. The way that he is built with the big arms and the little legs makes him hard to pose well. If you switch around the arms and legs, he poses a little better. The blades are annoying as they get in the way when you pose him. They can easily be made into a foot part by taking the socket piece, and putting a claw in one side with the blade in the other side, leaving the small protrusion as part of the sole of his foot.

    TN 8974 Tarduk Review 15

    Gresh looks awesome with Tarduk's mask, but Tarduk does not look awesome with Gresh's mask.

    Overall, it's fun for the first week, and then you want something more.

    You then go out, and buy Gresh...

    The Glatorian action figure game is played easily by the rules that the Lego group provides, but is a lot more fun and challenging if you make up your own rules. I played the game for a while with a seven year old, and he really had fun. For younger kids, the game can be a challenge, and it helps with hand eye coordination to properly shoot the Thornax at either your opponents Glatorian, or their Agori blocker.

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

    Tarduk looked good on the box front, but not as good when you got him home and built him. The mask more than makes up for the average quality of the set, but was it really worth the $6.99 (or what you paid where you live)?

    Pros
    What's to like?

    • Awesome mask! It is unbelievably cool! This part is the highlight of the set.
    • Nice colors. The set comes with a nice assortment of lime and dark green.
    • Nui Rama claws.
    • Rahi-esque build.

    Cons
    What's not to like?

    • Same old last year's parts and design.
    • Stiff poseability. Hindered posing is just blaaagh.
    • Nui Rama claws. While cool to have, they are not cool feet.
    • Wasteful use of fancy plastic parts on canisters makes the set a little more expensive.

    Overall, if you are looking to get an Agori, I would suggest Zesk, Tarduk or Metus. Get your Glatorian first, and then get your Agori. Wait for sales so you can get the best deal on the new sets. You can't really expect a lot out of a small set these days. It would be really nice to see small sets made out of small pieces again.

    So that's Tarduk. Hopefully you enjoyed it and found it informative. Be sure to thank Roa for taking the time to do the review. We still have a couple more sets to review before we get to the summer ones, and have one more almost ready to be posted. So keep checking back for the latest Bionicle news and more!

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