Review:70787 by SPIRIT

BS01 Reviews

70787 Tahu – Master of Fire

Review: 70787 Tahu - Master of Fire

The Toa, the legend. One of the most iconic characters in Bionicle is back after a five year hiatus. Does this new incarnation of Tahu live up to his legacy? Let's find out.

The Box

Clearly an homage to original depictions of Tahu lavasurfing, this box captures all the excitement of questing for the Golden Mask in the Region of Fire. There's even a mini comic on the back to catch you up on the premise of the 2015 storyline. It's certainly an eye-catching design and really captures the feel of "old Bionicle".

The Bits

Lots of big pieces in this one, which is really just a good description of Tahu overall: big (but more on that later). Lots of red and gold and the swords are definitely reminiscent of Lhikan's.

Interesting to note, Tahu has the friction extensions on his limbs to make him appear taller than the other Toa, which gives him that height advantage to make him seem even more imposing.

As you can see, there's a bit of a Hero Factory quality to him, especially with the fists, but he's definitely much better proportioned than his Stars incarnation.

He also comes with this guy. Nothing really special about the Skull Spiders, but it is nice of Lego to include both villain and hero in the same set rather than instigating a "gotta buy 'em all".

The Build

Lego definitely has learned from past sets and have added quite a few nifty features to the Toa this year. Tahu, for instance can put his Golden Swords on his back when he's using his Fire Blades, or he can take them out while he's surfing on his Lava Surfboard (something Tahu Nuva couldn't do). The Lava Surfboard even clips onto his feet, a definite improvement over what Tahu Nuva and Lhikan had.

They've even brought gears back! Different Toa have different setups. In Tahu's case, his gears have him move both arms at once, but using a very different gear system to what Gen 1 had. Check it out:

The Brass Tacks

Did we like this set? Yes	What We Liked: Strong fire motif Inclusion of Skull Spider *Gear functions
	What We Didn't Like: Not quite a strong resemblance to the original form (more Lhikan than Tahu) Oversized shin armor
	Other Comments: It's Tahu, guys! --SPIRIT

While he's definitely a cool set, I don't know that he feels entirely like Tahu. To be honest, he seems much more like a remake of Lhikan (who's been hitting the gym for the past 11 years since he was a set). A gold Hau and absurdly giant pair of swords complete the Lhikan ensemble. Also, I cannot stress enough how gigantic his calves are -- Tahu never skips leg day!

In spite of that, it's Tahu! You can't not have Tahu in your collection! Sure, he's changed a lot since we last saw him, but he does look much more like his original self than his Mistika form ever did. Plus he's really got a fire aesthetic going for him with the return of bright colours in Bionicle.

There's just something about Tahu surfing down a river of lava that makes you glad Bionicle is back.

2015 Set Reviews (1HY)
	70778	70779	70780	70781	70782	70783	70784	70785	70786	70787	70788	70789	70790
Review #1	By Cholie	By SPIRIT	By Dorek	By SPIRIT	By Dorek	By SPIRIT	By KZN02	By SPIRIT	By Swert	By SPIRIT	By Swert	By SPIRIT	By Cholie
Review #2	By Swert	By Dorek	By Swert	By Dorek	By Swert	By Swert	By Cholie	By Dorek	By Dorek	By KZN02	By Dorek	By Dorek	By SPIRIT