Review:70792 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

70792 Skull Slicer

Review: 70792 Skull Slicer

The names clearly get more vicious as the Skull sets go along. Can Slicer match his aggressive moniker, or does he lack an edge?

The Box

Terrible packaging yadda yadda. Let's think of fun things to do with the boxes instead. Can they be... a hat? No, not a hat. A platform? No, still too flimsy... I'll get back to you on that one...

The Bits

Continuing the blossoming theme of the year, Slicer has a truckload of transparent parts, in a refreshing transparent bright green that we only saw earlier on the Protector of Jungle. As with Skull Warrior, there's a few sparse trans-orange elements, which make for a curious blend. It also lacks a brand new mask mold, unlike the rest of the summer sets; instead, there's a Skull Spider mask (sans legs, praise LEGO!) for him to wear. It's actually a very nice choice, since given the general uselessness of attaching the Skull Spiders on most of the winter sets, it gets a chance at redemption here. Another color would have been nice, though; imagine a gunmetal version! Also of note are the 16-tooth mid-size gears, which we haven't seen in BIONICLE for a good while.

The Build

Lacking the general asymmetry of Skull Warrior, Slicer nonetheless nails the skeletal feel, in large part thanks to a smart lack of armoring on the colored limbs and liberal use of the new bone piece. It's interesting to see the friction joint extender included on both of the Skull sets thus far, but makes more sense (at least for Slicer) when you get further on in the build.

And that further on in the build is Slicer's main selling point, the four geared arms. The gearbox impressed me before, but now it just straight out floored me. The fact that it can adapt to having FOUR different arms is just bonkers. The use of different gear sizes, too, means that the arms actually behave differently on each side! This can be a bit awkward at times depending on how you've posed the arms, but subtly adds to the asymmetrical motif without being too obvious.

Four arms means four weapons! I definitely like the new bladed piece the skull creatures use, although a three-peat of them here can get a little old. Thankfully, there's a nifty chain weapon to break up the monotony. Instead of introducing transparent Technic chain links (which would have been cool too!) there's a basic system chain in trans-orange. I've always loved these little chains, personally, and it's fun to see them throw a few System pieces in here just for the sake of a cool weapon. It also matches the one trans-orange shell, and balances well enough to be a good accent color (unlike Skull Warrior's crazy jumble of colors and parts).

Final Skull Slicer appearance is definitely bad to the bone, if you'll pardon my pun. The hook blades and grabbing claw fit the sinister look, and the trans-green is surprisingly not distractingly cheerful, as I was worried it would end up being. He even looks good with the drained Golden Mask of Jungle, impressively enough.

The Brass Tacks

Should I get this set? Yes	Good for people who like: Ferocious bad guys - Four weapons makes Skull Slicer a fine opponent for any Toa Gearbox aficionados - Just when you thought it couldn't get any better with the gearbox, they add an extra pair of arms
	Not for those looking for: Anything out of the ordinary - the four armed gearbox is amazing, but take away two of those arms and there's not much left to him. Perfection with innovation - the arms don't always move in a good motion for playing, although they make posing really cool
	Other Comments: Props to the chestplate designers too, they've been churning out some neat patterns. --Dorek

The Skull villains thus far have been really great at capturing the "old BIONICLE" feel, almost even moreso than the winter waves! Skull Slicer distinguishes himself with a gearbox design that should melt the frozen heart of any cynical genwunner. However, beyond that, he doesn't have much unique to offer, aside from a well-laid color scheme. He's almost the opposite of Skull Warrior in that regard - innovative in build, less emphasis on the quirks and personality. It's hard to fault consistency though, and Skull Slicer is still a solid choice.

2015 Set Reviews (2HY)
	70791	70792	70793	70794	70795
Review #1	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek
Review #2	By KZN02	By SPIRIT	By SPIRIT	By Cholie	By Swert