Review:70793 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

70793 Skull Basher

Review: 70793 Skull Basher

Hulk Bash! The powerhouse of the Skull Creatures, Skull Basher boasts some fearsome looks, but is that enough to crush the competition?

(side note: why was there no "Skull Crusher" set?)

The Box

It's interesting to see a more unified background style for the Skull villains. Instead of the diversity we saw from the winter wave, the summer sets use a similar color palette and background, emphasizing the fact that these battles are all in a central location. It speaks to the fact that the Skull Army is a cohesive entity, unlike the squabbling Toa.

The Bits

Purple! I love the inclusion of the purple coloring in the new sets. It's just nice to see a previously beloved, but neglected, color type finally get a moment to shine. Skull Basher is a bit lacking in the color overall, but since the Skull guys are trying to make it more of a secondary color, it gets a pass. Given the sheer amount of transparent colors in the previous two, however, it does make you wish LEGO had produced more part types in transparent purple.

Since Basher uses the new skeleton add-on piece more than most of the other Skull sets, so I'll take here to talk about it. Initial descriptions pegged it as "cloth-like", along with the generic descriptor of "skeleton piece". Neither are really accurate; it's bulbous and textured with ridges, and doesn't necessarily fit the whole "skeleton" vibe. However, as an armor piece, it's actually pretty cool, and especially makes for a good shoulder pauldron. Given that the Skull villains are meant to comprise a sort of army, it definitely makes them look like undead warriors.

The Build

I'm a bit disappointed that Skull Warrior's chaotic and deliberate asymmetry was mostly phased out after him; for a horde character, his design was one of the more unique, even if his build was fairly standard. Basher starts by using the wide feet, though, which is almost always a good sign. The small feet always feel a bit TOO small, even if they are proportional. I'm not one of those "realism-in-BIONICLE" people, give me Kingdom Hearts level ridiculous feet any day. The wide feet are just what sets need.

A bit of the trans-orange that we saw in the pieces. This is another design element that is meant to make you realize that the Skull villains are a single team; barring the Golden Masks of Power, the Masters didn't really have anything that identified them as allies. It's a subtle inclusion, but an interesting and fun one.

Wait, what? No gearbox? Impossible! In a departure from every medium-sized set of the entire rebooted line so far, Basher possesses no gear functions. Instead, his arms utilize a "flapping" function, similar to the 2013 Hero Factory set Dragon Bolt (one of my personal favorites). It's a bit different when the set is vertical (less "swooshable", as certain people may call it), but still really evokes the playability aspect of the set; for some, the gearbox was almost a habitual inclusion rather than designed for the mask-popping-off-feature. Skull Basher really gets back to the purpose of the function itself, which is to knock off masks.

And he does so with some wicked looking weapons. This is the second of the two new weapon pieces debuting in the summer wave. Like the first mask grabber, this one is intricately designed, and ridiculously over-specialized, like any good BIONICLE weapon should be (although future sets will actually show a surprising amount of adaptability). Here, they're axes, which pair nicely with the bashing function.

Basher also shows some appreciation for his features by adding in horns. The horns aren't just to add to his good looks (they're actually pretty oversized, which can get in the way) but they help weigh down the otherwise easily smackable brain stalk, creating a new focus for playing the mask knocking game; now you need to hit UP on the horns to knock off his mask.

And speaking of his mask, Skull Basher includes the second of the two new Skull masks, this one being the "Bull Skull Mask". It's a neat design; not quite as ferocious as the one on Warrior/Grinder, but eerie all the same, and works well for his minotaur appearance.

An additional half-trans-purple Golden Mask of Earth is included. Like his cohorts, Basher looks weirdly good wearing it, despite the lack of gold anywhere else on his build. The horns definitely have something to do with it.

The Brass Tacks

Should I get this set? Yes	Good for people who like: Something new - Basher eschews the now-traditional gearbox for a very different style Actually using the play functions - Basher is very specifically designed to provide twists on the "minigame" of popping masks *Imposing figure - Each of the Skull villains is scarier than the last one, and Basher follows in fine form
	Not for those looking for: Form over function - The button mechanism is good, but it definitely doesn't integrate visually as well as gears More purple - Since LEGO only produced one bone part in the color, we don't get much use out of it
	Other Comments: Give him a hug. Go on. I dare you. --Dorek

Whereas the previous Skull villains made a point to acknowledge BIONICLE's roots by iterating upon the features previously seen, Basher instead goes for something completely different. However, he keeps the spirit of the functions purpose, and manages to provide a fun new take on the playing feature. Combined with a well-armored look (although perhaps not as "skeletal" as some of the others), Skull Basher is a must-have for those looking for a worthy opponent to the mighty Onua.

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