Review:71301 by Cholie
By Cholie
71301 Ketar - Creature of Stone
The creature sets of 2016 have provided some very diverse set designs that are each unique in their own way, most of which benefit from their own strengths.
Then there's Ketar.
Oh, Ketar...
The Box
The box is, well, no different from the other creature's boxes. Picture on the front, combo on the back. No comic on the box this year. It shows what the product does, and that's all it needs to do.
The Bits
The parts list is pretty large for a smaller set. Overall most of this can be found in plenty of other sets. There are a few reddish brown parts in here, which is unique to this set compared to the rest of the winter 2016 sets. I personally like the gunmetal Technic part with the two pole sockets on the end. And of course it has the axle gear parts, but it only has two whereas other sets may have up to three.
The Build
Like the rest of the creatures, Ketar is based on the small torso, and it includes the new axle gear pieces on its back. This is where Ketar's weaknesses show.
The tail is affixed the the axle that moves the other two gear arms. This tail is a bit heavy, so it's bound to sway from side to side rather than stay centered. On top of that, the large blades attached to the axle gears have a strong tendency to get in the way. I really have a hard time figuring out how to pose it when all these parts are moving by their own weight bearing down on the gears.
And thus these grievances make for a very awkward set overall. Not to mention, combining Ketar with Pohatu is even more awkward, as Ketar's blades have nowhere to go other than get in the way.
The Brass Tracks
Did we like this set? No |
What We Liked: *Brown? |
| What We Didn't Like: *Awkward posing caused by poor choice of parts and gimmicks
| |
| Other Comments: I always want to see positives in a set, but I don't see many in Ketar. Maybe if you really want those brown claws, or you want to revamp the model to fix its issues, then you'll get something out of it. Otherwise, get any other creature before Ketar. --Cholie |