Review:71303 by Dorek

BS01 Reviews

71303 Ikir - Creature of Fire

Review: 71303 Ikir - Creature of Fire

Most of the creatures we've seen have been variants of commonplace animals. Ikir, however, takes a decidedly more mythical approach using the mighty phoenix as its inspiration. Can he withstand the heat of our review process?

The Box

Iki-iki what? The boxes are still here. Ikir's features him divebombing a Shadow Trap, which is a much more interesting pose than some of the other ones take. The swooshing effects probably do it.

The Bits

The standard pieces you find in the creature sets: "unity piece", mask/helmet, and for Ikir, the blade piece. Something I didn't mention in Tahu's review, I think the blade piece looks an awful lot like William Furno's old Dual Fire Shooter. I'd love to see an upscaled take using these bits.

If you were expecting red (although after Tahu, I'm not sure why you would...) you're out of luck here. I actually like it, though. Unlike Tahu, who felt obligated to have a splash of primary, Ikir does away with the pretenses and uses gold and trans-orange to their best effect.

The Build

Yay, Shadow Trap! His name shall be... Georg. Look it up, philistines.

I seriously love these traps. A simple click hinge, and that's all it takes. They've also done a pretty good job at adding small touches of personalization; unlike the Skull Spiders, which were largely identical, the Shadow Traps have different colored eyes and legs.

I'm starting to see a pattern here. All of the Creatures, thus far, have utilized the same basic gear function; the kicker is what gets added to the gears, that ends up setting them apart. I'm hoping the next few creatures have more unique functions, since they definitely seem more alternative.

Feet! An impressive amount of pieces actually goes into Ikir's feet, which not only have gripping front talons (which past sets have been content to just leave with) but some back ones too. Definitely a bird, all right.

Here's where Ikir starts to shine. Using one of my favorite pieces, the tri-axle hub, Ikir creates a three-feather wing design; two are the fire pieces we've come to love from Hero Factory, while the last is the new blade piece. The blade piece is moveable, cleverly jammed with a mini-ball stop (although for the briefest of moments I was hoping for something involving rubber bands).

Ikir comes together. One of his greatest assets is the use of a socket on the wings; they could have easily just made his flapping function be the end of it, so to be able to pose works in his favor.

Pose and play, mind. Ikir excels at both of these things; it's very clear what he is, and his function works for both swooshing action figures and looking good on camera. The one place he is entirely unadorned is, surprisingly, the mask piece. Almost all of the other creatures have some kind of horn or ear that sets them apart, but Ikir uses the head piece by itself. Thankfully, it also feels like it was made for him; the hooked nose is very avian, fitting his design.

We're not done yet, though! Ikir is great by himself, but also advertises to connect to Tahu, Uniter of Fire. The connection is the same as other sets, on the back. From the front, it's a definite enhancement; some people prefer the creatures with silver masks being used better, but I much prefer the gold. The visual flow is consistent with the Unity theme, and works better when they match colors.

Tahu's color scheme was already a mess, so Ikir doesn't detract much from that. Giving Tahu wings was certainly an interesting idea (who'd have thought?) but it definitely works, and makes him seem more regal than ever.

The Brass Tacks

Should I get this set? Yes	Good for people who like: Swoosh swoosh - Ikir's various features lend themselves to a fun-to-play set Consistent visuals - Some creatures are a little more mysterious in terms of their origins, but Ikir knows exactly what it is *Phoenix!Tahu - Tahu's okay by himself, but steps up his game when connected to Ikir
	Not for those looking for: *Repeat functions - Thankfully Ikir's poseable wings make up for this, but the function is the same as you'll find in the other creatures
	Other Comments: Georg Von Trapp, in case anybody didn't get it. I have a soft spot for that musical.--Dorek

Ikir is easily one of the best creature sets you can pick up. His poseable wings and toes make all the difference in both playing and shelf-sitting, and his is a sort of novelty that doesn't wear off easily. He could have done with a bit of extra spice in terms of colored pieces, but overall is a top-notch figure and welcome addition to the line.

He even makes Tahu look good.

2016 Set Reviews (1HY)
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Review #1	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek
Review #2	By SPIRIT			By Cholie		By SPIRIT				By Swert	By SPIRIT	By KZN02