Review:71306 by Cholie
By Cholie
71306 Pohatu - Uniter of Stone
Pohatu has had some of the most radically different sets of any Toa. From flipped torsos to orange armor, Pohatu's appearance has changed the most over the years. While this year's Pohatu set does not do anything quite as different as its predecessors, it still holds up as a rock-solid set in Winter 2016.
The Box
Frankly, it's your average mid-range box. Features on the back. Comic panels are also present. It's the same presentation as the other four smaller Toa models for the year, and it's completely serviceable.
The Bits
Do you like dark tan? I do, and this set has three parts (two armor plates and one printed torso). It's not a lot to write home about, but I appreciate it nonetheless. You can mostly expect to get a lot of silver, a few Technic pieces, and some trans neon green joints, if you like those.
The eye/brain piece had been changed slightly. It may not seem like a big deal, but the old piece was too unbalanced and always popped out of the skull. This one sits nicely one the skull and is a very welcome improvement!
The new torso is perhaps the most interesting part to talk about here. The gears are moved to the hips, so the whole torso can swing with the gears. It takes up less space and allows for more creativity with the set designs, though it doesn't make Pohatu kick. That's a thing of the past.
The Build
Pohatu is a simple build that can be completed in a few minutes, but has some interesting points to it. The shoulders are built on old Hordika necks (I know there's a better name, but you know what I mean), so Pohatu has opposable shoulder armor attached to his upper arms. It sounds weird to explain it, but it actually works quite well, and not only looks unique, but feels good to pose as well.
The weapon is broken into two parts: a blade and a flail. They can be combined into a staff as well. I prefer combining them into as staff, but if you like them separate, I suggest altering the flail to the staff portion is better placed.
Overall the set works well. The colors are a bit of a mixed bag, but they're balanced pretty evenly. The trans neon green almost overpowers any shades of brown, but the added vibrancy is quite nice, actually. I just wish there was more dark tan or brown and less silver. I think all of us long time collectors have enough silver.
As a final note, This set's combination with Ketar is not so hot. Ketar just gets in the way. If you like Pohatu, he's better off alone.
The Brass Tacks
Did we like this set? Yes |
What We Liked: *Somewhat different build for a mid-sized set
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| What We Didn't Like: *Does not combine well with Ketar (but that's Ketar's fault)
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| Other Comments: Ultimately, I think Pohatu is a good buy. Maybe it's parts aren't the best, but the end product is more than just its parts. It's a well-built set that anyone can like. --Cholie |