REVIEW: 70793 Skull Basher

[VBBN]

Set name: Skull Basher

Set number: 70793

Pieces: 72

Price: $14.99 | £12.99 | €14.99

Release date: 2015

Press the trigger for bashing battle action with Skull Basher!

Stand guard at the gate to the Temple of Creation with the mighty Skull Basher! This fearsome warrior, created by Skull Grinder, is armed with 2 giant hook axes and is ready to use them to intercept anyone who tries to get in. Press the trigger on its back to activate the battle bash function and chop off invaders’ masks. LEGO® BIONICLE® heroes must not underestimate this brute’s awesome power!

• Features a Bull Skull Mask and mask pop-off trigger, shell with cool metallic-effect chest decoration, trigger-activated battle bash function, 2 hook axes, silver-colored bones, translucent rib cage and posable joints
  
• Press the trigger for battle bash mode!
  
• Chop off hero masks with the hook axes!
  
• Pop off the Bull Skull Mask!
  
• Durable design for intense action play
  
• Stands over 7” (20cm) tall
  
• Combine with 70791 Skull Warrior and 70792 Skull Slicer to create a multi-headed warrior using building instructions available online at LEGO.com/BIONICLE/bi
  

Hello everyone and welcome to the review of Skull Basher! Basher has an interesting function, one that allows you to move his arms in a- hold on to something here- bashing motion. Does this function make him a worthy purchase? Read on to decide for yourself!

Packaging and Contents

Box Front

Like all other sets in this new Bionicle them, Basher uses a hexagonal shaped box. Again this is European packaging so some info may be different on the box than what you'll find on other variants. Basher is seen stealing Onua's Pakari, with Onua's hand reaching for it back.

Box Back

The back of the box features a comic panel, the combo model, and set functions, as well as a slew of safety warnings.

News and Interesting parts

Bones and Weapons

We have a narrow torso bone in silver, which is a welcome change from the usual black. Also, there is a new bone piece in silver, which is styled to look like an actual bone. Finally, there is one of the new weapon molds, made with lots of hooking points to rip off a Toa's mask. While the other blade introduced in this wave has only one axle connection, this piece has two, plus two pin holes, which means we may see this one used in more creative ways in the future.

Armor and Trans Parts

First, we have the new armor add-on, which is really cool looking, and quite large. There is a printed chestplate, which is actually symmetrical in appearance. Next we have a trans neon orange eyestalk, and of course the new torso shell in trans purple, which, like all trans purple parts, is glorious.

Masks

Firstly, we have the Pakari in gold and trans purple, which is far and above my favorite of the 4 blended Kanohi we get in this wave. We also get Basher's mask, which is one of the two new skull mask designs in this wave. Unfortunately, both Basher and Scorpio have the exact same mask in the exact same color. I don't mind Grinder and Warrior having the same mask because at least they have them in different colors, but this just feels like a waste to me.

Building Process

Frame

Unlike the other bipedal skull villains, Basher doesn't use a gearbox, we move on to something much different...

Function

This...thing. I really can't describe what it is, in a way it reminds me of Dragon Bolt's wing function. The silver hose piece is used as a "spring" and works fairly well.

Action Frame

The function attached to his back, not unlike how a gearbox would, and sits at about the same height.

Armoring

Just like his chest piece, Basher has a very symmetrical build, and uses four of the new armor add on to build up a fair amount of bulk. Overall he doesn't look too bad, and I have to say, of all the color schemes, trans neon orange and trans purple is the best of the mixes. It's actually a beautiful scheme, especially mixed with the pearl dark gray.

Finished Build

Front View

His weapons are just the ax pieces with small handles built on.

Profile View

Due to the build of the function, he arms do sit slightly farther back from the torso. This, however is not the problem- the problem is, they flop around. A lot. The function doesn't hold them in place nearly well enough, which can be fairly annoying when posing him.

Back View

Giant red button is giant. Although, it does add a nice bit of bulk, making it look more complete than the usual gearbox does.

Roar like a Minotaur

If you raise the weapons up and use his function, you are going to bump into his horns and knock off his mask. it will happen, you can't avoid it.

This pose was harder to do than you think

Okay, so I didn't show any actual photos of the function because nothing I did showed what it could really do, so lets discuss it here. Basically, the red button can do one of two things. If you moved the red button left or right, then one of his arms will move forward, and the other will move back, like he is punching. If you push it, then both hands arms come together like he is try to bash you, or maybe hug you. Don't judge him, you don't know his story.

And yeah, it took me a good ten minutes to get him to stay like this, either the arm wanted to swing back to a normal position or the figure was sliding out of place.

Give me your face

As much as the horns can sometimes get in the way, I adore the fact that we got a figure who used the long horn skull design- this mask was totally designed for this guy, and it looks way better on him than it does Scorpio in my opinion.

I can feel the strength

I said in the other reviews, the problem with these Toa masks is that, if you don't have the corresponding Toa, the playability isn't as good as what the skull spiders provided to a set.

Function

I described his function above, here's how the instructions depict it- strangely leaving out the punching feature.

Size Comparison

Even this brute-sized character isn't going to stand up to the taller Toa...

Overall

Basher has a cool function, albeit one that can cause floppy arms. And while the long horn design is cool, i have knocked his mask off more than I would have liked already. His color scheme is great and he does have a fairly bulky build, so if the thinness of skeletons is a turn off for you, this might be the villain for you. Personally, I rate him slightly lower than Warrior and Slicer, mostly because I like the unique look of Slicer and the weapons of Warrior more, but I definitely would recommend considering this guy up if you are grabbing some of the villains.

[Logan McOwen]

I can't find fault in this set at all. Bloody gorgeous design.

[TheDesuComplex]

I can't find fault in this set at all. Bloody gorgeous design.

He is a minotaur after all!

Again, I don't have him in hand so I can't speak on how the function feels in hand, but I think its floppyness works in its favor and fits for the skeletalness: things are bound to get a bit loose up there considering that you have been dead and decaying for a number of years. Have you tried switching the pins out for ones with friction? I think this set works the best out of the sets in implementing the new armor piece and the trans-neon-orange armor, giving him bulk where he needs it and fleshing (heh) his proportions out in a very appealing way.

[Aanchir]

Good review! This guy has a brilliant function — I didn't even fully appreciate its potential from Toy Fair pics, since I figured it was built almost exactly like Dragon Bolt's function, without the potential for the arms to swing independently. One other random advantage I noticed about this function using a button rather than a gear is it could potentially work on a caped figure, which is a good thing to keep in mind for MOCs.

He also has a unique, lumbering posture which sets him apart the other villains, particularly the thin and agile Skull Slicer. This is helped by his shoulder joints not being raised up like Skull Slicer's, Skull Grinder's, or Skull Warrior's. I think the arms being set back from his torso works pretty well, though his lower back could maybe use some added bulk so it doesn't result in such a sharp right angle from his torso beam. His shoulder armor wraps around the shoulder joints a lot more nicely than Skull Slicer's or Skull Warrior's due to being mounted lower on the arm.

The color scheme is pretty well distributed. When I first saw the set I sort of wondered if the feet might be better in Silver Metallic like Skull Warrior's or Skull Slicer's, but I've come to realize the black feet really suit him. They sort of make it feel like he's wearing boots, while those other sets have a more barefoot, bony look. The minotaur look also makes him feel very unique and fearsome. Overall, this is one of my favorites of the skull villains, and I can't wait to try out his function for myself!

[One Very Agile Cat]

He's really small. I wish they'd used longer bones or something to make him taller. He's not really intimidating at all once you place him next to any Toa.

[Aanchir]

He's really small. I wish they'd used longer bones or something to make him taller. He's not really intimidating at all once you place him next to any Toa.

Not counting his horns, he's exactly the same height as Onua or Pohatu. Not as bulky as Onua, of course, but if he were he'd no longer look like a skeleton. Considering he's being set up as Onua's adversary, I think these proportions suit him just fine. It's not like height is a measure of a character's physical power, and with his wide shoulders and copious armor, Skull Basher definitely looks as stocky and "muscular" as a skeleton really can.

Now I'm afraid I'm going to see a bunch of Skull Basher revamps that stretch him out awkwardly, much like many of the Onua revamps I've seen that try and "correct" his shortness...

Edited July 14, 2015 by Aanchir

[One Very Agile Cat]

It's not like height is a measure of a character's physical power,

It kinda is. More mass, more strength. (unless you're fat, I guess) I mean, he can't exactly rip masks off the Toa if he can't reach half of them. :3

Now I'm afraid I'm going to see a bunch of Skull Basher revamps that stretch him out awkwardly, much like many of the Onua revamps I've seen that try and "correct" his shortness...

Onua's shortness was an absolute detriment in need of correcting, though. His arms and legs and torso height weren't a problem so much as his massive chest and gigantic shoulders. He looked more awkward stock built than literally any revamp of him I've seen. At least those attempted to reconcile the torso that was wider than it was tall.

You raise a good point in Basher's favour, though. At least it's not massively disproportionate to itself like Onua was. Placed alone, Basher looks sweet.

[Aanchir]

It kinda is. More mass, more strength. (unless you're fat, I guess) I mean, he can't exactly rip masks off the Toa if he can't reach half of them. :3

I still think a short and stocky character generally looks more powerful than a taller but leaner character. Comparing Onua with Tahu, it definitely feels like the former has more brute strength, despite the latter being a full four modules taller.

Onua's shortness was an absolute detriment in need of correcting, though. His arms and legs and torso height weren't a problem so much as his massive chest and gigantic shoulders. He looked more awkward stock built than literally any revamp of him I've seen. At least those attempted to reconcile the torso that was wider than it was tall.

I wholeheartedly disagree. Onua's proportions are anything but realistic, but I definitely think they suit him. And considering his shortness has generally been his defining physical trait in previous set depictions (the 2008 Mistika version notwithstanding), I think it would make far more sense to make his chest and shoulders narrower than it would to stretch him out to Tahu's height or taller, as I've seen some revamps do. Besides, I can't help feeling that a Toa who is both super-tall and super-brawny makes the team feel much less balanced. It's one of the things that frustrates me about the animations, which make Onua the tallest of the Toa (though they at least keep his unique proportions intact, unlike many revamps).

[Onepu the Protector]

Personally I don't like how stocky the new Onua is. It certainly makes him unique but I just don't think it looks good. Sure, Onua's shortness is one of his key traits but most of his previous incarnations were somewhat scrawny. The only remotely muscular rendition of Onua was his Toa Nuva form, and yet he didn't look much different from his teammates (and had teeny, stubby Bohrok arms xD).

The review is nice and in-depth as always but I still can't bring myself to like the Skull Creatures or whatever they're called.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Onepu the Protector

[One Very Agile Cat]

I still think a short and stocky character generally looks more powerful than a taller but leaner character.

But a tall, buff character looks stronger than both.

Ever played or heard of the game series Borderlands? One of the characters, Salvador, is a super buff dwarf. Another is Axton, an normal looking, muscular guy. Yeah, Salvador looks maybe physically stronger than Axton despite being comically short, but Brick, a character from the first game, looks stronger than both because he's taller, and more muscular than either.

Comparing Onua with Tahu, it definitely feels like the former has more brute strength, despite the latter being a full four modules taller.

Except I can't see that when Onua's limbs are no larger than Tahu's. In fact, stock, Tahu's limbs are bigger. Onua's only sign of strength is his disproportionately large chest and shoulders. His arms and legs are so small, though, he doesn't look like he can really do anything except collapse under the weight of his own deformed body.

I wholeheartedly disagree. Onua's proportions are anything but realistic, but I definitely think they suit him. And considering his shortness has generally been his defining physical trait in previous set depictions (the 2008 Mistika version notwithstanding), I think it would make far more sense to make his chest and shoulders narrower than it would to stretch him out to Tahu's height or taller, as I've seen some revamps do. Besides, I can't help feeling that a Toa who is both super-tall and super-brawny makes the team feel much less balanced. It's one of the things that frustrates me about the animations, which make Onua the tallest of the Toa (though they at least keep his unique proportions intact, unlike many revamps).

Onua's shortness may have been a defining trait of early G1 Bionicle, but like Pohatu's inverted torso, it doesn't old much stock these days. Plus, if you're gonna bring up G1, I'd say his not looking wider than he is tall is another defining trait of the character. His chest is just so wide, it's impossible for me to envision him as anyting less than a severely limited physical fighter, borderline useless. While the gearbox prevents the other Toa from doing it practically, Onua doesn't even look like he could cross his arms.

Also, being so big doesn't off-balance the team IMO. He's like the Team's Hulk, minus the outrageous agility. He's super strong, super tough, but not as fast or skilled as the others. Stock Onua looks neither fast, nor skilled, nor really tough or strong.

EDIT: And I totally forgot my ultimate point, that Grinder aside, all the Skull villains are either shorter or just barely as tall as the Toa on average. Factor in their decreased numbers, they're really not intimidating villains. Plus, they're skeletons. Skeletons are usually pretty lame enemies, but they can work if they're properly built up with armour, weapons, and size. Here, they're all shorter, skinnier, and just look like they'd get instantly steamrolled by even half the Toa. They don't look threatening at all in comparrison.

Edited July 15, 2015 by One Very Agile Cat

[MakutaOfWar]

Wow, I didn't know this was the Onua review...

Anyways, on the subject of BASHER I love the function, very unique.

[Mutant Orc]

Thanks for the review! This set looks cooler than I had thought looking at some of the official pics.

I'd just like to mention that I agree with Aanachir here, I like how Onua actually is rather gorilla like.

[BBBeavarr]

So refreshing to see a function in a Lego action figure that's actually unique and well designed. Too many "functions" nowadays come off as incredibly gimmicky and boring. I can't wait to get this guy for myself and try it out! His colors are utterly fantastic. I do wish his mask had gotten a recolor (such as gunmetal grey), but I can't really complain because it still fits beautifully as it is. And those purple horns...

Looking at that silver torso bone is a sight for sore eyes. Interesting though that they only recolored that one size though; I wish they had done the next size up as it's more versatile. Maybe next wave.

[Lyichir]

So refreshing to see a function in a Lego action figure that's actually unique and well designed. Too many "functions" nowadays come off as incredibly gimmicky and boring. I can't wait to get this guy for myself and try it out! His colors are utterly fantastic. I do wish his mask had gotten a recolor (such as gunmetal grey), but I can't really complain because it still fits beautifully as it is. And those purple horns...

Looking at that silver torso bone is a sight for sore eyes. Interesting though that they only recolored that one size though; I wish they had done the next size up as it's more versatile. Maybe next wave.

The next size up is usually more versatile, but I figure these sets only used the one size for the same reason the Toa do—considering they use their own gearboxes and function elements, the wider shoulder joints of the larger torso beam tend to just get in the way.

Cool thing about the skeleton bones and silver torso beam: It's now technically possible to make a basic humanoid figure entirely in silver. I really like the way Silver Metallic is starting to come into its own as a neutral color.

[arc]

Out of the new skull baddies, basher is probably my favorite. Love the new mask and chest plate print, and the colors look great to me. He could be a bit taller, but not a major problem. Look forward to picking this up.