[REVIEW]: 70787 Tahu: Master of Fire

[Zaktan of the Shadows]

Again, thanks for another awesome review. Tahu has always been my favourite Toa and this is no exception. Awesome build, great colours and a look that just screams "TAHU!" I love it. This shall be my first Master. :)

-ZotS

[Chimaninja454]

Again, thanks for another awesome review. Tahu has always been my favourite Toa and this is no exception. Awesome build, great colours and a look that just screams "TAHU!" I love it. This shall be my first Master. :)

-ZotS

Me too...

[Crabster]

Very good review. I saw your other reviews. They're awesome too.

But this review is my favorite!

VBBN you are the best reviewer.

[Logan McOwen]

Tahu looks fantastic. Only minor complaint is how empty those lower legs feel at the back. Other than that, he looks ace.

[bjj8383]

Tahu was awesome in the original but this seems over done, between the weapon-with-fire and back-spikes...

[DalekSram]

In my opinion this version of Tahu is like a cross between the Mata and Nuva versions.

From the Mata version you have the mask and a simple sword ...

...and from the Nuva version you have the body armor a weapon that can become a lava surfer board.

[Shakar]

You can argue that all Toa incorporate 2 or more of their G1 forms into their designs (ramblings below):

-Tahu: like you said, plus the gold armour which makes him look like a full sized GOLDEN BIONICLE Star Tahu.

-Kopaka: the mask is obviously a 01 Akaku with a slightly more squared shape a bit similar to that of the Akaku Nuva, while both weapons can be seen as references to his Nuva weapons: the shield is actually his bladed weapons joined together this time, but the spear is also a bit reminiscient of when Kopaka (in a lot of promo material) would hold both his swords in one hand, like a long bladed javelin. Coupled with the bulky physique, he's like a Kopaka Nuva wearing a 01 Akaku and gold armour.

-Onua: he's mostly similar to Onua Mata in concept, but the bulky look is more akin to Onua Nuva, and the new shoulder armour/hammer half piece looks like the shield (Bitil's wings) he used during 2008.

-Lewa: his slender build, mask (yeah, I know, many don't like it, but I do) and axes are obviously taken from Lewa Mata, but he also wields a pair of blades that turn into wing-like devices (like Lewa Nuva), and his blade-like shoulder armour might or not be a reference to his Phantoka form.

-Pohatu: mostly a Pohatu Mata for his mask and physique, but the boomerangs might have been inspired by his Nuva claws and/or his Phantoka claws/drills.

-Gali: the one closest to her Nuva form along Kopaka (mask, double bladed axe, silver armour). But her slender build and some features of her mask make her more similar to Gali Mata. No references at all to Gali Mistika, and it's best it stays that way.

Did I already post here? Suprisingly not, first off great review and great photos as usual VBBN. While Tahu never was my favourite Toa (that spot belongs to, surprise surprise, Lewa), he has a special spot in my heart, him being my first BIONICLE set along Gali (well, I had bought a Mask Pack a week or so before..but..yeah) and arguably the mascot of BIONICLE and its fandom. Which is why I'm getting him and Gali first (even though getting my hands on Lewa first is very, very tempting, but I'll resist).

So, that being said, I think that out of the 6 Tahu is one of the best executed ones as a set, along, again, Gali. He has no odd or awkward design choices (like Kopaka's stupid thick legs or Pohatu's incredibly boring torso) and he has a good quantity of the new add-ons. And there's a lot to like about him: his colour scheme (normally I don't like tr. reddish orange, it looked awful on Laval and Cragger, but it looks fine here), his variation on the gearbox which coupled with the gold blades creates a unique look, and his gigantic swords/surfboard which is one of the best looking weapons in years.

Also, I like the light blue eyes him and PoF sport, they look a whole lot better than the tr. neon green eyes Star Tahu and Furno got us used to (a terrible choice, IMHO). The best colour choice for him would be tr. pink (I think such a shade still exists but I'm not fully sure, please correct me if I'm wrong) or alternatively tr. purple (which is far more likely to appear and is still somewhat close to his classic pink eyes), but this is a good substitute.

What I really don't get and plan to fix as soon as I get the set is the choice of silver hands and feet: they just don't make sense to me (red feet and tr. reddish orange hands would've been my choice), but every time I see odd colour choices like this I get the feeling they're done to recover unused parts that were overproduced, so I'll assume this was the case and I won't complain about it. That said, the "glove look" is overdone on the Toa and the Protectors so, as nice as generic colours like black and silver (and now dark bley as well!) are, I think Lego should start using coloured fists more and, hopefully, give us new colours in the future (like gold, which is surprisingly long overdue IMO).

I'm surprised at how long this got, sorry. Tl;dr: Great set, don't like the silver feet and hands.

[Aanchir]

Also, I like the light blue eyes him and PoF sport, they look a whole lot better than the tr. neon green eyes Star Tahu and Furno got us used to (a terrible choice, IMHO). The best colour choice for him would be tr. pink (I think such a shade still exists but I'm not fully sure, please correct me if I'm wrong) or alternatively tr. purple (which is far more likely to appear and is still somewhat close to his classic pink eyes), but this is a good substitute.

The only current transparent pink color is Transparent Medium Reddish Violet, which is more purplish than his classic Transparent Fluorescent Red eyes. Bricklink uses the same name ("Trans-Dark Pink") for both colors, but the difference is pretty substantial. In general, I think either Transparent Fluorescent Green or Transparent Light Blue makes a better eye color for him than a pinkish or reddish color would, since it contrasts more with his mask color.

[TheDesuComplex]

In general, I think either Transparent Fluorescent Green or Transparent Light Blue makes a better eye color for him than a pinkish or reddish color would, since it contrasts more with his mask color.

When I was rebuilding my 8534 I swapped out his eyes for the Tr Blue color (used with Kopaka) because of this reason- I hated how his eye color seemed to blend with his mask color, and blue was very visually interesting and added more life to his eyes in comparison. I'm glad that they decided to use the Tr Blue eyes for 70787.

[Shakar]

That's a vaild point actually, I guess the nostalgia did cloud my judgement a bit this time. Also, now that I think of it tr. purple would probably look too dark as an eye colour, but I'm not sure.

[VBBN]

That's a vaild point actually, I guess the nostalgia did cloud my judgement a bit this time. Also, now that I think of it tr. purple would probably look too dark as an eye colour, but I'm not sure.

Even the eye colors used on these guys are sort of a moot point, while they are still brighter than trans dark purple would be, they are still pretty dark. light has to hit them in a very specific way to light them up. After side-by-side comparisons I've found them to be poorer than both the Metru and Mata stalks.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Tahu was the first set I got back as a kid, so seeing this now is tremendously nostalgic and exciting. No doubt I will be making him my first purchase when the sets are released.

[MakutaOfWar]

Best set of the first wave in my eyes, and even though usually I get all sets of constraction in one go, for nostalgia's sake, I'm getting Tahu first and before the rest as he was my first Bionicle ever. Hopefully though my first Master of Fire's masks and swords won't be missing like my first Mata Tahu was. ._.

[BrickBuilder3213]

I'm using the lavaboard/swords, the gearbox and the gold mask from Tahu to make Toa Lhikan. Hence, why I need him more than the other Toa.

[Kalhiki]

Even the eye colors used on these guys are sort of a moot point, while they are still brighter than trans dark purple would be, they are still pretty dark. light has to hit them in a very specific way to light them up. After side-by-side comparisons I've found them to be poorer than both the Metru and Mata stalks.

Think that's because of the axle that keeps the eyestalk in place, or a flaw with the actual design? You'd think it'd be because of the axle, but the Metru eyestalk uses the same technique, so I guess it's just the part design that makes the light piping poor.

[Aanchir]

Even the eye colors used on these guys are sort of a moot point, while they are still brighter than trans dark purple would be, they are still pretty dark. light has to hit them in a very specific way to light them up. After side-by-side comparisons I've found them to be poorer than both the Metru and Mata stalks.

Really? My sets' Tr. Flu. Green eyes aren't as bright when lit from directly behind, but when lit from above at pretty much any angle they light up just as brightly as Toa Mata Lewa's or Toa Metru Vakama's — and at certain angles, even more brightly.

I actually prefer the eyes to glow when lit from above instead of behind, personally, because lighting a set from behind makes the colors hard to see (since you're staring directly into a light source and the entire front of the set is in shadow).

[Shakar]

Even the eye colors used on these guys are sort of a moot point, while they are still brighter than trans dark purple would be, they are still pretty dark. light has to hit them in a very specific way to light them up. After side-by-side comparisons I've found them to be poorer than both the Metru and Mata stalks.

Really? My sets' Tr. Flu. Green eyes aren't as bright when lit from directly behind, but when lit from above at pretty much any angle they light up just as brightly as Toa Mata Lewa's or Toa Metru Vakama's — and at certain angles, even more brightly.

I actually prefer the eyes to glow when lit from above instead of behind, personally, because lighting a set from behind makes the colors hard to see (since you're staring directly into a light source and the entire front of the set is in shadow).

Thanks for the info, it's curious that you got divergent results. Either way, it does give me some hope to see some more eye colours in the future. It's unfortunate that they don't care about eye fluorescence (that's the world..I guess?) anymore, but if that's the case we might get some zany colours like 2004-2005. I like fluorescent eyes, but I do value colour variety a bit more.

But back on Tahu. Am I the only one who really likes how his gold swords look? They look like wings when raised, while when down they remind me of those big dangling scarves heroes wear in Japanese media. It's a whole new look I like a lot!

[VBBN]

Really? My sets' Tr. Flu. Green eyes aren't as bright when lit from directly behind, but when lit from above at pretty much any angle they light up just as brightly as Toa Mata Lewa's or Toa Metru Vakama's — and at certain angles, even more brightly.

Yes they light up when lit from the top, but just being in a room lit by natural light doesn't hit the top enough, you have to have some sort of overhead light to really see that difference.

I guess it could be just because my house is loaded with studio lights so I see a more noticeable difference.

[TheDesuComplex]

Thanks for the info, it's curious that you got divergent results. Either way, it does give me some hope to see some more eye colours in the future. It's unfortunate that they don't care about eye fluorescence (that's the world..I guess?) anymore, but if that's the case we might get some zany colours like 2004-2005. I like fluorescent eyes, but I do value colour variety a bit more.

But back on Tahu. Am I the only one who really likes how his gold swords look? They look like wings when raised, while when down they remind me of those big dangling scarves heroes wear in Japanese media. It's a whole new look I like a lot!

Talking about Japanese influences... when his swords are raised they remind me of the Sashimono flags worn by samurai. That was my first thought upon seeing his animated form in the NYCC and it's stuck with me since.

[wghost]

Same here. :)

Edited December 28, 2014 by wghost

[NKD]

It looks really cool, but i wish they used an older face/mask attaching method, as this looks too flimsy to be useful... I haven't actually bought any sets due to the mask attachments, so i'm not sure. Are my concerns valid, or do they lock together well?

Edited January 3, 2015 by NKD

[Aanchir]

It looks really cool, but i wish they used an older face/mask attaching method, as this looks too flimsy to be useful... I haven't actually bought any sets due to the mask attachments, so i'm not sure. Are my concerns valid, or do they lock together well?

With the three Toa I have (Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa), the mask pops off the face about as easily as a Toa Mata mask. It actually attaches even more securely to some other Technic parts since those don't have the grooves for sliding it on and off.

From what I've heard, Onua's mask seems to be considerably looser than the others. Whereas the Skull Spider body attaches VERY tightly (probably more so than any of the other masks released to date).

Edited January 3, 2015 by Aanchir

[NKD]

With the three Toa I have (Gali, Kopaka, and Lewa), the mask pops off the face about as easily as a Toa Mata mask. It actually attaches even more securely to some other Technic parts since those don't have the grooves for sliding it on and off.

From what I've heard, Onua's mask seems to be considerably looser than the others. Whereas the Skull Spider body attaches VERY tightly (probably more so than any of the other masks released to date).

Ok. Awesome! Thanks

[SzyMek]

My favorite set