REVIEW: 70794 Skull Scorpio

[VBBN]

Set name: Skull Scorpio

Set number: 70794

Pieces: 107

Price: $14.99 | £12.99 | €14.99

Release date: 2015

Seek the lost masks of power with Skull Scorpio!

Enter the dark burial ground of the ancient city to search for lost masks of power with Skull Scorpio! This evil creation of Skull Grinder is a fierce enemy for anyone who gets in its way. If you encounter LEGO® BIONICLE® heroes underground, press the trigger on the tail to unleash the stinger with hook blades. Then pick up their elemental masks in the gripping pincers to give Skull Scorpio even more poisonous power!

• Features a Bull Skull Mask and mask pop-off trigger, villain shell, trigger-activated stinger with 2 hook blades, gripping pincers, silver-colored bones, translucent rib cage and posable joints
  
• Press the tail to trigger the battle stinger!
  
• Pick up masks with the gripping pincers
  
• Pop off the Bull Skull mask!
  
• Durable design for intense action play
  
• Combine with 70795 Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder to create a powered-up Skull Grinder using building instructions available online at LEGO.com/BIONICLE/bi
  
• Measures over 4” (12cm) high, 10” (26cm) long and 7” (20cm) wide
  

Hello everyone and welcome to my review of Scorpio! I- what? Oh, right, we already did a review of Scorpio. In fact I think we even did that back in Bionicle G1... Well goodbye!

I'd love to know what is so wrong with calling a set Scorpion.

Let's try that again- Welcome to Skull Scorpio's review, a brand new set of course! Of the skull villains, poor little Scorpy here has been getting a lot of flak and being called the worst of the wave. Is this the case? Read on to decide for yourself!

Packaging and Contents

Box Front

Like most other sets this year, Skull Scorpio comes in a hexagonal shaped box. As always, this is the European packaging, so the information that is displayed may be different depending on the country. Skull Scorpio is, like the other villains, wrestling for control of a mask, in this case Pohatu's.

Box Back

The rear of the box features safety warnings, a comic panel,, set features, and the combo model, which in this case is a model that also uses Ekimu and Kulta, resulting in a rather awesome looking combo model.

News and Interesting parts

Bones and Weapon

Like all of the other villains, he comes with a silver torso bone of the narrower variety, which is a welcome change of color. We also get the new bone piece that is styled to look after a real bone in silver, and one of the new weapon designs. Both of the new weapon designs in these sets have lots of "hooks" to pull off Toa or Protector masks.

Trans Pieces and Leg

We have the new torso armor in trans neon green and a shorter bone piece, both of which did not agree with my camera here, as well as a trans neon orange eyestalk, and the bone-wing piece in a translucent black.

Masks

Firstly we have the Kakama in gold mixed with trans neon green. We also have one of the two new skull mask designs. As I said in my Skull Warrior review, we unfortunately have a case where villains use the same masks. Grinder and Warrior have the same mask in different colors which is nice, but Scorpio and Basher have the same mask in the same color. Again, why not make one of them in pearl dark gray? Of course, if you attend SDCC 2015, you'll get this mask in trans neon green, so if you get your hands on that you'll get some more variety. Although, compared to the Grinder/Warrior mask, I think I prefer that one more. This one is cool, but doesn't look as downright evil as the other design does.

Building Process

Body

Skull Scorpio doesn't use a gearbox design, instead you build this mount to the torso for the legs. As you can guess this build results in articulation problems- we will touch on that soon, trust me.

Legs and Arms

The arms are added on, which feature some claws for grabbing on to masks.

Armoring

Scorpio is the only of the villains to not feature a custom printed plate, instead the shell is added on to his back with a spike instead.

Tail Construction

The tail is a really cool construction. Although, people have noticed in some of the villains and Kopaka that a random gray pin is placed in the torso bone, and thinks this is for showing kids to not put other pins in the wrong hole. Is that really the right mindset? Because if they can't handle that, then a build like this tail is going to make them break down and gnaw their hand off. Anyway, the tail has a nice function, but as we will see it doesn't look so great in practice.

Finished Build

Front View

From a front view, he doesn't look two bad. A bit flat of course, I like how the trans neon green shapes around his body.

Profile View

The tail is a block of Technic, there is no hiding that.

Back View

Of his angles, this one is far from the best.

Function

The tail snaps shut and moves forward slightly as a result.

Waving

I spent 15 minutes trying to get a decent pose out of this guy, and there is just nothing you can do. He has no, zero, sip, nadda articulation in his legs. Not even a little movement like Lord of Skull Spiders, they just don't move. His arms have got plenty of articulation, but there is only so much you can really do with them. The tail only moved back and fourth, and if you move it forward much more than it is now, the trigger gets locked up on the armor.

MY PRECIOUS

Of the mask grabbing devices these villains have, the claws on Scorpio here work the best.

Day 100 and the Toa still don't know I'm a scorpion

I really ran out of posing ideas here.

Overall

Skull Scorpio has his issues. His poseability suffers a lot, and as a result this figure has the same issue as Lord of the Skull Spiders did- he feels more like he was a figure that was made solely for the function, and the rest of the set suffers as a result. Also, like LoSS, his function is a "snapping' function, which is unfortunate because I think the tail looks far better when closed than sitting there open. I like him better than LoSS though, he is more visually interesting and the arms doe give him some character that LoSS lacked, and thus I would rate him above LoSS, but the worst figure of this wave and the second worst of the year.

As always though, that is my opinion- my job is to show you the pictures and describe the set, you decide for yourself if he truly is the worst of the wave! (and if you don't think he is the worst, who is?)

[SamS]

Thanks so much for the excellent reviews! I understand that articulation is an issue with Scorpio, but for me he makes up for all that in character. The snapping tail function is fascinating to me, and I can't see how at this price point we could have gotten so many limbs in a more posable way, so it's nice at least to have nearly a proper scorpion this size. Probably my second purchase, after Mask Maker v. Skull Grinder.

[Voxovan]

I can't understand how people can like this abomination more than LoSS. I mean, yeah, opinions, but LoSS at least didn't have an awful chunk of Technic sticking out of his body ;_;

[MakutaOfWar]

Even Nui-Jaga had leg articulation. I guess adding single ball pieces where the legs connect, and then adding a single CCBS limb on each would have eaten up the budget? ._. Still, I like the function.

[Logan McOwen]

Skull Scorpio is one of those Lego sets that looks fantastic up until a certain point in the building process. The main body looks fantastic, but the butt machine is way too aesthetically different. It feels like two completely different models stuck together, which is bad. The leg poseability - or moreso, lack of it - is also a huge issue. There's not even hinges done with Technic pins, they're just stuck there.

The arms however have a decent range of motion, although they can't exactly do much. The addition of four of the skeletal bones, two of the larger new weapons, and a unique colour of torso shell however, make purchasing him a little more worthwhile.

The blended MoS is pretty weird. The colour's nice and all, but the way the gold plastic is all... Milky on this mask is disgusting. I'll struggle to use this in MOCs, that's for sure.

[DraikNova]

If it weren't for the lack of coherence between the awesome-looking bulky grabber tail and the more sleek body, this would have been a great set. With a bit of modding to bulk up the torso and make it a bit more black and add a little more tr. neon to the tail, this could look very nice. I do think it's worth mentioning that scorpions have eight legs (and one pair of claws), not six ("He has six legs and a set of claws, so at least he has the right amount of limbs for a scorpion"). So yeah, that's not accuracy.

Edited July 13, 2015 by DraikNova

[Mutant Orc]

I've still don't quite get why they don't give these things accurate numbers of legs. Surely it must mislead or baffle some children calling things spiders but then making them look like insects when in fact they're arachnids...

Overall I actually think LOSS is better. His face, however silly some might find it, works better than the head given to this one, and his body shape and how filled out it was is more appealing to me personally. Scorpio looks rather gappy and his rib-shell doesn't cover him sufficiently. Like it's been said previous as well, the Technic and the function in LOSS felt integrated well, whereas with this not so much. That might sound very negative but I find that the set still has some 'charm', some of these angles make it look rather menacing and the parts selection is arguable better.

If I was to judge solely on what they're based off though I think LOSS would come tops there too. It looked more like a spider than Scorpio looks like a scorpion.

Still a nice set, and thanks for the review(s)!

[DraikNova]

I've still don't quite get why they don't give these things accurate numbers of legs. Surely it must mislead or baffle some children calling things spiders but then making them look like insects when in fact they're arachnids...

Sometimes I really wonder whether the designers even now the difference. It could even be because some kids think that anything with a carapace has to have six legs and will consider anything else, even if it's accurate, wrong. I hope it's just because of budget limitations.

[Leewan]

It might be ugly and terrible to display (because of the lack of articulation and the amount of space it takes), but at least the build is interesting, and the tail function is fun and works properly.

I've still don't quite get why they don't give these things accurate numbers of legs.

Because it doesn't need eight legs. What could an extra pair bring to the model ? Nothing. It would even unnecessarily complexify the construction, and be a waste of parts (so yeah, it's somehow because of budget limitations). It has to look like a creepy insect-like creature, not an accurate representation of a real life scorpion (because then, the head and the tail would be terribly inaccurate, much more than the number of legs), and six legs are sufficient to give this impression.

[Mutant Orc]

It might be ugly and terrible to display (because of the lack of articulation and the amount of space it takes), but at least the build is interesting, and the tail function is fun and works properly.

Because it doesn't need eight legs. What could an extra pair bring to the model ? Nothing. It would even unnecessarily complexify the construction, and be a waste of parts (so yeah, it's somehow because of budget limitations). It has to look like a creepy insect-like creature, not an accurate representation of a real life scorpion (because then, the head and the tail would be terribly inaccurate, much more than the number of legs), and six legs are sufficient to give this impression.

Very true. I did admittedly not notice it at first with this model it was more about LOSS than anything. It's of no real matter anyways.

[VBBN]

Yeah, the tail is a jarring difference to the body, the only way that I've justified it is to think that he once had a regular scorpion tail that was lost in battle, and it was since replaced with this artificial construction.

I mean, it works for me I guess.

I can't understand how people can like this abomination more than LoSS. I mean, yeah, opinions, but LoSS at least didn't have an awful chunk of Technic sticking out of his body ;_;

Well, technically he did, the trigger at the rear end wasn't the greatest looking thing ever- but I see your point. I think overall LoSS did have an overall better look, but I feel like playability wise this guy's function is more practical than the function that LoSS had, which i think was rather silly and did cause some slight sag to the figure.

If it weren't for the lack of coherence between the awesome-looking bulky grabber tail and the more sleek body, this would have been a great set. With a bit of modding to bulk up the torso and make it a bit more black and add a little more tr. neon to the tail, this could look very nice. I do think it's worth mentioning that scorpions have eight legs (and one pair of claws), not six ("He has six legs and a set of claws, so at least he has the right amount of limbs for a scorpion"). So yeah, that's not accuracy.

You know, considering I own a scorpion, you would think I wouldn't have made that mistake. Amended it

[TheDesuComplex]

Even though there seems to be a massive amount of dislike of this set, I really like it. The function is fun and he looks like a good insectoid creature to me. I can understand the complaints against him, but I think he is a great set despite these flaws. Yeah, the difference between the majority of him and the technic mechanism is a bit jarring, but I still think it works with the 'bare-bones' and 'decayed' look of the Skull Villains, same with his legs (which provide a nice and stable base on top of looking like hollow exoskeleton legs). Still my least favorite of the wave, but not by a huge margin.

[Aanchir]

Good review. The other skull mask may look more evil, but this one looks more beastly, which I think suits this set and Skull Basher alike. It would have been cool if the two sets had masks in different colors, but I can't say for sure whether either set would have been improved aesthetically by changing the color of its mask. As with Skull Warrior and Skull Basher, the Tr. Flu. Reddish Orange accents are well distributed.

The legs are actually Titanium Metallic (pearl dark grey/gunmetal), not "translucent black". I really wish they had been either Black or Silver Metallic instead. Not only would that have better matched the set's color scheme, but either one would also have matched an existing color of the smaller spider leg, which I think would be really conducive to MOCs! The Titanium Metallic legs still look good, though. Maybe it was an aesthetic decision on the LEGO Group's part, or maybe it was meant to compensate for this set not including the Titanium Metallic armor add-ons that are standard on all the other skull villains.

Skull Scorpio's torso is very nicely armored, even without a printed chest plate. The set's fully articulated claws (something the Nui-Jaga lacked) definitely help make up for the lack of articulated legs. If I were to give its legs articulation, I don't think it'd need more than one joint per leg, like the Nui-Jaga or Lord of Skull Spiders. The tail function is definitely quite creative. I don't mind how exposed it is, but I am a bit bothered by the zigzag shape it gives the tail. It's nowhere near as organic-looking as the smoother curve of the Nui-Jaga's tail from 2001. Granted, that set's function was a lot simpler — I don't know if a smoother curve could have been possible for this set's function, at least not at this price point.

The half-pins which are used to help builders avoid assembling the set wrong are a sensible decision, I think, considering that I've seen adult builders screw up even less Technic-intensive constraction sets. It's often easier for kids and adults alike to get careless with a simple, snap-together portion of a build than with a more elaborate Technic function, which they'll usually understand demands their utmost attention. Of course, that's not to say the Technic portions of this set are easy. It says a lot that the age recommendation on this set is 8–14 like the three $20 Toa and the $15 Lord of Skull Spiders, rather than 7–14 like the other six $15 sets this year.

Overall, it's hard for me to judge this set until I have it in hand. Generally I'm impressed with its creativity but disappointed with its looks. It's definitely quite monstrous, though. I look forward to seeing some revamps of this set that don't have to worry so much about things like price point and can maybe refine the function further (though of course, I'm well aware that Bionicle MOCs don't often demonstrate too much ingenuity when it comes to Technic functions).

[MakutaOfWar]

Sorry for posting here again but I was just thinking, and I'm pretty sure somebody mentioned this already, but for the people who have this set in hand, do you think it could have benefited from a 5$/€ price bump like the larger Toa this year? I'm sure that's pretty obvious seeing how the legs are but you know. Plus this wave lacks a medium-large set.

[Lyichir]

Sorry for posting here again but I was just thinking, and I'm pretty sure somebody mentioned this already, but for the people who have this set in hand, do you think it could have benefited from a 5$/€ price bump like the larger Toa this year? I'm sure that's pretty obvious seeing how the legs are but you know. Plus this wave lacks a medium-large set.

Having recently obtained the set, I don't think it could make much use of an extra $5. Skull Scorpio definitely isn't lacking as far as size is concerned (particularly since he's up against Pohatu, the smallest Toa), and added bulk could take away from his skeletal appearance. I've seen suggestions to make his legs poseable, but most of the solutions I've seen tend to make them blend in with his "arms" and with each other, making it much more difficult to distinguish his eight bony limbs. Visually, his tail is the part that could use the most improvement, but I haven't found any way to make it look better without sacrificing his fantastically effective function.

It's not like he's perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but his drawbacks can't really be solved by throwing parts at the problem, and most solutions I've seen to them constitute a trade-off for entirely different issues. I'm more willing to just accept him as the quirky-yet-flawed set he is.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention one observation I'd had about the set. I had previously thought Skull Scorpio would look better with some sort of mandibles, attached similarly to the horns on Skull Basher or Skull Grinder. But having the set in hand, it occurred to me why he doesn't—such adornments would prevent him from wearing the Mask of Stone that comes in the set. While it's unclear whether these villains will actually wear the Toa masks after stealing them, it makes sense from a play perspective for each of them to be able to wear both masks that come packaged with them. The only "bonus masks" that allow for head connections are the Mask of Earth and Mask of Creation, hence why Skull Basher and Grinder are alone in having horns.

Edited July 14, 2015 by Lyichir

[VBBN]

Really quick fix for Scorpio's legs, obviously it doesn't add a whole lot but it does give him a nice amount of movement in the legs to make him feel at least somewhat more animated.

[Voxovan]

*snip*

Really quick fix for Scorpio's legs, obviously it doesn't add a whole lot but it does give him a nice amount of movement in the legs to make him feel at least somewhat more animated.

Makes him look a little bulkier and bigger too.

[GK733]

...why didn't they transfer the straight y-joint. It would had fixed so much with his legs. It's okay the tail is made from technic almost entirely, the problem lies with the color scheme. How much cooler would the set had been if one of the technic beams or both had been transparent light-green/orange, or at least metallic silver?

[arc]

I'll take LoSS over this. Easily the worst set this year IMO. At least LoSS had leg articulation albeit very little. and To me the humanoid mask is very out of place and just odd looking, same going for that tail contraption. The fact that this has the same mask as basher doesn't bother me too much as I won't be looking to get this.

[Logan McOwen]

Well, I entirely overhauled my copy of Scorpio last night, giving him poseable legs and tail, with a condensed version of the mask stealer mechanism on said tail. I'll get some pictures when I can.

[YellowCorvette]

Good review, but honestly this set stinks in my eyes. Perhaps the worst set of this year I think.

The tail function is alright, but the lacking of articulation and the exposed technic parts just don't feel right for me.