THE BOX
The same general style of Axonn's box - a simple background. A lava-covered rocky terrain is visible in the mist that surrounds Brutaka. The Voya Nui logo is placed, as usual, behind the set, and a Brutaka logo is towards the bottom right. Oh, another thing I should mention is the '8-16' age "limit" in the corner. This now means, if somebody happens to call you childish, you can just show them the age rating, and they'll hopefully stop. Which is odd, considering the old 8+ age range spans higher than this new one, though the new one (by my own very scientific tests) comes out on tops as far as proof of un-childishness. Which is a good thing.
I don't really like the swooshing claw on the front - it hides most of the set. A nobler pose might have been a better idea.
The back of the box is also of a similar layout to Axonn's - the combiner at the bottom, a close-up of the feet, and the other titan in the mist. Brutaka seems to be intrigued by something in his hand - lava? Mask? Mask of Life? Something else? We just don't know yet...
IN THE BOX
Three bags and an instruction booklet. Plenty more pieces than Axonn, plus a heap of gold parts. That's the new, proper gold, too. I love it!
There's a few old parts but in new colours there, but two things stand out - Brutaka's mask and his swords. Okay, that's technically three. Either way, they're there.
So, the mask. It's big. Very big. The biggest Kanohi ever, I believe. It's actually quite disc-like, too. It curves down to the mouth part, and so follows the shape of Brutaka's Toa Metru head. Yeah - no light-up eyes to be seen here at all.
The swords, or whatever you want to call them, are nice, sort of double-edged. It's always nice to have a new weapon or two.
BUILDING EXPERIENCE
As this set has more pieces than Axonn, it obviously takes a lot longer. Brutaka's bulk is mainly just the new gold Hordika foot piece, and his body is a blue Piraka torso. The legs are similar to Axonn's, with the piston feature and general build. There are also two chronicler staff 'wings' that can be extended like so:
They attach to two Hordika necks, which attach to a long joint, which attaches to the lower body. What are they? I have no idea, but an extra pair of golden Chroniclers staffs never hurt anyone.
Once complete, Brutaka is a little taller than Sidorak (with the pistons fully extended), and towers over Axonn.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
This guy is great. Once again, though, there is no action feature. As I've said before, I don't mind, but a lot of you will do. Even if I loved action features that much, I wouldn't mind on this set, because he just looks so grand! The set is great fun to pose, and looks cool however you pose it.
Of course, no set is perfect. And the single thing that I'm not fond of in this set is the hands. One hand has two golden Bohrok eyes, and the other just doesn't. This is to allow Brutaka's swords to be connected.
The two holes in the ball-joint that would allow these golden Bohrok eyes to be attached are taken up by the small '+' connectors on the swords that keep them in Brutaka's hand. A tube is used to hide this, but it's still a little annoying.
OVERALL
The hands are the only problem in the whole set, though. Be assured that this guy is definitely worth your money. It's possibly my favorite set in recent years, and I recommend it to you all. Yes, even those people who don't like 2006 so far. This set will very probably change your opinion. Hold on a few months before you make your final judgment. You might well be very surprised...
So if I have one hand with five fingers and the other with three...does that make me an outcast?
Check out my Brickshelf for more pictures.
TT
