Dorek

So rather than a new type of head, it looks like the jaw pieces attach in some way, which is neat, although the size is still bugging me. The heads look transparent, though! Also, Yay full transparent MoCr. Edit: It's funny, Umarak's shins still suffer from being unarmored =P. Other than that, looks fantastic; the claws don't look nearly as ridiculous here.

Yeah, I like it too. I can see in some places where it might look more cost-cutting instead of stylistic, but the final product should hopefully be able to balance the contrast.

Are those Skull Spiders he dispatches? Good to see some things don't get forgotten.

No, the G1 writing was pretty solid across the board. People give Greg a lot of flack for his revisionist history approaches these days, but he was the main man for a number of reasons back then, and the way the books were written was a part of that.

Haha, in Gen 2 they definitely don't mind swapping out masks and showing the faces beneath them, unlike Gen 1. Anyway, I hope Ekimu's mask isn't a blend. I would muuuuch prefer a full transparent version, and I think it would be more fun overall. We already have a gold version, so more distinction would be helpful.

My, this conversation took a turn, didn't it? I liked the clip, at any rate. Something about the combination of 3D/cel-shading with more 2D/cartoonish effects seems like a fun combination.

All sounds good, all sounds like what we saw in the leaks. I'm definitely excited to see pics.

TRAITOR

One of the really sad things is that it has the unfortunate effect of making the constraction community even MORE insular (all these doom and gloom predictions spring to mind...). I remember saying around this time last year that we should all try a little harder to be more accepting of everyone, but there's some progress that still needs to be made =)

This I think is one thing that bothers me the most about the summer sets... no idea if/how the beasts combine with anything. I hope they do, it's such a fun concept and too good to waster.

Any more outlandish than "we have absolutely no model for reference, so let's just use a set from a completely different licensed theme"? If they know the Destroyer foot was going to look vaguely like that in the first place, why get a different model at all? Presumably because Ekimu is the counterpart to Umarak, and so this could have been him stepping out to challenge the Destroyer. I mean, the red eyes should have been a giveaway, but still =P

We don't know that for sure at all. Could be working off a prototype model of Umarak The Destroyer. Or a finalized version, for that matter.

I'll try with a Tamishii Figuart stage... I'm not expecting much =P

Despite the fact that (or maybe because?) I get my sets provided by LEGO (for which I am eternally grateful), I'm always super conscious of how people have to spend their money on getting sets. Six, seven years ago, I was a kid with a decent allowance, so I could afford everything. Now that I have to work for my money, it's a lot harder to justify dropping that kind of cash, and it's the same way for a lot of people. That's why I try and conclude my reviews with reasons you should BUY, and not just GET, a given set. On the original question, though, either Tahu and Ikir or Lewa and Uxar. Lewa's better than Tahu, but Ikir is better than Uxar. I'd probably give the slight edge to Tahu and Ikir just because Ikir is so great. I think part of why people are finding the Toa not as interesting this time around is a lot of same-ness; both in terms of design and look, it's the ones that stand out that are more interesting. Plus, they often drop the primary color in favor of a more even blend, which doesn't always work out.

I think wolf was mostly wishful thinking when we were still speculating on what the creatures would be. The closest I came to anything was penguin. Nothing like what it actually is =P

Okay, so more "regal" or "dignified" rather than "aspiring to higher morals", I getcha. Unrelated, but I just finished the second novel, Revenge of the Skull Spiders. Good stuff, nice worldbuilding, and fun side characters. Gets a little promotional-y in parts, but still enjoyable. And I loved the descriptions it gave for the Elemental Creatures; ape/rhino hybrid indeed.

I wouldn't say "noble"... he's a living incarnate of shadow =P. Most places have shown him willingly putting on the mask, so this is an interesting departure. I like that he's been shown wearing various creatures at points to accomplish his goals, too. Ketar would be an interesting "canon" choice, we'll see what the television episodes do.

I was just thinking about recreating one of those stands, but probably for the Mask of Control. Good to see the "official" rendition.

Plot twist: 2018's Toa team are Pohatu, Lewa, Gali, Tahu, Onua, and Kopaka... from a DIFFERENT TIME dun dun dun

It's kind of six of one, half a dozen of the other, isn't it? Makuta MADE the mask. The mask (and whatever corresponding hypothetical entity we're talking about) didn't exist prior to Makuta making it. So whether something is inside the mask or is the mask itself ends up being more or less the same thing, since they were created at the same time. But given how we see the elements are much more than just weather formations and mask powers at this point, the rule makes a lot more sense. The reason these creatures exist separately at all is to keep a balance, and is presumably the basis for Ekimu and Makuta's pact. Putting more than one Element (capital E) in a mask upsets the balance of Nature (capital N), and Makuta went and upset the balance of Nature to the sixth degree by doing all of them. Of course, then there's the pseudo-seventh Element, Shadows, which exists basically as a Yang to Nature's Yin. If there's any sort of twist involving an entity pulling the strings, I think it makes more sense that this being is a manifestation of Shadows, similar to what Umarak is, and has always existed prior to the MoUP being made.

I'm still not sure if I'm buying the whole "Makuta is inside the Mask of Control" thing. Not only was it lost (he wasn't even wearing it when he battled Ekimu), it was actually hidden away by the Elemental Creatures, which would be pretty pointless if Makuta was inside it/could still get inside it. Obviously Makuta could still locate it after they retrieve it from the labyrinth, but I don't think they want him to be a direct part until 2017, so I dunno. Also, still think these beasts are like Umarak, and born from shadows themselves.

Interesting. Obviously hard to see some things, but not terrible from what I can make out. Destroyer's claws are probably the worst aspect about him; other than that, I like the primal reversion concept, slightly more interesting than just a powered up Umarak (and makes his Hunter form that much cooler). I love Ekimu's color distribution (and thank god the mask is a recolor and not a redesign), but the final build seems a little generic, so I'll reserve judgment on that. Was hoping the beasts would be at least mildly quadrupedal, but oh well. Storm beast looks the best, but they all have interesting elements to them.

I mean, no real confirmation either way. Beyond Ekimu's short stature, is there anything that necessarily means he's a villager? Also, to the list of races, there's assorted other creatures (if we're classifying these nature spirits as a race), as well as whatever Skull Warriors originally were (and Skull Slicer, but possibly the same base).

Related: My favorite part of the website update is that Okotoan is officially the adjective form.

I think part of that is that they're not really handholding leading into the second year, i.e. it's a sequel, so you're expected to have experienced the first year. The descriptions now are barebones to give a refresher for those coming back in, and the minimum for those new. Of course, I'm sure this will change over time. The initial 2015 site was pretty rough. I'm at least hoping for a Weapons section, since those usually require... elaboration. And there's nothing detailing the best part of 2016, the Shadow Traps!