Getting what makes each of them the same out of the way. All of them have the same points of articulation. Ball joints for the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles and a gear function in their waists for a waist swivel, which trust me, is a big deal considering what they were like before. Apart from that though, there are differences between them so lets run down the list.
Kopaka: Being a two pack hasn't harmed Kopaka as much as it did Melum, but at the same time, compared to the others, he feels a bit basic. I like the arm engineering on show, only issue is that he had to sacrifice good shoulders. On a design level though, to me its the reason everything else feels basic, because everything else on him is a standard build. One other suffers from that, but I'll get back to him. Kopaka comes with a six shot stud launcher, which with a little modification thanks to spare parts he and Melum came with I gave a little laser scope/ safe place to store the studs when I don't want them loaded. The gun itself is ok, though I wish the look flowed better, like having the gun barrel be in front of what I pass off as a melee shield, rather then on top, as to me I think it would look better. For more melee oriented combat, Kopaka's also holding a nice new Ice sword. One thing I'll praise about this wave is the sword designs, they do look cool even though some use it... badly... Combination form then, as all they are is "plug the Rahi on their backs and bend their bodies accordingly, for Kopaka, the best I can do is, what I call, Melum trying to give Kopaka a bear hug, Kopaka not liking it and decided to wear Melum like a backpack, hat and shoulder pads. What? You have a better idea?
Umarak: The hunter. Before I get into him though, one thing I didn't address in the Creatures review was that each of the solo ones come with a "living trap". What is it? Its a bear trap with legs that doesn't really work considering what they're supposed to trap. On Umarak, you can take his shoulder pads and turn them into one, but I don't, and probably never will. To Umarak himself, he feels like it was one of the Skull baddies from the last wave, minus the bone pieces, so he actually looks alive and not a zombie. The legs look interesting, but are being used more and more for characters that have chicken legs like General Grievous in the Star Wars line, albeit in a more interesting way. The look brittle, like they wouldn't support him at a decent speed. The clawed feet look cool, but that's about it. The arms are basic in comparison to the legs, but don't look basic considering everything else on the torso. I'm also not a fan of two handed weapons, but this one is the only one who still has it because I don't want to do hard mods for the review. He looks like a badass when posing with it though, so the look does the job. For a villain, he's ok, seen better, seen worse.
Onua: The one who gets to tap into his inner Ezma, and smash things with a hammer. Not quite as much of a muscleman looks wise in comparison to last year, but while I do like the new looks, I find the brute look from last year kinda charming, just wished he was bigger. I love the hammer this time though, its massive, it looks powerful. One end you have a giant drill, and the other you have an embedded stud shooter, which looks cool, only problem is that the drill is how you fire the studs, and the drill turns really easily, so I keep it unloaded. As for Terak... it looks the same as Melum, just with more claws. Only thing that is a bit of a let down.
Tahu: My favorite of the seven. I just love everything about this guy. He looks like a strong balance between speed and strength, the swords that can extend and combine into a Darth Maul like weapon is awesome, though the arms become almost impossible to pose as a result. Nothing about him looks overly complex so nothing feel overly generic as a result, striking a nice balance in the build. The combination with Iker also aids in the awesome, as the wings are a nice size for Tahu to use, and neither loose articulation as a result of the combination. No sacrifices, all the benefits, all the awesome.
Gali: Both the smartest, and dumbest in terms of build. Unlike many other water Toa from Gen 1 BIONICLE, they've been able to give her a body that you would believe was female. She is sleaker then everyone else, not as bulky, which helps as she is also the one traveling through the water. But, where it starts falling apart is the weapon, and if you don't like asymmetric designs, then you'll hate her. Gali's is another two handed weapon, which I did change with the base set. Bye bye two handed spear, hello... spear shaped keyblade? What also doesn't help is that the second gear function on her is a little spinner on the spear which is completely useless. At least Akida means that she can pack some heat with Akida's twin six shot stud launchers while keeping her sleek look in the water, so yay on the looks, nay on the weapon.
Pohatu: Take the issues I had with Kopaka's shoulders, add in Gali's bad weapon choice, and a stupid combination, and this wave hasn't been kind to the two stone characters. Actually no, that's all I have to say, this is the weakest of the sets because it has far more issues then strengths. Only strong thing I have is that the combination kinda gives its a car spoiler look.
Lewa: The most interesting of the sets. Like Gali, he looks sleek, having both custom arms and legs, so nothing feels overly simple on him. The shoulder ball joints due to the build never quite sit right, though at least he is still fully pose-able. The only thing that looks simple on him is his weapons, with are dual bladed swords that you could use to give him a helicopter mode. They get in the way of his arms at times too so they are a pain to deal with, especially with the combination with Uxar, which then gives him the shelf hog ability. Still not as bad as Pohatu at least.
The wave had its strengths, and its weaknesses. Was it enough to cancel the line? Apparently so. Is this the end of constraction? I don't know. All I know is that it'll be interesting to see what happens next. But for what happens here next, that's Deadpool. See you all then.
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