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#8985 - Ackar

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Madaraki	Posted: Dec 11 2009, 01:37 AM
Matoran Group: Members Posts: 10 Member No.: 3 Joined: 30-June 09	ACKAR The first bright-red canister set since Turahk. Seriously, check every canister set after the Rahkshi (Metru, Vahki, Hordika, Visorak, Hagah, Piraka, Inika, Mahri, Barraki, Phantoka, Mistika, Glatorian) and you'll notice that the darker red has been the primary color of every fire-based canister set since. (A color that's also playing hell with lighting and whatnot.) And with that, hopping right into new parts... Shin Armor. A small new piece and admittedly; I thought we were getting an entirely new leg piece when the first (blurry) photos surfaced a few months back. Still, separate pieces do work better in a way. They allow for still-decent ankle flexibility and with the + rod hole they've got potential shoulder armor status as well. filename: stayinalive.png Also, is it just me or does the down-and-outward flow they lend these guys make them look like they're wearing bellbottoms? Sword. Been a while (Hordika Vakama?) since we last got a flaming weapon piece. Unlike previous fire-weapons however, this one is entirely orange with no red in it, although there does seem to be some (very slight) transparency to it, so it still looks good. Another perk is that it's actually longer and fixed onto one of the new blade pieces to better fit the larger figures. And now everyone's asking "Wait, what about the helmet?" 'Sup, Berix? For the first time; a main-line canister set's helmet/mask is a mere repaint from another set's. The pattern on the helmet could be construed as "fiery", but it's still giving him a much smaller head than the other Legends figures. And that leads us right into... Reused parts. As mentioned with Vastus; a lot of the body parts are recycles this time around from the back-fixed dial to the general torso pieces. Unfortunately with Ackar; it's even more so. In addition to the helmet; the shoulder pieces are orange-colored Mahri-daggers, and just about every other part of the figure has been seen in other sets prior to this line. He's not even working with the new arm/leg pieces either. Adding to that of course; the Thornax launcher's taken another turn for the unimaginative. Gresh had it mounted handgun style, Vastus, Tarix and Skrall both had the launcher placed on one of their weapons, and Malum had the weapon shoulder-mounted. Unfortunately, Strakk, Vorox, Ackar (and I regret to announce), Mata-Nui, Gelu, Kiina, and Stronius are all carrying it "elite style". Yeah, I'm just calling it "elite style" from now on. Construction-wise; Ackar's actually not to bad. As mentioned; he's the first fire-based canister figure in ages to use bright red as his primary color, and going even further back; we haven't seen bright red used with orange since Tahu Nuva came out. I know a lot of my previous mentions on reused aspects have had a somewhat negative slant, but coloration like this is a welcome bit of nostalgia. Furthermore; the colors are well-balanced; with the interior "skeleton" of the body being completely red; while armor, feet, and -to some extent- the helmet are all orange. My only complaint is that the hands are -for some inexplicable reason- grey. Would it have been too hard to make them red or orange? Stepping away from color; the Inika build is used yet again, Ackar's upper body also connects to the lower area with a space of roughly +3. This, combined with the maximum length leg design officially makes Ackar the tallest of the Legends series. URL'd due to size. Shifting to the second-to-last portion here: The comparison with Malum. I'm really not sure if it's just a "fire figure" trend with these last two sets or not, but while they carry the "on fire" theme well in color and helmet/weapon style, they're both rather lacking in other visible aspects of their elements (something that Vastus, Gresh, Strakk, Gelu, and Kiina excel at). They're both good figures and fun in their own way, but fire-styled pieces really should be easier to work with here. Overall though, I think Malum's better for inovation/playability (not to mention a better helmet), but if you want a figure who really does bring to mind a vastly more poseable Tahu; go for Ackar. Pros: Color nostalgia Decent weapon configuration Cons: Reused and repainted helmet from a previous set. General lack of totally new parts with regards to body structure. Unimaginative Thornax configuration. OVERALL: 6/10. Better than what we've seen in recent years certainly, although Ackar (at present) does seem to be carrying the greatest number of reused parts in the Legends line. His only real strength seems to be in the nostalgia sector. Until next time!

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