REVIEW: 71310 Umarak the Hunter

[VBBN]

Set name: Umarak the Hunter

Set number: 71310

Pieces:172

Price: $20.00 | £xx.xx | €xx.xx

Release date: 2016

Like 2015's first wave, of 12 sets released (or more specifically, 13 individual characters), Umarak is the only one who is an actual villain. You may interpret the creatures as villains if you want, and of course there are the shadow traps, but in terms of an actual villain in the flesh this is the first big bad. We will see a "Umarak the Destroyer' in the summer, so time will only tell how that version of our deer-friend here will differ, but I look forward to it. Either way, The focus here is on Umarak the Hunter- Coming in at a price of $20, Umarak is one of three sets in this price range right next to Onua and Tahu. Is he worth the price tag? Read on to find out.

Box

Front

Similar to 2015, we are given a hexagonal-shaped box. I did, however, notice that the material this box was made of feels far sturdier than the 2015 packaging. Instead of being a thin, poster-board like material, they are now a more substantial cardboard. Interestingly, while this was shipped from Denmark as per usual, it is the American variant of the packaging with the extra info on the box like piece count. Umarak is displayed shooting at an off-screen figure, and we can see the Mask of Control hovering above a pedestal in front of him. Gone is the Mask of Creation in the upper right corner, now of course replaced with the Mask of Control.

Back

On the back we can see the set's action features, which include the launching mask, the firing stud shooter, and the new turntable waist. Also to note, is that while not specifically paired to a creature, Umarak still has a uniting feature and it is recommended to combine him with Uxar, no doubt due to the similar colors. There is one final feature to the set that I was surprised not to see mentioned here, and that is the ability for Umarak to "shed" some parts to construct a shadow trap of his own.

Interesting and New Pieces

New torso

The new gimmick for this year's Toa and Umarak is a turntable waist. As you can see, a new torso has been created, that lacks a proper shoulder joint and opts for an axle connection instead, and replaced the hips with a gear. The new hip piece, cast in a pearl dark gray, clips to the torso in a similar fashion as the stud shooter's firing pin does. It is possible to separate these pieces, but it still takes quite some force to do. When attached, there is some good friction, so no loose Vahki-style gears here. Due to the stoppers on the gear teeth on the torso, you can only rotate the torso about 60-70 degrees to each side, which is about as far as you'd really need to turn it. For some reason my Lewa and Gali's joints are much tighter (to the point where they squeak when turned) and I haven't been able to remove the hips from those torsos.

Shadow Trap

Here we have the new hairclip piece shadow trap cage halves. While it appeared at first that Umarak had them in silver, he in fact has pearl dark gray like the rest of the traps.

Colors

Here's a few interesting colors to look at- a full range of spikes in dark tan (these may not be entirely new recolors, but they are something we haven't had in Bionicle yet, and they are pretty, so yeah.) Also we expand upon our selection of trans bright green bones with a longer variant of the male-female bone.

Other new parts

This year we get a new eyestalk. It's the same front half as the 2015 one, but gone is the Metru-style stalk sticking out the back. For the most part, it makes it harder to accidentally pop the masks off, which is much appreciated. Umarak doesn't really benefit from this because his giant Antlers make it easy enough to pop off as it is. With that said, he is the only set of the wave to come with the eyes in trans neon orange, whereas the rest have trans light blue. Next, the 'piece of unification,' or as I like to call it, "the needlessly detailed piece." We get it in pearl dark gray, and while I think this piece might be digging too deep into Bionicle's mechanical styling, it's a critical piece in almost all of the 2016 sets as it served to unify the Creatures to the larger sets, and a lot of the Creature's functions are built around this piece. Finally we have a standard torso breastplate with a very interesting print, depicting...a mouth in the middle of his chest?

Masks

Umarak comes with two masks. The first is his actual mask, cast in a trans bright green mixed with black. It looks fantastic and evil, and I'm curious to see what his summer set wears. A gold version of the mask mixed with trans bright green? A Mask of Control in the black mixed with bright green? Or something else entirely? We also get the Mask of Control, which was certainly a shorter wait to get than the Mask of Creation last year.

MoCr and MoCo

I'm not as big of a fan of the Mask of Control as I am the Mask of Creation. However, the only thing that it has going for it (besides some obvious similarities to the MoCr), is that it certainly looks old. It has a medieval dwarf wearing a helmet sort of vibe, and while it's not everyone's cup of tea for mask design, it certainly looks like a mask that predates the Toa's.

Ekimu

Of course it's not meant to go on Ekimu but that's the first thing I had to do with it. The horns do collide with the small trans blue shells however.

The Build

Torso

Here you can see the torso turntable mechanism is really very simple. Like all of the Toa, Umarak has a slightly more customized torso design due to the need for custom shoulders.

Lower legs

Another heavily custom design choice on Umarak is his lower legs. I know these have received quite a bit of criticism because they are quite under armored. I like the overall shape that these legs create, it's sort of a false-chicken-leg design, but the are a bit limited in their forward and backward movement, and honestly I feel like a similar effect could have been achieved with a more pleasing build. I guess I don't see why this was a necessity with the figure. They don't look too bad from the front though, as you'll see.

Antlers

I AM THE DEER MAN

Ahem. Umarak is, of course, themed after a deer, and to compliment and really seal that look we get some massive antler constructs on his head. Not only do these put Skull Basher's to shame, they look quite convincing.

Frame

As we put his limbs and torso together and add a few extra bits on, we really start to see his size and shape come together. Also notice the shadow trap pieces placed on to his shoulders and that random chain which will have a purpose later on.

Weapon

Umarak, being a hunter, has a good supply of weaponry. First off, he has his "bone bow" which is built quite similar to the bow that Skull Warrior carried. If you are familiar with Skull Warrior or any of the protectors, likely this build won't come as anything new. We also get one of the skull villain's swords that attaches to a holster on his thigh, and dangling from a chain is a spare disk full of ammo. Something to note here is that the set, in total, has 13 studs like 2015's sets. 6 for the shooter, a second set of 6, and a spare.

Finished Set

Front

When he's complete Umarak oozes evil. He has a wonderful color scheme of black, trans bright green, dark red and of course the hints of dark tan and brown in his antlers and chest area. He is well bulked up, and unlike the other two $20 figures, I don't feel like there are too many clashing textures on the set. Of course, given that he is supposed to be a mutated-spikey-deer-monster-thing, that's a bit easier to pull off than the relatively clean Toa, but anyway,

Profile

He is a bit flat, although of the six Toa and himself,he's actually the bulkiest from a side view. This flat design is of course intentional, as it makes it easy for all of the creatures to mount to their backs. Again, the legs don't look that bad. Although I might swap out those blue friction pins for black ones.

Back

Back views usually aren't anything to be excited about. Of course, the next wave of Star Wars figures looks to prove that wrong, but as far as Umarak goes it's relatively uninteresting. You can see the 'unification piece" on his upper back, which is wear the creatures can plug onto.

Bow at the ready

So how does he pose? Very well. One benefit to the this new torso is that it gives you a waist swivel, and while I normally don't have a need for such a joint, it can produce some interesting outcomes. He holds his bow about as well as any of the other figures with long stud-shooter weapons, and the cage pieces on his shoulders don't restrict movement.

One of me versus twelve of you

Something else that I really like about his design is he looks well proportioned, or rather he is a very tall figure but he doesn't feel lanky or stiff, unlike many of the Star Wars figures, namely Darth Vader. Also note that his legs look fine from a front-on view.

"You failed, now I have to clean up your mess."

"Take control...take control of your city"

Yes, the mask of Control can be placed on his head without removing the antlers. Surprisingly, the gold doesn't look too bad mixed in with this color scheme.

Size Comparison 1

Firstly I'll compare him to our control group, Tahu (Yes, 2015 Tahu will be the main size comparison figure throughout most of my future reviews. So if you are that concerned about size and don't have a Tahu yet, it's best you go grab one. He's great, you won't regret it.) Both of these sets are at the same price point, but Umarak really takes a height advantage, something many fans were hoping for. And I like this too, he's big enough to be an imposing threat, but not so big that he just looks ridiculous.

Size Comparison 2

As someone who was disappointed in Kulta the Skull Grinder's size, Umarak more than makes up for it here.

But wait! There's more!

One really neat part about Umarak is that they give you the pieces needed to construct an eye and the hinge for a Shadow Trap. Then, you take the trap pieces off of Umarak's shoulders, the claws from his feet, and that chain i mentioned earlier, and you have a Shadow trap! So this brings the total number of Shadow Traps in the wave to 6, although i'm really quite disappointed that Melum doesn't have a specific ice-themed one. But more on that in their review. The trap itself is really cool, it closes well, (you have multiple degrees that it can be open or closed, it just used a basic system click-hinge.), and it's actually a really substantial size, as you can fit kanohi into the claw itself.

Trap Dance Party?

As a preview into the reviews of the creatures, here we can see all six traps together. I love the diversity in these builds, it's a welcome change from the mini-kaiju of 2014 and skull spiders of 2015.

There's even MORE!

If you are wondering what to do with Umarak once you take off his shoulders and toes, you can of course still mount a Creature to his back. In this instance, we have placed Uxar to his back as demonstrated on the back of the box. It looks pretty decent, Uxar is one of the better creatures in united mode which I will explain in his review. I'm not entirely sure I would keep the helmet on top of his mask like that though. Do note, however, that it's not entirely necessary to remove the Shadow Trap pieces from Umarak to unite a Creature to him, you can still mount a creature even with the cages on his shoulders, though it's a bit clunky.

Overall

Umarak is awesome, and my favorite figure of the wave. He looks great, he poses well, he has a lot of weapons, functions, and is a great size for being a $20 figure. Furthermore, he has the added bonus of the removable Shadow Trap, and can still unite with the Creatures. While the legs might bother some, they are really a small complaint, and i honestly feel this might be one of my favorite figures of Bionicle G2. Go out and buy him, and hope that Umarak the Destroyer can somehow manage to be even better than what we've been given.

[CloverMaryam]

Can I just say that the detail on his mask is absolutely STUNNING.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Sold. This is a must-buy for sure. It's really all I could ask of a villain set. Really.

And those antlers bro. Man. King of antlers.

[MakutaOfWar]

My, he is tall. And hopefully Melum hasn't breathed a sigh of relief that he doesn't have the threat of a Shadow Trap. XD

[TheDesuComplex]

Thank you so much for getting Umarak out today! He does indeed looks gorgeous, and I think that your review shot him to be my first 2016 purchase. The masks especially look gorgeous! His personal mask looks perfectly chaotic and evil. I'm hoping that the Summer sets can yield new variants of the MoCr and MoCo. I am also guessing that it's associated color is now the green as opposed to purple (to match Makuta's pre-MoUP colors).

[Volthoom]

Oh man this is so cool! Looks like the first three sets I will get are: Lewa, Uxar, and Umarak. In 2015 my first sets were Lewa, and LoSS.

[TwistLaw]

Outstanding set. I'm still not sold on his overall looks, even though I know he's a hunter in disguise and everything. Whatever, day 1 buy along with Onua.

And "Umarak le chasseur" sounds so damn good. I wish they translated his name in italian, or at least in japanese (Umarakku za hunta, I love the sound of it).

[One Very Agile Cat]

I think I see now why his shoulders are one module down, to make room so he can hold his bow. Still, I may move them up one becasue I'm not sure I want yet another stud-shooter bow.

Other than that, the only problems I have with the set are the too-long thighs, the too-short shins, and the lack of bicep swivels on the arms. All easily fixed with parts I have.

Edited December 12, 2015 by One Very Agile Cat

[Aanchir]

I think a lot of the people commenting on the Piece of Unity being too detailed might not realize how much of that detail is necessary for structural reasons. Granted, the pistons on the sides (which it shares with many of this year's and last year's add-ons) are purely decorative. But the rectangular cavities to each side of the pin holes are not. If that part of the piece were molded solid, then it would not cool properly, and if the "ridges" between those cavities were carved out, it would be too fragile. It's the same reason why this piece has similar cavities on its sides.

Aside from the use on Tahu and Kopaka's legs, the part is more structural than decorative in nature. If regular shells had been used, then when you tried to separate the two sets the shells might have been more likely to stay attached to each other than to the sets they belong to. That's what those side connections are for — to keep it wrapped around the set it belongs to.

Umarak looks pretty nice in general! His color scheme works very nicely, and he does a good job establishing the 'ruthless forest-dweller' feel. I do think his proportions might be improved if his shoulder joints were one module higher. His leg construction also suits him nicely.

I really love the Mask of Control's design! It truly feels like it and the Mask of Creation are alike, yet different. His regular mask is also quite cool and I can't help wondering if it'll have a name. The fact that his shoulder armor can become a shadow trap is a pleasant surprise (well, of course we knew it was the same pieces, but I didn't expect the shoulders coming off and becoming a shadow trap to be an intentional feature).

Parts-wise, it's cool to get the Piece of Unity in Titanium Metallic, but what excites me most is that the segmented leg/tusk pieces are finally available in the same color! They really look great together, and this color gives them a nice horn/bone look.

Overall, this guy is a really solid set, even though he didn't "wow" me as much at first as the new Toa and creatures. Thanks for the review!

[Tahu]

Amazing!!!!!!

[One Very Agile Cat]

I really love the Mask of Control's design! It truly feels like it and the Mask of Creation are alike, yet different.

I agree. The Mask of Control is one of the selling points of thsi set. I may have to buy some extra sets to make a custom Makuta with it.

[Takanuinuva]

I was only going to get Umarak for the Mask of Control. But he's starting to warm up to me as a set I might keep together. The only things I don't really like about him are the shoulders are too low and the lower leg construction. Nothing a few mods won't fix though.

Though is it me or does the Mask of Control look to be made in a slightly lighter shade of gold than the other gold pieces on Ekimu's body? Might just be the lighting.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Takanuinuva

[Shakar]

Nice review!

Umarak looks fantastic, and shows that you don't need to make a villain black/grey and red/trans orange for him (or her..sigh) to look threatening. Trans green reminds me of something radioactive, as if he was born from some disaster and is still glowing. The Skeletons were just corpses of mechanical warriors, Umarak looks like something that is very wrong and shouldn't exist- that's why he looks so creepy to me.

Still not sure about the MoCo, but I need to see it in person. But Umarak's mask is way cool, like a mutated and distorted face.

But I'm worried about that Uxar. Yuck, those clashing greens on his wings.

Outstanding set. I'm still not sold on his overall looks, even though I know he's a hunter in disguise and everything. Whatever, day 1 buy along with Onua.

And "Umarak le chasseur" sounds so damn good. I wish they translated his name in italian, or at least in japanese (Umarakku za hunta, I love the sound of it).

They translated it atually (also descriptions! Though this one doesn't seem to reveal anything). And once again, Kopaka and Melum are 25 Euro.

And "Umarak il Distruttore" sounds pretty freaking cool too.

Edited December 12, 2015 by Shakar

[xboxtravis7992]

"Umarak El Cazador" HECK YES! I like that with his "close to Inika build" size he looks like he can go toe to toe with some of the Gen1 Titan figures; my Keetongu set is going to have to worry about someone much more dangerous than Sidorak now...

Edited December 12, 2015 by xboxtravis7992

[DraikNova]

Oh god, how did I not notice that Umarak doesn't just have a mouth on his chest, but two adorable fang-like eyes as well. That is just the best thing. But yeah, his torso is way too pointlessly complex, his upper legs are almost twice the size of his lower ones...definitely not getting him. His color scheme and the mask are quite nice though (a few tr. green shells would have made him worth buying for me, actually). Not too excited about Uxar, judging by the large amounts of plain green visible in that combined shot.

[Lyichir]

Oh god, how did I not notice that Umarak doesn't just have a mouth on his chest, but two adorable fang-like eyes as well. That is just the best thing. But yeah, his torso is way too pointlessly complex, his upper legs are almost twice the size of his lower ones...definitely not getting him. His color scheme and the mask are quite nice though (a few tr. green shells would have made him worth buying for me, actually). Not too excited about Uxar, judging by the large amounts of plain green visible in that combined shot.

Plain green? I don't see any Bright Green or Dark Green in that picture. Are you sure you're not mistaking the Dark Stone Grey and Silver Metallic parts from the reverse side of his wings for green parts?

Speaking of which, his wings almost look like they're Trans. Fluor. Green in that picture, rather than Trans. Bright Green like the other Jungle sets use. But it's probably just the photography. I guess I'll find out when the review goes up.

[YellowCorvette]

Great review. Umarak still looks great like what I expected, but I kinda think that his shoulder should been placed higher because the position of the shoulder can cause the poses looks kinda awkward from some angles. But aside for that, I think he's overall look like a menacing villain and worth for a buy.

[Aanchir]

But yeah, his torso is way too pointlessly complex, his upper legs are almost twice the size of his lower ones...definitely not getting him.

Not sure what you mean about the legs? Umarak's upper legs are exactly seven modules long from the center of the hip to the center of the knee, and his lower legs are a little over six modules long from the center of the knee to the center of the ankle. That's hardly any difference at all...

[The Outsider]

Wow, I love everything about this set! Can't wait to have it in stores

I wonder if the Shadow Trap gimmick has some story significance... Maybe they're the Kraata to his Makuta? (the G1 species, not the G2 villain)

[Aethersprite]

Thanks for the review! As if I needed any more incentive to buy this set.

If it's possible, VBBN, could I request a picture of Umarak combined with Uxar, but with his shoulder armour on? How much is the unification hindered by the shoulder armour?

Can I just say that the detail on his mask is absolutely STUNNING.

Agreed. His mask is undoubtedly my favourite part of the set. My favourite G2 mask right up there with the Mask of Creation. The blended trans-green gives off a very sickly vibe; Umarak's mask has one of the best uses of the dual colour masks in G2.

Umarak looks pretty nice in general! His color scheme works very nicely, and he does a good job establishing the 'ruthless forest-dweller' feel. I do think his proportions might be improved if his shoulder joints were one module higher. His leg construction also suits him nicely.

Another request - how does Umarak look with his shoulder joints moved up one module (by moving up the Hordika neck)? I'm pretty sure Lego placed his shoulders so low for a good reason; my guess is that his arm articulation is hindered by the shoulder armour. I understand you've plenty of reviews to go through, so it's fine if you're too busy/have to put off requests till when you're done with all of them! Really appreciate what you're doing here with the reviews.

Overall, this guy is a really solid set, even though he didn't "wow" me as much at first as the new Toa and creatures. Thanks for the review!

This. I was very unimpressed with his first look, but I've slowly grown to love him and he's now one of my most anticipated sets of the wave!

[GK733]

Loved this guy from the start.

It's just the design of the bow that bugs me. Would had been more unique with the spring launcher.

[DraikNova]

Not sure what you mean about the legs? Umarak's upper legs are exactly seven modules long from the center of the hip to the center of the knee, and his lower legs are a little over six modules long from the center of the knee to the center of the ankle. That's hardly any difference at all...

Huh. Didn't realize his lower legs were that long. I think the issue is that the lower legs look like they'd be much shorter if they were positioned at a more natural angle for a digitgrade creature (with a larger angle at the knees).

[Igniton]

He looks so much better than i expected. I thought that he would be skinny, hollow and flimsy, but he's not. I still have kinda mixed feelings about his lower legs. He is currently the best villain set of whole G2 in my opinion. I really have to consider do I want to buy him.

But there is still one thing that I am curious about. How does he look with Mask of Control and the creature on his back at the same time.

Another great review by the way.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Igniton

[Kalhiki]

I agree with everyone else who says Umarak is amazing. Day one purchase, easily.

My only real complaint is the antlers. They look cool, yes, but after several instances of knocking Skull Basher's mask off... Ugh.

Uxar may fit with the green, But I still think Ikir will look best. A demon deer man with flaming wings of death? Hell yeah!

Also, question: He includes the pieces needed to make a Shadow Trap. Do those extra parts store anywhere on the figure? I know the trap halves make the shoulder armor and the legs are Umarak's toes, but what about the eye and the hinges? I hate when sets include extra parts that don't store anywhere and force you to just lay them by the side...

[DraikNova]

Pretty sure you could just store the eye as the sword pommel and connect the hinge to the axle running through the piece of unity, but they're probably not supposed to be used like that.