"Review" 7137, Piraka

[Front]

Here is what might look like a review of a Lego set, but as some of you know can hardly be considered such, as I am involved in developing these products. So let me instead describe the following as a presentation of one of the newest Bionicle sets, the 7137 Piraka.

7137, Piraka.

2010 January release.

Number of pieces: 15.

Price: 7,99 US$.

The Stars are the last six sets from the Bionicle theme that has lived on since the start in 2001. Next year, 2010, the ninth year of Bionicle, will be the last year for this theme. That was announced a few weeks ago through a letter from the Bionicle team in Billund to admins at bzpower, the large on-line community focused exclusively on the Bionicle products.

The set Piraka will to the hard-core fans be known as the Nektann set, as that is the name of this particular Piraka character. Piraka was a tribe added to the Bionicle universe in January 2006, and as such the set here is a tribute to that tribe. Back then 6 original sets was launched, 6 mean guys, no shy of a rap song or beating up smaller creatures.

The set is sold in a plastic canister, and the lid of that is shown here to the right of the instructions. The canister itself will not be shown here. Fans will notice that the lid features the Skrall symbol. All 6 Stars sets feature the same canister, but each has individually colored lids.

The piece number is 15. New pieces are the spine mask in rubber-like material, and the golden armor which can be used on the collectible golden Tahu.

Both types of blue limbs are in an all new color.

Not much posing is allowed on a set with "pre-bent" arms and legs. The spine is much more flexible than the original Piraka spines, and don't really hinder the posing of the set. He can't look much downwards though, as the spiky chin collides with the torso.

Note how the torso is turned opposite than in most other sets where it's used. Front and back is simply swapped around.

Nektann trying to pinch a hole in your computer screen. The golden armor can be fitted nicely to one of his legs.

A side view of the spine-mask.

Please let me hear your view on this set, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the presentation.

Front

Edited December 3, 2009 by 3D Brickthing

[knuclear200x]

Bonaparte: Don't quote an entire post! Use the Add Reply button!!!

i miss the pearly whites. Also shouldnt he have come with a gun-blade of sorts?

[80 Dollar]

Neat pictures, thank you very much for the review!

Could you please do Takanuva review? I really want to see him some high quality pictures of him. :)

[Bundalings]

I feel silly about correcting a Lego employee that helped design this set, but the Piraka were originally released in 2006, not 2005. Also, those grey feet were first released in Kirop, the black impulse from 2008.

Great pictures as always, Front. This has made me certain: Nektann will be the first Star I pick up. He looks great. Even though he's a tribute to Vezok, he still looks unique.

Edit: According to Bricklink, both the arms and the legs are unique to this set in dark blue...

Edited December 3, 2009 by Bundalings

[Front]

i miss the pearly whites. Also shouldnt he have come with a gun-blade of sorts?

Yes, the white teeth were nice. Could I suggest that you edit your post, removing all the quote content ? It's not good posting behavior to just quote everything, and my guess is that nobody find it funny to scroll through all the pictures twice.

Neat pictures, thank you very much for the review!

Could you please do Takanuva review? I really want to see him some high quality pictures of him. :)

I don't have Takanuva :-) Yet I guess. If nobody does a Tahu review, I could jump in and post some photos of him later.

I feel silly about correcting a Lego employee that helped design this set, but the Piraka were originally released in 2006, not 2005. Also, those grey feet were first released in Kirop, the black impulse from 2008.

Great pictures as always, Front. This has made me certain: Nektann will be the first Star I pick up. He looks great. Even though he's a tribute to Vezok, he still looks unique.

Edit: According to Bricklink, both the arms and the legs are unique to this set in dark blue...

Super thank you for the corrections Bundalings, I will edit my post to get the stuff right. I really should have checked bricklink about recolors etc. but I guess I was too lazy. The 2005/2006 mistake, yes I actually doubted which year it was when writing, again to lazy to check. I started in the Bionicle team as consultant in January 2007, so I guess I am excused a bit when making mistakes about the "old" stuff

[Lordofdragonss]

Thanks for next review! I will buy him first! I loved Piraka- they were gansta-badasses of the jungle! xD

And I see some nice pieces here...

[Still Raindrop]

Thanks--this saved me from having to take pictures (and they're much better than mine would have been)

Nektann and Gresh are my favorite of the stars that I have (all but Tahu and Takanuva)

Edited December 3, 2009 by Mariko

[Brickthing]

Thanks for sharing this Front!

I really like the new spine on this set, although I've yet to get it myself. The way it says similar to the original pieces while avoiding the no-white teeth issue and Agori scale is great!

You may not be the person to ask, but it seems like the Bionicle team has been doing fans a favour by making the Agori body parts in as many different colours as possible. With the Stars, we have a large amount more of different coloured torsos and limbs, letting us make a wide variety of Agori, kind of like the old Mctoran + Bohrok Va feet.

[Front]

Thanks for sharing this Front!

I really like the new spine on this set, although I've yet to get it myself. The way it says similar to the original pieces while avoiding the no-white teeth issue and Agori scale is great!

You may not be the person to ask, but it seems like the Bionicle team has been doing fans a favour by making the Agori body parts in as many different colours as possible. With the Stars, we have a large amount more of different coloured torsos and limbs, letting us make a wide variety of Agori, kind of like the old Mctoran + Bohrok Va feet.

While the Stars don't feature many new parts, they may feature quite some new colors on existing molds (I really haven't checked, and don't keep that much track of colors, geometry is my main concern). But look at the line-up of new parts (moulds), three new masks, a foot and two new decoration/armor pieces. Quite few pieces for a six-set line-up.

You may now speculate if the 2010 line-up of new parts was skewed towards the second half year releases, and if you do so you are not far off

But I think the designers of the Stars then turned towards more recolors as a way to make the products more attractive.

Recolored pieces that come to my mind: Ackars flame in a two-colored version. Black sword for Skrall. Gresh blades and mask. A green double bushing on both Skrall's arms. And then I guess some torso and limbs recolored as you mention. Add to that some gold armor pieces, guess at least some of these are new color-wise.

Edited December 4, 2009 by Front

[-Tilius-]

You may now speculate if the 2010 line-up of new parts was skewed towards the second half year releases, and if you do so you are not far off

Not sure if I'm reading this right, but are you saying that the new line will use these sorts of parts/builds? i.e very little technic, all just ball-joints and sockets clicked together.

It's a nice set and all, but I don't see the point in buying it when I've already got a bigger, better version.

That's not to say I'm not going to buy it, 'cause I am, but still.

One of my favourite Stars, I reckon. Any chance you could try find a way to swap the head with Vezok? Just to see what it's like, with Nektann's head on a bigger set.

- Tilius

Edited December 4, 2009 by -Tilius-

[Front]

Not sure if I'm reading this right, but are you saying that the new line will use these sorts of parts/builds? i.e very little technic, all just ball-joints and sockets clicked together.

...........

......

One of my favourite Stars, I reckon. Any chance you could try find a way to swap the head with Vezok? Just to see what it's like, with Nektann's head on a bigger set.

- Tilius

I think you are trying to extract more than what makes sence from my description.

.....

I have already myself had the idea to try and create a Moc with the spine-mask features on a guy with knees and elbows. Even though it would be much taller than this official set, it might still look good, possible even better.

[CommanderFox]

Nice review Front

This looks like a nice simple set.

I really like that purple!

Nice pics.

Nice review!

CommanderFox

[Big Cam]

I'm not a bionicle fan, but I am a fan of a good review and this fits the bill.

I love your pictures, the Deapth of Field is great, and the one where he is trying to poke a hole in the screen, is brilliant.

I really like the new colors/texture on the face of this set. I can only hope color/texture like this can be expanded to regular LEGO sets.

[Front]

I really like that purple!

I hope I haven't screwed up the white balance in these pictures too much. The parts are regular dark blue.

[Big Cam]

I hope I haven't screwed up the white balance in these pictures too much. The parts are regular dark blue.

They definetaly look dark blue to me in the pics

[Front]

I really like the new colors/texture on the face of this set. I can only hope color/texture like this can be expanded to regular LEGO sets.

As stated above the color is a regular dark blue. I know that it at least seems brighter in some of the pictures, and that pictures may not show the color hue perfect.

The texture is a bit like what is seen on regular slope bricks, a spark eroded surface quality. It may be a bit rough here and appear different when combined with the soft and less shiny material used in this mask. But take a macro picture of a slope brick, and it may not look that different.

[Lord Antonio]

looks kinda like the fallen from transformers 2

[Zaktan of the Shadows]

Beautiful pictures. Piraka Nektann looks like a wonderful set. Thanks for the review, Front.

-ZotS