NanoxVox

Not to jump to conclusions, but I'm fairly certain that the gearbox used in the 2016 SW sets is the same gearbox as the 2015 one. More likely is that the torso design around the gearbox is different. I don't think the 2015 gearbox is bad in the slightest. The only two problems I have have less to do with the gearbox itself and more to do with the general set design, specifically: The gearbox is just bolted onto the back of the standard CCBS torso base. The shoulders of some of the sets have very large shoulder pads that are very poorly integrated into the rest of the set (Tahu and Gali in particular) that make using the gear function a bit janky. The waist function was probably only brought into the 2016 sets to help better integrate the creature unity gimmick. I fully suspect that the 2015 gearbox will make a return i n the 2017 sets and be better integrated as well.

Best guess seems to be that Melum is supposed to be a yeti.

Noticed something about the leaked sets that I haven't seen mentioned yet. It looks like that as part of the "Unity" function, the heads of the creatures are able to attach on top of the masks as helmets. I noticed this with Kopaka and Melum though it is hard to notice since both parts are the same color.

Top heavyness using the large chest pieces and sholder pads. Ah, I see, that actually answers my question.

Does Onua still have the "Bulky" proportions that his 2015 set had?

I wouldn't be so sure. I've seen some closer pics of the sets (http://news.toyark.com/2015/02/14/lego-bionicle-toy-fair-2015-151069) and many of the new parts (the masks, armor and weapon pieces) look like they're still made of rough ressin, so the finer details are still going to be a little washed out. I also wouldn't be suprised if this was the reason that Skull Scorpio is missing his mask. It might have gotten damaged durring transit. Also, REJOICE! the Skull Slicer has all four arms geared!

Those studs are trans-light blue, the glare of the lights just makes them look clear. In other news, these sets look AWESOME!

OK, here's my wild stab in the dark about the new sets. I think the names shown are not going to be the final names of the sets. Two things clue me into this, the "Mask Maker" set isn't referred to a Ekimu (I'm going to assume that the set is Ekimu until proven otherwise), and the names of the other sets are very similar to the “in progress” name of the LOSS (Skull Krana). As for the possible identity of the sets, I think that these are going to be a redo of the infected rahi from Gen1 Bionicle with the Skull Spiders playing the part of the infected masks.