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You'll all get to see the LoSS from many angles very soon And the rest of the Toa and Protectors too, why not

With under a month left to enter the Battle for the Gold Mask competition, Lego has sent us the three largest Toa (Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua) for review! You can view the review of Tahu: Master of Fire here. You can view the review of Onua: Master of Earth here. You can view the review of Kopaka: Master of Ice here. These sets are just part of the possible prizes in the Battle for the Gold Mask competition. Don't miss out on your chance, head on over to the Action Figures forum and get those entries in!

I keep forgetting LoSS comes with a gold version of the mask. I'm going to guess it's a no but I would like if they gave four of the legs to make it into a spider. I suppose the older HF claw pieces would do for now, but still. We will find out soon enough.. Speaking of which, I know it wouldn't make sense story wise, but with all of these gold masks it almost leaves me wishing we got the protector mask in gold too.

Yes, just please make sure that the rubber bands are only the rubber bands found in official Lego sets. These would have to be separate entries.

I will get a picture of that soon I've got a few pic requests to fulfill. You cannot place the armor directly onto that balljoint, the pieces that connect the swords to his back prevent you from being able to put the armor piece down. If you try it, you'll end up causing the arm to be pulled out.

While I don't think silver really matches dark gray at all, regardless I don't find that to really be a drawing point of the silver piece. As it stands, Kopaka has no white components on his chest, and as Lyichir said there is quite a massive portion of gold when the gold Akaku is mounted. I fail to see how a white torso shell overbalances anything at all in that respect. I think, perhaps, you see there as being too much white because unlike the other Toa, Kopaka's piston add-ons are his respective color of white instead of silver or gold. Personally I prefer the increased amount of white and less silver, since gold and trans light blue already add to a busy color scheme.

I think the green one is supposed to be representing the spring yellowish green mask, but I'd love to be wrong and get more colors of the spider in the summer wave. With that said, I find it very odd that we would only get three colors of skull spiders in the first wave of 13 sets, and then suddenly get a whole bunch more colors in the supposed 5 set second wave. But either way, if they make the skull spider mask in red I'll buy 100. Maybe 1000.

I don't see CCBS as a negative aspect to Bionicle's look in any way. Even Bionicle old generation had massive changes in aesthetic style- The limbs of a 2001 Toa look visually jarring compared to the smoother and thicker joints of later years, and the finished look of an Inika build was a galaxy away from what the Mata or Metru looked like. Large torsos packed with gear elements were swapped for the inika/piraka bodies, which completely eliminated gear features. Heavily technic oriented villains and Rahi became oversized Toa builds, then once again went back to being giant flying refrigerators and walking tanks. My point is, it's not like the older Bionicle was ever something that was aesthetically similar. You can blend together a part from 2001 with a part from 2009 just as easily as you can put a 2001 or 2009 piece with a CCBS piece. The overall look and feel of these sets is a completely different experience than anything I ever got with Hero Factory, and they feel more like Bionicle to me than I had thought before having them in hand. The look of CCBS may leave many people unhappy because it's not as mechanical as the older sets, but the piston armor add-ons and masks already go a long way to making these sets feel more like Bionicle, and the gearboxes bring back a more involved construction that even Bionicle failed to deliver in it's final year. Who knows what else Lego will do to tie these into the look of the older sets even more, but there is a hardworking group of people dedicated to that cause. In my opinion CCBS is a fantastic system and I hope it only continues to grow from here.

That is correct, Onua doesn't use the gatling gun since it is built into the Earth Protector. Yes I will do a batch of pic requests soon and include those.

Linking to this a little late, but I'm with DeeVee as well as Andrew and Aaron from BZP for a livestream where we are discussing the sets, you can go here to see it, and also on youtube

Set name: Tahu: Master of Fire Set number: 70787 Pieces: 89 Price: $19.99, € Release date: 2015 A short tempered leader. For many of the long-standing fans of Bionicle, Tahu was one of their very first sets, and continues to be one of the most iconic Toa in existence. For me, Tahu is the set I think of when I hear the word "Bionicle." Tahu was the first Bionicle set I got back in 2001, and the Tahu Stars set was the last one I got in 2010. Now we get to take a closer look at a brand new, much taller Tahu. Packaging and Contents Box Front The packaging for the new Bionicle sets comes in the form of a hexagonal shaped box. While not the canisters many people would like to once again own, it still makes quite a statement with it's bright fiery background and Mask of Creation set in the top corner. Please note that this is the European packaging, so information such as the parts count is absent here. Box Back The back of the box offers an interesting slew of information about the sets features. Unlike my laughter at the Invasion From below sets showing of "features" that were hardly more than poseability, there is quite a lot to look at here. A lot of neat stuff awaits us with these sets. You'll also see a comic, as well as a "combo model" of Tahu and the Fire protector. It's nothing more than Tahu arming himself with the Protector's weapons. Instructions The instructions offer the same image as the front of the box. If you'd like to see the contents of the set, I have taken a photo of the inventory page that you can view here. New/Interesting parts Chest and add-ons We have a torso shell in bright red, the new piston add-on in gold (you get six of them in this set!) and the printed breastplate. I originally wasn't a fan of the prints, but I quite like them after having them in hand. The red lines on the print are actually a chrome-red/pink color. Gearbox Here we have the new gearbox. I have a feeling we are going to see a lot of applications of this piece in the future, both in Bionicle and possibly Technic. Head and Claws The new head and eyestalk are a welcome change from the glatorian-styled head we have seen since 2009. I am not so much a fan of the mask-detachment feature, but more about that later. Also we can see the new claw piece, which is a remolded variant of an older Hero Factory claw. Sword Tahu and Kopaka both come with this massive sword. Tahu's is in silver, and I could see someone making a next-gen Lihkan with this. The sword halves connect together in the same way that Lihkan's swords did. However mine weren't in the box in the proper way that they were in Kopaka's, so they are a bit warped and require the extra connector to really keep them together. Masks The Hau is a very iconic mask in the Bionicle universe, and here we see the new version of it. It still has a ton of cues from the original mask (unlike the 2008 Hau), but the overall shape is much more square, and the central mouth region isn't as pronounced. Also you have the new skull spider mask in a very bright green. I'm sure Aanchir can give us a bit more information on the color, but I would love to see armor shells in this green in the future. Building Process Torso(1) Let's begin by looking at the build of the gearbox. Torso(2) Mind you, the gears aren't actually bent like that. Since there is no axels in the box yet the gears were trying to fall out. I was surprised to see that a notch is molded in to actually keep the gears in place. The smaller 8-tooth gears are used to increase the friction of the gears, and they do a fantastic job of it. Torso(3) The finished gearbox includes some attachments for Tahu's golden swords. Action Frame I decided to do my building process a bit different this time. Usually, I show the legs, then the arms, etc. I wanted to first focus on the gearbox, now I can show you the "action frame," which really just means I'll show you an unarmored version of the build so you can see the framework of the set. Armoring Next I will show you the basic armor of the figure. The only thing not visible here is a red 5-L shell placed on his back, under the gearbox. Finished Build Finishing touches are added on. Lava Board As previously stated, the sword connect together very similar to how Lihkan's did. Finished Set Skull Spider As with the Onua review, I had to switch to a black backdrop to display the very bright green Skull Spider. (And I might switch to a black backdrop in all of my reviews for the winter season, I have to rely on lighting since it's always dark in Michigan in the winter so white backdrops always require way too much editing) Front Tahu looks very cool when finished. yes, he's not the Tahu you remember. Yes, he uses CCBS. Yes, he has a different Hau and a chest print and sword coming out of his back. Maybe you don't want to think of it as Tahu, but man does it look good as a set. My only complaint here is the rather strange shoulder pads that stick up quite high. And I suppose high thihgs have some undesirable armor from a front view. Back The main eyesore on his back is those lower legs. I don't see why they couldn't have added one of the pieces that Kopaka has on his legs to give him a 5-L shell behind that. Profile Pose 1 Tahu poses well. In fact, he poses better than the other two $20 Toa, since he doesn't have the piston pieces on his ankles to limit their poseability. Pose 2 The swords can be put together to form the lava board as seen before, and they you can arm Tahu with the golden sword from his back. The board looks great, and is the highlight of these new sword pieces in my opinion. Gold Mask This isn't the first time we have seen Tahu come with a gold Hau, the Stars set also came with one. I don't know why that matters at all, but hey it's a fun fact. Anyway, I'll take this moment to talk about another minor complaint I have about the figure- Not a major one, and one that is easily fixable, but his feet and hands. Why silver? Red or black hands and red or gold feet would be much more suitable I feel, and I will need to try that out. Skull Mask Of course the Skull Spider mask can be laced on Tahu's face as well. The box shows that you can wrap the legs around the head, but the front legs don't wrap around all too well and create a cluttered mess. Comparison Unfortunately Tahu is the only Toa Mata I have assembled (and all the parts for), so it's the only comparison I can show at this time. Sword Storage For most of this review I showed Tahu with his swords up like his animation model, but as you can see they are on a mount that gives them a bunch of poseability, both horizontal and vertical motion. Conclusion Tahu is a defining character. But is he a defining set? He has the lowest amount of parts of the three $20 Toa, but don't let that put you off. He has a great design, that offers a grand amount of poseability and playability. There are a bunch of new and recolored parts to choose from, which are awesome within their own right, such as the fantastic new lava board swords. He is fun to build thanks to the new gearbox system, and personally, I feel he has one of the greatest designs of the new Toa. Of the three larger Toa, Tahu is the one I have enjoyed the most, and would in turn recommend the most.

Set name: Onua: Master of Earth Set number: 70789 Pieces: 108 Price: $19.99, € Release date: 2015 Onua. Big, bulky, and ready to..well, dig tunnels. The original Onua made quite a statement, using massive claws as his tool of choice and designating himself as one of the Toa who really wasn't afraid of shadows- rather, he prefered to dig deeper into them. But does the new Onua continue to make such a statement? Let's find out. Packaging and Contents Box Front Gone are the canisters, now we say hello to hexagonal boxes. The large surface shows off a nice photo of Onua, set in an unusually bright underground scene. I will say one thing, that is a very ballsy Skull Spider, that hammer is going to make quick work of him. Box Back The back of the box showcases a plethora of set features. unlikes many of the Hero factory sets as of late, there are actually some prominent features to be observed here. We can also see a comic utilizing the lovely new animation style, and a combo model which is nothing more that the Earth Protector's weapons slapped onto Onua. Instructions The instructions feature the same image as the front of the box. if you would like to see the list of set contents, you can view the inventory page here. Sticker Sheet Onua is one of the two Toa to feature a sticker sheet. His stickers are applied to his rather large chest piece, and I have to say they look fantastic. I know some people aren't into the chest designs on these figures, but I love them. New/Interesting parts Chest and Armor So here we a few parts that MOCists may find enticing. We have the Ben 10 foot in silver, a larger armor pad in silver, and the massive chest piece in black. Head, Bones, and Add-on I'm not sure why I'm even bothering to showcase the awesome new gold piston add-on or the new silver head and eyestalk, because I know everyone is going to gravitate to the delicious dark purple bones. I'll take 100. Gearbox The meat and potatoes of these new Toa is the gearbox, a fantastic new piece that is not only effective, but extremely versatile. Weapons and Spider leg Onua has 4 of these very large new shovel-like claw pieces. The can fit together similar to Toa Whenua's shovel weapons back in the day. They also have two axle positions, two pin holes, and two places for hinged attachments. Now can I get a pair in black? Also there is the Skull Spider leg, which is a remolded version of the Hero Factory claw. Masks Onua comes with not one, not two, but three masks. You have the new Pakari in black and gold, and the skull spider mask in a frighteningly bright green. I said this in the Bionicle 2015 thread and I'll say it again, I don't care much for this new Pakari. It's to a point where it's too sunken-in, and the sides of the mask seem very off to me, I think if they had been more filled in the mask would have looked far better. Also, it's very tiny, most likely the smallest of the new masks. Armor Shells We also get some of the 4-L shells in purple. Building Process Torso(1) The start of the torso goes straight to adding in the main 4-tooh gears. You may notice that there are no 8-tooth gears to add friction. Let's see how lego has added friction to this. Torso(2) To give Onua his wide shoulders, you construct these two sections. Interestingly, they are not symmetrical. The one of the right has a spot where the hammer's handle can be stored, while the one of the right is actually the friction of the system. When you turn the gears, you turn the tan axles, so while the axle turns, you are also turning the ball joint that is mounted to the y-joint. It works very well. Torso(3) The finished gearbox is very wide, and works quite well to make both arms move. Action Frame Here you can see the bone structure behind Onua. I'm not sure why they gave him dark purple on his thighs but no where else. Seems like a missed opportunity to include a very awesome new recolor to me. Armoring Onua's armor consists of purple and black. Finished Build We finish up by putting on some additional armor add-ons, and of course the chest stickers. Hammer Build The hammer isn't anything complicated, utilizing a simple build to create a decent looking hammer. Finished Set Skull Spider I had to switch to a black background to get a real nice shot of this guy, because wow is that a bright shade of green. But I must say he looks fantastic, they look very different than the spider-like enemies of the past, and the fact that it's a mask just adds to the coolness. Also, while I don't have a dark blue one in hand yet, this green is a very awesome color for the mask. Front Personally, I'm a fan of stickers because it means I don't have to put them on the set. People who read my Hero Factory IFB reviews may have noticed that I did not in fact add the stickers to the canopies or containment pods. However, I really like the chest designs on these figures, and I feel that the color of the stickers here really helps to bring together what would otherwise be a very scattered color scheme. With that said, I do not- do not- like the silver shoulder pads. They really take away the special quality that the piece has. It's a cool piece that has some great dual functionality as the sets weapon, but as shoulder pads in the same color, it doesn't make the weapon as unique in my opinion. Now, had the pieces been in black or maybe gold or purple... Back Onua is a wide figure, and from the back you can see just how much armor they had to put on his front to cover this up. Profile Onua is a pretty beefy character. Again, the Pakari looks...out of place. Hammer Storage When you take apart his hammer to turn the pieces into claws, you can store the upper part of the hammer on his back like so. Unfortunately, there isn't storage for the bottom part of the handle. Alternate Weapons Onua's alternate weapon build is a set of shovel hands. While not the ready-to-rip-your-bowels-out claws from 2001, these still look like they could cause some serious damage. Again, I feel like they would have been more interesting if the shoulder pads were a different story. Pose 1 Onua's wide stance calls for bent legs and a hunched appearance. His wide girth and the bulkiness of his armor can limit posing somewhat, but he strikes me as the slow, foot-stomping type. Pose 2 I think I prefer the claws to the hammer. What about you? Pose 3 Again just another pose. The gold mask looks surprisingly good on him, possibly more so than the black one. Gold Mask The gold Pakari still retains my complaints, but I must say I think I mind it a bit less here. Skull Mask Of course you can also place the Skull Spider on his face if the mood strikes you. Conclusion Onua is a decent figure. At 108 pieces, he is the best parts value of the three larger Toa. You get some nice new parts and recolors, including the fantastic dark purple bones, the large chest plate in black, and four of the new silver claws. He's packed with features, although the overall look of the set is up to you to form an opinion on. personally I like this new bulky look for Onua. I think that he is a decently bulky set, and for what you get, it's not a horrible deal for $20. Of the three larger Toa, I find that I would recommend him the least, but considering I would highly recommend all three, that's not a bad thing. Does this set strike you with nostalgia, or is it one you'll pass by on store shelves?

Indeed I've found that the masks are staying on more securely now- The neck joints have gotten past their initial extra tight stage, which I think is what was causing me my issues as I don't have to put as much force on the head to turn it. I still keep popping them off with the eyestalk on accident, but perhaps that is user error on my part.

Set name: Kopaka: Master of Ice Set number: 70788 Pieces: 97 Price: $19.99, € Release date: 2015 Kopaka. Icy and cold, a lone wolf. Personality wise, Kopaka was my favorite of the original Toa, and growing up he remained to be one of my favorite- I also can say with certainty that my favorite Bionicle element was ice, and that is very much in part due to Kopaka. So how does the new generation treat this telescopic-eyed hero? And how will Kopaka fair in the winter Olympics? Wait, what? Packaging and Contents Box Front Kopaka has traded in his canister for a cardboard box. Who knows, maybe the insulation is better. After all, after years at sea you would want it to be comfortable...Anyway, we see Kopaka set in a very nice ice scene, with his golden mask floating above a pedestal and a Skull Spider who is about to get jabbed in the face. Box Back The back of the box features Kopaka practicing for the 2018 winter olympics. We also see a good amount of set features, a "powered up" mode of Kopaka armed with the Ice Protector's tools, and a comic that features a red skull spider. Oh Lego, why do you insist on giving us only three colors of Skull Spiders? I really want a red one. A black one too while you're at it.. Instructions The instructions feature the same image as the box. You can view the part inventory page here. Sticker Sheet Kopaka is one of the two Toa to feature a sticker sheet. While Onua's is a fairly major detail, I'm not sure why Kopaka here has some intakes on his legs. Better aerodynamics for getting the gold medal I suppose. New/Interesting parts Chest and add-ons The new piston add-ons are some of the most "Bionicle Aesthetic" parts in the set. You get 4 of them in white, and strangely this is the only color they come in besides gold and silver. We also have the new print on his chest piece. I have to admit, I wasn't a fan of these before, but man do I love the prints now having them in hand. The picture doesn't show it off well, but that light blue zigzag line is actually a chrome light blue. Head and Claws We have the new headpiece in silver and the eyestalk in trans light blue. Also there is the new Skull Spider leg, which is a remolded variant of a hero factory claw piece. Gearbox The new gearbox. There are a lot of possibilities waiting to be seen with this new piece, I look forward to seeing how people use it. Sword Kopaka and tahu both share this gigantic new sword piece, although Kopaka's is in white. it's quite long, but very hollow on the inside. You can in fact connect two of them together in the same fashion as Lihkan's swords. Masks We have three masks in this set. You have the Akaku in white and gold, as well as a silver skull spider mask. of all the masks, the new Akaku certainly looks closest to it's original 2001 form. Building Process Torso(1) Unlike his Fire and Earth brothers, Kopaka's build begins by locking one of the arms in place. Torso(2) The other arm is mounted to gears, and an 8-tooth gear assembly is built near his armpit to add friction. Action Frame I didn't highlight them in the parts section because they are not new, but we see the return of the trans blue bones and hands that were limited to the Chima CHI sets this year, that were not released in the US. Armoring Kopaka's armoring is gold and white, with a random silver chestplate. I'm glad to see the return of the Brain Attack chestplate, it's a cool piece and good to see it's not dead, but I wish they had recolored it in white. Finished Build We finish off the build with some armor add-ons, and the very strange thigh stickers. Ski pole Kopaka's weapon is, of course, an olympic ski pole. We see the return of the Guurahk staff. I can't say I really like the build of this. It's just...boring. Finished Set Skull Spider The skull spider is a neat design. It's a fairly large spider, and of course you get the extra added bonus that it's a mask. Front Kopaka 's look is finished by giving him a massive shield. I can't say I'm a big fan of the shield, I would have preferred it to look more like his original shield. I guess they just had to find a way to include these parts in here to give him skis. He could have kneeled down on a sheild as a sled though. The mask can be popped off by pushing own on the eyestalk. While cool in theory, I keep hitting it on accident and it goes and pops off. Oy. Back Thanks to his massive legs, his has some nice armoring on the back of his shins. Profile Oh dear. While I understand the aesthetic they were going for with the legs, I still can't get over his strange it looks with so many colors. has the leg bone been white, maybe this would have looked better. Pose 1 With that said, Kopaka on his skies looks fantastic. They look just as cool as his skates from 2003 did, and his staff weapon has a genius double use. Different Angle Many people thought his lower legs were big fuzzy boots, but I see them more as big snow pants. Other Olympic competitors wear skin tight suits to increase aerodynamics. Kopaka looks at them and laughs. Pose 2 As an added bonus, Kopaka has decided to run as the snowboarding champ as well! Since both he and tahu share the same took, you can copy Tahu's board... Pose 3 ...As well as his swords. Of course, since this is not the intended configuration, the gear will still only move one arm. but hey, at least you've got some variety. Gold Mask He's won the gold medal! Err, Akaku. I actually really like how the gold mask looks here. Since his body is mostly gold with the random silver chest plate, the white mask almost seems disconnected and out of place (hence why I wish the torso shell was white). The gold mask, however, really completes the look. Skull Mask You can also put on the silver Skull spider mask if you so choose. The back of the box shows that you can put the spider on and wrap his legs around the head, but I find this severely limits articulation and is a cluttered mess, so I only fold back the back legs. Conclusion Kopaka is a fun set. He's got a lot of features and playability. He brings back some nostalgia, and with such a fantastic redesign of the classic 2001 Akaku, and the dual functionality of his tools. For many, the price tag is a tough obstacle to get around, and the look of the set using CCBS is a jarring difference from what we had in the old days. But this is the new generation, not everything can be the same. My main complaint is the weapons. To me, the skis are cool but as a shield they are very unconvincing, and the staff is cool as a ski pole but a very boring weapon. The color scheme is certainly busy and I wish there were some changes in the overall displacement of the colors, and I find the stickers rather odd. If you are a fan of Kopaka or think you'll enjoy the features of these new Toa, he's a must-buy. $20 may put him as one of the three most expensive sets, but there is a good quantity of new parts to be seen, and his very filled out armor helps to justify the higher price. What do you think? As usual, a big thank you to The Lego Company for sending these our way to be reviewed!

The initial Comic-con hype for the mask died down quickly- they were selling for $200 during Comic-con week. At this point most people who were willing to sell a kidney got one and are flaunting that they got it, so it seems like a lot of people have them. I would still say 1500 is a considerably rare number. Think how many standard red Hau's are likely to be produced in the 2015 run, leaps and bounds above 1500. (Actually that would be an interesting statistic to have..) If you were sent Tahu for the BZP review I expect to see him wearing one of those trans-orange Haus...whilst swimming in a pool of the other trans-orange and clear ones...

Glad to see everyone who has entered so far- You've still got a little less than a month to go, keep the villains coming!

Hence why I said "one of the masks that looks closest" Kopaka's is for sure the closest, I would say followed by the Pakari and then Hau. After that, well I'll save judgement until I have them in hand..

I think that even filling in the two square gaps on the size of the mask would have helped slightly. I think I prefer the very smooth face of the original Pakari- This one has a lot more shaping to it, I'm not sure if that affects how it's size looks against the wide shoulders. With that said, it's one of the masks that looks closest to it's original form, so there's that.

Unfortunately Tahu mata is the only Toa Mata I have for actual set comparisons, but here you can see the mask on Onua (I still need to get pictures of the new pakari next to the old one) I guess it's not that small, but I feel like it could be a little wider or something.

Nope you're spot on. The picture really distorts the size of the hau; I think it's size fits his body just fine. Onua's pakari, on the other hand, is way too small IMO.

So Hau you doing? I must say this mask has sort of grown on me. Not my favorite, but not as bad as I thought it would look in hand.

I'm not sure how the rest of the people with review copies are getting on, but I have one major complaint so far- these masks do not stay on very well. every time I try to move the head the mask falls off, just from the tightness of the neck joint (force you have to apply to turn head can sometimes cause you to pop the mask off), let alone the eyepiece launching mechanism. The skull spider masks stay on far better, not sure if it's the shape of the mask or just luck of the draw. Also I'm quite surprised at how poor the eye color is- standard sunlight hardly lights up the eyes, I find that light has to be directly shining down on the eyepiece to really get it going.