#8980 - Gresh
Dec 29, 2008 21:27:48 GMT -5
Post by Madaraki on Dec 29, 2008 21:27:48 GMT -5
So yeah, I can't guarantee Tarix tomorrow, but for today at least, you're getting a nice review of not just any Gresh, but the last Gresh that was on the shelves at TRU this afternoon.
*Cue applause*
Thank you.
So anyway, the first thing about Gresh is; he's both old and new. The canister's front image more or less tells you everything you need to know about assembling him (as has been the deal with the past dozen or so canister set's I've bought) and yet I still had to check the instructions a couple of times for a few areas.
Piece-wise, he's only got a few new bits, but they're good new bits.
Looking at things first, we've got the two hands, one Bioniclix dial, another black neck joint, the head, and the THORNAX LAUNCHER (yes, it has a name now, see the Miscellaneous Glatorian/Agori Info thread for details) Okay, maybe I was just totally trolled by LEGO, but when I opened Skrall (orange head), and then got Strakk (light blue head), I was fairly happy. It looked like we were finally losing the tradition of repeated eye colors and bringing back the varied color thing. Strakk is the first canister set to have a transparent blue piece for eyes since...I believe either Toa Hordika Nuju, or the Visorak Suukorak (whichever came later). Optimism for this was heigh even after Malum (another orange head) as Fire..well..there aren't many colors you could use for a fire-based guy that'd still work. Optimism took a slight hit when I got Tuma, but then again, titan sets aren't known for unique eyecolor pieces. Vorox; I was a bit worried about (four orange heads now?) but then again, Pohatu originally had the orange-eye thing going. Gresh has largely wrecked that sense of optimism. I was expecting light green Lewa-style eyes. Ignoring wilful denial and looking at Tarix, he's thankfully got what looks to be a transparent green head, but I'm still a little miffed at the lack of restored multiple eyecolors.[/rant]
Ah well.
Thankfully, we get a pleasant change from some of the sets in Gresh's weaponry. He's got a Thornax launcher connnected to an old hand/ankle piece and that in turn plugs into his hand. It's not the most complex thing ever, but at least the entire weapon's able to be removed in one piece, and he doesn't look like a Covenant elite anymore.
The other weapon pieces are pretty much reeking of MOC potential. Gresh has two leaf-like blades with three pinholes and two +rod ends on each. The configuration of the rod ends here is especially nice and the weapon caries a good deal of MOC potential on its own (more on that later).
And of course, the helmet It seems slightly wider than the others, although maybe it's the two shallow vents across the front (do these stripes make me look fat?) that do the trick. The helmet sweeps back into three upturned spines that really bring out the whole "leafy thing" and go well with the shoulder/thigh armor.
Shoulder/thigh armor, huh? Yup. Gresh has a few recolor pieces as well. Looking below, we've got another set of bright green Inika feet, as well as Piraka leg armor and Takanuva claws of the same color. Maybe it's just me, but I think those clawpieces work better as leaf-armor and whatnot than they do as hands. The angle on them when they're used for claws is a bit too steep for my liking. Aditionally, we've also gotten a dark green armorpiece similar to Inika Kongu's, although it's not half-silver in color.
So it's been a bit since I started. Remember when I said "he's old and new"? Gresh may be the Inika body format, but when building him, one will notice a couple different things about how he's built.
As seen, the connection for his shoulder armor is set between the chest armor and the torso pieces, so there's that extra piece between his pelvis and armor to brace the two halves. Additionally, the pelvic area's connected at a lower level than it was with the Inika. The effect gives him a longer torso area, and thus a taller body than any other canister set previously released. The only tradeoff of course, is a slightly hunched shoulder/head setting. The neck could stand to be moved up a bit to make him taller in that area.
It seems to be a trend with a few of the sets anyway, but the sets are moving beyond elemental color/background/body color, and Gresh is no exception. Skrall's tri-color scheme is the most noticeable with a white-light blue-dark blue color blend, and now we have Gresh; with black, light green, and dark green. Once more no sign of the original Lewa green, but at least we're beyond the dark green/grey (or black) color detail.
Like Malum and Strakk, Gresh's body seems to echo his own jungle setting; the shoulder/thigh armor, helmet, shield, and even the feet, all have a somewhat "tattered leaf" look about them. The styling is seen around most of his body, and yet it doesn't really inhibit poseability beyond a somewhat limited ability to raise the arms. Additionally, the leafblades are slightly limited in that they can only be held a few ways in his hand as a shield.
Ah yes, the leafblades. The canister shows them being held together (one in each end of his hand) as a shield, and yet the instructions have one held in the bottom side of each hand as blades that run up along his forearms.
At first, anyway. Turn the page, and the instructions have an alternate posing image that matches the canister. Normally "repositioning the weapons" might not be a big thing, but it is rather unusual that such a thing would be shown directly in the instructions.
Of course, with the second set of +rod ends included, you can always forego the launcher entirely. They really do make nice swords.
And on the note of placements; Gresh's Bioniclix dial is placed flat on his back, just the way it's hooked onto Malum's (and I suspect Tarix's too). Of course, the fun thing to notice here is that given his upright and fairly thin posture, he's one of the better figures at the battle game as standing him sideways provides an incredibly thin target (at least most of the time, but not all...as shown above).
And on that note of thinness/size, he's....actually slightly shorter than Strakk at nearly-full height (it's that body configuration).
He's also far shorter than a vertical Rockoh - T3.
And to wrap this up now:
Pros:
Cons:
Overall: 8/10
For a figure using the old-style body structure, Gresh is easily one of the better Glatorian. He's a very good mix of old and new, the weapon fixings are good, the helmet's nice, and I even like the use of the Takanuva claws. I'd definitely reccomend buying him, although perhaps after at least two of the more unique sets.
This has been a Blueblanket Productions review, and now only Tarix and Fero & Skirmix are left...you may now place betns on which set will be obtained and reviewed first.
*Cue applause*
Thank you.
So anyway, the first thing about Gresh is; he's both old and new. The canister's front image more or less tells you everything you need to know about assembling him (as has been the deal with the past dozen or so canister set's I've bought) and yet I still had to check the instructions a couple of times for a few areas.
Piece-wise, he's only got a few new bits, but they're good new bits.
Looking at things first, we've got the two hands, one Bioniclix dial, another black neck joint, the head, and the THORNAX LAUNCHER (yes, it has a name now, see the Miscellaneous Glatorian/Agori Info thread for details) Okay, maybe I was just totally trolled by LEGO, but when I opened Skrall (orange head), and then got Strakk (light blue head), I was fairly happy. It looked like we were finally losing the tradition of repeated eye colors and bringing back the varied color thing. Strakk is the first canister set to have a transparent blue piece for eyes since...I believe either Toa Hordika Nuju, or the Visorak Suukorak (whichever came later). Optimism for this was heigh even after Malum (another orange head) as Fire..well..there aren't many colors you could use for a fire-based guy that'd still work. Optimism took a slight hit when I got Tuma, but then again, titan sets aren't known for unique eyecolor pieces. Vorox; I was a bit worried about (four orange heads now?) but then again, Pohatu originally had the orange-eye thing going. Gresh has largely wrecked that sense of optimism. I was expecting light green Lewa-style eyes. Ignoring wilful denial and looking at Tarix, he's thankfully got what looks to be a transparent green head, but I'm still a little miffed at the lack of restored multiple eyecolors.[/rant]
Ah well.
Thankfully, we get a pleasant change from some of the sets in Gresh's weaponry. He's got a Thornax launcher connnected to an old hand/ankle piece and that in turn plugs into his hand. It's not the most complex thing ever, but at least the entire weapon's able to be removed in one piece, and he doesn't look like a Covenant elite anymore.
The other weapon pieces are pretty much reeking of MOC potential. Gresh has two leaf-like blades with three pinholes and two +rod ends on each. The configuration of the rod ends here is especially nice and the weapon caries a good deal of MOC potential on its own (more on that later).
And of course, the helmet It seems slightly wider than the others, although maybe it's the two shallow vents across the front (do these stripes make me look fat?) that do the trick. The helmet sweeps back into three upturned spines that really bring out the whole "leafy thing" and go well with the shoulder/thigh armor.
Shoulder/thigh armor, huh? Yup. Gresh has a few recolor pieces as well. Looking below, we've got another set of bright green Inika feet, as well as Piraka leg armor and Takanuva claws of the same color. Maybe it's just me, but I think those clawpieces work better as leaf-armor and whatnot than they do as hands. The angle on them when they're used for claws is a bit too steep for my liking. Aditionally, we've also gotten a dark green armorpiece similar to Inika Kongu's, although it's not half-silver in color.
So it's been a bit since I started. Remember when I said "he's old and new"? Gresh may be the Inika body format, but when building him, one will notice a couple different things about how he's built.
As seen, the connection for his shoulder armor is set between the chest armor and the torso pieces, so there's that extra piece between his pelvis and armor to brace the two halves. Additionally, the pelvic area's connected at a lower level than it was with the Inika. The effect gives him a longer torso area, and thus a taller body than any other canister set previously released. The only tradeoff of course, is a slightly hunched shoulder/head setting. The neck could stand to be moved up a bit to make him taller in that area.
It seems to be a trend with a few of the sets anyway, but the sets are moving beyond elemental color/background/body color, and Gresh is no exception. Skrall's tri-color scheme is the most noticeable with a white-light blue-dark blue color blend, and now we have Gresh; with black, light green, and dark green. Once more no sign of the original Lewa green, but at least we're beyond the dark green/grey (or black) color detail.
Like Malum and Strakk, Gresh's body seems to echo his own jungle setting; the shoulder/thigh armor, helmet, shield, and even the feet, all have a somewhat "tattered leaf" look about them. The styling is seen around most of his body, and yet it doesn't really inhibit poseability beyond a somewhat limited ability to raise the arms. Additionally, the leafblades are slightly limited in that they can only be held a few ways in his hand as a shield.
Ah yes, the leafblades. The canister shows them being held together (one in each end of his hand) as a shield, and yet the instructions have one held in the bottom side of each hand as blades that run up along his forearms.
At first, anyway. Turn the page, and the instructions have an alternate posing image that matches the canister. Normally "repositioning the weapons" might not be a big thing, but it is rather unusual that such a thing would be shown directly in the instructions.
Of course, with the second set of +rod ends included, you can always forego the launcher entirely. They really do make nice swords.
And on the note of placements; Gresh's Bioniclix dial is placed flat on his back, just the way it's hooked onto Malum's (and I suspect Tarix's too). Of course, the fun thing to notice here is that given his upright and fairly thin posture, he's one of the better figures at the battle game as standing him sideways provides an incredibly thin target (at least most of the time, but not all...as shown above).
And on that note of thinness/size, he's....actually slightly shorter than Strakk at nearly-full height (it's that body configuration).
He's also far shorter than a vertical Rockoh - T3.
And to wrap this up now:
Pros:
- Elemental styling that doesn't look silly/inhibit poseability.
- Older body structure with some new tweaks to it.
- LEAFBLADES
Cons:
- Head set a bit too low in the body.
- Needs more of the dark/light green blend on the armor the same way it's used on the helmet.
Overall: 8/10
For a figure using the old-style body structure, Gresh is easily one of the better Glatorian. He's a very good mix of old and new, the weapon fixings are good, the helmet's nice, and I even like the use of the Takanuva claws. I'd definitely reccomend buying him, although perhaps after at least two of the more unique sets.
This has been a Blueblanket Productions review, and now only Tarix and Fero & Skirmix are left...you may now place betns on which set will be obtained and reviewed first.
He is my favorite out of the other Glatorian, with Tuma and Strakk being the only other sets I want.
