Telluris
Skopio XV-1
Today I am sharing a 2nd review of the monstrous set that is Skopio XV-1 (which I hope is allowed). There's no pics, since I didn't take any while building it, nor do I feel like taking any now. Anywho, onto the review.
The BoxNo one buys the set for the box or canister, but it is still important. The front of the box shows a picture of Telluris riding the XV-1 over what would seem to be a magma leaking area. The colours are great, and Telluris looks pretty imposing. Flipping the box over, Telluris stands proudly beside his XV-1, which is now in tank mode. The box shows you the many functiosn of the XV-1, which include a raising tail, jaws that open and close, how to fire a Thornax, how to transform XV-1 from Walker to Tank. Also includes Bio code, and if you're good with leet you should be able to figure out the code.
Building ProcessOnce you open the box(whether you tear it open like an animal or take time with scisors to cut the tape off and rip the box open nicely) you find 2 instruction booklets and 8 bags of pieces. 4 bags contain exactly the same thing, while 3 others have different parts of the build, and the last contains the Force Blasters and other large pieces.
The first build is Telluris, who is simple, neat, and effective. The helmet is sleek and looks good, although the eyeholes are quite small. I'm not in love with the backwards Av-Toran torso, but it's not the worst thing either. The yellow fore arms are odd, because they give Telluris 2 elbows per arm, and they are a different colour from the rest of him.
The legs are the same as Metru Design, except the Mata Foot at the end. The silver armour is disgusting. I hate that part.
The next part of the build is long and quite annoying, actually. I would suggest building all 4 legs at the same time, so as to not find yourself doing the same thing 4 times in a row, but rather all at once. Yes, they're all the same. However, individually, the legs are quite nice. They're massive, and could be a vehicle by themselves(if you buy Skopio and build all 4 legs, before connecting them together race them around a bit. It's like having 4 halves of Cendox to play with
).
After finishing the legs, you put two legs together to make one side, then do the same thing with the other two to form the opposite side. The main body comes next(which is actually a box that everything hooks onto). The box uses 3 frame pieces(2 of which are the same) along with a few technic beams to construct it. It is solid and won't come apart easily. Although it is even holeier than Maxilos, it does it's job, and once everything is attached you don't notice it much.
It is at this point that the 2nd booklet is opened I think, and you begin the build of the tail, neck, back and head. Which is pretty simple. The tail is 2 15 length beams with midaks and Thornax attached to it. The back is a set of panels that open and close to allow the tail to move forwards and to allow Telluris to lie down in.
The head is simple but effective, and the jaws add a great deal to Skopio. Once you attach everything together you have a monstrous Bionicle set that transforms.
The PiecesNew pieces(to me) are:
-Telluris' helmet
-4 different panels(2 large, 2 small, all 4 are different, since they are opposites of each other).
-Main frame pieces (3 total, 2 are the same)
-The treads (to me at least)
Recolours, or pieces of interest:
-Black life counter without numbers (x4)
-Large sprokets (x4)
-16 pistons.
-12 ball joints inika style
-Hannah Crab piece
-Antroz Blades
-8 Axalara Pannels
-Two Midaks/Force Blasters (which means 8 Zamors)
-Keetorange Hands, Metru Legs, Feet, Kalmah armour.
-IRON MAN HEAD!
-2 Life counters for the ULTIMATEACTIONFIGUREGAMEWHICH
ISSOCOOL
PlayabilityThis beast is a ton of fun. Telluris is a neat little guy by himself, but his tank is much more fun. It looks great it walker mode, but doesn't move nicely like this. In tank mode, the XV-1 zooms around(on carpets) and can easily turn by moving the legs one ratchet click left or right. Depending on how many of the legs are turned, the XV-1 turns a sharper or rounder corner, which is neat. The treads are great and move smoothly and with a sastisfiying noise.
The tail can move up and down, but can't turn, so the Midaks can only aim forwards. But the Thornax can shoot 180 degrees.
The legs can turn 108 degrees, so you can position Skopio in many ways, and he can drive forwards, backwards, and even side to side. It can also drive with the front legs up and the back legs down(as long as they're facing forwards) and vice versa, which looks pretty cool.
This thing is a lot more fun than Axalara, although I do miss automatic functions.
CostOkay, this things costs $120 CAD, which put a huge dent in my wallet. It hurts. It really does. But I think that it's a great set, and if you've got the money, go for it(in total it was 150 CAD, including Shipping and Tax).
Final ThoughtsPros:
-Telluris' helmet is cool
-Telluris has a unique build
-It's a massive set
-Great amount of MoCing pieces(pistons and ball joints are always welcome)
-Great playability and poeseability
-Skopio's jaws are cool
-It transforms from walker to tank
-It fits on my shelf(which Axalara couldn't do)
-Back panels are nice, and they can open and close
-Tail moves around
Cons:
-Telluris has a unique build
-My wallet is still crying
-The tail moves
-No functions
-Walker mode can't move
Okay, so it's pretty obvious that Pro's outway cons. I think it would have been cool if the tail had a function(like having a knob that turns to pull the tail up) or even something to make it not move as much so easily. The back panels could have also had a function to open and close them, but they still look cool.
At 849 pieces its one of the biggest sets ever(I think Battle of Metru Nui is the only Bio set with more pieces). I really like this set, and I'm sure if you buy it you'll like it to.
Overall, I give it a 9/10, maybe even a few decimal places more.
And be sure to read Iconox' review of Skopio, just so you get 2 views!
