TOA HORDIKA VAKAMA, set #8736, offers much to talk about. A little hunched over compared to other Toa sets, (you would be too if you were lugging around that rotor), TOA HORDIKA VAKAMA can still stand tall among the other Toa.
Most noticable among the many new parts are the new two-plastic tools. VAKAMA’s are particularly striking with the translucent soft-plastic orange flames springing forth from the hard red plastic handle. And of course, there is that rotor sitting back there.
But the part I like the best, (pun intended), is the new right-arm assembly. All of the TOA HORDIKA share this arm assembly, as well as just about every other part except for mask and tools. The arm assembly is much longer than the older (left) arm and consists of no fewer than six pieces. It provides a great range of motion for that arm.
For the first time in memory, the TOA HORDIKA are without faces. In their place is a simple assembly with some BOHROK eyes. The masks are attached to the assembly using a 3-length axle through the “ears”.
The instructions offer very little in the way of sneak preview images, but what they do offer is intriguing. Here are two which feature TOA HORDIKA VAKAMA.
The rotor assembly orientation is different on the TOA HORDIKA than the RAHAGA. To launch a rotor, you first have to impale your TOA HORDIKA from the back and then pull the rip-cord out quickly. This is much easier to do on the TOA HORDIKA than on the previous RAHAGA sets because you can get a really good grip on a TOA HORDIKA. If any RHOTUKA distance or height records are to be set, they will almost certainly come from assembled TOA HORDIKA rather than RAHAGA.
The canister top is a bit interesting on this set too. If you open up your TOA HORDIKA only to find several small pins and axles are missing, the first place to look is inside the cap where they can easily become lodged.
The outside is interesting too. You can easily fit three rotors onto the can lid, and that’s a good thing because you get not just one rotor, but two! One of the rotors has a code imprinted on it, just like the RAHAGA Rhotuka. The other rotor does not have any printing on it. All of the TOA HORDIKA sets have two rotors (one printed, one not printed) that are the same shade of silver.
0 Comments