For some reason, EVIL TAHU is feeling a wee bit outmatched here…

Using Super Battle Droid click-joints for hips, and RAHKSHI legs for arms, MAKUTA has a fair amount of articulation, considering how large he is. However, the legs themselves are rather permanently posed in a kind of squatting position. He’s quite a bit more articulated than the TURAGA NUI, but not quite to the extent of some of the similarly-sized KAITA models. The entire upper torso is built around a RAHKSHI torso, so spinning a dial on the back will set him twisting at the waist and knocking down opponents left and right. One of the more odd aspects is that he’s got silver MASKS OF LIGHT for gauntlets, and his weapon uses the same piece used by the mysterious TOA OF LIGHT. Coincidence? Only time will tell…

A close inspection of the head reveals that the MASK is not mounted in the same way that the RAHKSHI MASKS are. Instead, it’s attached to a TOA head that’s been flipped around and tipped on its back. But here’s the really cool part. If you flip the head around so it’s facing forward, the MAKUTA MASK has eyes for a normal TOA to see through! In essence, it’s two MASKS in one.

Here are a few closeup shots of the two new KANOHI shapes. Both of them are excellent designs that hearken back to the hand-carved masks of the Pacific islanders, just like the HAU and PAKARI. I did notice one very significant difference between these two new MASKS and any that have gone before. They are not mounted with studs. They’ve got plus-rod connectors that are about 1.5 studs long, which means they will be extremely difficult to knock loose. Perhaps that was done as a way to indicate just how powerful they are.

Lastly, I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to let EVIL TAHU try on the new KANOHI shapes for a bit…