Though Ive been meaning to review those last two BIONICL® playsets, with the VISORAK BATTERIN RAM being featured in the comics recently I felt this was a good time to get the review done…Ok not so recently but I had actually tried to get this review up when I saw the VBR being featured.
This particular playset by itself isnt too much fun , nor is it very well designed in my opinion. I prefer the prototype design seen on BZP to this design. On the plus side its the cheapest of the playsets currently out, and if your not interested in the bigger playsets but want the miniatures, this is the way to go as it includes all six TOA HORDIKA miniatures, as well as one each (and two extras) of each breed of VISORAK miniatures, totaling eight in all. Considering that the VISORAK are a swarm, the extras make them just barley outnumber the included toa.
Even though I didnt have too much fun I did enjoy using its catapult to hurl the
flaming boulder at stuff, and experimented with the different arcs you could get by pulling it back and launching from various distances. With practice you can get an accurate feel for aiming the catapult to throw the boulder either over the wall of another playset or far away to knock over some doomed TOA or VISORAK, or whatever item you target with it. Another nice touch is that the catapult itself swivels, but you cannot rotate it a full 360 degrees. I do wish you had a better part to grip and pull the rubber band powered device down, as it is simply a small knob.
The main feature of the device is the battering ram of course, which is basically a free swinging group of technic beams connected at two points to make it parallel to the ground with a golden colored SUUKORAK head as the ramming end. Adorning the ramming end is a VISORAK miniature that sits where the rhotucka would normally be placed, seemingly guiding or aiming the ram. Also on the ram end are two spears which dont function so well, since they are not secured very well and get knocked out of place when actually ramming something.
The set includes two grey chains and two green webs, though I honestly feel the green webs are much too long, and that the grey chains could maybe be green to match, but either way they are used to attach four VISORAK to the ram to pull it. I have no idea if story wise they actually haul the thing or if its legs actually move it along and the VISORAK just steer it, or any combination of the two. Your supposed to plug in a free swiveling part into the VISORAK miniature, and connect the rope/chain to the top of the swiveling part. This allows the miniature to turn freely without getting tangled in or twisting the chain/rope, and prevents it from popping off so easily.
One thing in particular I hate about the VBR is that the upper half is not sturdily connected to the bottom half. You may find yourself rebuilding it if you know it over or give it a good smack.
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