LEGO: BIONICLE

Report by Douglass Kern
Click here for the first Gallery.
Click here for the second Gallery.

Over the past few years of going to Toy Fair, the display I've enjoyed the most has been the Bionicle section of LEGO's showroom. This year was no different, as there were lots of exciting new sets for us to see.

The Bohrok-Kal are just starting to show up in stores. Elite members of the Bohrok swarm with new hand-shields and powers, they serve as the enemies for the Toa Nuva for the first half of 2003. Also on display were Krana-Kal, metallic versions of the Bohrok's collectible Krana that come packaged with masks for the Toa Nuva.

Now for the big stuff.

The main push for the year is centered around this Fall's direct-to-video computer generated Bionicle movie, Mask of Light. The smallest sets in the movie line belong to the redesigned Matoran. Originally available in a smaller form as McDonald's Happy Meal exclusives, these villager characters have been upgraded with more poseable bodies, a gear-driven action feature and Koli sticks for playing their favorite sport.

Next come the newest bad guys to threaten the island of Mata Nui - the Rahkshi! Created from the body of the dark shadow Makuta, the Rahkshi have been sent on a mission to ensure that their master's plans are not foiled again.

Like the Toa Nuva and Bohrok-Kal, the Rahkshi come in canisters. They contain lots of new elements and are incredibly articulated, with ball-jointed heads, arms and knees, and can be put in a fantastic set of poses. A gear action lets them sweep their staffs from side to side. Each of the Rahkshi comes with a leech-like Kraata, which sits inside of a compartment on their backs. Like the Krana-Kal, the multicolored Kraata will also be available in randomly-assorted collectible packs.

The Rahkshi are:

• Guurahk, whose staff causes structures to collapse.
• Lerahk, whose staff has the ability to turn the landscape to mush.
• Kurahk, whose staff can cause confusion in its enemies.
• Turahk, whose staff has the power of fear.
• Panrahk, whose staff can shatter anything its path.
• Vorahk, whose staff creates a swirling vortex that can harness the elemental powers of the Toa Nuva.

There are also several larger boxed sets. First up are two sets that include a Matoran and an animal mount. Jaller comes with the strange Gukko, which reminds me of a cross between a hummingbird and a mosquito. The other set is Pewku, a crab creature who comes with Takua, the Chronicler of Mata Nui and star of Bionicle.com's online adventure game. Both animals have nifty action features. The Gukko has a multi wing flap, and Pewku's legs scuttle as it is pushed forward.

The last set on display was the mighty Makuta, the dark shadow who plagued the island of Mata Nui in the first year of the Bionicle story. Makuta is a large guy and comes with his own multi-bladed weapon and a gear-driven action feature. Makuta was quite impressive in person, with numerous gunmetal-colored elements helping to project his aura of power and menace.

The rumored Toa of Light was not on display.

Also on display was new CGI footage, which did not seem to be from the upcoming movie. It prominently featured the Rakshi showing off their terrifying abilities against a mysterious new opponent...

The display offered a great look at the upcoming year for Bionicle fans. These sets look phenomenal!