Skull Scorpio

Skull Scorpio is a simple build, taking anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your competence with Technic. The build is very satisfying and contains an extremely large amount of useful pieces for its small price. The function is simple: Pull a trigger on the tail, and the two stinger-blades snap together, which can be used to rip the masks off of one of the Toa figures. Though, having a Toa figure isn't nessasary for playing with the figure, and contuining the play pattern- As the set comes with one of the Toa's masks, in this case, a Mask of Stone. The gold and transparent yellow mask looks great on Skull Scorpio, and i personally prefer it to the default "Skull" mask. As for articulation: Skull Scorpio's head can move, his arms can move with shoulder and elbow articulation, a few points of movement in the base of the tail, as well as grasp with his claws, which feature 2 movable "fingers", which bring me to the main point of contention I have with the set: It looks ugly. The split appearance of the claws does not suit the Scorpio well at all. The legs are completely immobile, and unfortunately, the design has them standing in a strange position, though it is nice that Skull Scorpio can indeed stand on his legs, the position of the legs cannot be adjusted, as they were 1 piece each, resembling some form of wing-bone from a dragon's wing. It looks fine at some angles, however. The default mask does not fit skull scopio at all. It lacks anything to show its insect nature, and looks out of place, and the head underneath being the standard Toa head is very strange, but since it is covered up by the mask most of the time, it is not an issue. Though, this piece would have looked better on the villains in the darker silver color. The tail, however, despite its cool function, looks like a mess. It doesn't resemble the tail of a scorpion at all, and the default position of the stingers makes it look extremely awkward, though it looks fine when closed. Overall, despite the poor appearance, the set is fun to play with, and a nice surprise, in my opinion. Though posable legs would have gone a long way in improving the appearance of the creature, as well as a new mask, and a potentially different function for its tail. The function works well, there are plenty of usable pieces, and the color scheme is fantastic, however. more less

Skull Scorpio is one of the most divisive sets in the current range. Unlike the other humanoid Skull enemies, Skull Scorpio features a more Technic-based build that trades articulation (his six legs are mostly rigid) for a unique look and function. Skull Scorpio's tail features a trigger that can be pulled to swing his tail forward and snap the two axe pieces shut in one quick motion. This function is perhaps the best of all the new sets at stealing masks, but your mileage may vary as to whether that justifies the cobbled-together look of the model as a whole. Personally, while I acknowledge the set's flaws, I'm happy with its Kafka-esque aesthetic as well as the satisfying effectiveness of its function. more less

I find 70794 to be a decent set. It's not great - the design has some flaws and inconsistencies, the color scheme is uninspired (albeit functional), and the Technic tail doesn't quite fit with the rest of the model - but I applaud the designers for trying both a body shape and a play feature that haven't been explored by Gen. 2 BIONICLE. I'd recommend the other summer 2015 sets ahead of 70794, but if you're a completionist, I think it's a fairly valued set with some interesting points. more less

Good or bad? Different, is the answer. Scorpio diverges wildly from the other Skull Creatures, but also brings the "creature" aspect to the fore, which is very much worth it. His functionality might be his only asset, but it's a heck of an asset; you can't help but love snapping the tail at people. By virtue alone of doing something unique, Skull Scorpio earns a place in my recommendations, even if he's far from being perfect. more less

Unlike the other villains Skull Scorpio is a 6-legged insect-like creature armed with fierce pincers and a sting in its tail. Its legs, Leg 8M With Cross Axle/Ø3.2 Shaft have, until now, only been available in trans light blue. more less

Skull Scorpio has his issues. His poseability suffers a lot, and as a result this figure has the same issue as Lord of the Skull Spiders did- he feels more like he was a figure that was made solely for the function, and the rest of the set suffers as a result. Also, like LoSS, his function is a "snapping' function, which is unfortunate because I think the tail looks far better when closed than sitting there open. I like him better than LoSS though, he is more visually interesting and the arms doe give him some character that LoSS lacked, and thus I would rate him above LoSS, but the worst figure of this wave and the second worst of the year. more less