LEGO Avatar
The LEGO Group has produced five sets in total to tie in with the sequel to 2009's Avatar, which sees a return to Pandora – but this time the focus has been taken away from the treetops and down into the waters of the alien moon.
Jake Sully and the Na’vi flee their home upon the return of the dreaded RDA, and end up asking for help from the subaquatic tribe known as the Metkayina. A new environment brings with it new landscapes, vehicles and creatures – all of which feature in the largest of the Way of Water sets,
Payakan is a young tulkun, a large whale-like sentient creature with intelligence to match the Na’vi. He befriends Lo’ak (teenage son to Jake Sully) during the course of the film, and the pair of them go on to have pivotal roles. Battling them in this set is the RDA Crabsuit, a multifunctional vehicle used for underwater exploration and reconnaissance. Both models have been recreated well, making this set a real highlight of the Way of Water subtheme.
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit set details ---
Theme: LEGO Avatar Set name:
Price: £89.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 Pieces: 761 Minifigures: 3
LEGO:
--- Where to buy LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit ---
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit build ---
Inside the bright, vibrant box for
Interestingly, those pieces were placed inside a paper bag, with the rest of the set using the standard plastic bags. It's definitely a step in the right direction, but almost feels like it's missing the point if only one of seven bags is paper. It's also the only paper bag within the entire wave and although the Way of Water is set on a fictional planet, it feels like a missed opportunity to educate younger fans about the plight of our own oceans and use this theme to fully transition to and embrace plastic-free bags. Fingers crossed the full advent of paper bags is right around the corner...
That aside, this is the largest set of the current wave and as a result also the most expensive. The set contains a giant tulkun creature, a crabsuit submersible and some ubiquitous coral reef side builds. It's a mainstay of this theme to include at least one reef side build and, as well as adding nice landscape to enhance the playability of each set, they also double up as display stands for each model. It's a really great touch and a technique that other themes, notably LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Marvel, could really benefit from adopting too.
For die-hard fans of the Avatar franchise (they definitely do exist somewhere), buying every set in this wave will return a very decent and sizeable underwater landscape in which to play with and display your models. It really ties the whole theme together and makes it feel like each set is actually just part of a larger, cohesive model.
As with all of the sets in this theme, the builds in
The two front appendages, the arms that make up the 'pincers' of the crabsuit, are built from a series of clips and bars connected with a droid arm. It's a nice technique that allows for a lot of lateral movement. Underneath the suit are four legs that move independently of one another and have a good range of movement, allowing the crabsuit to be placed in a variety of poses.
The sand green colour scheme complements the colours of the rest of the set, especially the reef builds, ties in with 75577 Mako Submarine and is also authentic to the on-screen crabsuit. The only thing that's really notably missing is the CET-OPS livery on the sides. It's a strange omission as 75577 Mako Submarine used stickers for this detail, and there's no reason why the crabsuit couldn't have used them either.
The smaller reef side build doubles up as a display stand for the crabsuit, and once connected gives the impression that the mech is crawling over the seabed floor, creating a very effective and dynamic look.
With the crabsuit finished it's on to the main model of
The structure for the tulkun's body is built using a mix of Technic and System pieces, with each section slotting into one another via Technic pins and then strengthened using System bricks. It makes this particular model feel so much more involved than the other sea creatures within this theme. The build uses an inner core made from brackets of various sizes – the detail that makes up the tulkun's body is then slowly added to this, building up the body layer by layer.
This is a fairly involved section of the build using tiles, sloped curves and much larger curved pieces. Although the tulkun is an alien creature it's of course inspired by a whale, and as the build progresses the unmistakable silhouette begins to take shape. It wouldn't be a surprise if we're treated to a large-scale Creator whale soon, as this model has really set the groundwork well.
Normally a tulkun would have four flippers, two on each side, but Payakan was once harmed during an encounter with the RDA and lost his larger left flipper, which is accurately represented within the set by a much smaller sub-assembly for the damaged flipper. The tail is slightly hinged, allowing it to be tilted either up or down. It's a really smart design as the 2x3 curved slope perfectly slots underneath the larger panel piece, allowing for seamless movements while eliminating any gaps on the body. The tail section is also a smartly-designed sub-assembly, using 2x2 wedge plates, hinges and pentagonal shields that all connect in a very satisfying way.
In fact, satisfaction is a good word to describe the feeling you’ll get from this set (and indeed from most of the Avatar: The Way of Water range). Each model comes together in such a pleasing way that at no point does it feel like a chore to construct. It's never too simple and it's never too challenging. It feels like the designers have achieved the perfect middle ground of offering an engaging, entertaining and fun build that displays some clever techniques throughout.
The final models in
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit characters ---
Only two out of three minifigures in
As with all the LEGO Avatar minifigures they are beautifully printed and designed, capturing the look and spirit of the on-screen characters. As Lo’ak and Tsireya are younger, they both have regular legs as opposed to the elongated legs of other Na’vi characters – something that will no doubt please minifigure purists.
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit price ---
Displaying them all together makes for a really impressive display piece, as well as an excellent set to play with. Whether or not you want to splash out nearly £100 / £100 on a single LEGO Avatar set will come down to how much you enjoyed the film, but there’s enough here to make this a decent LEGO set in its own right, regardless of the subject matter.
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit pictures ---
--- LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit pros and cons ---
The presentation of this set (and indeed all five of the Way of Water sets), from the box art to the instructions, is top notch, creating an excellent all-round experience. It's something older fans have been used to with 18+ sets, so it's nice to see that level of care filtering down to models aimed at younger fans as well.
| 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit pros | 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit cons |
|---|---|
| A fantastic build | Fairly expensive |
| Two well-realised models | Not the best minifigure selection |
| Looks excellent on display |
This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.
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