Review: Official Set 8941 - Rockoh T3

An original craft of Artakha's, the Rockoh T3 is a weaponized aircraft constructed alongside two other Battle Vehicles. Pohatu discovered the vehicle when the Toa Nuva entered the Codrex, and used it to chase after Antroz in a stolen Jetrax T-6. Pohatu nearly wrecked all three battle vehicles while piloting the craft but was eventually shot down by Antroz.

The Battle Vehicles are some of the highest regarded sets by the Bionicle Community, and this set is the first of the three from the 2008 line of Bioincle. The Rockoh T3 features a special edition version of Toa Pohatu to represent his slightly modified appearance while piloting the vehicle.

Packaging

The packaging for this set is pretty simple. The art gives us a blown-up image of the set along with the standard set information in the bottom corner. This set was originally released for ages 9-16 and contains 390 pieces. There's also a small graphic at the bottom which highlights this set containing both the Battle Vehicle and Toa Pohatu. It would've been bizarre to not include a pilot with this set, but nonetheless it's nice to actually get Pohatu in here.

Battle Vehicle

The build time ended up being just under an hour for this set. This ended up being a much longer, more intricate build than I imagined heading into this set. The build itself was pretty technical and caught me off guard with the level of difficulty. It wasn’t flawed as being too difficult, but it presented a nice challenge and kept me more engaged. I knew that the battle vehicles are highly regarded, but I figured the smallest of these vehicles would not have been this large. I'm not going to complain about a bigger set though!

There’s a really interesting balance in this vehicle between a bulkier, boxy appearance in the center with much more aerodynamic edges and details. While yes I know this set came way before this next comparison, it reminds me of Rey’s Speeder from The Force Awakens. This machine would definitely be a gas guzzler, but it also looks like it could perform some pretty sharp cuts in the sky.

The pops of green add quite a bit of character to the Rockoh T3. There’s really not many of the dark green and lime pieces, but they’re just so effective and I’m so happy we got this color scheme instead of something much more monotone. One of the things about early Bionicle that got me hooked was the pops of color. Throughout the years things have gotten a little more broody and muted, it’s nice to bring just a little bit of that vibrancy back.

I was really surprised with just how many different weapon pieces are spread throughout this model. There was a portion of the build toward the end where it felt like nonstop sections of weapon attachments. But each of the parts add a layer of detail and sculpting to the vehicle, and I really love the result. I was getting really pumped up at how the different weapon parts were coming from the different years of Bionicle. We got some Bohrok-Kal Parts, Toa Metru Parts, and so on throughout the various lines over the years. The 2008 story really wraps a lot of the previous 7 years together, and this was a symbolic representation of that to me. Whether it was intentional or not on the designer’s end, I don’t know, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

The main play feature with the Rockoh T3 is the ability to fire off the Midak Skyblaster. The Skyblaster holds 6 spheres at maximum ammo, and is triggered by a single black liftarm which protrudes from the left side of the vehicle. The trigger is a bit awkward to me, I think it would’ve felt a little more natural if it was pushed forward instead of pulled back, just due to how the part sits. What I love about this feature is how it keeps spheres locked into the ammunition stock by way of a single long blue technic pin. It prevents them from falling out when flying the set through the sky or twisting it upside down. Speaking of flying this thing around, the grip for this set is located on the bottom, and doesn’t look too out of place. It does feel a little bit small for my hands though. This one was definitely designed with kids in mind.

Pohatu

A special edition version of Toa Nuva Pohatu is included in this set as the pilot. He’s pretty similar to the Phantoka set, just minus a bit of bulk from the weapon pieces on his arms and shoulder. We’re also granted a new visor/Heads Up Display, which looks so cool. But aside from those two things it’s the same old Pohatu, as you’d expect. Just don’t be getting this set just for Pohatu.

Pohatu can mount onto the Rocko T3 by snapping his handle into handles right by the seat. Getting him to sit properly was a bit tricky for me at first, but I figured it out in no time.

Pricing & Final Thoughts

When it comes to pricing for this set, you can find it in used condition for around $65, and in brand new sealed condition for approximately $90-100. The difference between used and new prices aren’t that egregious for this set, so for this one I think it’s worth considering spending the extra money to go brand new. Not because of fragility or anything like that, but just because it’d be so much cooler to get a brand new one and open it up. It’s been waiting 15 years to get opened, someone’s gotta do it, right? This set initially released for $40, so the markups haven’t quite gotten to this one yet.

This was a very pleasant introduction to the Battle Vehicle sets, and so far this sub-wave is living up to the hype.  I still can’t get over that this is the smallest of the bunch. It still seems so big. If you’re interested in this set or holding off at all, just take the plunge now, the price is great. Next week can’t come soon enough for me too, I just want to get to the next one.

Score: 8.5

Video Review: