When I first got 2015 Tahu I was a bit disappointed. The box art we had seen up to that point portrayed him as being a tall and imposing figure, somewhat like a fire-ninja. However, Tahu ended being more of a fire-samurai than anything else, with a very wide frame and bulky armour.
I still love the set–it’s probably my second favourite from the 2015 wave–but I’ve always wanted to create the set I imagined that I would receive (albeit with a few more extravagances than Lego would likely ever include). So I created Tahu, Master of Fire: Deluxe Edition.
The goal with this build was to retain all of the functions and play features of the original but make him appear more like how I first interpreted him.
The gear function remains! Building a body around this piece was an incredible challenge that took several iterations but I’m pretty pleased with the result. The function actually works surprisingly well, despite the fact that I kept the same amount of friction for the arms used in the original set.
The more I look at it, these proportions would work really well for Lewa. Just not Tahu. Tahu should be the second or third most athletic looking of the team. These thin and limber proportions would work well for the free spirited and tree swinging toa of air.
Though I also gotta admit the more I look at it the design has grown on me a little bit.
