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  Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Arthur.

Welcome to Karinaverdina's Knickknacks where you will find great Hallmark Ornaments and Collectibles! The Hallmark ornaments are from the 1990's ranging from Disney Classics to Hallmark ornament series collectibles to complete your Hallmark Ornament collection. All Hallmark ornaments listed are in mint condition and in a "like new" mint box with the price tab or tag still intact. All collectibles will be handled with extreme care when packed from shipping so that you receive the exact item listed. Just View My Feedback.  Also, make sure to go to the View My About Me page when you get a chance and to send me an email just click on Contact Me and I will reply to your message within 24 hours. Thank you for reading my blog!

Destined to fight Makuta, Takanuva is a late addition to the world of Bionicle. He's constructed in the same manner as the other Toa Nuva, though his pieces are all molded in stark white plastic. He's got the new "hollow" arms and legs, and a series of gears in his shoulder. His Nuva armor is gold, giving him a nice contrast against the silver of the others.

Takanuva's neck is a bit longer than his brothers', which makes him even taller than the rest and gives him an air of power and authority. The long neck looks fine when you put his mask on, though. Previously seen as Makuta's hands, the Kanohi Avohkii can project powerful beams of light energy and banish the shadows. The Avohkii brings understanding, turning anger to peace and enemies into allies. The mask has a linear look to it, almost suggesting rays of light frozen solid. The set includes two versions of the Avohkii: one golden, like Takanuva's armor, and the other translucent with a slight golden dusting on the surface.

A series of gears mounted in Takanuva's shoulder gives him his action feature: turn the knob on his back and he swings his hooked staff. The weapon is 7" tall, and can be easily mounted on Takanuva's back when not in use.

Takanuva is not available by himself in a canister as the other Toa were: instead, he comes only in a deluxe set with the Ussanui, a sleek vehicle made from parts of Rahkshi and Bohrok-Kal. Looking somewhat like an odd motorcycle, the Ussanui is 10" long and really does look to be built from body parts, suggesting that the Toa defeated the Rahkshi, then tore them apart. The front is wider than the rear, making the vehicle look slightly alien.

Three pieces function as landing gear for the Ussanui, and sliding a lever sideways rotates them up and away for flight mode. Takanuva rests horizontally on the bike, his hands plugged into the sides for control, which is where his longer neck comes into play: in order to make him look right, the toy is designed so that you can reposition his head to keep him looking forward. While this has always been possible with the Toa, the longer neck peg is intended to make sure the head is secure.

Takanuva isn't the star of the new Bionicle movie Mask of Light, but he is its subject: the Toa and the Matoran are all searching for the hero that is destined to lead them from the darkness. Despite being one the most expensive Bionicle set released in 2003, Takanuva and his Ussanui are definitely a fun addition to the line and are worth a purchase.

Makuta is mostly mechanical, with dark metals and reds emblazoning his hulking body, and a new mask to hide his face. The mask is actually very cool - his ball jointed neck means that his mask has two faces, and turning his head around reveals the other face - it's up to you which one you have him displayed with. He has some other neat features on his well-designed body, including big robotic shoulders to make the most brain-dead American Footballer blush and a cool pipe through his midsection attaching to his clanking big arms. The backs of his legs even have moving metal blades, just for a bit of variety.

Makuta has some of the best articulation ever seen in the Bionicle line - his arms, elbows, wrists and neck are ball jointed with the common Lego ball joint that we've seen with all of the past Bionicle toys, where his legs have a different kind of movement all together - his legs have the same movement as a ball joint but "click" together when moved, then becoming stiff, keeping him stable and standing in position. It's hard to explain, but it works effectively to give him the best in both poseability and stability. He's missing knee joints, but with the design on his legs they wouldn't have served any purpose except to make him taller, which isn't needed. Makuta also has movement at the waist, but it's part of an action feature which represents the action feature from the Rahkshi on a larger scale.