LEGO Bionicle returns in 2023 with 40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua GWP

January 17, 2023 | 11

Another day, another new GWP from LEGO! Thanks to early reviews from Brickset and Bricknerd, we have our very first look at 40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua, a new gift with purchase that pays homage to LEGO BIONICLE, a theme that’s very significant to those that grew up in the early 2000s, and one that was mostly responsible for saving LEGO from bankruptcy.

40581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua will be available from 27 January – 9 February from LEGO.com when you spend US$95 / AU$170 / £95/ €100 / CAD$124 on City, Monkie Kid, Ninjago, Friends, Classic, DOTS, & Creator 3-in-1. Nice to see this one being a fairly accessible and affordable GWP, but a shame that it won’t stack with 40583 Houses of the World 1.

Here’s a look at the box art, which depicts Tahu and Takua as buildable figures. It’s unfortunate that this doesn’t make use of LEGO Technic and CCBS (Character and Creature Building System) which Bionicle was renowned for, but instead opts for a more LEGO System interpretation using Mixel ball joints for articulation.

The chief thing to remember with this set is that it’s a homage to Bionicle, and not Bionicle as many fans might know it – which I think will prove very contentious amongst the hardcore diehard Bionicle community, who have (for better or worse) felt abandoned by LEGO.

That said, Bionicle did technically win the 90th Anniversary Fan Vote, so I guess this GWP is LEGO’s way of acknowledging the Bionicle fandom.

Don’t forget, we also got this adorable Tahu from the 11021 Classic 90 Years of Play set!

0581 BIONICLE Tahu and Takua was primarily designed by LEGO designer Nick Vas, with help from Niek van Slagmaat. On Twitter, Niek offers some insight into the design process.

If you’d like to dive deeper into the development of the set, be sure to also check out Bricknerd’s review, where there are some cool concept design photos to illustrate just how this set was brought to life.

I don’t have much of a connection with LEGO Bionicle, but I do like it when LEGO pays homage to their historical themes, and with a more accessible GWP threshold, this is something I definitely plan on picking up when it becomes available from 27 January onwards.

What do you think of the LEGO Bionicle GWP? Will you be picking it up?

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