LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit review

LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit isn’t just the largest of the Avatar: The Way of Water sets: it’s also one of the most enjoyable to put together, and far and away the most dramatic. 

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, 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit

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

— LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit set details —

Theme: LEGO Avatar Set name: 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit Release: January 1, 2023

Price: £89.99 / $79.99 / €79.99 Pieces: 761 Minifigures: 3

LEGO: Available January 1, 2023

— Where to buy LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit —

75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit arrives on shelves on January 1, 2023 alongside four other LEGO Avatar: The Way of Water sets. It will be available worldwide in LEGO Stores, from LEGO.com and through third-party retailers.

— LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit build —

Inside the bright, vibrant box for 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit are 761 bright, vibrant pieces (the Way of Water sets are some of the most colourful in recent memory). These are spread across six bags numbered one through five, with an extra bag containing the large moulded pieces that make up the tulkun’s head. 

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 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit aren’t particularly complex, but they are very enjoyable to put together – the recommended age range is only 10+ so it is to be expected. Saying that, the crabsuit does feel a little more involved than what’s come before, and the compact yet bulky design both looks good and feels very tactile when putting it together. 

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 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit, Payakan the large tulkun sea creature. Both 75575 Ilu Discovery and 75576 Skimwing Adventure feature buildable sea creatures and coral reef landscape builds, and while the tulkun shares some design traits with those two models, the sheer size is incredibly impressive. Spread over three of the five bags, there’s an awful lot more parts that go into the beast than it looks from the first glance on the front of the box.

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 2×3 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 2×2 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 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit are excellent representations of their on-screen counterparts, especially the moulded head pieces for Payakan, and make for two of the best additions to the Way of Water theme. 

— LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit characters —

Only two out of three minifigures in 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit are exclusive, the generic crabsuit driver and Na’vi Lo’ak. Tsireya the young Metkayina also features in the excellent 75575 Ilu Discovery, but makes perfect sense to be included within this set as she and Lo’ak form a close bond throughout the film. 

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 —

75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit is the most expensive of all the Way of Water sets. It is pricey, but does feel like good value for money. The tulkun model is excellent, really enjoyable to put together and looks magnificent on display. Likewise, the crabsuit and coral reef builds are also enjoyable to construct and look brilliant once completed. 

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 —

75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit has plenty going for it: Payakan is impressive, sizeable and looks great on display, while the crabsuit is also a great rendition of the on-screen craft, and both are exceptionally fun to put together. 

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 is the priciest of the Way of Water sets, and so might be one that casual fans skip past, but if you do make the purchase you won’t be disappointed. 

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.

Please support the work that Brick Fanatics does by purchasing your copy of LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit through one of our affiliate links.

— LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit FAQs —

How long does it take to build LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit?

This is definitely the most involved of all the Way of Water sets, and completing 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit will probably take around two and a half hours.

How many pieces are in LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit?

75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit is the largest of the Way of Water sets, and contains 761 pieces and three minifigures.

How big is LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit?

The main model, Payakan the tulkun, measures 8cm high, 39cm long and 32cm wide. He’s by far the largest creature in the entire Way of Water range.

How much does LEGO Avatar 75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit cost?

75579 Payakan the Tulkun & Crabsuit is available from January 1, 2023 and retails for £89.99 in the UK, $99.99 across North America and €99.99 in Europe. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *