Review:70795 by Swert

BS01 Reviews

70795 Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder

Review: 70795 Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder

When I heard of BIONICLE’s return in Summer 2014, and we were introduced to the graphic art of the new series, I knew there had to be a place for that Mask of Creation in physical LEGO. I was convinced of it from day one.

I was right. And the set is glorious. … Somewhat. Please let me explain before you all ragequit the review.

The Box

So get this, I actually got this set and actually reviewed it the same day. So now we can gaze upon the box together. Yay!

So yeah, it’s a box. On the one hand, it’s a BOX. On the other hand… it’s a box. None of the gimmicky new packaging LEGO is featuring with the “canister” (can we even call them that anymore?) sets. Instead, we get a relatively good sized box. Of note, it’s actually the same height as the Large Toa’s boxes. It’s strange that LEGO would package this set like that, given they clearly have a box design for sets that large. Who knows.

On the back (I got carried away and opened it first) we see the different functions of the two figures in this set. Ekimu is striking a pose, and Kulta is bodybuilding his bicep with that staff of his. Or, well, what would exist of his bicep if he had flesh on that part of his body.

The Parts

(I refuse to call them “bits”)

I chose to take this in three parts and smash them together in Photoshop as a panoramic. There is just so much going on here, it was the only way I could see doing it. At a whopping count of 171 parts, this is the big boy of the second wave of 2015. For perspective, Onua’s set has the largest parts count in Wave 1 2015 at 108 parts, and the Mask Maker and Skull Grinder total up 63 parts above that.

Notable parts include the Mask of Creation, Silver Skull Mask, set-exclusive Gold/Trans-Light Blue Protector Mask, and the Trans-Light Blue Protector launcher elements, plus identical looking trans-light blue parts to form the rest of the hammer.

The Build

I started as the instructions demanded, with Skull Grinder. A rather simple large set construction, the framework was pretty symmetrical and easy to slap on with no issues. I found the wheel hub elements around his shoulders/armpit to be a very interesting design, though I am certainly disappointed no extra gears were utilized in this area. More on that later.

The horns around the mask are absolutely perfect for this character. As soon as I finished it, I immediately said what I think LEGO was trying, without being too obvious, was going for: This is the new… Karzahni. Failing that, this is basically the devil.

The staff and sword combo is interesting to me. While I’m not digging how loose the right arm seems to be in posing, the fact that it still moves fluidly on the gears is enough to at least please me. The tragedy of this is, there’s at least 4 points of pickup on each arm socket to put another set of friction gears, which might eliminate most of these problems. I had an awesome pose in mind for the end of this review, and the arms aren’t strong enough for that. Oh well. Next!

Once I saw the box, I immediately regretted having to build Ekimu. As you may recall from my Protector of Ice review, I do not like the idea of stubby characters. The box seem to suggest he was very stubby. Like, super stubby. Fortunately, he is not stubby.

The armor they give Ekimu is awesome. If I had any complaint to make, it’s that the feet weren’t gold to match the armor. Speaking of armor though…

… I’m getting serious flashbacks to Protector of Fire here. *eyetwitch* No. Back. Armor. And literally no excuse here! I can see a spot with two holes, with one currently using a single pin, which could have been a double pin. The second hole is unused. That’s easily a place you can place the balljoint mounts on the back. Seriously saddened to see easily the best Protector fated to suffer the PoF syndrome. Oh well, at least this set has bendable elbows.

I’d like to give a couple of tips to people displaying their Mask of Creation. One, it’s probably a good idea to add a pin to the center of the stand LEGO designed. Case in point, one happens to be a spare part in this very set. Without this pin, I found the mask to flop far too much, either from not having enough friction in the hole they ask us to place it in, or for other reasons. Basically, this pin will solve a lot of your problems. Two, when making a stand display, I highly recommend using this design. My own mask display stand (still a WIP, I will now admit) uses an older style I had, and the results are… well…

So yeah, LEGO’s solution (with the pin modification) actually cures that droop. It’s probably the easiest design to follow, and can easily be adapted into a full rack/stand like the old BIONICLE masks had. And hey, beats buying all new Toa Masters heads, right?

The Brass Tacks

Should I get this set? Yes	Good for people who like: People who are looking to complete their collection MOCists looking for more specialty parts or unique colors *A fun to play with set. Seriously, I could bash poor Kulta’s horns in all day with that hammer. Wham. Wham. Wham. Wham.
	Not for those looking for: *An easy to pose and display set. Though Ekimu is more than happy to do whatever, Kulta’s staff is so heavy, the only natural place for it to be is on the ground.
	Other Comments: I was about to say Ekimu is the star of this set, and he is… but the Mask of Creation is clearly the selling point, in my opinion. –Swert

The set stands out as arguably the best of Wave 2, what with having actual combatants (a feature now missing in the Wave 2 medium sets, given each set up to this point had at least one Skull Spider to fight off) and a highly exclusive mask to have. For $30 USD, it’s easily a good deal all around. I’m tempted to pick up a second just to fix my Ekimu’s back armor. And to get another Mask of Creation.

… Then again, I have to first figure out what this mask is for…

2015 Set Reviews (2HY)
	70791	70792	70793	70794	70795
Review #1	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek	By Dorek
Review #2	By KZN02	By SPIRIT	By SPIRIT	By Cholie	By Swert