The Mask of Life! The goal of the Piraka's nefarious mission and the object the Toa Inika must prevent them from ever getting. But some has already claimed it. Today you can find out about the guardians of the Kanohi Ignika, Vezon & Fenrakk, courtesy of BZPower Forum Assistant Kex. Read on to see what makes this set tick.

Today, I bring you a review of Vezon and Fenrakk -- the crazed Piraka and the spider-like Rahi which he is fused to, thanks to the Kanohi Ignika. I'll be walking you through both the ups and downs of this pair of Ignika guardians.

THE BOX
The the most superficial part of any LEGO product, but the one that often determines whether or not the set is a success or failure.

The box is fifteen inches tall, and eleven inches wide. It towered over every other Bionicle set in TRU, besides the new playsets. As you can see in the comparison image below, the box is considerably larger than both Brutaka's box and Matoro's canister.

The art on the box is very similar to that of Brutaka and Axonn. On the front, you'll find the same Voya Nui insignia on the upper left corner, and the same type of background -- except V&F's box imitates a lightning storm, with the bolts crashing down on the bottom image. Also note the bionicle.com advertisement on the upper right-hand corner. After examining the box for several minutes, I realized that the lower arms on Vezon (the Rahkshi lower legs) are placed the wrong way. Or, at least, it contradicts what the instruction manual says is correct.

Here we have the back of the box. There's a lot going on here. The main focus is the large image of Vezon tugging Fenrakk, who isn't cooperating one bit. On the lower portion, there are images which display some of the features the set has. It shows Fenrakk's snapping jaw, the posability and flexability of Fenrakk's legs, and lastly Vezon's glowing eyes and glow-in-the-dark teeth.

There isn't much on the left side of the box. You'll find the same graphics on the front of the box. There is a note on the box which tells you that there's a free Lego club membership inside.

Just opposite of the left side, the right side of the box displays the same picture found on the back of the box, along with a safety warning.

The very top of the box is dedicated to an ad for the upcoming Bionicle Heroes game. The only information it provides is that the game is coming soon, and it will be available for PS2, XBOX, and PC.

There are some strange warnings on the bottom. As far as I can tell, it says not to submerge the eyepiece in water, that it's okay to clean, and not to throw it away in the garbage (because of the battery acid, I'm assuming).

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
So you've bought it and taken it home (or at least made it to the car), punched the perforated tabs and dump out the contents.  What do you get for your money?

I gave you the lowdown on the packaging -- but what's inside?

The box contains five bags of pieces, an instruction manual, Fenrakk's headpiece, Vezon's cape, and two Bordahk staves. There are two bags labeled "4", and they are both used in the same part of the building. The smaller parts just got their own bag -- more than most likely to decrease the size of the larger number four bag.

THE BRICKS
Here's where we start to cut to the heart of the matter.  You didn't buy this box for all the glossy booklets & creative artwork.  You want to know about the LEGO bricks & bits that are included, and what (if any) new & interesting parts you'll find inside.  Here's also where I'll talk about any new and/or interesting pieces that you will encounter.

Most of this set is constructed with pieces you are already familiar with, and have probably encountered before. I have listed most of the note-worthy pieces below, which are also in the picture.

• Black Piraka foot, with silver toes, as opposed to gold
• Toa Inika thigh armor, in both silver and brown
• Toa Inika shoulder armor, in silver
• Toa Metru chest armor, in silver
• Seven link pieces that connect together to form a chain, similar to that of Toa Hewkii
• Three "Viking horns"
• Iron gray double hip joints
• Toa Inika chest armor, in dark red
• Piraka torsos, in dark red and black
• Dark red pontoon
• Vezon's cape

Most of the parts here are just recolorings of older parts. The only true "new" parts in this set are Fenrakk's headpiece and Vezon's face/Ignika.

The only thing in the instruction manual that's new is a page advertising the 2006 playsets. Oddly, The Race for the Mask of Life is nowhere to be found on the page. The format of the ad seems to be some sort of map, showing you locations of the playsets.

BUILDING EXPERIENCE
What can you expect while putting this model together?

Together, Vezon and Fenrakk take about 45 minutes to assemble. Both of the builds were smooth -- you won't have a hard time following the instructions. However, the construction of this set is completely different from any other set you've seen before. At least Fenrakk, anyway -- Vezon shares a design almost identical to the Piraka, with a few modifications. Below is a picture comparing Vezon and Reidak.

The main difference between the two designs is the torso. This is only because there is a piece of Inika shoulder armor, and two Toa Metru chest armor pieces attached to Vezon's Piraka torso. It may look complicated, but it's a lot simpler than it looks. Inika thigh armor is used on Vezon, instead of the armor used on the other six Piraka. The arms are symmetrical, unlike the other six Piraka. Which I take as a good thing -- the asymmetry on the Piraka was quite annoying.

Here are some pictures of Fenrakk in the mid stages of construction.

I especially enjoyed constructing Fenrakk's head. The jaw is able to snap open and closed because of the ball joint you see in the picture below, near the center of the head. The angle of the jaw is created by two #5 angle connectors, with a few liftarms that the teeth attach to. This is by far the highlight of the entire set.

One thing you'll notice on Fenrakk is an abundace of "raw" axles and pins. It really wouldn't take too much effort to add a few pieces on there to fix the problem. And we also have those pesky blue friction pegs -- when will Lego figure it out that they ruin color schemes? Another minor gripe of mine is the fact that Fenrakk uses two Takanuva staves, and two Bordahk staves -- pieces that have been included in many sets already. I have tons of the pieces, and I would have liked to see some new pieces incorperated instead.

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
So you've got the model together, but is it more like playing with a block of wood or an interactive toy?

Vezon has the same posability as the other Piraka, except his right arm has an elbow that actually bends. I think you guys know the basic Piraka structure and how posable they are -- I don't want to bore you with facts you already know. The playability is the same as the other Piraka. Vezon just looks a lot better than the other Piraka, mainly because of the sleek color scheme and armored appearence. I'd say it's an improved Piraka design.

Fenrakk has a total of eleven points of articulation -- two on each hind leg, three on each front leg, and the head. The legs may not look all too stable in the pictures, but I assure you -- they are. And then some.

One of each type of leg, in a relaxed position.

Now you can see the legs with the joints extended. They allow a wide variety of poses, and provide stability for Fenrakk when Vezon is riding atop.

As you all must know by now, the Vezon and Fenrakk set comes with one version of the Kanohi Ignika -- attached to the back of Vezon's face!

Ever since we found out that Vezon's face flips into another mask serveral months ago, most of us were curious as to what heads the mask would fit onto. That question can now be answered. The Kanohi Ignika is not compatible with the Piraka face -- the axle hits the teeth of the face. The Ignika does fit on a Toa Olda head, but it is extremely loose, and falls off easily. The only head it attaches to without a problem is the Toa Metru head. It fits comfortably.

I switched out Vezon's head with a Toa Metru head piece so he can wear the Ignika. As you can see, it really changes Vezon's overall appearence. He doesn't look as menacing with the Ignika.

OVERALL
Here's where it all boils down to whether the model is worth your money and time or not.

Regardless of what type of Bionicle fan you are, this set will not disappoint. Retailing for $29.99 USD, I'd say the set's a steal. If you're limited to a few sets this year, be sure to pick up V&F to go along with your Piraka or Toa Inika. You won't regret the purchase. Between the many resourceful MOCing pieces, Vezon's mask and cape, and Fenrakk's awesomeness, how can you say no?

I hope you enjoyed my review, and I hope you enjoy your new Lego as much as I do! Feel free to ask me any questions about the set in the Talkback thread, and be sure to stay tuned for BZPower's continued reviews of this year's sets -- even though none of them can compare to Vezon and Fenrakk.

Be sure to thank Kex for his insightful review of this year's largest 'action-figure' scaled set. Hopefully it helped you make a decision on whether or not to buy this pair. There are plenty more reviews waiting to get posted, so keep checking back!

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