Yep, that’s the Titan that I’ve been hinting about. I got Vezon and Fenrahk the other day for only $8!

I bet you’re wondering how I managed to get that deal, and it’s true, I am leaving a bit out. Anyhow, my main chore this summer has been to drive my sister to her driver’s ed classes. The building happens to be located next to a Fred Meyers, so once a week I’ve dropped by to see if they’ve got the Mahri yet. (So far, no luck). However, for the past couple of weeks, they’ve had some clearance sets on sale… for 50% off! For example, Hewkii Inika is $4.99 and good old Vezon and his spider buddy are $14.99. Well, I wasn’t interested in dishing out 15 bucks, even for such a good deal… I wanted to save my money for a Mahri. Then, one day, I went there with my mom, and I was struck with an idea. She could go halfsies on it with me, so I wouldn’t waste a whole $15. So she agreed (since I got to 4s on my AP tests this year, she was willing to be nice). She paid $7, I gave her $8, and I got a Titan.

So now I have a Titan from every year. Tarakava and Nui-Jaga from 01, Boxer and Bahrag from 02, Pewku and Ussalnui from 03, Krehka and Kikanalo from 04, Keetongu from 05, and now Fenny from 06. I was expecting this to be the first year where I put off getting a Titan, but if I just wait a year, then I can get some pretty good sales. And now, onto a review.

First of all, there’s Vezon. What is he? A Piraka. It’s a good design, but overall, he’s just a Piraka. I really like the chest armor arrangement… a nifty usage of pieces there. The legs and arms… good, but since I’ve seen them all to often, they’re also basic. Although the coloring is good, and if I ever tear him apart, I can make some craft MOCs, I’m sure. The glowing eyes are great… my favorite eyes of all. Now only are they translucent enough, but they GLOW! They’re a heck of a lot better than those stupid Inika swords, and rock even the glow in the dark elements. Unfortunately, they’re hidden by the Ignition (The Mask of Life, however you spell it). I don’t like Vezon’s face compared to other Piraka’s. The hard plastic makes it all that much harder to fit on the skull, and the extended Ignition blocks the use of the glowing eyes. Luckily, one of the eyes from the Piraka (Hakann) died out, so I might switch them around. Vezon doesn’t need the glowing eyes (although they’d still reflect well enough so that he actually has eyes) whereas the original Piraka all need their glowing oyos. (Or is it Ojos? One is Spanish for eye, one for bear. Hmm)

The cape is also a bit annoying. I’ve never had a Bionicle cape before (or a Lego one, for that matter). The holes in the fabric do fit over the pieces of Vezon’s neck, but the entire cape just seems to get in the way. If I had a choice, I’d ditch Vezon’s cape for a rubbery spine any day. Lastly, you have his Staff of Fusion. Really, there’s no new pieces there that are remarkable, and the overall build isn’t very impressive. But it’s still a cool weapon in the hands of this Piraka, especially when he’s ridding above Fenrahk with all his toothy glory (more on that later). Plus, I’ve seen the last brown piece… the Inika leg armor piece on the staff is in Avak brown. I expected it to be red, but brown gives it a different tint.

Then there’s Fenrahk. (Or is it Fenrakh? Or something else entirely? I’m not checking my spelling with this review) A bit of a disappointment to me, really. This is the set that won some sort of award? I’d almost prefer Keetongu over him. Definitely the Bahrag. But he does have some good designs, so I’ll go into detail…

The body. A big, squarish chunk of plastic. Sure, it’s not one piece, but it’s too simplistic, and as it’s made with four Piraka chest armor pieces, it’s not far from a big chunk of plastic. This body is a far cry from the function-ability of the Rahi and Bahrag, and even that of Keetongu (who’s function involved his Rhotuka spinner popping out) and Krehka (who’s head and chest pieces could move from left to right… a bit). Fenrahk’s body is simply a way to connect all the limbs together… nothing more. He is must more similar to the Kikanalo, and I prefer the latter’s design a bit more. While I’d approve the body for getting the basic job done (holding the thing together) and would like it if it were a MOC somebody made, I just don’t think it meets up to the standards for a Lego Titan. It looks like 2006 moved away from set functions and set itself entirely into ball and socket movement. If so, Fenrahk’s body is proof that things are simplifying.

Continuing on the negative note, I’ll cover his hind legs. When I say they’re basic, that’s an understatement. True, a few nifty design features limit their movement, so that Fenny doesn’t have to worry about them collapsing. But the movement is too restricted to really make them of any use, especially when compared to the fore legs (I’ll get to those next). Really, the legs seem to be something added to make sure the whole think doesn’t topple backwards… and even then, they don’t do a good job. Whatever reason you’d like, they’re just not up to the standards I’m used to. (Although, the metal grey joint pieces could be useful in MOCing)

The fore legs, now, they’re something to behold. The design here restricts movement too, but not as much. Plus, they’re beefed up compared to the hind legs, and look pretty cool. There are more pieces in one fore leg than there are in both back legs. The claw piece (Bordakh staff) works better at stabilizing than the back legs do with the Takanuva staffs. Plus, the wrist movement that’s there in the front but lacking in the back is a plus. What I like most about the front legs are the special leg supporter staff that’s been fount in Titan legs in 06 and 07. I’ve been too cheap to actually buy a titan and get them, but now that I managed to grab Fenrahk, I finally got them. They work well in stabilizing, and I can’t wait to use them in a real humanoid titan. But those front legs totally rock, and makes Fenrahk look good in a front shot (as long as you can ignore those back legs)

And what else is left to mention? Oh, yeah, THE HEAD! IT IS AWESOME! (Calms down). No, seriously, they should just make a set of Fenrahk’s head and sell it, leaving out the rest of the annoying body and leg pieces. The bite function rocks. I’d say its even better than the Bahrag’s. Here, the ball and joint function works wonders… And the angles used to make the teeth work… now that’s an excellent design. A Bahrag’s bite can hurt a bit… but if Fenrahk clamps down on you, say goodbye limb. Seriously, the head makes the set all worth it. True, I might be more disappointed if I had paid a full $30, but since I got it at about a quarter or the original price, I can same I’m good with it.

Now, when it comes to playability, the set is lacking. Yeah, Vezon has the basic functions of all Piraka, although his staff gives him a longer reach than most. And Fenrahk’s mouth can bite anything… and that’s cool. (It’s fun to fit Vezon’s entire head in there). But, although Fenrahk has two good legs, he needs four to be able to stand up well. The back legs don’t do well to hold him up, and it can get precarious to balance him. If he wants to swing one of his fore legs, he’s going to do a belly flop. The two of them make up some great poses with lots of amazing pieces, but if you want to have a fight with Vezon on Fenrahk’s back, then don’t expect them to move much.

A few other things I’ve noticed. The chain is too short. Hewkii Inika’s is longer! And he only has it attached to his axe… Vezon’s suppose to be chained to some giant monster! You’d think the chain would be a bit longer. That, and the two of them together take up lot of space. At first, I thought this would be a real problem, as I’m currently putting my sets on a shelf to be displayed for when I go to college. But Fenrahk takes up so much room… the other humanoid titans can condense a bit, but not Fenny. He doesn’t have more pieces, but they’re just spread out. However, I’ve found the solution. Fenrahk’s body is suspended up in the air… so underneath him I can place some of the smaller sets like the Bohrok Va and Matoran. And that makes an interesting sight for sure.

So, in the end, this set was totally worth the eight dollars. It’s probably even worth the fifteen dollars. I’d probably be a bit disappointed if I got it at full price, but it’s a nice addition to my collection. And if I don’t like it, I can tear it apart and MOC with the pieces.

Except for Fenrahk’s head. I’m going to attach it to a chain, hang it on my bedroom door, and make people think twice before entering. That head is SO COOL!