Sue me. The only worst thing about me finding a Bionicle on sale is me also having the money to buy it. I seem to have no self control when it comes to these things...

Okay, first off, let's cover the basics. He's an Avi-Matoran. He's probably named after a photon of light. Wow. Anyway, he has one giant body piece, one-piece-pre-bent limbs, and no pins or rods or anything intricate. He's about as tall as a Toa Mata and wider than most, and is the largest Matoran to date (well, this new style is). It's the same old bla bla bla you hear about all the smaller Matoran sets these years... the primary difference is the shadow Matoran have wings instead of jetpacks.

But I was faced with a dilemma when I saw a 15% off sale at Fred Meyers. Should I get Photok or Solek? Well, here's where you see if I made the right decision. So, now onto the review that is exclusively about Photok, and not his whole genres of Matoran sets.

First of all, the orange is brilliant. Possibly a slightly different shade than oranges of the past, but not as bad as purple. And, man, the orange is cool... much better than Keetongu yellow. I said it for Pohatu, and I'll say it for Photok... it works. Whereas white and lime don't blend well with the bley, the orange really stands out. Frankly, I'm amazed.

The build (if you can call it that) of Photok gives him a distinct look, as he's got the body with high shoulders and the thicker limb pieces for arms. He looks like an Olympic weight lifting champion! I don't see any Rahi giving this guy a problem, especially if he can shoot light too. The chronicler staffs are good, but I would've liked Solek's fins instead. Although for Photok, shorter weapons work better.

The mask is awesome. Tanma's was a mess, something that tried to look like the new Miru while trying to look like something else too. Photok's is sleek and smooth and nice. It fills up the whole face, but doesn't seem bulky or anything. I hope Lego does reuse this particular mask in other colors in the future... it's a keeper.

As for pairing up for instant teamwork fun...

And I thought I had a big head.

Overall, Photok has a fitting, strong man look, which are improved upon with a good color and a smooth mask For an Avi-Matoran, I'd recommend him over Tanma and Vican. As an overall set... well, if you don't want the orange pieces and mask, go with something else. The Avi-Matoran are disappointing sets if you compare them to anything earlier on, but Photok is good by today's standards.