Review: 70795 Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder

The culmination of the 2015 year of Bionicle hits us with the Mask Maker v. Skull Grinder. The Skull Grinder, also known as Kulta, was the leader of the Skull Creatures and one of Makuta's minions. The Mask Maker, Ekimu, created the Masks of Power for the island of Okoto's inhabitants alongside his brother Makuta. Ekimu works alongside the Toa to defeat Kulta as he is was moments from destroying the Mask of Creation.

Packaging:

For the first and only time in the 2015 line we get a rectangular box for a set. It's the same size as the previous Titan sets we're used to, and shows off Ekimu flying in at Kulta ready to attack. It reminds me a lot of the Ragnarök trailer shot of Thor charging at Hulk.

The back of the box gives us a more relaxed look at the included builds as well as a preview of the included functions. We also get a comic strip along the bottom edge of the box which is standard for the 2015 line.

Inside there's three bags of parts along with the instruction manual. The instructions include the standard comic strip and promotional material on the inside of each cover.

Mask Maker (Ekimu):

The Mask Maker, Ekimu, at first glance just looks like the leader of the Protectors. His build replicates exactly that, basically just a bulkier version of the Protector of Ice with a gear function that allows you to swing his Hammer of Power.

He even has the same mask mold as the other Protectors. The color scheme turned out to be very nice between the transparent light blue and gold parts. The gold parts are utilized as his main armor with the light blue parts peeping out next to them.

Other than the swinging Hammer of Power, the back end of the Hammer can be twisted to fire off studs, you guys know my opinion on this by now, but I can't knock the fact that this is better than just getting a hammer. The shield in Ekimu's left hand can rotate by twisting a gear on the backside.

Mask of Creation:

The Mask of Creation was what this entire year of Bionicle was building up to and I can safely say it comes off as an ancient, priceless artifact. The engraved details are incredible and intricate. If I had to change something about it I would want it to be a different shade of gold that has more shine.

The mask does sit on a stand but the stand feels super Mickey, and the mask tends to just fall down to a point where you can't even really look at it.

Skull Grinder (Kulta):

The Skull Grinder, Kulta, right out the gate feels like the proper leader of the Skull Army. The color scheme is nothing too noteworthy, to be honest I was questioning whether or not we already saw something in this scheme. Its closest relative is the Lord of Skull Spiders but this features silver and Dark Bluish Gray as the base colors to go with the orange whereas the Lord of Skull Spiders has much more black. He's a bit closer in size to the Powered-Up Skull Warrior than he is to the standard Skull Villain. The actual build is done just the same as other Skull Villain sets, but you'll find longer leg and arm pieces to pair up with broader shoulders than the other sets.

The mask for this build is the same mold as the Skull Warrior, which is disappointing. I was hoping to get something unique to this set just as I was with Ekimu.

In his right hand Kulta carries the Mask Stealer Staff which looks absolutely lethal. The staff in total is longer than Kulta is tall. In his left hand Kulta has a single hook blade which as a secondary weapon, look out. A gear on Kulta's back can be twisted to swing his arms back and forth.

Powered-Up Skull Grinder:

Combining this set with the Skull Scorpio allows you to create the Powered-Up Skull Grinder which is noticeably larger than the base model and certainly feels more imposing. Just like the Powered-Up Skull Warrior, this Powered-Up model requires you to disassemble both sets to build it.

Current Pricing & Final Thoughts:

If you want to purchase this set for your collection you can find it for around $60 in used condition and in brand new sealed condition you can expect to pay around $100.

At the end of the day this set feels very much like a price barrier for the Mask of Creation. The builds are pretty clearly just another Protector and slightly larger Skull Villain, the only reason I'd feel obligated to pick this set up is to get my hands on that Mask of Creation. The builds themselves are quite nice, but they're not what I was hoping to get out of this culmination set for the 2015 year of Bionicle.

Score: 7.0/10

Video Review: