#Introducing, Toa Tamaru
“The stars have called upon a new Toa team to thwart the schemes of evil. It seems the shadows are growing again.”
Longing to escape the fears that keep him on the ground, Tamaru finally has an opportunity to prove himself, but his crippling fear of heights is but one of countless challenges he must face on his way to victory.
(See end for information on the Toa Project.)
Finally, my lime Rau has been delivered. The Toa Project is back on track.
#Build
Tamaru is by far the simplest of all of the Toa in terms of construction: a welcome change from Kaj, Hafu and Vhisola. My philosophy with Tamaru while designing him was style and colour over build complexity.
Tamaru’s build is a slight modfication of the Inika build. I feel that the less complex nature of Tamaru’s build was the best way to convey the slim figure of most Toa and Matoran of Air.
If you take particular concern with his simplicity, I’ll consider making some adjustments.
#Weapons and Functions
Tamaru carries a machete-like blade as well as a disk launcher.
The two disks, painted gold and tan, are custom-printed with the symbol of Faith, the principle used by Le-Matoran.
The added parts on the launcher are simply used to keep it from wobbling about, while those on the blade are to make it appear longer.
Tamaru’s function is also comparably simple, however it works very effectively.
When pushing the lever on the gearbox, Tamaru’s wings will flap. The elastic band keeps them at the desired height when not in use.
#Colours
Now we come to what I hope you’ll agree is the highlight of this set.
Pretty much everything you see on Tamaru besides the lime parts is painted. I’ve come a long way with my painting skills since the hell that was Hafu.
I’d say Toa Tamaru is also the most similar to his Matoran counterpart.
I’m hoping you’ve all picked up on the colour being turquoise and not blue. I used the gold to add more uniqueness to the set. Gold also seems to work a lot better than silver in the coiour scheme.
I hope you appreciate the colour scheme. It’s by far my favourite of all the Toa I’ve built.
#The Toa Project
Following my completion of Kaj, I decided to create an entire Toa team using existing characters, taking great inspiration from the sets and stories of the 2001-2003 era of Bionicle.
All of my designs will have a unique gear-based function, a creative build and an innovative colour scheme.
Each time I release a new Toa, I’ll reveal the next.
Please leave comments and suggestions for improvement for Tamaru and the coming Toa MOCs. Once I’ve completed all six Toa, I’ll address any criticisms and share the improved Toa in a single post.
Follow the links to view the Toa Team:
1: Kaj, Toa of Earth
2: Hafu, Toa of Stone
3: Vhisola, Toa of Water
4: Tamaru, Toa of Air
5: Ehrye, Toa of Ice
6: Kalama, Toa of Fire
#Next Time: Ehrye, Toa of Ice
(Though Ehrye is complete, expect his post to arrive after a similar length of time as usual. University is leeching away my time.)
-Hazash-
