It is certainly possible that if a moc was created with only official pieces we could entirely forgo the art contest requirement. It’s also entirely possible we’d do one anyways and both could be accepted as canon, yes.
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But they have two rhotuka, and as present in our Rahaga Norik/Iruini, they were able to keep either of the two. Norik still had a silver rhotuka as well, and Iruini still also had a green rhotuka.
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Fair point. Either way, for the rest of them I’m using one rhotuka the color of the shield, and one the color of their rahaga rhotuka, so my Gaaki has two silver ones. Again, just a personal preference.
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I am an advocate of allowing mocs to exist with unpainted/non printed parts so I can accept that. I am curious as to anyone who would prefer to see the metru blue rhotuka, would you not vote for an entry if they did not paint it?
Below are four different “Metru” builds:
Starting from the left:
- A standard Metru build, the exact same as used by the Toa Metru and Hagah sets, with working gear function.
- A slightly modified version. Added ball joint shoulders and a third ball joint to provide friction to the gears, which still work.
- A more modified version, to the point that the hips are different and the gear function is no longer possible, but still uses the Metru torso piece.
- A completely custom design, but still matches the proportions and style decently enough.
Where should the line be drawn for this contest?
A lot of people have been arguing that the actual Metru torso piece should be required to be canon compliant, but why stop there? IF there is no art contest for the Hagah, meaning the winning MOCs become canon, then they must of course comply with canon, which I would argue includes not only the torso piece, but the exact same build entirely.
The Hagah sets simply added armor on top of the preestablished Metru builds. They did not change the build itself fundamentally. But, as soon as you even change something simple, like ball joint shoulders, that is still changing a fundamental part of the build. Never once did Lego release a character using the Metru torso AND jointed shoulders.
But if the exact same build should be required for the contest, there is virtually no creativity left, and a MOC contest would be pretty much pointless, and only an art contest should be done.
Or, alternatively, to allow for as much creativity and participation as possible, a MOC and art contest can be done. The MOC entries can use custom/modified builds (granted they try to match the actual Metru build), and the art can redraw it as a standard Metru build.
To answer a question I’ve seen before:
“Why not just use a Metru build instead of going out of your way to create a custom build?”
Because its not fun. While these are canon contests primarily, no one would participate in them if they didn’t allow any creativity. I’ve had tons of fun building my custom torso. The one in the above image is rather crude and just to prove a point, but a much more polished version is shown below (one that I built intended for my Kualus entry).
In my opinion, I have not seen another build that matches the proportions and aesthetics of the actual Metru torso as well as this, but that’s why I want custom builds allowed. I want someone to try to outdo me. I want to see what other people come up with. In this topic alone, I’ve seen other fantastic builds, and it would be a shame to disqualify them from the contest simply because they don’t use one specific piece.
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The last one isn’t a Metru build.
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Definitely an opinion. I’m gonna participate in them and have fun and I will not be making a custom torso
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If you read the rest of my post instead stopping to read only the first sentence to make a witty remark, you would know the argument I was making is that I would say, for the sake of canon, that only the one on the far left is technically a Metru build.
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The main issue I have with custom builds is that it will be a tremendous pain to enforce builds that “match the aesthetic” since that can be very subjective. Inevitably you will get entries that will get thrown out, and huge disagreements will come up if it was justified or not. Requiring a single piece is objective, and at least in my opinion, not very restrictive.
To respond to your point, I will be voting for something more in line with #1. And just like with our regular canon models, if I so choose, I can modify the model to be like #2 for posing. Leaving the moc simple and letting people both easily create and modify it is something that I think will be nicer for people wanting to build these mocs for their own collections. It also keeps nice visual cohesion with Norik and Iruini.
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And I would be perfectly fine in allowing only that build in the canon contest. Tbh I was never a fan of those articulated Metru shoulders and they would definitely stand out from Norik and Iruini, but I guess it’s a small enough inconsistency that it wouldn’t be that big of an issue.
But that build on the far right isn’t a Metru build and no matter how many pharagraphs you write, it won’t change.
It’s like pointing at a wasp and saying it’s a bee. Sure they look similar, but they ain’t the same thing.
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Before Norik and Iruini, all Metru builds had the same forearms and shins. Norik also has different shoulder armor from the rest. The first three models you posted are all Metru builds because they have the torso piece and similar proportions to Toa we’ve seen. The Metru build doesn’t require only the parts used in the six Toa Metru sets, otherwise you exclude the other Hagah.
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I’d argue that they’re all Metru builds except for the last one. The leftmost one is a pure Metru build, as it is exactly the same as the official metru sets, but I’d consider the middle two moddified Metru builds.
To me, as long as it has the Metru torso and similar proportions, it’s a Metru build.
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I fail to see how using one torso piece means you can’t be creative and takes the fun away.
The torso you showed looks okay I guess, if not overdesigned. I’d stick with something along the lines of the first three, mostly due to them fitting the aesthetic more effectively and partially because they look better, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the custom torso posted is allowed, so good luck to you 
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Have you thought that that might just be your opinion? I find it far more fun to build under constraints.
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This is like listening to people argue about how many grains of sand make a pile for the the thousandth time.
I think all cases for all sides of this debate have been made and repeated ad nausium. Besides, I think a mod said that there might just be an official poll to decide this.
But, if someone has a new case to make, by all means present it. But this is starting to sound like a loop.
EDIT: It’s four grains, by the way, you can’t stack any less than that in a stable way.
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I’m just gonna repeat my answer. I think all 4 of the styles should be allowed. I’ll only vote for something similar to #1 of those styles. If you choose something else, know you won’t have my vote. I think we can all just say let our votes decide and be done wit it’
Thats a stack, not a pile. A pile implies a larger amount than just a stack.
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Oh no, you can’t trick me into getting into this argument.
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My final say on Metru builds:
For me, a Metru build is a build that uses the Metru torso and matches the Metru aesthetic, no matter how subjective that is.
For the contests, I think custom torsos should be allowed, because if people don’t like them, they don’t need to vote for them. People should be made fully aware that they will lose out on a lot - a lot - of votes if they have a custom torso. This applies to other contests to:
I think, that when it comes to building style, nothing should be disallowed.
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I suppose if a custom torso wins, and Greg approves it as canon, technically that custom torso becomes an extension on the definition of a “Metru build”.