BIONICLE New Shores Matoran Build (Tentative)

[ToaNoah_Wafflemeister]

Hello, everyone! I have emerged from the caverns to present some Matoran designs I have come up for my LEGO World Builder project, Bionicle: New Shores. Long story short, I recently played through MNOG for the first time and really felt like New Shores needed some “population,” in the same sense that MNOG focuses on the Matoran apart from the Toa (Also Taipu is now my favorite non-Toa-destined Matoran, and I stand with Taipu’s Kanohi Ruru).

Brief Matoran Lore

As a note, the Matoran of Moda Nui don’t fall into different “subspecies” categories like G1. That means that the colors are primarily just resemblant of their homelands and it also allows me to break the 1:5 gender rule (love is canon, folks). However, there are still six different settlements on Moda Nui, each associated with a different element. I have replaced Stone with Jungle for diversity reasons, though I have been considering adding back Stone for future stories in the world.

Matoran are special beings in the sense that while they appear entirely mechanical, they possess a sort of energy that is frequently compared to a “soul.” This energy does decay over time, and towards the end of their lives, Matoran couples usually decide to split off parts of their soul to combine them and form new Matoran “children.” It’s a pretty large departure from G1, but having removed the Mata Nui robot, their functionality has changed greatly.

Without further ado (whatever “ado” is), here are the designs I’ve come up with, wearing my six favorite G1 masks. I tried to build something reminiscent of G1 Mctoran, but also unique to New Shores. I also wanted to stay pretty true to what I’d imagine a G3 could look like, using primarily system/SCCBS parts, save for the head/mask and a few tools, which I imagine LEGO would remold anyways.

I’m looking for constructive feedback. While I like the torso designs, I’m not sold on the arms and legs just yet. What do y’all think? Should I get closer to G1-style designs? Further? Should I prioritize customizability, or pose-ability? I highly doubt this is the only Matoran body shape in the New Shores Universe (NSU, if you will), but it would likely be the standard.

Beach-Matoran of the Great White Shores (Ga-Matoran equivalent) — To the quieter souls of Moda Nui, there is nowhere better than Mako Villlage to live. The Matoran are communal and friendly, the sands and waves hold a special tranquility, and there’s practically nothing better to do with your day than fish and live slowly. This Matoran, at least, believes so! They likely stood with Toa Kidoma, who was once the wistful and distractable Matoran Kido, against Captain Crau, and helped save their village from the band of pirates.

Back Shot:

Frost-Matoran of the Rimelands (Ko-Matoran equivalent) — The Matoran of the Rimelands are not inherently friendly or welcoming to outsiders, but they do have plenty of virtues all the same. They live by law and structure and authority that rarely deviates over the years, and there is no population of Matoran out there that can surpass their loyalty. They are devoted not just to their community but to their work, as is evident by this Matoran that leaves their home everyday to work in the freezing cold mines. It was no surprise to them that heiress Nale would be the one to become Narale, Toa of Ice, and they will serve her just as they serve Lord Qualis.

Nature-Matoran of Fauna Jungle (Bo-Matoran equivalent) — The Fauna Jungle is home to dangerous creatures and Rahi alike, but the Matoran that live there do not fear. Adventurous, cunning, and curious, Matoran such as this one live their lives surrounded by the trees and see beauty in life itself. They do not fear picking the volatile Madu fruit, and occasionally even make pies out of them! Toa Shynali did not live among the Matoran before her days as a Toa, but now they have welcomed her into their camp with all the kindness expected of Jungle Matoran.

Gust-Matoran of Aero City (Le-Matoran equivalent) — Aero City is a place of prosperity and ingenuity, and the Matoran like it so. They live busy lives of board meetings and stock market crashes, but they are resilient, hard-working, and dedicated. This Matoran is clearly a mechanic that gives their life to what they do. They aren’t going to even let the arrival of that new Toa Orano disrupt their work!

Sand-Matoran of the Flickering Wastes (Ta-Matoran equivalent) — Those who live in the harsh Flickering Wastes, a volcanic desert of rusty ash and dark basalt, never tire of combat and trial. This Matoran is a gladiator, and likely a fan of the new Toa Vosala, the greatest gladiator of all time! It’s one thing to be a fighter, another to be a performer with a sword.

Cliff-Matoran of the Iron Mountains (Onu-Matoran equivalent) — The Iron Mountains bring out the strength and heart of the Matoran that reside in them. Those who live their are tougher and heartier than most, but they are also taught an unmistakable gentleness and peace. This Matoran is an artist called an “architect,” one who crafts beauty out of rock and encourages others to make function out of it. Perhaps they are in debt to Toa Auru, who watches over and protects the Matoran in the faces of the great peaks they dwell among.

What do you all think?

[Ghid]

Gonna be honest, the terminology is extremely confusing compared to G1’s classifiers (Matoran of _________ flows horribly compared to Ga-, Ta-, Ko-, etc.) But as for the builds themselves, it’s really hard to look at any of these and see this:

And not this:

They all have such massive and distended shoulders it looks like I’m inquiring for where my football shoulder pads went and these suspiciously football shoulder pads-shaped Matoran tell me to find my delicious football shoulder pads elsewhere.

I would cite which of these is the least egregious but they all share what is in essence the exact same design throughout, leaving the only contender to maybe be the example Matoran of the Rimelands, mostly because I can’t see his shoulders that well.

There’s other things, like the color schemes, not having an ankle ball in exchange for a very low knee, and that single offset toe lookin a bit sus, but I think the key underlying issue here is that, as a LEGO world builder project, you really need to consider a wholly system design if LEGO will ever consider making it into a theme. Does that mean complex head builds, or printed elements, or something else entirely to compensate for the Kanohi? I don’t know. That’s not my call to make.

But with such potential in this theme you’re crafting, I’m worried it will all go to waste because of the reliance on pieces LEGO has not produced in a decade and will never produce again.

[ToaNoah_Wafflemeister]

@Ghid

Gonna be honest, the terminology is extremely confusing compared to G1’s classifiers (Matoran of _________ flows horribly compared to Ga-, Ta-, Ko-, etc.)

Yeah, I definitely have felt that as a writer. I haven’t really worked on treating them as separate groups in the way G1 does, though I will definitely will consider that going forwards. So far, I’ve got “Mako Villagers” to refer to what once were the Ga-Matoran, otherwise, nothing special. I’ll think about solutions moving forwards!

@Ghid

And not this:

Oh dear, yeah, that’s not what I want to go for at all.

@Ghid

They all have such massive and distended shoulders it looks like I’m inquiring for where my football shoulder pads went and these suspiciously football shoulder pads-shaped Matoran tell me to find my delicious football shoulder pads elsewhere

Okay, yeah, I was aiming for something customizable and unique between each build, namely being the designs of the shoulders, but that’s important to hear that they just look off, or at least to you. I’ll work on a new design for that.

@Ghid

like the color schemes

I did go pretty experimental, though I do like the blue-and-orange scheme a lot. Not too big on the pearl dark gray/black/purple of the "Onu-"Matoran, personally.

@Ghid

single offset toe lookin a bit sus

Heh, fair.

@Ghid

you really need to consider a wholly system design if LEGO will ever consider making it into a theme. Does that mean complex head builds, or printed elements, or something else entirely to compensate for the Kanohi?

Good points made here, and I do agree. These are really more of a proof-of-concept draft than anything, especially because I am not a MOCist by nature and I would really struggle with brick-built masks. Ultimately, my vision for this as a potential theme would have new head molds that could be reused across the entire line, and new mask molds for collectability and such.

Ultimately, these designs exist to help me and potential contributors picture these character designs and potentials. If I was making an email to LEGO, I would not use this as an actual set, though perhaps more of an art direction. Though, this is just their first draft! I am curious, though, what ideas to you have to improve them? I specifically want to change the arms, do you have an idea of how to make them to avoid hockey-player build and evoke more of that BIONICLE feel using system pieces?

[Frogbomb518]

Why restrict yourself to only LEGO bricks? Especially since LEGO would never turn a fan-made project into an official theme as far as I’m aware. What I love about custom building is there are no rules, you can combine system bricks with Bionicle pieces as much as you want, and this is a great example.

[Ghid]

@Frogbomb518

Especially since LEGO would never turn a fan-made project into an official theme as far as I’m aware.

BIONICLE New Shores isn’t just a fan project like so many others, it’s a LEGO World Builder theme - the whole point of its existence is so LEGO will turn it into an official theme. It’s a long shot, sure, but that’s how LEGO DREAMZzz came to be - and LEGO already has one other idea from the site being worked on to become an official product line.

So that’s why to restrict yourself to only LEGO bricks when creating a World Builder project. Were this any other type of project, I would not advise ToaNoah to do so, but since he’s trying to convince LEGO to make it real, it also has to be convenient for LEGO as well.

Kind of an unfair system IMO, but it is what it is

@ToaNoah_Wafflemeister

Ultimately, my vision for this as a potential theme would have new head molds that could be reused across the entire line, and new mask molds for collectability and such.

@Rothanak

@ToaNoah_Wafflemeister

the blue-and-orange scheme

A big issue with the color schemes is they all have too many colors present in fairly equal amounts, making them look messy. Given their size and usage of mixel joints, it means light grey is a color which will always exist in some major capacity, which while annoying is what it is.

However, for the Matoran of the Great White Shores, on the example pictured there are a total of twelve different colors not counting accessories, and four of those appear frequently enough to be considered primary. Whereas on the Matoran of the Rimelands just below it, there are seven colors not counting accessories, and the spread means only three of them appear to be vying for the primary spot.

Since you’re already recoloring elements into colors they never appeared in, like the new hand connectors and some of the kanohi, it might be worth going the extra mile and recoloring the mixel joints to make for a more cohesive palette.

@ToaNoah_Wafflemeister

I am curious, though, what ideas to you have to improve them? I specifically want to change the arms, do you have an idea of how to make them to avoid hockey-player build and evoke more of that BIONICLE feel using system pieces?

Unfortunately my best example to you is something that’s already been built and rebuilt for Bionicle: Iliad. The Iliad Matoran design was constructed primarily by myself, and contains all the tips and tricks I could offer here as a jumping off point.

The version used in the first casting call renders is slightly outdated, but if the Patreon gets to $50 a month we’ll be releasing the instructions, so go join the Bionicle Iliad patreon today! ad over back to the video the biggest piece of advice I can give you is to flex your creative muscles with the full catalogue of current LEGO elements.

There is an absurd amount of pieces LEGO has released even within the last ten years, and while the Bionicle Iliad model does utilize the outdated Homemaker hand to squeeze a knee into the design, there is some wizardry that could be accomplished with brackets which could help make a slightly more compact and visually dynamic torso and limbs. Stability will always be a factor, so make sure you can test out your designs at least in part with physical pieces to make sure everything stays together.

[Frogbomb518]

Oh wow, I had no idea LEGO World Builder was a thing

[ToaNoah_Wafflemeister]

@Ghid

it’s a LEGO World Builder theme - the whole point of its existence is so LEGO will turn it into an official theme

It has somewhat evolved into more of a passion project over the couple of years, or rather, my perception of it has. It does have a goal to be treated as a potential theme, which has influenced by several ideas, but I’m almost at a point where I’m just creating something to share. Many potential worlds on World Builder are not actually created to become standalone themes — some creators have multiple Ninjago worlds, for example. I’m almost treating it like LEGO fan/writer social media, in a way!

@Ghid

Were this any other type of project, I would not advise ToaNoah to do so, but since he’s trying to convince LEGO to make it real, it also has to be convenient for LEGO as well.

But this definitely still holds true. Were this to become its own theme, I would certainly hope LEGO would be willing to create new pieces (the original McToran, to my understanding, had no reused pieces except for the masks, which even then were recolors), but this is something to consider. I did my best to limit myself to currently-running pieces and self-limited the recolors, but I couldn’t resist a good Nuju staff and Panrahk spear piece.

@Ghid

@Rothanak

(Those are sweet! Rothanak’s stuff looks great!)

@Ghid

A big issue with the color schemes is they all have too many colors present in fairly equal amounts, making them look messy.

Ah, okay, that’s good advice! As I am not a MOCist by nature, I also am not an artist by the visual means. I’ll see what I can do!

@Ghid

Since you’re already recoloring elements into colors they never appeared in, like the new hand connectors and some of the kanohi, it might be worth going the extra mile and recoloring the mixel joints to make for a more cohesive palette.

You may be right - though I told myself to limit recolors due to LEGO’s extra work, I think it would be worth it here for the reasons you’ve mentioned and because of the same arguments I’ve made in keeping the Kanohi/Toa heads.

@Ghid

Unfortunately my best example to you is something that’s already been built and rebuilt for Bionicle: Iliad. The Iliad Matoran design was constructed primarily by myself, and contains all the tips and tricks I could offer here as a jumping off point.

Ah, I’ve seen some of that! It looks sweet, I had forgotten you were a big part of that project! I’m looking forwards to whatever you all come out with!

@Frogbomb518

Oh wow, I had no idea LEGO World Builder was a thing

It’s the greatest thing! I’ve loved getting to do it, and I recently got contracted to help create a series of comics based off of my world! It’s such a cool program that I really wish more writers/artists/MOCists took advantage of. (Also I would love more joint projects like what Mr. Morgoon and UltraToa7 have done for New Shores)

Here’s the link to my world: LEGO® World Builder

@Ghid Very rough draft of new colors and arm/leg designs. Not sure how I feel about these, but what do you think in terms of shaping and colors?

[Bionic_Matoran]

Is it okay if I could see a breakdown of the torso frame, please?

[ToaNoah_Wafflemeister]

Absolutely! I don’t think it’s anything fantastic, but I think it best captures a Matoran feel:

Hopefully these get the idea across. Let me know if you want better pictures!

[Bionic_Matoran]

The breakdown pics of torso frame are good. Thank you for sharing them.