Title. I could use your guy’s collective expertise on this. Any entries you don’t know, feel free to ask me. Entries are still very much liable to be added, removed, and moved to different tiers. Most importantly if you have any evidence that an entry may be a misnomer, or a fake leak, or something along those lines, please let me know! I don’t need the chart to be the definitive prototype iceberg, but I do need it to be true.
I don’t think I can be of much assistance here, but that looks like a good list so far. I’m certainly interested in seeing the end result!
Do you know anything more about the Fantoka, is there something else besides this one blurry image? I find it really intriguing.
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I think that’s all we ever got out of the Fantoka, it seems to just be a mock-up. Interestingly, it seems that Pohatu is the middle ground between this prototype and the final model. (Side note- it’s probably model reuse but i’m seeing 2 Antroz-es, maybe the intention was to have it be an army of generic makuta? probably not)
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Ok, now that I’m having a closer look at both of the prototypes side by side, there’s some really odd stuff going on.
On first glance, the Fantoka Pohatu seems much closer to finalization than the black prototype, a middle ground like you said. It shares many elements with the black figure (mask, thigh armor, tubes etc) while also sharing many with the final model, such as the color scheme and the (early) Midak blaster instead of a competition cannon.
However, what throws me off are the propellers. Fantoka has a unique three-bladed design, while the black figure has the exact same claw-propeller-combo design of the final figure.
That begs the question, which one was actually made first? Until now I thought the black figure is a much earlier prototype, but that doesn’t really add up anymore.
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I don’t know Lego’s internal process but i really doubt prototypes are static. There’s probably changes made to them, including adding finished parts, probably to showcase them. Even if I’m wrong, its not like it isn’t possible for the designers to go back and forth on a design.
Note- I’m thinking about removing the kanohi-based entries on it, as there’s enough of them to fill its own chart, and this list would be less interesting if half of the topics are about just the masks when theres so much interesting stuff in terms of prototypes.
EDITED FOR DOUBLE POSTING - Spiderus Prime
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Hello @Crumm, what a wonderful idea!
I believe I have quite a lot to share/add to your iceberg, as well as few suggestions for existing entries. I am not going to comment on the tier placement of the entries themselves as that is quite subjective.
Just a small warning - the iceberg has potential to get incredibly long and dense given the material available, but if you don’t mind that, then ok.
Yes, this is a very good idea, there is enough for the entire equally large mask iceberg, so I will not include any mask entries here myself.
Inika/Piraka prototype designs made it into retail - during design of 2006 sets, several pieces of artwork containing concept models were made for the six main sets. These eventually led to the Piraka and Inika and you can see elements of both in this early concept art. What most people don’t know is that these actually made it all the way into the plastic and were sold as mini figures with function in a Nestlé promotion. Here they represented Toa Inika - blue, red and green/brown were used for Hahli, Jaller and Kongu respectively. You can see the figurines here and here.
Bordakh staffs are the most influencial BIONICLE pieces - when you look carefully at most kitbashed BIONICLE prototypes, the most overused part is by far the Bordakh staff of loyalty. So many new pieces were made in part, or majorly from this piece.
Original Metru shoulder pads - the iconic shoulder armor of Toa Metru originally had a different design, which was changed rather late and close to production. The physical pieces may still exist out there.
Original squid launcher was the best BIONICLE weapon / Squid launcher is bad on purpose - according ti Brian Ellis, designer of Barraki and Mahri lines, the original squid launcher was sheer perfection with high accuracy and powerfull shot. It was in fact too powerfull and for safety reasons, the launcher was redesigned at the 11th hour to include a built-in fail to prevent you from giving the squid too much force. This original version can still be seen in Barraki bios flash animations and the physical pieces almost definitely still exist as they were displayed in stores.
Napalm maggot bomb - the original name for a concept, which would eventually become the tridax pod. Made from chopped off squid heads, two plastic half spheres with holes burned into them, and a hair clip.
Muaka predates BIONICLE - evidenced by Faber’s videos of Voodoo Heads prototypes and the Voodoo Heads comics, the Muaka model was already almost finalized at this stage with only very minor modifications made for final release.
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I will pause the new entries here, but I’ll add more later. Now for some suggestions for what you already have.
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change “red nui-rama” to red and “yellow nui-rama”, as both colors were included in the prototype set
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all of the nuva weapons were made in green plastic not just those two
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maybe consider modifying the pewku entry - while it was green at one point, we know that Lego uses green plastic to test molds (nuva weapons, kraahkan etc.), and we also know that Pewku and Gukko sets were designed after the movie models, thus making green unlikely to be actually intended to be the final color at any point.
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don’t you want to extend the early tohunga arm to less obscure MNOG tohunga models (which use it as well), instead of less obvious Mahi?
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The BfMN 3d models are not undocumented anymore - they are present in the BIONICLE selling in video at 9:50.
PS: cheers for mata head dimples! 
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Wow. Thank you for the help!
Nope, that’s kind of what I’m going for. I want this to be the quintessential Bionicle Prototype iceberg image, at least until Duckbricks and Faber unearth enough never before seen stuff to put it out of date. Also, once I’m finished with this, I’ll probably create a separate discussion for the Kanohi iceberg, if you have anything to add. Sorry in advance if you have less good things to add to it, because your Rare Kanohi research topic discussion was the deciding factor for me to split the icebergs into separate pictures!
The Inika/Piraka Prototypes making it to retail was interesting, i had already seen the concept models, but i had never put 2 and 2 together on the Nestlé promo stuff.
I haven’t posted my newer versions of the document, but I already had a section on how the original Metru designs influenced the comics art, so I’ll probably slip the parts maybe still existing in there.
On the squid launcher entry, I’ll definitely include that, as well as probably some other stuff relating to Ellis’ design work. This did get me thinking though, how powerful were those squishy squids before the launcher got changed?! Especially considering they would make the Midak Skyblaster literally 1 year later. That thing could shatter a window if you stuck a ball bearing into it, I bet.
The Muaka Predates Bionicle, Bordakh staffs, and the Napalm Maggot Bomb are 100% getting entries. As for the changes, the Nui-Rama one is good, I only knew about those weapons getting green prototypes, and it makes sense the rest got them. I might change the Pewku entry, but I don’t think it’s out of the question for them to have thought of green for her, considering she still got a very new color scheme than the one she had pre-MOL era. I’ll put in an entry for the Tohunga arms themselves, and just have the Mahi model below it, because that’s still an interesting enough fact to have an entry, at least IMO.
I’m confused on the BfMN models- I was operating under the assumption that the BZP post about the models using slizer torsos and other parts was true, though even in the thread it’s definitely contested. Looking at the preliminary Toa in the selling in video, he doesn’t seem to look anything like the models, obvious things like color notwithstanding. I can’t make out the torso well enough to comment, but the feet are regular Mata feet, and the shoulders use Mata hands. I might be wrong though.
Again- thank you for the help! I was thinking I’d add a little watermark to it saying I made it, and if I do, I’ll add a “with help from” thing to it with you and @Bioman.
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Happy to help!
Yeah about the BfMN, I was misremembering the models also having slizer hands for shoulders, my bad. You are correct in saying that the slizer/mata feet also do not match up. The model is holding a firestaff instead of firesword though - it is strange…
Allegedly enough to break through tinfoil - but I would love if someone got their hands on this piece and tested it themselves.
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Well, Here it is. I think it turned out pretty well, though the image is a little scuffed. I’m gonna take a mild break before jumping headfirst into the Kanohi Iceberg. Thanks everyone for the help with this!
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Awesome! That came out very nice, it’s interesting to look at. Nicely done.
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All looks good apart from the point about the Stars Nicktoons models - these were never based on early versions of the Stars, and were instead just Nicktoons lazily editing the Vastus model from their previous Glatorian Legends bumpers in order to give the animation models better articulation
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Huh that’s very interesting, I never knew that. But now that you say it, it gets obvious. Those lanky Stars models always looked odd.
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To be fair there’s nothing confirming this, but I am more than certain it’s the case
We’ve seen the real Stars prototypes, and Piraka is clearly modelled after Vezok, even carrying the same weapon. The Stars armour piece has not been finalised and appears distinctly different on Tahu’s chest.
Cursed Nicktoons Piraka carries Nektann’s final weapon, and uses the final Stars armour element, implying these abominations were created after the designs were finalised
All three models sport Vastus’ arms, legs, and distinctly backwards Inika torso, and the Toa use his feet as well. The only non-Vastus parts are all the character specific pieces, which use bizarre impossible connections and all look like they’ve been hastily stretched to size in blender
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I MADE A MISTAKE!
For the picture of the lava beast art, I claimed that Uniter Tahu was on the early Lava Beast box-art. And that’s true! But I put a photo of Masters Tahu! For some inexplicable reason, the early version has Uniter Tahu, while the final version erroneously has the Masters version!
As for what @TotalMaddness said, you seem mostly correct, though i doubt Nicktoons themselves made the bumpers, and if they didn’t, that still makes them prototype models by technicality, even if Lego only designed them for these. Lego could have gotten any new specialty parts to either the finish line, or close enough to the finish line, and then used them on an off-the-shelf model that could work with the existing animations, which i think were recycled from the Glatorian bumpers. This works with the idea you proposed about how these designs came after the final ones, with the concession that they were still wrapping up the finer details for the models that would be shipped.
All in all, either of us could be right i think, coming down to who animated the bumpers, which I don’t believe either of us know.
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Good work! The only one I don’t know is Takutanuva wasn’t intended to die. What does this refer to?
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Ack i’m late.
If i remember correctly this was in one of TTV’s unused concepts videos. It was something about the original version of Makuta, the one most showcased in MNOG. It was going to be something about Takanuva and Makuta finally being able to see eye-to-eye as they became one being. This fed into the original makuta not necessarily being evil, but still doing harm to Mata Nui (both the guy and the island)
If i can find the clip i’ll post it here.
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