Hi everyone! New TTV member here, I’m part of the french Bionicle community BIONIFIGS.
Even though I didn’t like the idea of running new canonization contests ten years after the ending of G1, here I am, for I told myself “if you think you’re not gonna be satisfied with the outcome, propose your own thing dude, and see what comes next”. And since I pondered ideas for a Helryx MOC for some years (big procrastinator over here), I decided to give it a shot.
So, Helryx, the first Toa and leader of the Order of Mata Nui.
She’s described as “indescribably ancient”, even though MUians don’t seem to age very quickly to say the least (Takua/Takanuva is undoubtedly older than her, but he’s still the dashing Toa of Light we all know).
She’s also described as “disturbingly frail” because “she’s been through a lot”. But surely Axonn or Brutaka went through a lot too, didn’t they? And if Helryx’s frail stature comes from wears and damages of thousand battles, why didn’t she repair herself when needed? Seems reasonable to me since she’s the leader of the most important and secretive organization in the MU, and certainly wouldn’t want to be vulnerable in any circumstances.
But I think many people didn’t pay enough attention to the quote’s last words: “she was indescribably ancient and disturbingly frail in appearance.” I think GregF’s description is more figurative than factual here.
With that in mind, I see Helryx as an old cyborg lady who could still break you in half if she had to. Just like the cliché elderly anime character who seems frail and wrinkly, but powerful enough to kick the protagonist’s butt and teach them a lesson.
I chose to use metal blue technic pieces to build her frame, in order to have that ancient and OG aesthetic. I tried to make her look frail but tough. Her custom torso is meant to be similar to a Mata one, and her body proportions are reminiscent of those of a Toa Metru frame. Her dark blue armor is composed of pieces not commonly seen on Toa, or used in unconventional ways (in order to fit her description).
The custom 3D-printed mask of psychometry (file available here) was designed by my best friend @meta.jack, and then modeled by Vahki6. Thank you both very much!
I wanted it to feel like the 2001 masks: simple (but not so much) shapes, tribal and raw look… The forehead pattern is directly inspired by the Ga-Metru symbol. Since Helryx helped in the construction of Metru Nui alongside the Matoran (with Ta-Metru and Ga-Metru being the two first districts ever created), I really liked the idea that maybe the Matoran remembered her mask design and reused it in their Metru symbols.
Vahki6 even told me about one of his friend who recognized the symbol of Ta-Metru in the forehead’s pattern: really satisfying for me haha.
Her “Toa Tools” were fun to make. The UDD shield is a nod to Destiny War, as in my mind I pictured a fierce Helryx on the battlefield, smashing enemies, and yelling “FOR MATA NUI, UNITY, DUTY, DESTINY” while waving her shield in the air. The spiked mace is a brutal, more organic-looking substitute to a flanged mace I have made in the past (which is not “legal” for this contest, ‘cause cut pieces).
If you have read this far, thank you and hope you enjoyed the thoughts behind my creative process 
Action poses:
Turn around and size comparison:
Breakdown:
