Metru Build Definition (Canon Contest)

As some of you may know, Greg has specified that the remaining Toa Hagah have “Metru builds”. The exact meaning of this in reference to the upcoming MOC contest is up for debate, and has lead into some lengthy arguments.

So, here is a poll for what you think the rules should be for this contest in regards to a Metru build. To clarify, only vote for things that you think should be in the rules, not things that you think should be decided by voters.

Vote for all that apply.
For instance, if you vote for “Must follow the Norik/Iruini build closely” you should also vote for “Must have reasonable Metru proportions”, “Must require the Metru gearbox”, and “Must require additional Metru pieces”. This way we can see where common interests overlap.

  • Can use any custom torso
  • Can use a custom torso, but it must look similar to a Metru torso
  • Must have reasonable Metru proportions
  • Must include the Metru gearbox
  • Must include additional Metru pieces (gears, cover, etc.)
  • Must follow the Norik/Iruini builds closely
  • Other

0 voters

Be civil everyone!

EDIT: I just want to make it clear, this is unofficial and will not alter what the rules will eventually be.

7 Likes

I was hoping there would be some replies to look at; I’m curious about what people think in more detail.

personally I don’t think the contestants should be limited to a metru build, but rather something that just looks like a metru build

2 Likes

I honestly believe that Norik and Iruini’s builds have defined what the other Toa Hagah should look like, and I get that you all have opinions on that. But personally I feel like they would feel out of place otherwise. it’s like having two of the Toa Metru with their regular builds and the other four start to have these odd intricacies. I know my stance will probably be bashed but there is still a good amount of personalization opportunities in the armor, masks and staff. It just wouldn’t make sense to me otherwise.

3 Likes

I believe that they should use the Metru GearBox/Torso, strictly for the reason that we have 2 Toa Hagah already in existence; and if the submitted mocs look too different, Norik and Iruini will look either:
A.) Outdated in comparison
B.) Alienated to their other brothers and sister

3 Likes

Exactly, they just won’t hold up with the others if we had that!

1 Like

In general, anything that’s as different from Norik and Iruini as they are from each other.

It would be one thing if only one of them with Canon so far, and you could make the other five eclectic as long as they look like they belong together,

But when two of them already exist in Canon, you can see how different they are from each other as a general metric for how unique the other five should be.

3 Likes

I simultaneously agree and disagree.

The argument against this is that if you take, say, Tahu and Kopaka 2015, that’s a little bit of variation, but throw in Onua and he’s way different but still quite clearly part of the same team.

This is why, more than any specifications on the specific build - I feel the most important thing about the Hagah contest is that they be submitted as a team. Yes, I know they all came from different locations, but they also all spent many years together and got outfitted with ceremonial armour from the same source, so they absolutely should look like a cohesive team.

Here’s the thing - if someone submitted Onya-esque “Bulky Bomonga” in a very Metru-styled aesthetic despite technically breaking most of the rules above, it would be fine if he looked at home among the others and there were similar degrees of proportional variation among them. But if “Bulky Bomonga” is submitted in his own bracket and wins, but everyone likes very vanilla, “purist” builds for the rest of the Hagah, then we have a massive problem. (lol, pun).

That’s why I think the idea that the Hagah contest should be a single, cohesive team entry is vastly more important than the specifics of how “Metru Build” they look. As long as none of them stick out like a sore thumb, I’m cool with it - the only caveat being that 2/6 Hagah are already established so at least some degree of similarity needs to be kept with them. But I think anything as extreme as specific part mandates or proportion guidelines is unnecessary restriction that’s not supported by the canon.

tl;dr - How the Hagah’s builds look next to each other is vastly more important than the technicalities that go into their builds.

1 Like

Concerning anyone’s height concerns for their Mocs:

Another argument for using the Metru-Torso/GearBox is that it is versatile enough to change the height of each Toa. For example, Nuju, Nokama, and Lhikan are very tall Toa who share the same build (2 holes exposed), but Whenua is the shortest, as his torso goes all the way down to the bottom (no holes exposed). So I think that height concerns can be addressed with this example.

1 Like

The difference between Tahu and Onua is actually a pretty good example of what I would be totally fine with. They’re different, but they’re built on the same parts, and out of the same logic.

If one of the Toa hagah had a little hunched over neck because its head with connected to the front, or kicking legs because the Torso was upside down*, I’d be way more okay with that then with something that looked metru-ish but secretly had a ccbs torso inside or something.

  • the upside down torso example would probably actually be pretty ugly in practice, but in theory if someone could pull it off I’d support it.
3 Likes

the pedantry about “what defines a metru build” is kinda dumb in my opinion.

A custom build that doesn’t use any metru parts but shares the metru build’s proportions isn’t a metru build.

Just because 2 constructions have the same rough shape doesn’t mean they have the same build, the building experience is entirely different

The question people should be asking (within the context of the hagah contest) is “Should builds that are metru-like in appearance but don’t actually use metru parts be allowed?”