Front View
Side view
top view
The Av-Matoran Solek
Before his transformation into the pivotal New Light of his world
Digital render of the new mask on Toa Solek
The original art by SpecterL
The 3D modeling was handled by Mr. Mechanical Hands
Behind the scenes of the masks drying from their painting at the hands of Rixo
––––––
Gathered friends, it with immense and boundless joy that I present to you: The Kanohi Speros, Great Mask of Hope.
Toa Solek of the New Light Alternative Universe wears this as his iconic mask in his quests across the Southern Continent and beyond, as he and his comrades combat the looming shadows rising in the wake of the Cataclysm.
The Mask of Hope is a unique Kanohi designed by the Great Beings themselves, guided by the ever-inscrutable hand of Destiny. The mask imparts the bearer with deep and indomitable hope, borne of their own conviction. It also allows the bearer to project this hope onto others. So long as the bearer maintains focus and will, this hope cannot be overpowered or broken (though its potency can be impacted by the usage of powers like Fear or Weakness– especially on those who aren’t the bearer, and especially when those powers are used by a being of greater standing). Furthermore, those under the effect of the Mask of Hope have their inherent powers and abilities enhanced.
Those who know me know I’m basically the world’s biggest Solek stan. My love for the beloved boy goes back all the way to 2010/2011, when he was my chosen Toa of Light for the crazy stories I concocted back then. Flash forward to now, and he is once again my chosen Toa of Light for the crazy story I’m concocting now (albeit this time alongside Takanuva as well). However, I have always taken issue with the idea that Solek wore a ‘Noble Akaku’ (thanks Greg). As such, I’ve decided that Solek wears the unique Great Mask of Hope. And to that end, I wanted to bring to life my own version of Solek’s iconic mask, making the definitive version of the Mask of Hope. While I have always loved the canon mask, I felt there could be some improvements made to it, especially the sizing and shaping of the mask itself. Thus, I set forth and assembled the team of creators who helped me bring this vision to life…
The original art for this redesign was done by the incomparable SpecterL, who did a phenomenal job translating my rambling notes and diagrams into spectacular artwork.
From there, I handed the artwork and my notes to one Mechanical Hands, who put his extensive modeling experience to work creating the 3D model for the mask. This process came together quite nicely.
Lastly, a huge thanks must go to Rixo, the absolute gigachad who offered the services of his 3D printer to make sure the model was in working order once printed. (He also agreed to do the paint job on the very first physical print of the Kanohi Speros, which now belongs to yours truly.)
I find it quite in line with the virtue of Unity that the creation of the Mask of Hope was such a team effort. And I am pleased that, after so long, I am finally able to give my take on Solek a special mask worthy of such a special boy.
The Kanohi Speros is available for both Studio and 3D printing, using the link here: Kanohi Speros - Mask of Hope - Google Drive (Link contains the .stl/.obj and Studio files for the mask, as well as .stl/.obj files for the axle variant).
I would be delighted to see others implement this mask in their own builds, especially builds of Solek. Let all share in the joy of the Mask of Hope!
––––––
I figured I should share this here, as well as insta and reddit, so more people can see the wonderful work on display here. I’d like to again thank the people who came together and helped bring this vision to life. This truly was a collaborative effort (hence why I’m so proud of it and eager to show it off).