It’s been a long time since I’ve used this place, huh? A lot has changed since the last time I posted on here, but that’s a story for another time. For now, I wanted to show off my take on Helryx, the first Toa, ever.
Helryx, Founder of the Order
Gender: Female
Species: Toa of Water
Kanohi: Ako, Great Mask of Psychometry
Pieces: 120
Over the years, I’ve warmed up to the silhouette of the winner of the infamous 2020 canon contest. I think the art in particular is great and is a solid depiction of the character. But, like many, I am no fan of the moc that won the contest and inspired the art (yes, I did vote for it at the time, but suffice to say my opinion has soured six years on). In particular, two points from Swamp of Secrets stood out to me and inspired the whole revamp:
Takanuva doesn’t recognize the armor
“She was not Makuta, but she was indescribably ancient and disturbingly frail in appearance. Her mask and armor were pitted and scarred from a thousand battles. She looked like a Toa, but her armor and mask design didn’t resemble anything Takanuva had ever seen before.” (Swamp of Secrets, pp. 5-6)
Her armor is different from the Toa Mata’s
“If Tahu expected the ruler of this land to be some massive, heavily-armored warrior who could snap a Toa in two with no effort, he was to be disappointed. The figure that awaited [the Toa Mata] was a Toa, although one whose armor looked quite different from theirs. Even more surprising, that armor was blue — like Gali, she was a Toa of Water.” (Swamp of Secrets, p. 75)
The only thing from either of these two quotes the original model got right was that she’s disturbingly frail, and anyone with hands on experience with the model will tell you that’s not a good thing. I will concede that the CCBS parts on mine somewhat betray the “ancient” look she’s supposed to have, but in fairness that’s something that’s very difficult to convey in Lego, especially if the parts are shiny and new (seriously, go look at the contest finalists again). In any case, I consider that minor miss worth it to make her look very different from the Toa Mata and unrecognizable to Takanuva.