It’s been a while since I had built a bipedal figure with a unique design - 2016 was when I whipped together a figure called “Scavenger”, and I’ve been itching for a long time to make something similar again, as well as deepen the world around him. In 2019, I started writing down ideas for characters, proper names, drawing up a world and developing cultures that Scavenger would be part of. Several ideas for characters rose, but no designs; just a few notes of color, size, role and personality.
Around that same time I had also considered making characters for a video series of stop-motion animations, tentatively titled “BIONICLE: Reveal the Masks”, in which non-canon characters would demonstrate the abilities of the masks from 2001-2010, as well as some varieties like color or transformation. The idea to make them non-canon characters basically set up a control group to demonstrate each mask power without elemental or biological abilities in place; in other words, if Tahu couldn’t rely on the element of fire, like in 2003, what can he do with his Hau alone?
And so I started crafting very small figures, essentially dummies, as target practice for the Demo Figures of Reveal the Masks; they were very limited on articulation so the effects the masks could have on them were limited. I think I still have them built, but they’re not too unique borrowing a handful of G2 parts each and called it a day. If you remember the Hero Factory polybag, 40116 Hero Robot, they were basically that with an Okoto head.
Eventually I came up with a mid-sized figure and a Matoran/Turaga/Agori-sized figure, seen here.
The Red one is supposed to represent a figure around Toa or Glatorian height, whereas the Blue is made to represent a figure around Matoran, Turaga or Agori height. See how it compares to a recolored Pohatu Nuva here (intended as a Shadow Toa):
Construction
The Red figure is a very streamlined design, combining elements of Bionicle and CCBS especially in the torso.
I don’t normally build using both systems on the same model, but this was a breath of new ideas and seeing some benefits of both systems together. As @DuckBricks outlined on a video comparing Hero Factory and Bionicle on YouTube, Bionicle limbs were almost always one joint or another, booth ends male or both female, or only 1 of them with pin or axle holes on the opposite end. CCBS welcomes limbs with male and female on the same piece. This is evident here with the leg assemblies and the construction of the torso. I also found it fascinating to use Bionicle for the opposite effect to connect the torso, arms and head at the same time using a Metru-toran limb piece, using the axle hole in a way I never would have considered otherwise.
Maniac4Bricks
