Kalmah / Ehlek

[Chro]

^ CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW THE GALLERY ON MOCPAGES. ^I personally think that Kalmah is better, but I think Ehlek is alright too. After building Kalmah I wanted another, and Ehlek is my favorite Barraki, so I just had to build him. I'm considering revamping the other four (and Nocturn) later, but for now it's just the Squid and the Eel.Feedback is appreciated.

[Dralcax]

Both of them are very well built. Kalmah in particular looks very good. I really like his torso, although his arms could have been slightly better armored, as they are somewhat messy in my opinion. Ehlek is also very well designed. His claws are great, and you did a nice job on the torso. However, he seems excessively bulky. Ehlek tends to be a thin, spindly character, so maybe a little less muscle could work.

[Arzaki]

Did you give Kalmah ice blue eyes?

[Chro]

Both of them are very well built. Kalmah in particular looks very good. I really like his torso, although his arms could have been slightly better armored, as they are somewhat messy in my opinion. Ehlek is also very well designed. His claws are great, and you did a nice job on the torso. However, he seems excessively bulky. Ehlek tends to be a thin, spindly character, so maybe a little less muscle could work.

You know, you're the second person to tell me that Ehlek was too bulky. I guess I really failed at giving him a lanky, thin appearance.

 

Did you give Kalmah ice blue eyes?

Yes.

[Relapse]

I have to ask- was it your personal choice to make their height so radically different, or did it just turn out this way? If memory serves, I believe all the group was all originally the same height, to some degree.

[Chro]

They just ended up like that, yes.

[Taipu1]

You've given Kalmah a much more streamlined, fluid, aquatic look than the original set, which is really the perfect thing to do. The legs are perhaps a little bulky for that look, I'd expect the feet to perhaps be kind of like flippers or something. I think perhaps Kalmah's original feet would have been better.

 

As for Ehlek, the only one of the Barraki who was always part of an aquatic species, you've moved it the other way, and from a storyline perspective that perhaps doesn't work. I think you perhaps tried to bulk him out a bit too much. The lower legs look very boxy as well. Again I think the wrong choice of feet. Those inika feet you've used just don't look very fishy (trying to avoid using the word aquatic again ).

 

As MOCs alone, these are both up to your usual good standard, but I don't think they match up well to the actual characters.

[Chro]

Thanks Taips.

I initially tried to use Kalmah's original feet, but they were too wide, unfitting stylistically with most of the MOC, and also difficult to attack properly. (The same applied to Ehlek's.) I'm not sure how Ehlek was very bulky, in fact he's much thinner than most of the MOCs that I make...

[Taipu1]

He's not bulky for your MOCs, but he is bulky for an interpretation of Ehlek. Just adding on to what I said earlier about him, I think perhaps he's a bit too humanoid as well. Ehlek as a set was almost on all fours, this revamp is very much upright. What I'm kind of seeing now is a Chro-style Toa, cosplaying as Ehlek. To get a more of the original look back, I think the torso needs to be slightly shorter, so that the spines can flow into the back of the head. Perhaps more difficult will be to make the spines flow into the tail as well, which is a good addition. A bit more of a hunch on him as well would be good, to give a less humanoid look.

[~garnira returns~]

They look wonderful as always, however I gotta say that Ehlek is a bit too stocky, but no big deal. I certainly like the whole tentacle gauntlet idea you used for kalmah, and ehlek's thumbs are lovely!

 

oh, and is that shoulder articulation that I see?

[Chro]

Thanks Garnira. Yes, both have extra shoulder articulation.

[moochfloatjr]

These are really cool! Ehlek is a bit bulky, but Kalmah looks very nice- strong, lean, pretty good for him! I like the way all of the armor flows and forms a nice, coherent build.

[Ghidora131]

very well done.

these are the best customs I have seen of these.

btw, could you make some instructions?

[Rumpofsteelskin]

Kalmah is my favorite Barraki and I just love what you've done with him. Favorite part is the forearms and shins because they leave end-bulk.

[Chro]

Thanks guys!

btw, could you make some instructions?

Sorry, I usually don't make instructions, due in part to my tendency to immediately scrap MOCs. And that aside, it's time-consuming to create, photograph, and organize instructions for an entire MOC, let alone a pair.

[ObfuscatedCubeEntity]

Excellent, I haven't seen a good revamp in quite a while, especially for a set from 2007. They look sturdy, yet articulated (which is never easy to achieve). You improved the colour schemes, also nice. You changed Ehlek's eye colour, another plus. The transition from torso to limb to hand/foot is very smooth on both of them. Kalmah looks great in black and maroon, but I think Ehlek needs more dark green. Ehlek also needs, I think, longer thighs. That is redeemed, of course, by the fact that Ehlek is my favourite Barraki.

 

Excellent MOCs, I give them 9.99 repeating out of ten.

[Chro]

Thanks Myr, glad you like them. I do agree that I should've used a bit more dark green on Ehlek.

[Art Vandelay]

I think these could be modified to work well as representations of their former bodies, albeit with different heads of course, and less of an aquatic appearance. They are both fantastic MOCs, and I must say they are even better than the originals as sets overall. I agree with Taipu that these wouldn't work too well as storyline representations of them, however. Like lots of others said, Ehlek is a bit too bulky, and parts of Kalmah could be slimmed down. Overall great job though!