Earth Toa - Articulation Prototype

[Ice the Great]

Greetings, friends! Been a while since I've been here, but I come bearing gifts! I've always been a fan of articulation - that is, the ability of a model to move. A very long time ago, I made a Toa-size MOC with movable shoulders (this may even have been back on Ye Olde Forums). Onbce more I return with a new model... this time with more articulation than ever.

The basic model objective, aside from the articulation that I will explain later, was to create a Toa form of an MoC Matoran I created a long time ago (seen here to the far left). And I succeeded. However... I, the lover of articulation that I am, thought "Hey, let's make this more than the bog-standard model." And so I present...

 

The Toa of Earth. (no, he doesn't have a name)

Full body shot (standing).

 

However, this topic isn't about the model itself. Not entirely, anyway. This is ALSO about its articulation. This time around, I've gotten bolder. I redesigned my shoulder articulation from the ground up. It can be used with more common pieces (as my original model used parts that I only had enough of FOR that model - which is still fully assembled), but is now more restrictive with it's upper arms (you have to use Rahkshi thighs, as the arm needs to have a ball at the shoulder and a socket at the elbow). I have also added... added spine articulation (of a sort).

 

Now he can do toe touchies!

And relax on a beach.

 

How do I do this? Simple. The key component is this bugger right here. I do it by slotting them into the short leg joints that the Toa Metru used, at both ends (total four), like so. Then it's just a matter of connecting the ball joints into a rod in the torso (as seen here on this model).

 

For the shoulder articulation, this module is at the core of the torso, attaching to more of the Metru socket pieces that act as the shoulders. From there, Rahkshi thighs act as upper arms. The model also features a Rhotuka spinner on the back that can shift up and down using the same principles.

 

Full instructions will not be provided, but I will link the full gallery. There are charts displaying all 110 pieces (the charts actually show 113, I accidentally included 3 pieces I used as demonstration in this photo), as well as shots of almost every system in the build. If you wish, you may adapt the designs or recreate the build (if you can figure everything out). Not all the pictures are SUPER high-quality, but you will be able to see everything. For some pieces that may be hard to see, individual close-ups are provided.

 

Enjoy! Feedback is welcome.

[JAG18]

Hmm...

The first thing that struck me, was the length of the limbs; I suppose they could work, with that torso, but I might try and add some sturdier looking limbs.

The torso is quite amazing; if you were aiming for articulation then you definitely hit the mark. I can't really think of anything major I would change on it.

 

So, yeah nice work, Ice.

[BrickPharaoh]

While I do think this is really good with respect to articulation, I find that it's too cluttered to my taste. Besides, the armor placement is not very well-executed.

[Ice the Great]

Hmm...

The first thing that struck me, was the length of the limbs; I suppose they could work, with that torso, but I might try and add some sturdier looking limbs.

The torso is quite amazing; if you were aiming for articulation then you definitely hit the mark. I can't really think of anything major I would change on it.

 

So, yeah nice work, Ice.

Arms are the tough bits for me, I've never been great at making working designs that weren't too bulky to be effective.

 

While I do think this is really good with respect to articulation, I find that it's too cluttered to my taste. Besides, the armor placement is not very well-executed.

I agree here. Problem is, there's not really that many places to PUT armor on the model. Note that none of my models are ever totally DONE. When I find ways to improve, I do it. Case in point follows.

 

After posting this thread, I noticed a problem with the shoulder assembly. The ball sockets in the chest were conflicting with the bit in the middle, potentially causing bending in the plus rods in the assembly. I have developed a rework to this area of the model that rectifies the issue. Aesthetics are not changed much. Piece count increased to 112.

 

Updated shoulder assembly.

[BrickPharaoh]

I like how you keep a piece count. Not many people do that.

[Ice the Great]

I like how you keep a piece count. Not many people do that.

I do so only with the models I like a lot. Also, like I said in the OP, if you want to duplicate the model, you have to figure it out yourself. Having a total piece count is one of those. Not that it was hard - I totaled the parts in the new module and the old one and compared them.

[BrickPharaoh]

 

 

I like how you keep a piece count. Not many people do that.

If you want to duplicate the model, you have to figure it out yourself.

I don't think I'm interested in duplicating your MOC; I don't copy other people's work in general. Thanks for your permission, though, I guess.