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Tarakava Locomotion


slifer3000

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Tarakava are supposed to be reptilian rahi that live in the water for the most part. But has anyone else wondered how they'd be able to move from point A to point B underwater? I assume they breathe in water, (making them more of an amphibian or a fish than a reptile) since they were at least as deep as Mahri Nui, but is there any explanation as to how their lives are even possible? Or do we just avoid thinking about it lest it make appreciating the actual Tarakava set harder?

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If the ribs in the treads are large enough, they can act as paddles. Of course, this raises the issue of water completely enveloping all surfaces of the treads as opposed to just one surface on the ground, but you can explain that away with some kind of carapace cover that they only use when in water, like the hard shell protecting the wings of bugs in real life.

 

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My impression of the set is that it doesn't accurately depict the creatures. The set's arms and waist are the only real points of articulation, and they can only move forward and backward. I once theorized that Tarakava would more closely resemble crocodiles, or, more specifically, Killer Croc from 2004's The Batman, as seen here:

 

Killer-Croc-the-batman-16220761-389-450.

 

The only difference would be the fact that they're more mostly mechanical and would have the treads in place of the hind legs, and a tail that was barely more than a small stub. I always meant to MOC or draw this interpretation of them and make it look as close to the style of the Miramax films as possible, but that never happened, sadly.

Edited by The 1st Shadow
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My impression of the set is that it doesn't accurately depict the creatures. The set's arms and waist are the only real points of articulation, and they can only move forward and backward. I once theorized that Tarakava would more closely resemble crocodiles, or, more specifically, Killer Croc from 2004's The Batman, as seen here:

 

Killer-Croc-the-batman-16220761-389-450.

 

The only difference would be the fact that they're more mostly mechanical and would have the treads in place of the hind legs, and a tail that was barely more than a small stub. I always meant to MOC or draw this interpretation of them and make it look as close to the style of the Miramax films as possible, but that never happened, sadly.

 

Ah, so you're theorizing that their arms are much more articulated than the set's is, and that they could use them to swim?

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

I don't know how I feel about that. Half of what made Muaka (and Kane-Ra) so cool to me was their tread hind-legs. Why can't the Tarakava be like some amalgamation of crabs and seahorses?

Edited by Ta-metru_defender
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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

 

Yes but Ive head-decanonized the the WoS Muaka.

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Knock Knock

 

Who's there

 

Hoff

 

Hoff who

 

Yes

 

 

 

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

 

Yes but Ive head-decanonized the the WoS Muaka.

 

The Muaka in WoS was mutated by the Visorak, and had lost its treads and extending neck. But you get the idea.

 

Ah, so you're theorizing that their arms are much more articulated than the set's is, and that they could use them to swim?

 

Precisely. The Toa Nuva had articulated limbs in the movie where the sets did not, movie versions had heartlights and the sets did not, etc. Now, consider the structure of the Tarakava set's body. How realistic do you think that twig-like torso is, and how effective the three twig-like beams for its arms would actually be in terms of hitting and mobility? Not very, if you think about it. The sets were designed with an action feature in mind, and the skinny torso is there to allow small hands to hold it and operate it. So, take away the fact that it's a toy and make it a real creature, how much of that do you need to retain? None of it, really. In-story, Tarakava didn't need someone to hold their torso and direct their arms to move, so there's no reason for them to look that way.

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

There was never an Ash Bear in the sets to begin with. The big-armed combo model mislabeled as an Ash Bear in the Maze of Shadows video game was actually "Makuta Nui", a monstrous form Makuta was said to take to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

I don't know how I feel about that. Half of what made Muaka (and Kane-Ra) so cool to me was their tread hind-legs. Why can't the Tarakava be like some amalgamation of crabs and seahorses?

 

They're described as lizard-like. It makes more sense for them to resemble the things we're told they resemble. As it stands, they hardly fit that description.

 

 

If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

 

Yes but Ive head-decanonized the the WoS Muaka.

 

Headcanons aren't really relevant here, though. We're talking official canon.

 

 

 

If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

 

Yes but Ive head-decanonized the the WoS Muaka.

 

The Muaka in WoS was mutated by the Visorak, and had lost its treads and extending neck. But you get the idea.

 

This is true. The fact that it's also blue instead of yellow should be a signal that it's not technically the same Rahi, thus making my entire argument kind of moot.

 

 

If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

There was never an Ash Bear in the sets to begin with. The big-armed combo model mislabeled as an Ash Bear in the Maze of Shadows video game was actually "Makuta Nui", a monstrous form Makuta was said to take to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies.

 

Once again, my argument is moot. Too bad the '01 saga never got a movie; there's not really a lot of concrete evidence to cite here.

Rule #1: Always listen to Kek.

Rule #2: If you break rule #1, kindly don't.

Rule #3: EVERYBODY TYPE IN THE CHAT "AVAK IS A STUPID TRIGGER"

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In general I'd give more credence to the set-like depictions in the comics and games than to Greg's generally bad Rahi descriptions. Greg's descriptions tended to lean way too heavily on comparisons to real-world wildlife for an invented world of biomechanical creatures.

 

Plus, treads just make them way more interesting than giant swimming lizards.

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"Tarakava were a mistake"

 

~Makuta Mutran

 

"They're nothing but trash"

Edited by Zarkan: Master of Storms

I have slept for so long. My dreams have been dark ones. But now I am awakened. Now the scattered elements of my being are rejoined. Now I am whole. And the Darkness can not stand before me.

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If we're talking about what is and isn't canon, I don't see why we should take their set appearance as 100% canon. Unless the Greg Spirit has specified otherwise, we know from WoS that Muakas don't have treads and are basically built like actual machairodonts; and that ash bears don't actually have a freakishly-enlarged arm. Tarakavas are likely the same. Either that, or they have propellers.

I don't know how I feel about that. Half of what made Muaka (and Kane-Ra) so cool to me was their tread hind-legs. Why can't the Tarakava be like some amalgamation of crabs and seahorses?

 

They're described as lizard-like. It makes more sense for them to resemble the things we're told they resemble. As it stands, they hardly fit that description.

 

Earth lizards are not like Bionicle lizards.

 

:P

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I don't really see what the issue is. As Pohaturon said, their tracks would presumably work for swimming. Perhaps in real-life physics they wouldn't actually work like that, but since when has Bonkle followed real-life physics?  :D

Edited by Disty says hi
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mabye they are heavy enough to sink to the sea floor and just drive around like they would on land 

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Although it is questionable on how the Takarava swim underwater, I'm thinking the threads could swim in the water in the way steamboats move. I mean, when you spin the wheel part with the spikes, the spikes would make a force in the force that would cause the whole thing to move in the water. I believe the threads could do something similar to that underwater.

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Although it is questionable on how the Takarava swim underwater, I'm thinking the threads could swim in the water in the way steamboats move. I mean, when you spin the wheel part with the spikes, the spikes would make a force in the force that would cause the whole thing to move in the water. I believe the threads could do something similar to that underwater.

 

That only works when half of the spikes are above the water

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Hoff who

 

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