Dark Hunter Pyraxx

[Zorrakh]

^ Please Click to see Entry PictureEDIT: I took second place in the preliminary poll! Thank you to all who voted for my creation and good luck to the other finalists. Pose 1 | 2 | 3FrontLeftBackRightNo Fire Front | Back | Back Arms FoldedLeg Detail 1 | 2Mask 1 | 2So, here are some of my boring thoughts on the matter:The most difficult thing for me was to decide on something that appeals to both the BZPower members as well as the public at Brickfair, which are more often than not to very distinct groups. Unfortunately I did not have the time to create what I wanted that I know appeals to both groups (something big ), but I did what I could. The basic idea came from Maxilos' torso design, which is, in my opinnion, just about the best designed set in the entire Bionicle line because of the posability as well as the shape. The mask was actually something I created several years ago for two of my self-MOCs (Phantoka and Mistika). The overall design is actually kind of a cumulation of the years of Bionicle as well as Technic figures from 1999-2000; I used a gear from the Silzers series, as well as pieces that were made for specific years, like the Tahnok Shields.EDIT: I guess I should mention that a lot of my red parts are being used in another creation right now, and I am NOT taking that other MOC apart for a while.Oh, and I actually have six orange Pakari in total; I couldn't figure out how to put the last two on. Storyline-wise, I'll do a short write-up like the ones in the Dark Hunters book from The Shadowed One's perspective.But for now: Pyraxx was once a Matoran who volunteered for experimentation for a Nynrah Ghost project. The main goal of the project was to allow Matoran to tap into their elemental power without the need of transforming into a Toa. The project backfired and now Pyraxx has been hideously mutated and continously exhales enormous amounts of fire (much like the Kardas Dragon with energy). The mask and tubing allows him to transfer the fire to his wrists to use as weapons as well as his out his back for exhaust purposes. Since the fire is directly controled by how much Pyraxx exhales, the longer he is fighting, the greater his power. Although he does not have access to his Kanohi Pakari, Pyraxx is incredibly strong. He is also very clever, however the procedures he endured caused him to go insane. Therefore he is only sent off on high-damage missions (usually by himself) and kept off Odina as much as possible. He is also impervious to fire and heat as well as lava due to the experiments. Pyraxx can also use the fire out of his back hands to use as a means of flight. The only real danger he faces is against Toa of Air because they can cut off his air. He recognizes that they are a threat and eleminates them first.Thanks for looking. Please post your comments.

Edited July 1, 2012 by Zorrakh

[FrozenFlash]

This looks great! I like the head because it's almost as if it's like a gas mask which is actually pretty cool. Your choices of pieces for this are also really nice and the claws are outstanding. Nice job on this!

[Lord Oblivion]

You sure must have a lot of pakaris :PKidding aside, great MOC. I enjoy the shaping you gave it, the four arms work well here. The tubing is pretty cool, I love the effect that it gives here. The feet look fantastic, the toes look great, good choice in using those horn pieces over the Viking horns. There just happens to be only two parts that I'm not really fond of. The color layering seems to be a bit mixed up in some spots, and the head is so-so in my opinion. When I look at it, it fits pretty well, but I just wonder if possibly a custom head might've looked better? I'm not sure I also have a feeling you wished you had another tahu sword, since just one more would have made that spine look perfect.Overall, solid MOC. Very fire-y, good luck in the contest

[Zorrakh]

FF Ice Master: Thank you. That's one of the reasons I picked the modified mask, although storyline-wise it's used in the opposite way. I added the claws to get that Dark Hunter feel, which I think worked well, too.Lord Oblivion: Thanks. I also have quite a few black Pakari and two silver ones (maybe three). The main thing I was shooting for was a hunchback shape to give it that monstrous feel, which I also think worked out well. I'm just thankful I was able to buy the Atlantis sea turtle set to be able to use those claw pieces; they do work nice as toenails.Yeah, I've been fiddling with the colors almost all this week (I got most of it done by that time) and I'm still not satisfied with it (I almost never am, but that's my 'get it perfect' ambition kicking in ). Are there any spots in particular that bother you? Concerning the head, due to the scale of the MOC, it would have been difficult to make a custom head, plus I think that the 'gas mask' thing coincides with the theme, for whatever reason (I only know firemen wear them to protect themselves, but I guess that's enough reason why it gives off a fire feel ). I also didn't want to resort to making something too complex, as it would make it look off from the rest of the model.Oh, I do have another Firesword (several more ), but I couldn't add another one in because of the way I have the spine connected to the body.Thanks again for the review.

[The Swimming Beard]

The body design is great. I also like the color scheme, and that spine of flames down its back is gret. I also like the use of the Pakari masks as shoulder armour, and the head is cool.

[Ballom Nom Nom]

It's good to see that you're back with a bang, Zorrakh, and this fiery fellow will prove to be tough competition for ol' Bokoch! :PWell, to start off, red/orange/black is a solid color scheme that you've got for him, apart from a few silvery bits here and there. Not that those are bad; in fact, it highlights the tube usage well, just as his white claws contrast nicely to prove that, well, he actually has claws. I do think I remember that you've used his type of face before, but in his case that Pakari blends in so well with the rest of the body that I couldn't even tell what his head was at first. Personally, I think the head is a tad small for his body, but it works fine in terms of the Pakari motif.That torso seems solidly constructed with the four pistons on it, and that Tahu fire sword spine is very awesome indeed. I like the fact that it's topped with Torch's gear, since that also connects to his tubes. Four arms was a nice touch, as the idea of a hulking four-armed brawler only adds to his appeal (Machamp, anyone?). Those clawed hands are nicely done, since they can actually open and close as opposed to Bokoch's one-piece fists, and I'm digging the fact that they have tube and flamethrower connections.Finally, while his legs fit the whole bulkiness of the body in general, I think that perhaps you might want to put some additional black armor paneling on either side of his upper legs, as they seem rather thin when viewed from the front. I also really like his foot design, as you managed to implement those red bell-bottom pieces from Ackar while giving him toe claws from the Shadow Snapper.Overall, a solid entry, and one that I'm sure will continue to do well in the polls. Good luck to you, my friend!~B~

Edited June 22, 2012 by Ballom

[Zorrakh]

Toa of Smooth Jazz: Thank you. Ballom: Thanks. Yes, although I really really really like silver () as a main color, I did wish for it to be more of a highlight of the tubing system than anything else, especially since red/orange/black is a more traditional color scheme, at least set-wise. The head is a little small, unfortunately, and that's probably because that's one of the later things I worked on, which is something that shouldn't normally be done. I tried bulking it up a little by adding the stuff attached to the Slizer foot, which helps quite a bit.Now that you mention it, yeah, it is kind of like Machamp, although I was inspired by General Grievous from Star Wars. What's nice about the Maxilos design is that there are so many things that can be done with it. It looks a lot like something from the older Lego sets, specifically the Slizer sets.The legs actually have a pretty good thickness when viewed from the front, although not as much as I would have liked. The Glatorian ankle armour, as well as the Stars armor, were a last-minute addition, actually. But it does cover up the foot nicely. One thing that's a little hard to see is the fact that the actual foot is on a ball joint, which can be seen a little bit in the second and third pose shots, so that helps a bit with posing. unfortunately, the whole thing is a little hard to balance because I don't have any other connections to the hips (like you said). There was not really any easy way to add another connection point without remaking the entire lower torso, so I had to make a choice.Thanks again Ballom and good luck to you too.

[Death of the Endless]

This is great. It's very creative, and the fire motif is very present in the figure's construction. I'm not sure how intentional this was, but it also really has the "Dark Hunter" feel. Pyraxx's design fits in among the various characters in the Dark Hunters handbook.

[Zorrakh]

This is great. It's very creative, and the fire motif is very present in the figure's construction. I'm not sure how intentional this was, but it also really has the "Dark Hunter" feel. Pyraxx's design fits in among the various characters in the Dark Hunters handbook.

Thank you. I did my best to make it look like something from the Dark Hunter's guide way back, yes. I used quite a few older parts, like the Slizer pieces in the legs, the Bohrok head and torso pieces, Rahkshi legs, and many Technic parts to give it that "Dark Hunter" feel, which I believe also gives it that nostalgic feel. I looked at many of the Dark Hunter pictures before I started, and I noticed a lot of them were more monstrous in build, even the humanoid-based creations, which was something I wished to portray here.

[~garnira returns~]

Awesome! It matches the fire theme with colors, and obviously, design.