Prelude To A Dragon, Nui-Kapowai, BBC 4 entry Options

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

I started building the basic structure about a year ago, but I only had one pair of the large Insectoids wings, so while I was looking for a source for them, I kept tweaking the design a little bit here and there, like adding all the Bohrok eyes, and some of the dark blue parts from R2-D2.

[Salus*]

Hmm, very interesting. I like the tail, and the way you got the legs and wings on. It's very different than the usual "boxy" shaped bug. Good Job!

[Astro Al]

Its good! Looks like an alternative Nui Rama.

[Spyke]

off-topic,purple dave,i'm a big fan of your's andi just wanted to know when your going to post pics of onua nuva on mod.com!
on topic

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

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I like the tail, and the way you got the legs and wings on.

I've been considering the possibility of extending the tail, but if I do it, I'd have to add a complete two-step segment, and while I've got more of the light-green Throwbot fan-wings, I'd have to buy a fourth R2-D2 set to get the dark-blue ones.  Since I just dropped about $80 to build TWO Lightning Bugs (and that's after buying eleven Toa Nuva), I need to hold off on that for a while.

The legs actually do clutch, and while I did have to cheat and use the trigger cable from the Stormtrooper as a safety strap, the Nui-Kapowai is currently mounted to one of the poles on my primary Bionicle shelf.

The wings got really tricky.  I knew I could get away with mounting the dark-grey bricks on pairs of friction pins, but I completely lucked out in that when I connected two Nui-Rama slider-boxes together, the swivel mounts on the side ended up just far enough to almost match the ends of one of the bent liftarms (like the dark-grey ones used on the Exo-Toa feet), which helped reduce the boxy look that those, um, slider boxes created.

This is easily the most complicated design that I've produced so far, and it's the only one that has extensive use of pieces added solely for the purpose of adding bulk to the shape.  It's not my usual style, but this design seemed to demand it.  If nothing else, it was interesting to work in a somewhat different format.

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Its good! Looks like an alternative Nui Rama.

The only thing it really borrows from the Nui-Rama design are the eyes.  And even then they're mounted in a very different manner.  Anyways, like a real dragonfly, the Nui-Kapowai eats Nui-Rama (I always figured that at least the orange one was a mosquito).

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i just wanted to know when your going to post pics of onua nuva on mod.com!

June 20.  From what I can tell, they were the first pics on the Net that weren't produced by LEGO, or some affiliated company.

[Astro Al]

Ok, A Nui-Rama killer. Eats Nui Rama's like moskitoes. I hate moskitoes, where I live, they attackin swarms so thick, you could slap 10 of 'em outta the air in one swing.

BTW, if you ever feel like it, could you do a size comparisson pic between a Nui Rama and it? I only got a Toa and Bohrok, so I don't know how big a Nui Rama is...

[Toa Reincarnatio...]

ooo neato colors.. buuuut i think the wings should be a tad closer, cuz dragon flies have the wing roots right next to each other.. oh and can the tail bend and stuff? or is it all stiff :|

[JINZONINGEN 73]

  Ooh, finally! A dragonfly moc! The wing roots like Toa said need to be a lil' closer, but there's no guesswork needed as to what creature it is. (People are gonna' slam you on the colors, but I like'em lol) Man... I can't believe you used those Stormtrooper/Super Battledroid triggers... all I think of when I'm holding them in my hand is like antennas for something. I'd say this is in the top 5 of the contest entries. Heh... another insect moc to add to the list.

[Rama~Swarm]

as said in my pm,sweet moc, i love it, does its tail bend like actual dragonflys? i love the tail.

wow you got one to lad on your finger   !

after looking at the pic for a few seconds i noticed that the tail cant bend, but if you were willing to cut a piece.....

[Canucks-Fan]

PD That's one of your best Moc's YET!

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

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could you do a size comparisson pic between a Nui Rama and it?

I actually thought of doing that after I got home today, but I did the photo shoot Wednesday evening, and I didn't have time to set up for that before I had to start editing the photos.

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ooo neato colors..

I actually don't like the colors.  I just wanted to make it somewhat realistic looking, and the only ones I ever see around here are green and/or blue.  I'd much prefer it if it was irridescent, but there aren't a lot of LEGO bricks that fit that description.

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buuuut i think the wings should be a tad closer, cuz dragon flies have the wing roots right next to each other..

Some do, and some don't.  The ones that do have wings that are opened up into a slightly X-shaped pattern, while the ones that don't have wings that run parallel to each other.  I went for the parallel look, though technically the wings should trail behind the wing bases, yet the tips should still sweep forward.  The Insectoid wings aren't shaped like that, unfortunately.

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oh and can the tail bend and stuff? or is it all stiff

Nope.  The dragonfly has even less articulation than the dragon did.  The legs open and close, the mandibles open and close, and the wings flap.  That's it.  While dragonflies can flex their tails, I didn't want mine to have a floppy tail, and I wasn't going to use rubber-bands to keep an articulated tail straight.

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I can't believe you used those Stormtrooper/Super Battledroid triggers...

Huh?  I didn't use anything from an SBD on this.  If you're talking about the little pull-cable from the Stormtrooper's right arm, I only used that as a safety strap, so I didn't have to worry about it taking an unscheduled dive off my shelves (and then only because I'd already bought another Stormie to swipe parts for Kopaka Kino and the cable was available).  It's not even present in any of the photos.  It's attached by two black tow-balls to the back sides of the #5 angle-connectors in the middle of the front legs.  I tried to get a good photo of that, but I didn't have time to tear down my lighting rig and set it up in my bedroom, so they didn't turn out very well.

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wow you got one to lad on your finger!

Yup.  That so rocked.  They don't usually fly for long periods of time without stopping to rest for a while, and my hand happened to be a lot closer than anything else.  It sat there for at least a minute while I slowly rotated my hand around to check it out from different angles.  I'd never really had a good up-close look at a dragonfly before that, and they're actually quite passive.  Well, unless you're a mosquito...

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but if you were willing to cut a piece.....

I prefer to avoid that as much as humanly possible.  I did make one exception recently, when I chopped down one of the thin tubes from the SBD, but that was only because I got a box that had the fourth 11-long mispacked as a third 12-long, and I needed four matched tubes for Lightning Bug antennae.  I figured that since they've got sheared ends, and it should have been an 11-long anyways, there wasn't any harm in fixing the problem myself with an X-Acto knife, rather than waiting a week for a replacement to arrive from Consumer Affairs.

[Astro Al]

One time, during dragonfly season (early spring), I had 5 on my hand. When they land, you poke your finger under 'em and they climb on. Sweet eh?

[HyperMecha]

I'm a big fan of dragonflies, I've studied/caught/watched em ever since I was a kid. Some bugs are just....cool.

The only complaint I have is the abdomen isn't long enough. Real dragonflies are much longer and skinnier to the size of the upper portion/wings area. But, no biggie. It's a great MOC.

Last summer I was having a hard time finding good pics of dragonflies for a tattoo I was planning. I found a HUGE dead one in my swimming pool, ironically. It was a beauty! I brought it in the house & laid it on the top of the scanner so I could scan it later on. Needless to say, my husband saw it & kind of freaked out (dead or not, he doesn't like bugs).

[Geckan Nuva]

thats a cool dragonfly i like it

[Bio-Overlord]

offtopic:purple dave, i was on mask of destiney yesterday, and i noticed an article about the mini comic that came with ONUA NUVA, but i own all six of them, and they each came with one.

[~T11~]

Quote (HyperMecha @ Sep. 13 2002, 05:11)

I'm a big fan of dragonflies, I've studied/caught/watched em ever since I was a kid. Some bugs are just....cool. The only complaint I have is the abdomen isn't long enough. Real dragonflies are much longer and skinnier to the size of the upper portion/wings area. But, no biggie. It's a great MOC. Last summer I was having a hard time finding good pics of dragonflies for a tattoo I was planning. I found a HUGE dead one in my swimming pool, ironically. It was a beauty! I brought it in the house & laid it on the top of the scanner so I could scan it later on. Needless to say, my husband saw it & kind of freaked out (dead or not, he doesn't like bugs).

FREAKED OUT!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love dragon flies! I'm not even afraid of Grand Daddy Long Leg spider either! I pick them right up!

Listen up PD! You think your gonna' beat us all huh? GET BACK! I SAID GET BACK! BACK OFF! J/K! That is cool! I didn't think of making a dragon fly!

[King Luvak]

that is cool

[Pangu]

this is cool. cool, but really doesn't live up to my expectations of a Dragonfly MOC. i can't figure out why, but it just doesn't.  

no offense PD!

[Schizo Kaita]

It looks very realistic. Those wings! Those eyes! That tail! Love it all, even if you don't like the colours, PD.

[Yuna~Hibiscus]

I've always been a fan of insects and arrachnids,
and i got to say i am impessed, not only does it
look like a dragonfly but it looks like something that
would fit in to the bionicle universe, and you've certanly
got your facts right.
but is that name from another language or did you make
it up?

[The Boney King o...]

sweet i like it! purpledave (spelling?) ROCKS!

[Onua cat]

That's a really good moc, I like all of it, even the color...  

But I agree with HyperMecha; the tail is out of proportion...

[nevjr]

Yeah the tail is perfectly long, but its also a little to wide but he/she/it would look good in red or like a green darner (blue tail, green upper body) if you dont like the colours<------- Im Candian so spell it right, Eh

[tonukaha]

Very nice PD!! I like evreything!!

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

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i noticed an article about the mini comic that came with ONUA NUVA, but i own all six of them, and they each came with one.

Yes, I got one with each of the twelve Toa Nuva that I've bought, but I reviewed the mini-comic with the press kit, and there was no need to review it with each Toa Nuva.  I also tend to get a little more in-depth with the pack-in stuff when it comes to press kit reviews because it might be months before people can see them in person.

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but is that name from another language or did you make it up?

Like most of my MOCs, the name comes from the Maori langauge.

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the tail is out of proportion...

I've been thinking about this, and for the size of the wings, the tail is actually too long.  It's just that the head had to be built to one scale, and the wings were in a completely different scale, and the result ended up something like the original Kenner X-Wing, where everything is thicker and shorter than it should be.  If I make the tail longer, I'd have to add 3.75 inches to the length to match the construction I used, and the wings would look positively tiny.  I might try it out just to see how it looks, but I kinda think I already tried it and didn't like how it looked.

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it would look good in red or like a green darner

When I started building it, one of the first things I did was accept the fact that I probably wouldn't have the right parts to make it look like any specific breed of dragonfly, so I very loosely based the coloration on some of the local varieties, which usually have combinations of blue, green, and black.

[Tovnu]

I have a ton of insectoid wings but would never have thought to use them! I really like it a lot accept I think the tail should be a bit longer. That would make it perfect.
P.S. PD, why did you mention this topic would be coming up in that makuta topic? When I saw this topic I was expecting loads of new info on him to be poured into my head! Cool topic anyways though.

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

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I have a ton of insectoid wings but would never have thought to use them!

I've actually seen a few Toa MOCs that used the smaller Insectoid wings.  It kinda makes them look like angry robot pixies (especially if they're wearing a Hau), but some of them were pretty cool looking.

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PD, why did you mention this topic would be coming up in that makuta topic?

Someone expressed disbelief in my identity, so I threw that in there to prove who I am.  It had nothing to do with Makuta beyond happening in a topic about him.

[Sith Lord Kopaka...]

once again dave gives us a great moc......but thats not good for my votes is it? anyway every summer, whenever i get to the car, a dragonfly is on the car's radio antenna! its so weird, cuz it happens every day, but only in the summer!

[Gahlok XA]

I don't get which bit you mean by the stormtrooper trigger.

[Matau Hordika]

Where's the lightning bug on MoD?   Also, I think all your MOCs are awesome.

[James D. Hawking]

Yesterday night I had a dream that your MOC came real and it landed on my shoulder, odd...

Great MOC! Always trying to tie it into the storyline somehow!

So, can we see a Nui-Rama/Nui-Kapowai comparison (in size) and maybe one with the Nui-Kapowai and Nui-Kopen?

Well, I'm voting PD...

[Amalga]

It's schway.

Looks like a real dragonfly. I have no beefs about it. Nu, not at all. I thought the head looked wonky at first, but that's how a real dragonfly's eyes are positioned.


-LV

[Guest_Purple Dave_*]

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I don't get which bit you mean by the stormtrooper trigger.

If you check out the Technic Stormtrooper set (#8008), the arm with the gun has a little lever on the shoulder, and there is a thin light-grey cable that connects the lever to the trigger on the gun.  That cable is the one we're talking about.

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Where's the lightning bug on MoD?

It's not...yet.  I'm waiting to hear back from someone before I post it.

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Always trying to tie it into the storyline somehow!

Not true.  The Dragon of Fire is specifically stated to be part of the Legends of the Five Rings universe, not the Bionicle one.  The Noaoke Bohrok is more of an "alternate universe" sort of thing.  Dark Tahu of the Sith and Darth Mator are meant to be more jokes than anything else.  And as for Maia and Rongo, well, I never really intended them to fit in with the official storyline.

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So, can we see a Nui-Rama/Nui-Kapowai comparison (in size) and maybe one with the Nui-Kapowai and Nui-Kopen?

At some point I'll try to get a Rama pic up, but I don't know if dragonflies hunt wasps or not, so no Kopen pics.

[Kaivo]

Very cool! When I first saw it on MOD, I was like    You've got my vote. I like the leg clutch design. When he's hunting orange Nui-Rama, I bet he'd grab him with legs and carry him away. I didn't even know there were dark blue parts like that. In my opinion, the color sheme's great! I use that Maori translator tooo for when I can't think or a good name.
off topic: I was gonna enter my kino jaga scorpion, but forgot to take pics before I took it apart.