Excellent Pakari Nuva. Easily recognizable at a glance, but it fits with the current angular, helmet-like designs.

Alright, my last attempt to post here got eaten, so let me make this brief.

Eye color: See here. I know it's your preference, but thought you ought to know. Classic eye colors may work out well enough (albeit not as well as the Trans. Neon colors) if you change all the eyes to the non-truncated Metru eyes. Still, since you have TNG, trans. light blue (Kohrak eye color, which is also a sort of a neon color), and probably at least one variety of pink to work with, you should be able to give the Nuva new eye colors that evoke their old ones without sacrificing the neonness. Of course, in doing this you would also sacrifice the distinctification as a selling point, which the same blog entry exposes it as.

Bitil wings: I suppose they're OK, since of course they are a major aspect of Onua Mistika's overall look in the actual set, and I love this application, but really, I dislike the sharing of new parts between Makuta and Toa Nuva sets, so I can't be too praising of these.

Wings on backs of legs: Ditch the bushings. Canister sets almost never have parts with half-module width. Closest we ever got was the use of those whatzits on Hewkii Mahri's shoulders. Anyway, the wings should work fine without. Also, what's with the tertiary color (green)? Sort of cool, but mostly weird unless you add tertiary colors to all the other Nuva, which I discourage. IMO you should just go with silver. Also, are you sure you can't make these exclusive to Tahu?

Glad you could maintain the battering ram. I loves that thing to pieces.

OMG! You changed the torso armor to have stylistic consistency with Kopaka Phantoka's legs! Thank you SO much! Not as much as I thought would be necessary, but in this image it would appear to be enough.

Feet=bleh. Give him the clawed feet. Different feet from Tahu, at least, though since you don't have them on Pohatu you may not want them at all. In that case, Mantax feet? Admittedly, it boosts his height more than I would like, but it also works stylistically with the jetpacks you chose.

Hunch is SO preferable to the posture of the set. There's no reason Onua should be the tallest in his group.

Proper Matoran attachment is also appreciated. I love the "backpack" style and thought it silly that it should be abandoned on Onua, the only Nuva Mistika on whom it would work considerably well.

I <3 the mask. Stylistic consistency with Photok is much appreciated, since he's the one who goes with this Mistika in the set if not in the story. I can't wait to see what you cook up for Tahu, and again try to maintain the Solek consistency even while drawing inspiration from the Hau Nuva of the olden days.

I don't think claws are necessary. Also, TNG laser just doesn't look lasery enough in my eyes. I dunno, maybe it's just the drawing style that makes them look incongruous.

That's all I've got. Beautiful design, and as an individual set it works fabulously. Just a little team preference I'd like to see addressed, so decide whether any of these ideas appeal to your vision of the Nuva.

I should have replied to this sooner... because now it's time for an ÜBERPOST [/reference only Tuan will get]

The leg armor/shields are interesting, but would big armor be practical? But I guess you wanted to keep them, and it's not bad.

 

Claws would be good. And some sort of chainsaw weapon from Onua Nuva?

I think they would at least not be terribly impractical, at least not for Onua...

Eh, then we're getting into too many weapons. He needs both hands to weild the blaster, so with that arrangement he could only have claws, or you could get rid of the blaster attachment, have him hold that in one clawless hand, and then give him one claw and a chainsaw for his other hand...

...that'd be pretty cool, actually. Dang it. I sort of like the two-handed blaster idea the official set has, but I also like the idea of him having a large chainsaw and at least one set of claws.

I wonder how it would look if all the green was trans dark green, not just his eyes. Trans pieces might look pretty good.

Oooh... perhaps the bright translucent green from Ehlek? That would be quite amazing, not least because we'd have more of the color.

<3 Or purple. Also get rid of the laser. Chainsaw^{(via 2002)} bayonet instead.

I had thought of purple, but green works with his eyes... Chainsaw bayonet? Now there's an odd idea. Might look a little silly on the Nynrah blaster, but it could be made to work... he could hold it by the sides like Gali's set holds hers, if that were done...

You said I would like this, ToM ... and yesh, I do. This is almost more Onua than there's ever been Onua since '01. Mask, armour, everything is spot on - not to mention you're a crazy-awesome set designer. That upper arm armour and claw arrangement is incredibly clever and simple. I can see how the leg armour can be considered a little big and over-the-top, but I think it balances the jetpacks quite nicely. Also, sometimes you have to exaggerate to make it look good, and Onua is the epitome of bulk among the original Toa anyway.

Thankees. That is what I was thinking with the leg armor – Onua's the bulkiest of the Nuva, so a little over-largeness suits him where it wouldn't work at all on any of the others.

And chainsaws would be boss for cutting vegitation as well, but with Onua's current level of customization and the Ghostblaster, Lego, if it were designing this set, probably wouldn't add them.

Aye, it's either a customized blaster and no other tool (except perhaps claws) or no custom on the blaster and a chainsaw. Reiterating what I said a few quotes up... *jabs in their direction*

Are you going to make Takanuva as well? that would be great. Also, is Gali going to have the same thing in that style. i say that as you already designed one.

Oh, but does this mean we'll be seeing Lewa soon? Also, do you plan on doing Pohatu, Tahu, and a re-make of Gali? You've done Gali, yes, but not in this nice design like Kopaka and Onua. I await your Tahu one though, since It'd be very interesting to see what you do with that.

To address everything at once – Lewa is next, once I get his katana worked out, then a finalized, organizedly-presented Gali, and Pohatu and Tahu whenever I end up being able to properly draw them. And Takanuva's coming too, but there's something else with him. :3

Master of Ice and Sonic!

I'm not that fond of the Mistika claws, but they're better than nothing. As for the attachment point, ...

Ah, I see what you mean now. I like that design, actually, though it might be too small-piece-heavy for Lego to want to use it on the hands... I've actually come up with another potential design that incorporates claws as well; I'll test them once I actually have the piece this summer.

I think the shin armor looks great in the drawing. It's just that in your drawing, it's scaled down. With Bitil wings in real-life, I think it would be too wide. And I'm suggesting that the Matoran connection point be on top of the Bitil wing if it's on his back. It has the three holes in a row, it would fit.

Hm, good point, especially on his left leg. The piece should be two studs wider than the Vahki leg where it attaches... Hm. Again, something to test once I have the piece in hand.

I do like the back armor idea, sort of like Gali accidentally had at the Collectors' Preview Night. (I had been imagining it oriented the wrong way from how you had described it, hence my hesitation.) That would look cool on Onua, but I think it places Photok too high... shame.

No comment on the propeller, since that's just differing thoughts on what suits Onua at this point. >>

Velox ~ As always, thank you on the matters I don't quote... Apparently we feel the same way about jetpacks and Onu-Matoran.

Now we come to the lower legs. What are my thoughts? Well, I like the 'fins' on the back of the legs, that's for sure. They will definitely guide his way when he flies. Now, the Bitil wings. No. I don't like them.

Hmm... You're quite right that the Bitil wings could be a bit of a drag when it comes to flying, at least in terms of weight. Though I was thinking that from the top – the angle at which they'll be going through the air when Onua flies – there's not much to them, so they aren't as much of a hindrance aerodynamically as they are weight-wise. I'd assume.

It would be neat to have a brand new piece for the purpose, but I'm not so great at designing molds completely from scratch like that...

Then, the feet. I don't like them. They're flat, thin, weird, and overall don't fit a Toa of Earth in my opinion. If you had to use an existing foot, I'd say Mantax's would be the best.....

I beg to differ on this – they're not thin at all, nor especially flat. Flat and thin are the clawed Inika feet. Mantax might work, being essentially inflated round Inika feet, but they'd also make him slightly taller. I figured the round Inika feet worked well with the rest of his design, being curved and the right bulkiness...

Now to the blaster. No. Just, no. First of all, I have no idea how it could be called a battering ram.. it's a blaster. Secondly, a battering ram-ish weapon-thing would be much better IMO. I don't like the lightsaber piece. It makes it seem like a 'sniper' weapon, which fits Kopaka and Gali more than Onua. It'd even fit Lewa better.. but Onua? No. And, I don't even particularly like the design either.... I would get rid of a projectile weapon all together, then give him claws and some sort of jackhammer/battering-ram/those quake things, but newly designed. Those would really fit better. And, I wouldn't use the new Mistika claws, I'm just not fond of them. I'd try to make something more like the original Onua Olda.

I have no idea what the blaster cover is supposed to be, really; I just think it looks fairly nice the way it is... same with the laser-thing, which could just be some sort of guide like on Kopaka's skyblaster. Who knows.

I'd love to get rid of the blaster, but unfortunately it's mandated. If I could, everything would suddenly simplify and I could give him twin chainsaws in twin clawed hands...

P.S. Would you mind if I made your Kopaka and Onua in set form? Of course, Onua won't be anywhere near as good, since I can't get half the things, but Kopaka is pretty much able, except for the double wings and chest armor.

You could try, though the chest and shoulder armor are a pretty fundamental part of Kopaka...

And now Aanchir! Actually, your post is so organized I don't even need to quote...

Eye color: Yes, I had read that, and remember your previous dissertations on eye color in various places... which all make perfect sense. But in most cases I still think eye color is far from necessary for alliegiance differentiation. The brightness is a good point, though, and is indeed most relevant to Onua out of all the Nuva. To that I would say show this Onua to the focus groups, and if they would rather see him with neon green eyes, then fine with me. They're both shades of green, so which of the two is not a vital distinction in any respect. The darker shade is for the sake of being as close to the Nuva as possible, but in Onua's case one can sacrifice it if necessary.

Bitil wings: Eh, I don't mind the sharing-of-pieces the way you do... We already have the claw-spikes on Tahu (and Takanuva), and the Bitil wings are on Axalara and Takanuva and Onua already... and this paragraph is just rambling.

Wings on backs of legs: Hm, true about the half-bushings. You could do the same with a T-connector and a 2-axle; I just think this looks more elegant... And I also think keeping the fins up that high is slightly important, just to lower the risk of them colliding with the points on the backs of his feet.

The green is in place of the red that his official set has as a tertiary color... detailed at length in the entry, with the need for a tertiary color explained on the first page of comments.

Sorry, but I think they're good as a part of all the Nuva Mistika... red on Tahu, green on Onua, silver on Gali. It both works for team stylistic unity and, on Onua, to boost his count of new pieces. Onua would also be the only set with them in green, and Tahu in red, so in those colors, at least, the pieces are exclusive to them, respectively. (And then Gali shares her silver with a bunch of the vehicles.)

OMG! You changed the torso armor to have stylistic consistency with Kopaka Phantoka's legs! Thank you SO much! Not as much as I thought would be necessary, but in this image it would appear to be enough.

Glad you noticed that. I'm actually going to draw a variety of potential stylizations through the Nuva I have left, just to see which works best...

Feet: I considered keeping the clawed feet (claws, of course, being good for Onua), but I quickly decided that they were much too thin and scrawny to work with the rest of his bulk... and as you said, Mantax feet would be too tall.

And of course I agree on the hunch and 'backpack' and mask. I hadn't thought of the sort of similarity to Photok's, but that does end up working well... Claws are still up in the air. I think I have a nifty way to make them work, now, though... and of course, much thanks for the critique!

It's strange, too, because there is virtually no reason Lego couldn't have done sets like these. They adhere to all the new rules they've made for themselves (lack of gears, etc.) and still retain a degree of recognizabiltiy. I don't understand what would have stopped them from creating sets like these... I can only conclude that it is a lack of creativity.

 

And on that note, they did replace the old designers, did they not? BS01 only has a few articles on the designers, and none of them are the same ones that Lego had that interview with in the article that was on their website several years ago. It looks like they all came on around 2006 or later. >.>

Well, the reason is that the story team told the set team to redesign the Nuva, but that recognizability wasn't a priority – because the target audience was only 3 or 4 when the Nuva first came out. We've had the rant/debate over the arguable inanity and/or pointlessness of that several times, so we don't really need to have it again, but that's the reason...

I think you're right, that they did replace the old designers. And I'm almost positive that's responsible for the enormous difference in appearance: no one to make the Nuva look like the used to, despite the instruction that it isn't necessary = the Nuva look barely anything like they used to. Basically, designers with no nostalgia factor. They seem to have succeeded in making sets that sell well, but one can't help but wish there had been at least someone to advocate the Nuva's old look...

Wow, very good. Onua - to put it quite frankly, ownedz. Onua's mask looks a bit like the LoMN Komau, with those eyelids on it.

BTW, are you going to do all 6 Phan-Misti-Nuva in Project Nuva?

Yeah, it's definitely true that recognizability wasn't a priority. And whenever one of us says we would personally like more of it, we're dismissed as being too nostalgic or wanting to return to the inarticulate designs of 2002.

Which I why I like your designs so much--they maintain recognizability without making a pointless attempt to rerelease sets that none of the current fans would remember. At the same time, they give homage to the older fans. It's a win-win.

Velox ~ As always, thank you on the matters I don't quote... Apparently we feel the same way about jetpacks and Onu-Matoran.

Yes

Hmm... You're quite right that the Bitil wings could be a bit of a drag when it comes to flying, at least in terms of weight. Though I was thinking that from the top – the angle at which they'll be going through the air when Onua flies – there's not much to them, so they aren't as much of a hindrance aerodynamically as they are weight-wise. I'd assume.

 

It would be neat to have a brand new piece for the purpose, but I'm not so great at designing molds completely from scratch like that...

Well, they're just too wide and heavy to me. If you made a smaller version of that, so it's only 3-and-a-half studs wide, and maybe 5 studs long, it might work. . .

Yup, that it would. And, you'd just need to re-make it, not make a new piece.

I beg to differ on this – they're not thin at all, nor especially flat. Flat and thin are the clawed Inika feet. Mantax might work, being essentially inflated round Inika feet, but they'd also make him slightly taller. I figured the round Inika feet worked well with the rest of his design, being curved and the right bulkiness...

Well, in my opinion, I think they're flat. Sure, they fit the size in width, but if you made a new foot, a bit bigger, I'd like it better.

I have no idea what the blaster cover is supposed to be, really; I just think it looks fairly nice the way it is... same with the laser-thing, which could just be some sort of guide like on Kopaka's skyblaster. Who knows.

 

I'd love to get rid of the blaster, but unfortunately it's mandated. If I could, everything would suddenly simplify and I could give him twin chainsaws in twin clawed hands...

Yeah. . . I still don't like it, no offense.

Unfortunately, you're right

You could try, though the chest and shoulder armor are a pretty fundamental part of Kopaka...

Well, that new Nuva chest armor you've designed is very similar to Inika. I thought I'd change that and the shoulder armor to gunmetal. The only problem would be finding a way to attach the nuva chest armor, besides having that awesome addition like you have on yours. . .

And, I'll reply to your MOC soon, I will!

~V