chuckschwa

Any chance someone has or knows where we can find images of the colored concept paintings from Mask of Light? You can see them in the behind the scenes video https://youtu.be/nKV9v5tqVeE&t=415s

The Lego copyright and mold machine numbers are printed on the sides, so they are not knockoffs. Misprint is kind of a misused term in the Bionicle community. We call the Trans-Yellow Kaukau and the Blue Ruru, for example, misprints when they really shouldn't be. A misprint is a part that has a defect or unique fault about it that wasn't intended by the factory. The production of the "European misprints" wasn't an accident, it was just limited in production (for what reason we may never know). However, those masks made it past production and into retail sets (the mask packs). These green Nuva parts did not. There are also several of these Nuva parts in green, most likely for testing the molds (a prototype). Prototypes can be rough clay sculpts, rough plastic molds, or even final production molded plastic in an available color (like green or yellow or red). The prototypes for the 2003 Gukko and Pewku sets, as well as Nuva armor, also featured parts in the same green color. Prototypes, much like deleted scenes in movies, are really not meant to be seen by the public. They're not bonus items meant to be given away. Because of this there's a long list of lego prototypes we may never see or have seen because no one bothered to photograph or share them outside the design office. Why people have these and why they're in fairly good condition? Probably because they sat in a desk or bin at Lego for years until an employee took them home or threw them into a box of other parts and gave/sold them away. Most lego prototypes are destroyed by recycling them back into the mold process or just tossing them. These parts always seem to come out of Germany or Scandinavia, closer to where Lego factories are. I've seen these for sale from bricklink and eBay sellers for the last 2 or 3 years, mostly from Europe.

They're prototypes. I have a couple myself

I agree as well. Granted, I let Bionicle go around 2006 because I was done with it. Had to move onto other things. Eventually I came back to it in my own way that didn't need Lego to do it for me.

The simplest answer is its a lazy writing tactic for exposition and moving the plot forward. If Vakama didn't have visions of impending doom he would have to uncover the plot through his own investigation, which would take time. It's easier to just have him suddenly aware that something is wrong. On the other hand, it's also a hero/sage trope to have visions. Why they are never explained? Who knows, who cares, and we move onto the next thing. Star Wars does it all the time and we waiver it as The Force speaking to the character. In MNOG Gali suddenly has a telepathic link with Takua so we the player can see what is happening under ground. Since the game was focused on the Tohunga perspective, we wouldn't have actually seen the Toa battle Makuta unless someone other than the Toa witnessed it. Having Takua down there the whole time would have been a bit much, so they show us the Kaita transformation and the battle with the Manas through a vision, leaving the final battle with Makuta to be seen by his own eyes. Otherwise, the game might have just ended with the Kini battle, which would have been somewhat anticlimactic. And seeing as we didn't have LOMN or the comics to show us the final Toa battle, that responsibility fell to MNOG.

The little lore booklet that came with the Quest for the Masks trading card game says the Kanohi Kakama "triples the speed of its wearer". So whatever speed Pohatu is on foot multiplied by 3 is his speed with the Kakama. Granted, what is and isn't canon in Bionicle isn't always clear, especially if it's from a game. This might sound weird, but I think Pohatu is the slowest Toa. Watch footage of him walking in the 2001 QuickTime animation, MNOG, or Legend of Mata Nui PC game. He's slow and very heavy (the earth shakes with every step) until he uses his Kakama. If his Kakama speed is his normal speed tripled, he would still be very fast, but perhaps not as fast as the other Toa also using their Kakama powers.

I was in my lego dark ages during this time so I never had to deal with the fragile lime parts. I did come across some brittle dark red and the new reddish brown lego parts a few years later, which were produced around the same time

At first I thought that the Ga-matoran were just a matriarchy. After I learned that everyone in Ga-koro was female, I still would see some characters as their opposite gender or just aesexual. Every matoran with a Kaukau looks female to me, while characters like Kai the sailor I picture as male. Not sure why. I do like how Onepu refers to Hahli and the others as "water maidens", tying into the ocean myths of sirens and mermaids.

Nice find! Those yellow claws would be highly sought after for Ussal crab legs. I have several Bionicle and Technic prototypes myself. Red and Yellow are the most common colors used for Lego prototypes because they produce parts daily in those colors (red bricks, yellow minifigure heads, etc.). This way they can recycle the prototypes and put the shredded plastic back into the production line for new parts. Sometimes other common colors are used like Green or Blue or Black or White. Transparent prototype parts are very rare because that is a different type of plastic that (to my knowledge) can't be recycled back into the production line. The Rahi were indeed released after the Toa. They were not, however, designed after the release of the Toa. Despite the high speed design process at Lego in 1999-2001, 3 months is not a lot of time to pitch, design, test, approve, retest, and finalize 5 technic sets. It would have been while the new Bionicle parts were still being manufactured, but after the new parts had been approved. The designers didn't wait for the new parts to be put into circulation, they would have used prototype parts from the Toa to design the Rahi. As for the colors, it's possible they were intended to be red and yellow solely on the basis that they also molded those technic "turbo/electro slizer wings" in red and yellow for a presentation. I don't think they have any connection to KaneRa and Muaka (there's footage of a blue KaneRa prototype). The final colors of the Rahi do intrigue me though. Has anyone noticed it's all the Toa/Turaga/Tohunga colors with the exception of Green, all the Browns, and Sand Blue? The sandtarakava was a name given by the early community (possibly Mask of Destiny?). So you're welcome to call them whatever you like. If you're ever forced to part with these, please let me know. They would be in good, safe hands. Looking forward to videos/posts on Throwbots/Slizer. Thanks for sharing and Happy Bionicle Day!

Anyone know if ccso35 is still active? I would be very interested in their White Huna, if they decided to sell.

I know right? I purchased a trans-yellow Kaukau on Bricklink 3 years ago for $75, which I thought was kinda steep at the time. The price has nearly tripled.

I happened to notice the similarities in design between the Toa of Ice's shield and this symbol derived from New Age Hawaiian mysticism. Of course, this LEGO element existed long before BIONICLE was even conceived, and I doubt the designers intended such a reference. It's fairly well known that Hawaiian, Maori, Fijian, and other Pacific Island vocabulary were used as inspiration for the Bionicle universe. Just thought it was interesting to note the coincidences between the symbol and the Kanohi Akaku, as well as some terms and ideas that seem to describe other characters, items and events in the story.

I'm pretty sure I cut out this article and still have it saved somewhere....

Good Trades: tritoa - (2 trades) both neatly packaged, good communication, excellent trader; Aarhg - (off-site 1 purchase, Reddit/Discord) excellent seller, great packaging and communication; ToaZero - (off-site 1 sale, Discord) excellent buyer, fast payment, pleasure to do business with; BK_Mask - (1 trade) excellent seller, great communication, in-person transaction, honest and friendly; Bad Trades: none Ongoing Trades: none

I HIGHLY doubt that

My theory is that the Throwbots/Slizers are the ancestors of the BIONICLE (they throw disks, are based on elements, etc.). The Roboriders were designed to prevent viruses from attacking their world (they failed when faced with the Makuta virus). The BIONICLE universe followed which led to a unification of their world again. This unification begot the Hero Factory city a millenia later. G2 was an alternate time-line born when the Mask of Time was created. And the Great Beings are human kids who play with LEGO and create the legends.

I can't be the first person to have noticed this, the parts being around for 20 years and all, but it took me that long to see it. At first I thought this was one defective mold until I examined the other heads in my collection. If you look at the "temples" on the tohunga head they are not the same cut. Also the angle of the crown detail, when viewed from the top, is slightly skewed on the right side. This is such a small detail I don't think it could have been intentional. Maybe part of the CAD file was accidently shifted before production?

That's a TAN huna, right?

If you look closely you can just make out the tops of the characters in the forehead. The mask also appears a little rougher in the light compared to the rest of the figure, although that could just be a Photoshop filter. What do you think?

Not entirely. Just wanted to get my favorites for the box art and the novelty of having them mint. I've already acquired Torch, Ski and Turbo sealed, with Scuba on the way. Amazon was the last one I needed. Thanks for the encouragement, glad you were able to complete your collection!

Makuta is arguably THE greatest Lego villain because of his nature: the chaos of unsorted Lego parts and the destruction of existing models. He's 2 steps away from being a brick separator, or your younger sibling! Anyone remember the Brickster (Lego Island)? He's Jailbreak Joe with more personality, and wants to steal your bricks! Or how about Ogel (Alpha Team)? His name is Lego spelled backwards, so he must be super evil! Baron Von Baron (Adventurers)? Dastardly name, check. Twirly mustache, check. Monocle, check. Facial scar, check. Hook for a hand, check.

Howdy! I already own the Amazon/Jungle set from the ThrowBots/Slizer line and was hoping to find a MISB for my collection. I should clarify: this is for a set that includes the outer paper-board box and not just the plastic container. I can settle for a box that's open in reasonably like-new shape, but I would prefer the US version (ThrowBots). Please DM me your offers and photos-- thanks!

As far as music that sounds like Bionicle music ... This track sounds like a remix of the Ga-Koro theme from MNOG 2. Actually, a lot of music from Unreal Tournament feels like Bionicle music. There's also these two tracks of music from Descent 3. Kinda mix of tribal and euro dance beats. If we're talking about more rock/pop focused stuff, I always thought Incubus could do a really solid over-the-credits or advertisement music for Bionicle. Especially since they like surfing and using various mixes of instruments.

The 6 Toa Mata should have been the only Toa. The Toa that come after (and before) undermine their destiny of being the ones to vanquish evil and return home. Takanuva single-handedly defeats Makuta while the Toa literally watch from the sidelines without offering assistance. This portrays the Toa Mata as useless. Six Heroes, One Destiny One Hero, One Destiny. Vakama and others have been Toa before, implying that the Toa are replaceable if they fail. It's a story that, whether or not it needed to be told, was one year too long away from the Toa Mata. Jala and others become Toa while the Toa Mata are still Toa, even to the end (no sacrificing of power to become Turaga). This makes Tahu and the others redundant. Mata Nui himself becomes a Toa and christens new Toa, while the Toa that saved him are pushed into the background again. Mata Nui, the guy they were sent to save, defeats Makuta without the help of the Toa Mata. I don't think that having more Toa or new Toa is a bad idea, or that the Toa don't need help once in a while. But the creators presented a creed/legend that was amended every other year. Looking back, it seems that the universe got along just fine without that one team of heroes.