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It's never been done before (that I know of), but I have made a 100% custom mask made of plastic, that was printed off of a 3D printing website called shapeways. I modeled the object in Blender 3D, then simply sent it to the site and made my order. It was printed in a strong and slightly flexible white plastic, and I received it in the mail a few days ago! I then finished off the process with a gold paint finish. But anyhow, here it is! . NOTICE: A topic to sell this mask and its partner (there are two) will be created in the "buy/sell/ trade section of the BZP marketplace within the upcoming days. Details about the Ignika and it's creation: Growing up as a fan of Bionicle, I have always been in amazed at the creativity of the Bionicle community. I loved the legendary story, and the amazing sets, but most of all I loved building with them. From the day I popped Tahu out of his canister, I have never stopped trying to add my own Ideas to this masterpiece lego has created. I have been a proficient 3D modeler for the past few years, and yes, I became one for that very reason. 3D art is an amazing realm that allows a person to take their ideas and transform them into something they they and others can look at and appreciate. But I didn't want to stop there, and so this project grew. I set out, and after putting many hours into measuring, 3D modeling, and researching (mostly modeling ) I finally got a 3D object. If you are not familiar with 3D modeling, the closest thing I can compare it to is an odd mixture of origami, and sculpting . Because of this, I made sure to pay attention to the smallest details to make sure that the 3D model would come out looking as if it were a real lego piece, fit snugly on a bionicle head (which it does), and be sturdy. In the end I had taken a real piece of Bionicle history, and made it into a tangible object, through a printing company called shapeways. I was amazed when I saw how well it had turned out (and so exited that my hands were actually shaking. XD) The printing was highly detailed, and smooth. The plastic is also very strong, somewhere between the stiffness of the 2001 masks, and the Glatorian helmets. Because of this, I would bet that falls from hand height would be o.k. Like anyone, I wanted the Kanohi to look like it was ancient and powerful. To do this I spray painted it black, then mixed a couple shades of metallic paint to get a color that is very close to the Bionicle gold. I used a dry paint method to get it to look worn, as you can see in the picture below. The gold is shinier than the bionicle gold, but not enough so that they don't fit together. All in all I am VERY happy with how this turned out, and it sure does feel good to own an object this rare! reference: http://biosector01.c...NOLG_Ignika.png Gold comparison (on Iruini): http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18905.jpg Comparison with Brutaka gold: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18888.jpg Before being painted: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18902.jpg Vezon with Ignika: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18894.jpg on Tahu: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18900.jpg Angle: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18887.jpg Back: http://www.brickshel...ks/sdc18883.jpg FAQ: "Why are the antennae curved forwards?" I actually had not known that there had been a 3D version of the mask in "Bionicle Heroes". Because of this I had to rely on the two dimensional picture of the mask. Because of this I took some artistic liberty (as I did with the crest on the forehead), and did what balanced the mask out. By doing this, I could also take advantage of having a curved line run through the mask, rather than having a harsh angle (like in Bionicle Heroes) "Why is the mask so flat?" On seeing the mask, I felt like it belonged closer to the time of 2001, and Mata Nui. It seemed very reminiscent to me of the simpler designs that existed in those years. Feeling this, I wanted to make the mask feel at home on the Toa mata, as well as later sets (who at times had very large heads XD ). I used Tahu's head as my main reference, because of this the top goes about as far back as his. The mask curves forwards towards the mouth (similar to the noble ruru), and the side pieces go just past the circles on the side of the head. Looking at the Images I have up, there aren't really any good ones at a side view (on a head), so maybe I'll try and get some up. "Does it fit well?" I like this question, because this actually caused me a ton of problems XD. When I got the mask, the first thing I did was try and stick it on a toa head. Bad idea. I had made the mouth piece a fraction of a millimeter to big, and I couldn't get it off. Finally with the help of a flat head screwdriver I popped it off. After that I carefully sanded it down a little, and it now fits quite well. Let me know what you think, Any comments are appreciated (other than spam ). I plan on creating a topic to sell it sometime soon.
