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Lewa and Tanma Revamp


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I have been meaning to post this guy on here for a long time. Since the BZPower Flickr Banner Contest for February 2014 to be exact. He's just been sitting on my dresser, gathering dust, waiting for me to take on his ball joints. If anyone has ever used those capped ball joints, they know they look so nice, but are not all that strong and fall off VERY easily. It's ridiculous posing this guy sometimes. :D

 

So, anyways, what I call my best MOC(s) to date:

Lewa and Tanma Revamp

12080884696_2a7df1cfdb_q.jpg

The idea for these guys was to design a MOC based on various drawing styles of Toa and Matoran I have seen. Tanma was based a lot on MoL for his limbs, but their torsos were based on the styles of artists like Vezok's Friend. Lewa's chest armor was actually pretty much directly copied from Fsnorglepuff's Phantoka and Mistika, although made in a more... orthodox manner.

Flying

One goal I had in mind the whole time was to design the MOC so Lewa could fly with his swords as wings like good-old 2003. I also wanted Tanma to be able to attach to his back. Both were achieved, but this took forever to pose. This picture was the one that scared me away from posting him. Everything just kind of fell apart, over and over. Still turned out great! If you didn't notice (probably not), the jets on his arms flip around for flight, but are normally pointed towards his elbow. I imagined he'd be able to do one of those jet-punches from Pacific Rim. :D

_Lewa_

Front View

I apologize for using Brutaka's swords, but they were the only sword large enough for this guy I had two of. :)

Side View

Back View

I actually really like how I solved the posability issue of those huge Matoro claw pieces on the set's arms. I turned them into fins with jets on his back, and it looks nice (though I feel sorry for Tanma). Here you can also see how I built his stomach. I used the same technique I experimented with in my Microtoran which was apparently lost in the latest Dataclysm. I just used 5-length liftarms and connected two of the lovely new HF 3-length sockets together. I hope this catches on, as I was quite pleased with it.

_Tanma_


Front View

I'm also quite proud of this guy's design. I'll have to reuse it in the future.

Side View

Back View

And Flickr set for both

So, I hope you enjoyed. I'm glad to finally get this out there, and I hope you guys liked some parts of it. :D As per usual, comment, critique, and enjoy!

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I like how all of these were inspired from things you saw. Because it clearly rubbed off on you and created these two excellent MOCs! I like how you still kept many parts from the official sets and put them in. It's like a tribute to their old, comparably less interesting selves. I also find it great that you mixed BIONICLE and HF into this delicious lime smoothie. And the fact that you kept their attaching ability is just the icing on the cake. No Phantoka MOC is complete without that.

 

I can't find anything to complain about. You did these MOCs so nicely, that the critic part of my brain had fizzled. You did a great job!

mindeth the cobwebs

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I like how all of these were inspired from things you saw. Because it clearly rubbed off on you and created these two excellent MOCs! I like how you still kept many parts from the official sets and put them in. It's like a tribute to their old, comparably less interesting selves. I also find it great that you mixed BIONICLE and HF into this delicious lime smoothie. And the fact that you kept their attaching ability is just the icing on the cake. No Phantoka MOC is complete without that.

 

I can't find anything to complain about. You did these MOCs so nicely, that the critic part of my brain had fizzled. You did a great job!

Keeping parts from the official sets is my usual style. I just can never come up with feet that look better than the original. :D I'm glad you like it.

 

And that is the first time I've had a MOC described as "a delicious smoothie." I guess that's a good thing!

 

The attaching feature was a bit more thrown in than I would have liked as I tried to keep a smooth flow in their torsos, but it still worked out. Though the connection is a bit loose, Lewa's shoulder blades hold Tanma in quite well.

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I'm going to ignore the Tanma, because while I know you said you like him, there's not much there for me, and I think he detracts a bit from this Lewa.

 

Which I adore a good chunk of. Like, there is so much great about this.

 

First, the transition from the upper legs into the torso is smooth, stylistically. While the open axle bugs initially when looked straight on, I don't think it detracts from the look. That HF armour on the thighs fits the style of that torso so tremendously. And the way it does mimic popular BIONICLE fanart is impressive. Unfortunately, the stylistic clash between the torso, thighs, most of the upper arms, against the lower limbs is loud. Look at the way the torso and upper legs use those smooth, curved, sweeping angles to suggest shapes even where the parts don't necessarily cover all of the openings, and how those flat and smooth surfaces suggest that modern "Nolan Batman" style of body armour en vogue in so much modern superhero costuming. The back of the thighs, and the lower limbs, both arm and leg, especially contrast poorly with the style of the torso. I find when building with that sort of look, the one you used in the torso, that often the pre-fab limbs, filled in with either system or HF parts can offer a great solution. You have the core of one of the most amazing Toa revamps I've ever seen here. The Matoro claws, the jets, the Hordika necks on the abdomen, etc, these are all brilliant and look amazing. Absolutely amazing. (Though I dislike the heartlight). I feel the same about the lower arms, which are too short, and too technic-heavy compared to the rest. The problem with the length actually stems from your upper arms, which are at least one length too long. An elbow generlly falls at about navel (or mid-abdomen) length, where yours on the MOC are falling at the hips. For a MOC so strategically planned to mimic the more precise human proportions of the big-time BIONICLE fanart, the weird arm length is jarring.

 

I also think the feet look out of place, and the ankle placed too far back. I definitely agree with the pre-fab feet, I like a good chunk of the current parts, but I have never thought those big clown-shoe parts worked for Lewa's build, whether in the official set or in MOC representations. I think silver Metru feet or even perhaps silver HF2.0 feet filled in a bit would work wonders instead. These are just so big and plodding.

 

All of that said, the absomen parts are probably my favourite thing I've seen on a MOC in a long time, and I am definitely considering yoinking that design and incorporating it into a current project. Simply a brilliant technique that I really hope catches on. The connection method is ingenious, and you have something truly special I really hope impacts the community at large.

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I'm going to ignore the Tanma, because while I know you said you like him, there's not much there for me, and I think he detracts a bit from this Lewa.

 

Which I adore a good chunk of. Like, there is so much great about this.

Well, first of all, thanks for that very in depth review, though I am curious why you didn't like Tanma very much. Sure he's not as good as Lewa, but not that bad, right?

 

First, the transition from the upper legs into the torso is smooth, stylistically. While the open axle bugs initially when looked straight on, I don't think it detracts from the look. That HF armour on the thighs fits the style of that torso so tremendously. And the way it does mimic popular BIONICLE fanart is impressive.

Thank you. I am very proud of the torso. And I'm glad my work paid off.

 

Unfortunately, the stylistic clash between the torso, thighs, most of the upper arms, against the lower limbs is loud. Look at the way the torso and upper legs use those smooth, curved, sweeping angles to suggest shapes even where the parts don't necessarily cover all of the openings, and how those flat and smooth surfaces suggest that modern "Nolan Batman" style of body armour en vogue in so much modern superhero costuming. The back of the thighs, and the lower limbs, both arm and leg, especially contrast poorly with the style of the torso. I find when building with that sort of look, the one you used in the torso, that often the pre-fab limbs, filled in with either system or HF parts can offer a great solution.

Honestly, I thought the exact same thing as I was building. I hated how I made such a great torso, but couldn't find the pieces to smooth out the rest of it. I didn't want to resort to System, as it was for a contest, and I was having trouble finding connections, but I also didn't want to make him look like a Hero. Maybe I'll rerevamp him at some point, using some of your suggestions.

 

You have the core of one of the most amazing Toa revamps I've ever seen here. The Matoro claws, the jets, the Hordika necks on the abdomen, etc, these are all brilliant and look amazing. Absolutely amazing. (Though I dislike the heartlight). I feel the same about the lower arms, which are too short, and too technic-heavy compared to the rest. The problem with the length actually stems from your upper arms, which are at least one length too long. An elbow generlly falls at about navel (or mid-abdomen) length, where yours on the MOC are falling at the hips. For a MOC so strategically planned to mimic the more precise human proportions of the big-time BIONICLE fanart, the weird arm length is jarring.

Thank you, but why the heartlight? I try to add one into all my MOCs, especially this one as that is how they are drawn. I'm familiar with human proportion, and now that I look at it, I see what you mean. I'll see what I can do. It is more realistic to Bionicle's gorilla arms though. :P

 

I also think the feet look out of place, and the ankle placed too far back. I definitely agree with the pre-fab feet, I like a good chunk of the current parts, but I have never thought those big clown-shoe parts worked for Lewa's build, whether in the official set or in MOC representations. I think silver Metru feet or even perhaps silver HF2.0 feet filled in a bit would work wonders instead. These are just so big and plodding.

Yeah, I see what you mean there too. I was going for a few references to the set, but the feet could definitely go. Maybe I'll throw something together that looks similar but is more in proportion. The aesthetics are right, but they are oddly sized.

 

All of that said, the absomen parts are probably my favourite thing I've seen on a MOC in a long time, and I am definitely considering yoinking that design and incorporating it into a current project. Simply a brilliant technique that I really hope catches on. The connection method is ingenious, and you have something truly special I really hope impacts the community at large.

Well, thanks again for the review. I too hope this catches on, and I'd like to see what you can do with it. I'm hoping as it spreads people can find more feasible solutions for certain areas, as well as designs in new colors (black wouldn't be all that hard using the Space Police guns and ball joints instead of hordika necks and 2x1 technic beams).

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I feel Lewa is too chunky and bulky for a lithe Toa of Air. In addition, I think his shoulders seem to slope low, as in comparison to most Bionicle shoulderpads, though I suppose that is personal preference. Nice overall.

Steam Name: Toa Hahli Mahri. Xbox Live Gamertag: Makuta. Minecraft Username: ThePoohster.

Wants: 2003 Jaller (from Jaller and Gukko), Exo-Toa, Turaga Nuju, Turaga Vakama, Shadow Kraata, Axonn, Brutaka, Vezon & Fenrakk, Nocturn, ORANGE FIKOU.

I got rid of my picture, are you happy?

 

 

 

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I feel Lewa is too chunky and bulky for a lithe Toa of Air. In addition, I think his shoulders seem to slope low, as in comparison to most Bionicle shoulderpads, though I suppose that is personal preference. Nice overall.

Really? Is it just the limbs, or the whole thing? I thought he was lithe enough.

 

The shoulders might just be the angle. They seem fine to me. Thanks, though!

 

Tears swell up in my eyes as I gaze upon a ture master MOCer

 

Wow, never been called that before. Thanks! I just hope I can keep it up!

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Well, first of all, thanks for that very in depth review, though I am curious why you didn't like Tanma very much. Sure he's not as good as Lewa, but not that bad, right?

I don't think he's bad, but he seems to just... exist. Like a tablescrap of different ideas all put together to get a MOC put together.

 

Thank you, but why the heartlight? I try to add one into all my MOCs, especially this one as that is how they are drawn. I'm familiar with human proportion, and now that I look at it, I see what you mean. I'll see what I can do. It is more realistic to Bionicle's gorilla arms though. :P

In general, I have a distaste for heartlights as they were a weird addition to the characters via poorly-done films that somehow worked their way into too many over-done toamod mocs. It isn't necessarily the way you used it here (though I don't think it is worked into the MOC well enough, as I mentioned), I just dislike them on principle, haha. And yes, definitely better than the gorila proportions! This MOC is very, very close to absolutely great proportional work. So very close!

 

(black wouldn't be all that hard using the Space Police guns and ball joints instead of hordika necks and 2x1 technic beams).

While the double sockets don't exist in black (I hope for a "yet"), the hordika neck exists in huge abundance on bricklink from sellers located near lego parks or lego factories. I have a few hundred of them myself.

 

I want to mention again, I really like this MOC.

31399314352_5890b9b8a3_o.jpg

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Well, first of all, thanks for that very in depth review, though I am curious why you didn't like Tanma very much. Sure he's not as good as Lewa, but not that bad, right?

 

I don't think he's bad, but he seems to just... exist. Like a tablescrap of different ideas all put together to get a MOC put together.

 

Thank you, but why the heartlight? I try to add one into all my MOCs, especially this one as that is how they are drawn. I'm familiar with human proportion, and now that I look at it, I see what you mean. I'll see what I can do. It is more realistic to Bionicle's gorilla arms though. :P

In general, I have a distaste for heartlights as they were a weird addition to the characters via poorly-done films that somehow worked their way into too many over-done toamod mocs. It isn't necessarily the way you used it here (though I don't think it is worked into the MOC well enough, as I mentioned), I just dislike them on principle, haha. And yes, definitely better than the gorila proportions! This MOC is very, very close to absolutely great proportional work. So very close!

 

(black wouldn't be all that hard using the Space Police guns and ball joints instead of hordika necks and 2x1 technic beams).

While the double sockets don't exist in black (I hope for a "yet"), the hordika neck exists in huge abundance on bricklink from sellers located near lego parks or lego factories. I have a few hundred of them myself.

 

I want to mention again, I really like this MOC.

Well, thanks again. Interestingly enough, this MOC started off with Tanma, and I figured I might as well try Lewa as well. The torso connection I had already figured out for another half-finished MOC that was scrapped for Lewa.

 

Heart lights are canon, so I usually work them in, but I agree that I could have worked it in better here.

 

I too hope for black 3-length sockets. That would be wonderful! And great job again using the connection for Onua. It looks amazing!

 

What parts did you use for Lewa's shin pads? (The silver ones)

It's this HF piece: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=92222

 

I got it from Speeda Demon.

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  • 3 weeks later...

This is really great. The body design for Lewa was very nice. It seems kind of bulky near the top but it still looks great to me. The leg build seems quite new for me, like I haven't seen it before, but that's nothing bad. Like it looks really good.

 

As for Tanma, I haven't got much to say about him in general. The build looks good but the legs kind of chuky. I also like how you kept the "combining" feature, which is a(nother) creative turn in these builds.

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