Popular Post dviddy Posted August 23, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted August 23, 2014 The goal with Tahu was for him to be a little more mannered looking than Lewa. Tahu is fire, he's destructive, powerful, lithe, ancient, but also contained and wise. His anger and self-control were a pivotal part of the original character, so I wanted a design that mimicked the idea of a containment suit. The idea here is that his power is contained, channeled through the sword and palms. He always struck me as stern, a powerful leader with anger and power just under the surface, but instead of rage, his wisdom allows him (generally) to channel his power appropriately. I probably haven't mentioned that these revamps are more sketch-MOCs, quick builds instead of super serious models.So while unfortunately, the parts on the abdomen only come in grey or black, and the parts holding those only come in grey, I'm not terribly bothered by the colour inconsistency. I had to work grey into the colour scheme, so think of it as the mechanical detail underlying the entire character. I know a bunch of you won't like the bohrok feet elbows; I don't care. More photos: Flickr for all three 42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishers64 Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 There's that commanding figure for Tahu! Excellent work! There's a good mix of orange and red (thank you for not using gold), and the gray fades. The black for the feet stands out though...little like a jack-o-lantern. Quote Hero Factory RPG | Bionicle Mafia XXIX: Storyline & Theories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomreviewerbros Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 (edited) I really love this project these look absolutely fantastic, personally i really like the Bohrok feet as elbows it looks kinda realistic and also a great use of those Hero Factory armor pieces!But man that Lewa is my favorite with the epic axe you made with it, so cool!Fantastic job! Edited August 23, 2014 by randomreviewerbros Quote Go check out our Youtube channel! We review BIONICLE and other LEGO related items! https://www.youtube.com/user/RandomReviewerBros Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chro Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 At this rate you might really get them all done by NYCC. Quote save not only their lives but their spirits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makuta Luroka Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 I love everything about him, although that orange thing on his back looks kinda strange and out of place. You are using the bohrok feet really well, and I like the numerous minor similarities between the three you have built. Your Tahu build strongly conveys a sense of command and strength, as well as wisdom. 10/10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xccj Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Instead of complaining about the elbows, I'm going to gripe about the probably very weak shoulder connection. Is not so much that the parts usage you have is great, but the poses you've got him in make them look very natural, so props there! The Bohrok foot doesn't seem as jarring here as it was in the other models. I am also a big fan of the red paw pieces that you used on the torso, which gives him an awesome shape. Nice parts usage there!! Also like the hand designs, and the gray doesn't really bother me that much, since it seems to be well balanced. Nice job overall. 1 Quote My BZPower Stories Dark Core--Kulagi's Kanoka--A Shadow's Contrivance--Mystery on Keli-Nui--BZ-Koro: To Bring Back Bionicle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Click Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 For Onua, the Bohrok feet complimented his industrial look, and both he and Tahu have thicker arms that flow better into them. I only had the problem with Lewa because he had thin upper arms and thus the backs of the feet stuck out more. They're also not very proportionate. If you look here, the elbows are just above the ribcage, and the wrists are at the waist. The arms are almost half the size they should be. As I said on Flickr, this is my favorite of the set so far. He definitely has a better color distribution over Lewa (though I wish you'd find some alternates to the Invasion from Below feet. On Onua it was perfect, but as you continue to add necessary black and dark grey to get the design you want, the color scheme tends to look a bit messier. Here though, the red and orange are very well balanced (though the arms and waist could possibly use a bit more orange). It really is the little details like the neck and waist that make this MOC shine though. I love that neck area. It immediately reminds me of that artistic style I try to convey in some of my MOCs. I agree with Luroka in saying the orange bit on the back looks a bit odd, but in picturing it removed, I can see how it fills in the shoulders and neck a bit. Still, it is an odd solution. I'm not sure how much I like the sword, just because Tahu is such a nostalgia-filled character, and seeing a sword that shares few similarities with its model (yes, you have the fire) is a bit jarring. I can understand the grey, but the hilt looks nothing like the original. And in thinking about it, I really can't decided who I'd be most interested to see next. Kopaka is always awesome, and I would love to see him in your style. Pohatu and Gali, though, have the potential to have some really interesting body designs that I would love to see. I really think Pohatu can pull off your foot design the best of all of them if you can figure out the foot extensions in between the toes. Your style is just so amazing and nostalgic, they would all look great! 1 Quote ~ Corpus Rahkshi: Fang | Hoto | Tube | Tear | Canvas | Garrotte | Reda BZPRPG: Azusai | Mitsuri The Scarabax Library | Flickr | Deviantart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Six Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 The colors definitely evoke the original Tahu - love that! I also like using the Mixel joints as the wrists - I'm not a fan, however, of the axle extender for the forearm. It looks too slim to me and loses the feeling of strength. Like Jason, I like the use of the red Hero Factory 'paw' pieces on the torso. I would like to know what the Technic connectors on the back are supposed to be though - they look cool but otherwise they seem a bit superfluous. Quote Bio of a BZP Admin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chro Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I would like to know what the Technic connectors on the back are supposed to be though - they look cool but otherwise they seem a bit superfluous.I believe they help hold the red paw pieces in place. 1 Quote save not only their lives but their spirits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wazdakka Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 The large amount of black parts on the feet kind of stand out, in my opinion. Quote 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dviddy Posted August 26, 2014 Author Share Posted August 26, 2014 The large amount of black parts on the feet kind of stand out, in my opinion.Good. They are supposed to. Like boots. The colors definitely evoke the original Tahu - love that! I also like using the Mixel joints as the wrists - I'm not a fan, however, of the axle extender for the forearm. It looks too slim to me and loses the feeling of strength. Like Jason, I like the use of the red Hero Factory 'paw' pieces on the torso. I would like to know what the Technic connectors on the back are supposed to be though - they look cool but otherwise they seem a bit superfluous.I think the axle connector is an important part of the design. Though it loses the definition by which we'd assume biological musculature, remember that the Toa are in a large amount mechanical beings. Each of these attempts, in their own ways, to replicate, at least a little, some of the aspects that imply a more robotic undertone. My "headcanon" for each MOC is that the grey bits are the mechanical underneath, a la the light grey gears from the 2001 sets. The technic connectors exist to look cool. Also, they help keep the paw parts in place, as otherwise they are in place solely by ball joint placement, and can flop apart if they so feel like it. For Onua, the Bohrok feet complimented his industrial look, and both he and Tahu have thicker arms that flow better into them. I only had the problem with Lewa because he had thin upper arms and thus the backs of the feet stuck out more. They're also not very proportionate. If you look here, the elbows are just above the ribcage, and the wrists are at the waist. The arms are almost half the size they should be. As I said on Flickr, this is my favorite of the set so far. He definitely has a better color distribution over Lewa (though I wish you'd find some alternates to the Invasion from Below feet. On Onua it was perfect, but as you continue to add necessary black and dark grey to get the design you want, the color scheme tends to look a bit messier. Here though, the red and orange are very well balanced (though the arms and waist could possibly use a bit more orange). It really is the little details like the neck and waist that make this MOC shine though. I love that neck area. It immediately reminds me of that artistic style I try to convey in some of my MOCs. I agree with Luroka in saying the orange bit on the back looks a bit odd, but in picturing it removed, I can see how it fills in the shoulders and neck a bit. Still, it is an odd solution. I'm not sure how much I like the sword, just because Tahu is such a nostalgia-filled character, and seeing a sword that shares few similarities with its model (yes, you have the fire) is a bit jarring. I can understand the grey, but the hilt looks nothing like the original. And in thinking about it, I really can't decided who I'd be most interested to see next. Kopaka is always awesome, and I would love to see him in your style. Pohatu and Gali, though, have the potential to have some really interesting body designs that I would love to see. I really think Pohatu can pull off your foot design the best of all of them if you can figure out the foot extensions in between the toes. Your style is just so amazing and nostalgic, they would all look great!Oof, no, the proportions on this one are not anywhere near half-as long as they should be. Those would be some long arms, and one of my least favourite aspect of MOCs and latter-year sets are the obnoxiously long arms. None of the photos I posted have Tahu's arms "at ease", each instead has his arms in a more dynamic posture. The main photo, for example, has both arms angled back and then back inward, causing the perspective to shorten the arms. Sort of a downside to the heavy editing done in this style of photo, as without the drastic shadows and background, there are less frames of reference for where a limb is located on the z-axis. A human's elbows fall right below the ripcage, at the navel, and the wrists fall at or slightly-below the end of the torso. Hands extend anywhere from one-third to half-way down the thigh. Since the hands on these figures are larger than normal (purposeful for expressive purposes, and to also add to the "slightly not-as-humanoid-as-expected" look), the arms are a slim segment shorter than humanly proportioned, but only by about one hockey puck's thickness. I took great pains in both this and Lewa, with their legs and Lewa's (and to a much lesser extent but still there) more bestial hunch to make sure the legs and arms were still proportionate if the bodies and legs were straightened. I wanted to avoid any more orange on the torso, as one of the main things I think of when I think of the original Toa were the almost-single-coloured torso with differently coloured limbs. I'm of the opinion that such an extreme colour balance won't work as well on more complex MOCs (even on ones as simple as these), so the little dash of red on the limbs (besides being necessary as some parts were certainly never produced in orange) and the orange in the center of the chest is added for a little balance. That said, I attempted to weight the arms and legs fairly equally on colouration: orange on top, going into red, going into black and orange as you move down both. The red on the shoulders is a necessity of parts, though I certainly debated making the clips and slopes black to mimic the black joints on 2001 Tahu. In the end, it just seemed like too much black in a place where, logically, were this a real character wearing armour, the black wouldn't make as much sense. Like Lewa, think of the black as some sort of protective wrap or covering over sensitive extremities. Perhaps it has not become apparent yet, but none of the three Toa built so far have used weapons that stay true-to-form from their original set incarnations. Sure, Lewa's was an axe, but it had a stridently different shape and design. Sure, Onua had claws, but they were of a very different look and nature from the original shovel-like claws. The idea here is to take their original weapon, and fashion them a new one that mimics the feel of the original, but stays truer to the redesigns character and purpose. While I feel that Tahu, as a character, would be the one Toa more arrogant than the others, so as to be decorated with more elaborate, regal armourings, I also feel that he'd be the one who would want more attention drawn to his power, the flame-making, than the weapon he channels it into. So the more elaborate hilt would take away from the awe-inspiring fire-power display. Tahu wants to be important, to be the leader, to be noticed, to be respected, to be the hero legends are told about. I always felt both him and Kopaka had the same desire: to be the main character in the story going on around them, and neither could reconcile that the other had valid points and hence a good chunk of their head-butting was clearly egotistical. The classic "fire/ice" dichotomy as seen in so many media properties, from BIONICLE to Digimon, even. I'm not sure which is next, either. Probably Kopaka since outside of Onua, he's the easiest out of all of them. Gali probably to follow, and a frustrating Pohatu (due to the lack of brown and tan availability in the CCBS and even the wider BIONICLE and system part palettes) for dead last. I really love this project these look absolutely fantastic, personally i really like the Bohrok feet as elbows it looks kinda realistic and also a great use of those Hero Factory armor pieces!But man that Lewa is my favorite with the epic axe you made with it, so cool!Fantastic job!Lewa is also my favourite so far. I think the expressive nature of the Miru coupled with the proportions of the MOC really lend it more character than the other two, though I think Onua's presentation is by far the most sleek and industrial. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toa Smoke Monster Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 I need to check this Forum more often, so that when you post your next Toa Mata MOC, I can reply to it faster. But anyway, I love what you did with Tahu here. His color scheme and weapon both look great. I also like how his back looks. I actually like how you have used the Bohrok feet for elbows here on Tahu and the others. I look forward to seeing how it they look on the other Mata. Out of the three you've made so far, I believe that Ouna is my favorite Toa Mata MOC of yours. I can't wait to see what the next one looks like. Quote Everyone is one choice away from being the bad guy in another person's story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comment Expired Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I feel like the proportion between the head and the body is slightly off but I guess that might just be because I'm used to the body being a smaller, simpler construction for Tau. Colours are quite nice though. Quote Tumblr: Where facts and logic go to die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pohatu: Uniter of Stone Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 This is great, as usual! He looks powerful, wise, and Tahu-y. I love how you designed him to look awesome and new, but still give off that Tahu-y feel. Hooray for Mixel joints! Quote I HATE SCORPIOS ~Pohatu Master of Stone, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSciFiGuy Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 Wow! Looks great! I love the chest, and my favorite part is the Bohrok feet for the elbows. Quote Bionicle: ANP aims to create narrated versions of all the Bionicle books, with voice actors for each character, and music taken from various media to enhance the story. Check here if you're interested in voicing a character, and here for the chapters that've already been released!Formerly: Tahu Nuva 3.0Looking for a Bionicle Beanie. Black one with the symbol on it. Contact me if you are willing to sell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fsnorglepuff Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Awesome! Amazingly, the dark grey works well (mostly from the front). In fact, he could use dark grey on his feet in place of some black parts, and everywhere there is light grey would be better as dark grey or red (particularly the wrists). Quote Toa Gali Nuva Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ragnar Lothbrok Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I love this project, but mostly this model of Tahu over the other two. Lewa seems to be lacking Green (for understandable reasons) and Onua looks cool but a bit weird, something I cannot explain or pin to a certain part of him. Tahu however looks like the mighty warrior that he is. The bulk of his upper torso from the paws coupled with the mix of orange and red armour is a perfect re-imagining of our favourite Toa of Fire. I was wondering what are those orange pieces on the toes? I saw them used on Onua as well and I cannot for the life of me work out what pieces they are/where they come from? Quote Twitter: @enkindle_this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pohatu: Uniter of Stone Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I was wondering what are those orange pieces on the toes? I saw them used on Onua as well and I cannot for the life of me work out what pieces they are/where they come from?They seem to be lantern pieces with a cheese slope on them. Quote I HATE SCORPIOS ~Pohatu Master of Stone, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickonAquaMagna Posted October 5, 2014 Share Posted October 5, 2014 I've never seen a better use for those Hero Factory paw pieces. Very unique. Quote The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayru Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 (edited) I really don't see why people complain about the use of black or gray... or anything grayscale. They're mechanical, as you said, which implies underworkings (that aren't usually painted to be pretty, especially because you don't want paint on moving/interacting parts as they'll wear off and make problems anyway)... not to mention it's aesthetically the most reasonable filler. Anyway. All I have to say is... dem feet <3 I've always loved the two-toed look of the Matoran, it's one of my favorite physical features ever in Bionicle. So of course I get giddy when other MOCs are two-toed. XDAlso, the wheels on the legs kind of give off the impression of boots... but the toes/heels stick out in color, so maybe open-toed boots? High-top sandals? Haha it's weird but I like it... and somehow I can picture a daring lavasurfer wearing them. (In that sense, it almost makes the black fingers look like gloves. Oh yes... I can see Tahu all sports-gear'd out.) Edited October 21, 2014 by Kayru Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rygy221 Posted October 21, 2014 Share Posted October 21, 2014 I actually like the elbows. The Bohrok feet make them look like the have elbow guards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nidhiki of the Shadows Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 (edited) Really awesome Moc, very impressive use of many pieces (especially in those feet). Normally I wouldn't really care about the arms but since you mentioned it... Bohrok feet elbows do look a little strange. Other than that, really no complaints. Really nice use of both CCBS and technic and some system and the colours mesh very well. -NotS Edited October 22, 2014 by Nidhiki of the Shadows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERIDAX941 Posted October 22, 2014 Share Posted October 22, 2014 I LOVE IT! Tahu has always been my favorite, and seeing him like that is just totally amazing! you did a great job! Keep up the good work! Quote Formerly Iron_Man5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacobLazer Posted October 23, 2014 Share Posted October 23, 2014 (edited) absolutely bee-yoo-tee-full! Edit: Please leave more constructive feedback next time!-Wind- Edited October 25, 2014 by -Windrider- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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