Questions about my Yellow Kaukau

[bioniclenoob]

So since I found out as a kid, I thought that this Kaukau mask was one of the misprint masks. I'm selling my mask and as I was looking some of the yellow masks out there, I noticed how mine was as yellow as I thought it to be. 

 

http://imgur.com/d4sG9Av

 

Here is the mask when compared to one of the gold ones found in the 2001 mask packs. Am I off on my thinking that this is a translucent yellow? It is begging to look more like a translucent gold to me.

Any opinions on what color it actually is and what it's worth would be, are greatly appreciated. 

Edited December 29, 2014 by bioniclenoob

[Letagi]

This could be quite special. I collect pieces like this and might be interested in buying it if you're willing. Do you have a regular trans-yellow Kaukau for comparison?

 

-Letagi

[The 1st Shadow]

It doesn't look like one of the actual Trans-yellow ones. I'm pretty sure it's just a regular gold one that had some of it's color rubbed or bleached off. That, or it just didn't get the full dosage during production. 

 

Final verdict: It's not yellow.

[Rooster Nui]

I don't think it is actually a yellow Kaukau, but rather a gold one that has been rinsed in water and bleach and has faded a bit. 

 

My thoughts are basically what The 1st Shadow said, and I can definitely tell that it is different from the other one.

[Letagi]

Perhaps a more pertinent question: Has it always been this colour? T1S and Rooster are right that different chemicals can have fading effects on pieces. Although, I'm not sure if a solid mask could be made transparent by any means.

 

-Letagi

[The 1st Shadow]

Perhaps a more pertinent question: Has it always been this colour? T1S and Rooster are right that different chemicals can have fading effects on pieces. Although, I'm not sure if a solid mask could be made transparent by any means.

 

-Letagi

The plastic they start out with is transparent. They inject the color into it. Or, in the case of the gold/silver '01 masks, the colored glitter is printed onto the surface. Hold any of them up to the light, and you will see that they are already transparent--the color does not go all the way through.

[Letagi]

From what I've read (here and here), the colour isn't injected. The manufacturing process starts with plastic granules that are already coloured, which are melted and injected into molds. Anything is transparent if it's thin enough, which masks certainly are.

 

-Letagi

[The 1st Shadow]

From what I've read (here and here), the colour isn't injected. The manufacturing process starts with plastic granules that are already coloured, which are melted and injected into molds. Anything is transparent if it's thin enough, which masks certainly are.

 

-Letagi

Huh. Maybe I was thinking of something else...

 

Anyway, hold up a gold Hau and a red Hau in front of a light, and you'll see that the gold one lets light through more than the red one. The same goes for the silver ones. Something about them is different from the other Kanohi of that era. I actually have two gold Kakamas, and one of them is faded more than the other. Not to the extent of this Kaukau, but definitely faded.

Edited December 29, 2014 by ~T1S~

[bioniclenoob]

Thanks for all the feedback. As for the mask, it has always been like this. The other gold Kaukau I got in another pack the same day. I always thought that it was a weird occurrence, and this caused me to do some research. When I found out about the yellow kaukau, I thought that this was what happened with mine. Anyways since it appears to be a gold mask that obviously didn't get the full color, is it worth anything more than a regular gold kaukau?

[The 1st Shadow]

Thanks for all the feedback. As for the mask, it has always been like this. The other gold Kaukau I got in another pack the same day. I always thought that it was a weird occurrence, and this caused me to do some research. When I found out about the yellow kaukau, I thought that this was what happened with mine. Anyways since it appears to be a gold mask that obviously didn't get the full color, is it worth anything more than a regular gold kaukau?

Since it's basically just the same color, just a bit faded, I'd say it's worth the same. This sort of thing is not unheard of or uncommon.

[bioniclepluslotr]

From what I've read (here and here), the colour isn't injected. The manufacturing process starts with plastic granules that are already coloured, which are melted and injected into molds. Anything is transparent if it's thin enough, which masks certainly are.

 

-Letagi

My dad develops plastics. He always blathers on about part productions whenever he sees a Bionicle part that's trans or marbled. I think the color is injected for masks, but not solid bricks. This is how they can make marbled and solid versions of the same mold.

[JrMasterModelBuilder]

As for the mask, it has always been like this. The other gold Kaukau I got in another pack the same day.

 

If those packs were the same kind of pack, it can't be the yellow misprint. The gold Kanohi were actually from the 2002 mask packs, but the misprints were from the European 2001 mask packs.

 

Out of curiosity, how translucent is it? I always thought it was kind-of goofy that the gold Kaukau was opaque. How could they see through it?

Edited December 29, 2014 by JrMasterModelBuilder

[xccj]

This is actually fairly cool. I know Swert also got his hands on a trans-gold Kaukau, which has a more gold-like color but is still fairly transparent. I've pointed him to this topic, so maybe he can provide some pictures when he posts it. (I've tried to buy the mask off him, but he's not selling. )

 

One way to determine between the masks might be plastic quality. In my experience, the gold masks have been a thinner style of plastic than what the original ones, especially the transparent Kaukaus. Another thing that makes me think it's authentic is that the visor seems more transparent than the rest of the mask, which is seen in the regular Kaukau. However, the gold masks are pretty consistent throughout (and heck, they're partially transparent when I hold them up to the light, but not in a way that the visor is more see-through than the rest of the mask.)

 

I would say that it's not a trans-yellow misprint, but a more-rare-ish trans-gold variant? Honestly, I've only ever heard of this one and Swert's. So if it is a fake or bleached, I want to know that process so I can do it to my gold Kaukau.

 

[Swert]

Since my name's been brought up, I decided to chime in a bit.

 

I do indeed have a similar mask, and I have provided two photos with comparison to the "traditional" gold masks to help us determine what's going on here:

 

Linked because it's a larger photo (Shows the mask on a Gali Mata set)

 

I'm not sure what exactly happened here, though I'm looking at both masks and the thickness is identical, the plastic looks identical, yet for whatever reason it's more translucent and it's brighter.

 

I don't necessarily support the theory of it being "bleached" since it doesn't appear damaged, nor does it have a marbled effect, and it still has the glitter on it. If anything, I suppose "faded" is an option, though it'd require the entire mask being exposed to sunlight or something for it to happen so cleanly. If anything, I support the theory it's a manufacturing error of a kind, making it rare in its own right.

 

But yes, it isn't a trans yellow Kaukau, sorry

Edited December 30, 2014 by Swert

[TheUpsidedownVahi]

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared/X0CZRqJURW6MY9woCAMKZg.uXHJXKLhKglmzZrTnScD_f

  Almost 8 years later I finally decided to look into this as well. Back in 2015 I received a bionicle haul with this mask in it. For a bit I thought I had the Yellow KauKau but after going to bricks by the bay in 2017 and met up some friends, one of which had the Yellow KauKau. That's when I realized this wasn't it. Basically it follows all the other suggestions of what may have happened to it. I just wanted to be here and say this wasn't an isolated occurrence, there is another person who has one. This might change things or it doesn't, just felt like dropping this here. 

 

-TheUpsidedownVahi