Miru Rahi

[xccj]

Okay, so I have this new project. Back in 2001, the Toa Kanohi all came in six different colors. I finally completed my collection of the original 36 Toa Mata masks a while back, but what to do with them? Well, I plan to make a MOC for each of the 36 masks. And to give it a theme, I'm going to use the original six masks to recreate the Toa and use the rest to build various Rahi. This is my Thirty-Six Masks Project.I've built all my Rahi now. Sure, some of them could use some tweaking before Convention Season, but I want to post them online now so that I can get feedback and such. There are too many Rahi for one topic, but I don't want to make individual topics for each MOC (especially when some are lackluster). So instead I'm going to group them by the Kanohi mask they use.Today's are the Miru Rahi

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This time I provide a more decent batch of Rahi; I'm not too upset over any of these models. One issue is that the Miru mask is such an easy mask to use; it's among my favorite mask designs ever. It was easy to fit into designs. Also, an unintentional thing happened when 3 of these Rahi ended up with Matoran riders... I did not plan it that way. Also, almost all of these are based on official Rahi designs... yay for creativity on my part.

Fikou Spider

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I almost just remade the Fikou in a new color, but then I got a cool idea. I used the new claw pieces I got in the Ice Dragon set from last year, and then used Exo Force arms and 4L beams from HP wands as legs. After that, the trouble was building up a decent body that incorporated the right bulk, mobility for the head, and the mask. The connections on it are a bit loose, and it still has some gaps to fill in. But for a small MOC, i think it works.

Fire Nui Rama

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This is such an excellent design. A perfect action function, good proportions, an overall insect-like look. And it is mostly not mine. Yeah, I basically rebuilt the original model in new colors, and the only big change was adding some Hero Factory arms, which I think work out better for it. See, I never got the Nui Rama sets, so I was intrigued to finally build the set myself. Another bit of originality was adding the eye pieces into the Miru masks... a little trick I learned a while back when I tried to make additions to masks. It works and it doesn't warp the mask!

Puku Ussal

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Another revamped Rahi design. I wanted to build a Ussal in non-standard colors like in the MNOLG, but the Onua claws limit color choices. So I threw out the claws and built my own legs, using hinge elements and those spikes from the Hero Factory sets. I also tried to pay homage to the original model with the arm designs (and mobility) and the eyes. Plus, I added in a connector for my Matoran riders. This Ussal is supposed to be Puku from the MNOLG (before she got all big and ugly in the Mask of Light movie) and Onepu is riding her into battle! I'm highly pleased with this, although the legs are somewhat tricky to pose right.

Rhino

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This turned out to be a mix between a rhino and a wolf. I worked to make the body sleek but powerful looking, but then I came up with this awesome head that kinda utilized the Miru as another horn. (And it's kind of hard to tell, but that's a prototype white Miru with a dark blue swirl in it... but it's not as obvious as some of the other prototypes out there.) In the end, the body seemed a little too slender for the head... but the color scheme worked, so I kept it. In retrospect, it almost resembles a Kikinalo, and that was totally unintentional. Finally, at the last minute I decided to give it a rider, and now Hahli can race to the rescue on her very own Rhino / Wolf / Kikinalo Rahi!

Kahu

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This was one of the first Rahi I started building, and again it is based off the combo Kahu build from the Nui-Jaga sets. I never really liked that model (I built it once before) but I loved the bird in the MNOLG, so I decided to revamp it. For the most part, I kept the wing design, and added some more color and mobility to it. Then I built out a custom body and head, and threw Kongu on the top. Overall, I love the design. Furthermore, the ball-joint movement on the wings works wonderfully. Unfortunately, the same can not be said for the legs and neck, which are horrible weak joints. In particular, I would like to reinforce the head, but there's just no way to make any additions to it without completely revamping the body. But while these weak joints plage me while I try to pose it, they still don't keep it from looking awesome. Kongu can surely ride this bird into the Rama Hive.Anyway, that's it for now. Comments appreciated. I finally took pictures of the rest of my Rahi, so now I just need to edit and upload the photos. And I'd better get working on that... Bricks Cascade is only a month away, and I'd like to get opinions on these before then. Thanks for looking!

Edited May 24, 2012 by xccj

[Tomaku]

Nice besides the hf parts which I don't think fits with the 2001 theme.

[Obsessionist]

Very cool, I love the series already!The Fikou looks cool, my only suggestion would be to bring the Miru and Rahkshi head a stud closter together. That may be difficult, though.I agree with Tamaku in that the Nui-Rama's arms need a bit more greeblage to fit with the '01 look. Great otherwise, though. I love the Miru use.Puku looks most exellent. I like the MNOLG design better too.The Rhino should be a bit bulkier, it seems pretty thin. The legs also look awkward from some angles, I think a different design whould be better. I would also suggest making the eyes a color that doesn't blend in as much with the rest of the color scheme, maybe black or red.Kahu is perfect exept for the legs. Some simple technic legs with white Onua-claw feet, if you have them, may look better. Love the wings and purple.Overall, this is a great collection of Rahi! I can't wait to see the others!

Edited May 5, 2012 by Lego Obsessionist

[Wotz]

You're definitely right about the Miru being versatile: I once used it as a lower jaw for a toad XDFikou Spider: First thing I noticed is its more spiderlike colour scheme, which made me smile. I guess Lego didn't do that because it would scare small children or something. Anyway, the leg design is great, really nice and spindly, as is the.. The... The big, blob thing that spiders have. The only complaint I'd give is that it seems a bit tall, as spiders usually appeared in my mind as being very flat creatures. I should think the Miru adds to that, though there just seems to be too much parts in the body, as if it was thinner, the top of the Miru and the Rahkshi head could meet and make it seem more rounded. This is kind of nitpicky - I just had to find something negative to mention Fire Nui Rama: I actually looked at your Rama MOC shortly before a huge battle against the entire Rama swarm began in the BZPRPG, so I have a certain affiliation with Nui Rama at the moment. I'm not sure about the red and black colour scheme though: perhaps a darker shade of red is in order, or blue? The arms, I actually like, the claws especially. The original Rama arms (or 'Rarms', aren't I clever ) looked too skinny and boring to me, and I'm so sick of seeing Onua claws on everything. The eyes look alright, though they don't instantly jump out as eyes to me. I'm just so used to imagining the masks themselves as the eyes. In fact, if you used a darker shade of red for the body but not for the eyes, it could work, but then it would be hard to find armour for the HF limbs and all that jazz, so to be honest I have to say the Rama is pretty nice.Puku Ussal: I can't tell whether that's Keetorange or not, if not, then kudos to you for getting all those Mata Yellow pieces. I've always preferred the MNOLG design to the ugly, swollen MoL one, so MOCs of them are always nice to see. I like how you've added bulk to the arms, making them look a bit more like crab claws without taking away that 2001 feel, and at the same time up-scaling them. The leg design, although simple, is much nicer than the Onua claws of the original, another good thing. Although in a similar fashion to the Fikou, it seems a bit thin, if that makes any sense, horizontally. You could say it needs to be 'long[er] in the tooth' Me and my rubbish jokes...Rhino: This is probably my second favourite out of the five, for several reasons: Navy blue and white is one of my favourite colour schemes for anything; the foot pieces used as armour create a brilliant rounded effect, making it look very animal-like; and the legs are very nice. Of course, it isn't without it's cons. Perhaps the main problem is that it doesn't look like a rhino, or a wolf, just some kind of anonymous mammal. Th other problem isn't quite so grand: the eyes. They kind of blend in with the rest of the creature, and you really have to look at them for a while before they actually look like eyes.Kahu: Ah, the Kahu. Like the Nui Rama, activity in the RPG has made me crave a better Kahu design. A more articulated and nicer looking Rahi, with maybe a mask or something, that is still faithful to the MNOLG. This MOC does just that, and there is little more I can say than 'well done'. Of course, as you mentioned, the neck and legs are very skinny and weak joints, but I can't exactly think of any ways to improve it.*Dusts hands*That was a long review... I think the longest I've written for a MOC(s). I'm just a bit of a 2001 freak, so there ya go

[JPNML]

Nice use of the mirus. :)what really caught my attention though was the itsy-bitsy little matoran.they're so cute

[The Swimming Beard]

The fikou is really cool. I like the body desing and legs. The nui-rama looks good also, but I question the things sticking out of the masks. The Rhino is awesome. I love the head and body designs.

[High Voltage]

Probably the best batch so far. The only criticism I have is the kahu's legs being white instead of black.