Welcome, all. My name is Hayden De La Chapa. I’m currently in my second semester as a junior at UMW majoring in cybersecurity, and I’m considering minoring in digital studies as I feel I have a strong artistic side.
I’ve never really written in the style of a blogpost, nor am I very good at these kinds of introductions, so I hope that this info will suffice.
An introduction to Bionicle
On to what I’m much more experienced with. Ever since my earliest memories, the Lego brand Bionicle has been a part of my life. Unique from the other brands Lego is known for today, Bionicle was a series of buildable figures using Technic and unique snappable ball joint pieces made specifically for the toy line.
Note that I have opted to add links to the fan hosted Bionicle wiki biosector01 on any Matoran Language* terminology used throughout these posts so that non-fans of the series can understand what I am discussing without bloating up the page too much. Because these things are so engrained into me, it is possible that I may pass over some spots, and for that I apologize.
*Fun fact! – Matoran Language
Many of the words in the Matoran Language are directly taken from the real-life Māori language. However, the Māori people viewed that certain words being used by Lego were disrespectful to, and an appropriation of their culture, filing a lawsuit against Lego in 2001 before the launch of Bionicle in North America. Lego would acknowledge their concerns and change many of their words. Most notably, this included the word “tohunga” (meaning “spiritual advisor”) being changed to the now ever-present “Matoran”. Many other words received a simple change in spelling, while others remained unchanged entirely. More information about this situation and the specific words used can be found on this page.
Lasting from 2001 to 2010 (with a less successful reboot ranging from 2015 to 2017), Bionicle was particularly unique due to its incredibly in-depth world and story. Each buildable figure is their own character, with their own name, personality, and lore, which allowed for a deeper connection compared to the previous lines Lego had produced. The main storyline lasted the entire 2001-2010 run and consisted of books, games, comics, websites, and even a few movies that explained parts of the story. Each year introduced a new set of characters to purchase as the story progressed forward, with designs typically drastically changing and evolving.
Beyond its story and lore, Bionicle was probably most notable for its physical aspects. The most well-known aspect of this is its very unique canister style packaging, which could include unique designs for each year and character series, or even a connection to in-universe story elements that doubled as extra play features.
Second most well-known would have to be the iconic masks, known as Kanohi. Like the characters, each Kanohi has its own name, design, and lore, and they were typically the focus of the collection aspect especially early in Bionicle’s life. For example, the Kanohi typically associated with the series is called the Hau, the mask of shielding that allows a bearer to form a shield around themselves to protect from attacks, but not ambushes.
Furthermore, nearly every series of characters comes with a combiner form that could only be assembled once all required characters were owned, which typically resulted in another in-universe character or creature.
For the most part, after its poorly handled and unsuccessful reboot in 2015, Bionicle has been shunned and abandoned by Lego. Despite winning the 2022 Lego 90th Anniversary vote in the first round, and placing 2nd in the second round, it was the only series not to receive a large scale high-budget set release like Pirates, Castle, or Space, instead being restricted to a very tight budget Gift-With-Purchase (GWP) on purchases of at least $95. Harsh, especially for a series so beloved by fans and that had saved Lego during their financial troubles in the 1990’s.
The brick-built GWP released in 2023 featuring the Toa Mata Tahu (right), the Matoran Takua (left) in his signature Mata Nui Online Game (MNOG) appearance, and a somewhat abstract rendition of the Mata Nui and Makuta stones, also seen in MNOG.
Fun fact! – Bionicle hidden in other Lego brands
Despite the rather lackluster love from Lego for the 90th Anniversary celebration, in December of 2023, the Monkie Kid “Megapolis City” set released, featuring many references to discontinued Lego brands. Among these references, hidden away underneath the foundations, is a brick containing a mask design identical to that of Takua’s Pakari as seen above, but with Onua’s black and green color scheme. See this post on the BZPower forums for more info.
The project
But that’s history for another time. As should be evident by now, I am extremely passionate for this series, and it has long been my Autistic special interest. This, finally, brings me to the project I will be working on for this semester.
One aspect I don’t really see talked about with Lego is their in-store displays. I’m uncertain about their design process in any aspect, but the Bionicle displays have long been a piece I wish to add to my collection. However, due to their scarcity it is difficult to find them available, much less for cheap or the specific ones I’d like the most. Because of this, and with inspiration from people who have posted online, I’ve wanted to make my own display for my favorite year in the series.
Allow me to introduce who we’ll be getting to know very well throughout this project:
These are the Toa Inika, who were the mainline release for the winter season of 2006. As you can see in the image, the unique canister packaging gives a very striking appearance unlike anything else seen in Lego. Also noteworthy: the characters seen here were all originally Matoran who could be seen and even purchased in the 2001 and 2002 story chapters.
Each main series of six figures included their own play functions which up to this point before 2006 typically involved a gearbox to allow arms to swing, a disc launcher controlled in a similar manner to a Beyblade, or switches to cause some sort of movement. In many senses, the Toa Inika were more unique than their predecessors, as they introduced the “Inika build” that would generally become the standard for each Toa series following them, and contained more than a few gimmicks:
- They included the new Zamor launcher projectile firing weapons, seen in their left hand (or on Nuparu’s shoulder). While these were introduced with the Piraka villain series earlier that year, the Inika added a magazine modification to the launchers, allowing for upwards of four spheres to be loaded.
- The Toa tools in their right hand contained LED lights controlled by a motherboard that would flash upon pressing a rubber button on the front.
- Unlike any other Kanohi in the series, the masks* seen on the Inika were made out of rubber instead of plastic. This is the most controversial aspect of the sets among fans even today.
*Fun Fact! – The Toa Inika’s masks
As I mentioned here, the Toa Inika’s masks are unique in the sense that they are made of rubber rather than plastic. This is to fit with their in-universe lore, where after setting out on their voyage to Voya Nui, the canisters the (then) Matoran travelled in were struck by lightning. This event caused a myriad of transformations, part of which was that their masks became organic. It was noted that these masks made the Inika “unnerving” to look at, and had a level of sentience and motor control, but also allowed Toa to have easier control of their mask powers. See this page on the biosector01 wiki for more info.
More about the Toa:
Hewkii
Kongu
Nuparu
Jaller
Matoro
Hahli
Hewkii is the cheerful and athletic Toa Inika of Stone, and the team’s deputy.
He wears the Great Sanok, the Mask of Accuracy, which grants the user near perfect accuracy with any projectile.
The tool granted to him is the Laser Axe that allows him to channel his powers of Stone. The Climbing Chain attached to its base allows for easier rock-climbing.
Fun fact: As a Matoran, Huki was the greatest Koli player in all of Mata Nui. He also has a deep, platonic relationship with Macku and the two of them had dolls of each other when they resided on Mata Nui.
Kongu is the steely yet fun-loving Toa Inika of Air.
He wears the Great Suletu, the Mask of Telepathy. It allows the user to both read the thoughts of others, and project their own thoughts.
The tool granted to him is the Laser Crossbow, which allows him to channel his powers of Air and fire energy bolts.
Fun fact: As a Matoran, Kongu was in charge of the Le-Koro Gukko Bird Force and had a hand in saving Toa Lewa and the other inhabitants of Le-Koro after they were captured.
Nuparu is the inventive Toa Inika of Earth.
He wears the Great Kadin, the Mask of Flight. It allows the user to soar through the air.
The tools granted to him include the Laser Drill that fires high-power laser beams. Alongside it are his claws, allowing him to dig at great speeds. Both tools allow him to channel his powers of Earth.
Fun fact: Nuparu (alongside Hahli) were the only two Matoran who were not part of the 2001 McDonald’s collaboration to become Toa Inika, replacing Macku and Onepu respectively.
Jaller is the dutiful and courageous Toa Inika of Fire, and the team’s leader.
He wears the Great Calix, the Mask of Fate. It allows the user to perform at their maximum physical limit.
The tool granted to him is the Energized Flame Sword, which allows him to channel his powers of Fire and shoot blasts of electrified fire.
Fun fact: As a Matoran, Jala was the captain of the Ta-Koro Guard. He, alongside the Gukko Bird Force and Ussalry, would come to the rescue of the Chronicler’s Company, saving them, and subsequently, the Toa Mata from certain doom.
Matoro is the quiet, but compassionate Toa Inika of Ice.
He wears the Great Iden, the Mask of Spirit. It allows the user to project their spirit from their body, essentially acting as a ghost.
The tool granted to him is the Energized Ice Sword, which allows him to channel his powers of Ice and shoot blasts of electrified ice.
Fun fact: As a Matoran, Matoro served as a translator for Turaga Nuju. He was also one of only two people ever destined to wear the Mask of Life.
Hahli is the shy and diligent Toa Inika of Water, and the only female member of the team.
She wears the Great Elda, the Mask of Detection. It allows the user to detect hidden beings (such as a user of the Iden), and the legendary Ignika, the Mask of Life.
The tool granted to her is the Laser Harpoon, which allows her to channel her powers of Water and fire energized laser harpoons.
Fun fact: As a Matoran, Hali became the second person to earn the title of Chronicler after Takua’s transformation. She also shares a close bond with Jaller.
My idea for this project is to use these six Toa figures in a custom display that offers a stylized scene relating to their story/branding, and that involves modifications to the previously mentioned light-up Toa tools to be controlled by a master switch that may also control other lights on the display, that will be plugged into a wall outlet for power.
Ideally, I’d like to make the display similar to the ones created by Lego, so I know already I will be using plexiglass to serve as protection from physical damage and dust. In this regard, I plan to uncover and study any information about these displays and take inspiration from fan created displays posted online.
Two examples of official in store displays, featuring Toa Inika Jaller on the left, as we have met, and the Piraka Vezok on the right. The buttons in these cases would activate the light in Jaller’s flame sword and Vezok’s eyes respectively.
Seen in this, unfortunately, empty forum, these images give some extra clues as to the inner workings of these displays.
From previous experimentation, I know that the light up tools simply use red, blue, and green LED lights that shine through a transparent tube to produce the lighting effect, and that the motherboards controlling the current LEDs can be removed (so no more risk of battery corrosion, yay). I plan to remove the motherboards and insert an appropriate colored LED light to be controlled by a master switch.
Beyond that, I’m less certain what will serve as a base for the Toa to be stood on. One idea I have is to use some form of Styrofoam which can allow for a lightweight base that can be modified to fit stands and wires, but I’m not sure how easily it can be customized in terms of paint and decals and the like.
First steps
First off, I need to find a good option to serve as a base. For this, I’ll look through the YouTube channel “North of the Border“, who is one of my major inspirations and also who I will primarily refer to for ideas when making this project. Once I have a base material decided, I’ll decide on the poses I’d like each Toa to have and get a general idea on the dimensions and constraints to have for the display size.
Before any of that though, these Toa need a cleaning. They come from my personal collection, and despite my best efforts, dust still manages to penetrate my closed-door display cases. Some dust can be blown off with compressed air, but there are spots that have caked on layers from nearly two decades of time, and the rubber Kanohi masks also like to hold a tighter grip on any grime they acquire.
Furthermore, Matoro, and Hahli to a lesser extent, also have a unique problem from the other Inika due to their white coloring. Although not limited to white pieces, sun damage is most prominently seen on them in the form of a yellow discoloration.
Cleaning methods
My plan of attack is to first blast the Toa with a healthy coating of compressed air, removing and loosening weaker dust from some of the more notable spots. This will help show off which spots need further action. For these, I believe some cotton tips dabbled in isopropyl alcohol may do most of the heavy lifting. Should any grime still choose to persist, they’ll be subjected to the Isopropyl Bath with some sun which should ideally get the last few bits off. I don’t have a plan for what I’ll do if that fails, but I’ll be sure to do research into further cleaning methods if needed.
Speaking of the Isopropyl Bath, that will also be the solution to Matoro’s white plastic parts. It does seem somewhat counter intuitive to fix sun damage by letting pieces soak in the sun, but my previous experience with this method has shown great results. Because it takes a day or two for most of the yellowing to disappear, it will leave me with the perfect amount of time to put a materials list together.
With the plastic parts mostly covered, this just leaves the rubber masks, which intimidate me. I’ve tried all manners of alcohol, both wipes and isopropyl, baths, and compressed air but it just doesn’t get even a majority of the grime off. I imagine this will be a task I’ll be researching and working on for longer than I would like.
Finally, as for the discoloration in Matoro’s transparent blue pieces, I’ll throw them into a Bath with the white parts and see if it makes a difference. I’m not sure if the color is caused by sun damage, or if it is simply just a difference in the colors that Lego used*, but my theory is that because the coloration is generally located on Matoro’s right side, it is in fact sun damage from the pose I had him in.
*Fun fact! – Changes in plastic color
This exact situation is seen with silver pieces starting from around this time. Lego switched from using Flat Silver to Pearl Light Gray, and as a result some parts like Nuparu’s claws can be seen with notably different silvers. This post on the TTV YouTube channel forums shows off the differences quite well.
Conclusion
With all of that being said, I believe it’s time to cap off this very long post so I may begin the process. I had a lot of fun writing it in this manner, and I plan to continue including as much information as I can about this project, with a healthy sprinkling of Bionicle lore on the side.