The MASK of personality...

[pocketmego]

As a MOCCer, I've given up on the confines of established story and lines. I have decided to just mix and match everything and make whatever I find amusing and set in no real time or place. Thus, I've begun throwing out specific terms like TOA and Hero Core. Fine, lots of people choose to do this...nothing special.

But, I am running across a bit of an odd problem. Do any of you have problems seperating a MASK from a particular character?

It isn't too hard for later stuff. I just can't call that red thing from the Mistica line, Tahu. He looks like a 1948 Buick Skylark. Never mind that orange thing they were claiming was Pohatu.

But, case in point. I used most of Breakout EVO and made a really BULKED up, much bigger character with a lot more GUN metal armor.

The problem is, even with bulking up and dropping the hero core, it would be hard for anyone not to identify that as EVO. Which is a problem, because that awesome very HEAVY looking mask is why I opted to turn him into a real TANK.

I was just curious as to how you guys as MOC makers approach this mask = certain character thing?

I mean, besides the mask in a different color (obviously that doesn't count). I know I've seen some people just STRAIGHT UP ignore the personality associated with a MASK. While other have incorporated the character built from as part of the MOC. I think someone here used a STORMER and kept the Stormer name as part of the MOCS name.

So, thoughts?

[lockdownTF]

Well a characters mask or helmet is basically their face. If you made your own hero and gave it a spiderman or batman mask it might be hard for people to recognize it as something else. I find it hard to use certain masks cos they in a way they almost steal your creations identity. If I was to make a gold armoured moc and then give it brutaka's mask people might say its a brutaka revamp or variant.

Of course while certain masks are very recognizable others are pretty bland and will fit onto any moc and lend itself perfectly to the identity you want to give that character without making people think its an official set character rebuilt.

[Aanchir]

I know what you mean. A mask is a big part of a character's personality, and sometimes it's hard to detach the mask from the personality. To anyone familiar with the original set, it will be impossible to ignore that "That's _____'s mask!" impulse.

At the same time, there are ways to keep a model from looking like a revamp of an existing character, even if you use their mask. One is to radically change the color scheme. I don't think anyone would confuse this lovely MOC (not mine) for a Breez revamp. That is one of the advantages of the two-part helmets used in the Ordeal of Fire and Brain Attack waves: by switching out or removing one of the parts you throw off that sense of immediate recognition. Evo's helmet won't immediately designate a character as Evo if you add a prominent secondary color like Bright Green instead of his familiar secondary color of Titanium Metallic. This is part of the reason the BIONICLE mask packs are missed by so many people: the existence of masks that weren't consciously linked with particular characters made it very easy to create your own characters with identities all their own.

Another solution is to avoid using a mask on figure with similar characteristics. If you use a hero helmet on a figure with a hunched posture, a tail, extra arms, or a giant bubble-dome over their head, then more often than not it can easily be made to seem like an entirely different character. Changing height can also help: A four-inch tall figure with Furno's helmet won't immediately be identified as Furno unless there are other obvious hallmarks of his design in your model. The Voya Nui Matoran sets did this quite effectively in 2006, reusing helmets from 2004 for brand-new characters with very different height and posture from the Toa Metru. The Great Kanohi Ruru is a particularly stunning example: it was used for both Umbra and Garan in 2006, but nobody would confuse either character with Toa Metru Whenua from 2004.

If possible, use masks and helmets in non-traditional ways! That's what I did with Kit Martello, Cyril Starlight, and Bogwaddle. BIONICLE MOCists have been doing this for years, and in fact BIONICLE sets did this as early as 2001 by using masks as sculptural details rather than as the face of models like the original Rahi. It can be somewhat difficult with masks that cover the whole head or have no holes other than the eye holes, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. Bulk's original silver helmet, for instance, has a dome-like forehead that could just as easily be interpreted as a sci-fi visor if you turned the helmet on its back. A face doesn't even necessarily have to look like a face: Cyril Starlight above is a good example, with four eyes spread out across a flat dome rather than a recognizable and expressive face. Sometimes an expressionless face is even preferable if you want a character to look fearsome or imposing.

And finally, remember that the longer it's been since a character has worn a particular mask or helmet, the less people are likely to associate the two, especially if a lot of other builders have reused the mask or helmet for other characters in the intervening time. Hero Factory tends to reuse helmets often and base new helmets on the character's older helmets, but this shouldn't stop you in all instances: Corroder's helmet, for instance, hasn't been used in two and a half years, and if you couple it with some of these other tips like a different posture or color scheme your character can definitely still look unique.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Aanchir

[Chro]

I do agree with a lot of what Aanchir said.

This is a frustrating issue as a MOCist, especially when you've made a MOC that has the same helmet as something but doesn't look like it, and someone says that it does, just because of the mask. Or when a certain MOCist makes a MOC with that mask which somehow becomes iconic (specifically Ben Cossy, though most of you won't know him) and everyone says that your MOC with the same mask is just a rip-off of that one... I explained that poorly, hopefully you know what I mean.

[Bfahome]

Masks and helmets often have alternative uses, too. Some of them are designed in such a way that the back or top looks reasonably like a face, so instead of using the actual face you can change it up. I was thinking of using the original Stormer's helmet as some kind of drone, because from the top it has a pretty interesting design.

[pocketmego]

I certainly appreciate all the suggestions and input from people doing this a lot longer than I have been. It would appear that I have simply stumbled on to an age old Bionicle/HF MOC pitfall. A big step towards a solution would be for LEGO to sell individual armor and masks in a customizable order fashion. But, since the whole build a hero thing proved to be considered "not profitable enough", I doubt we'll see that happening.

[Aanchir]

I certainly appreciate all the suggestions and input from people doing this a lot longer than I have been. It would appear that I have simply stumbled on to an age old Bionicle/HF MOC pitfall. A big step towards a solution would be for LEGO to sell individual armor and masks in a customizable order fashion. But, since the whole build a hero thing proved to be considered "not profitable enough", I doubt we'll see that happening.

Yeah, the issue with selling individual armor and masks that way is that unless they're also being used in sets in the same colors, it might not make good business sense to devote molding machines and factory floor space for brand-new parts. It was actually really groundbreaking when the two-colored Hero Recon Team chest plate was offered through that service, since there had never previously been an example of parts being produced for exclusive release through a custom ordering service.

[Infernum]

I do agree with a lot of what Aanchir said.

This is a frustrating issue as a MOCist, especially when you've made a MOC that has the same helmet as something but doesn't look like it, and someone says that it does, just because of the mask. Or when a certain MOCist makes a MOC with that mask which somehow becomes iconic (specifically Ben Cossy, though most of you won't know him) and everyone says that your MOC with the same mask is just a rip-off of that one... I explained that poorly, hopefully you know what I mean.

Ooh, the Cossy syndrome. I've seen it WAY too many times...

For me, I just kind of ty to stay away from using the same color scheme, but I've never had this specific problem. I guess I see more the MOC possiblity than the character.

[pocketmego]

Ooh, the Cossy syndrome. I've seen it WAY too many times...

For me, I just kind of ty to stay away from using the same color scheme, but I've never had this specific problem. I guess I see more the MOC possiblity than the character.

And this is where I am striving to get. It's a lot easier for me to get away 2001-2003, because I followed Bionicle less actively after that and those characters don't mean much to me. I actually found the Hordika concept completely stupid. (I'M sorry, but having the TOA upset because they have become mis-shapen monstrosities that look...not much different than their usual mis-shapen in-human forms was idiotic. Even the movie had to fudge on their "deformities" because the toys didn't seem all that worse than normal TOA forms, and the INIKA were even scarier looking, LOL)

Sorry, tangent, anywho...

The farther into the line, the more MOC potential I see. For HF, it harder to determine. Since its the same characters over and over, the masks loose versatility much faster. Villain masks, not so much.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

Kinda hard for me to say. My self MOC uses a kanohi Shelek (Chirox' mask) but has really bulky legs with thin mid-section and upper arms. I may post him later so you can decide for yourself.