Kalhiki Posted April 15, 2018 It's been a long time coming, but I've finally completed my Toa Mata revamps. Group shot by Kalhiki, on Flickr So this was a project that I've been wanting to complete for a while. Basically the goal was to have revamps of all six Toa Mata, however, there were a few conditions to this goal. Mainly, I wanted to use the original feet, weapons and masks since those are the most iconic. In terms of design, they needed the back gear (even though it does nothing here aside from added aesthetics), and they had to be no bigger than the original Toa Mata (actually ended up being shorter). There were some other design aspects I wanted like the chest balljoint (and Gali's socket chest), using the Toa Metru head, and general proportions (Onua and Pohatu). I started the builds with the limbs since I wanted to use that boat stud technique. Once that was done, it was off to the torso. Took me a while to figure out a good waist articulation method, but the Mixel balljoint was definitely the way to go. Overall, it was kinda tough trying to figure out how to build so small. Once I had the limbs, I was pretty much locked at that size. All that was left was to get the parts for everyone (lucked out and found all the Toa sans Pohatu at a flea market), and the end result is what we have here. I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Some colors needed to be altered since they weren't available. Also had to change the eye colors since I wanted to use the Metru heads, but I feel the substitutions made worked out well. Few more pics, spoilers for cleanliness. ONUA Spoiler Onua Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Onua definitely had to use a different build since he needed his hunch. This also ended up widening his shoulders to good effect as well! POHATU Spoiler Pohatu Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Much like Onua, Pohatu needed a different build, but this one required a complete overhaul of the base design. I tried just flipping the Torso build, but that looked weird, and I couldn't figure out how to attach the head. So I reworked it while still trying to keep the look of an upside down torso. Also had to get those narrower shoulders and wider hips! Pohatu also displays an issue I ended up having in the builds: parts not in the right colors. I did my best, and whatever I couldn't get I substituted for some G2 flare. GALI Spoiler Gali Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Along with Onua and Pohatu, Gali also needed a reworked torso. Getting that socket on the chest was actually harder than I initially thought it'd be. KOPAKA Spoiler Kopaka Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Kopaka's by far the most accurate in terms of color. Though I did decide to bulk up his sheild. Always hated that wimpy thing the original had. And I gave him a hand even though the original set didn't have one in the same vein as Pohatu and Tahu. But since I moved the shield attachment to his arm, I kinda had to. I'm quite fond of Kopaka. When design the build, I used Kopaka as a base since I had primarily neutral colored parts. LEWA Spoiler Lewa Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Oddly enough, Lewa turned out to be my favorite. Much like Pohatu, Lewa also needed some G2 treatment with the yellow because for some reason those parts aren't in green. Luckily I find it turned out for the better and is part of the reason I like him so much. He really pops! TAHU Spoiler Tahu Pose by Kalhiki, on Flickr Saving the big man for last, here's Tahu. He's probably the most generic of them, not having any unique builds or color alterations (aside from needed some orange in his legs). Either way, I think he looks pretty good. More pictures on the Flickr album including front and back shots, and a size comparison. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leewan Posted April 15, 2018 Neat ! How strong are the hips ? I'm a bit worried that the upper half of the Toa is only held to the lower half with only two half-pins. If you're open to changes, what about using this beam, respectively in dark bley and orange on Onua and Tahu, and the Bohrok eyes in dark and light bley on Onua and Kopaka ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kalhiki Posted April 15, 2018 52 minutes ago, Leewan said: Neat ! How strong are the hips ? I'm a bit worried that the upper half of the Toa is only held to the lower half with only two half-pins. If you're open to changes, what about using this beam, respectively in dark bley and orange on Onua and Tahu, and the Bohrok eyes in dark and light bley on Onua and Kopaka ? It's actually not too bad of a connection. But I just naturally hold the figure at the connection to avoid it coming apart when moving things. Either way, it's not going to just snap in half while it's on the shelf. :P Not sure about the beam since the rest of the midsection is a neutral color with the Mixel balljoint, and that's the same with all the figures. The Bohrok Eyes seemed to have slipped past my detection, so I may need to order some of those. Thanks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Leewan Posted April 16, 2018 7 hours ago, Kalhiki said: Not sure about the beam since the rest of the midsection is a neutral color with the Mixel balljoint, and that's the same with all the figures. Oh, I meant for the limbs, sorry. To replace the black and red beams on Onua and Tahu and make them closer to their original counterparts. And, another suggestion, perhaps using this part in reddish brown on Pohatu's torso ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kalhiki Posted April 16, 2018 (edited) 8 hours ago, Leewan said: Oh, I meant for the limbs, sorry. To replace the black and red beams on Onua and Tahu and make them closer to their original counterparts. And, another suggestion, perhaps using this part in reddish brown on Pohatu's torso ? Ah! Looks like I need to order that part for Pohatu! (Don't know how that slipped past me...) Though I'm not sure about those beams for the knees and elbows... Everyone else has the (OO) beam, and I'd like to keep that part for consistency... I'll think about about. Thanks again for the suggestions. These builds are definitely not final. If/when the parts I need are released in the correct colors, I'll be swapping them out (except maybe Lewa's yellow. I've kinda grown attached to the look). Edited April 16, 2018 by Kalhiki Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyB Posted April 17, 2018 These are great, man! I love your use of iddy-bitty Technic pieces and system pieces to make these dudes, I love it! I really like the yellow and burnt orange accents on Lewa and Pohatu, they remind me of the G2 versions I like. Oh, and Kopaka's shield looks sooo much better, that was a good choice! If I had to critique something... I wish Gali and maybe Onua had the reversed leg design and- in Gali's case- wider hips. I don't think it's possible given how you made the lower limbs, but it would be cool to see. It's not as big a thing for me with Onua, since he already has a hunch-back and the regular leg design better accentuates his beefy-ness, but Gali having something different would both make her look more feminine and make her stand out more from the group. Regardless, I like the MOC, kudos! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kalhiki Posted April 17, 2018 11 hours ago, JoeyB said: These are great, man! I love your use of iddy-bitty Technic pieces and system pieces to make these dudes, I love it! I really like the yellow and burnt orange accents on Lewa and Pohatu, they remind me of the G2 versions I like. Oh, and Kopaka's shield looks sooo much better, that was a good choice! If I had to critique something... I wish Gali and maybe Onua had the reversed leg design and- in Gali's case- wider hips. I don't think it's possible given how you made the lower limbs, but it would be cool to see. It's not as big a thing for me with Onua, since he already has a hunch-back and the regular leg design better accentuates his beefy-ness, but Gali having something different would both make her look more feminine and make her stand out more from the group. Regardless, I like the MOC, kudos! Thanks for the compliments! I'm really happy G2 exists as an excuse for Pohatu and Lewa's colors. I would have stuck with G1 if I could, but the colors I needed aren't available. Though, I feel it may have turned out for the better in the end. As for the legs, yeah. I really would've liked to do the reversed legs for them. I tried to find a way to implement it, but I just couldn't find a good way to do it... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeyB Posted April 17, 2018 8 hours ago, Kalhiki said: Thanks for the compliments! I'm really happy G2 exists as an excuse for Pohatu and Lewa's colors. I would have stuck with G1 if I could, but the colors I needed aren't available. Though, I feel it may have turned out for the better in the end. As for the legs, yeah. I really would've liked to do the reversed legs for them. I tried to find a way to implement it, but I just couldn't find a good way to do it... You're welcome! Sometimes there just isn't a good solution for some things : / Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZORK64 Posted April 21, 2018 Great work on these guys, I love how they are instantly recognizable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Steven the toa of flight Posted November 2, 2018 I really like the attention to detail such as with Pohatu he is fantastic and really unique with the upside down body design Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
