"Review": 8989, Mata Nui, Glatorian Legend

[Front]

Ok, here is the much anticipated set with Mata Nui carrying the Mask of Life. This character will be the star in the forthcoming movie, Glatorian Legends, to be released later this year.

This is not a review, but rather a presentation. It hardly makes sence for me to review something I've been involved in developing, but I would like to present some pictures of and information on the set.

Please, if anyone could tell me here who Mata Nui is, and why the Mask of Life is something special, I would apreciate it.

Name: Mata Nui

Set number: 8989

Pieces: 52

Price: 12,99 US$ (currently 15,99 on Toys r'us in USA)

Released: June 2009

Here is a picture of the box (front and back) and the instructions (front page and a random building sequence). As most have found out by now, the top lid on the box, is a brighter yellow than the one used in the actual set.

Here is the 52 parts in the set. New parts are 1: The mask 2: The shin protectors (2x) 3: The new 6 module long ball-cup beams with two technic holes and a cross hole on the odd side of the beam (2x) 4: Scarab weapon, yellow (2x) and silver (2x).

As usual there may be old parts here, that appear in a new colour for the first time.

Here are three random poses I've put Mata Nui in. First a side view, scarab weapons all over the place.

Next Mata Nui balancing on his toes. The shin protectors hang in only one 1.5 module bushing each, meaning that the are not firmly fixed on the shin, but may rotate freely.

Finally Mata Nui aiming at the sky. As most 2009 sets, he has a life counter. The yellow hip protectors are mounted on the leg with a cross axle mounted ball, often used in suspensions of Technic sets.

Let me hear your views on this set.

Hope you like the pictures.

Front

[---Vertea---]

Like?

i LOVE.

[Brickthing]

Lovely pictures, you've just sold the set for me again.

The instruction front and instruction content picture look so awesome as well, more than instructions of sets usually do.

I can see now what's happened with the new Ignika, although I think it's a bit strange. This one is quite a lot shorter and looks very cartoony in the last picture, whereas the 2008 version was very long and looked rather awkward at some angles because of it's length. A mask in the middle in terms of proportions would be my preferred Ignika, like the one we saw in both commercials of 2007 but never got in set.

I love all the recoloured parts in the set and some other Legends sets, so did the design team get a raise in new colours/ new moulds per set?

The significance of Mata Nui is that he was the god and protector of all the characters from 2001-2008 storyline, but at the end of 2008 he was banished from that universe by the Makuta. His spirit was put in the Ignika, Mask of Life, because the mask was also a threat to Makuta, and then Mata Nui was flung out into space. I suppose you know what happens next when he lands on Bara Magna right?

Do you know why the canister lid is yellow as opposed to orange-yellow? Yellow would probably stand out a bit more, but it clashes badly with the orange-ness of the the front and back canister art.

Finally, does the wobbleness of the ankle cuffs prevent restriction of ankle articulation?

Thanks so much for the review presentation, I'm very appreciative of your insider views.

[Holy Diver]

Best Bionicle set Lego has churned out in years.

[Front]

The ancle cuffs does prevent the "toes" to be lifted high, though preventing him to make long steps foreward. But it's probably not that big a problem. I guess he can lift his toes as high as we human can.

The fact that they can rotate freely, helps in how much the feets can "tilt" from side to side. In Mocs, I gues this piece could be mounted differently on other legs, fixing it firmly by using the cross hole. But yes, I don't see those cuffs as ideal.

Btw. the close up pictures are made by using 20 second exposures in a dark room, and pointing a torch light from behind through his head, to make the eyes light up. But I've also "painted" at the mask, weapons etc. from the outside, during those 20 seconds. So it's a trial and error, to get the desired effect.

I guess the choise of bright yellow lid, may be due to marketing, but I really don't have much idea about what marketing is up too in general. I'm just a nerd drawing bricks :-)

Edited June 2, 2009 by Front

[Brickthing]

I'm just a nerd drawing bricks :-)

Come to think of it, which pieces have you designed or had heavy influence in making? I'm interested to know.

[Front]

Come to think of it, which pieces have you designed or had heavy influence in making? I'm interested to know.

As a part designer I'm not really designing things, just creating a part that can be moulded, making sure everything is sturdy, safe, and sound. The designer of the set, did let me design the mask based on the previous one (we need to keep the detalis at the front and the shape of the eyes), but we made it smaller and more rounded at the back. So it kind of fits the head better than the old one would, at least that's my view. I also like that the rear edge of the mask is not kind of sharp, like on the old mask of life.

Then I made the scarab weapon, but here I merely only changed the designers first drafts, by changing small things theat would make it more sturdy or more safe. A weapons is basicly a 2D design, so it's not that challenging. But the designer that shaped that weapon, did a great job, at least in my view. There are a lot of weapons in Bionicle that has arrived through the years, but this is probably in my top 5 of cool weapons.

Front

[Algernon]

Looks terrible to me. Bionicle has really lost it's appeal. Why is he yellow?

[Front]

Looks terrible to me. Bionicle has really lost it's appeal. Why is he yellow?

I don't really know why he has the colours he has. Maybe because the other 5 sets aren't yellow ?

[InnerRayg]

It makes me sad you don't know who Mata Nui is. In a nutshell, the story is completely based on his existence, so he's kind of a big deal :O

But the design is excellent, and whether intentional or not the weapon design is an awesome throwback to the original Bionicle Logo. You guys did a great job here, and pay Alg no heed.

[prateek]

i like! the bionicle line is looking to be good this year

[---Vertea---]

I gotta say-for a redo of an existing design, you did pretty good. The size works, the shape works-everything works. And the new blades are FANTASTIC.

[Brickthing]

I don't really know why he has the colours he has. Maybe because the other 5 sets aren't yellow ?

Most of us were hoping he would be metallic gold, considering the Ignika's colour and especially after the TLR trailer. However I find it kind of understandable that he isn't that colour.

But the design is excellent, and whether intentional or not the weapon design is an awesome throwback to the original Bionicle Logo. You guys did a great job here, and pay Alg no heed.

Really? I always thought it looked like Voya Nui with Matoro Inika's blade style applied to it.

[Clonie]

What's his BIO code?

[InnerRayg]

Really? I always thought it looked like Voya Nui with Matoro Inika's blade style applied to it.

Well, Voya Nui also looks like the Bionicle logo, so we are both right. It's the signature curve with one side longer than the other.

[Brickthing]

What's his BIO code?

What? You've got to buy the set for that!

[Front]

What? You've got to buy the set for that!

lol, I couldn't help myself, I went and masked out the codes, both for Mata Nui and Stronius.

Not that people can't find it somewhere else, or that it matters much.

[Mesonak]

Woah. Once again, I'm totally clueless. So you design parts? Awesome.

Anyway, wonderful quality pictures. I am SO getting Mata Nui.

[BrotherDog]

The ancle cuffs does prevent the "toes" to be lifted high, though preventing him to make long steps foreward. But it's probably not that big a problem. I guess he can lift his toes as high as we human can.

The fact that they can rotate freely, helps in how much the feets can "tilt" from side to side. In Mocs, I gues this piece could be mounted differently on other legs, fixing it firmly by using the cross hole. But yes, I don't see those cuffs as ideal.

Btw. the close up pictures are made by using 20 second exposures in a dark room, and pointing a torch light from behind through his head, to make the eyes light up. But I've also "painted" at the mask, weapons etc. from the outside, during those 20 seconds. So it's a trial and error, to get the desired effect.

I guess the choise of bright yellow lid, may be due to marketing, but I really don't have much idea about what marketing is up too in general. I'm just a nerd drawing bricks :-)

Nicely done. That photography effect turned out rather nicely. I was already planning on getting more than one of this set anyways. This only encouraged it that much more.

Maybe with you designing parts, perhaps you might suggest frictioned versions of those types of pins? That would stop the wiggle-tilting.

[Cronk]

Nice presenstation of the canister set...I like it!!

[Clonie]

Front, we must know -- the big Mata Nui's mask, is it gold?

[---Vertea---]

Front, is Titan Mata Nui set you were hinting at earlier?

Edited June 6, 2009 by ---Vertea---

[Toa Rodimus Ignika]

Front, is Titan Mata Nui set you were hinting at earlier?

Hopefully.

Just for laughs, Mat's code is M74NU1.

[HumanPackMule]

Just watch the code give access to preview pictures for the Titan version or some images already seen for the movie.

[VBBN]

Not thrst set of the line. Great for parts.

I just wish that he and his titan ersion were better.

Great pics.