#nidhiki

[bioniclechicken]

"It's just the way we're wired"

[subarbonks]

Mangai Trio Stud.io Files

[kanohivolitakk]

"Is Nidhiki a twink?" - the greatest thread in the history of forums, locked by a moderator after 12,239 pages of heated debate,

[modern-exorcism]

Krekka and Nidhiki, my second favourite evil gay duo in the setting.

[toaarcan]

The Nidhiki That Never Was

So despite being a Bionicle fan for 24 years, I've never had a Toa Nidhiki MOC. A huge part of that was that I took a long time to get over my Canon fixation, and as I didn't have a Nuparu Mahri or a Mazeka (or a Good Guy 2008) as a kid, I didn't have the right mask.

These days, I've committed to the idea that Nidhiki's mask at least looked like the one designed after his mutant form's head. Still, I never got around to actually building him.

Until now.

Still, being me, I wanted to get weird with it. So, rather than building the canon one, I built mine based on the scrapped treatment for the "City of Shadow" origin movie for Lhikan and Nidhiki, which we got during the Magnaleak.

I also decided to try and make something that would legitimately look like a set that could've been released in 2005. He wouldn't be a canister set, due to the necessity of including the wings that are central to the movie's plot. But that freed me up to use the alternate sockets that only Titans got to have. Still, I deliberately limited myself to parts released in from 2005 and earlier, and in available colours at the time, with one exception. That also meant no "fixes" for the base figure design, no alterations to the base build that Lego wouldn't have made in 2005.

Still, the fact that the build was designed to be as authentic as possible gave me an idea. And so as the Bricklink orders came in, I grouped all the parts up into a single bag.

And this stopped being a MOC and started being a new Bionicle set.

Dump the pieces out of the canisterbag, and get building.

I decided to maintain the Toa Metru torso instead of switching to the Hordika one. I feel like if they were making toys for Lhikan's team, they would've kept them consistent with the final, veteran version of Lhikan.

I knew I was going to copy Lhikan's colour layout. I then immediately brainfarted and gave him black Technic bushings instead of grey ones (well, one of them isn't a bushing but still). Yeah, I forgor that I got my original set of black ones from a Technic bike set instead of Lhikan. Ah well.

Also, I used the Toa Hagah version of the function with only a single gear arm, since I knew he would be only carrying a single weapon.

At this stage he looks very similar to a silver Iruini, but I'm an "Iruini was supposed to be Nidhiki" truther so whatever. Same logic as usual, green and silver (like the original Nidhiki set), Rahkshi legs that were the crab form's upper arms as his shins, and using the Lhikan layout for the colours.

I think if the 2005 Toa had been "Metru 2.0," they may have made a new forearm piece that had a proper wrist, whereas the Hagah, only receiving three new parts across the whole wave, had to settle for a Metru shin with a hinge wrist. Still, I went with the 2005 configuration.

Standard Lhikan neck orientation, with Vakama/Matau's pin setup for the back, since he needs to have a good attachment point there.

Gahlok-Kal shield is a must for Nidhiki. As for his eyes, I had options- I could've made them red, like the other Matoran Species sets from the Metru arc, including his replacement as the Air Toa set for 2005. Technically, if I wanted him to match the Titan set, I should've given him Trans Dark Green, but that wouldn't have looked particularly good, so I went with the classic Trans Neon Green.

When it came to his original Toa Tool, I wanted to do the thing that's become standard for Nidhiki weapons, having the same blade as his pincer and a Bohrok eye that forms the other digit as an add-on.

That being said, I didn't want to go with the scythe. I wanted to do something to make him stand out, so I went with a halberd instead. Or a bardiche? I'll be honest my polearm knowledge is not as good as it could be. Either way, it's a nod to Lewa's axe- much like how Lhikan is obviously based on Tahu, I thought I'd have some Lewa in Nidhiki. There are elements of the Mata and Nuva echoing throughout Bionicle, just look at the concept art for the evil Toa team that became the Piraka, or how they adapted the Felnas and the 2008 versions of the Miru from the 2001-2002 iterations.

This is kind of an illegal technique, actually. There's not enough clearance between the blade and the axle, and it flexes the blade a bit, but hopefully there's enough give in the soft plastic that it won't be a problem.

And thus, Nidhiki before he gets the wings. I of course went with the green Kualsi. While it didn't exist in this colour until 2007, I have no doubt that it would have been printed in Dark Green if Lego had been making Nidhiki with it in 2005.

Of course, it's here that the problems with this particular build start to show their ugly head- there's basically no friction in the right shoulder and the weight of the arm and the weapon mean he can't really pose with it. I'll likely be having him carry the weapon in his off-hand whenever I'm not using the function.

As for the wings, I initially started with green Vahki hips and alt-connectors, but then I remembered that the wings weren't Nidhiki's original Toa Tool, and they were awarded to him after a contest. So they probably should be a neutral colour.

Fortuitously, these parts are cheaper in black.

As for the wings themselves, I wager they would've been new parts, but I went with Keelerak fangs. They're a bit smaller than I expected, but they do the job.

And thus, we have Nidhiki, the fallen Toa Mangai of Air. I finally have a Toa Nidhiki in my collection, with a unique spin on it, inspired by the Magnaleak.

[mfmara-art]

A what if scenario

Nidhiki- you seen familiar ...

[mebeth]

Dark Hunters of Metru Nui

Nidhiki

"You are a monster, Nidhiki. Matoran seeing you would run screaming. You will never be cheered, never be admired, never be hailed as a savior by the crowds. What are you now? A Toa of Nightmares? A hero, Nidhiki, or a horror? No, I think you will find your place is now, and forevermore, with the Dark Hunters. For who else could have you?" -- The Shadowed One, Birth of a Dark Hunter

Powers: Flight / Force Bolts Tools: Kanoka Status: Deceased Pronunciation: nih-DEE-kee

Nidhiki was a Le-Matoran native to the Tren Krom Peninsula and later became the Toa Mangai of Air. He defected to the Dark Hunters during the Toa-Dark Hunter War and was mutated into a large insectoid being. He was later killed when he was absorbed into Makuta Teridax's essence.

Krekka

"He eventually broke enough opponents in two to attract the attention of one of my Dark Hunters and was recruited to join the organization." -- The Shadowed One, Dark Hunters

Powers: Flight / Creating energy handcuffs / Launching energy webs Tools: Kanoka launcher Status: Deceased Pronunciation: kreh-KAH

Krekka was a powerful, albeit unintelligent member of the Steltian bruiser species and a Dark Hunter.

[starryknight-dragonarts]

Iron Coated Termite I decided to redesign my Soaring interpretation of "Dwarves" from being Beetle-like to being based on Termites, particularly the kind that build giant earth mounds. Also found it weird that these insects just walk upright like people...unless of course that is just a trait of Insects in Soaring which ... I might consider ... if all vertebrates in Soaring can be Hexapods then there could be Insects that stand upright, and just as Mammals are called Goblins, insects could be called Fairies? This will be something to consider later perhaps... They very much are just Termites, but from the top down the workers and soldiers mainly look like they could be a Dwarf-Man with a big thick beard and mustache. The fuzzy coating on them is actually made of Iron Sand. These Termite's magic ability gives them magnetic powers to pick up iron out of the ground for protection and use in the construction of colonies. The Termite Alates forgo growing actual wings and instead incorporate grains of copper into their coats to create Pseudo-Wings which combined with their magnetic powers can create a weak electric-charge that can deliver a brief static shock in an individual but a group of them is called a Storm for a reason. King and Queen Termites then incorporate Gold into their coats probably not intentionally for their value but because of Gold is a non-corrodible metal which might be more compatible to them long term as the King and Queen can live many years longer that their subjects producing millions of eggs in that time. Dragons will sometimes raid Termite mounds for these valuable metals or use Termites as an indicator where to look for metal. I decided to redesign my Soaring interpretation of "Dwarves" from being Beetle-like to being based on Termites, particularly the kind that build giant earth mounds. Also found it weird that these insects just walk upright like people...unless of course that is just a trait of Insects in Soaring which ... I might consider ... if all vertebrates in Soaring can be Hexapods then there could be Insects that stand upright, and just as Mammals are called Goblins, insects could be called Fairies? This will be something to consider later perhaps... They very much are just Termites, but from the top down the workers and soldiers mainly look like they could be a Dwarf-Man with a big thick beard and mustache. The fuzzy coating on them is actually made of Iron Sand. These Termite's magic ability gives them magnetic powers to pick up iron out of the ground for protection and use in the construction of colonies. The Termite Alates forgo growing actual wings and instead incorporate grains of copper into their coats to create Pseudo-Wings which combined with their magnetic powers can create a weak electric-charge that can deliver a brief static shock in an individual but a group of them is called a Storm for a reason. King and Queen Termites then incorporate Gold into their coats probably not intentionally for their value but because of Gold is a non-corrodible metal which might be more compatible to them long term as the King and Queen can live many years longer that their subjects producing millions of eggs in that time. Dragons will sometimes raid Termite mounds for these valuable metals or use Termites as an indicator where to look for metal.

Fun Fact: In the Norse Mythology creation myth, the Dwarves were supposedly created from the maggots that fed on the dead body of the Giant Ymir whose body was used to create the worlds.

Wood Shrimp I actually don't remember how I came up with this, it was not based on anything but my own practice sketches of insects. I call it a Wood Shrimp for it's resemblance to a shrimp but it's an insect, not a crustacean though they may be edible like a shrimp...? I imagine they eat plants and rotting wood.

Water Omukade The Omukade comes from a mythical Japanese Monster that looks like a giant centipede and is known to prey on Dragons. This creature is not actually a centipede or a true Insect, but actually an elongated Trilobite. They are still feared by dragons and they use that fear to their advantage, they don't produce a fear aura like Fear element dragons, but their hunting strategy involves using terror tactics. Once they are feared by their prey they have inflicted a curse that drains the prey of their natural magic and energy causing the Omukade to grow and become stronger but especially so against the target of their fear effect. Any attempt for the target to attack the Omukade while the curse is in effect and the Omukade will notice and cause it to backfire. The more feared they are, the bigger the Omukade's grow; They start off as miniscule scavengers, but the oldest of them can become sea monsters, even to the point where they may not be able to support their own weight and die, but their bodies become food for younger Omukade and they can pass on the terror they inspired in life so their legacy lives on and causes the others to rapidly grow.

Attercoppe These spiders are too large to build webs, it would also be impractical for then because one of the benefits of being a smaller spider in a web is that they are harder to be noticed by prey and harder to target by predators. If this spider sat in a web then they would stand out. They still produce webbings and use it to spread tripwires along the ground or along trees to trap smaller creatures that lure larger creatures. It can feel vibrations through it's web network so even in dark places it always knows where you are and will find you. They have a venomous bite that paralyzes prey and liquifies their organs.

Green Crab Mantis This creature is inspired off of a Bionicle character called Nidhiki, a former Air Toa who was dishonorably banished for trying to sell out his comrades to the Dark Hunters, and then was turned into a freaky bug monster when he tried to flee the Dark Hunters. The Green Crab Mantis is neither a Crab nor an actual Mantis. They live in the trees blending in with leaves and using their camouflage and grab any creature big enough to fit in their pincers.

Water Crab Mantis This creature is inspired off of a Bionicle character called Takadox, one of the leaders of the league of 6 kingdoms until they were banished to the pit and mutated into a Mantis-Shrimp like sea monster. The Water Crab Mantis are not amphibious but can dive and remain under water for several hours before needing air, and emit a hypnotic glow to lure fish for them to snatch.

Rock Crab Mantis This creature is inspired off of a Bionicle character called Carapar, one of the leaders of the league of 6 kingdoms until they were banished to the pit and mutated into a Crab like sea monster. The Rock Crab Manis use their flat bodies to burrow under rocks and in the sand waiting for prey to pass in front of them before snatching them and dragging them underground.