“I enjoyed the reasoning behind your 10 Ugliest Sets. Was a very enjoyable read. In contrast, what are the ten canister sets that you find most appealing and how would you rank them?”
For some unknown reason, Tumblr is refusing to allow me to add images to this answer, so here I am making a post instead. To answer your question, here is my top ten Bionicle canister sets.
To begin, we have one of the Sons of Makuta. I always loved the design of the rahkshi regardless the fact they are clone sets. With this stated, I chose Kurahk because of the nice contrast between the white and grey elements in the set, as well as, the consistency in design between the spine and staff- the defining features which differentiate each rahkshi from the other.
When I was younger, the marketing campaign for the Piraka did not resonate with me. I ultimately chose to skip these sets and await the release of the Toa Inika later that year. Boy, do I regret that decision. While I certainly don’t think the Piraka sets are all that great even today, I must admit that I adore Thok’s design. From his razor-sharp spines to his cryo gun and shit-eating grin, I can’t help but love this cool little backstabber.
By the time of Stronius’ release, the inika build had been done to death. Regardless, the most impressive aspect of Stronius’ design is its consistency. The club, mask, chest plate, pauldrons, and thigh armor help convey a rock motif which really helps this set stand out. In addition, the black and metru-red color scheme looks fantastic. Unfortunately, some serious gappiness in the torso really holds this set back.
Much like Stronius, an interesting visual motif conveyed through new armor molds helps this set stand above others which share the same tired inika build. The unique marbled plating on Carapar’s limbs, torso, and head give him the carapace look which is his namesake. That is, Carapar looks like a crab, and I like crabs.
I really like bionicle quadrupeds- particularly since they are rare among the main sets. Krika’s mantis-like design is both unorthodox and somewhat menacing. The black, white, and mata-red color scheme is nice- particularly with the marbling in Krika’s blades. The major pitfall of this set is that there is no mata-red in the torso, thus the color balance is off. In addition, the distinctly-organic design of the blades contrasts with the mechanical look of Krika’s body, thus creating the illusion that Krika has four tiny arms holding large blades rather than said blades being a part of his limbs. This issue is only exacerbated by the color imbalance.
The Toa Hagah, two marvelous sets Lego graced us with in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the “Lego system”- whatever that’s supposed to mean. Regardless, these sets are an extension of the metru body type- one of my favorite designs from Bionicle G1. Iruini’s metallic gold and metru-green color scheme is fantastic, and the added breastplate really balances out the gold distribution. The spear is also a nice touch, for the only other toa set to feature a polearm up to this point was Takanuva. If you could guess by my self-moc, I have a particular fondness of polearms. Oh, and did I forget to mention that mask? Glorious.
Ditto, but replace “metallic gold” with “silver” and “metru-green” with “metru-red.” Norik is everything I love about Iruini but with a nicer color scheme, armor, and weapon.
Remember how I dislike the repetitive inika build? Well, here’s yet another one. Again unlike most other inika builds, Jaller Mahri, like Stronius and Carapar, is visually interesting regardless. He has fantastic aesthetic consistency due to the motif shared between his mask, breastplate, abdominal plate, hahnah crab, and power sword. The chest tubes and the tubes on his mask are also a nice touch. Finally, that crab is just too cute, and that power sword is perhaps the single-best weapon part to come from Bionicle G1.
I love this set. I love bats, and this set fits this motif to a T. The Mask of Hunger looks quite vampiric and bat-like, and the small hooks on the front of Vamprah’s wings is an excellent detail. Another aspect I love about this set is its absence of feet; he’s another quadruped. If I had to complain- nope, I have nothing. His construction may be similar to his comrades on a base level, but he does more than enough to stand out on his own.
If any of the Barraki deserves the title “Creep from the Deep,” it’s Takadox. To begin, let’s examine his color scheme: metru-blue, black, trans-medium blue, marbled light blue, silver, mata-red, and trans-red. Sounds like it would be a mess, yes? Yet this set balances these colors impeccably. The marbled light-blue draws attention to Takadox’s face, which possesses an unsettling and almost alien quality- reminiscent of many real creatures of the deep. This quality is further exacerbated by Takadox’s red eyes which are far more striking when contrasted to the soft marbled blue of his skull. While this splash of red would typically throw the color balance off, this is prevented by the numerous mata-red spines which cover Takadox’s body- which contrast well with the metru-blue and trans-medium blue elements. Speaking of his body, it uses a custom construction which makes for a refreshing break from the ever-present inika build. While some may not like the spindly construction of Takadox, I feel it further lends to his creep factor. Finally, those serrated claws- menacing. Overall, Takadox is my absolute favorite Bionicle canister set.
