Collecting Bionicle masks
Posted by Huw,
Today's guest author is xboxtravis7992 who has written about something that, surprisingly to me at least, is still a popular aspect of our hobby:
When Bionicle launched globally in 2001 there was a heavy focus on collecting masks or “Kanohi” which came scattered across various sets. Early print ads for the line had the words “Find the Power” emblazoned over the ad, while in story the Toa had to collect all the various masks to succeed in their battle against the dark lord Makuta. Various blind packs were sold containing random Kanohi masks, a precursor to the modern Collectible Minifigure blind bags.
Now nearly two decades later, Bionicle mask collecting still remains popular among the often now adult fans of the theme. The various Kanohi are among the most unique Lego pieces ever produced, and are prized by MOCers to give their Bionicle builds a unique face or even perhaps sneaking in some nice parts usage into their builds. This is a somewhat casual guide on my own collecting experiences, and shouldn’t be considered a comprehensive guide to mask collecting.
Desirable Masks
The most common masks are not surprisingly those that were included pre-packaged into sets.
As such Tahu’s famous red Hau or Lewa’s sharp nosed green Miru are easy to find as the sets they came in were mass-produced and made globally available. There are exceptions to this rule, either where a set had a limited production run or made a change late in production creating a collectible variant.
8998 Toa Mata Nui had an exclusive pearl light gold Inika mask, and due to that set’s limited availability the mask has become a collectible item since. Another rare mask due to production changes is the pearl light gold Kraahkan that was available in late batches of 8758 Tower of Toa, replacing the original metallic sand yellow hue.
Other collectible masks were found in the random blind bags or were exclusive releases at specific locations or events. One of the more common is the transparent neon green Miru. This mask was exclusive to Legoland: California where it was handed out as a prize for completing Bionicle themed events in 2001. Due to an excess of unused masks, several Legoland employees went home with hundreds of these masks, and they have been slowly sold off on Bricklink in the years since. While this Miru variant is collectible, it is a good place to start mask collecting due to its cheap price.
The chrome Hau was released in the 8546 Bionicle Power Pack. It was made with a chroming method similar to those used on Star Wars lightsabers released in the same era. Despite being in a retail set, this mask can still command a decent price on re-sale, especially for masks in near-pristine condition with minimal scratches on the chrome application.
Available in the blind bags and boxes, the transparent neon orange Kaukau commands a high price in the resale market. The reasons for its rarity are not fully understood, some rumors suggest it was the rarest of the regular masks, although its possible it commands value only due to its striking colours.
The transparent neon orange Mask of Fire was released as a gift with purchase in the 5002941 Hero Pack in 2015 for the G2 reboot. Due to the commonality of this pack, this mask is particularly easy to find. The reboot also saw the release of convention exclusives, with a 2014 release of a clear transparent Mask of Fire and a 2015 release of the Skull Scorpio mask in transparent neon green.
Another polybag from 2015 a Villain Pack with an exclusive pearl light gold Skull Mask is much rarer due to its limited release in Russia. The 2015 Mask of Water was cast in a dark transparent blue for the Lego Inside Tour that year, and commands a hefty price on the aftermarket.
Another exclusive mask variant were the copper masks. Made in the exclusive flip-flop red colour, only two masks were ever cast in this hue; the copper Huna and the copper Komau. The Huna saw release in various locations in the US and Europe, and is not considered particularly rare. However, the Komau was exclusive to Europe with many of them being handed out at Legoland: Windsor, as such the Komau fetches a higher price in re-sale.
Another rare mask from the early years of Bionicle was the Vahi. This was the first mask design made by one of Bionicle’s co-creators Christian Faber, and was made mysterious as “the Mask of Time.”
Originally intended for release with the Lego Bionicle: Legends of Mata-Nui video game, the cancellation of the game meant the original orange masks were instead handed out at special events. A metallic sand yellow variant would be packed exclusively in the US in several Bionicle sets in 2004. Both the orange and ‘gold’ variants are highly collectible, in part due to the story role the mask played in the original Bionicle and its cameo’s in the 2015 reboot.
The G2 reboot also introduced the upper half of the mask in its graphic novels. This upper mask was never released as an official Lego piece; however, it was recreated by fans in 3D printed form on sites such as Shapeways. Likewise, the Mask of Ultimate Power from the reboot is another common subject of fan 3D models since Lego never released it as an official piece.
The Hau Nuva in 2003 was made available in blended greens and reds to represent the infected mask worn by Tahu during the events of the Bionicle Mask of Light film. Originally packed with a bundle of Bionicle books, later production runs of those books replaced the infected Hau Nuva with the more common gold mask worn by Lhikan in 2004. As such, the Hau Nuva can command a decent price tag online.
Due to different moulding patterns there are considered to be four variants of this mask, all named for where the reds and greens in the dual moulded piece are most prominent.
All six Nuva masks were also made available in 2003 in a silver colour to represent the Toa’s powers drained due to the attacks of the Bohrok Kal. Despite being released in blind bags these masks command a hefty price on the aftermarket, with only the Miru Nuva in that colour being affordable. To complete a full set of six silver “protodermic” Nuva masks is a difficult collecting challenge.
Misprints
Several masks were misprinted, and these variants were made available as part of the random blind bags in European releases. Among them were six variants of the Matatu in the primary Toa colours (pictured below are a white and brown Matatu), five variants of the Ruru in the Toa colours (blue is pictured below). The red Ruru was later made available in 2002’s 7397 Bionicle Clock, but is still considered rare in the aftermarket. Lastly two variants of the Kaukau were made in a transparent fluorescent yellow and a transparent medium blue. All of these misprints due to their inclusion in Europe exclusive blind bags are often known as “European Misprints” in the collecting community.
Prototypes
An even rarer branch of mask collecting is the hunt for mould tests and prototypes. Bionicle fan site BZPower received several of those prototypes and as such some of them are known by former BZPower admin “Binkmeister” who awarded the prototype masks to visitors at various Brickfairs and other conventions. Many of them were in unique blended colours.
The BZPower mask collection has been completely given out now, and as such these “Binkmeister prototypes” are among the rarest and most valuable collectibles in mask collecting.
A white Huna and a brown Komau are believed to be the two rarest masks produced in plastic and command hefty prices due to their rarity.
Metallic Masks
During Bionicle’s run several masks were made of precious metals. In 2001 several Hau’s were made in 14k Gold. These masks had holes drilled in the top to allow them to be worn as a necklace, and were handed out to sweepstakes winners.
The gold masks returned in 2015 for the G2 reboot, and were again given out as contest prizes. Lego made a very informative and unique video showing the process of constructing these highly valuable collectible masks:
The rarest and most valuable mask produced was a Platinum Avohkii, released as part of a Cartoon Network sweepstakes in 2003 to advertise Mask of Light. In 2014 the mask’s current owner Andre O’Hurley a Utah based collector who operates The Bionicle Archives page on Facebook bought the mask from a Lego reseller for $15,000. Andre’s latest estimate for its value is near $29,000 as such the Platinum Avohkii is considered the single most expensive Lego piece in existence! The 2014 purchase of the mask made several news sites at the time including Gizmodo:
These rare metal masks are the holy grail for Bionicle collectors. Since the originals are out of reach for many, it's not uncommon to see creative Bionicle fans using 3D printing, metal casting and other methods to recreate their own metal Bionicle masks as custom pieces. Despite the imitation fan made masks on market, the originals will still command a hefty value and are highly coveted by all mask collectors.
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33 comments on this article
I never really got into collecting masks en masse, but I liked the ones I got. I wish they didn't make them in the slightly softer plastic post-2003, though.
Interesting read.
Am I right in thinking that since BrickLink gutted these masks from their inventories several years ago (replaced in most cases with a 'random mask' placeholder), there is no definitive list of what masks are out there? I've managed to grab a few dozen of these over the years but I have no idea how close I am to completing a collection - save for the one-off promotional ones that will forever be out of reach.
Very interesting! Not sure if there is an error with the photos; Chrome Hau is shown twice
Since (nearly) completing my Bionicle collection a couple years ago I've branched out to the mask collecting. I'm well on my way but the very high prices for some of the misprints make it quite the task. So my solution is to buy big Bionicle part lots on Ebay and hope some masks are included. That way I found most of the misprints and even a very cheap second Toa Mata Nui for myself. So if you are interested in collecting and don't want to pay the high blicklink prices, I'd recommend that.
Excellent Article! All the information given in it was very useful! I love collecting Bionicle masks, and even managed to get a few uncommon ones myself.
Thanks for this amazing article. I only realized after reading the article that I got a trans yellow Kaukau mask nearly 20 years ago - it sells on Bricklink for >€50! I would've never thought that this mask could be worth so much...
@Lego_max said:
"Thanks for this amazing article. I only realized after reading the article that I got a trans yellow Kaukau mask nearly 20 years ago - it sells on Bricklink for >€50! I would've never thought that this mask could be worth so much..."
That's a great find right there!
Even as a bionicle fan, there are some of these masks that I was not familiar with. Thanks for the interesting read!
I may need one of these for protection on 1st June when I order The Duke (42107).
I've got to say that I never really got into Bionicle and only got one set from the line. I can't say that I missed out.
Ooh, think I’ve still got my poisoned Hau somewhere abouts. Might have to dig it out of whatever storage it went into, see what kind of price I can get for it
All the good masks are insane prices. Remember the gold Kraahkan? Mine broke years ago and I can't find a replacement for a decent amount.
Just for the record, the TNGM wasn't only exclusive to California: Legoland Windsor had a load of them, too, for the same event ^^
I've always liked the idea of collecting at least all the Toa masks, since it had a reason in the story and wasn't JUST a toyline gimmick (though it was that, too!); but though they are cool, I've never been able to convince myself to commit. It just seems like a lot of effort for what, at least for me at present, essentially comes down to a glorified nostalgia trip xD
That said, there are a small handful of masks I'd still like to get my hands on. Primarily the rest of the golden-ish masks from the 2002 packs; I really liked the Toa's look in that year's comic, with the consistent gold-mask aesthetic, and it would be neat to display them that way ^^
@aleydita - I'm pretty sure you can find such lists on some of the Bionicle fansites. BioSector01, for example, has a pretty comprehensive list here: https://biosector01.com/wiki/Sets/Collectibles ^^
This gives me a new appreciation for one of the items I received on LIT a few years ago. We all got an exclusive Gali mask. I never thought much about it as I wasn't into Bionicle.
Is that really true that Gold Skull mask was Russian exclusive? I live in Russia and I had to order that polybag from Germany on eBay, you know. It must be a common misconception.
The rarest masks in my own collection are the two comic-con masks from the reboot. I'd really like to get my hands on the red Ruru some day, would be handy for MoCing Kapura.
As complicated as mask collecting can be, my heart goes out to any BIONICLE fan who's actually tried to collect all of the Kraata. I'd never have the patience for something like that.
@ibessonov said:
"Is that really true that Gold Skull mask was Russian exclusive? I live in Russia and I had to order that polybag from Germany on eBay, you know. It must be a common misconception."
That is a good point, I have always heard Russia myself and as such that is what I wrote; but the Villain Pack is a bit of a mystery and its never been really clear how it was distributed.
@GSR_MataNui said:
"The rarest masks in my own collection are the two comic-con masks from the reboot. I'd really like to get my hands on the red Ruru some day, would be handy for MoCing Kapura.
As complicated as mask collecting can be, my heart goes out to any BIONICLE fan who's actually tried to collect all of the Kraata. I'd never have the patience for something like that."
Yep, those Kraata collectors are crazy! I wouldn't mind getting a few Shadow Kraata and the Nike trans-orange one, but I couldn't imagine hunting down every single Kraata for a collection. It doesn't help that Kraata are probably the worst sorted item on Bricklink too.
Whoa... I didn't realize my protodermic silver Hau Nuva was worth that much^^
I think I even have a second orange Kaukau lying around somewhere...
I also have a promo pack lying around that came with Transparent Red Kaukau (the same as from the blindbags 8530/8525) and a Demo CD for various LEGO games like Island 2 and Racers. The box was given out for free at various toy and electronic shops back in early 2002 in Germany.
also there was transparent white mask with gold speckles
It was included in https://brickset.com/sets/8596-1/Takanuva
@GHED said:
"also there was transparent white mask with gold speckles
It was included in https://brickset.com/sets/8596-1/Takanuva"
Yeah I thought about mentioning the glitter Avohkii. The reason I didn't include it was because it came in a rather common set and isn't particularly rare. I actually have two of the glitter Avhokii's, one I even found in a bulk bin at a used Lego store.
Interesting insights in this article that I've never heard of before. Particularly the note on the trans-orange Kaukau being very rare and highly sought-after. Ironically, that mask (which belongs to the original Toa Pohatu from 2001) was the very first new Kanohi I got in a mask pack. Interestingly, I never got a duplicate of it in the years of mask collecting that followed. So maybe there is something to that notion.
Just over a decade ago, as BIONICLE started coming to an end, I foresaw the writing on the wall and took up finishing my Kanohi collection in earnest. As you can see on my Brickshelf account, I had a good start before starting college, but I had a long ways to go, especially on the Nuva masks. eBay, thankfully, was my best friend. Unlike the MISB Lego System sets from the 90s that I usually went for, the BIONICLE items on auction or for sale were usually pretty cheap. I got ALL of the Kanohi Nuva (including the six protodermic ones) for about $50. Similarly, I was able to get all the Turaga noble Kanohi in one fell swoop for about the same price, if not less. That left only a few small gaps, most notably with the black Kakama from 2001. That one eluded me for a long time, but I have it at last and my collection is complete. Unfortunately, I don't have a current picture of the full collection up, but you can still see the rest at http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=88839
Not shown are the more collectible masks I have. As mentioned in the article, it was easy to pick up both the orange and gold Vahi back in the day, as well as the TNGM through trades on BZPower. I got the chrome Hau in the Powerpack in 2001 and took meticulous care with it, so it still looks really great. And I also have the full set of gold Kanohi from 2002's Krana packs. I didn't bother with the flat silver ones because they didn't seem to show up in the main storyline in any major capacity like the rest of the masks did. So overall, I'm pretty happy with my Kanohi collection as it stands.
If I had the money, I'd go all for the European misprints and the red Ruru. That and the copper masks of victory are the only ones I'd still like to add to my BIONICLE collection. Outside of the Kanohi, the white metal or sterling silver Krana Kal would be cool, too. Those also fetch a pretty penny on the aftermarket.
Fantastic article. As a collector and seller of Bionicle, I love sorting the masks and matching them with sets. There is also the Toys R Us mask collectors binder. That had some unusual and obscure ones in it. Awesome for storage too.
@BionicleJedi - indeed that seems to be the best resource. But it's incomplete and doesn't give colours, which makes knowing what to look for a little bit more difficult. I mean, I can spot a red from a green as well as anyone, but light grey, medium stone grey, pearl light grey, etc. are a little more difficult :)
There were actually six Toa colors of Euro misprints for the Ruru. I had a full set of all six before either the black or red ones were released in later sets. Red came in the alarm clock (which I skipped), and black came with the McToran in the Power Pack (which I bought at least three copies of). But for the fact that they were reasonably easy to locate, they were both still referred to as Euro misprints, particularly because the Power Pack and alarm clock were fairly pricy for all the kids who were the target market, if all they were buying them for was a no-longer-rare mask. Part of what makes the chrome Hau so expensive is that most kids just couldn't justify springing for that pack when all you got was a McToran and a chrome Hau for about the same price as two Toa sets.
And it's nice to see that the community has finally accepted the fact that there are _four_ distinct versions of the Poisoned Hau Nuva, and not three. I remember that was a petty point of contention between one of the BZP admins and myself. I determined that there were four (and described them with photos) based on the fact that there were four mold cavity ID numbers that matched the different coloration. And because the info came from me, that BZP admin dug in his heels and refused to admit he'd been wrong about there only being three versions.
@aleydita:
For the original Kanohi, here are the basics:
Five Toa masks come in all six Toa colors (red, black, old brown, blue, green, white). Gali's Kaukau comes in exclusive transparent colors (trans-red, trans-black, trans-neon orage, trans-blue, trans-green, trans-clear, plus the Euro misprints trans-medium blue and trans-fluorescent yellow). Lewa's Miru comes in trans-neon green from the promo. All six also got released in metallic gold and silver colors that have a distinct tinge of green. The solid gold Hau (which I can't remember if it was 10k or 14k gold) was, as all precious metal masks, cast in special molds and visually distinct in terms of shape.
All six Turaga masks come in all six Turaga colors (orange, old dark-grey, tan, medium-blue, lime, old light-grey), and two of them had full Euro misprint sets in the six Toa colors (this article only mentions five colors of Ruru, but doesn't note which one was skipped). Huna and Komau got metallic copper releases.
Besides all of those, there were several masks that were unique to, or shared by, various Rahi, McTorans, Matorans, or other sets, but all of those should be listed in known inventories, so not particularly hard to figure out. And then there's the Nuva masks, the post-Nuva masks, the Krana, the Kraata, various unreleased masks (including prototypes, test shots, and stuff that was intended for release but never ended up being used)…
@Lego_max:
It's not trans-yellow. No masks that I'm aware of were ever produced in trans-yellow like they used in the original Blacktron theme. That's actually a fairly uncommon trans-fluorescent yellow (it lights up like a Christmas tree under UV light). The only other Bionicle part I know of that was produced in that color was the original Toa eyestalk, but it's also been used for Clikits, and I have a small hoard of trans-fluorescent yellow 1x1 round plates. Even rarer is the trans-fluorescent red, which was only used for the original Toa eyestalk (and is also really bright under UV).
@GSR_MataNui:
Indeed. Kraata got particularly insane because in order to complete the set, you had to buy shoes. There was a Bionicle shoe that had an exclusive orange Kraata entombed in the sole (on the plus side, you could split a pair with someone else if you only wanted one). However Krana weren't exactly a piece of cake either, and as far as I know, I've still got the only 100% complete set outside of Billund. To get them all, you needed a full set of all eight shapes in six Bohrok colors, six Bohrok Va colors, and six Bohrok Kal colors. You needed a second set of purple Krana (no, seriously) because there were two completely different shades. You needed sixteen unreleased Krana, with eight in chrome silver on plastic, and eight old light-grey plastic (the pre-chromed blanks). Lastly, you needed a pair of white metal and sterling silver Krana Xa. The standard set wasn't hard to collect back in the day (I did it entirely from mask packs). The two sets of purple Krana are probably difficult if you can't see them in person first. But the other 18 are going to be really tough. Someone else hooked me up with all the plastic and chromed ones, and I got the two metal ones by attending NYTF.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca:
I collected my (temporarily) full set of original Kanohi by buying mask packs, and I'm pretty sure the last one I needed was a Kaukau, possibly TNO. And in the process I pulled something like four Infected Hau.
@PurpleDave said:
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca:
I collected my (temporarily) full set of original Kanohi by buying mask packs, and I'm pretty sure the last one I needed was a Kaukau, possibly TNO. And in the process I pulled something like four Infected Hau."
Amazing! I only ever pulled one infected Hau out of a mask pack. I wasn't expecting it, since I already had the Muaka & Kane Ra set, so that was a welcome surprise.
I had no idea about the second shade of purple for the Bohrok Va Krana. I might have entertained collecting all the Krana, but that revelation there put me firmly in the "not needed in this lifetime" camp. But that is impressive that you did! And haha, old BZPower drama. I can even remember the dim "rivalry" between BZP (or Kanohi-Power) and Mask of Destiny back in the day. I visited both sites. Glad to see you're still around and kicking, posting nuggets of BIONICLE memories across Brickset.
I excluded the black Ruru as a misprint since it did make it in the Power Pack on Hafu and again on 2003's Hafu set. I guess if it was blind bagged in the European mask packs it would technically count as a misprint, but I felt I could exclude it since two Hafu figures made it common and it lacks the rarity of the other 5 Ruru's, the 6 Matatus and 2 Kaukau misprints. Despite being in the clock set, the red Ruru still seems much more rare in comparison. Black Ruru doesn't really feel like a misprint to me at least after its been re-used in two retail sets. I do consider the black Ruru as part of the misprint family in color choice even if I did't include it in the line up due its two Hafu uses.
Speaking of Hafu... I still get a chuckle all these years later how MNOG mixed up his model with Taipu and all the confusion that caused! :P
Also @PurpleDave that is neat you got pretty much a full Krana set. I contemplated including Krana, but I don't really have enough of a representative sample in my collection to cover it since I have zero of the metal or chrome ones. If somebody was willing to take a stab at writing an article on the Krana and Kraata (and maybe Kanoka/Discs too) it could make an interesting follow up to this one. I would do it myself but I lack enough rare pieces in those collectibles as I already mentioned.
I’ve never been invested in the Bionicle sets—although I like the lore behind it—but this was a good read.
5 years ago I seriously considered finishing my Kanohi collection I had started in 2001. I decided to focus on just the original 12 mask molds used from 01-04. This is also where my Bionicle set collection begins and ends.
Today I would say my collection is 99.9% complete. I was able to find all the retail, promo, and misprint Kanohi. In a happenstance of good fortune and patience I was even able to acquire the super rare brown Komau and a prototype yellow Huna. I'm still on the lookout for a white Huna, yellow Ruru and trans-blue Rau (although I fear I missed that opportunity just before re-starting my search). I would die happy if we got more masks molded in the "McToran" colors (teal, sand blue, purple, etc.)
I recently had a Hau and Miru professionally chromed in gold and silver, respectively, to adorn my Toa Kaita combiner builds. I prefer these to the official 14k gold Hau, as mine does not have holes for a glorified necklace and shines just as bright. I have little interest in precious metal cast masks.
I also completed my Slizer/Throwbots disc collection, if anyone is interested in posting an article on other collectibles.
EDIT: I should also add that, probably because of the character Tamaru, the lime Rau is pretty rare/pricey now. Not sure why, but in the past year I've seen bricklink prices rise on this one and the scarcity level increase to only one on the entire site (usually only there for 2-3 days before being purchased). This is interesting considering you can't completely build Tamaru without coloring or substituting some parts.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca:
I bought a _LOT_ of mask packs. Content-wise, the first pack was my favorite, but I still really love the Kraata pods. The two Krana packs actually got irritating back in the day because I ended up with _sooooooo_ many gold and silver masks just from chasing the two sets of Krana.
The two shades of purple are fairly easy to tell apart if you have both in hand, but under UV they look like purple and dark-purple.
And I never really went away. Yeah, I basically went on a permanent hiatus, but by that point I'd already joined MichLUG, which is now the most active LUG in the world. Well, maybe not this year. This year we've got a measly four shows under our belt, and last I checked our show schedule has been wiped clean through the end of summer. But for the last ten years, we've averaged over 20 shows per year. There are even a few newer members in our LUG who grew up reading MoD, which is a bit weird since they're much better versed in the storyline than I am (but I still have an edge on them in terms of the range of sets and their contents for at least the first few years). These days I mostly concentrate on Batman, with what I believe might be the world's largest collection of unique Batman-related minifigs (over 370 at last count, so still not doing things in half-measures).
@xboxtravis7992:
That doesn't surprise me about the black vs red Ruru. Just on the Power Pack, that was a more enticing parts pack for the inclusion of a chrome Hau. But putting one in a more traditional set really sealed the deal. I photographed the alarm clock when I spotted it in a store, but I never bothered to buy it because I wasn't much interested in the clock itself, and there weren't any parts I didn't already have. And I once bought a large Racers set just because it came with a lime Gali hook. That and nobody inventoried Bionicle parts on Bricklink back then.
And it's not "pretty much" a full Krana set. There are no Krana that I'm aware of that I'm missing. I've yet to hear of any prototypes or test shots even, besides the unchromed/chromed plastic ones. Kraata I gave up on. Besides getting laid off for nearly a year, moving across the state, and getting caught up in other themes (right around the time I was becoming financially solvent again is when Batman hit), there were just a stupidly insane number of them (aren't about half of all unique masks Kraata, or pretty close to it?). And I never got the shoes.
@chuckschwa:
Chrome gold is actually shinier. 24k gold could possibly be brighter, but those were adulterated gold because pure 24k gold (besides being difficult to achieve) is very soft and prone to damage. So the solid gold Hau was quite a bit darker than gold-chromed LEGO parts. By the time I got Binkmeister's Hau in hand to photograph, it also had a shocking number of micro-scratches in the polished surfaces, plus the design actually added some sand-texture to the cheek ribs and the interior surface of the mouth area.
Regarding Tamaru, I believe I was able to build every McToran from the MNOLG that could be built entirely from stock parts (though most didn't have names back then). That was challenge enough, and the timing got tricky because the McD's promo hit right around the time you actually _could_ complete the game (I frantically played that game from start to finish a few times just to make sure I didn't miss any). I hated the updated gearbox bodies from the MoL retail sets, though, so I never even attempted to figure out what was possible there.
@PurpleDave said:
"I bought a _LOT_ of mask packs. Content-wise, the first pack was my favorite, but I still really love the Kraata pods. The two Krana packs actually got irritating back in the day because I ended up with _sooooooo_ many gold and silver masks just from chasing the two sets of Krana.
The two shades of purple are fairly easy to tell apart if you have both in hand, but under UV they look like purple and dark-purple.
And I never really went away. Yeah, I basically went on a permanent hiatus, but by that point I'd already joined MichLUG, which is now the most active LUG in the world. Well, maybe not this year. This year we've got a measly four shows under our belt, and last I checked our show schedule has been wiped clean through the end of summer. But for the last ten years, we've averaged over 20 shows per year. There are even a few newer members in our LUG who grew up reading MoD, which is a bit weird since they're much better versed in the storyline than I am (but I still have an edge on them in terms of the range of sets and their contents for at least the first few years). These days I mostly concentrate on Batman, with what I believe might be the world's largest collection of unique Batman-related minifigs (over 370 at last count, so still not doing things in half-measures)."
Oh yeah, I loved the first Kanohi mask pack series the most as well. My meager kid budget did not allow for a lot of constant buying of them, but I'd get lucky every once in while and find them on steep discount at Toys R Us or Wal-Mart. One time I found a whole shelf filled with them on my birthday at Wal-Mart at 50 cents a pack. I used my birthday money to just about buy them all (except for the opened and pilfered ones) and Lewa Nuva instead of buying just the Cahdok and Gahdok set.
I guess it was really me that disappeared from the BIONICLE community at large, so when I see a name like yours or Binkmeister pop up again, it feels like they are popping up again for the first time in years. After BZPower's server died and ate my entire post history up to that point, I pretty much gave up on the BIONICLE community. Plus, the story and toys were finished, so it seemed like a good time to exit. But I still remember the site and community fondly! Always glad to see some deep dives on BIONICLE here on Brickset.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca:
Ah, well, yeah, I kinda dropped out of the Bionicle community (though I do still display my L5R dragons, and Star Wars and TMNT characters regularly), and I've drifted around a bit in the wider online community over the years. So when I say I never really went away, what I mean is that I've usually had a presence _somewhere_ online. I do run across people who remember me from then, but don't immediately realize that it's me.