My 2001 BIONICLE Collection

In all of Mata Nui, there are six villages, which are Ta-Koro, Po-Koro, Onu-Koro, Le-Koro, Ko-Koro, and Ga-Koro. Pictured above are the Toa, Turaga, and Matoran from Ta-Koro, Po-Koro, and Onu-Koro.

The taller figures of each set are the Toa, which are Tahu, Pohatu, and Onua. Tahu is the Toa of Fire and the leader of the Toa Mata. Pohatu is the Toa of Stone. And Onua is the Toa of Earth. The play functions of each Toa are the gears at the back, where if you turn the gear, their arms can move. Onua, who has claws as his hands, can move both arms at once. Tahu only moves his right arm, which has the fire sword. And Pohatu, unlike the other Toa, moves his right leg, which can kick objects like the rock pictured.

• The Toa also come with a feature where you can remove and replace the masks, which includes a feature that knocks off the masks. Tahu’s mask is the Hau, the mask of protection. He can use the mask to protect himself from threats. Pohatu’s mask is the Kakama, the mask of speed. He can use the mask to run fast. And Onua’s mask is the Pakari, the mask of strength. He can use the mask for super strength.

The shorter figures in the back are the Turaga, the tribal elders and leaders of each village. They are Vakama, the Turaga of Fire, Onewa, the Turaga of Stone, and Whenua, the Turaga of Earth. They were once Toa when they lived in Metru Nui, but have retired and became the Turaga. The only play functions besides the masks and bowing down are the arms and the levers, where if you pull the lever, it raises their right arm, which contains a special tool.

• The masks worn by each Turaga also have powers. While not as powerful as the Toa masks, they still had some powers. Vakama’s mask is the Huna, the mask of concealment. He can use the mask to turn invisible. Onewa’s mask is the Komau, the mask of mind control. He can use the mask to control others. And Whenua’s mask is the Ruru, the mask of night vision. He can use the mask to see in the dark.

The two characters in front of each collection are the Matoran, which make up the majority of the population in each village. There can be many as 20 or 30 in each village, but only two were showcased since they had larger roles in the story. They are the right hand man and a left hand man of the Turaga. The right hands were sold in McDonald’s Happy Meals, while the left hands (which joined the Chronicler’s Company) were custom sets using the same pieces.

• The two Matoran of Ta-Koro are Jala, the captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, and Kapura, a wanderer outside Ta-Koro. Jala (the one with the yellow mask) was in charge of the guard, which sought after the other Toa. In the Mata Nui Online Game, Kapura spent most of the game wandering in the charred jungle, but eventually joined the Chronicler’s Company.
• The two Matoran of Po-Koro are Huki, the top player of the village’s Koli games, and Hafu, the stonemason who carved statues outside Po-Koro. In the Mata Nui Online Game, Huki (the one with the copper mask) was the first to fall to the illness that infected the Koli balls, which were sold by a shady merchant who betrayed the Matoran by working for the Makuta Teridax. Hafu mostly stayed outside, but eventually joined the Chronicler’s Company.
• The two Matoran of Onu-Koro are Onepu, the leader of the Ussal Army, and Taipu, the miner who led the way to Le-Koro. Onepu (the one with the purple mask) didn’t play as large of a role in the game, but he did eventually tell Takua to go back to Onu-Koro after the Rahi fled from Kini-Nui. Meanwhile, Taipu was kidnapped by the Nui-Rama, saved by Lewa, then joined the Chronicler’s Company.

I have a few more notes. Aside to the facts I replaced the heads, I did not get the disks. Also, Hafu was supposed to have the Ruru (like Whenua) and Taipu was supposed to have the Pakari (like Onua), but the designs featured were based on the Mata Nui Online Game, which had this error.

Continuing from the previous section, this picture features the Toa, Turaga, and Matoran of the other three villages. They are Le-Koro, Ko-Koro, and Ga-Koro.

The Toa, the mighty warriors, of these villages, are Lewa, the Toa of Air, Kopaka, the Toa of Ice, and Gali, the Toa of Water. Like the other three Toa, the gears on the back can move their arms. Gali, who has hooks as her hands, can move both arms at once, just like Onua. But only Lewa and Kopaka can move their right arms. Lewa looks like a lumberjack since he has the axe. And even though his left arm doesn’t have a gear function, he can freely move it. Kopaka is the most like a knight, since he has both a sword and a shield.

• Also like the other Toa, they have their masks of power. Lewa’s mask is the Miru, the mask of levitation. He can use the mask to float and glide. Kopaka’s mask is the Akaku, the mask of X-Ray vision. He can use the mask to see through disguises. And Gali’s mask is the Kaukau, the mask of water breathing. She can use the mask to breathe underwater, which is useful for underwater exploration. Compared to the other masks, the Akaku and Kaukau are more unique, given that the Akaku have mechanical parts on one side, and the Kaukau is translucent.

The Turaga, the former Toa and leaders of these villages, are Matau, the Turaga of Air, Nuju, the Turaga of Ice, and Nokama, the Turaga of Water. Similar to the other Turaga, their right arms can move if you pull the levers on the back, which contains the tool.

• As for the masks, Matau’s mask is the Mahiki, the mask of illusion. He can use the mask to create decoys. Nuju’s mask is the Matatu, the mask of telekinesis. He can use the mask to lift and move objects with his mind. And Nokama’s mask is the Rau, the mask of translation. She can use the mask to understand what other creatures are saying.

And now for the Matoran. Like the others, half of them were sold in McDonald’s Happy Meals (hence the fan name McToran), while the other half were custom sets based on the actual characters that played a large role in the story.

• The two Matoran of Le-Koro are Kongu, the captain of the fleet, and Tamaru, a random villager who liked the music of Le-Koro. Because most of the villagers were kidnapped by the Nui-Rama (including Turaga Matau), and because Lewa as possessed, the real stars of Le-Koro were Kongu and Tamaru. Kongu (the one with the turquoise mask) was the tamer of the giant hawk Rahi called the Kahu, and Tamaru eventually joined the Chronicler’s Company.
• The two Matoran of Ko-Koro are Matoro, Nuju’s translator and spokesman, and Kopeke, an outside dweller. Both of them faced trouble in the Mata Nui Online Game, where Matoro went wondering in the drifts, and Kopeke got frozen. Matoro (the one with the bluish-gray mask) stayed in Ko-Koro while Kopeke joined the Chronicler’s Company.
• The two Matoran of Ga-Koro are Maku, the adventurer, and Hahli, a flax maker. When the village of Ga-Koro got destroyed, everyone except for Maku got trapped in a hut underwater. Thanks to Maku (the one with the Huna), Takua saved Ga-Koro. She eventually joined the Chronicler’s Company. As for Hahli, she was only a background character in the 2001 story, but she eventually became a more important character. She was even the main character of the second Mata Nui Online Game.

Going over some notes, although the color of Tamaru’s mask is correct, the arms and feet are not correctly colored. The actual Tamaru had a turquoise arms and torso and lime green feet, but due to the limited color of LEGO pieces and my aversion to paint the pieces, I went with this.

In the Mata Nui Online Game, Takua went across the entire island to collect the Matoran. The Toa had to go to the temple in Kini-Nui to fight the Makuta Teridax from below. If anything bad happened to the temple, there would be no way out, not the easy way. Therefore, some of the Matoran were needed to protect the temple as they fight the Makuta. Most of the Matoran had to stay in the villages to protect them from the Rahi, therefore, but some had to follow Takua to Kini-Nui to protect the temple.

As pictured above, Takua, the Chronicler and main character of the Mata Nui Online Game (as well as the GBA game Quest of the Toa and the Mask of Light movie), is the red one with the blue mask. Since the Mata Nui Online Game was a first-person game, you don’t see Takua in third-person until very late in the game. In the entire saga, he was actually the very first Matoran ever created. He even existed before the oldest of the Toa (who isn’t even one of the Toa Mata or Turaga). He eventually became Takanuva, the Toa of Light, but in the 2001 story, he was a Matoran.

The six Matoran that followed him to Kini-Nui were Kapura, Hafu, Taipu, Tamaru, Kopeke, and Maku. On the way, they encountered many obstacles that required everyone helping out each other. Maku used a boat to transport all of them behind the waterfall, Tamaru used a vine to create a vine bridge, Hafu and Taipu cleared a landslide, and Kopeke made a key out of ice to open the door. They then battled the Rahi to protect the temple. Despite a few successes, they were besieged by the Rahi. All home was lost until all of the other Matoran came to fight the Rahi.

Although Maku was one of the many McDonald’s toys, the others were never made into sets in 2001, and Kapura, Tamaru, and Taipu never had an official set ever. Therefore, I had to get extra Matoran parts to build these, as well as Hahli.

While the Toa and Matoran populated the villages, the rest of the island were populated by the Rahi, which are the equivalent of wild animals. Many of them were smaller Rahi. Some of these are friendly ones, like the Ussal, Kewa, and the Husi. And some are dangerous and hostile, like the Kofo-Jaga, Takea, and Fikou. However, there are bigger Rahi that are more dangerous. They’re even worse when they’re under the Makuta’s control. And the ones featured in the picture are the larger ones.

The five Rahi sold as titan sets in 2001 are Muaka & Kane-Ra, the Nui-Jaga, the Manas, the Tarakava, and the Nui-Rama. Each set contained two creatures of the same species (except for Muaka & Kane-Ra, which are two different species, but almost the same build).

Here’s what they look like on the side (using half of the creatures):

As the larger sets, they all have their own play functions. Since each set contained two creatures, they have a game incentive where one can knock off the masks of the other (or in case of Muaka & Kane-Ra, remove the shoulder blades and make them lose their arms).

• The Nui-Rama have a bar at the back where if you push it, the creature moves its wings forwards. If you let go, the wings move back. If you repeatedly push and let go, it looks like it’s flying. The Nui-Rama is the cheapest of the Rahi.
• The Nui-Jaga have a trigger behind their faces between the legs. If you pull the trigger, it will move its tail, like if a scorpion stings you. The tail moves down if you pull, but goes back up if you let go. Compared to the other Rahi sets in 2001, they look the most like the creature they’re based on – scorpions.
• The Tarakava have two levers with yellow handles at the back. If you press down on one, it will punch. You can pull both levers at once, making it punch with both arms, like the Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em bots. They also contain a tread that allows them to move like a tank.
• Muaka & Kane-Ra don’t have any obvious switches. However, if you squeeze on the mid-section, it will stretch its neck and open its mouth. It’ll eventually shut its mouth fast as it stretches its neck at the max, like if it’s chomping. If you let go, it compresses its neck. If it hasn’t closed its mouth while stretching its neck, it will close as the neck compresses. While it’s not the most expensive, it has the most pieces out of all of the Rahi sets, and the most pieces out of all BIONICLE sets within the first four years of its run.
• The Manas is rather unique for one reason: it is battery-powered and remote-controlled. You can press the buttons on the controller to make it move forwards, move backwards, turn clockwise, and turn counter-clockwise. As it moves, it also punches. At over 400 pieces and an electronic toy, this is the most expensive set released in 2001, and one of the rarest sets in today’s day and age.

Each Rahi also has a combo model, which you can make by reading the instructions. This builds an even bigger Rahi. The Nui-Kopen can be built using the Nui-Rama pieces, the Kahu from the Nui-Jaga, the Tarakava Nui from the Tarakava, the Kuma-Nui from Muaka & Kane-Ra, and the Mana-Ko from the Manas. Other than Kahu and the Nui-Kopen, none of the combo Rahi appear in the Mata Nui Online Game. However, you can see them in the comics.

The Rahi were the main threat in the 2001 story. In most years, the villains had medium-sized sets like the Toa, but in 2001, all villains were titan sets. However, they’re only evil for as long as they’re under the Makuta’s influence. If they have infected mask, the Makuta Teridax can control them. If not, they wouldn’t go after the Matoran, for that they will only attack like wild animals. That’s the Toa aim for the masks rather than killing them.

• Ga-Koro was destroyed by a Tarakava in the Mata Nui Online Game. When it had the infected mask, it was after the Matoran. But when Gali removed the mask, it became docile as it’s not really a bad creature.
• The Nui-Jaga is the most aggressive of the Rahi. They even attack each other. Even if they’re not under the Makuta’s influence, you do not want to go near these guys.
• The Nui-Rama are also dangerous and aggressive, but they won’t go after the Matoran. However, when they’re controlled by the Makuta, they have came after the Matoran and kidnapped them.
• Muaka & Kane-Ra are even more dangerous. But given their large size and what animals they’re based on (the tiger and the bull), it’s not a surprise. They’re dangerous to Matoran, but they’re also dangerous to other Rahi.
• The Manas weren’t seen in the 2001 story until late, when the Toa went into the Makuta’s Lair. Before they went to the inner chamber, they merged into Toa Kaitas and fought the Manas. But they were tough to defeat.

When the Toa defeated the Makuta, the villages were no longer attacked by the Rahi.

The BIONICLE franchise had many gimmicks. Early sets were action figures with moving parts, knockable masks, and separate building instructions to build larger models. All of this is why the franchise was hugely popular and even won the Toy of the Year award.

In addition to that, they had another feature – collectibles. In the first year, the collectibles were masks, features in blind boxes. Each box contained a great mask, a noble mask, and a Toa head. The great masks were worn by the Toa, and the noble masks were worn by the Turaga. This was practically the only way to collect masks of other colors of the same shape. For instance, Onua’s mask is the Pakari, and it’s black. From the regular sets, unless if you count the Nui-Jaga, Tarakava, or the Boxor, you could only get a black Pakari. But in the blind boxes, you could get a Pakari of a different color, not just black. There are five other black masks to collect in these blind boxes.

Collecting the masks in real life was immersive of what the Toa did in the story. When they arrived on Mata Nui, they had to collect the other masks of power before they could face the Makuta Teridax. The shapes of the masks are tied to the powers, but the colors are tied to the Toa. For a reminder, the Hau is the mask of shielding, the Kakama is the mask of speed, the Pakari is the mask of strength, the Miru is the mask of levitation, the Akaku is the mask of X-ray vision, and the Kaukau is the mask of water breathing. Each Toa needs to learn all six powers. If the color doesn’t match the Toa, it can’t be used. For instance, despite Tahu’s primary mask being the Hau and Lewa’s primary mask being the Miru, the red Miru is one of Tahu’s masks while the green Hau is one of Lewa’s masks.

• All red masks, regardless of shape, were for Tahu.
• All brown masks were for Pohatu.
• All black masks were for Onua.
• All green masks were for Lewa.
• All white masks were for Kopaka.
• All blue masks were for Gali.

Once they collect all six masks, they will be able to obtain the golden mask. The golden masks are the same shape as the Toa’s primary mask, but they contain the powers of all six masks. Once all of them have their golden masks, they were ready to face the Makuta.

And by the way, the golden masks were not provided in the blind boxes in 2001. Those didn’t come out until 2002. The reason why they were included in the pictures was because of the story.

The mask collection from the 2001 story also included the noble masks, which were for the Turaga. While they were no longer Toa, they still have powerful masks. When they were once Toa, they didn’t need other masks of power, but when they retired, they needed the other masks.

Like the great masks, the colors were tied to each Turaga, and the shapes were tied to each power. For a reminder, the Huna is the mask of concealment, the Komau is the mask of mind control, the Ruru is the mask of night vision, the Mahiki is the mask of illusion, the Matatu is the mask of telekinesis, and the Rau is the mask of translation.

• All orange masks, regardless of shape, were for Vakama.
• All tan masks were for Onewa.
• All dark gray masks were for Whenua.
• All lime green masks were for Matau.
• All light gray masks were for Nuju.
• All light blue masks were for Nokama.

Not like the Toa, the Turaga didn’t have golden masks. Now there were copper masks based on the noble masks, but there were only two, and they were only limited edition promotional masks. They’re easier to get now than they were at the time, but in the story, they were not for the Turaga.