I can't believe I didn't see this sooner! You leave nothing to be desired with how much care and respect you put into dealing with these prototypes, documenting them, and making the video. I absolutely cannot wait to see if you have anythin more to show or to hear the story of how you ended up with these(if you don't mind sharing). A lot of people would have treated these poorly and just sold them, even if they knew that they were prototypes, or would have just used the cool pieces in MOCs, neglecting the whole product and preserving it, like you even did with the sticker.
I think the "damage on the same place" on different parts of the same type is the molding gate, where material flows into the mold. The material "Sprue" has to be cut off from the part here, and gives off a trace on the same place on every part.
All this time MNOLG teased us with yellow claws as the feet of at least two different Rahi, yet you could never obtain then from any set out there. Turns out it was closer to reality than we thought.
Wow, I remember seeing these on BZP over two years ago, I honestly wasn't expecting this video to still come out but I'm very glad it did! Really fascinating insight into the production process of the claw piece especially! It's those sort of details that are so easy to miss, so I really appreciate the effort that goes into documenting this uber-niche protoype stuff that would otherwise remain unseen and inevitably be lost to time. Honestly it's mind blowing that the community is still uncovering new development info about this stuff well over 20 years after its release and I'm all here for it. The silhouette in the teaser reminds me of the boat from MNOG, but you mentioned the next video of yours will cover a different theme, so I assume it's not that? Either way, thank you for this insight, I look forward to seeing more from this channel!
Fascinating stuff! I love the voodoo hook with the hydraulic ram through the center, and the Sharpie'd heads are pretty funny but logical. The prototype masks were new to me too; that exterior number will be obvious if I see one.
The black heads were absolutely the correct choice, one of the things I like most about the final set is how consistent the color scheme feels with orange/lime up against a nearly pure black body. Also you can see the ones in Faber's video have black heads and maybe darker colored masks as well
Whenever I see bionicle prototypes on the internet, I always wonder how people get them lol. I'd love to get my hands on a prototype squid launcher (the original versions looked a lot different, and according to one of the designer's interviews, the original version was allegedly quite powerful lol)
These I found online! I got sent pictures of the box and spotted the Yellow claw, and went on a wild journey to retrieve them, which I'll tell someday. That's why you see me filming my live reaction of opening the box, I knew the reveal was gonna be wild ;) Good luck finding that squid launcher!!
It is so neat to learn more about the process of making Bionicle prototype models. It is a shame that we do not have the claws in red or yellow in any of the released sets. I really would like to use the yellow parts to build a version of the Nui Kopen as they are shown in the game. I think that is more impressive than the official version. Maybe someday, somebody on Shapeways will make that possible.
Give it a shot, I'd love to see it! :D Although I think recasting is the best method for Bionicle fans, I've seen some insane custom kanohi from custom injection mould processes (although I'm not sure who made those, a friend showed me)
Interesting... I have never considered designers commit *heresy* when parts aren't available yet. So was the prototype L-beam developed around the same time, or were the prototypes being used because they were surplus prototype stock?
I honestly can't tell, sometimes parts are prototyped MANY years before they're put into production and LEGO designers don't differentiate between prototypes and production parts when prototyping. I think most of the Technic beams without studs were prototyped in the mid 90s. Here, it looks to me like they simply didn't have a prototype of the 1x3 in Red yet, but they happened to have an L-shaped one, so they used that. Prototypes don't always make sense, but I'm glad for every one I find! The L-shaped one and the 1x3 beam both went into production around the same time, interestingly enough, the green prototype I have looks to be from set 8241. I could've sworn I had those L-shaped beams in Red too but I couldn't find them...
Ehm. What is the proof? All of this can be forged bullshit, literally, you didn't bring any proof for a figure that you say was not ever shown or advertised. Are we supposed to take your word for it? The different parts could just mean they are from KOs, and the parts might be from other sets or recasts or repaints.
I collect prototypes and rare parts, and have been for several years, so if you are looking for someone with a lot of experience with prototypes to prove they're real, hey, that's probably me you're looking for! I've seen many fakes, these are not. But if you're looking for irrefutable evidence: 1) Faber's footage: I posted about finding these in 2021. Faber posted footage showing them in 2023. Faber's footage is from June 2000. It is impossible I would've forged them before I even knew they existed. I later made this video deep dive. 2) The Sand Tarakava: This is an indisputable prototype (unless you want to challenge a 20 year old cultural phenomenon). Compare the claws I have here with the one shown on the Sand Tarakava and all the markings match. 3) Indirectly, the other prototypes found next to it help legitimize these. While these are so early they never appear in any photographed material, I have other parts I can prove are prototypes used in Rahi as you can literally see them on the boxes and instructions. I'm looking forward to showing you what I mean later! Conclusion: Recasting a prototype I didn't know existed using a prototype claw I don't have sounds like an impressive feat. I would've understood this point of view if it wasn't for Faber's footage - it very much legitimizes the existence of these. However I would love to chat with the designer, hear what they have to say, but I think making this video would be a better way to try to connect to the designer. You are welcome to attempt to paint or recast these parts though, I'd love to see them if you get a good result! Wish the Red ones in particular were widely available...
