Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 023 - Video 1

From "the time before time". This video shows footage of the 1999 concept models called VooDoo Heads. As you probably all know this would later evolve into the Bionicle concept.
https://youtu.be/AjbiNuEv60c

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 022

Much has been said about the size of the giant robot Mata Nui and what you see here is not canon or anything. It is the simple inspiration that I used when creating the outline of the Island back in 1999 and later on in 2007 when we had the task to make the giant robot come alive.

As you may know I use a lot of local inspiration mixed with foreign input to create my work and when it comes to Mata Nui I am quite sure the shape of my home country Denmark has played a vital role in finding the shape. We have a saying here in Denmark that our country looks like a giant head with a dripping nose and a pointy hat. So there you have it. Just turn the face to face upward and put an island on top.

If you blend the shape and size of Denmark with the features of hidden robot face and the yin yang swirling shape of a galaxy then you have the outlines of what created Mata Nui.

Following that line the size of the robot ends up being app. 3150 km.

Canon or not? Now you know the inspiration sources.
Denmark is small and very flat without mountains but almost an island. so I think Mata Nui is my secret dream of what Denmark would look like if it was mixed with Hawaii.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 021

https://youtu.be/Isuzfov350M

This is an old piece of preview animation made for fun to showcase the size relation between Mata Nui and Earth, given that a Toa was 2,3 meter high. Thak you Ghost for your great sense of humour through all the years of 3D production.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 018-020

This new exhibit shows some of the internal crew T-shirts I have done through the years. The first one "Water is for wimps" was too expensive and complicated to make because of the full color on black.

A closer look at the design of Scraper

SCRAPER UNIT TX-34/02

MAITANCE SCRAPER UNIT,

DESIGN AND MATERIAL: EXTREME DURABIL/ALL

                   CONDITION FUNCTIONALITY.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

MAGNECTIC ROLL MECHANISM

MULTIFUNCTIONAL HANDS WITH MAGPADS

FULL UNDERWATER CAPABILITY TILL 3000M

(WITH SUBGEAR ATTACHED)

INTELEGENCE: SELFREGULATING

(SOFT REBOOT EVERY 5 Y. RECOMMENDED)

SOCIAL SKILL: HIGH

CONSTRUCTION SKILL: SUPERIOUR

FIGHTING SKILL: LOW TO MODERAT

LIFESPAN: LIMITED

I'm proud to present the 2 lead characters of Escape RIG21

Here you see the 2 main characters of #RebelNature. They team up due to circumstances on the remote RIG21. Res grows up with Scraper as her single parent. A role that requires totally new skills from a robot who was build to do maintenance on the legs of an oil rig in the most inhospitable place on earth. Luckily Scraper has been build with some human skills and the ability to learn, but one thing is theory...
In this picture Res is about 11 years old and she is wearing her new power suit build by Scraper & Co. It has magnetic touch pads on hands and feet for climbing and diving gear and jetpack can be attached if necessary.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 014-017

The Bohrok launch key visual featured a triumphant Bohrok holding the golden Toa mask.
Tahu is on a ledge overpowered by the Bohrok swarm and a Krana is clutching his face.
Behind the scene the mixed Toa/Krana is symbolising the trouble of the heroes.

Below you see 3 examples of launch ads that both showed a piece of story, the product range and a promotional CD-rom that would be inserted in the canister.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 012 and 013

Back in 2002 when the Toa went underground we needed a dramatic change of mood and colour so this gloomy green haze was chosen to give a strong contrast to the sand coloured launch campaign. The Bohrok were hibernating in their cocoons under Mata Nui waiting for the right time to go into action and the whole scene had a kind of pharaohs grave feel to it so I made the icon look like it could have been chiselled into the stonewall of the caves. It looked a little like a scarab and could be repeated infinitely like the number of the Bohrok.
And yes, there was another VHS selling in video for internal use and here you see the cover. One of the main reasons why I can't upload these videos is that we don't have the rights for the music and the music plays a crucial roll in setting the mood.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 011

The Piraka art direction had to be different to anything we had done before to make the change that was needed after 5 years of legend told. So on the way to the final look we went through many stages and tests. Here you se one of the suggestions that I put together to test the limits. This poster tries to depict the bad and unpredictable feel of the laughing Piraka by tangling them together into one big alienlike silhouette monster and adding some film poster oneliners. Bad to the spine.
The pose with the shooter pointing straight up was found to aggressive in the test. We kept the white scratched background but back to the drawingboard. It may have been used on a book later.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 008-009-010

Ok, get ready for an oldie. This is pre Bionicle back in 1998 when the first ball-joint mounted creatures were about to conquer the world. Slizer/Throwbots were planned to be sold from vending machines and a couple of them actually were constructed for consumer testing. This is the design proposal that I mocked up in an early 3D program (Strata I think:).
Below you can see the full illustrations of the robotic creatures in their environment. To the left the Fire Slizer in the volcanic zone ready to fight the fire monster and to the right the Jungle Slizer taking care of an evil tree.

The giant Metal Cutter quick sketch

Here is another fast concept sketch. The giant Metal Cutter is just one of the mutated creatures living in the sea around RIG21. It can easy bite through thick metal plates and repel heavy ammo.

https://youtu.be/nwSxd8w3D2w

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 005-006-007

Back in March 2000 we didn't have any finished models for the internal sell-in and business promotion, so the mask of time and a muck up head had to do the work. Apparently it worked. Sometimes it is better to show less. By the way, does anyone still have a VHS player:)?

Faber Files, now on Facebook?

I'm testing out new channels so now I will link new files from this blog to FaberFiles on Facebook.

I want to test out if that is a good way to get reactions and discussion about the new and old projects. So go and give your opinion. Is this a good idea? Please like the page if you want it to stay active.

https://www.facebook.com/faberfiles?fref=ts

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 003 and 004

Ok, here you have some really early sketches that were done during a meetings we had with Templar Studios here in Copenhagen. In may 2000 the plans were made for what later became "Mata Nui online game".

Already then we knew that we wanted a web site like nothing else LEGO had ever done and we were very ambitious. We wanted a 1st person feel and I remember we were very inspired by an old classic PC-game called MYST. This game had an mysterious mood and worked as a adventurous puzzle. It had a fantastic 3D environment and a lot of details.

The Toa Nav Gadget was thought to be inside the canister with the Toa and work as the Toa smart device and guide the hero through the adventure. Only a little part of the map would be visible and you would get more and more locations as the site developed and you explored the island. You can see some traces of the idea in the final game but the navigation was done in a more ancient style to fit the islanders.

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 002

Piraka teaser mixed media poster from 2005 using early concept models. Still smiling and bad to the bone. Coming straight at ya!

Turaga Files - Unboxing the Legend - Exhibit 001

I'm currently working on the video unboxing of all the old stuff but while you wait I want to shorten the time by making a digital "unboxing" of the files that is in the deepest folder on my old hard discs.
Don't know how many I will find but here is the first one. An early concept mix drawing from 2006 using a low res photo of a prototype model. Unused, unseen and almost forgotten.

Testing out the new follow by e-mail function with a spoof from the past

Now you can get new stuff from this blog direct in your mailbox (I will try not to spam you)
This is just a test of that function showing an old spoof from when the Ironman 2 came out. At that time I was shopping for a new iron and thought it would be a fun piece of merchandise (love that suit!)

3 years Blog anniversary coming up. (Time for a totally subjective late night status).

April Moon over Flensborg Fjord

It is passed midnight and I’m sitting looking at the full april moon rising above the water. Actually the exact same place where I wrote the first blog entry.

Wow! today the 5/6/15 it is 3 years ago I made my first post on this blog and now 3 years later and 186 posts older and getting close to 500.000 blog views!!! I have to say the biggest THANK YOU to all who have looked, read, liked and commented. It is just the best when there is somebody out there who appreciates what you do. Putting things on this blog has almost become a regular part of my life. 

However I only have 21 regular blog readers and since they are the only ones I can contact I will have to ask everyone who wants to be part of the coming Turaga giveaway to join as regular members of Faber Files. This is the only way I can controle the giveaway. Hope it is not too much pressure but please join! (more about this later)

Through the last 3 years Bionicle have been the major subject on this blog and I feel that I have told my side of how Bionicle came to be and at the same time I have given you a look into what creativity means to me. 

The Turaga files giveaway that I’m planning is my way to say thank you to the community. 

I hope that I can recreate some of the magic and mystery that I felt was in the launch of Bionicle back in 2001 and fuel it into my new project “Rebel Nature”. As you may know I am currently working on bringing the universe to life together with Ghost and Cryoshell and the first output will be the app “Escape RIG21” coming out hopefully before summer (fingers crossed!!!).

It has been 3 very exciting years with one big headline CHANGE. Both on a private scale, when it comes to LEGO and looking at the world. 

In the last 3 years looking at the world:

•Global warming has become a reality. The highest temperature ever has ben measured in Antarctic.

•Plastic is filling the oceans and making its way into the foodchain.

•Religion is creating conflict all over the globe

•China is becoming the biggest economy in the world. and the most polluting one.

•Apple has become the most valuable company in the world

•It has become deadly dangerous to draw your opinion in cartoon drawings.

When it comes to toys:

•LEGO has become the biggest toy company in the world.

•LEGO has launched a blockbuster Hollywood Movie and done product sampling at the Oscars in front of live camera (who would have dared to dream that!!!)

•LEGO’s first successful line to girls “Friends” has been launched.

•LEGO and Minecraft have joined forces!!!

•Bionicle has been relaunched!!! (without a movie??? who would have thought that)

On a personal level:

•I lost my father last year which made me realise one important fact: LIFE IS SHORT, SO DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, NOW! Don’t but it of till tomorrow.

•I have left my dreamjob at Advance after 28 years (Even dreams have to end for reality to begin).

•I have started to create a universe that will hopefully become a game/movie/IP telling a different story, together with some of the coolest people I know. It feels great even though it is so much more economical unsafe.

I would love your support in my future adventures and the best way you can support is by subscribing to this blog, Faber Files. There are only 21 now so there is plenty of room.

The Turaga files unboxing of Bionicle concept art is just around the corner and right after that I will start up the “Turaga giveaway” so join Faber Files asap and get a chance of being part of that and help support my future projects. Thank you so much and hope you stay tuned to this channel.