Growing up, one of my favorite LEGO themes was BIONICLE, a story of mythological proportions populated by heroes and villains who were equal parts mechanized and alive, and in possession of fantastical powers. The very first characters of the franchise (indeed, the characters that drew me into BIONICLE in the first place) were the 2001 Toa, six elemental heroes.

Tahu, Kopaka, Lewa, Pohatu, Gali and Onua are icons in their own right. So—in the interest of breaking new ground—when I decided to recreate these legendary characters, I opted to eschew BIONICLE’s traditional building scheme in favor of “standard” LEGO system parts. I think that my approach has resulted in some pretty cool-looking figurines!

Read on to learn more about the design of these 6-7” (17-18cm) figurines.