So where is Photo A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J?

I like the Av-Matoran a lot more than most. I understand the complaints about simplicity but I’ve never understood people complaining about their articulation, when they actually have *more* points of articulation than any other Matoran-style build before them.

They’re also one of the few Matoran builds that aren’t exact clones of each other! Between the two different torsos and three different limbs, there’s a surprising variety of unique body shapes you can create using just this system. Photok here uses the same pairs of limb molds as his wavemate Tanma, but swaps which molds go to which extremities - Photok has long, bulky arms with skinny crouched legs, while Tanma has longer legs and leaner arms. Combined with their different torso molds, Photok having a wider one with hunched shoulders and Tanma’s being a more typical shape, there’s a surprising amount of variety and character conveyed through each set despite having literally only one different part between them aside from masks and weapons.

Also I just find it fun to make custom ones. Due to their simplicity it’s super easy to amass a whole crowd of them quickly, and all the body parts come in such a massive variety of colours compared to other Matoran styles that it’s very simple to create a unique-looking character with them.

The Av-Matoran, Villagers of Light, were the first Sapient Species developed for the Matoran Universe. They were significantly more powerful than the other breeds of Matoran, having actual elemental powers, usually manifesting in blasting bolts of light energy from their blades. They were also very rare compared to their successors, only living in Karda Nui, the "Great Heart" power plant that ran the entire GSR.

As time went on, the potential value (and risk) of Av-Matoran became apparent. Rumblings had begun that The Makuta, Shadow Elementals, were falling to evil. A Toa of Light would be incredibly deadly and powerful against their race, meaning the entire species was at risk of genocide should the angels fall. 60,000 years ago The Order of Mata Nui (the BIONICLE secret service) formed a plan to prevent such tragedy.

Few outside the Order knew Karda Nui's location as-is, so the Order snuck into Karda Nui and kidnapped some of the Matoran within. They wiped these Matoran's minds, disguised their armor as that of other elements, and dispersed them across the Universe. With the help of Mata Nui himself they then wiped the memories and destroyed written records of the past six months from everyone in the Universe, creating what would be known as the Time Slip. The Matoran taken from these lands would have no knowledge of their true potential and heritage, while the people of Karda Nui had no idea where their friends had mysteriously vanished to.

Much later, The Great Cataclysm brought further strife to Karda Nui's people. During the massive earthquakes of Mata Nui's crash, the roof of Karda Nui caved in, causing the Matoran of Light to fall into the reactor. They found themselves atop giant stalactites embedded in the desert (and later swamps) of the cavern floor. They adapted to this new way of life by using jetpacks to travel though the air.

But the Time Slip plot proved successful. Takua was one of the Matoran taken, hidden in Metru Nui as a Matoran of Fire, and he would transform into Takanuva, the very first Toa of Light. And his transformation came just in time.

100,000 years after the launch of the GSR, 1,000 years after the Great Cataclysm, and 6 months after Takanuva's accession, the Brotherhood of Makuta finally found the path into Karda Nui and began their assault. The Brotherhood's top seven generals descended on the core. But they didn't come to kill the Matoran of Light, oh no, they had something far more sinister in mind. They brought with them the Shadow Leeches, disgusting slugs that could attach to a being and drain them of all moral light, leaving them a sinister servant of the shadows. No more Toa of Light would come, but a Toa of Shadow was now a potential they eagerly sought. They transformed many of the people into Matoran of Shadow, slaves of the order, mutated into bat-like beasts with claws and wings. And those that could not be turned? Now those they would kill, but not by their own hands, but by the claws of their former friends.

But help would soon arrive. The Toa Nuva came to Karda Nui to reawaken the Great Spirit, and while there helped the Av-Matoran fend off the shadow. Photok here became quick friends with Pohatu, Toa of Stone, and the two often traveled and fought together. Soon the Toa and Av-Matoran discovered a previously unknown (well, the Makuta had also figured this out but kept it secret) power of their race. Matoran of Light were capable of forming a symbiotic connection with other beings, linking their minds and enhancing their powers. Photok would ride on Pohatu's back where his light power and Pohatu's Mask of Speed combined to let the duo travel at the speed of light.

Eventually some of the Toa (Ignika, Lewa, Kopaka, and Pohatu) and Matoran (Tanma, Solek, and Photok) discovered the Makuta's hive where they were growing Shadow Leeches. While there they were divided by illusions and captured. The three Matoran where held captive in a separate chamber form the Toa. Each room had some Makuta. The Makuta with the Toa would interrogate, torture, and Shadow Leech the he

Eventually some of the Toa (Ignika, Lewa, Kopaka, and Pohatu) and Matoran (Tanma, Solek, and Photok) discovered the Makuta's hive where they were growing Shadow Leeches. While there they were divided by illusions and captured. The three Matoran where held captive in a separate chamber form the Toa. Each room had some Makuta. The Makuta with the Toa would interrogate, torture, and Shadow Leech the heroes, threatening to give a psychic message to the Makuta over the Matoran and order him to kill them if the Toa resisted.

But these Makuta had underestimated their prisoners. Pohatu used his power over Stone to carefully weaken the floor of the room under his foes. Then he activated his Mask of Speed, moving so fast his molecules would phase through his restraints and the walls, while at the same time snapping that last support to make the floor collapse. The shock of the collapse bought him just enough time to reach the other chamber and save the three Matoran, and together the seven escaped from the hive and managed to break it off the ceiling, crashing into the swamp bellow and killing Shadow Leech production.

Soon after Takanuva himself arrived in Karda Nui. While there he discovered the Klakk (a monster Mutran created to protect his "lab" now that the hive was destroyed, only for it to escape.) This Klakk had the power to break the mental barrier put over Shadow Leech victims, curing them from its effects and freeing them from the Makuta's slavery. With the help of Photok (and the other Av-Matoran), Takanuva managed to free all the Shadow Matoran and evacuate Karda Nui, its people fleeing to Metru Nui in the north for refuge.

Photok would survive the coming Reign of Shadows and evacuated the Matoran Universe for the freshly reformed Spherous Magna at Journey's End.

In addition to the jetpack for flight and light channeling Power Swords (which were standard issue for Av-Matoran), Photok wore a Kanohi Kakama, the Mask of Speed. As a Matoran his mask was Powerless, but it was forged in the Noble shape Turaga would normally wear the mask in. If Photok were to become a Toa, this mask would give him very similar powers to his ally Pohatu.

And in case it wasn't obvious, yes the joke is he's named "photon," like the light particle.

@TotalMaddness said:
"Also I just find it fun to make custom ones. Due to their simplicity it’s super easy to amass a whole crowd of them quickly, and all the body parts come in such a massive variety of colours compared to other Matoran styles that it’s very simple to create a unique-looking character with them."

I'm gonna second Catra here that the Av-Matoran build is overhated. It may have big and clunky parts, but you can still do so much more with those parts than people give it credit for, and (while you could say this about '09 in general) they finally brought back the vivid colors we lost going dark and gritty in '04. Personally I love using it for Agori more than Matoran though. Agori are organic creatures, born and grown from unique genetic code, so them having varied body types makes sense. Matoran on the other hand are worker drones, mass assembled for manual labor, so I always liked the idea that their bodies were identical with just different colors and subtle detailing on the armor to set them apart.

My favorite Matoran build has got to be the Mahri-Toran. Its got the iconic V-shaped chestplate of the Metru-Toran, stubby legs and long arms of the McToran and Kohli-Toran, and the more in-depth build with articulation from the Voya-Toran. Few specialized parts gives them great recolor potential. Only downsides are the chestplate having to stay silver, and they don't have any freakin' hands! They really do just feel like default Matoran (Metru) with slight fishy-bits, which given a 3 year gap and entirely different build method is impressive. They're even about the same height. That's more than I can say for the Toa from those (supposedly same scale, I don't believe you Greg) eras.