Random set of the day: Nuju
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 1420 Nuju, released during 2001. It's one of 31 Bionicle sets produced that year. It contains 29 pieces.
It's owned by 851 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $80.00, or eBay.
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28 comments on this article
Triple Bionicle! That's a Hat Trick!
(Yeah, I know, the Vintage Set of the Day interrupted, but whatever.)
Is Bionicle the new Clikits?
Okay, I'll legit keep it short this time.
Nuju was once an astrologer in the Ko-Metru district of Metru Nui. He was one of six chosen by Lhikan to succeed him, and was transformed into a Toa Metru. As a Toa he frequently clashed with Whenua the archivist, who's obsession with the past clashed with his own obsession with the future.
After the Great Cataclysm, the Toa Metru were captured by the Visorak Horde who mutated them into Hordika beasts. While looking for the cure, Nuju was paired with Rahaga Kualus. Kualus taught Nuju to appreciate the beauty of nature, and even taught him the click and whistle based language of the birds.
After the Hordika were cured, Nuju took a vow of silence. He decided to only speak in the language of beasts, this way anyone who wanted to speak with him would have to prove they needed to and were determined to do so. The Toa Metru soon sacrificed their power, transforming into Turaga elders to awaken the sleeping Matoran villagers on the island of Mata Nui.
Nuju, true to his vow, would speak in clicks and whistles, but to ease his fellow Turaga he trained a translator. Matoro, who became the Right Hand of Ko-Koro. Matoro was loyal, keeping many secrets, but would often alter his translations to be less crass and vulgar. Matoro had responsibilities beyond translation, though, so the challenge became more of finding him than understanding the whistles yourself.
When Matoro died (see the previous RsotD), Nuju was hit the hardest. He questioned what kind of god would require such sacrifice, and wondered if he could trade the entire universe to have his aid back... would he?
Nuju wore the Kanohi Matatu, the Mask of Telekinisis. This let him pick up and move objects with his mind. He also wielded a simple Ice Pick as his Badge of Office.
I thought, "Hasn't this guy been RSotD before?" Then I remembered the Kabaya promo.
@GSR_MataNui said:"Okay, I'll legit keep it short this time."
Since my order of a complete set of Spider-Verse CMFs just came in today, I have to say: Let's do this one last time...
"What do the birdies sing? Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet tweeeeet."
@Maxbricks14 said:
"Is Bionicle the new Clikits?"
You got here before the lore was posted, so you apparently missed that this guy speaks in whistles and Clikits.
Technic? Bionicle? Make up your mind, Kabaya!
@Wallace_Brick_Designs said:
"Technic? Bionicle? Make up your mind, Kabaya! "
Bionicle got its start as a Technic subtheme. And, since this came out in the very first year of the line, it's both Technic and Bionicle, in the same way that, say, 6876 is both a Space set and a Blacktron set.
"click click chirp click click chirp"
Kabaya means this came with something that could charitably be called candy.
Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…
Despite being the second tallest of the original Turaga models behind Onewa and destined to stand out (literally), this one is a bit bland tbh with all that grey and a teeny-tiny ice pick, despite the snow and ice affiliation. However, I'm a proud owner of the non-Kabaya version, alongside most of the Turaga sets.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Triple Bionicle! That's a Hat Trick!
(Yeah, I know, the Vintage Set of the Day interrupted, but whatever.)"
The sidebar shows them neatly aligned one after anoher so it definitely counts. ;)
@whiteghost said:
"Despite being the second tallest of the original Turaga models behind Onewa and destined to stand out (literally), this one is a bit bland tbh with all that grey and a teeny-tiny ice pick, despite the snow and ice affiliation. However, I'm a proud owner of the non-Kabaya version, alongside most of the Turaga sets.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Triple Bionicle! That's a Hat Trick!
(Yeah, I know, the Vintage Set of the Day interrupted, but whatever.)"
The sidebar shows them neatly aligned one after anoher so it definitely counts. ;)"
It’s also an Ice-Fire Sandwich.
Though a lopsided one-would have worked better with a Toa Nuju.
@Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
Well, I mean you *could* use a quote from when he was a Toa, but that could be its own kind of tricky.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
Well, I mean you *could* use a quote from when he was a Toa, but that could be its own kind of tricky."
I suppose I could have done but I feel like if it’s his Turaga form that’s come up I should really use quotes from his Turaga phase. I always liked talking to those guys in the Mata Nui Online Game, everything they said always sounded so profound, really improved how rich the world felt
@Brickalili said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
Well, I mean you *could* use a quote from when he was a Toa, but that could be its own kind of tricky."
I suppose I could have done but I feel like if it’s his Turaga form that’s come up I should really use quotes from his Turaga phase. I always liked talking to those guys in the Mata Nui Online Game, everything they said always sounded so profound, really improved how rich the world felt"
You know you're an OG Bionicle fan if you remember waiting for the next part of the MNOLG to come out.
How do kabaya sweets actually taste?
@Brickalili said:
" @TheOtherMike said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
Well, I mean you *could* use a quote from when he was a Toa, but that could be its own kind of tricky."
I suppose I could have done but I feel like if it’s his Turaga form that’s come up I should really use quotes from his Turaga phase. I always liked talking to those guys in the Mata Nui Online Game, everything they said always sounded so profound, really improved how rich the world felt"
That game was one of the best parts of my childhood, I miss lego web club
@Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
For whatever it's worth, there are a few instances where he speaks comprehensibly:
- any of his dialogue from comic 1, since that was before it was established that he didn't speak at all (rather, the difficult-to-understand aspect to his speech was attributed to him speaking in riddles and using symbolic gestures, rather than bird-speak). Granted, in that case most of what he says is exposition-dump for Kopaka's benefit, so not exactly good for a stand-alone quote.
- his dialogue from Bionicle: the Game... although that game is a) non-canon and b) gives him a very goofy voice.
- his single line in Downfall where he foregoes bird-speech entirely to shout to everyone that Mata Nui is alive.
That said, yeah. Not much that makes for a great quote outside of its original context, unfortunately.
-
@TheOtherMike said:
"You know you're an OG Bionicle fan if you remember waiting for the next part of the MNOLG to come out."
I consider myself an OG Bionicle fan but never had that experience... because I tried to play MNOG very early in 2001 when there was nothing more to it than the beach, and assumed that was just all the game was, didn't realise that it would be updated in the future, and so didn't bother coming back to it...!
I think it was only in early 2003 that I actually gave the game a try again and discovered what I'd been missing all that time...
Just yesterday I encountered one of the non-kabaya copies of this set in a huge bulk lot I bought recently.
The kabaya set is interesting in that it has a LOT more combiner models designed for it
@MCLegoboy said:
"Triple Bionicle! That's a Hat Trick!"
I know its been a phrase for a long time outside of this, but I've been watching a lot of Doug Doug recently and "Hat Trick" is a really popular meme on his channel. The Twitch hive-mind just REALLY likes that Peggle power-up. I've never been able to hear it the same since.
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
For whatever it's worth, there are a few instances where he speaks comprehensibly:
- any of his dialogue from comic 1, since that was before it was established that he didn't speak at all (rather, the difficult-to-understand aspect to his speech was attributed to him speaking in riddles and using symbolic gestures, rather than bird-speak). Granted, in that case most of what he says is exposition-dump for Kopaka's benefit, so not exactly good for a stand-alone quote.
"
Which is a real shame because Kopaka himself gets some absolute bangers for quotes in that comic, they started strong with that one
Absolute heresy that they made their feet out of their heads.
@MCLegoboy:
So basically we can just call this four days of Bionicle RSotD?
@Nuclearxpotato:
The one time I can recall opening a full Kabaya set, it had two gumballs that could charitably be called pineapple-flavored. Like this blueberry gum that one of the guys in my college group got imported from Japan, the flavor was completely gone in less than ten seconds.
@TheOtherMike:
And what if you used to post announcements and reviews of the new updates?
@Eightcoins8 said:
"How do kabaya sweets actually taste?"
If it's gum, briefly.
@ThatBionicleGuy:
I'm guessing you mean you tried before the US release, and I'm pretty sure the story was timed to the US market (especially since the web stuff was being developed in NYC).
@dellyot:
Not at all. Do you realize how rare that part was in any color besides light-grey? And for $5 you could get three in a different color? The Bohrok-Va were worth buying in volume just to get the black friction axle-pins, but the Turaga were just as valuable for those heads.
@PurpleDave said:
" @ThatBionicleGuy :
I'm guessing you mean you tried before the US release, and I'm pretty sure the story was timed to the US market (especially since the web stuff was being developed in NYC)."
I guess so, yeah. I don't remember exactly when it was since I was only nine at the time, but you're right that it would have been early in the run; at a guess not long after I got my first Toa, Onua, when they were featured in the Jan / Feb Lego World Club magazine, since I'm sure I went to the website after getting him to see what other lore there was about these new guys.
According to BS01, the 'just the beach' launch was on January 1st; Ta-Koro was added February 1st; and Ga-Koro March 17th (subsequent updates were in May, and then July and onwards, which I assume was after the US release?). That means for me it was probably sometime in January, although there's a possibility it may have been after the Ta-Koro update and I just couldn't find my way off the beach at the time...! In any case it would for sure have been before the Ga-Koro update, because I can be fairly certain that Maku hadn't yet been added to the beach scene.
@ThatBionicleGuy said:
" @Brickalili said:
"Was trying to remember a cool Turaga Nuju quote but that’s tricky when everything he says is bird noises and usually gets translated through Matoro…"
For whatever it's worth, there are a few instances where he speaks comprehensibly:
- any of his dialogue from comic 1, since that was before it was established that he didn't speak at all (rather, the difficult-to-understand aspect to his speech was attributed to him speaking in riddles and using symbolic gestures, rather than bird-speak). Granted, in that case most of what he says is exposition-dump for Kopaka's benefit, so not exactly good for a stand-alone quote.
- his dialogue from Bionicle: the Game... although that game is a) non-canon and b) gives him a very goofy voice.
- his single line in Downfall where he foregoes bird-speech entirely to shout to everyone that Mata Nui is alive.
That said, yeah. Not much that makes for a great quote outside of its original context, unfortunately.
-
@TheOtherMike said:
"You know you're an OG Bionicle fan if you remember waiting for the next part of the MNOLG to come out."
I consider myself an OG Bionicle fan but never had that experience... because I tried to play MNOG very early in 2001 when there was nothing more to it than the beach, and assumed that was just all the game was, didn't realise that it would be updated in the future, and so didn't bother coming back to it...!
I think it was only in early 2003 that I actually gave the game a try again and discovered what I'd been missing all that time..."
You were waiting, you just didn't know it yet.
@GSR_MataNui said:"...that Peggle power-up."
I'd completely forgotten about that game. I used to play that all the time. O think I still have the CD-ROM,but it's in storage right now.
@PurpleDave said:"The Bohrok-Va were worth buying in volume just to get the black friction axle-pins..."
I got at least enough to replace all the non-friction axle pins that all the Turaga and Lewa's left arms with. I'm not sure how many others I got. But I do remember coming across Pahrak Va on clearance at K·B and buying a bunch.
@ThatBionicleGuy:
Hmm, I guess I missed a few of the earlier updates, then. July was the US launch, so it was probably sometime after that when I first learned about the online game, and a few of the villages would have been accessible from the very start. Now I'm curious if any Toa showed up before the US launch, or if the only hint of them would have been the sealed cannister on the beach. I know I was able to reach Ta-Koro and Ga-Koro right away, and that Ko-Koro and Le-Koro were inaccessible. Can't remember if Po-Koro or Onu-Koro were before or after I got started.
@TheOtherMike said:
" @PurpleDave said:"The Bohrok-Va were worth buying in volume just to get the black friction axle-pins..."
I got at least enough to replace all the non-friction axle pins that all the Turaga and Lewa's left arms with. I'm not sure how many others I got. But I do remember coming across Pahrak Va on clearance at K·B and buying a bunch."
I've still got a huge shopping bag filled with nearly 100 Nuhvok-Va (plus maybe half a dozen in other flavors) because I simply stopped building Bionicle MOCs around the time I snagged them in the court-ordered Kay*Bee/KB Toys sale. I've opened maybe one or two over the years, when I really needed those parts, but now they're being produced in a dark metallic color. It's easier to buy those now than go digging for three pieces per set.