Gathered friends, continue reading below to see the legend of the Bionicle...

MORE Bionicle.
It’s the new Clikits.

The Bohrok Va were cool for being a cheap source of black friction axle-pins, but the Turaga were neat for being the only source of colored Toa heads, which were very desirable when building MOCs.

This guy in particular is the first set I can remember getting a true extra part with. Of the copies I bought, one came with a second staff.

And the Turaga introduced a significant source of frustration by including a _TINY_ picture (about the size of one of those feet) of a combiner model that used parts from all six Turaga...but no instructions were included to show you how to build it. I actually bought a complete extra group of all six Turaga and set about figuring out how it could be built with the available parts. I did eventually figure it out, though someone whose name I can't even remember did point out one tiny tweak that seemed to make more sense. And then I discovered the problems with early digitial photography. I think this was before I bought a camera of my own, so I had to borrow one from my boss. I spent a full day trying to produce photo instructions, and ended up deleting over 1000 pics before I figured out how I would need to light the build so you could actually figure out what you were looking at (solid black models were the absolute worst to try to photograph back then). Since then, I've purchased three digital cameras of my own. The first had a terrible time with colors (ironic, given the subject matter it was used for most often). The second I ended up replacing after realizing that 6x optical zoom isn't that great when you're trying to photograph rams on distant mountains. The third is what I wish I'd had back when I was running MoD. It has 40x optical zoom, and I can shoot at dusk without a flash and get photos that look like they were taken at noon.

I'm not a Bionicle expert, but this guy looks pretty cute with the 45-degree angle arms and the short legs and the little staff.

Sadly not including the massive eyebrows the film gave him

Was this one free with toilet paper or something?

@gunther_schnitzel said:
"Was this one free with toilet paper or something?"

No, he was a normal retail set, costing 3$. Which is a really good thing, because let's be real here, nowdays LEGO really lacks more cheap, pocket money sets like this.

The Turaga were great little 3$ parts packs, they each had their own exclusive masks, exclusive staff pieces, and exclusive recolors for the feet pieces. Putting so many exclusive parts in such cheap sets is certainly something LEGO doesn't do nowdays, and part of the charm of those early Bionicle sets.

First Bionicle set I saw in person, some kid had him on the school bus one morning and I recognized it from the ads in the Lego Magazines. Vakama's new pieces struck me as very alien and different from the Lego I was used to, and I soon got my first Bionicle set (Toa Lewa) shortly afterwards.

I eventually got my own Vakama, who has been on a 19 year+ saga in my collection. My dog destroyed his fire staff and he had a "replacement staff" I made from spare parts. I eventually got a proper replacement fire staff off Bricklink. The rubber band like all 2001 sets disintegrated so it had to be replaced. The busking t-pin that holds the neck cracked, and I had to chase down an orange one on Bricklink. Its amazing how many times I have had to chase down replacement parts for this little $3 set!

About a year ago though, Vakama was my first Turaga with a complete mask collection once I finally hunted down all the orange masks! That was fun.

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So for anyone wondering the story significance of this guy:
Part 1, Chronicles:
The six Turaga where the village elders on the island of Mata Nui who helped instruct the Toa and guide the Matoran. Whenua, Onewa, and Matau didn't really do much, Nuju and Nokama had quite a few interesting lines and story beats, but Vakama was the most developed of them all.

Vakama was the Turaga of fire and head of Ta Koro. He would use his Kanohi Huna, Mask of Invisibility, to disappear from sight (though he would still cast a shadow) and his great Fire Staff to stir the flames of a massive fireplace that would give him visions of the future.

Throughout the first few years Vakama helped guide Toa Mata/Nuva. As Advisory to Tahu and leader of the Turaga, he was technically in charge of the entire island, and was the spokesman whenever major events occurred. He taught the Toa about the Masks of Power, the Bohrok Swarms, and the Makuta himself and next to Nokama was the Turaga with the most belief and support for Takua the Chronicler.

Perhaps his most interesting moment in Chronicles was during the fight with the Rahi Nui (BIONICLE's version of the Manticore.) The six Toa Nuva combined were incapable of taking down the beast, but when Vakama appeared his voice and taunts revealed he had challenged the monster before, and his taunts were enough to drive it off. This rose suspicion in the Toa of his true power.

Eventually at the end of Chronicles Takua was transformed into Takanuva, the seventh Toa, and Vakama chose to reveal to the Mata/Nuva his biggest secret. They were not the first Toa...

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Part 2, Adventures

Adventures takes place 1,000 years before the events of Chronicles, and details the history of the Turaga and Matoran from their old home, the island city of Metru Nui.

On Metru Nui, Vakama was a simple Matoran Mask Maker. He was tasked by the cities elder, Turaga Dume, to craft a Legendary Mask. The Kanoh Vahi, the Mask of Time. But no matter what he did he couldn't complete the mask.

At the same time, the city was in turmoil. A giant plant called the Morbuzakh was strangling the city and their Toa heroes were disappearing left and right, and eventually there was only one left. Toa Lhikan. Lhikan crafted a plan to ensure the city's protection and survival, and created the six Toa Stones. He handed out the Toa Stones to a Matoran from each of the cities Six Districts and instructed them to go the the Great Temple. The last Matoran he visited was Vakama in his forge. After giving Vakama his stone, the Dark Hunters appeared. Nidhiki and Krekka. After a brief duel the Dark Hunters threatened to kill Vakama unless Lhikan turned himself in, so the Toa surrendered and the Hunters dragged him off. Vakama went on to blame himself for Lhikan's capture and depression started to kick in.

At the Great Temple Vakama met Lhikan's other five chosen ones. Once in the temple, the Toa Stones began to pulse and grow in power, and eventually the six Matoran were transformed... into a new team of Toa! Vakama took up the mantle of leader of the Toa, and with the help of mysterious visions helped guide them to save the city. Onewa and Matau were critical and skeptical of Vakama, their own prejudices against Ta-Matoran disrupting the team morale, and the entire team doubted Vakama's visions despite them coming true.

Vakama led the Toa on a quest to find the six Great Disks of Power and the Toa used these disks to kill the Morbuzakh. When the Toa tried to prove their worth to the city, however, Turaga Dume branded the Toa as imposters and sent the Vahki enforcers and Dark Hunters to capture them. Onewa, Whenua, and Nuju ended up locked in a cell with a mysterious figure in a golden mask, while Vakama, Matau, and Nokama went on an undercover race through the city to rescue them. While looking for the prison, Vakama discovered that like normal Kanoka Disks the six Great Disks could be fused together, and he combined them to create the Great Disk of Time! During the journey all the Toa uncovered their mask powers, except Vakama.

Eventually Vakama and crew rescued the other Toa and the mysterious stranger. The stranger revealed himself to be none other than Lhikan, now just a humble Turaga. With Lhikan's help they uncovered a terrible secret. Turaga Dume wasn't Dume at all. The real Dume had been kidnapped several years ago and trapped in a mysterious pod, the man who had requested the Mask of Time and declared the Toa criminals was none other than Makuta Teridax (the main antagonist of the series.)

Makuta had developed a sinister plan. He was going to trap all the city's Matoran inhabitants inside of strange pods that wiped their memories, cast a spell that forced Mata Nui into eternal slumber, then awaken the Matoran and claim to be their savior so they would praise and worship him and not Mata Nui. Worst of all, the Toa where to late. The Matoran where herded into pods by the Vahki, and with a thunderous crash Mata Nui fell into a coma, and the universe was cast into darkness.

Lhikan and the Toa had to do something. They decided to steal a Vahki transport with a handful of Matoran Pods, take to the sea, and escape the city in search of a new home. On the way, Vakama finished his work on the Disk of Time and finished crafting the Legendary Kanohi Vahi. Maktua wasn't going to let his Mask of Time get away from him that easy. Makuta killed Nidhiki and Krekka and absorbed their power, and took to the skies after our heroes. While the other Toa tried to protect the Matoran Pods from a violent sea, Vakama grabbed the Vahi and went to face Makuta Teridax one-on-one atop t

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Vakama grabbed the Vahi and went to face Makuta Teridax one-on-one atop the great Sea Barrier around the island.

Using the power of the Mask of Time Vakama tried to slow down time and stop the Makuta, but he could not control the Vahi's power and froze himself! Makuta launched a killing blow towards Vakama as the two were trapped in slow motion, and all seemed lost, until Turaga Lhikan leaped in the way and took the shot for Vakama. With his dying breath Lhikan told Vakama how much he believed in him. With newfound confidence Vakama finally unlocked his mask power, Invisibility! And with it he distracted Makuta long enough for the other Toa to arrive. Together the six Toa created a protodermis seal around Makuta and trapped him atop the barrier.

Soon the Toa discovered a new paradise. A tropical Island beyond Metru Nui's Sea Barrier. They decided to return to Metru Nui, and no matter how many trips it took, rescue the Matoran and bring them to this paradise that they would name Mata Nui (in the comatose god's honor.)

The return trip did not go as planned. The Toa arrived to find Metru Nui in ruin and covered with strange green cobwebs. Vakama was adamant they reach the Colosseum and it's Matoran pods, and in the end lead his team into a trap! The Toa were captured by the Visorak, a horde of murderous spiders led by the powerful Sidorak and Roodaka. The Visorak injected the Toa with their strange venom which transformed and mutated them, transforming them into hideous creatures. The Hordika, half Toa, half beast.

The Hordika were rescued by the Rahaga. Mysterious creatures who had been wronged by Roodaka in the past. The Rahaga revealed to the Toa that the only way to cure the Hordika venom was to find the legendary entity Keetongu, a beast that could cure any disease. But the hunt didn’t go as planned. The beast half of the Toa made them more aggressive and disrupted their teamwork, especially Matau who flew off the handle and blamed Vakama for the entire ordeal. Eventually Vakama stormed off from the group in anger, and was captured by Roodaka.

While in Roodaka’s capture a combination of the team belittling him, the beast-side of his Hordiaka form, and Roodaka’s knowledge of Makuta’s mind control techniques took hold on Vakama and he was convinced to join the side of evil and become a lieutenant of the Visorak horde.

Eventually The Toa Managed to find Keetongu, but Vakama was still working with Roodaka and had captured the Rahaga. The Toa went on a raid of the Coliseum to rescue their friends, and while the others fought the Visorak horde at ground level, Matau scaled Dume’s great tower to confront Vakama. Matau apologized for his actions, for his prejudices, and begged Vakama to come back to the people who truly loved him.

Matau managed to get through to Vakama, who used his power of lieutenant to give the Visorak one final command. Leave. Be free! Do whatever you want and not what Roodaka demands! And with that, the swarm of Spiders disbanded and fled the island. Roodaka managed to get away (and free Makuta Teridax in the process) but Keetongu healed the Toa of the Hordiak venom, and soon the Toa managed to load up several airships with all the Matoran Pods and took them to island of Mata Nui (but not before one final adventure of Vakama to recover the Vahi.)

(4)
On Mata Nui the Toa Metru had gathered all the 1,000 Matoran Pods containing the people of Metru Nui. But there was a problem, the amnesiac Matoran were still comatose. Vakama made the first move, and sacrificed his Toa power to awaken a portion of the pods, becoming a Turaga in the process. The other Toa followed suit, and soon six Turaga stood over a group of lost, confused, and frightened villagers.

One villager was in particular trouble. Jaller (future Captain of the Guard.) His mask had split in two and fallen to the floor. Without a mask Matoran are vulnerable, their breathing slows, they go comatose, and eventually they die. But Vakama had a solution. Turaga Lhikan’s own mask, a golden Hau, and with it he gave his mentor’s greatest tool to who would eventually be his own pupil.

Over the course of Adventures Vakama went on a variety of other heroic missions, including fighting the 40-foot tall Tahtorak Lizard, the territorial shapeshifter Krahka, and the energy absorbing Rahi Nui. He even faced off against Makuta Teridax and The Shadowed One at the same time.

During Part 3, Legends, all Vakama really did was send the Toa Nuva and future Toa Inika on the quest for the Mask of Life, and most of Part 4 takes place on another planet, so his role in the story was pretty minor from then on.

Turaga Vakama was my second BIONICLE set, though I received him simultaneously with Tahu. I built Vakama after fawning over Tahu for a few minutes. Even without any story background, I felt there was some "grit" behind this mere village elder. Though not as imposing as Tahu's firesword, Vakama's fire staff, when swung, suggested some heft, and I imagined him marching through the village, bonking unruly Tohunga on the head when they acted up.

Oddly enough, since BIONICLE wasn't officially released in the USA yet, my version of Vakama (and what sets him apart from the other Turaga I own) is the European-packaged version, with no piece count on the box. I appreciate it more than the others, since the piece count tends to mar the beautiful background scenery.

Vakama appeared both alone and alongside the other Turaga from time to time in the BIONICLE comics and online game for the first two or so years. In his appearances, he definitely always seemed to know more about the island and the Toa's enemies than was expected, a particularly curious fact that was highlighted in 2002 with the sudden arrival of the Bohrok swarms. He told Takua, the Chronicler, that the thing that was awakened underneath Mangaia after the Toa defeated Makuta was the herald of new troubles to befall Mata Nui, and when the Bohrok finally invaded Ta-Koro, it was Vakama who explained all about the Bohrok breeds, the powers of the Krana, and what the Toa would need to do to defeat them. And in 2003, even more suspiciously, it was revealed that he gave Tahu Nuva a super-powerful Mask of Time, the Vahi, for safe-keeping. No doubt Vakama was also in on the secret Kraata hunt that led to a huge vault of the nasty Makuta-spawn being kept in Po-Wahi.

These nice little clues and acts all built up wonderfully to Vakama's revelation to the Toa Nuva and Takanuva that they were not the first Toa--that Vakama himself was once a Toa of Fire who led the other Turaga as Toa in the fabled City of Legends, Metru Nui, many centuries ago. This made Vakama an even more interesting and complex character. Although the revelation and other bits of knowledge he only revealed when necessary begged comparisons to the stereotypical old wise persons who keep secrets from youth for their own protection, the fact that Vakama did this after having walked the same path as the Toa Nuva in his youth implied a very mature, but uncomfortable, suggestion to youths such as myself watching and reading the story of BIONICLE unfold. We all feel, as children, that we are on some brand-new adventure; that in this age of the Internet we walk a path radically different from our parents and grandparents; that they know nothing about the world we deal with today. But as Vakama's example shows, a different setting and conditions in the past do not preclude our elders, in their youth, from having the same perspectives, the same notions of uniqueness and individuality. According to BIONICLE (and dare I say, in our world as well), nor does it preclude the older generation from being as fool-hardy as the current one. For Vakama's tale is a cautionary tale--he and his fellow Turaga made some big mistakes in their Toa youth, mistakes that affected the Matoran they swore to protect and even themselves.

Also one thing I wish I could explain better to those who were either to old or born to late to experience Bionicle at its peak, is kind of the mood of the era. Lego really was in a bad place, with Star Wars really being the only other huge theme. Even Harry Potter had some wonky and goofy sets at launch (compare the first Diagon Alley set which was orange and neon hues to the current wave). Then other sets of the era, Galidor, Jack Stone, Alpha Team were all just so lackluster. Really the only thing going for Lego at the time was a few set re-releases of stuff from the 90's like Western and 9V trains. Life on Mars was one of the last iterations of Classic Space's legacy, and even then it was overly reliant on the transport pump system. Technic wasn't focused on vehicles like it is now, instead focusing on Competition sets. Basically Lego was in that era doing a lot of thing that were bizarre to the 80's-90's "classics" and the standards of quality that have been in place in the modern 2010's-onward era.

So yes, Vakama and all the other Turaga are super bland outside their new pieces (the masks, head and tools), the rest being a simple Technic frame. But what Bionicle might have lacked in set appeal, it made up for in mood and atmosphere. Look at all the sets together as displayed in fan displays or complete mask collections, load up the Mata Nui Online Game and soak in the atmosphere of the island, open up the comic books that came with the Lego Magazine and flip through their pages with the Carlos D'Anda artwork. On top of it all in 2003 Bionicle got a movie, the FIRST time any Lego theme got a movie. I remember my friends and I treated Bionicle Mask of Light as an event where we were waiting to get that DVD and see who the Seventh Toa was.

All of this is pretty rote, but Bionicle was warts and all trailblazing the formula that later themes like Ninjago have made much better use of. It truly was Lego's first proper IP, and a lot of credit has to be given to Alastair Swinnerton, Bob Thompson, Christian Faber, and Templar Studios; all who realized Bionicle had a chance to have hidden under all the toy facades some surprisingly deep themes on life, sickness, creation and destruction. Templar Studios for example has a very interesting blog post on the development of the Mata Nui Online Game where they discussed the very real world events of 9/11 and how it affected the Bionicle story: https://templargames.tumblr.com/post/183938904297/program-9-the-light-of-victory-and-its-shadow

I think the short lived 2015-2016 Bionicle relaunch is proof that better sets would not have helped Bionicle that much, since I can argue all the G2 sets were much better than any of the sets we got in 2001-2003; but the story and atmosphere of G2 was paper thin. If G1 was a subvert commentary on cancer, the environment, war and terrorism; then G2 was just... another cookie cutter Lego theme. Its a shame really, G2 had excellent sets and I am still upset it only lasted about two years before dying; but it proves what really sold Bionicle back in the day was the mood, story and atmosphere. Yes sets like Vakama are flimsy $3 parts built around a mask, but ask any big Bionicle fan about who Vakama is and they won't tell you he's a $3 set or a $9 Toa figure, but instead they go on about the character and what he meant to them as kids. There are plenty of MOCs online that have re-designed this $3 set into more complex builds, and its worth seeing how fans have re-invented the figure over the years to capture the character.