I, and apparently many other BIONICLE® fans, have been contemplating the codes on the KANOKA disks. You can see one of the codes on EHRYE’s disk in this picture . The codes consist of three digits that, according to the KANOKA information in the centerfold spread of BIONICLE Issue 15, correspond to the place where it was made, what power it has, and its power level.

A three-digit code can range from “000” up to “999.” That is a total of 1000 codes. Fortunately, there are only six places in Metru Nui where the disks can be made. That narrows our codes down to 100-699, for a total of 600 codes.

A power level of zero does not make any sense. (Why designate a power if its level is zero, i.e. it has no power?) And only a computer scientist starts counting at zero, so perhaps we can rid ourselves of “0” as a power code too. That means the codes will run 111-199, 211-299, … 611-699, for a total of 534 codes.

So much for the speculation. Greg Farshtey, author of the BIONICLE comics and some of the BIONICLE books, has been graciously dissemenating some additional KANOKA facts among the faithful. Among those facts: there are only eight powers, there are eight levels for those powers, and there are an additional six disks (one for each Metru) known as “Great Disks.” The Great Disks are the most powerful disks, and they therefore have a power level designation of “9.” (The power designation for the Great Disks is currently unknown.)

Working with that information, you can determine that there are:

Just how hard would it be to collect all 390 codes? Consider the following: the numbers involved in the exact analysis of collecting the 216 different KRAATA available in KRAATA Canisters are so incredibly large that they bring my computer to its knees. Rather than give up though, I constructed a computer simulation, similar to the Virtual KANOHI NUVA Collecting program, that allows me to run randomized collecting trials and analyze the results.

For example, imagine over one million people trying to collect a complete set of KRAATA just by buying KRAATA Canisters (three KRAATA to a can), no trading allowed. Half of those people would have to buy over 400 canisters before they had a complete set. Theoretically, someone could complete a set with just 72 cans, but the odds of that happening are so small that you would not expect it to ever really happen. In fact, out of those million people in my simulation, the smallest number of cans for a complete set of KRAATA was 198 cans. It took a whopping 1250 cans for my least-lucky sim!

How does 390 KANOKA disks compare to 216 KRAATA? The KANOKA packs come with just two KANOKA disks and one KANOKA launcher. It would take an average of about 1250 packs to collect all of the KANOKA disks on your own, the same number as my worst-case KRAATA scenario above.

Greg Farshtey comes to the rescue again. He writes that The LEGO Company will not be producing all possible codes. Some codes will be held in reserve for exclusive disks, and other codes just won’t be produced at all. Just how many different varieties of disk will be produced he does not currently know. He does promise that more information on the disks will be available in the January BIONICLE comic. For example, did you know that KANOHI are made from KANOKA?

To finish our analysis of collecting KRAATA, I should note that the fifty-fifty point (half the people will require more, half less) for collecting RAHKSHI KRAATA is thirteen canisters per RAHKSHI to get all six stages. Note though that, if you have a strong flashlight and a great deal of patience, it is possible to ascertain without a doubt what KRAATA are contained within a RAHKSHI canister prior to opening it. And if you can find a shoe store selling RAHKSHI shoes, you should be able to easily identify the KRAATA contained within them prior to your purchase.

I’m not certain yet how I will display all of those KANOKA, no matter how many or few. I suspect that I will be needing all of those launchers that come in the KANOKA packs to hold them. The KANOKA disks are one of those rare LEGO® parts that does not work with a standard brick.

I have finally decided how to display my KRAATA collection though. After toying around with using the canister lids, I abandoned that idea in favor of what I consider a much better solution, shown up there at the top. (As always, click on the image for a larger version.) The design uses my standard extra large baseplate and hanger. The only other part besides the KRAATA are 2-length ribbed hoses.

The 2-length ribbed hoses are very unobtrusive and are just the right height for mounting KRAATA. I had considered using a combination of 1×1 bricks and #1 angle connectors for the KRAATA as I had for the KRANA , but the KRAATA have a much shorter stud than the KRANA and therefore don’t fit as securely. The ribbed hoses solved that problem, as they quite firmly grab hold of the KRAATA.

The drawbacks to the ribbed hoses? They are not exactly the same grey as the baseplate, they are not even all exactly the same color as each other, and they are not all cut to the same exact length. If you are going to purchase hoses for displaying KRAATA (or KRANA, they work too), I suggest getting a few extra so you can weed out the worst of the lot. As you can see from the picture, I had more than enough until the Shoe KRAATA came out.

I should also note that the above display has made it much easier for me to keep track of which KRAATA I don’t have. When I am expecting a new KRAATA, I remove the vacant hose until the new KRAATA arrives. That way I know the new KRAATA is coming and I don’t accidentally bid, order, or trade for it again.