I was talking with BlueSteel on Discord recently when the Shapeways website came up in our conversation. I had briefly checked out the website about five years ago, back when printing BIONICLE masks was first gaining ground. Some masks were designed at the LEGO Group but never made it to shelves, and Shapeways was the only way for someone to get their hands on them, even if only as an aftermarket design.

On a recent excursion through Shapeway’s BIONICLE offerings, I was amazed to see not just a variety of mask designs, but quite a few original building pieces from fan designers. Even if you don’t feel like spending $10-$30 USD on a mask, it’s worth searching through the site just to see some of the designs on display.

I am a bit skeptical on how well some of these can fit standard LEGO elements, not to mention the subject of illegal parts and the telltale printing lines making a lone printed piece stand out. Notwithstanding, after watching some YouTube reviews of various Shapeways orders, I was happy to see that the custom printed ball joints were often capable of being good enough despite their imperfections.

Some reviewers, however, demonstrated mask designs that turned out to be incapable of fitting onto the heads of certain MOCs, so it pays to do some research before you order. The added benefit of Shapeways being a professional outfit implies that there will be some consistency in the print quality when you take the time to be diligent before making a purchase.

While browsing a few of the site’s BIONICLE-focused shops, I picked out the items below as some designs that really caught my eye. I haven’t researched any of them in depth, so I can’t comment as far as quality is concerned, but nonetheless I find them intriguing.

Rahkshi Collection

The Rahkshi we saw represented in 2003 as sets and as 3D characters in BIONICLE: Mask of Light represented just 6 of 40 or so Rahkshi powers. Iron Foam Armory has designed custom spines and other Rahkshi pieces to represent many of those other powers.

JTO Articulated Hands

This is one of those parts I’ve always hoped we would get eventually. I would have settled for a dedicated hand socket with bars for the tiny robot arm pieces to clip onto, and a slot for a thumb. Custom Workshop aimed to replicate not just the individual fingers on the G2 Toa, but designed individually articulated digits of different lengths.

Akaku Gorod Masterov

Another offering by Custom Workshop, this is an Akaku with two X-ray eyes — because why settle for one when you can have two? I couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh at this simple but awesome modification of the original mask.

Mask of Shadows Fused With the Mask of Light

I’ve made my own version of this mask, cast from resin, so of course seeing this take on the design courtesy of The 3D Forge caught my eye. The default price appears to be for a metal printed version of the mask, which is actually not bad for about 50 bucks, but if that seems steep you can always opt to select a cheaper material.

Order of Mata Nui Ring

And then, of course, there’s that Order of Mata Nui ring, another The 3D Forge creation. I’m not sure whether to use it to join SPECTRE, cast it into the fires of Mount Doom or use it to Wayfind how somehow, Makuta returned, but I like it.

Ultimately, while I enjoy the concept and a solid amount of the execution of BIONICLE gaining so much aftermarket support, I’m actually less interested in 3D printers to augment BIONICLE, and more interested in what these original designs can eventually lead to: a standalone universal toy system.