First, here is some additional information about the Sand Tarakava. The Sand Tarakava in my possession is a prototype model, not a MOC. I did not build it. It will not be produced as a set, except in that the retail TARAKAVA were derived from it.

I am not at liberty to discuss where or how I found the Sand Tarakava, other than to say it was through sheer luck while looking for a BIONICLE™ Mini-CD. No one from The LEGO® Group sent it to me.

If you want to make your own Sand Tarakava, you can probably find all of the parts you need on BrickLink and in a retail TARAKAVA set. All except for the Prototype Yellow RURU, of course. For that you will need a RURU and some yellow paint. I may create a duplicate myself someday, and if I do, then I will post an article about it here on MoD.

After doing more research on treads, I am beginning to believe that my Sand Tarakava’s tread is also a prototype. It is the same design as the treads on MUAKA and KANE RA, but it is the same size as the treads on the TARAKAVA and MANAS (which are much thinner). I have been unable to find a retail set with such a tread.

Speaking of MINI-CDs, I received a reply from LEGO® Consumer Services regarding an inquiry I made about how many different versions of BIONICLE™ MINI-CDs were created and how many of each version were produced. I take with a grain of salt their answer that only three versions were created because 1) they claim they were all the same (they are not exactly the same), 2) they claim “the quantity produced is unknown” (some bean-counter somewhere must know, and GHOST states that twenty million total were produced), and 3) we already know there are at least four versions (although the “golden” MINI-CD may have only been distributed as part of the 2001 Toy Fair LEGO invitations).

Keep those votes coming in for The Best of MoD . I’ll keep counting until the end of this month (July). Right now, the EXO is in the lead with strong voting both for ” EXO Marks The Spot ” and ” EXO-POHATU “. ” The Wizards of MATA NUI” and ” DRAGON OF FIRE! ” (both from March) are close behind. The voting has been relatively well spread out among articles of the last twelve months, stretching from the very first article to almost the very last.