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I mean, now if Vastus and the rest of the Glatorian Legends were gorillas or something, then I could excuse the proportions.

Can someone just admit it's ugly? Please. Let's face it: the set designers are NOT thinking, "We'll give them Bionicle proportions, which are different, yada yada yada." They're thinking, "Hey well since we have to recycle this limb design over and over again let's use this armor piece with this leg piece, etc." So to say that their proportions don't have to be the same is an excuse frankly. DV BACK ME UP WHERE ARE YOU

When the limbs are bent, it's exaggerated expressively, and looks fairly effective. Straight, yeah, it's ugly, although the point I made earlier is the same one you make here: until new limb pieces are made, there is no ideal alternative.

 

EDIT: Amen to what Incence'n'Peppermints said. <3 Kongu Mahri. And this is exactly the sort of thing Cags said above, even if Cags is limiting this sort of creative build to the stereotypical elements. Still, I will not deny that new limb pieces would be welcome for the figure of "standard proportions", even if smaller limbs=fewer attachment points=not as versatile.

 

Speaking of, I have recently produced a few sketchbook pages on "standard proportions" and ought to see about photographing/scanning them for presentation in my blog.

Sure, because people with the vast array of body types get boring, right? Tall people, short people, lanky people, rotund people, stout people, plus of course, the inevitable mixes, creates a world where there is vast and obvious body differentiation, while still holding still to the general 'proportional perfection'.

 

The human form is the most pleasing form to the human eye. And a mastery of the human proportions allows one to realistically and creatively alter and skew the proportions to create the desired affect. The proportions in BIONICLE are, biologically, psychologically, sociologically, and culturally speaking, lacking in aesthetic pleasantries. You can disagree from your personal opinion all you want to, but all of these sciences, and social sciences, have shown that this is a standard that you can apply. It is a fact that the human form is the most pleasing to the human eye and mind. It would be illogical to try and argue against that. And, since the point of BIONICLE is to sell something, not making a change that would increase the aesthetic value in the human eye and mind, even on a subconscious level, is a foolish business move. If you can up the appeal to the group you are targeting, why wouldn't you? It's just good business. And logic.

 

Now, you can argue against this based on personal preferences, but realize that if you like beings with less-than-human proportions, when they have always been depicted as near-human, or humanoid, you are actually in the world-wide social and cultural minority. And why should any business cater to a minority, when they have the option to cater to the majority, and even still please a majority of the minority, thereby extending the clientele?

 

Probably sucks for those who actually like the proportions to be in a minority for once.

 

The proportions look terrible from every perspective except minority personal preference. That's pretty much a fact.

Forgive my dullness right now, but what?

 

I was somewhat taking into consideration the various body types of actual humans - if Bionicle had these then well I dunno, it would kinda suck IMO. We need characters like Kongu Mahri and Mata Nui - the characters with odd shapes.

 

Let me know when you see a human with shoulders five times as wide as their hips or hands that come down to their knees and I will admit I was wrong.

 

 

*is undoubtedly going to regret that*

My point, which acted to counteract your ridiculous point, was that the proportional system to which humans are accustomed to, and to which they have been genetically conditioned to consider the most aesthetically pleasing form, contains a wide range of variation that if applied to BIONICLE would act against any idea of the sets becoming 'boring' (something I view them as already being). But if you find the amazing and diverse array of human body types, that still fit into the 'average human proportion' boring, then well, sorry, but you're in a minority, world-wide.

 

Besides, Kongu Mahri is probably the worst set ever. And Mata Nui would look infinitely better without the ridiculous arms that ruin his otherwise nice proportions.

Doesn't he come from a jungle? Wouldn't "monkey proportions" make sense here?

I'm to lazy to read all that up thar

Doesn't he come from a jungle? Wouldn't "monkey proportions" make sense here?

QFT.

 

Toa Mahri Kongu appealed to me for this reason, as well as his role as a mold breaker (there's no rule that air guys have to be tall, or only earth guys can be short), his armament (appropriate for a military-minded individual like himself), his mask (he gots a beard!)... essentially, everything everyone else whined to no end about.

 

Some people just made whiny remarks about how "they ruined Kongu" or "he's the worst set ever", and it was so grating on the nerves that I gave Shine a blog approval for making an entry pointing out his own genuine concerns with the Kongu Mahri set and not depending on preconceived notions to do it. He pointed out the thinness of the torso, among other flaws which I will readily accept or at least acknowledge. To this day I don't believe I have ever given a blog approval to any other blog but his (the fad never appealed to me), and I had to fabricate it on the spot just to demonstrate my appreciation.

 

Thinking of him again, I can't wait to see more of him in the story. He got some beautiful moments of dialogue in 2007 story, but there's so much potential to be exploited with his character. I can picture him now using his Mask of Summoning to bring forth some huge flying Rahi which he'll leap onto and ride just like in his Gukko Force days. I'll leave with this pleasant image in my mind; those who can be tolerate visualizing Toa Mahri Kongu may feel free to enjoy it for themselves.

Their proportions make more sense to me than our own. I've had plenty of situations where my arms aren't long enough, and I'm sure I'd have even more if my profession consisted of fighting people.

 

 

I think a shorter forearm piece would be great. We keep reusing the same ones over and over, and haven't had a new one since the Piraka. And the Inika shin is even less useful as a forearm, since it's so much thicker than most. If we had a new, shorter forearm, it could also be used for legs like Gorast's (but with joints at the knees!), or tails. Or you could make a Matoran with wacky long Toa arms that bend at the elbow!

Besides, Kongu Mahri is probably the worst set ever. And Mata Nui would look infinitely better without the ridiculous arms that ruin his otherwise nice proportions.

Worst set ever would be Hewkii Mahri. Not only did he have awful proportions, he has absolutely no style whatsoever. At least Kongu had some sort of... appeal. Kind of.

 

I'm fine with funky proportions, if they look good. Pohatu for example. Gadunka, too, but he's a monster so I guess he doesn't count. I know a lot of people think proportions like Vastus' look good, but...

 

I'd certainly prefer more human proportions.

 

~Bunda

Monkey proportions? I didn't know monkey's armspans were double their height because of ridiculously wide shoulders and narrow waists.

 

DV speaks truth about absolutely everything, but I must agree with Bundy--Hewkii Mahri definitely takes the cake.

Finally something I somewhat agree on.

 

Hewkii Mahri could've been way better

 

Also alien monkeys, Dok. Remember, these guys aren't from our own world, and thus normal human physics tend not to apply.

Finally something I somewhat agree on.

 

Hewkii Mahri could've been way better

 

Also alien monkeys, Dok. Remember, these guys aren't from our own world, and thus normal human physics tend not to apply.

Hewkii Mahri was indeed a mess. Granted, I didn't mind all of his aspects-- the shoulder spikes were cool, the color scheme was cool (even if it was the worst organization of that color scheme imaginable), the mask was cool, etc. But when it came to the thigh armor and the non-matching arms (they could have at least made the color the same), he really suffered greatly. Of course, he does have his merits: his Cordak mini-rockets are actually stored in a way that they don't stick off the back or limbs at a ridiculous angle (unlike... well... any of the other Toa Mahri, really), and furthermore actually contribute to his design by adding purpose and detail to his left upper arm.

 

I dislike when BIONICLE characters are compared to aliens as a means of justifying their proportions-- it denies the fact that these are meant to appeal to a human understanding. However, I agree with a point someone made about the usefulness longer arms entail, not because practicality is the issue but rather because longer arms make the arms feel more powerful and useful. Longer arms make poses with outstretched arms more dynamic.

 

But overall, I'd still like better-proportioned arm pieces. I just don't think it's an especially severe flaw in today's sets.

Finally something I somewhat agree on.

 

Hewkii Mahri could've been way better

 

Also alien monkeys, Dok. Remember, these guys aren't from our own world, and thus normal human physics tend not to apply.

Well, as I said earlier, I don't think for one second the set designers reasoned amongst themselves, "Well, we could give them normal proportions, but because they're from another world, we should give them "bionic" proportions." Rather, I'd be willing to bet the conversation was, "And we'll give this guy Piraka legs for his arms! And we'll recycle the same old Inika design!"

 

That said, they don't "have to" conform to any standard of non-human proportions. As DV mentioned earlier, aliens have long been modeled after humans. He was correct in saying that it's a scientific fact that normal proportions are the most aesthetically pleasing, with only a small minority disliking them on the basis of unusual personal taste.

You guys should look up Phi and the Golden Ratio. Even animal bodies follow this ratio. Considering the vast difference between humans and all those animals, I'd say it's fairly safe to assume that plastic robots should follow it too. Especially if they're being sold for profit to an audience accustomed to Phi (even if it's subconsciously).

 

Refer to: DV