84 replies to this topic

[toatitan]

How did you get into bionicle? What is it that kept you enthralled? Was it the story? or the play value? Basically, what made Bionicle Great?

[bonesiii]

"All of the above." All the stuff that made it great. Cool designs, poseability, originality, story, mystery, you name it. Even the collectibles and stuff were fun to a degree, heh.

[Peach 00]

The sets, play value, story - everything. As bonesiii said, 'All of the above'. I started getting disinterested in the story in '08 because they made the return of the Nuva, and then they completely went away from the MU to Bara Magna. But I always loved the poseability of the sets, building them, and the originality of the story and the characters.

[Gatanui]

Same as above. The sets are obviously what get you into a LEGO theme first, but the story is one of the main reasons you grow to love the theme.

~Gata.

[Mega Man: The Blue Bomber]

MY mom showed me it cause at the time bionicle was out i was obsessed with thomas the tank engine. But eventually i liked the toys but loved the story even more!

The irony of this is that mom told me how to spell it but now I have to tell her and she doesn't remember how I got into it!

Edited by Zacax, Mar 23 2012 - 10:23 AM.

[Sumiki]

I started out loving the sets. The moment I realized there was also a story, I got hooked on that as well. Eventually, I lost interest in the sets for the actual sets and more for their parts.

More so than any line before it, BIONICLE took both the infant constraction genre and LEGO as a whole further. What began as something little better than Roboriders evolved into the highly modifiable and articulatory builds of the later Inika-style sets. I think it did more to further constraction, and thus the entire LEGO system, than any other line before it and probably more than any line that came after it ever will - including Hero Factory.

[Lyichir]

I was already a LEGO fan who had collected Throwbots and Roboriders when BIONICLE came out. My brother and I actually ordered the original package of Tahu and Vakama from the back of LEGO Mania Magazine!

The story sucked me in with the complex mythology and worldbuilding. I had found the story in previous LEGO themes lacking, particularly in the case of Roboriders. I also loved the sets, although it wouldn't be until years later that I would obtain the best of these early sets, those being the Rahi. I discovered BZPower in around 2003, and finally joined in 2006.

Throughout my time as a BIONICLE fan my brothers and I bought every canister set. Aanchir got the red and white ones, I the green and brown ones, and Meiko the blue and black ones. We also got most of the smaller and larger sets, although sometimes those were harder to divvy up equally!

I liked most every aspect of the BIONICLE theme, and I owe it for carrying me through my "dark ages" (that time during a LEGO fan's teens when they begin to lose interest in LEGO). Without BIONICLE, I might have lost sight of my childhood dream to work for LEGO when I grew up!

[Aanchir: Rachira of Time]

I was a dedicated LEGO fan even before BIONICLE. In the late 90s I had started getting into Technic sets, including Throwbots. When I first saw mention of BIONICLE,I wasn't sure about how I liked it. The masks felt specialized, the story seemed extremely unconventional, and I had gotten used to lines like Throwbots and Roboriders lasting for just a few expensive years before coming to an end. But I took a gamble when a LEGO Mania Magazine offered Tahu, Vakama, and a promotional mini-CD and took a dive (as my brother just described).

Needless to say, I admired the ways the sets had improved on designs in Throwbots and Roboriders (it was nice to have sets that didn't rely on tiresome worm gears for their functionality). The story also proved compelling when I started to learn about that in greater depth.

When Hero Factory came around, I saw the advantages of it, but having grown older it didn't have the same "tug". But as soon as the new building system showed up, I took another gamble by buying a set, and since then I have been a dedicated fan of that as well (though a bit more critical of it than I was of BIONICLE).

[Takanuinuva]

I got into Bionicle for the sets. It wasn't until late 2004-2005 when I understood the story. I had originaly wondered where the toa nuva went when the toa metru appeared. As it went on I enjoyed the story a bit more than the sets. But I still bought the sets that had good parts for me to Moc with. Now with Hero Factory i'm liking the sets more than the story. After the new building style was introduced with Ordeal Of Fire I've been buying all the new Hero Factory sets for the new parts to Moc with. But back to Bionicle I do wish Greg would finish the story. I think Bionicle had a good enough run and we should end it and tie up all the loose ends.

[ToaofIron]

I used to play with Lego Bricks as a side thing. Then when I opened my christmas present and saw ehrye instead of that new race car i wanted, I was a little frustrated. I eventually stayed after discovering matoro, the visorak, and the story. I guess the story was why I stayed, which made the ending pretty hard on me.

[Dralcax]

I got my first Lego Magazine, saw Vakama Hordika on the cover, and fell in love instantly.
Ironically, the Hordika ended up being my least favorite sets.
Anyways, I think the sets are the main attraction here, but the story is a seperate entity that is equally amazing.

Edited by Chaos Dralcax, Mar 23 2012 - 03:07 PM.

[Replicant]

The first time I saw bionicle, strangely enough, was not reading one of the books, seeing one of the movies, or getting one of the toys, but reading one of the comics. As soon as I read that first sentence, the... uniqueness won me over. Ever since then, I was a gigantic fan.

To answer your other question, the always-evolving story kept me enthralled, as well as the teasers for new sets on the backs of comics.

[The Inquisitive Automaton]

I received Lerahk as a birthday present from a friend. I fell in love with it ever since. Just something about the set design hooked me and kept me in love, which was then followed by an addiction to the story.

[fishers64]

The Story.

Oh, and I really liked the awesome games and movies on Bionicle.com. But mostly the story. The sets had good play value for my little brother, but the thing that hooked me was that Bionicle book my brother brought home from a book fair. The story was the thing that makes Bionicle unique, and it was a strong contributor to its greatness.

[Makuta_of_Oz]

"All of the above." All the stuff that made it great. Cool designs, poseability, originality, story, mystery, you name it. Even the collectibles and stuff were fun to a degree, heh.

Pretty much this minus the poseability. I loved the sets, I loved the stories, I loved the characters, I loved the species, I loved the factions, I loved the armies, I even loved the wildlife! I just can't get enough of it!

[Bambi]

I got the blue Bohrok. I that it was cool, so I decided to check out the other sets. I started getting those, and was reading the Bionicle comics whenever they came out, so yeah..

[Ultimate Sybre]

I thought Bomonga looked cool.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

The Tahu Mata and Lewa Mata sets got me into Bionicle. I got into it even more when I discovered that there was a storyline to follow as well. As time went on, my interested in the sets went down, but I continued to follow the story. I kept up with the story until it ended, even when I stopped collecting the sets after 2008. The unique storyline, with all its characters, locations, plots, etc., kept me interested in the line.

[Axilus Prime]

I saw a Piraka or Rahkshi (Don't remember which, but they were definitely green and black.) with some other guy. He explained the whole Bionicle thing to me and I got hooked. What makes it special? Yes, all of the above, like Bonesiii said.

Edited by Tahu Nuva Golden, Mar 24 2012 - 02:48 AM.

[Onewa7]

The sets, when I first saw the Toa Metru, and then the story. Metru Nui was just so awesome with all those buildings and Vahki. I spent hours playing new adventures of the Toa Metru. Then I got the Rahaga, and moved to corrupted Metru Nui-esque adventures. And what's great is that I then discovered the previous, hidden story from 2001-2003.

[Reya]

The Toa Mata. Back in '01, I thought they were the coolest thing I ever saw.

[Matoro --- Preston=Xd]

Ahh... It was 2006. Then, while watching the Telly, an advert appeared. Rainy thunderstorms covered the background while 6 elemental figures walked (Epicly) in a line, each colour coded and each with unique weapons, maks and build. Then, the song.. >.< (Nostalgia overload) From that moment, that 1 advert got me sucked into this vortex of compelling story, outstanding sets, Awesome fan-fiction and amazing possibilities. In 2005 I got Toa Hordika Whenua and Mata Nui I coudn't even build it! <.< I'm getting all the other sets now though. (Ebay) But I'm so sad I wasn't there to buy the originals.

[Wrinkledlion X]

I was never particularly interested in Roboriders or Throwbots, so when I first saw the ads for the Toa, I passed right over them to see what System sets there were. But one day, I noticed a picture of Tahu lavasurfing on the back of my LEGO catalogue, and I read the description. It told of how he was sent from the Heavens to defend the village of fire, and it described Vakama as an elder full of wisdom. There was no mention of them being robots or any of the things I had come to expect from previous Technic figure lines. This was something different—fantastic and magical. I ordered it, and managed to get Tahu and Vakama before the rest of the Toa were in stores.

What really sealed the deal for me was the disc that came in Tahu's canister. It opened up this whole mythological world for me, full of Polynesian mysticism, elemental spirits, and the religious dualism of Mata Nui vs. The Makuta. I was just fascinated, more by the aesthetic of the story than the toys themselves. The crumbling ruins of Kini-Nui wreathed in vines, the stones used to tell the creation myth of the Tohunga, and soon after that, the mysterious telescope and sundial of the MNOLG.

Though I've put BIONICLE behind me now, I still have a lot to thank it for. It still influences me in a lot of ways, mythologically, architecturally, and aesthetically.

oh, and the toys were cool and you could make them fight each other

[Kopekemaster]

Definitely the story.

[Tecnokua]

umm........ i think it was the movement of them after i got my first i just keep geting them don't really know how

[Cederak]

I had always been interested in Lego sets, and the Bionicle line's release of a story through comics, books, and online media kept me interested.

-Ced

[Predator - Jungle Hunter]

Bionicle is great for:


Storyline
Pieces
Playability

RIP BIONICLE WE MISS U!!!!

[Akuna Toa of Sonics]

I was always into Lego, but it was one August day at a McDonald's in 2001 that got me into Bionicle.

[Corvus]

When I was a wee lad, I got a Tahu Mata set one day on the way home from something. I thought it was THE COOLEST ever, so I collected the rest of the Mata. My purchasing dropped off until about 2003, when I got the Rahkshi. Then in 2004 we got internet access and I learned there was a story behind the sets. That's when I really started being a serious Bionicle fan. Bionicle was the only reason I still bought LEGO sets, in fact. Haven't bought a whole line of sets since the Stars, just cool looking ones every now and then and the Architect sets.

[Ballom]

Primarily, I've been interested in the sets and parts, using them for MOCing and such. I'm also a fan of the story, before the end at least, and thus have been attracted to that, as you can see shown in my three fan fictions in Epics.

~B~

[Terminus24]

Originally, it was just that building them was so much fun, and they were a blast to play with. As time went on, I started following the story more- I got the hardcover Chronicles Collection book in 2005,and quickly caught up on the story (I got most of the Adventures books in 2006, starting with the hardcover Adventures Collection: Volume 1, and also got all the Legends books, and have gotten everything since then.). Of course, I still got all the sets- as MOCing became something I did more, and I've even won awards for it.

[SmoothJazz]

To me it was certainly the story. Rarely does a toy line have such a story as that of Bionicle.

[Tech Warrior]

What got me into Bionicle? It's a bit tricky to explain, and I'll tell you why:

In May of 2011, I saw Tarduk in my brother's room. I hadn't known of Bionicle's existence before then. I loved Tarduk because it felt like an improved version of an action figure. Sure enough, it was. After a little bit of research/figuring out what the heck Tarduk was, I came across the 2009 Glatorian, and Hero Factory, not knowing that they were seperate/had a story. I simply started collecting Hero Factory (as I didn't know of Bionicle's existence just yet [or rather, I thought Hero Factory was Bionicle]). It wasn't until September-ish that I really studied upon Bionicle, and realized how far behind I was.

That's my story haha. I can't quite tell what got me into it really, but because of my loving of Tarduk and its "improved action figure"-ness, I'd go with its play value. The story got me that much more interested (pretty much why I'm attempting to collect every set).

[-Platinum-]

Because it had a good story, mysterious and you filled in the blanks with your imagination. Got a little too real after Metru Nui.

[Mylo Xyloto]

The story was so hypnotizing! And the sets were pretty cool.

[Dwanny]

I really loved the sets, and the story just got my imagination running.

[Kim of Sunshine]

I became a fan when I read the first comic (7/2001).


The main reason I stayed is...

None of the above. I stayed for the art, actually. I really liked Lego's choice to include mutiple formats, especially the comics. Also, in the early years with flash games and animation, then the movies. It was one of the inspirations for me to go into animation. The second reason was the story. It's the second reason because I liked it, but I didn't always agree with it. For all the disagreements, I stuck around becuase I wanted to know what would happen in the end. As far as sets go, I liked some of them, but I never got around to getting some of the ones I wanted, AKA Gali Mistika.

[The Legendary QQQQ]

I transferred from Slizers and Roboriders.

The MNOLG is where I began to know BIONICLE on its own.

[QQQQ]

[Nujanii: Kanohi Master]

I got the blue Bohrok. I that it was cool, so I decided to check out the other sets. I started getting those, and was reading the Bionicle comics whenever they came out, so yeah..

HOLY COW!! THAT"S HOW I GOT STARTED!!!
That's neat.

Anyway, my parents force me to limit my purchases, and the sets alone haven't kept me interested. The story, the games, the sets, and everything else that made BIONICLE great.

Though I wouldn't be a BIONICLE fan now if it weren't for the story.

[Aderia]

My little bro came home with a boxed-book set of the first four books with a collectible Kanohi mask in it. He got the mask, I got the books, life was good. The story is what's kept me hooked all these years, seeing as I can't MOC or even assemble a decent set on my own XP