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bonesiii

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  1. Hi, Disousa. Curious.

    Did that assembly thing/whatnot happen yet? Where you were gonna read my "Wise Guy" screenplay? :P

  2. Today the Bones Blog brings a walkthrough of tips to consider when drawing vector art with Powerpoint. This is Part 2 of the two-part feature begun here: Vector Art In Powerpoint: Quality, Inexpensive, Easy. That entry focused on the inexpensive and easy aspects. This entry should help with the quality aspect, listing many important concepts I use when I "coolify", though they can be used for original artwork too. I will use an avatar request from Great Being #1 to illustrate these concepts. Enjoy! Note that "quality" here is partly defined in my own tastes, since all I know how to do is my own style. A lot of what I'm talking about is my own definition of "cool", as previously defined by this blog entry: Ruthless Elegance: A Visual Guide to Cool. However, many of these concepts can be modified for other styles, and I will point out some techniques I use that can help with any vector artwork. If you don't see "cool" the same way I do, don't fret. Note also: Images will follow the text of each short section, as many are quite large (but not very wide so hopefully not screenstretching). Lemme know if these take too long to load. (I was too lazy to thumbnailify most of 'em. ) Order is roughly a mix of relevance, and just the order of which subject comes up in order as I drew. Setup Artpad Okay, here you see the "artpad" that I created in the first part of this feature. Below the drawing area, I pasted the quote from GB's PM. That is the guideline I have to keep in mind as I go. To the left I put an image of the Ignika, so I can easily glance at it as I go. Since he's asking for a meld, I could have also pasted in a Miru pic, but I know its shape by heart so I didn't bother. Zoom In! Don't try to draw it at 100% zoom. I go into 300%, usually. Note that you should click the BZP Blue square before zooming so that the new zoom will center screen right on it. Otherwise it just goes into the center of the whole slide and you'd have to scroll around to get to the right spot. Zooming always centers on whatever you have selected. Conceptualize It helps if you imagine what you will probably end up with before you start clicking. In this case, I knew I needed to find similarities between the Miru and the Ignika. There are a lot; they're really the same basic shape except the Miru's nose area bulges out and the cheek areas have those biggrin gaps. I noticed that there's a line on the cheek areas of the Ignika next to those serrations that could have a gap added in, and imagined from there. So before I even clicked once, I knew roughly what the final product had looked like. I also sketched it on paper real fast at one point. That can be helpful if you're proficient at sketching (as I am). Try not to overthink the paper version, though, because you might end up drawing something so cool you'll wish you'd done it on the comp and then get lazy for that step. Note that if you have a scanner, you can also scan a sketch, paste it into Powerpoint, and draw lines directly over it. I have done that for some coolified Kanohi. Spikes Spikes are the key, IMT. What I love about sets like the Piraka or masks like the Ignika itself is spikes. It's a central concept to my style of "cool", and it's also very important for "coolifying". The Ignika has some spikes, but right off the bat, I notice that the four in the mouth area and three at the top could use extending. So I draw them sharper and longer. Serrations Serrations, like on the sides of the official Ignika, are another key to my style of cool. Serrations are basically three or more parallel ridges or the like. As I drew, you can see I originally put some "gap" serrations on the forehead. Dropped 'em later, but that's a type of serration too; long gaps arranged in parallel. Also used on tons of my coolified Kanohi. Serrated rectangular prisms, flat, are used on the sides of the mask later. Mock Curves You might recall I said that in the Edit Points mode, you can make a point on a line into a "curved point". This alters the mathematical formula behind the vector object to make the line literally curved. However, it's tedious when you're manipulating ten thousand points. If you're drawing a company logo, you would use that feature in a professional vector art program. For making an avatar, it's pointless because 64 x 64 is too small to see that kind of detail. Even 100 x 100, my avatar size, is too small. So you can make "mock curves" by simply clicking enough dots in a curve shape to mimic the effect when you zoom out. I never use actual curve points anymore. Too complex for free stuff. Use the Edit points mode to make any slight corrections needed if the result accidentally looks too "cornery" to you. This image goes back in time a little compared to the last one but it illustrates the concept. The dotted red line is a point I was moving when I printscreened: Line Coherence The above looked horrible IMT -- but it was fine for the moment because I got something down on paper (as it were). The beauty of vector art is that you can change anything you drew just moving points around, unlike pixel art. But why did it look horrible? Because there was no "line coherence". Coherence is a fancy term for not being a blob. If you look at a sword, it might have a curved line, but that curve is steady along its width. It doesn't waver wimpily like the goofy cheek area in the above attempt at the mask. The word also strongly implies that different parts of the same mask "line up" in ways that make the whole thing seem like a whole, rather than a conglomeration of different parts. Strong curves, lines, angles, and lining up those things all come together to form "coherence". So I edit points like mad until the whole thing feels "coherent" to me. Notice in the final mask in the banner: the outer edge of the cheek gaps lines up (continuing the curve) with the outer edge of the eyes. The inner edge of the gap next to the eyes lined up with the outer edge of the mask, and the outer edge of that gap lines up with the outer edge of the lower half of the mask. The mouth spikes all line up, and their outer edge forms a rough 90 degree angle with the lower edge of the upper half. A rough curve exists between the points of all the lower end of the spikes. Etc. All of this contributes to the mask's coherence. Strength Speaking of strength, remember that this style is supposed to be "ruthless" elegegance. But as I went, I realized those chin-spikes looked more "dainty" than ruthless. So I thickened them, and made the sharp "blade" point more like the number 7. Later I realized it needed to be even thicker and the thickening of it increased its appearance of strength. Detail vs. Space There are two conflicting ways to go with any given flat surface area. You can add detail, or make it "smooth", making a space with no detail other than maybe a gradient or texture, etc. Both are important. Detail can give a piece of art a greater sense of reality. If I make some details of a coolified Kanohi too small to totally make out in the zoomed out view, it creates the impression of a real object that you could see more of if you zoom in. Compare the final avatar with the banner for this blog entry; you might see a few details in the zoomed-in banner that you can't quite make out in the avatar. Space on the other hand can give the mind a sense of peace. If you just throw a pure wall of detail at someone, especially if most of it is too small to make out clearly, you just confuse them. Might even give 'em a headache. If you zoom out and have to squint at the screen to see your artwork, you need more space. Cut stuff out. This is always the hardest aspect to balance when coolifying, especially with the 64 x 64 avatar limit. I much prefer making avs for 100 x 100, but only staff can use those. As I went, I realized that I was trying to put too much detail on the forehead of this mask. Even after I cut some forehead serrations (that I forgot to printscreen), when I zoomed out, I had to squint. Had to edit several times. Helps to do so when you're very tired and your eyes are getting blurry at night, BTW. Even the final version of this might have too much detail; I'll leave that for GB to judge, heh. Usually these aren't problems with big art though. Set Autoshape Defaults (Color, etc.) Note that as you draw, you can right-click an object and select "Set Autoshape Defaults". If you do this with a green object with a black line, those settings will become the "default" for when you draw a new object. Useful since you want your whole thing to be in some color other than that weird bluegreen Powerpoint has as its default. This way you don't have to keep editing the colors of every new shape you draw. This will reset every time you make a new file. In the example, you'll notice that I had started out with blue, which had been the default for the objects in the last blog entry (I'm using the same file, obviously). GB hadn't given me the color he wanted until this point, so I had to edit them myself once he did. Then, I set the main green as default, and every object I made was this color. Note: still requires modification sometimes with gradients or shading or cast shadow objects, but in general it's easiest. Gaps You can "poke holes" in a mask by simply drawing a gap on top of it. That is, draw a new object in the shape the gap would be, and then just make it the same color as your background. Note that this isn't possible with any kind of gradient, texture, or image in the background, unless the gap is tiny enough that you can recreate the color from that part of the gradient to estimate. In general, use it only for solid color backgrounds like the BZP Blue background in this example. 3D Thickness Remember you're drawing a 3D object. This might be a lot harder to do for a beginner than I can identify with, having been drawing 3D for years now, but basically, pick up a piece of plywood sometime and hold it at an angle. Notice it's not just a 2D piece of paper, it's got thickness. You can draw that sort of thickness into a Kanohi or other similar things with thin polygons drawn on top of gaps' edges. In terms of layers, these "thicknesses" on the eyes are actually above the BZP Blue objects that form the "gaps". Gradient Shading 3D objects with curved surfaces have a gradient "shading" effect (not to be confused with a shadow; shading is on the surface of the object itself). You can mimic this with Powerpoint gradients that start with your main color and blend into a slightly darker version of it. With symmetrical objects, it's easiest if you simply aim the darker side of a gradient fill towards the outer edges of your mask or whatever. In this example, it is as if light is cast onto the green mask from directly in front, so the parts to the sides are dimmer. Be aware of diagonal gradients too. Also, to convey a concave shape, you can flip the gradient so brighter is on the edge and dimmer in the middle. I use that for mouth areas sometimes with Kanohi to convey that the chin is jutting towards the screen. Not used in this example. Cast Shadows Use a transparent black object with no line over parts where a light from slightly above would cast a shadow onto other parts of your artwork. In this case, I wanted to convey that this is half Miru, and Miru has a far-jutting nose area, so I used a cast shadow under that area, transparency about 80%. Be consistent -- if you use cast shadows in one part, pay attention to where else one would realistically be cast. Size Remember the zoom -- and that the size of each part might look big as you draw it, but when you zoom out to the real size (like for a 64 x 64 av), that part might look tiiiiiiiny. Was the case with the mouth area ridges on this mask. When zoomed out, I could barely even see them, so I had to enlarge them by more than double the original size. I did this in this case by Editing points and moving the outer edge points of each spike out even farther. This same concept helped judge "Detail vs. Space"; there was a lot more line detail around the eyes originally, but when zoomed out, I could see that that made the area look too "small". So I cut some of that detail, and it created the impression of larger parts. You're drawing a germ through a microscope. Keep that in mind. Ruthless Revision If a part of your artwork is looking ugly, don't be afraid to change it or cut it completely. Be your own worst critic as you're making it. You should design it to please yourself above all, since that is pretty much the only thing you can be an expert on. So be honest, is something you just made displeasing you? If so, change or cut. I cut almost half of what I drew with this mask, and the final shape is a lot different than what you see in the earlier pics. Maybe a grand total of 20 points are untouched out of the whole 200 (or whatever) since I drew them. Estimating wackily, but you get the idea. Even then I was not yet done, as the below is not the same as what you see in the banner or GB's avatar: "Proofscreening" You write a story, you proofread. You draw something that's designed to be printscreened, you "proofscreen." That is -- by all means, printscreen when you think you're "done", but don't let the ruthless revising stop there. Be honest -- once it's put into the final image, does it really look perfect? If not, is there anything you can still do to improve it? In this case, I again went back to the powerpoint file and widened the mouth parts once more to what they are now, even after I had actually uploaded one version to brickshelf and was about to PM it to GB. It just wasn't right yet. So I widened them, and went through the whole printscreening process again. Might sound tedious, but get it over with while you still have the file up, or you'll probably never go back to it. Don't let the "but I thought I was done!" idea discourage you from putting out your very best. Of course, if it's 11:30 at night and you have homework, like me right now, do call it quits and call it best job possible (for now). But otherwise, fix it. Shouldn't take too much longer. Also, one note about printscreening. It can be hard to get the line thickness juuuuuuust right for the zoom you need. Not to mention getting the zoom exactly right. (Remember the line thickness is not related to the size of the artwork, so if you zoom out, it seems thicker, maybe too thick.) So if you have a good program that can resize images without distorting them too much, feel free to printscreen a little larger than your final size, and shrink it a little. Remember to hold Shift to make sure its width and height stay undistorted. Also, if there's an "Anti-Aliasing" option, make sure it's turned on. (That program that I use for pixel/raster art is iPhotoPlus 4; just a prog that came with an old (now deceased) scanner. It roxors, but as far as I know, few have it, and pretty sure it is no longer available. But there are tons of other programs out there that can do simple resizing, including Microsoft Photo Editor, which, as I mentioned before, sometimes comes with Microsoft Office.) Aaaand, all that done, here's the final mask in two zooms: And here's the actual avatar, background turned transparent and converted to a .gif in Photo Editor, as sent to GB#1 already: You're welcome.
  3. bonesiii

    Bird Guy!

    It's coo'. You're learning. Try to think outside simple geometry, and you'd have something really cool.
  4. Ikki -- Well, if you didn't, I can't tell. Looks good. Sora -- great job! I love the shape; that's very close to the quality I aim for with coolified stuff, congrats! There is a small error on the lower center of the visor; your green shapes are stretching a little too far inward there. That's one I would fix with Edit Points before copying the second half, moving the point precisely onto the vertical guideline. Not that you should bother, but while I'm thinking about it I should mention it as I sorta breezed past that ability in the entry... Also, if it helps, I'd change that diamond in the center to a more unique shape, and I'd put an outline around the far left and right edges of the visor. Otherwise, it's a very inventive mask, I like it. Chuckio -- Lol. Sorry I didn't give you a fancy post like Sora; it's very good too (was in hurry). Looks every bit as quality as a typical company logo. LEGO could conceivably use that for their website or the like. xccj -- BTW, saw your blog entry, good job on the Bionicle characters in powerpoint!
  5. And EW -- again, a who? Where are all these strange terms coming from...

  6. HtW -- I thought that's what you must mean, but I've never heard it shortened so I thought maybe you meant some newfangled term or whatnot. And... uh... no. o_O

    I'm a coolomaniac. :P

  7. I love irony. Not if you have to remind people. *psst* It was a joke. He doesn't have to remind people. We're the ones that told him. He is simply acknowledging our opinions.
  8. bonesiii

    New-ah

    Arguments can certainly be made pro and con, but I think it comes down to just remembering the budget balancing that has to go on every year, and asking ourselves this -- if we support new builds each year, are we willing to accept the cuts in other areas for every year? Of course, what you mentioned you'll have a blog entry on would help. Looking forward to that. Personally, I really don't care either way, as long as the end product is cool and the team of six isn't cloned, etc. Of course, my definition of "cool" is pretty involved too, so yeah...
  9. bonesiii

    Why

    I haveta make a quickie reply for now, more later: I'm seeing a confusion over a term a lot these past few months, and I wish we could get this cleared up. The issue of "clonism" that LEGO decided needed addressed was when six members of one group were all cloned. The issue raised by the Kal, which is what you are also talking about with the Nuva/Mahri/Newva, is usually called repetition, rather than clonism (or it used to, back when the issue of clonism was still a problem). Look at the sets now, you can see they're not clones in that sense. Clonism was fixed. We clear on that? As to "repetition", I am clear that that's what you're saying. More later...
  10. Dude. Adventurer. Adventure Master doesn't sound cool. It sounds wordy. Or Adventurerer.
  11. bonesiii

    New-ah

    Fine, fine. Basically, the parts about the Nuva, Takanuva, Hagah, Lhikan, Mahri and Newva -- they're all following in a longstanding tradition of re-using the basic build from one to two years previous. I.e. nothing new about this. Pun not intended. That would be why the Newva look more like the Inika/Mahri than like the Nuva, aside from the move to the new style too.
  12. Can we use the spoiler tag a little more, please? I know a lot of people aren't, but I would prefer it for now. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « I wonder if Av-Matoran can become darkness-Matoran if they turn evil? Would be interesting... Hm. This is gonna be fascinating. I agree with most of that. Very well said, Aanchir. Just -- I never said there were no similarities. Just that I see more in the Newva than the Inika (mask shapes, that is). Would you agree with that statement? Calix -- you've actually got a very good point about that one. Looking at them side by side, I notice the gap at the top might be inspired by the Hau's gap too. I can see your point there, and I didn't realize it. The gaps on the sides are the weakest part of your argument, though, since they're not serrated and are so much higher up -- a lot of masks have gaps on the sides. Sanok -- Actually, this is the one I was thinking of, as it resembles a Kakama in some ways, mainly the wide part at the bottoma and the sweep-back at the top. So I guess I'm seeing more similarity than you there. Not sure I see your point about the Iden... Suletu -- yes, that's true, and I believe I've pointed that one out before too. I think you and I are agreeing a lot more than you might have realized. It's just, my point was that the Newva use similarity even more. In masks; I'm not so much talking about color one way or another for now. I agree with that. Yes, I think most of what you said I had already known and considered true, except I hadn't realized that about the Calix; you're right. But overall, do you think all of that makes them very similar? I still don't think so, because those are relatively minor things. It's either color or slight mask similarities with most of them, not both (except, again, in Jaller), and with the masks, it's still only slight compared to the Newva. So if you're saying "They're a lot more similar to their previous forms than people sometimes claim, but are still mostly different" -- like if people are saying "They look nothing like their old forms" (as some have said) -- then I agree with you wholeheartedly. If you're saying "They're very similar to their previous forms", then I still can't agree.
  13. bonesiii

    New-ah

    I didn't see this entry -- check out ToM's blog. We're discussing this right now in his "Why" entry comments. My replies to some of Smeag's recent comments will be especially useful. As well as what we're talking about in your most recent entry, of course.
  14. Yeah, seems so. Yes, that is more like how I would word it. That would explain why many who, like you, focus a lot on construction, have been saying basically that these aren't original, are cloned, etc. That's been puzzling me, as even at a glance it's clear they're not clones. But in terms of construction, they are pretty close, yes. Hopefully I don't have to rehash all the reasons why. Yes, correct, quick build preference. Those were the reasons in question, as have been rehashed to death many times over before in debate topics. Yes -- remember that nothing about this says they dislike building -- they prefer a quick build. Most people do, when you think about it, just to a more or lesser degree. I don't mind complex builds myself, but I wouldn't want to have to build a Death Star. Got better things to do with my time that give more payback, yaknow? So basically, these kids want to get right to playing with something that they built. My theory is that there's a thrill to them in playing out roles (roleplaying, which is what most fans are) with a toy they themselves just snapped together from pieces. So they don't like anything that they see as a waste of time that doesn't appeal to them in the toy, like an unnecessarily complex build or gears, etc. And as I've observed before, it really shouldn't be surprising, given that Bionicle is a line based highly on both imagination and storyline in an action figure toyline -- combine those two keeping the fact that it's an action figure in mind, and you get roleplaying. Think through what a roleplayer would like best with a construction toy, and you get a quick-build preference. Voila. (One area I differ from most fans in; I enjoy MOCing a lot more than roleplaying so I can appreciate complex builds.) Depends -- in canister sets, or titans, and would it be seen as "needlessly complex" to kids who want the construction toy to be a good action figure, not a fancy construction? It seems doubtful. I'd look for something like that more in the Titans, myself. Also, from what I hear, they just did with Gadunka, which is also, of course, what makes some dislike him so strongly. For humanoid hero canister sets? Let's take Toa specifically -- what about them, other than torso design (which is where I would also like more complex builds myself), can be done differently without sacrificing quick and easy builds? And can that be kept up year after year? Or are there really only so many ways to do it within the quick build style? I'd be interested to hear example ideas. Yes, I agree, but notice they do so by sacrificing what fans want in a humanoid hero set -- a noble humanoid hero. That works for them because they aren't heroes, they're villains. But I think that explains why you don't see that so much in the heroes. Pity, yes. Well, that brings up the Toa Hordika. I wanted more of that in them, but later found out they actually sold poorly because they had too much of it, from most fans' POVs. (Well, I didn't want the gears, but I mean more unique builds making them less humanoid -- I wanted them to be more like Rahi, which is what storywise they were.) Most fans wanted them to look more standard noble hero.
  15. It's very subjective, Mandra, like a lot of the things you and I tend to disagree on. To you, it's a bad thing no matter what the form, apparently. To me, it's the degree of it -- the Nuva are clearly far, far less cloned than most sets in the past, let alone the Kal, so slight instances of it aren't that bad to me. Ideally, though, I'd still like even less of it. But even that might just be me. Some people actually like clonism, so it's actually possible this is the level of balance between clonism and nonclonism that most prefer. My sense is most dislike clonism, but they don't mind a slight amount of it in some ways so that budget can be allocated for new parts to reduce it in others and for other reasons like making new pieces for small sets, etc. (like the Matoran 2008, for example). (I came up with the answer. )
  16. Lol -- now, see, this is a point I raise many times. Why not skip the shock and anger and get right to the liking of whatever you like? I mean, we knew these would be "updated" to the new style, right? So why not accept that before it comes out rather than after? I think that's what explains a lot of the negative reactions that we get right away, as many have pointed out for years, and then later some of the same people start to realize they actually like the new set, whatever it is. What confuses me is, why not just skip the negative step and go right to judging the set for what it is? You're still going to dislike things, of course, but the steps I'm talking about are where we for some reason force ourselves to ignore our own tastes that would make us like something, just because it's new. I'm not talking about whether it's a "transformed" set or not -- I'm just talking about judging the actual set itself for itself, regardless of its storyline or name. Imagine you're seeing this character for the first time. I think that approach is a lot healthier. Something to think about. On what basis? Is Hahli, to our knowledge, not a penguin? What about Takua not being a Toa? When something changes, like with Kopaka becoming like a "Toa-plane", it... well... changes. So your past knowledge of what he used to be is irrelevant. This is a good example of how what is innovative and original is also inherently absurd. This is a key thing to understand about what makes "originality." Toa on a tropical (in some places) island is "absurd" -- to those of us who like its style, we like it, and so we think of it as original. To those who don't, they simply can't get over the absurdity of it. It's how taste works. I've run into this a lot with a poetry class I'm taking. There are some lines people include that I see as just absurd. But really, what is "absurd" about them is that they are something I've never thought of, and I lapse into "boring" mode, and for some reason I don't appreciate the cleverness of it. But others in the class instantly get it, and so they see it as original, and often those lines are what they point out as the strongest in the poem! And vice versa, many times I have loved lines someone else (usually the professor, lol) hates. Remember that -- clever absurdity, designed to harmonize with certain tastes, is the key to originality. By definition, it will displease strongly those whose tastes it doesn't appeal to (it will strike them as absurd and often so much so they honestly cannot imagine liking it). But it is still more original than boringness, and hopefully everybody can at least appreciate that. And it's different than non-clever absurdity, which is either illogical, or just doesn't happen to please anybody anywhere, XD (that might be possible ). All that said, I wish the wings were cooler. Didn't have a problem with an airplane style. It fits Kopaka's coldly strong personality, like a fighter jet. Just didn't think the piece was "coolified" enough. More ridges, spikes, something like that. Interesting side note -- since I've started to understand this truth about absurdity relating to originality, it's interesting that I've been able to appreciate and even like a lot of things that I once hated a lot. Brings up the question of choice in taste, how much of it do we have? I still don't know, but it's interesting. Regardless, it does at least show why skipping the negative step, at least trying it, is worth a try. It's an interesting idea, but I don't think it would fit his personality. Might be just me, dunno. But angel wings could work on an ice Toa. I just don't see it as fitting Kopaker. On Lewa, the boosters look fine on the set, but he already had a means of flight – the alternate function for his Katana, combined with his Miru and elemental power. Good point, except for the Katana part -- he only has one now. No idea if we call that a "Katana" now, though. But he could "fly" by hovering with his Miru (and he still has a Miru Newva, Greg said), and using wind to blow himself forward. On the other hand, that takes both elemental energy and mental focus/energy, and is rather clumsy compared to a cool jet. Perhaps the jets are powered seperately; providing a much easier method of flight, which is vital in battle. Toa need their elemental energy and especially their focus. Freeing those up for other things is good. But that makes me question whether the Miru is now the best choice of mask. I suppose if the jets conk out, good to have handy (lol), but then the other two Nuva seem to be able to fly too. I wonder if they all still have all six Nuva masks? Oh, and they can share powers -- maybe Lewa can share powers with K and P and others for a benefit in battle... Anyways. This tangent is rather... tangential. Ha ha. Sorry, I just always laugh when I read that one. Can't help it, since I love the long arms look so much. Ah, how varied taste can be -- this is one of those that I can't imagine not liking. Apes -- they so cool IMT. But serious mode -- of course it's fine to feel that way. I thought they were frontal pictures? Certainly not the clearest, but I didn't see any that were from above. I made a blog entry focusing on all the pics closely, and I see frontal every time. Cheer-ocks. Did you mean the former two, since those were the ones you said you liked least? Looking forward. That's how personal taste works. People are like snowflakes. No two are the same. No, no, no, common myth. That can play a role in either like or dislike of just about anything, and it doesn't even need to be a factor for two people to like different things in the sets. Most of the time it isn't actually a factor, directly, with most fans, because story geeks are actually somewhat rare. (Most just roleplay.) For example, I like the new Nuva better, and storywise I see that as good because they are being "improved" storywise. Yet someone else could see it storywise as bad because they are less "true" to the old form. Story or not isn't what's up with that. It's different personal tastes.
  17. More etc.? Interesting, thanks, DV. Especially about the summer sets not being branded as such. Changes things a lot...
  18. bonesiii

    Why

    I get this a lot, and it always puzzles me -- it sounds a little as if you (and others) are mistakenly pinning onto me the idea that I am pinning anything onto you. I can't speak for Aanchir, but that was not my intent. I was using it as an example, nothing more. I'm saying, you're right that the Nuva are less original than the Inika, or Metru, or Mata. But at the same time, that's nothing new, and there's really no way around it, as the Nuva, Takanuva, Hagah, Lhikan, Mahri, Lesovikk, and even Toa Ignika demonstrate. Thus, if you keep them within that context, they are original. Just as the Hagah were or the Nuva were, etc. My point that they are more original than the Nuva were was a side point that this discussion reminded me of, not directed at you. Sorry if that was confusing. Gotta call you out on this one, Smeag -- surely you can think of some yourself? For one, limited budget given that they are already making more new pieces nowadays than ever before (roughly, I dunno about comparing to 2007 as that had a lot too, but don't forget we haven't seen all the 2008 sets yet so we don't know what's been allocated to those). For two, people have been asking for more old pieces in new colors for a long time; LEGO is now doing that. For three, the pieces fill the need in those instances (in the set designers' opinions, not necessarily mine in each case), so there's no urgent need to spend money on new pieces just to do it -- there's a much greater repertoire of Bionicle pieces to choose from now than there were a few years ago, so less need to do what they did from 2002-2005, making sixcloned new leg pieces for a whole team, for example. And possibly other reasons, but those stand out to me. How are they better than you could have logically expected? You're just saying things without giving examples to back them up, which is another cardinal mistake according to Bones. I'll agree with you there, Smeag -- I dunno if I'll use the word "expected", but I was hoping for several things that I "logically" thought they could do, like more cool style on the new projectile weapon, new chest armor for Toa, etc. as I've outlined in my most recent blog entry. (See, examples. ) That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying these sets, these specific sets, don't display originality at all, because they are copies in design (and right down to the pieces, too, in a lot of places) to the past two years' sets. Again, gotta disagree still with this. This "copy" strategy you mention has been used three seperate times since 2002. See above. Again, you're talking out of context -- the Inika, Metru, and Mata were the most original out of that context. Would you agree? What I think you need to understand is that the Hagah strategy, of copying a basic design of the main recent sets, is done in order to allocate money to other things, especially new pieces for other sets besides the heroes. Look at 2001, 2004, and 2006, and look at where most of the new pieces are -- they're with the Toa (and to a lesser extent, the canister villains except during 2001 when there were no canister villains). Look at 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 -- the new pieces are primarily with the Bohrok, Rahkshi, Visorak, Barraki, and now Phantoka (or whatever the name is, lol; calling them that to not be so spoilery...). The main exception is 2005, which broke this pattern with a Toa shape that hasn't been copied since then. Apparently for storyline reasons. Would I like less copied designs in the newer Toa? Sure, and I've said so many times. But is it a problem? Not convinced of that. I understand that the kids these days aren't into the "technicism" style (which always baffles me; when I was young, nothing seemed cooler than a toy that could actually do something...but I guess times change). Hang on here -- I'm seeing the "new fans" fallacy here, if I'm reading you right. The Technicism style was less popular than the new style even in 2001, although certainly it is likely expanded since more fans of the "coolified" style have likely been brought in by the newer sets. Otherwise the Rahi should have sold well and the gears should have been popular even back then. But they weren't -- that's why a term like "modernism" doesn't work. It's not that the style is modern that matters -- it's that it's what most fans liked about Bionicle all along. They liked the Kanohi and tools in 2001, for example, or the Toa feet or some of the stylization of the limbs, etc. They mainly didn't like the things that weren't very "stylish", with is what I mean by "technicism". It's not about doing something or not -- it's the style of what it does. Projectiles are doing something now just as gears were then. But they're a different style. Kids don't have anything against "gimmicks" that do something, as long as they're in the style they happen to prefer. You preferred the style of "technicism" (right?). You're misunderstanding -- it's the "equally appealing" part that is still debatable. I would sell the same... If it's truly equally appealing, it would logically sell the same. Not better, not worse. Wouldn't it?
  19. bonesiii

    Why

    Fair. I'm just not convinced. But you're talking mostly about colors -- that I can understand, and I don't think it would have hurt sales -too- much for Lewa Newva to be Mata green. Thanks for answering my question on that. How would you do Pohatu and Kopaka? What I'm pointing out is, as Greg said: So given that, can we agree on this -- there's no reason LEGO "should" absolutely have chosen your idea (for Lewa, let's focus on). They could have gone either way and prolly not that much problem, right? Now, I'll concede that your idea of keeping them just as (or more) "cool" and yet also more recognizeable, if possible, would be wise. It's that "if" that concerns me. But this is worth discussing. That does indeed sound good. And with the Miru, the top of the Nuva mask was a little "cooler" (more spikiness) than this mask. New pieces being designed -- I want to make sure you're aware there's both pros and cons with doing that. I would like new chest and shoulder armor, as I said in my recent blog entry. Cooler chest armor especially is something I've been hoping to see since the Inika and have been dissapointed on. No idea if that's just me -- but the point is, spending resources on new pieces in the canister sets means there's less budget for new pieces elsewhere. So that's a con, that I wanna make sure we all understand here. A lot of times I've seen this fallacy being used on here -- we ask for less clonism, for example, so LEGO allocates money to improving that, and then we complain about the parts they took the money away from to do it (like making extra new pieces). Sometimes we forget the budget is largely fixed. Again. Not accusing you of that. Just asking if we're clear on it. That said, I would like your idea. Gotta disagree with parts of this (but you're wise to take a step back and look at the definitions here, as that is usually where a lot of disagreement/miscommunication stems from in debate) -- "Resemblance" is the most objective, because that has a very clear objective definition that can be measured, again, objectively. It's clear that the Kakama Newva (as Pohatu's mask apparently could be called since Greg says it still has the power of speed) resembles the Kakama Mata, because many aspects of the shape are quite simply similar. The things on the side, the mouth area, the shape of the visor -- it is all measurable and cannot be subjective. You see it as less recognizeable/believable because you associate it with the Vahi (if I'm understanding you correctly). That is more subjective, because for something to be "recognized", it must by definition be drawing upon what is inside your head -- if you know someone as a kid, they grow up, and you meet them again, you "recognize" them because your brain already has stored your idea of what they look like, roughly. Different people might store that information a little differently so they might or might not recognize someone who has aged, depending on who they are. Believability I agree is purely subjective. If you read this part of your statements carefully: I would agree with it if you used "recognizeability" at the end. I haven't seen what Aanchir is talking about, though he's mentioned it in my blog comments, but whether or not he is right, and the degree of similarity/resemblance, can be objectively measured. Whether or not an invidual recognizes the resemblance, though, is more subjective. Anyways, don't wanna waste space on this, but glad you decided to mention it, as I see you and I were using two of those terms in opposite ways. Yep. This is probably based a lot in my being an artist, especially one that "coolifies" (although I can't speak for you, since you in essence have done the same thing yourself with many of your MOCs). It's possible I recognize them a little easier than others, I dunno. And that would be because your brain isn't storing the idea of the Nuva in the same way mine is (apparently); but I on the other hand recognized it instantly as a Miru Nuva-inspired Kanohi. To the extent that I wondered if this even made sense, because I was under the false impression that these would be new powers (now I think it does indeed make sense ). You would agree with me on the mouth area and lower cheeks "resembling" (as in, having clear similarities to) the Miru Nuva, though? And that the upper half and eye-visor area is the main difference? Yeah, that's a good example of your brain storing information differently -- I have associated the Faxon with a Kaukau, myself, and more with Hahli than Lesovikk. So the color similarity didn't affect me that much when I was first seeing the Miru Newva, I guess. And again, I didn't. The Vahi has always been similar to the Kakama, so that 1) isn't surprising, and 2) doesn't bother me. Impossible to make a Kakama-like mask without some similarity to a Vahi. And Vahi doesn't have a visor-top. Still, putting some plastic up there other than the visor might have been wiser -- if that had been done, would you have associated it more with the Kakama, you think? Rhyme not intended. In this sentence I think you're defining the words the same way I was. Actually, I wasn't thinking that at all. I don't see that as relevant, personally, since, as you say, it's simply quite true, so I would assume somebody who likes greater recognizeability would have had a problem with that too. No, I think you've clarified that. I apologize if I implied that; that wasn't my intention. I remember more asking you to clarify what you mean than judging your logic, because I wasn't clear what your logic was. How could I say it is invalid without knowing what it is? I think you've clarified it well, and I think it is indeed valid (the idea that your idea could be just as good as what LEGO did). Now we can discuss if it's sound. But I suspect we're going to have to agree to disagree on parts of this, because we just don't know how some ideas would play in terms of sales, because as you say, it hasn't been tried. One thing I'm pointing out is, fans who like lime green better than Mata green (like me) would like a Mata green Lewa a little less. (Question would be, how many of us are there? I have no data on that, so that's why it's prolly an agree to disagree moment.) Or "agree to agree that we don't know", as I would prefer to put it. Nothing -- you are absolutely correct. The question then moves more to soundness -- to how many fans would prefer one or the other. If they're roughly equal, then cool. Either way would work. It just rarely works that way. There's almost always a majority on any such taste issue. But I dunno which is which here. Well, as I see it there is either recognizability or there isn't, not degrees. I can see the point, but what I mean is, if the Miru Newva was even closer to the Miru Nuva, as you had suggested earlier, I would recognize it even easier. So that's what I mean by degrees. Yes. This is where I suspect you might be wrong -- IF (if) you mean not enough for most older fans who remember the Nuva. If, on the other hand, you just mean for you, no problemo. And please don't say both man. I'm seperating the two because I'm only interested in debating the "thought" side of it, the "what should LEGO do" part, because the point you're raising could be a real problem, so it's worth discussing. If you mean just taste, I do enjoy discussing those differences as they can help understanding of differencs. But not debating, cuz there's nothing to argue about with individual taste. Anyways. Sorry if you're already clear on that. Gotta disagre, though -- to go back to your Miru idea. If you added spikes on top of the Miru Newva just like the Nuva had(for example), it would be more recognizeable, and it would be, literally, a "repeat" of a past shape. Now, I think you've got a point that it wouldn't be too repetitive. But let's not mince words -- it would be more so than the Newva we've actually got is. Yeah, that's all I meant. Since (I think) you're speaking only from your own perspective, no complaints with that statement. I just tend to doubt that's how most of us older fans are reacting to it. There is no reason this has to be a "huge argument". As I say, all I'm interested in is, as I call it, a "search for the truth among friends." I'm not going to overthink a lot of what you say next, because I think you were misunderstanding a lot of what I was saying; in that I wasn't judging your thoughts so much as asking you to clarify, as you have largely done. Still wonder what you'd do with Pohatu and Kopaka, though. I think you're confusing disagreement with that opinion with "criticizing for posting the opinion". Again, that blog entry I mentioned "Can Opinions Be Wrong" dealt directly with that confusion. I want to find other people's opinions. I track your blog because you have some of the clearest and most thoughtful opinions in the blog section, IMO. I'm just discussing where I disagree, or might disagree, or would like clarification/expanding on. You are not being reprimanded in the slightest. Of course, if I see you using an actual logical fallacy, I'll call you on it. But I don't think you were. The reason I reacted that way to the blog comment is based on why I do what I do -- Debates and complaints used to be a subject much like religion on BZPower. It was impossible to discuss them without flamewars breaking out, and complaint topics pretty much always got closed. So we sorta got an unfair reputation of stifling debate. (This was before blogs, keep in mind.) Well, being a logician, I decided I should try to "moderate" such complaint topics (as in a debate moderator, not a forum moderator), challenge people to think through things in ways they maybe weren't, rather than just react emotionally and jump to conclusions like "I hate this; LEGO is evil for doing it". In doing so, my hope was actually that I could keep these topics civil enough to remain open, so that complaints could keep being posted. Because -- what if one of those complaints really was a real problem? Since I began doing this, BZPower's complaint topics have remained open for the most part, partly due to my logician's perspective "moderating" them, and also thanks to others who have also started doing the same thing. I am quite proud of that accomplishment, and it's why I work so hard to keep it up. So if you think I'm somehow criticizing the right to post negative opinions, you're dead wrong -- I'm trying to protect it. When blogs started up, I've seen an unfortunate trend to sometimes treat them as if they are somehow exempt from that kind of debate-moderation simply because they're not a topic. That is dangerous because it can lead to some illogical negative ideas (and positive) getting so hard-wired into people's brains that we, again, get what we had before and it explodes at the most inopportune moment. Could rip BZPower apart as it's ripped many other forums apart, as I have witnessed. So I'm pretty adamant that we should all treat blogs pretty much the same as we do topics, and hold them to the same standards we would a debate when it comes to opinions. In order to protect your right to voice these kinds of blog entries without flame wars erupting. Also note, nowhere did I say your view didn't matter. It's because I think it might that I'm bothering to discuss this. No offense taken, ToM. I want to make it crystal clear that I respect you immensely, as I do all staff members and indeed, pretty much anyone I talk to on here, heh. I accept blame for not communicating all this very well. I see. Yes, I misunderstood you there. (Note, board is whining that I have two many quotes, so I'ma double posting here. )
  20. The Kal and other clonism was characterized by tools looking almost identical, with the case of the Kal, nearly identical faces (just slightly different patterns, as I recall), and the whole team looking mostly identical. All of the sets you showed are miles more differentiated than any Kal -- isn't that obvious? Re-used pieces are also nothing new. 2001 had many from Slizer/Throwbots, not to mention just Technic. It's the overall design that was the problem with the Kal; there was so little difference in the whole thing between each other and the past Bohrok. Look at a Piraka's spines, though, and compare them to Kopaka Nuva's wings, and it's crystal clear they are not clones of each other. Also, you're comparing Bohrok, which were a unique "out there" shape with humanoids. Humanoids are "special" -- because we are humanoid (obviously), that's one shape that it's safer to return to again and again. With Kal, it was an unusual shape the first time, but the second time, it was just copying. As I put it in my blog entry yesterday: Finally, remember that many of the usual "complainers", especially in the MOCing community, on here have been asking for more reused pieces in new colors. But can't please everybody. Good question, though. Edit: KDT, it's "wrong" in your eyes, because of your own tastes -- it shouldn't be surprising that others see things differently. But I believe Ikki has pointed out other things he dislikes about these before, and nowhere here did he say this was "all". Edit: MUST you have a sidebar on each side of your blog, Ikki? Really cuts into the comment width...
  21. xccj -- It's whatever is in XP. Adv. -- Better. Chuck -- nice! IT -- Lol at your sig. The rest -- thanks.
  22. I'll spoilerify all my replies: » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « You do know that Velika made him a new one? Do you mean Gali's mask? Or did you mean Kakama? 1) Hm. I might have heard that, it sounds somewhat familiar. I guess I forgot. That makes more sense then. Thanks. 2) Meant Gali Mata's mask. 1) Ah, you're right. Must go edit... The two are similar, guess I mixed 'em up, lol. >_< 2) Indeed. Really? Interesting. I was more talking about the fact that it hasn't appeared in Bionicle recently, and since you said that was a few years back, the mold might not exist anyways. But maybe it does... Actually, evil professors have kept me out of the OGD. That and I got sick of scrolling up and down for people who refuse to put the answers up with the questions. I don't have time. I have to wait until it filters into BZPers' posts now (that I happen to catch). So any relevant story info you guys see me not knowing, please do tell. Intriguing. Do we know if the small "villains" really are villains? I don't recall using the word "tribute" -- that's not what I meant. I just mean I see some aspects of that basic style sticking around in Kopaka, and I think that's why I like him least of the three. But is it a tribute? I dunno, depends on if it's intentional. Certainly not that much of one even if it is, which I assume is what you meant, but remember these are canister sets, the core sellers -- even the slightest "treat" to older fans of the less popular style is a risk. Good point. It does. They are Kanohi Fascinating. So how much exactly do yall OGD-watchers know about these guys? Thanks. Several reasons: 1) Really, really short on cash right now. Long story. Usually when I can actually afford to get my favorites of a year's sets, someone else has already claimed the reviews. 2) My camera stinks. 3) I just enjoy reading other people's reviews on the front page more than I enjoy putting my own views up there. If I claimed a review, I wouldn't get to read what somebody else thinks. I do plan on doing this in my blog more often and if lotsa people are interested in my takes in set reviews, I might consider it though. 4) Laziness, lol. Thanks. 1) Couldbe. They seem skinnier than that but that might just be the angle. I was thinking maybe Matau Metru swords? 2) As in, the hand pieces that Toa always have? That is interesting. Although I've only ever broke one myself. PLEASE don't make me break out my Brickshelf edits again. The Inika masks, for the most part, looked plenty like their Matoran counterparts, as did the color schemes to some extent (Hewkii's being the exception). I meant the masks more than the colors. With Toa like Jaller, I agree, the color scheme was very close. But I didn't really see very much similarities in the masks. Yes, I did notice some. And I wouldn't mind seeing these edits you mentioned. But as Ikki says, most people don't see them as all that similar, and neither do I. The few similarities I saw looked more like coincidence than intentional. I'm saying these look intentional (and we know Greg said the designers were told what to design this time). Yes, but that's expected, because that's a move to a different set inside the same basic style context. Matoran to Inika was a move to a completely different style. But I'll concede that there were some masks that were similar. Actually, Kongu Mahri's mask looked a lot like an original Miru, as others have pointed out elsewhere. But in general, those masks focused on being new shapes. These ones seem more focused on being variations of the original shapes. That's all I'm saying. I don't think I can agree with that statement, sorry. But I'm willing to consider it; show me these images if you don't mind digging 'em up. You mean Pohatu's Kakama, right? Ahhhhhhh. I think you're right! Good catch, that explains a lot. Edit: Actually, maybe all three are Lewa jets? Edit: Ah, Greg's latest blog entry clears up a lot of things, I see:
  23. Today the Bones blog presents a four-tiered feature on the official & approved 2008 set images seen in this article. First, enlarged and lighting-fixed images are used here that make judging each piece and the overall set easier. Second, my in-depth objective analysis of the sets is included with each image, as well as my own in-depth subjective personal reactions. Fourth, at the end I will make my customary predictions about how these are likely to sell. If nothing else, I hope the improved quality of these images helps you better make up your own mind about these sets. All of the following is spoilers, so read at your own risk. » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... « Firstly, the "Analysis" sections below are written as objectively as possible. Any traces of my own bias you see in these, please point them out and I will try to remove them. Secondly, the "My Reactions" parts are totally written from my own personal tastes. Feel free to skip those sections if you like, although I do make some observations in there objectively that aren't mentioned in the analysis. I spend time on it partly just for my own sake, but also because I do tend to resemble most fans in a lot of what I like, so perhaps my reactions can be used to roughly gauge how these might play with most fans. But please take that with a grain of salt, because it is really just me, and of course there are some things I differ from most fans on. Thirdly, please do not link to or describe leaked images, as too many keep doing when discussing these official images. Suffice it to say, the leaked images were apparently prototypes, which is why you shouldn't go by leaks anyways (well, one reason; it also doesn't help that they're illegal). Nuva Nuva! Analysis: The Nuva are now able to get the storyline spotlight for 2008, something most BZPower voters have supported (see here), and storywise this is not technically a transformation, but (apparently) simply new weapons, tools, and armor, as this was what Greg told us would be discussed (though whether this was approved as the explanation has not been revealed). The Nuva sets update these characters to the "new" style that evidence indicates most fans prefer, as opposed to the older, more Technic style that LEGO originally assumed would be most popular (and that has proven not to be the case since 2001). So right off the bat, when we compare these to the older sets, these are likely to play much better with most fans. Also, we see the better standards of articulation at work here, and much more varied use of pieces, less clonism, etc. They play up differentiation from their old forms much more than the 2003 Nuva, but interestingly their masks and tools resemble their old ones much more so than the Inika compared to their Matoran forms or the Mahri to Inika. Projectiles return with something like looks like a mix between the Cordak launcher in shape, and the Zamor launcher in what it fires. Due to the move to the new style, this will likely be a set group with intense reactions; strong liking by those who prefer the newer style, and strong dislike by the minority who prefers the older style, especially those emotionally attached to the Mata/Nuva03's exact forms and style. Very few fans in the main fanbase now remember 2003 or these characters, and even on BZPower most support this move, so overall the negatives to the "Newva" are minimal. My Reactions: I'm very excited about these sets overall, because I disliked strongly several features of the older sets, both Mata and Nuva, such as the chunky bodies, the gears, the lack of knees and elbows, the gears, the less cool style of some parts of the body design, and the gears. I'm happy to see the more Mata-esque mask designs. The Nuva were a good attempt at "coolifying" the masks, but only a few of them really struck a chord with me (mainly the Miru, and Kaukau). These masks are much more in line with the 2001 Kanohi, the Mahri's Kanohi, and other similar "cool" designs. I was hoping for a few more new pieces than we see here, but old pieces in new colors are cool too. The best part of that is that now, seven years in, Bionicle has finally built up a good collection of varied pieces for legs, arms, feet, etc. This makes it much less expensive to reduce clonism today than in 2003 (for example), and is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. Still, almost all of the limb and feet pieces are recycled (possible exception being Pohatu's arms). Got a bone to pick with the projectile weapon, though -- it's the same problem as the Mahri's Cordak Launchers. To me, the weapon isn't very stylized in appearance. To me, that is very important. There is evidence that most fans don't care since it's a gun, and certainly many real life guns are similar in that design. So it might not be a real problem, but my question is, why not coolify it anyways with a little with Bionicle-style pistons, serrations, etc. on the sides? The Zamor launcher, or both styles of Kanoka launchers, or to an extent the Squid launchers were good examples of cool looking launchers, IMT, and I miss that in Cordak and these weapons. Theoretically, that might make it even more attractive to most fans. However, it is much cooler looking to me than the Cordak Launcher, so it's a step forward. Kopaka Nuva Analysis: Kopaka's mask is the most recognizeable, with the lens concept included. He is very true to the style of the Nuva, maybe more so than the other two, in the smoother limb design and the more plain metallic design of the wings, much like the plain metallic design of the 2003 armor. He also has what appears to be a sword, much like how Kopaka Mata had one sword (although in his Nuva form he had two). The blade might be attached to the weapon like a bayonet; not sure. His feet are the first Hahli Inika feet in white, as I recall. My Reactions: He's my least favorite of the bunch, but still miles ahead of the 2003 forms. Mainly, I just didn't like that old metallic plainness all that much; I wanted him to be more original and less "true" to the older form. I love wings in a Toa, hoped for them for years. And the wings definately fit his style of cold strength. Airplane wings fit him much better than, say, Hahli Mahri's wings which were more "feathery". But I would have liked more "coolification" with these wings. Also, his mask isn't that attractive. Plus side is that it resembles an Akaku, but minus is, again, it's not that "cool" in the way I see coolness. The use of red in the laser thing seems very out of place on this set. And the feet have always been my least favorites ever since they first appeared in Hahli Inika (I believe). Best parts seem to be the sword/bayonet, the arms and legs, and the presence, at least, of wings. Personally I'd rather spend my money on Hahli if I want a winged Toa, though. Lewa Nuva Analysis: Again we see a lot of similarities to his older forms, in this case especially to Lewa Nuva. The mask has the same lower cheek things as the Miru Nuva, and the mouth area is very close to that. The top resembles the Miru Mata more closely. Lewa Nuva used to have two Katana until a Piraka broke one -- and this Lewa has one sword, again an interesting similarity given that these are apparently new tools the Toa get. He features the first use of jets (aside from Vakama's Kanoka launcher). And he brings a mostly new color scheme to the table for Toa; lime green instead of Mata or Metru green, balanced with gray and metallic colors. And his feet are the first silver Mantax feet. My Reactions: Lewa and Pohatu are sortof tied for my favorites of the Newva. Overall, I like the style of Lewa best. He's the most coherent of the three, his lime balanced perfectly with the gray and silver, the jets providing the perfect balance to all of that, the sword stylish and sensible, the weapon free in his other hand, again, sensibly. Kopaka's pose makes his sword/bayonet seem clumsy and his face doesn't fit that well with his body, and Pohatu's eyes are hard to understand and his tools seem awkward -- none of those problems exist with Lewa. (Pohatu comes close mainly because he's orange, and I'm bonesiii.) Lewa is a perfect example of what "cool" means to me in a Toa, and quite possibly to most fans too. I love the jets -- not just a little, but I think these are the best jet pieces LEGO has ever made, that I can think of, including System jets. Reason being the two-pronged look of the top end, mixed with the wider and roundish lower end; they just look so cool! The sword is awesome, very much like his old Katana, but coolified. And the mask -- it's perfect. It looks exactly like what the word "mask" in Bionicle means to me; slightly curvy enough to tell this is something molded from a Kanoka disk and worn on the face, not the face itself, coherent, not just round, and with some serration things going on. Plus what seems to be "visors" as a bonus. The one possible downside is that it looks a lot like Lesovikk's lime Faxon, but personally the strong resemblance to both forms of Miru nullifies that as a problem, whereas L's mask looks more like a lime Kaukau. Really the only downside IMT to Lewa is that he's not orange. Pohatu Nuva Analysis: Yet again we see a strong resemblance to his former forms. The Kanohi is almost identical to a Kaukau Mata, with the top turned into a visor. He's got a wide build, though unlike his previous forms it is not inverted. His last tools were double-clawed hand tools; these seem to be able to actually fold in like claws, and again there is one per hand, just like Pohatu Nuva. In color scheme he modifies Hewkii's yellow concept into orange, which might make more sense, and possibly might play better with most fans. On the one hand, yellow is perhaps more eye-catching and stone elemental energy has always been yellow, plus tan stone is one of the most common colors and tan is simply gray-ified yellow. On the other hand, orange is closer to red, the most popular color, also eye-catching, and closer to Mata brown, which is simply dark orange. It's also very close to Hewkii's yellow, which had a slight orange tint to it. It may very well be a perfect compromise -- one that increases interest both with many of the rare older fans and with the majority alike. The tools are apparently some sort of helicopter-like blades, so in addition to closing like a claw, they might rotate, giving Pohatu his method of flight to match Kopaka's wings and Lewa's jets. However, I can't quite make out a method of rotation; the only hinge I see is the sideways one to make them snap like claws, so that might not be true. His body also seems to be built something like Kongu Mahri's. The front half of his arms appears to be a new piece, and it might be part of the tools; that stick thing by the elbow might be connected to the helicoptery things to spin them. But that's just a theory. My Reactions: He. Is. Orange. Rad cool, man, my favorite color of all time. The mask with the visor is very cool, too, if a little less coherent than Lewa's. It's a little cooler than the Kakama Mata, and a lot cooler than the Kakama Nuva. His feet are my all-time favorite Toa feet, because they are bar none the most "coolified". Spikes are the key. The shoulder-mount for the weapon is good, not new, but still good. And the style pieces on the limbs are my favorites of those. What takes him down a little to me is that he's less coherent. The blade things look awkward, the visor color isn't balanced anywhere else, and the shoulders are maybe a little too wide. Or, I should say, for shoulder that wide, the arms seem too small (but that might be the pose). And I don't like the front of the arms, as far as I can see. Looks too industrial, not cool enough. In terms of recognizeability, LEGO could have switched Lewa's and Pohatu's feet, as Mantax feet look a lot more like Pohatu's old feet addons. But then Pohatu would be second best in terms of coolness, so I can understand and appreciate the reasoning, and I can especially appreciate my favorite Toa feet being orange. Phantoka Analysis: We know next to nothing storywise about these characters, except that they are batlike, and there was a bat-related teaser pic this year that many are connecting to these sets. Setwise, we are seeing some of the most uncloned designs ever, with a lot of "coolified" style (putting the term in quotes because whether it comes across as cool is, of course, subjective; my understanding of most fans' tastes is that they see it that way) and a lot of innovation. The nonclonism even goes so far as to give two Phantoka feet, and one something more like an insect leg. They seem designed to come across as "spooky" or "creepy" as villains, a common theme with bats, of course. The canisters look very rocklike, another similarity to the teaser image people are talking about. My Reactions: It's a lot harder to judge these sets than the Newva thanks to lower quality images, but there are lots of things I can tell for now. What stands out to me are 1) the wings ROXOR, 2) the faces are varied and cool; Antroz' resembling a coolified Krana or a mask, Vamprah almost humanoid, like an alien, and Chirox almost skeletal (you can guess my reaction to that). Also interesting is the sphere where the belly would be. Not sure what the deal is with it, but I guess it's a weapon they would release while flying sorta like a WWII bomber. Certainly innovative, although perhaps a little awkward, not sure. It's interesting to note that there doesn't seem to be anything else like a projectile with the Phantoka. Perhaps a pin in the back pushes it forward like a Zamor launcher, though, who knows. The rest is so varied it's better discussed with the individual sets. Overall, though, the Phantoka prove to me that Bionicle can still put out innovative canister villains just as much, if not even more so, than in the past. I can't think of any villains since the Bohrok that have been this "out there" in terms of cool innovation. Possibly the Vahki, but then they were so clony, it got watered down. Rahkshi, Piraka, and Barraki are very very Bionicle, and Visorak are maybe a little more "out there", but these are even more unique and unusual. Perfect villains to face the Newva too, in that they are very Rahi-esque, with enough variety to conceivably be different species. Antroz Analysis: Antroz features a red and silver (or possibly white, like Pridak?) color scheme, very triangular wings, some sort of blades (again, something like Pridak's?), and clawed feet. The feet are apparently the tri-claw Piraka feet, but might possibly be the new bi-claw piece in the smaller villain sets and Chirox; hard to tell at that angle compared to the canister's plastic overlapping the image. The face is perhaps the oddest in Bionicle yet, very remniscient of a krana or a Kanohi with no forehead. The red appears to be Mata red, not Metru red, though it's hard to tell for sure, especially considering the lighting in the original pics was so much darker and these are the brightened images here. The body, legs, and arms aren't visible clearly in these images. My Reactions: Aunt Rose. Sorry, can't help but notice the name resemblance. Antroz is the most beast-like in appearance due to his face; looks with this lighting like a giant mandible mouth or something; very cool. The claws are very cool, though apparently an old piece (an old favorite IMT). The wings are a good example of how I like wings -- they're stylized, but not feathery. Something more like this would have been nice in Kopaka, even without the bat shape of the inner-upper part. I like the bomber-belly (if you will) in Antroz; the red matches his color scheme well, and the size of that sphere looks intimidating as a weapon. (Incidentally, I wonder if it reloads storywise?) Vamprah Analysis: Not as much can be said about him as the arms and/or wings are still distorted on the sides of the canister. The wings or blades seem to be the long and skinny type, but I can't be sure. His head features a more distinguishable face than Antroz, somewhat humanoid, possibly with some kind of fangs (as the name might hint as well). Most notably, his legs are insectoid blades rather than feet, somewhat like a Visorak leg mixed with a Vahki staff in four-legged mode. I'm assuming Vamprah can walk with his arm-blades and leg-blades like a spider, but can't be sure because I can't make out the arms. But otherwise it would impossible to balance him, so something along those lines is probably the case. My Reactions: Vamprah is to me the creepiest of the three, with the face and legs. The face almost looks like a Kanohi, again. All good points, and I think the wings/blades look cool but I can't tell for sure. I don't like the red of the bomber-belly with his blue; it's the only place red is used in this set. Blue would have been more coherent. Chirox Analysis: Chirox features a skull-like face with what seem like fangs, a color scheme of black and silver (and possibly white?), skinny arms with blade weapons, Nuparu Mahri style pieces on the legs, the new two-toed feet, and apparently his bomber-belly has just fired in this image, which is what the half-and-half sphere below him with the green things coming out is. My Reactions: First. The. Face. Is. A. Skull. With. Fangs. I am in skeleton heaven. Of course, not 100% sure skeletal is the look they were going for, but I see it in there. So I happy. The wings look the best, the feet look the best, and the body looks good sans weapon. I'm even not really minding the skinny arm as it does fit with the skeletal theme. And fangs. Downside... again, I don't like that the weapon is red. At first I thought it -was- loaded in his belly but was simply black -- that would have been far cooler, a black weapon. But ah vell. Still, overall he's the coolest of the three IMT. He also seems the most intimidating; whereas the others might be creepy or beastly, if I ran into this guy, I might really cower in real fear. Except of course that I'm a skeleton too. Anyways. Also, side note, but the tone of gray on the canister is perfect. I love that color. Not sure the arm has two halves, though, which I don't like, but that's hopefully just the pose. Matoran Analysis: Before I begin, here's a pic of all three side by side. I bothered to make it, might as well include it somewhere. The 2008 Matoran seem to be much more oriented towards new pieces than 2007, with new legs, arms, body, and masks. The feet are all Mata feet, and the tools are old tools from various years. They appear to have only fake knees and elbows, though I can't be sure given that this is only an image. They do have working necks, apparently, though. And again the colors are lime, white, and orange. My Reactions: These are my favorite Matoran sets since the Mctoran 2001, which is saying something, because I was beginning to think LEGO couldn't surpass them. I love their masks, their colors, the choice of old tools, and the Mata feet even seem to fit perfectly. The body piece seems very cool, as do the stylized arms and legs. The masks are all based roughly on the Toa Newva masks, interestingly. What I loved most about the Mctoran was their coolified arms with serrations, along with the hunchback design, gear-free design, and the fact that the arms were longer than the legs, ape-like, and the heads big compared to a tiny body. All of this has been imprinted on my mind as "Matoran", and all these other forms since have gotten away from it. I don't think that's been a wise move, at least if most fans are anything like me (and they often are). But the Mctoran had no balljoint articulation and their feet were not that cool. These bring back arm serrations, they bring back body to head ratio, they are gear-free, they're hunchbacks, they have all of this, plus articulation. And, even what is there is coolified beyond the Mctoran, with the body especially, and the Toa Mata feet are far cooler IMT than the Mctoran feet. If the limbs don't have bendable knees and elbows, though, that would be dissapointing. Mctoran-worthy Matoran with knees and elbows would be awesome, but it doesn't look like that is the case. They're certainly better than Bohrok limbs (though those were cool too), but bendable joints are an important aspect of sets, to me. Of course, they're just small sets, so not that huge a priority. Also, the arm serrations still aren't as pronounced as with the Mctoran, which is dissapointing. Overall, so much of these sets I have been hoping for for so long, thinking I'd never get, that I still have trouble believing it's really coming next year! Tanma Analysis: Tanma features Lewa Nuva 03 Katana. His mask resembles Lewa Newva's mask, but it stylized differently and has no visor (that I can see). His arms and legs are different, the arms at a 90 degree angle with a highly noticeable serration, the legs looking somewhat like the Toa Metru shoulder armor. My Reactions: I like these arms the best as they're the closest to the serrated Mctoran style. The Katana is a perfect choice for the green set, the mask is an even cooler variation on the theme of Lewa Newva's mask. The knees look great, like a much cooler version of the Mctoran leg style, albeit with smaller feet compared to the rest of him. Solek Analysis: Hewkii Mahri swords, a variation on Kopaka Newva's Kanohi, and four identical limbs with slight serrations and pistons characterize Solek. Again, the legs appear locked into a 90 degree angle. My Reactions: This mask is what I would have liked as Kopaka's mask, maybe with a lens added too (sans the red laser). I could still coolify it, but within the Mata style, it's very cool as is. There's less serration on the legs, which to me is a downside, but the design is cool. The Hewkii swords are an excellent choice; one of the best tools out there, just like the Katana, IMT. In this case I'm very glad the designers didn't go with a "borrow from the Nuva" theme on the tools, as neither Kopaka form's swords were all that cool (although a silver Kopaka Mata sword might have been interesting -- no idea if that mold even still exists). Photok Analysis: Unlike the other two, only his arms feature the primary color orange; the legs are gray. Again the arms have some serrations; I can't tell if this is a new piece, or the same as Tanma's legs at a new angle. The legs appear to be Tanma's arms, but again, not sure. The mask is yet again a variation on the Newva mask of this color, looking much like the original Kakama in this case, even more so than Pohatu's new mask. And finally, Chronicler's staffs are his tools. My Reactions: Orange. Too bad the legs aren't orange, though, since that piece (if it's Tanma's arms) is my favorite out of the bunch. But great mask; maybe the most 2001ey of all these Kanohi and a lot like something I might design for the Paracosmos. Chronicler's staffs always rock; again I'm glad there's no Nuva-borrowing going on there. There's something confusing going on with the shoulder, though -- it seems way too high up to me. And there might be something attached to the back, or that might just be part of the background, can't tell. Small Villains Analysis: It's been a long time since Bionicle has featured small villains; the last I can recall is also the first; the Bohrok Va. Considering how much more advanced these are than the Va, these are a first. They appear to be essentially Chibi Phantoka, each with a variation on the faces of the corresponding Phantoka (just like the Matoran and the Newva's mask similarities). They use the same body piece and leg pieces as the Matoran, and two of them use the same two-toed feet as Chirox. All three appear to have the same bat-wing pieces, that resemble System bat/dragon wing pieces LEGO has made before. And like the Matoran, they each feature an old bladed weapon, one in each hand. My Reactions: Very cool. The Va were... well, their heads were alright, but that was it. They were cheapie extras, but these are real quality (IMT) sets that happen to be small. The wings are even clearer than the Phantoka's to be wings, although they look a little too small to really help in flight much (but this is Bionicle physics of course). The two-toed pieces and the spider-leg pieces work really well in them, and the tool choices are excellent. The faces I have mixed reactions to, but will save that for later. And the canisters are a nice chibi version of the stone look in the Phantoka canisters. Kirop Analysis: Kirop features Matoro Mahri claws, two-toe feet, and apparently Photok's arms as both arms and legs (and at this angle, it appears Tanma's legs must be this piece as well). The face looks the most batlike of all of these, apparently with four fangs just barely discernable at the bottom. My Reactions: My fav of all three. The bat-ear look with the fangs is great, the black wings fit the color scheme best, the weapons are perfect (and perfectly coherent), and for a villain the limb choice looks perfect. I love the two-toed piece, especially in a small set like this. And the face reminds me of mimes or those bad guys in Zelda... um... the one with the fish.... Windfish? Anyways. Red eyes are perfect. It's just a great set. I think those wings could be bigger, though. And I keep mixing his name up with Chirox, but I'm learning, I'm learning... Gavla Analysis: Gavla features a blue and black (or possibly dark gray/silver) color scheme, with either white or silver at the top of the head. Again the feet are the two-toed pieces. The limbs appear to be Tanma arms. And the tool is the green Visorak's pincher. My Reactions: Again LEGO is hitting the mark perfectly with the coolest old tools to choose. The Visorak Keelerahk jaws were always my favorite [Lol, no, they're Carapar claws, which are very similar, and also my favorite Barraki tool -- thanks to xccj for catching that mistake), as I've posted on here many times (were you guys reading my posts, lol?), as they seem the "coolest" in my view of what is cool. Head isn't as attractive to me; it's a little plain, though there might be a sortof batwing/tentacle thing going on at the top. Reminds me of Mantax's head, which I thought was only semi-cool until someone finally showed a pic of it from the top view, revealing it to be the coolest perhaps ever made with those sweep-back tentacles. Might be something like that going on here, not sure. Again, I love the two-toed piece. This guy looks like perhaps the most dangerous of the three with the longer weapons. I'm dissapointed that the wings have to stay black. Blue versions would have rocked. Radiak Analysis: Again we see the spidery formation of legs, and in this case it's clear that the arms form the other two legs. Takanuva staffs are held by Tanma arm pieces in the front, and apparently the back is the same, though it's hard to tell. Again the batlike wings come out the back, and the face resembles another Krana-like shape just like Antroz's. The red also, again, appears to be Mata red, not Metru red, but, again, might just be this pic. My Reactions: This is what a Krana should have looked like, IMT. All those spikes sticking off the sides rock. Spikes are the key to cool. Interesting that the spider design is in red, whereas with the Phantoka, it's in blue. I wonder if white, orange, and lime Phantoka and small sets will have some of this spider design? Again, I wish the wings had been colored; red in this case, not just black again. Takanuva staffs -- again, the best of the best of tools are being used here. Again I feel like the set designers are reading my posts. This guy ranks very close to Kirop to me, close to being best, with Gavla a little behind. Mainly, it's because both Kirop and Radiak are coherent, overall, but Gavla's head does not fit with the coolness of his weapons. Also, Radiak and Gavla's black wings aren't as coherent as red and blue would have been, but Kirop's black wings are coherent with other black in him. Remember the importance of coherence -- it isn't just pure cool shapes that make up the whole of "coolness" IMT. Big Box Set Toa Ignika Analysis: Obviously, the name and mask bring up many storyline questions. I think it's safe to say for the moment that Toa Ignika wears the Kanohi Ignika and leave it at that here. This set is much like Toa Takanuva, in that it presents old pieces (like a Titan set would) to construct a Toa and a vehicle, with a new piece for an elite mask, and sells in a box. The main difference is that this Toa includes the same projectile weapon that the Toa Newva have. In this case, we see a standard Toa Inika/Mahri/Newva style body and limb design, decorated with bladelike shoulder armor and Nuparu leg armor that also looks somewhat bladelike. The bladelike theme is repeated in the Hewkii Mahri staff and several places in the "hoverboard", matching the bladelike ridges in the also-silver Kanohi Ignika on his face. There's a Piraka torso, Rahkshi legs as limbs, and Toa Metru feet. In the hoverboard there's a Jaller Mahri sword, two Brutaka swords, and two other swords I can't make out. Also of note is the color scheme -- largely silver, but there is also some yellow. Same yellow featured in Hewkii Inika/Mahri and other sets like Keetongu. My Reactions: THIS is cool incarnate. Blades/Spikes, serrations, great blade-like shoulder design (a key to coolness I use often in my own MOCs and such), a great staff weapon, a hoverboard... Not just any hoverboard, a cool one with sharp streamline front with a three pronged design, and wings. Wings apparently even slightly bent forward. Perfect design for a hoverboard. Perfect example of an ubercool, coherent set. This rocks. Only real downside is the lack of new pieces. Of course, that's standard fare for box sets anyways so no surprise. The main new piece, the Kanohi Ignika's 2008 form, is familiar but still coolified a little, in the way it's pinched in at the cheekbones a little compared to past forms. And regardless of being coolified since its last form, it was already one of Bionicle's coolest masks. I would have increased the spike/ridges on the top though. My Predictions I've had a tradition of making informed predictions for many years now about how sets, mainly canister sets, will come across to the fanbase and how that will affect sales. My approach has proven correct in almost every instance as sales results come in, most recently the Inika and Piraka. For the moment, my predictions on the Barraki and Mahri are still waiting results, so I'll rehash that. The Mahri should sell roughly as good as the Inika, possibly down due to some flaws in coolness with some body designs and Cordak uncoolness, but also probably up due to their higher degree of nonclonism than the Inika, better (more "Bionicle") masks, and of course, the Cordak are "guns" which is guaranteed to earn major point. The Barraki should sell even better than the Piraka, due to less clonism and very strong cool designs of heads, bodies, tools, etc. What might bring them down is that overall many are not as "out of the box" as something like Visorak or Bohrok, and their coolest parts aren't as intense as something like Piraka spines or Rahkshi spines (except Ehlek -- but he is lacking limb styling pieces). So here's my thoughts on 2008's sales prospectus. First, there is a high level of coolification throughout many of these sets, and so that right off the bat is going to grab attention on the shelves. The strongest sets in this respect, to me, are the Phantoka. We are seeing the most stylization and the most "spikes" and such in these sets, and they are also highly innovative. Much like the Bohrok or Visorak, they are a new shape to Bionicle, and much like the Rahkshi or the Piraka, they focus on style over mere practicality. They seem somewhat biomechanical with the style of their faces and in two cases, the toed feet, as well as the wings. In addition, they are very non-cloned, so interest in buying all three (for now) will likely be strong. All of these make them stand out as something worth buying, rather than just another canister set. These are the first villain sets I've seen aside from some of the Barraki that combine all of these positive factors together in each set and roughly balance them out perfectly. I predict that for villain sets, these will sell very well. Possibly even surpassing the Piraka. Second, the Toa Newva. I have issues with some aspects of them, especially those issues mentioned with Kopaka. Judging purely based on Lewa for the moment, I see the same balance of cool, coherence, and a high degree of innovation, with a very cool color scheme, and a better-than-Cordak launcher. Lewa, I think will sell well. Pohatu will probably look a little clearer with higher-res images from the magazine, and a better pose with Kopaka that shows off his sword/bayonet, or whatever it is, may also cast him in a more positive light. Both, especially Pohatu, are at least equal to the Toa Mahri in level of cool. Kopaka could have gone a lot beyond it than he did. Pohatu could have been more coherent. The weapon could have been far more cool and stylish. Kopaka's feet could have been better. Body armor could have been cooler (just like with the Mahri), with spikes or the like. Things like this seem to make them look less like the noble heroes that fans want, in my understanding, and a little more like machines, especially Kopaka. So there are some negatives that I think might hurt them. Overall, though, they are very cool. I predict the Newva will sell roughly like what the Toa Mahri will sell (which should be about like the Inika, which was very good). I worry the Newva might not go as high as they could have gone in success, though. Small sets. These are strong in coolness, the Matoran with possibly better Kanohi than the Newva, the small villains miles better than the Bohrok Va (Phantoka Va?). Tricky to judge small sets, but I predict these will sell decently. Most likely the Matoran are the strongest of the two kinds, with so much similarity to what was cool about the original Matoran. There really is no context in which to judge small villain sets, though, other than the Va, so that prediction is less certain. Given that these are high quality cool sets, it's a safe bet that they'll far surpass the Va. By how much, I have no idea, because villains rarely sell as well as good guys. Toa Ignika. This should sell a lot like Takanuva in 2003, which was a strong seller despite that year overall being down, and quite likely a lot like Lhikan and Kikanalo, though there is no Rahi here. I.e. this one should teach big box sets how to leave shelf. Main possible weakness is lack of new parts, but since the old parts that are included are the best of the best, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. Overall, as you can see, I expect 2008 to be very up for Bionicle. Will it be the best year ever? That's a question I'm not going to touch, as it is really purely subjective, though I'll be interested in how that question plays late in 2008 or in 2009. But I think it's safe to say it will be up to par, at least, with 2006 in sales. I think it will be a hard year to beat in years afterwards. Well, hope you enjoyed this or found it useful. Please comment any questions, corrections, disagreements, agreements, whatnot.
  24. bonesiii

    Why

    Well, if that's what he means, then I wouldn't like it as much as the grey. (Speaking only for me here.) Take a look at the Mata and the Nuva, Smeag -- it was the same way then. Within the context of the taste style that is being targeted at any one time, they are original. That's all I meant -- and it's obvious that they have tons of original aspects, just like the Mahri and Inika did. Within the context of the Technicism style of the Mata/Nuva (and indeed, many other sets from those years), the Nuva are original (but highly recognizeable). Within the context of the "Coolified" style of the Inika/Mahri/Nuva, the Nuva Nuva are original. Comparing them both, within their respective context, the Nuva Nuva are a lot more original than the 2003 Nuva were. (Putting coolified in quotes because not everybody sees it as cooler, of course.) What you said is only true if you take all of the sets out of context, and say that because the Nuva are still staying true to the "new" style that most fans like, they are unoriginal. Well, the problem with that argument is that most fans want the sets to stay within that style. To be original by that logic, the Nuva Nuva would have to establish a new style that's untested, which there seems to be no call for from what most fans want. There was a strong call to move to the "Coolified" style, as I argued for a long time before it happened, and now there's a strong call to remain within that context. Also, MOCers on here are often calling for old parts in new colors. Pohatu's orange leg pieces, for example. I'll be trying to get my hands on them, heh. If you look at the above "chart", you can see why that would be (if it is; not sure). The Toa Metru, within the context of the older style, were more original. They were also a move to a newer "in-between" style, so like the Inika and Mata, they were the most original in terms of basic body structure. They had their successors, Lhikan and the Hagah (them especially, being very similar in concept to the Nuva and Mahri in how they mix new and old pieces up in original ways), and the Hordika (mostly new pieces but less originality in specifics that compare to the Metru). It wasn't until 2006 that "new", preferred style evolved fully, with the trimming of gears, the fulfilling of a more "biomechanical" style, and the introduction of the Piraka-basis body design. The analogy fits what I'm saying a lot better than what you saying, it seems -- Led was more original, and more popular. It is ToM and others arguing for less originality here (less ToM than others I've seen, though, as he has made somewhat clear). Again, going back to that "chart", the Nuva are clearly far less original within the context of the style of the time than the Nuva Nuva are within the new style's context. Look at their limbs and you'll see far less clonism, far more original uses of pieces, many new pieces unlike any we've seen previously in Bionicle, etc. etc. Plus the first orange stone set. Did I mention I love that? But anyways, within each context, it is clear the Nuva are more original. Thus I predict they will sell well.
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