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Watched Mongol last night. It was great. =D Watched Surrogates tonight. It was okay. =/ ~Bunda
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Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Well, my great aunt had her birthday yesterday and we went to my grandparents to celebrate it. It was fun until the way back. You see, they were repaving the highway and the detours made no sense whatsoever. On the way there we stopped by one of Columbia, SC's wall*marts. (They have a way better selection than the local one near us!)Well, my dad got some stuff for the flooring(that's another story) and I got TWO NEW TOYS! I got Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Ravage and a BIONICLE Star. Now despite the fact that I dislike the stars, I thought I might as well just get at least one. They had all the Stars except for the most popular one, Tahu. So it was a choice between Skrall, Nektann, Takanuva, Gresh, and Rahkshi. The Skrall is garbage, I already have Glatorian Gresh which is far much more better, I'm tired of Takanuva, so it was between Rahkshi and Nektann. Both the piraka and the rahkshi were awesome, both set-wise and story-wise, but I decided on getting Rahkshi. (You could say that I could have gotten both, but I already got ravage so I had to get one Star.) So, now that I'm home, he needs a name and not just "Rahkshi". I could just call him by BinkMaster's name for it, Zirahk, but I decided to be silly and name him George. George is a cool toy, the head and arm articulation is limited, but I've found ways still to work with it. George does make a cool desk toy and if you want to take a small toy with you on trips then I would recommend him. He can even fit inside his canister well, but you have to detach his head/spine and take apart his staff, but seeing the simplicity of the build, it is easy to put it back. (Also, if you can't find a use for the shield, you can use it as arm armor, but you've already figured that out by now, eh?) That's all I got for tonight, but I'll be sure to give you updates... if any. He's just a toy. Though it would be cool if there was a kraata that came with him. - The Bohrok Lord
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And some day I might actually be able to review a popular set. (This is the third review I've worked on, and the second my name's attached to. I helped code the TLR review but didn't add my name in... because who really cares about the coder?)
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Dunno why the pic quality is so awful, but you can find BZP's reviews if you want more detailed pics of each set. Okay, don't be a hater, but Bionicle 2009... ... was my favorite year. Set-wise. *rotten tomatoes from '01 fans* BUT WAIT I DID LOVE THE MATA MASKS AND TOOLS. THOSE WERE GREAT. And there are some serious duds in the '09 lineup as well. I just got Vastus in the mail. Ick. But at the same time, 2009 has some of the best looking sets in... well, forever. Ackar is gorgeous. Inika clone, yes, but if you take him as a separate action figure, or even parts pack, he's beautiful. They experimented with the elemental vibe all throughout the year, and even tried new torso configurations (like in 2007, which was also one of my favorite set years) and interesting color schemes. Each set feels very character filled and I like that. Not so good for MOCing, but just as stand-alone action figures (which is what they've been to me, I've hardly pirated any pieces all year and most of the sets have remained completely intact - I like them, you see ) they look wonderful. I was prompted to take this pic and write a few sentences on each set 'cause I just got Skrall, Vastus, Malum, Metus and Atakus in the mail. So here are some words on all the 2009 sets I own. If you've been on the fence about buying some of these guys maybe you should take a look. SAND TRIBE / MATA NUI ZESK: Oh so cute. Piece wise, nothing special. But as a set, I love this little guy. I just like to fiddle with him all the time. VOROX: Bleh. Happy to have more tan parts, but as an action figure, there isn't much I like about him. MAT NUI: Almost perfect set. The arms are far too long, however, and the color layering is maddeningly near perfect. Honestly, I don't see why the piece that his legs attach to isn't black and the armor over that piece isn't yellow and his arms yellow and upper arms black. Then his color layering would be absolutely perfect. It wouldn't be a cost issue, either, since the yellow arms exist in Skopio and the black upper arms exist on Thornatus, so that would remove to recolor the upper arm piece, and instead they could recolor the lower body armor. MADNESS (not Sparta). Still, I like the set, overall. FIRE TRIBE MALUM: I was filled with glee while building him. The legs and torso have perfect proportions, length wise (human proportions look nice) and while the arms are very long, it looks okay on him, for some reason. Helmet is cool, color scheme is cool, tools are cool, shoulder armor is not cool. Overall I like him, though. I feel it is worth noting that his feet (not his shoulders, however) are of a different plastic, and so look kind of pink, especially in bright light. His tools and mask may be of the same material as well, but I'm not sure, as the color blending makes it kind of hard to tell. ACKAR: Mentioned him earlier. He looks great. Inika build, but it still looks good. One of my favorites. JUNGLE TRIBE TARDUK: Looks good. I think out of the five little guys I have he may be my least favorite... his mask is very cool, though. Very cool. One of my favorite masks of all time, actually. VASTUS: Wow. Because of him, I actually like Tarix. Busy, crazy-awful color layering... just awkward looking. Real awkward. I do, however, like his mask a lot. I feel like I'll turn to stone when I look at him. Some nifty pieces in this guy, though, which I why I bought him, along with wanting to have a complete set of Glatorian (Gresh eludes me! D=). I do wish all his snakey bits were the same color. Paired with Gresh Stars' snake-ish bits, I might be able to do something with them. WATER TRIBE TARIX: Pretty bad set, IMO. Great pieces, great helmet... weird colors and awkward proportions. He's a gorgeous man-beast when compared to Vastus, however. BERIX: My second favorite Agori after Zesk. I like playing with this little guy too. Good colors. Dark feet look out of place at first but I kinda like them now. KIINA: One of my favorite sets of all time. Her proportions are very inhuman, but I think they look good here. Lanky gal. Good pieces, good overall appearance... she's very cool. ICE TRIBE STRAKK: Another one of my favorite sets of all time. Unique build, very elemental looking, awesome ax, good colors, awesome mask... this set has a lot of personality. METUS: Funny that the main villain of 2009 was a little white set. Decent for an Agori, but the limbs are kinda bleh. As arms they almost work but as legs, please no. Worked on Tarduk 'cause of the four legged-ness. Cool helmet and the shield is nice. GELU: Another basic Inika build that works. Good pieces, cool mask, cool blades... there isn't much to say about him. Not my favorite Legends, but I like him more than Vastus ad Mata Nui. ROCK TRIBE SKRALL: Skinny, lanky appearance. Looks good. Pieces are cool, and that shield is awesome. I wish Tuma came with a green one. I like him more than Vorox and Tarix and maybe Malum. ATAKUS: I just picked him up 'cause he was one sale. Very cool mask, good overall appearance. As a little set, he isn't great for MOCing, as per norm, but I still am glad I got him. STRONIUS: Another one of my favorite sets ever. I mean, he's just so cool. Spiky, bulky, good pieces... this set has much personality. TUMA: Gack. Awful. Decent pieces. Decent. THORNATUS: So cool. So cool. So cool. Did you know it's as long as the Axalara, almost as tall, and 8 times as cool? ~Bunda
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Saw it again last night, spur of the moment with my fambly (all of whom had already seen it twice, 'cept for mom who only saw it once) and some friends who hadn't seen it. I thought I would hate it this time... I mean, I'd already seen it twice... so I thought the third time I would be sick of it... But I was wrong. Liked it even more this time. I noticed more flaws (there are many flaws in the movie, I will admit to this) but I also enjoyed the good stuff more. Sure, the story isn't unique, not by a longshot. The location is pretty basic sci fi. The aliens are still inexplicably human. Some of the acting feels weird and the main villain is so over the top he's laughable. It seems like it would be better to dig for smaller deposits of "unobtainium" elsewhere as opposed to spending loads of money on missiles and bad press and all that nonsense. There are a host of other weird bits in the movie... But overall, I like it. A lot, actually. The effects are still dazzling, the plot and characters are better than decent... and I get shivers every time the bird things (the name escapes me now) come in swarms at the end. Though we saw one of our friends at the theater (she wasn't one of the ones that came with us, they all loved it)... she said she almost fell asleep she was so bored. ~Bunda
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Avatar: Saw it twice in 3D while in Texas. It was awesome both times. Mind boggling effects. Okay story, seen it before, but that doesn't make it bad. Nothing new under the sun, eh? I wanted to see it in 2D the second time but the 2D show was sold out. 3D was good, much better than the only other 3D movie I saw (though that was ages ago. Spy Kids 3D. The very name leaves an evil taste in my mouth). Made me a bit dizzy for a few minutes but I got used to it. Harry Potter and the The Half-Blood Prince: Borrowed it from my cousin. One of the better HP movies. Well made, unlike many of them. I don't know if it's my favorite, seems pretty even with Azkaban (sp?). I think I may have liked Azkaban more, though. Seriously, some of the HP movies are awful... I was confused and bewildered the entire time I was watching Pheonix... lol Saw Holmes again last night, spur of the moment with my fambly. Loved it again. ~Bunda
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Just got back from watching it. Much better than the previews make it look. I was afraid they'd change Holmes' character too much, but I think they did great. I wouldn't mind watching it again... ~Bunda
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Finished season 1 of Fringe. I can see why some people wouldn't like it, but I think it's brilliant. Lost season 5 is up for instant watch on Netflix (via my Xbox) so I'll be watching that (again, this time with the rest of my family) when we get back from Texas... Speaking of which, I'll be leaving tomorrow evening. Be gone for more than two weeks. Internet connection will be very limited since I'll be staying at my grandma's and she has no internet. ~Bunda
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Fringe just got weirder. Just watched the episode where Olivia finds out she was given a drug as a child, don't spoil me. ~Bunda
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I didn't think Fringe could top the giant heart parasite for creepiness. It did with the giant cold cells. I am scarred for life. But in a good way. *shudders* I think I will have trouble drinking for some time to come. ~Bunda
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I liked the style better than The Babysitter's, even if the issue of alien architecture is back. Female Sangheili are... different. At least, I read that she was a Sangheili. I thought she was a San Shyuum at first. I thought Sangheili swordsmen weren't allowed to marry? I guess that's a newer rule that was put in place after the events of The Dual. Those Mgalekgolo were massive. Haka's metal sword was cool. The way they animated Sangheili jaws was confusing at times. btw talking about the latest Halo anime episode ~Bunda
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Read it Here! The BZP Staff members did a good job at summing up the movie, but I'm not here to promote them. No, my contribution was the pictures, all the pretty pictures, from the movie. I also helped code the story, being a reporter and all, to help ease the workload for Lord-B6. It's the longest story I've worked on so far... so much formatting! And yeah, pretty much everything I would have said about the movie was said in the review, so yeah, go read it and enjoy it.
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Interesting concept, horrendous execution. I do not suggest seeing it, at least in theaters. ~Bunda
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First off, yes, unconventional picture, but it was just sooo cool. Anyway, I got Gresh and Zesk at BrickCon for 50% off, which didn't save me much compared to those who snagged stuff like Skopio, but I don't have that kind of money anyway. (Or the chance, really) Unlike some particular people I had to settle for less. Gresh The star of TLR (or, well, at least a character with more than three lines), Gresh was also a popular character that came out this winter. But how is the actual set? Well, I think he's too Inika-y. Besides a few modifications for armor, he has the same build as any of the Inika. That was one reason I held off on buying him... he just didn't seem to offer much that was new, although the pieces are nice. Lots of claws in lime green (hopefully they won't break like the socket joints always do) I guess I do like how the body was thickened to give him shoulder armor spikes, but I wish they had used something besides Piraka armor for the upper arm. Bleh. Also nice in lime green are the feet, which are new for me, although I guess they also came with Tuma. (Oh, and new black neck piece... I could have fun with hundreds of those) New stuff for just Gresh are his weapons and helmet. The weapons... well, they're a fairly nice design, although they feel a bit awkward to fit into the Glatorian's hand as a blade or a shield. (I think they look better on the Spikit) I do think they work better as twin blades and not a shield, but the latter was easier to use in the pose above. Next, the helmet... is large. I got into a pattern expecting smallish helmets, from MN to Ackar to Strakk. But Gresh has quite a big head. It seems to be a little too big at times, or too tall, but I'm sure it'll work nicely in other MOCs. I probably wouldn't promote Gresh as the star of the Glatorian Winter sets (that would be Vorox... TAN!) which makes it all the stranger that he's being brought back as the Star, but I suppose we'll see what the reasons for that are next year when the Stars are actually released. Zesk Everybody said this littl' guy was the coolest Agori to get. Well, maybe they should reconsider why they'd be getting any Agori at all... Besides the helmet, Zesk has no new pieces, and only has the new Agori bent limb in tan, which was also seen on Vorox (although, to be fair, Zesk has five of them). I guess the big unique thing was the tail, but the way Lego attached it to the back really limited the maneuverability of the head. I switched this, and instead attached the Vahki leg to his belly, which limits the length of the tail but gives some more freedom to the head. Still, the helmet feels lacking... it's too small and wide, not nearly as imposing as Vorox's, and just plain hard to pose well on an Agori body. I mean, I guess it would work if he were a humanoid, but as a quadriped the back of the helmet just keeps hitting the body and... well, no good. He's a fun little guy, and worth it at 50% off, but I couldn't justify getting him for more, or any of the other Agori for that matter. Only Agori I thought was "worth" it was maybe Metus because of his snowflake shield, and even then you could've gotten that with Gelu. But now the question is, who will win the battle of the curtain string: Gresh of the vicious Zesk! Cast your bets today, and stay turned for an update! (And be disappointed when it never comes)
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Just got back from seeing it... It was quite good. Very simple plot and all, but it worked. The puppets were amazing (even though the faces were partiallly CG, or so I hear). Some parts were pretty scary, even kind of freaky for me (not scary for me, but freaky). I wouldn't suggest letting a little kid see it. All in all I thought it was decent. I'm not raving over it, but it is definitely unique, and it was enjoyable. ~Bunda
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Read it here. A couple of extra side notes... I took all these pictures in August, when it actually was summer where I'm from. It took me a while to write up the review around school and stuff, and then it was on hold because we had better reviews coming in. Also, I no longer have the camera. I gave it to Roa at BrickCon... although at the time the battery seemed to be dead, so we couldn't actually use it, but she was the only one who didn't want to smash the camera to a pulp. Still, as I said in the review, if I had gotten this camera 10-15 years ago, I would've loved using it. So I still think it's a good product for the target audience. So there.
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(Original Post date September 21st) So the newest additions to my Bionicle collection come straight from the new movie... well, not quite, but they both have roles in it, with some of the more annoying lines too, I might add. Oh, and they're both blue. So let this be a duel set review! I'll start off with the bigger of the two.. Kiina Kiina, the only female set of the year. She's a major character in the movie, even if her voice made me cringe through most of the previews. (To be fair, in some of the other scenes in the movie, she's not too bad, but thats still not enough to overcome the rest of it) The first thing that stands out with the set is the custom torso. On one hand, I applaud Lego for this. If they're so interested in reusing pieces, maybe they should do more with other pieces rather than the Inika/Piraka torsos. On the other hand... this feels poorly executed. I must admit, the initial design works... you get four ball joints for arms and legs, and a rather ingenious addition for the head joint. But when you fit on the arms and legs, the body suddenly seems very short. I mean, seriously, her body is about the size of one of the new light blue joint pieces, making the ridicular arm-the-same-length-as-the-legs problem even worst with the squat body. (I think in the official review they said it's the same dimentions as an Agori body). Yes, Lego, good job for trying to customize the body, but can't you try and make it a little taller? I miss the good old days when bodies were made of multiple small-ish pieces. (Except the only good example I can come up with are the Rahkshi... hmm, the Toa have always had big body mold pieces, haven't they?) Well, regardless, I remain unsatisfied. I guess the other remarkable thing about Kiina is her new style of armor, which has this wavey manta-ray look, IMO. (Like seriously, Rahi MOC time) And strangely... they give her depth. If you look at her from the side, the armor sticks way back behind her, kinda blocking the otherwise thinish body. However, they still feel a bit awkward, as is any type of armor that sticks out and catches other parts of the set, hindering mobility. The mask/helmet is... well, okay. It's bigger than some of the other helmets, which I've thought were freakishly small. The color blend of silver and dark blue reminds me of Hahli Inika's armor... pieces of which I've never used before, but which would probably go nicely with Kiina. I wonder if I can incorperate them into a Kiina remake before BrickCon... Other bits include the tridents... neat weapons, but kinda specialized and silver anyway. (I think they had a little bit more color in the movie) And a few more things about the body... ignoring that the porportions are off, there are a few changes I'd make. I flipped the Life Counter piece on her back to face down, because otherwise it looks odd sticking up into empty space way behind her neck. Furthermore, the Vahki limb that serves as her neck is only held in by one 3 long pin. They could've used two more plus rods to secure the Vahki leg onto the Hordika head pieces. And the plus rods could have even been blue... after all, that color for once fits in with the theme. Speaking of color... dark blue and light blue. A combo we have seen before, but it's not bad, and we get to see light blue in some new pieces (Inika clawed feet, hands, new socket joints) Even if Kinna isn't a spectacular set, the pieces are adequate. (Oh, I guess she also has a Thorax launcher, but I don't really care about that anymore) Additional notes: Well, I did create a Kiina redesign for BrickCon. Originally I tried to beef up the body to go with the limbs, but failed horribly. So instead I kept the same basic body and instead shrunk down the limbs and such, as can be seen here. This way, the Torso actually looks pretty decent, and it wouldn't make a bad canister set (except, of course, Lego would never used a small arm design like that. ). Berix The collector of rare things in Bara Magna. We helped him out in the MLN game, saw him getting assisance in the comic, and he appears in the movie (but is he the traitor??) I can't say, but I will tell you how he is as a set. Well, he's an Agori. Basically an Av-Matoran. AKA mostly lame except for weapons/helmet. He comes in all shades of blue, but primarily those found on Gali Mata, which is a plus. I like Mata schemes (as with Ackar) The gold Chronicler Staffs are okay... I have one from Iruini, so nothing new. (And that shade of gold was better) He has a light blue flame sword, which is nice. And he has Ackar's helmet in blue. Hmm. Oh, yeah, and he has Solek limbs, which are new for me, although not nessesarily "new." Strangly enough, when I look at him, I see a blue Tahu Mata. Really, although the wavely parts of him could go with water, they work better as flames, and by attaching the gold Chronicler staffs to his feet, he's got himself a wicket lava board. Plus, he's about as big as Tahu (except maybe in width) with about the same amount of articulation. (Give or take a gear function) All in all, he was just about worth the price I paid (aka $0) Unless you're a completist, I wouldn't grab him unless you can get a deal. As for Kiina... well, she's average as Glatorian go. I'd recomend Stronius or Mata Nui over her, but her build is certainly cooler than Ackar or Gelu. (Although I do like Ackar's color scheme more.) If you're a completist or need new pieces, go for her, but I wouldn't recomend her as your sole Glatorian Legends purchase. (And don't get her just for her "custom" build, which I feel is overrated, even if it is a step in the right direction.) T~L
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My first Agori... not that it's saying much, since I also got a few Av-Matoran, and they're pretty much the same. Anyway, I bought Metus about a month or so ago, with all intentions of using his head for my MOC, which ended up not getting displayed at BrickCon anyway. I'm pretty sure I got him on sale... go back through my blog and check, I probably mentioned it somewhere. I'm too lazy to go check myself. Anyway, when I first saw the Agori, Metus was really the one that caught my ee. The snowflake shield is everything. It's a shame that they mixed the aqua blue with silver instead of white, but it still looks pretty cool. Anyway, it was that new colorful weapon that first attracted my eye... although at first it wasn't enough for me to just buy the set. But after buying it... well, the snowflake shield is still my favorite part. The rest of Metus is pretty standard. He has a nice helmet... a little small, but okay, and it looks good on the set and in the movie. He also comes with a trans blue Glatorian head... a plus, as it beats lime green or orange. The body piece is in a new color... I like it better than the Av-Matoran, who were all stuck with bley, but it still isn't that good of a piece in my mind. Metus would've been better if they had found some way to customize him. Want examples of how that worked... look at the Matoran of 2006. Oh, and he has the Solek / Hewkii / Vorox tail blade, which is a cool one. I have some already, but I just happened to need one more for the Con, and Metus provided it. Playability... well, he's an Agori, with pre bent limbs, and nothing else to do besides pose. (Or I suppose you could use him in BIONICLE ACTION FIGURE GAME!!) Really, I didn't get Metus for the set, I got him for the pieces, namely the head and helmet, the snowflake shield, and as a bonus, the Vorox tail blade. He was a really great character in the movie, to be sure, but he's not too great of a set. If you just have to have a Agori, he's probably the best to pick, but still, you could do better than an Agori, anonymous reader. I have faith in you!! » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «Now... that Metus snake from the movie... he'd make a killer set. I did my best at an MOC, but still don't have the head quite down. If that had been the BrickMaster exclusive, and click had been an addition to the Titan Mata Nui set, then things would've been soooooo much better. Or maybe not, but I think that would've been cool.)
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Whenever I review fanfics, I try my best to be constructive. I try to point out the flaws and give suggestions on how to improve, while also pointing out what they did right and to tell them to keep on doing it that way, or even improve it, if possible. My problem that I am noticing is not that I am too positive and never tell the writer what he did wrong like so many other people do, but that I may be a little too harsh. I sometimes feel that I don't actually point out anything good, even though I do try to at least show that I am interested in the story when making a mostly negative review. I seem to ignore or miss whatever the writer did good half the time, but so far no one has really complained about the way I review. In fact, many people are actually rather happy with my reviews, though they do reply to them if they need to correct a mistake I might have made about their story. Perhaps they're okay with them because the majority of BZP authors don't get a lot of reviews, especially detailed constructive ones such as the kind that I usually write. Still, I feel dissatisfied with my reviews anyway. I suppose it is easier to point out the flaws in someone else's work than to point out the good parts. Sometimes this is justified when you are reviewing a story that is so bad it's horrible with nothing good in it at all, but I have rarely ran into those kinds of stories here on BZP (except for maybe the Comedies forum, but they may have gotten better since I left it). I generally find and review stories that I think have potential to be great, but still need a little help in developing the characters, plot, and setting and other important story elements. Even so, I sometimes almost forget to point out a few positive things in someone's fanfic. So I suppose my question is, am I too harsh when I review or do I hit the balance between positive and negative with accuracy? I don't want to be too positive that I ignore the bad parts of the story that really need fixing, yet I don't want to be too negative and focus solely on the flaws without even so much as thinking of what could be good about the story, which could destroy the author's self-confidence (which is something that I never aim to do). I just need to find a good balance, but I am not sure if I hit it or not most of the time. -TNTOS-
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The movie, that is. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauggh it hurt owowowowowowowow man that was an awful experience. If I wasn't so dogged I would have left. I should have listen to big brother's advice and steered clear. D= IT WAS LIKE DURACELL I MEAN ENERGIZER OR WHATEVER IT KEPT GOING AND GOING AND GOING And they kissed like every thirty second for the last half hour. It could have ended about an hour in and it would have just been bad. But they had to make it two and a half hours long. uggggh So it was eternal AND boring and like the most cliche thing ever. my braaaain *gently washes brain with antibacterial* Good night. ~Bunda
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Got this new set at a Fred Meyers sale... only 15% off, so I still didn't get below $10... but still, a sale is a sale. What, oh yeah, a review... MATA RED! ORANGE!! *Goes off in lala land celebrating* *comes back* Okay, I think that's probably the most exciting thing about Ackar. His colors. This is one of the things I really liked about Bionicle in the beginning; nice, bright colors. And I died a little bit inside (metaphorically) when 04 came around and we went to dark Metru colors... and stayed with dark Metru colors... year after year... until the memory of Mata colors only came with the pins and axles. Don't get me wrong, I would still rather have Mata green back than Mata red and orange... but this still feels like a victory. Mata colors! Yes!! (Or, I guess, rather the lack of Metru colors. After all, we have seen Mata red and orange come back in the last two years before Ackar) Now onto the set design... Legs are Inika, except for lower leg armor. (It's nifty, but oh so unstable) Arms are Inika, except with Mahri electro staffs as armor. (Nice addition... I even tried incorporating that into my BrickCon MOCs with the white blades, but eventually scrapped that idea.) Torso... Inika. Okay, with a few changes, this is just a recolored Toa Inika. *facepalm* Okay, so even while the design, for the most part, is lame and repetitive (even if, you know, it works for mobility and playability) But the colors make it work. Let me go back to this point. Mata red and orange work. I mean, half of Ackar has to be recolored pieces, which while it lacks in new designs I still approve of. Limb pieces are introduced for the first time in red. Feet, staffs, and thigh armor are now in orange... yes. (Although I think those staffs may have come in orange with those Power Miners sets) (I also though the chest piece was new too... until I saw the same piece laying on my floor, and realized Pohatu came with it on his vehicle). New stuff... well, the sword is a nice design, reusing the piece from Mata Nui and adding in a cool flames piece. (Is it brand new for Ackar? Oh well, it's new for me.) And the helmet... while small, it looks nice for a fire dude. (Although it's another recolor from Berix, right? I wouldn't know... I didn't buy Berix). And, of course, the new grey hands, which are already a commonplace on sets. (Which I instantly swapped off him for use in one of my MOCs). So why should you get Ackar? Well, he does have a fairly good heroic look, even if it's mostly a repeat design of the Inika with a few armor modifications. He's also very cool in the movie clips we've seen so far, even for an old, worn out Glatorian. (I mean, who doesn't want to own the costar of TLR?) I feel like there's something else... some other reason... oh yeah... THE COLORS!! MATA RED!! ORANGE!! But seriously... unless you're a rabid collector or you really desire red and orange (heh, guilty ) Ackar isn't that great of a buy. He's the same basic design that we've gotten bored of recently I would easily recommend Mata Nui or Stronius over him... or even Kinna, who does have a unique design (not that I know from personal experience) He's a cool character, but a mediocre set. Oh, and MATA RED! ORANGE! (Why am I so excited? Red's not even one of my favorite colors, and it's not like I'm lacking in red pieces) If you think this is bad, you don't wanna know what's gonna happen if they release a Mata Green set again...
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I've had this set for a while, but when I initially got it the boards went down. So boo on my part for not posting it sooner. Okay, this was my first Glatorian of the Legends variety. Not that there was a huge difference between the winter and summer sets in terms of style... but still... Anyway, as his name implies, Stronius looked strong. Seriously, this is one dude I would not want to fight, even if I were a Bio mechanical Glatorian. That was my problem with the original Skrall (of which I didn't get any); they weren't bulked up. For impressive fighters, they looked rather thin and not very imposing. (Besides maybe their helmets, but whatev) But Stronius take the look and adds spikes to it. Seriously, this is one of the better looking canister sets I've seen in a while. Pohatu Phantoka and Kongu Mahri both looked bulky, but so much muscular as in just wide. The Barakki were too into looking like sea creatures, and the Makuta had to be like bats or bugs; nothing with the bulk. Stronius seems to be the first set in a long time that screams "I'm a rough and tough villian, give me your treasures or I'll beat you with my club." (Going back, I would have to say that some of the Piraka also had that look) What makes him so amazing, set-design wise? (Okay, I'm going off memory here, because the set's already dismantled to make MOCs for Brick Con) First off, the armor is ideal. New armor, too, and it was obviously designed with this set in mind. The torso armor really bulks him up, and then covers most of the empty space. (Unless you look down from above, but why would you do that??) The shoulder armor pieces also arch over the back nicely, leaving room for limited maneuverability, but also providing cover. Much better than most armor pieces that are attached directly to the upper shoulder. It's the same basic concept used on Mantax, and while he was my favorite Barakki design, Stronius's armor is better. There are some other quirks that seem to work for Stronius that haven't worked elsewhere. For one thing, his arms and legs are the same length (actually, made out of the exact same pieces, basically). While this has totally irked me with alot of sets, it works here. They're shorted, so even if they give Stronius a hunched look, it works for somebody who's so, well, strong. The wide Vahki limbs also seem to help with the whole "beefed up" theme going. There's also the spiked thigh armor, which was a total failure on Hewkii Mahri. (Who was also my favorite Mahri, BTW) But the black on dark red seems to blend in better than the stark silver on Keetongu orange. That is enough to help overlook the fact that the armor can't be centered on the upper leg piece. Then there's his neck... Strakk-neck, I guess. (Although I don't have Strakk, so I wouldn't know from personal experience.) True, if you extend it up, you not only get a bizarrely tall Skrall, but you open up the empty space in his torso. But why in the Great Spirit's name would you do that? By keeping it hunched down, it allows Stronius an excelent amount of mobility with his head that you couldn't get with any other design. (Well, none of Lego's typical designs; I'm sure a master MOCist with the right pieces could fix the problem.) The head (or helmet)... man, that thing's a monster. I've been getting some other Glatorian helmets, and I keep getting surprised at how small they turn out to be. But maybe that's because I keep comparing them to this beast of a helmet. Spiked, opposing, and evil. And his club? Like most others, I thought it was going to be one giant piece, as has become typical of many of Lego's weapons. (But, hey, at least it wasn't silver). The fact that the club is made of two main pieces with a few pins inside to hold it together... nice. I failed to incorporate the pieces into a MOC (as something besides a club) for BrickCon... but I know it can be done! And, as said before, that had to be a weapon that all can fall before. In terms of playability, Stronius is just like all the other canister sets of the last... what, four years? In fact, his armor may actually limit him a bit more. But I'm sure that club is good enough for batting away most all of your other sets. As for posing, which is mostly what I've used him for (well, there may have been some role playing. ) he does just as well. If you only want a few Glatorian (like me) then I would highly recommend Stronius. He's gotta be the most evil, intimidating Bionicle out there. I think he easily beats out the other Skrall, the Vorox (even if he may lack the tan), and even Tuma. It's a shame that he doesn't seem to have a big role in the movie. (If he appears at all.) And while his build isn't revolutionary, everything still seems to fit together for him to make a nice set. In bloggy news, I have one more review coming up (Don't worry, it isn't a trap) as well as teaser picts for what I'm bringing to BrickCon. (In fact, I could use a few opinions too, since I'm unsure about bringing a couple of my MOCs). And maybe even some other stuff, of what I won't specify in case I never get to it.
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That was pretty cool. B) Overall, I'd say Transformers 2 was decent. About half of the movie could... should have been cut. This includes every failed attempt at humor. And that college kid that tagged along. And the twins. Most of the mistakes seemed to happen in the beginning... and then they just carried through. And that sucks. Seriously, the beginning was terrible, but once things really started exploding things got pretty cool. And not all the Decepticons were silver! The variation among the Transformers was a nice change... They weren't all just plain humanoids like they were in the last movie, bar that scorpion one. Jetfire and that leopard one To sum it up: A little bit more plot with a little bit more personality than the other one, but with three characters that needed to cease to exist, and all the humor was terrible. Maybe worth seeing at the matinee (it was a big screen movie). BtB
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Pretty sweet effects for something 20 years old. B) But I wouldn't suggest watching anything other than the Director's cut. BtB
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I just watched Marley and Me. I was preparing myself for a terrible family friendly comedy, but it was actually really good. Surprise? BtB
