Is Hero Factory ripping off Bionicle and other stuff?

[Lenny7092]

As the title says above, is Hero Factory ripping off Bionicle and other stuff? I mean, I have been noticing you guys complaining about Hero Factory doing this throughout its years. Well, anyway, I noticed that Hero Factory is getting ideas from Bionicle and other stuff, and here's a list of things that come to my mind:

1. The Hero Factory Heroes being based on the Toa and the Glatorian

2. Mr. Makuro's face looking like Turaga Matua's Noble Kanohi

3. Professor Zib and Quadal being based on C-3PO and R2-D2 from the Star Wars franchise

4. Von Nebula and his gang being based on Makuta Teridax and his brotherhood, the Brotherhood of Makuta

5. Von Nebula's helmet looking like Hydraxon's

6. Fire Lord and his Fire Villains being based on the Absorbing Man from the Marvel Comics and the Osmosians from the Ben 10 franchise

7. Jetbug being based on Makuta Bitil from Bionicle

8. Heroes' 2.0 upgrade being based on the Toa Mata's transformation into the Toa Nuva

9. The Savage Planet storyline being based on Bionicle's 2001 storyline (probably because that the Lego Company wants to celebrate our beloved Bionicle's 10th year anniversary?)

10. The Heroes' 3.0 upgrade and the Savage Planet beasts being based on the animal-based Transformers from the Transformers: Beast Wars and Machines TV series

11. The Skorpio being based on the Nui-Jaja and Skorpio XV-1

12. The Waspix being based on the Nui-Rama, the Nui-Kopen and Makuta Gorast

13. The corrupted Quaza being based on the Infected Kanohi

14. The Black Phantom, Voltix, and Speeda Demon's masks being based on Toa Inika Hewkii's mask

15. Toxic Reapa being based on Corroder and Meltdown, and his helmet being based on Xplode's helmet

16. Splitface being based on Two-Face from the DC Comics, Blitzwing from the Transformers: Animated TV series and Thunder from Hero Factory itself

17. Thronraxx's name being based on Thornax

18. XT4 being based on Meltdown and the Waspix

19. Core Hunter being based on the Dark Hunters, Stronius, Bane from The Dark Knight Rises 2012 movie and Darth Vader from the Star Wars franchise

20. Voltix being based on Electro and the Shocker from the Marvel Comics

21. The Brain Attack monsters and Heroes' Brain Attack forms being based on the Medieval Times and The Avengers 2012 movie

22. The Brain parasites being based on the Krana, Krana-Kal, Kraata, Kratana, Pit Mutagen, Pit Mutants, Xenomorphs and DNAliens from the Ben 10 franchise, and the Kraang from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

23. Jet Rocka being based on Optimus Prime wearing his jet pack from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 movie

24. The Invasion From Below sets being sort of based on the 2005 Bionicle playsets

25. The IFB storyline, episode, characters and mechs being based on the Pacific Rim movie, Exo-Force, and the Visorak and Toa Hordika minifigures

 

So, what do you guys think of all things? Do you guys agree with me? I'm not sure if this is allowed, anyway, too.

[fishers64]

IMO, no more than any sci-fi action hero franchise rips off other sci-fi action hero franchises.

 

Although I thought "The Enemy Within" episode was totally based on Web of Shadows from Bionicle. It takes bits and pieces here and there, but so do all stories.

 

Also HF in my mind does not qualify as a Bionicle rip-off/knockoff; to do so is to give it a compliment that it doesn't deserve. But that's another topic.

[The 1st Shadow]

First off, the Von Nebula's helmet = Hydraxon. Well, seeing as both BIONICLE and HF were produced by LEGO, and we've seen LEGO reuse parts over and over across many different themes, there is no reason they shouldn't have reused one helmet piece from back in the day.

 

In fact, we can do away with most of those points using that fact alone. They belong to LEGO, and LEGO will do what they feels works with the parts they have. Some others, like the Splitface=Two-face, aren't necessarily rip-offs. Ideas like this have been used multiple times in lots of different media. And who doesn't like the idea of giant robots fighting giant monsters? I'm sure it's been done other places besides Pacific Rim.

 

Also, I see no reason to think Von Nebula's Black Hole Gang resembles the Brotherhood any more than it resembles any other group of criminals in any other series.

 

On a side note, how many times have we seen a topic asking this very same question? At least 2, possibly 3 if I remember correctly. Just pointing out that is has been brought up before.

 

[dotcom]

Lego as a rule tends to use similar ideas in various lines as long as they fit a particular overall theme. For instance, we wouldn't say that the many space, or underwater, or castle, etc. themes Lego has made over the years are constantly ripping each other off, even though many of them have a lot of similarities. It's just that they all come from the same source, Lego, with a general idea behind them, and thus usually a fair amount of common ground--generally they are probably trying to re-use some things that were successful in the past. The idea of a constraction line with sorta-elemental-based characters dates back to even before Bionicle, with Slizers and Roboriders, so the idea that the heroes are ripping off the Toa is not one I'd say is particularly fit. (and a couple other things here are also like that.) A lot of these other points aren't even particularly original in their "original" source, they're merely common tropes or archetypes, or themselves inspired by something else. Arguments could be made that some of these were inspired by specific things, but probably not a whole lot of them.

[Matoro Lives]

First of all, if Hero Factory were ripping off Bionicle they would be copying Bionicle and producing sets (and sales) equal to or greater than the sets produced by bionicle. Hero Factory has come nowhere near the Bionicle standard of quality. Hero Factories newest line-up, the Invasion from Below mechs, are nothing more than cheap copy of the Exo-force theme. Though again, HF would have to produce sets equal to or greater than the sets they are copying for it to be a rip-off. If it's as successful (or more successful) as the product being copied, its a rip-off. If it's less successful than the product, most people just tend to mark it as a cheap copy and move on. Hero Factory is to Bionicle and Exo-Force what Megabloks is to Lego... A copy, not a good copy, but a copy nonetheless.

 

Ideas repeat themselves, its a fact of life. Although eliminating Bionicle just to replace it with a weak copy right afterwards does seem like a strange decision. Especially when you consider the fact that the main reason Bionicle was cancelled was due to the price of producing constraction parts (there were other reasons as well, but that one was the most significant). It would explain why HF sets use all the same parts all the time. You will always find something or someone that copies an original idea, its just one of those things that keeps this messed up world spinning. One could argue that Bionicle copied slizers and robo riders in many ways, or that lego was copying other action figure lines (like Transformers) by producing constraction themes. Its hard to find an idea today that isn't a copy (in a way) of something. No ideas are ever really "new and original" they just are old ideas with a new spin on the old.

[Sumiki]

I have a hard time seeing something as a ripoff of something else if they're both made by the same people. A lot of the things that are seen as ripoffs aren't taken from BIONICLE as much as general tropes that are found throughout fiction.

Parts overlap in Year One isn't a big surprise, and I also wouldn't doubt that there are a few intentional homages to its constraction predecessor. A lot of things can be chalked up to mere coincidence, not because one got inspiration from the other, but because both got the inspiration from a third thing.

[Chro]

Man, all these people writing essays to answer the topic

I'm not that dedicated I guess

Short answer: no

[The Doctor U]

In this world there are not such a things as original ideas. Original ideas are weird combinations of old ideas.

[Lyichir]

Short answer? No.

Long answer? Nooooooooooooo.

[Aanchir]

Most of the things you mentioned are pure coincidences that apply to dozens if not hundreds of stories. You could analyze any story under the sun and find these kinds of similarities to other media — in fact, the website TV Tropes exists for people to do just that. So no, Hero Factory isn't really ripping off anything.

 

Ideas repeat themselves, its a fact of life. Although eliminating Bionicle just to replace it with a weak copy right afterwards does seem like a strange decision. Especially when you consider the fact that the main reason Bionicle was cancelled was due to the price of producing constraction parts (there were other reasons as well, but that one was the most significant). It would explain why HF sets use all the same parts all the time. You will always find something or someone that copies an original idea, its just one of those things that keeps this messed up world spinning. One could argue that Bionicle copied slizers and robo riders in many ways, or that lego was copying other action figure lines (like Transformers) by producing constraction themes. Its hard to find an idea today that isn't a copy (in a way) of something. No ideas are ever really "new and original" they just are old ideas with a new spin on the old.

BIONICLE wasn't cancelled because of the price of producing constraction parts, although that was a factor. It was cancelled because its profitability had declined and there would have been no sense keeping it going until it became an outright failure. To a great extent, its sales were no longer strong enough to justify its continued existence. Hero Factory was basically a way of starting fresh without any of the baggage that was holding BIONICLE back.

 

But really, as I said, none of these franchises are copying other franchises at all. Sometimes they take inspiration from previous franchises, but never copy them outright. Look at this year's Hero Factory sets, for instance. You call them a cheap copy of Exo-Force, but most of the similarities between these sets and Exo-Force sets apply to the majority of piloted LEGO mecha. Calling any LEGO theme a "copy" of another franchise does a disservice to the amount of work the designers put into building these themes from the ground up — which, yes, often involves drawing inspiration from numerous other sources, including franchises that have previously been successful.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Kopekemaster]

I'd say no.

But in general, I'd like to point out that there is a large difference between "ripping off" and "being inspired by". Pretty much any fantasy or scifi novel or tv show or whatever made post-1920's-ish has borrowed bits and pieces from each other (of course, there are some that are just blatant ripoffs, but that's a different topic). Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft have much the same feel, but they aren't "ripoffs" of one another, even if that were possible.

 

I just came up with a better example. Think of the many thousands (millions?) of books, plays, movies, etc. that have borrowed themes, ideas, scenarios, stories, etc. from the Bible.

We don't say they're ripping off the Bible. They're inspired by it.

Edited May 3, 2014 by Kopekemaster

[Spiderus Prime]

 

16. Splitface being based on Two-Face from the DC Comics, Blitzwing from the Transformers: Animated TV series and Thunder from Hero Factory itself

 

 

23. Jet Rocka being based on Optimus Prime wearing his jet pack from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 movie

 

 

 

First off Animated Blitzwing got 3 Faces not 2 faces and Movie Prime's Jetpack and Rocka's jetpack aren't the same.

[Lenny7092]

 

 

16. Splitface being based on Two-Face from the DC Comics, Blitzwing from the Transformers: Animated TV series and Thunder from Hero Factory itself

 

 

23. Jet Rocka being based on Optimus Prime wearing his jet pack from the Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2011 movie

 

 

 

First off Animated Blitzwing got 3 Faces not 2 faces and Movie Prime's Jetpack and Rocka's jetpack aren't the same.

 

Well, I made these comparisons because of a couple reasons.

1. I think Splitface is like Animated Blitzwing because he has at least two personalities that conflict each other over something. There is one Transformers: Animated episode where two of Blitzwing's personalities were arguing over each other to choose to scan a tank or a jet.

2. I think Jet Rocka is like Optimus Prime wearing his jet pack because of how Jet Rocka is fights Dragon Bolt in Makuhero City in Hero Factory Episode 10: Brain Attack, which includes using a machine gun to shoot. Optimus Prime did that, too, in Chicago in the Transformers movie.

 

Anyway, I made this topic because I am concerning about the Hero Factory theme's fate, including the TV series.

 

Also anyway, I can also see that The Enemy Within episode and a part of the Brain Attack episode where Breez is fighting Surge when he is controlled by a Brain parasite are like the Bionicle: Web of Shadows where Matau is fighting against Vakama when Vakama is controlled by Roodaka.

[Logan Tec]

Wait wait wait your saying herofactory is ripping off its self??? Point 15

[Lenny7092]

Wait wait wait your saying herofactory is ripping off its self??? Point 15

Well, yes, because I think I see that Hero Factory seems to be copying its own old ideas from an old wave to another new one. I mean, is it running out of new ideas? I am just wondering and asking.

[Waaja]

In this world there are not such a things as original ideas. Original ideas are weird combinations of old ideas.

This^^

 

And the ones who are highlighting this similarities are really nitpicking here. HF 2.0 is, unlike the Toa Nuva, completely different from HF 1.0. Too different to the point people may start complaining like how different toa phantoka/mistika were from toa nuva.

 

Ah, the things people complain about

[nocturn701]

I completely agree to everything there.