Seemingly pointless piece on Lord of Skull Spiders?

[Bryce304]

This piece seems to add nothing or fill anything in. Has anyone else noticed this? It seems completely random.

 

http://imgur.com/ZuPy4ha

[Ford]

I think that it is meant to be a guide piece so that you don't put the model together wrong. 

[Nescent]

Several of the new sets use that piece pointlessly. Kopaka has one on his torso that does nothing, and Tahu uses one where he could use a regular black pin instead...the above suggestion makes sense, and it's something I hadn't considered. I'd like to know the answer to this as well.

[Ektris]

And Onua has four of them shoved into his shoulder pads to literally no effect.

 

Now you have me really wondering what it's all about.

 

~|ET|~

[Nescent]

And Onua has four of them shoved into his shoulder pads to literally no effect.

 

Those make sense, because they are used in his power-up mode. Others have absolutely no purpose whatsoever though.

[Spiffy247]

 

And Onua has four of them shoved into his shoulder pads to literally no effect.

 

Those make sense, because they are used in his power-up mode. Others have absolutely no purpose whatsoever though.

 

You beat me to it. I was going to mention the power up mode use.

[Toa Chuck]

The ones used to attack back armor are functional though, as a black pin would hit the ball joint in the torso.

[Bryce304]

Several of the new sets use that piece pointlessly. Kopaka has one on his torso that does nothing, and Tahu uses one where he could use a regular black pin instead...the above suggestion makes sense, and it's something I hadn't considered. I'd like to know the answer to this as well.

Where are Tahu's?

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

 

 

And Onua has four of them shoved into his shoulder pads to literally no effect.

 

Those make sense, because they are used in his power-up mode. Others have absolutely no purpose whatsoever though.

 

You beat me to it. I was going to mention the power up mode use.

 

 

Now, the ones in his hammer...

[Nescent]

The ones used to attack back armor are functional though, as a black pin would hit the ball joint in the torso.

 

You're absolutely right, I didn't realize that. Kopaka's however, and apparently the LoSS', are still totally pointless. Kopaka's doesn't even attach to anything, it just sits in the middle of his torso.

 

And Onua has four of them shoved into his shoulder pads to literally no effect.

Those make sense, because they are used in his power-up mode. Others have absolutely no purpose whatsoever though.

You beat me to it. I was going to mention the power up mode use.

Now, the ones in his hammer...

 

True, those don't do anything, but you could just chalk that up to consistency. They did it for his shoulders, why not do it for his hammer?

[Bfahome]

 

The ones used to attack back armor are functional though, as a black pin would hit the ball joint in the torso.

 

You're absolutely right, I didn't realize that. Kopaka's however, and apparently the LoSS', are still totally pointless. Kopaka's doesn't even attach to anything, it just sits in the middle of his torso.

Kopaka's is probably for guidance, since it sits against the gearbox.

 

As for the one of Lord of Skull Spiders, do any of the technic beams bump up against it?  The first thing I'd guess is that it's there to act as a sort of stopper.

[Zeb]

Maybe Lego made too many of those half-pins and decided to try and use them up in the Bionicle sets.

[Bryce304]

 

 

 

 

The ones used to attack back armor are functional though, as a black pin would hit the ball joint in the torso.

You're absolutely right, I didn't realize that. Kopaka's however, and apparently the LoSS', are still totally pointless. Kopaka's doesn't even attach to anything, it just sits in the middle of his torso.

Kopaka's is probably for guidance, since it sits against the gearbox.

 

As for the one of Lord of Skull Spiders, do any of the technic beams bump up against it? The first thing I'd guess is that it's there to act as a sort of stopper.

That was my first thought, but no.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I have no idea why it is there on the Lord of Skull Spiders. Maybe it was part of a previous prototype build of the set that they forgot to remove from the instructions of the final form. Or maybe Fordianl is right in that it is suppose to be a guide piece. Those would be my only guesses for it. I don't know about the ones on the Toa. 

[Lyichir]

Yeah, I'm fairly sure the one on Lord of Skull Spiders simply acts as a guide so that kids (who might not be used to complex Technic constructions) don't attach the next part of the mechanism to the wrong hole. I think some classic Bionicle sets like the Rahi had parts used for a similar purpose, though I can't think of any examples off the top of my head.

Meanwhile, as others have explained, Tahu's and Kopaka's aren't useless by a long shot—both keep the back armor from shifting in a spot where a full size friction pin wouldn't fit comfortably. And Onua's fill out his armor visually and allow for an easy upgrade with the Protector's rocky shell details.

Edited January 19, 2015 by Lyichir

[Nescent]

Meanwhile, as others have explained, Tahu's and Kopaka's aren't useless by a long shot—both keep the back armor from shifting in a spot where a full size friction pin wouldn't fit comfortably. And Onua's fill out his armor visually and allow for an easy upgrade with the Protector's rocky shell details.

 

Gali and Tahu use the grey pin so it doesn't collide with the ball joint, but Kopaka does not. I agree with Bfahome that it is there for guidance, since Kopaka's gearbox is one module higher than the others.

[Bfahome]

 

Meanwhile, as others have explained, Tahu's and Kopaka's aren't useless by a long shot—both keep the back armor from shifting in a spot where a full size friction pin wouldn't fit comfortably. And Onua's fill out his armor visually and allow for an easy upgrade with the Protector's rocky shell details.

 

Gali and Tahu use the grey pin so it doesn't collide with the ball joint, but Kopaka does not. I agree with Bfahome that it is there for guidance, since Kopaka's gearbox is one module higher than the others.

 

Kopaka uses two of the pins.  One of them is used in the same way as Tahu's and Gali's (what Lyichir's referring to), and the other is attached directly to the torso under the gearbox and doesn't seem to serve an immediate purpose (what Nescent is referring to).

 

So everybody wins. 

Edited January 19, 2015 by Bfahome

[Spiffy247]

 

 

Meanwhile, as others have explained, Tahu's and Kopaka's aren't useless by a long shot—both keep the back armor from shifting in a spot where a full size friction pin wouldn't fit comfortably. And Onua's fill out his armor visually and allow for an easy upgrade with the Protector's rocky shell details.

 

Gali and Tahu use the grey pin so it doesn't collide with the ball joint, but Kopaka does not. I agree with Bfahome that it is there for guidance, since Kopaka's gearbox is one module higher than the others.

 

Kopaka uses two of the pins.  One of them is used in the same way as Tahu's and Gali's (what Lyichir's referring to), and the other is attached directly to the torso under the gearbox and doesn't seem to serve an immediate purpose (what Nescent is referring to).

 

So everybody wins. 

 

Do I get a plaque? ^__^

[bioniclepluslotr]

What if they're just for asthetic design? The Toa Mata had random pins on their arms and stuff.

[2Tie]

What if they're just for asthetic design? The Toa Mata had random pins on their arms and stuff.

The ones on LOSS and Kopaka are hidden away, though, so I doubt they'd be included for aesthetics like Onua's could be.

[Lyichir]

 

What if they're just for asthetic design? The Toa Mata had random pins on their arms and stuff.

The ones on LOSS and Kopaka are hidden away, though, so I doubt they'd be included for aesthetics like Onua's could be.

 

Well, alternatively, they could be used for future combi models. Don't forget that the Toa Kaita were a major reason for the "random pins" on the 2001 Toa. And pins like these are immensely useful for CCBS models, as Onua demonstrates, since they allow shell detail elements to be attached to standard Technic connections.

 

Of course, LoSS hasn't been a part of ANY of the combi models seen so far... but there's no reason why that can't change. We're still in the first month of the year and it'll likely be August before the next wave of sets are out, so it's extremely likely that the Toa/Protector combos are far from the last ones we'll see.

[Ektris]

A'ight, I get it, the shoulder ones have a purpose I haven't explored yet.

 

But the weapon ones are superfluous. That isn't to say I don't like them, though. Actually, I do. I like the extra detail they add by filling in holes. But they aren't there for any functional purpose.

 

The guidance purpose of the others is.. interesting, if that's what it is. Wouldn't have ever thought of it myself, and honestly it's kind of smart. I definitely remember having to rebuild Nidhiki and Kikanalo a few times when I first got them because of a misplaced friction pin early on. So if it's not getting in the way, why not have it?

 

~|ET|~

Edited January 19, 2015 by Ektris

[Munty]

Perhaps these parts are needed for the combiners? I mean the ones we don't have instructions for yet. Like the Kopaka and Onua ones we've seen from the app. I remember some of the parts needed to build the toa Kaita (namely pins and balljoints) were stored in the tub when in toa form as those builds didn't use them. Perhaps this time around TLG are trying to keep all of the combiner parts IN the build so they can't be lost if people decide to recycle the packaging. They're clearly being far more green this time round with the cardboard packaging so I think it's at least a possibility! 

Also I think the extras on Onua simply serve to make those holes smaller as it roughly halves their size which is more aesthetically pleasing than they would otherwise be...

[Bfahome]

I think it's unlikely that they're for combiners.  Seems too improbable.  Sets have used seemingly weird parts before, but they weren't indications of then-future combinations.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Ok, so I just built my LoSS and do no see this "peg" on mine at all. I know with all the replies that maybe somebody else may have noticed it before if they have their own. I am thinking one of us built theirs wrong. So was it you or me?

[Bryce304]

Ok, so I just built my LoSS and do no see this "peg" on mine at all. I know with all the replies that maybe somebody else may have noticed it before if they have their own. I am thinking one of us built theirs wrong. So was it you or me?

You must have. I double checked a few times in the instruction booklet because it made no sense to me to be there.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Bryce304

[Munty]

Yup, I checked mine yesterday when I saw this thread and there is definitely a pointless half-pin in there!

[Prowl Nightwolf]

So it shows this illusive half-pin in the instructions? Could I get a screen cap because I could not find it there either. I'll post a cap of my model based on the OP's pic and see what happened.

 

EDIT: Ah ok, I see it now. its placement is on page10 of the instruction book. It is a single placed peg that I somehow overlooked. Though in my defense it was late and I was in near darkness while building my LoSS. I didn't misassemble my version I just didn't include the illusive pin. From my standpoint it doesn't add or take away from the set as a whole. So that is why I didn't notice it before.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Prowl Nightwolf

[Bryce304]

So it shows this illusive half-pin in the instructions? Could I get a screen cap because I could not find it there either. I'll post a cap of my model based on the OP's pic and see what happened.

 

EDIT: Ah ok, I see it now. its placement is on page10 of the instruction book. It is a single placed peg that I somehow overlooked. Though in my defense it was late and I was in near darkness while building my LoSS. I didn't misassemble my version I just didn't include the illusive pin. From my standpoint it doesn't add or take away from the set as a whole. So that is why I didn't notice it before.

Well at least it's "complete" now, I guess.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

Is it? I never said I placed said pin, only that I found it in the instructions. The pin in question is still in a Ziploc bag along with the "extra" pieces that came in both sets I purchased.