BIONICLE Mask Hunt About to Begin

[Mate.397]

 

 

 

I honestly would prefer a more meaningful contest prize than just more 14 karat gold masks. I mean it's just shiny, needlessly expensive version of the already existing masks. Why not give something that'd be more interesting than some shaped expensive metal.

...like, what? It's merely a promotional thing they're doing with these masks, and it's not necessary in any way. Masks are one of the biggest defining traits of Bionicle, so it stands to reason that they would serve as prizes for contests and giveaways. What exactly would be a better prize?

 

 

Here is an idea, a unique mask that the winner and the Bionicle Designer group made together and the winner will get the first print of the mask up until the set that contains it will come out for everyone to buy. There something like that has way more value than some chunk of forged gold. But if people would look past the shiny gold, they would see we could get a better prize.

 

 

I can't think of any motivation for them to ever try something that risky. By putting a random winner and a LEGO designer together, you risk a final product that not only has to choose between straying from the winner's design to meet LEGO's quality standards, but also forces LEGO to allot a future set to wear a mask that was designed because some child (or adult possibly, but that's not much better honestly) designed it in a vacuum to look cool instead of thinking what was best for that set's character. It simply doesn't seem feasible to me as a possibility, and I have no idea how being the first person to have a piece of plastic that would soon be on the market for everybody is better than having a mask in solid 14 karat gold, even if you did play some small hand in its design.

 

LEGO does these gold prizes for a reason: gold is valuable. People like shiny gold things. They're like crows. (And crows are like us; my money's on them as next sapient species) Also, gold is safe. People will probably always love gold, and they can produce gold versions of existing pieces at pretty much no risk to them (barring poor budgeting decisions.) Meanwhile, something ambitious like what you propose could compromise product quality. It effectively binds them into using a mask that hasn't gone through focus groups, and if the final mask's set ends up testing poorly because of the mask, what can they do? Their hands are tied by a contest prize that could cost far more than its benefits.

 

If we didn't get gold masks, the prizes would likely be current sets in production or LEGO gift cards. Those are the usual prizes, after all. We're not going to get some super-risky ambitious prize because it is super risky.

 

And there is the problem, nobody dares to take a risk, and just plays it safe, which will get dull and boring really fast, I'm pretty sure the budget they threw into the gold masks could have given us cool collectible mask packs (and if that doesn't give the TRUE feeling of collecting than nothing will, because those gold masks will soon make you feel they should have done more, after the hype goes away) or expand a bit on the lore (which is next to zero at this point) with comics or a MNOG like game (instead of that lazy mobile game port button masher). Lego is hiding too much behind the nostalgia shield and hoping we won't notice that, instead of giving us something new yet familiar.

[steelviper77]

 

And there is the problem, nobody dares to take a risk, and just plays it safe, which will get dull and boring really fast, I'm pretty sure the budget they threw into the gold masks could have given us cool collectible mask packs (and if that doesn't give the TRUE feeling of collecting than nothing will, because those gold masks will soon make you feel they should have done more, after the hype goes away) or expand a bit on the lore (which is next to zero at this point) with comics or a MNOG like game (instead of that lazy mobile game port button masher). Lego is hiding too much behind the nostalgia shield and hoping we won't notice that, instead of giving us something new yet familiar.

 

I'm fine with "playing it safe" because I know I won't get an awful set that was designed by some dude who may have no knowledge of bionicle before spending copious amounts of money on a product that has a large chance of failure. They're not going just off nostalgia, these new sets are really good. And are you seriously thinking that the gold masks impacted budget? Whoever said that originally meant it as a joke, This probably barely made a fingerprint on the budget for the sets, TLG has a lot of money, making a few small little golden charms is just to drum up hype by having a fun event that people can benefit from. If they were going to make mask packs these wouldn't stop them. This would be like saying the various metal krana that came with the bohrok prevented them from adding more unique components to the sets.

[Bfahome]

New molds cost tens of thousands of dollars.  That, coupled with the promotion and logistics of finding a fan and pairing them with a designer, then having to focus-test the part and find a set to add it to, means that it's probably far less economical than the gold masks.  It would only be one prize, too, as opposed to the eight masks.

[believe victims]

 

 

 

 

I honestly would prefer a more meaningful contest prize than just more 14 karat gold masks. I mean it's just shiny, needlessly expensive version of the already existing masks. Why not give something that'd be more interesting than some shaped expensive metal.

...like, what? It's merely a promotional thing they're doing with these masks, and it's not necessary in any way. Masks are one of the biggest defining traits of Bionicle, so it stands to reason that they would serve as prizes for contests and giveaways. What exactly would be a better prize?

 

 

Here is an idea, a unique mask that the winner and the Bionicle Designer group made together and the winner will get the first print of the mask up until the set that contains it will come out for everyone to buy. There something like that has way more value than some chunk of forged gold. But if people would look past the shiny gold, they would see we could get a better prize.

 

 

I can't think of any motivation for them to ever try something that risky. By putting a random winner and a LEGO designer together, you risk a final product that not only has to choose between straying from the winner's design to meet LEGO's quality standards, but also forces LEGO to allot a future set to wear a mask that was designed because some child (or adult possibly, but that's not much better honestly) designed it in a vacuum to look cool instead of thinking what was best for that set's character. It simply doesn't seem feasible to me as a possibility, and I have no idea how being the first person to have a piece of plastic that would soon be on the market for everybody is better than having a mask in solid 14 karat gold, even if you did play some small hand in its design.

 

LEGO does these gold prizes for a reason: gold is valuable. People like shiny gold things. They're like crows. (And crows are like us; my money's on them as next sapient species) Also, gold is safe. People will probably always love gold, and they can produce gold versions of existing pieces at pretty much no risk to them (barring poor budgeting decisions.) Meanwhile, something ambitious like what you propose could compromise product quality. It effectively binds them into using a mask that hasn't gone through focus groups, and if the final mask's set ends up testing poorly because of the mask, what can they do? Their hands are tied by a contest prize that could cost far more than its benefits.

 

If we didn't get gold masks, the prizes would likely be current sets in production or LEGO gift cards. Those are the usual prizes, after all. We're not going to get some super-risky ambitious prize because it is super risky.

 

And there is the problem, nobody dares to take a risk, and just plays it safe, which will get dull and boring really fast, I'm pretty sure the budget they threw into the gold masks could have given us cool collectible mask packs (and if that doesn't give the TRUE feeling of collecting than nothing will, because those gold masks will soon make you feel they should have done more, after the hype goes away) or expand a bit on the lore (which is next to zero at this point) with comics or a MNOG like game (instead of that lazy mobile game port button masher). Lego is hiding too much behind the nostalgia shield and hoping we won't notice that, instead of giving us something new yet familiar.

 

 

I mean, if you ask me, bringing back a line best known for driving itself into the ground with a story so convoluted it actively discouraged new fans is taking a pretty big risk already.

 

The lack of mask packs is not a budget issue. It isn't. If they thought mask packs were profitable enough, they definitely would have put money into it as opposed to gold masks which, as far as I've seen, don't have nearly the same profit motive. Mask packs aren't some new risk; it's a risk they already took, and it wasn't successful. As much as I loved having that wide range of masks to choose from for an MOC, they didn't perform so well. Maybe it was because they were prone to theft, maybe it was because striving for a whole collection was an easy way to bankrupt yourself, or maybe people just weren't into them. Whatever the case, G1 saw fit to wean itself off mask packs in 2004, and in 2008 they stopped pretending they had collectibles altogether. The bottom line is Bionicle's collectibles just didn't make the cash. To try again would not be taking a risk with something new they don't know the success of, but to try something old that already failed.

 

Comics are also a bad way to go about it. What's the point of rebooting the story if you're going to repeat the same mistakes you made before, like spreading it over several different forms of media? I have my criticisms of the animations, but they're direct, and they tell the whole story. (Give or take; they had to gloss over some things for time.) To suddenly start putting critical information in forms of media that are more exclusive, like the comics, would be taking steps towards an unapproachable story like the last one.

 

I'm not saying I support every decision made in the new line, because there are things I would have done differently. Your complaints, however, are based in this fantasy idea of a company that can bend to your views and yours alone while still staying afloat, instead of doing something economically secure that works far better.

[evil_jaga_genius]

New molds cost tens of thousands of dollars.  That, coupled with the promotion and logistics of finding a fan and pairing them with a designer, then having to focus-test the part and find a set to add it to, means that it's probably far less economical than the gold masks.  It would only be one prize, too, as opposed to the eight masks.

Wow, I did not know that.  I guess that explains why they've been using a lot of HF parts.

 

Now I want one of these suckers, even though I don't have any 2015 sets... yet.

[Pomegranate]

Don't forget that The Hunt is only for the six elemental masks... the gold Mask of Creation is going to have its own final thing, it seems. Very exciting!

[Toa of the Blazing Inferno]

 

New molds cost tens of thousands of dollars.  That, coupled with the promotion and logistics of finding a fan and pairing them with a designer, then having to focus-test the part and find a set to add it to, means that it's probably far less economical than the gold masks.  It would only be one prize, too, as opposed to the eight masks.

Wow, I did not know that.  I guess that explains why they've been using a lot of HF parts.

 

Now I want one of these suckers, even though I don't have any 2015 sets... yet.

 

They're not HF parts, HF was merely the first line that introduced them.  They're going to be used for the foreseeable future for any and all action figure building, because they were designed as a much more standardized and durable system than the original Bionicle parts, so unless people can get over their aversion to the parts that is based on the first line that introduced them, then they're likely to never buy another Lego action figure set.  I, myself, am looking forward to getting the Bionicle sets on my wanted list, because I think what they're doing with them is pretty cool.

 

I think it'd be cool if I had the gold mask of fire, even though I have no idea what I'd realistically do with it, or where I'd display it.

[Prowl Nightwolf]

So I am guessing this is going to be a facebook thing? Seeing as how I do not have a facebook I guess that counts me out. Hope one of us gets it so they can post here and let the rest of us gawk uncomfortably at it...

[Toa Doublebee]

It has begun!!!!!!

 

I'll have to use my sister's Twitter...

[Pomegranate]

So I am guessing this is going to be a facebook thing? Seeing as how I do not have a facebook I guess that counts me out. Hope one of us gets it so they can post here and let the rest of us gawk uncomfortably at it...

You can also enter through Twitter or Instagram, and the former is the least necessary to give any real personal information for or commit to. Totally sign up and have a blast looking for masks!

[Xan]

What a stupid concept of a contest. Any rando could win. It's good that other people might be able to have a chance of winning, but if I was to win a gold mask, I want to feel as though I put some effort into winning it, instead of getting some picture of something that can be found all over Reddit. I suppose it is also a way of letting people who aren't Roa level of moccing win  a mask, so I will give it that. Although what is stopping me from going on /r/pareidolia and snagging a picture from there?

 

Does Lego have a system of checking that?

 

That, and I really don't want to sign up for over rated websites that I'll never use again. 

Edited March 30, 2015 by Craig B

[Ektris]

I'm at least glad that it is, for the most part, genuinely open to everybody and everybody has a chance. That's a very good thing.

 

Yet I'm still of two minds, because I can't say I like the apparent randomness of it and how there's zero abillity to prove authenticity of the entries (since it wouldn't be hard to find suitable pictures on the Internet and flood the contest with them).

 

~|ET|~

[Jobber]

I'm at least glad that it is, for the most part, genuinely open to everybody and everybody has a chance. That's a very good thing.

 

Yet I'm still of two minds, because I can't say I like the apparent randomness of it and how there's zero abillity to prove authenticity of the entries (since it wouldn't be hard to find suitable pictures on the Internet and flood the contest with them).

 

~|ET|~

Google is going to become everyone's best friend.

[JungleSlizer]

There are so many flaws in the concept of this contest in my opinion. Why not just use photoshop or search all over internet for good photos? And what about when someone actually takes a good picture, there are still some people who will copy/steal it and claim it as their own.

[Nescent]

I love this!!! Anyone can win, yet it's not 100% random, and there's creativity involved. I'm going to photograph anything that looks like a face within a 1 mile radius.

 

Edit: Oh shoot that's a lot of prizes! They're 36 Bionicle sets being given out.

 

36 Winners of the week: 

Each winner of the week will receive one LEGO BIONICLE model, shipped directly to the winner’s house, corresponding to the submitted mask element.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Nescent

[steelviper77]

If you need any inspiration for pictures http://www.reddit.com/r/Pareidolia/ may just be your friend.

 

Edit 1: I'm worried it's just going to be a popularity contest where the person with the most followers will win from likes. Edit 3: Nah it's selected by a panel of judges. Sweet! I'm sending in some questions about multiple entries, and will update with more info.

 

Edit 2: I don't think it was mentioned in the video, but reading through the fine print tells that there are 6 weekly winners that all get regular sets, so that's pretty cool too!

 

Edit 4: Apparently their email isn't set up, my message bounced. I'll resend it later today.

Edited March 30, 2015 by steelviper77

[Bfahome]

Although what is stopping me from going on /r/pareidolia and snagging a picture from there?

 

there's zero abillity to prove authenticity of the entries (since it wouldn't be hard to find suitable pictures on the Internet and flood the contest with them).

 

~|ET|~

Google is going to become everyone's best friend.

Why not just use photoshop or search all over internet for good photos? And what about when someone actually takes a good picture, there are still some people who will copy/steal it and claim it as their own.

Even if LEGO hasn't set up its own image-matching system, Google has a reverse image search feature that anyone can use.  Weeding out the "look what I found on the internet" entries is trivial.

[CaT in Rogue]

Wait...the mask hunt is literally just about who can find the most unique Pareidolia?

 

Huh.

 

Neat.

[Xan]

Oh well. I don't need it, my oven already has a face on it. 

 

And I'll just have to use my sisters account. I hate having to sign up for websites with no reason to other than just one thing.