OFFICIAL 2016 Bionicle Topic

[Regitnui]

I wonder what they taste like.

Chronological Croutons taste timeless.

 

I like the idea of a 'fallen fae' vibe. Perhaps I'll get an Uxar for my Umarak.

[Tarvaxx]

Just bought the new Tahu at the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, MO for any in that area wanting some sets early. They were out of Umarak, but had every other set. Well now they're out of Tahu, because I bought the last one, so every other set that isn't Tahu and Umarak.

 

Now, here are my thoughts on the set after having it in-hand:

He's... not the BEST G2 set in the world, his proportions are wonky, but they ARE more likable to me than 2015 Tahu's wonky proportions. He feels like an overall improvement, but there are things that hinder him from being my absolute favorite. That said, he is a GOOD set, in fact I feel like his character shines through better than it did in 2015. You can feel the anger of his scowl, and the firey rage seems to flow through his body. I think the set really shows off Tahu's personality. He just sadly isn't AS good proportionally or cohesively as sets like Gali Master or Umarak.

 

I should get the rest of the sets by next Friday, so expect my opinions on those as well. 

 

Edit: He's already REALLY starting to grow on me. He's extremely fun to play with (I just had him surprise skewer Kulta with his extendable fire swords), and I like to imagine that his swords are "sheathed" in their neutral position, and that when they're extended fire just shoots out. His weapons seem really brutal, and I love him for that. I also really like his leg design. I know a lot of people don't, but they really hit me in the nostalgia. Something about them just feels... right despite being weird and a no-no.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Tarvaxx

[hiddenderek]

 

Just bought the new Tahu at the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, MO for any in that area wanting some sets early. They were out of Umarak, but had every other set. Well now they're out of Tahu, because I bought the last one, so every other set that isn't Tahu and Umarak.

 

Now, here are my thoughts on the set after having it in-hand:

He's... not the BEST G2 set in the world, his proportions are wonky, but they ARE more likable to me than 2015 Tahu's wonky proportions. He feels like an overall improvement, but there are things that hinder him from being my absolute favorite. That said, he is a GOOD set, in fact I feel like his character shines through better than it did in 2015. You can feel the anger of his scowl, and the firey rage seems to flow through his body. I think the set really shows off Tahu's personality. He just sadly isn't AS good proportionally or cohesively as sets like Gali Master or Umarak.

 

I should get the rest of the sets by next Friday, so expect my opinions on those as well. 

 

Edit: He's already REALLY starting to grow on me. He's extremely fun to play with (I just had him surprise skewer Kulta with his extendable fire swords), and I like to imagine that his swords are "sheathed" in their neutral position, and that when they're extended fire just shoots out. His weapons seem really brutal, and I love him for that. I also really like his leg design. I know a lot of people don't, but they really hit me in the nostalgia. Something about them just feels... right despite being weird and a no-no.

 

You should get Ikir and combine him with Tahu. It dramatically helps with his overall look and makes him look really great in my opinion. When he's united, i think he's visually the best thing about the 2016 wave.

[Tarvaxx]

 

 

Just bought the new Tahu at the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, MO for any in that area wanting some sets early. They were out of Umarak, but had every other set. Well now they're out of Tahu, because I bought the last one, so every other set that isn't Tahu and Umarak.

 

Now, here are my thoughts on the set after having it in-hand:

He's... not the BEST G2 set in the world, his proportions are wonky, but they ARE more likable to me than 2015 Tahu's wonky proportions. He feels like an overall improvement, but there are things that hinder him from being my absolute favorite. That said, he is a GOOD set, in fact I feel like his character shines through better than it did in 2015. You can feel the anger of his scowl, and the firey rage seems to flow through his body. I think the set really shows off Tahu's personality. He just sadly isn't AS good proportionally or cohesively as sets like Gali Master or Umarak.

 

I should get the rest of the sets by next Friday, so expect my opinions on those as well. 

 

Edit: He's already REALLY starting to grow on me. He's extremely fun to play with (I just had him surprise skewer Kulta with his extendable fire swords), and I like to imagine that his swords are "sheathed" in their neutral position, and that when they're extended fire just shoots out. His weapons seem really brutal, and I love him for that. I also really like his leg design. I know a lot of people don't, but they really hit me in the nostalgia. Something about them just feels... right despite being weird and a no-no.

 

You should get Ikir and combine him with Tahu. It dramatically helps with his overall look and makes him look really great in my opinion. When he's united, i think he's visually the best thing about the 2016 wave.

 

Well, I "technically" do have Ikir, I just don't have him right at this moment. I bought Ikir along with Uxar, Akida, Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka as soon as they were available online. I knew I would be getting Tahu and Umarak, but I decided I'd check Barnes and Noble in hopes of getting them early, which I ended up only getting Tahu because everyone else was going for Umarak. I already really like Tahu's look right now despite his many flaws, so I'm sure that when he's united... I'll just be the happiest man-child in the world. 

 

I know that I only have one set right now, so it's too early to judge the whole wave, but I'm reaaaaally liking the Uniters more than the Masters, just because they work better as action figures(in my view). They have that standard range of motion, without clunky shoulder armor or the arm function getting in the way, AND they have waist articulation. Some even have weapon functions. I know that's an unpopular opinion to have right now, but I truly do feel that way about this year. It just feels right to me.

Edited January 1, 2016 by Tarvaxx

[masterchirox580]

Well looks like the 2016 sets are finally starting to be listed on amazon.co.uk.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO-Bionicle-71300-Creature-Jungle/dp/B012NOJC22/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451644692&sr=8-1&keywords=bionicle+71300

[nunziotocci]

I Just saw the 2016 Bionicle Winter Wave on amazon US. I will probably get most of the new sets, but I will probably also get a couple old ones.

 

But I am not going to buy more than two at once. This spreads it out, and makes it more fun.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

 

 

Just bought the new Tahu at the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, MO for any in that area wanting some sets early. They were out of Umarak, but had every other set. Well now they're out of Tahu, because I bought the last one, so every other set that isn't Tahu and Umarak.

 

Now, here are my thoughts on the set after having it in-hand:

He's... not the BEST G2 set in the world, his proportions are wonky, but they ARE more likable to me than 2015 Tahu's wonky proportions. He feels like an overall improvement, but there are things that hinder him from being my absolute favorite. That said, he is a GOOD set, in fact I feel like his character shines through better than it did in 2015. You can feel the anger of his scowl, and the firey rage seems to flow through his body. I think the set really shows off Tahu's personality. He just sadly isn't AS good proportionally or cohesively as sets like Gali Master or Umarak.

 

I should get the rest of the sets by next Friday, so expect my opinions on those as well. 

 

Edit: He's already REALLY starting to grow on me. He's extremely fun to play with (I just had him surprise skewer Kulta with his extendable fire swords), and I like to imagine that his swords are "sheathed" in their neutral position, and that when they're extended fire just shoots out. His weapons seem really brutal, and I love him for that. I also really like his leg design. I know a lot of people don't, but they really hit me in the nostalgia. Something about them just feels... right despite being weird and a no-no.

 

You should get Ikir and combine him with Tahu. It dramatically helps with his overall look and makes him look really great in my opinion. When he's united, i think he's visually the best thing about the 2016 wave.

 

Well, I "technically" do have Ikir, I just don't have him right at this moment. I bought Ikir along with Uxar, Akida, Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka as soon as they were available online. I knew I would be getting Tahu and Umarak, but I decided I'd check Barnes and Noble in hopes of getting them early, which I ended up only getting Tahu because everyone else was going for Umarak. I already really like Tahu's look right now despite his many flaws, so I'm sure that when he's united... I'll just be the happiest man-child in the world. 

 

I know that I only have one set right now, so it's too early to judge the whole wave, but I'm reaaaaally liking the Uniters more than the Masters, just because they work better as action figures(in my view). They have that standard range of motion, without clunky shoulder armor or the arm function getting in the way, AND they have waist articulation. Some even have weapon functions. I know that's an unpopular opinion to have right now, but I truly do feel that way about this year. It just feels right to me.

 

 

 

Yeah, even just having Tahu, Ikir, Umarak and Uxar in hand, I'm falling in love with this new wave. The simple fact that they were able to implement the whole combining gimmick WITHOUT having to give up having a gear function like the 2008 sets did, the way they gave the Toa a new function on top of that, shows how committed the designers were to making this wave feel like a new thing we hadn't already purchased some variant of before.

 

Heck, in some cases, combining them with there animal gives them MORE functionality. Tahu in particular has three gear functions when combined with Ikir. He has the waist swivel, the extendable blades, and the flapping wings, all in one glorious toy... and the weapons even combine. Geez. This is the kind of toy you're really meant to PLAY with, not just stand on a shelf after a while and look at it. Lego's really raised the bar again with these new figures.

[bioniclepluslotr]

I Just saw the 2016 Bionicle Winter Wave on amazon US. I will probably get most of the new sets, but I will probably also get a couple old ones.

 

But I am not going to buy more than two at once. This spreads it out, and makes it more fun.

I used to like waiting throughout the season for good sales, but lately everything's been inconsistent, like how 2015 Gali and Onua went on sale but the other Toa didn't, and some sell out a lot faster than others. It gets hard to decide which to buy first and then find out that the ones you need later are out of stock and the only ones they have are the ones you already got :/

------------

Sorry if this was discussed before; I've been on a Bionicle hiatus for a couple of months. Is there any reason in particular they grouped Kopaka and Melum together? Are they more important than the other Toa/Creatures or is this just some marketing ploy to get people to buy both Toas and Creatures?

Edited January 1, 2016 by bioniclepluslotr

[Nescent]

I was really looking forward to the Uniting function, and boy, it totally lived up to my expectations. Even Kopaka and Melum look awesome merged together, and they were the merger I was least excited for:

 

 

Must buy all the sets so I can combine them. 

 

I was really excited for Kopaka, and while I liked him at first, he's growing on me more and more. That mask is absolutely my favorite version of Kopaka's mask.

[tophat+hordika=hatdika]

i got umarak at barns and nobles

[Irrie]

 

 

 

 

I'm going to miss all the ball joints with axle holes that came with the 2015 gearboxes.

Tahu comes with 4 of them. Jus sayinn

Spiffy comes with a fish, vampire fangs, and Chronological Croutons.

Frickin love croutons

http://crouton.net/

This website is worth 22 thousand dollars from its traffic.

[Spiffy247]

I have Tahu, Kopaka/Melum, Uxar, and Umarak from Barnes & Noble.

[Zidonaro]

I have to say, these new sets(mostly Tahu, Kopaka and Onua) are really growing on me. I think I will at least have these 3 and Umarak for the MoC.

 

I also have some questions that Maybe were already answered? Does someone know what new powers these new Masks gives the Toa? And Why do they have to find ANOTHER set of Golden masks? and Why the creatures have all the same head?(From a story point, of course) They all look like they belong to complete different species...

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

I also have some questions that Maybe were already answered? Does someone know what new powers these new Masks gives the Toa? And Why do they have to find ANOTHER set of Golden masks?

 

FUSION is jsut a cheap tactic to make weak toa stronger.

 

they're unity-fusion masks, for uniting with ancient guardians of the elements (the creatures) o:

[Rooster Nui]

 

I also have some questions that Maybe were already answered? Does someone know what new powers these new Masks gives the Toa? And Why do they have to find ANOTHER set of Golden masks?

 

FUSION is jsut a cheap tactic to make weak toa stronger.

 

they're unity-fusion masks, for uniting with ancient guardians of the elements (the creatures) o:

 

And by uniting, the Toa are said to gain these powers/perks. 

 

"For Tahu and Lewa, Unity with their Elemental Creatures brings the power of flight. Ikir the Creature of Fire gave Tahu Fire Crystal Wings, while Uxar the Creature of Jungle passed on special Sonic Crystal Wings, allowing Lewa to escape any threat. 

 

Gali has been gifted new torpedo weapons by Akida, the Creature of Water, to tackle the Shadow Traps in the murky depths of Okoto. Meanwhile by uniting with Terak, Onua has developed valuable crystal claws to burrow through the island’s subterranean tunnels. 

 

For the noble and reserved Kopaka, Unity with Melum brings more powerful ice weapons, as well as the power to freeze water from the air and sculpt the resulting ice. He can also make it snow, but he thinks that’s a bit undignified! As for Pohatu, Unity brings a special challenge. Ketar the Creature of Stone appears as a Scorpion…his least favorite animal ever! Can he overcome his fears and wield his crystal claw blades?" -LEGO Club code: UMARAK

[Ford]

Why the creatures have all the same head?(From a story point, of course) They all look like they belong to complete different species...

If I were you, I'd read Revenge of the Skull Spiders if you want this question answered.

 

 

The creatures are described as being dragon-like versions of their respective species. Perhaps this gives story significance to the head design?

 

[Irrie]

 

 

 

I also have some questions that Maybe were already answered? Does someone know what new powers these new Masks gives the Toa? And Why do they have to find ANOTHER set of Golden masks?

FUSION is jsut a cheap tactic to make weak toa stronger.

 

they're unity-fusion masks, for uniting with ancient guardians of the elements (the creatures) o:

And by uniting, the Toa are said to gain these powers/perks.

 

"For Tahu and Lewa, Unity with their Elemental Creatures brings the power of flight. Ikir the Creature of Fire gave Tahu Fire Crystal Wings, while Uxar the Creature of Jungle passed on special Sonic Crystal Wings, allowing Lewa to escape any threat.

Gali has been gifted new torpedo weapons by Akida, the Creature of Water, to tackle the Shadow Traps in the murky depths of Okoto. Meanwhile by uniting with Terak, Onua has developed valuable crystal claws to burrow through the island’s subterranean tunnels.

 

For the noble and reserved Kopaka, Unity with Melum brings more powerful ice weapons, as well as the power to freeze water from the air and sculpt the resulting ice. He can also make it snow, but he thinks that’s a bit undignified! As for Pohatu, Unity brings a special challenge. Ketar the Creature of Stone appears as a Scorpion…his least favorite animal ever! Can he overcome his fears and wield his crystal claw blades?" -LEGO Club code: UMARAK

I love how Pohatu puts on a tough guy persona when he's around the other Toa but is secretly the most afraid of all of them.

[NickonAquaMagna]

Oh, geez. I can just imagine how this would go. The first creature Umarak merges with is Ketar, because Pohatu had a chance to reach the creature first but couldn't do it because of his fear of scorpions, then he has to save Ketar by separating them. Hey, it's a nice change of pace after all the times Lewa's messed up.

[P~M]

What would you guys say is the best use of $40 on the 2016 sets as far as new/useful parts (for MOCing or whatever)?

[Aanchir]

I love how Pohatu puts on a tough guy persona when he's around the other Toa but is secretly the most afraid of all of them.

Well, afraid of a few things, at any rate. Pohatu's near-fearlessness was mentioned in his bio way back in 2001 (and remains a part of his G2 characterization) but his only fear at that time — water — never really came up as a plot point. Whereas G2 Pohatu has been forced to confront both of his secret fears (the dark and scorpions).

[admiraltyphoon]

What would you guys say is the best use of $40 on the 2016 sets as far as new/useful parts (for MOCing or whatever)?

If you want Technic pieces along with CCBS, get the creatures. I suppose Ikir and Uxar are the most Technic-heavy out of the 6.

[Nescent]

Has anyone mentioned the new App yet? I'm just looking at Umarak's building instructions, and there's a plug for a Bionicle App with the Mask of Control as its icon. I guess we're getting a new game?

[Infamousevil]

I now own Pohatu. Got him at Barnes and Noble, would have gotten Lewa if they had him, but they didn't.

[Aanchir]

Has anyone mentioned the new App yet? I'm just looking at Umarak's building instructions, and there's a plug for a Bionicle App with the Mask of Control as its icon. I guess we're getting a new game?

Yep, but there hasn't been any news about what it will be like. I'd guess it's a sequel to the "Mask of Creation" app, so probably something with similar gameplay, but hopefully also bringing in some new gameplay mechanics to spice things up. If we're lucky it might have more exciting level designs, since I think that'd make a lot of difference.

[Toa Imrukii]

DO we know when the app will come out? MoC came out on new years 2015, so can we at least estimate when it will come out? My best guess is the 5th of January.

[Spiffy247]

If all goes well, I'm getting at least Lewa and Ikir tomorrow. 

[Shadow Destroyer]

I recently picked up Tahu, Lewa, Umarak, and Onua. I've got to say that Umarak is easily my favorite of the four. He is well-proportioned, and looks great with all of his accessories, and I love his mask so much. 

 

Meanwhile, Onua is good, and Tahu and Lewa are just average for me. Lewa's arms were way too short, but I somewhat fixed that issue using some grey extenders I had lying around. Overall, pretty solid wave, and I'm looking forward to grabbing some more if I can find them at TRU. (Since I have a gift card for there...) 

[32one]

Lewa's arms were way too short, but I somewhat fixed that issue using some grey extenders I had lying around. 

 

Lewa and Gali have their arms one module too high, but the length itself is reasonable. 

[Lyichir]

I didn't see anyone mention this here yet, but recently Bionicle designer John Ho revealed which 2016 sets he worked on. He's responsible for the three larger Toa and their respective creatures. For reference, the sets he designed for last year included Pohatu, Skull Warrior, Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder, and the Protectors of Stone, Earth, and Jungle, along with Jango Fett, Clone Commander Cody, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader in the Star Wars theme.

 

I'm not the hugest fan of the larger Toa this year (Onua is my favorite of them, being a solid build with a great color scheme, but even he suffers in comparison to 2015 Onua's unique and distinctive proportions). But looking at the sets John designed, it's easy to see some of his influences—particularly the heavy use of Technic for differing proportions and shaping also seen in Darth Vader.

[hiddenderek]

Anyone else having a hard time going back to the 2015 toa after getting used to the 2016 ones? 

 

I know this sounds weird, but after getting used to the new sets the old ones look really awkward to me. The angular, super smooth look of the 2015 sets combined with things like the gear box pushing the arms back and the upper chest piece looking too large makes them not look as good as I remembered. I know 2016 has a lot of problems, but after getting used to some of the new sets I think they've done a lot of things right and looking back really feel like an evolution of the line.

Edited January 4, 2016 by hiddenderek

[believe victims]

Nah. Really, how much I love the 2015 Toa is making it hard to get used to the 2016 ones, because in many ways, they feel like a downgrade from such sleek, personality-filled characters.

[jed1ndy]

I recently got the new Tahu, Ikir, and Onua (since that was all our Target had). While I still think that I like the simpler aesthetics and varied bodies of 2015, the more complex builds of the 2016 sets is nice and refreshing. While Tahu doesn't have a lot of red, the trans-orange looks nice, especially in front of a backlight, like he's made of fire. If there's one really big complaint I have with him, it's that I don't think he has enough blue. The blue with the trans-orange looks really really good, and I hope he continues to have it, maybe having more in 2017, like a flame that's getting hotter. He does have too much gold, so I could maybe replace that with more blue. Ikir is a nice small set, maybe even better than some of the protectors; his gear function is integrated more cleanly into the set, other than just a gatling gun, and he is probably the closest I've seen to a bird in BIONICLE. Onua is pretty much perfect, with a lot of trans-purple and an intriguing weapon. I also like how you can mix-and-match the Creatures and Toa, so to speak, so you can add a contrasting color to the character that looks good. And that's pretty much my thoughts on 2016 so far.

[Bfahome]

Even though I don't have any of the new Toa sets yet, I don't think they'll overshadow my love for the Masters.  The new set novelty will hold my interest more than old sets will, as always happens, and new sets have the advantage of being able to introduce more pieces and techniques that the old sets didn't have, but I feel like as far as CCBS Toa go the Masters will, for the most part, retain their place as well-designed baseline Toa.

[Jobber]

Anyone else having a hard time going back to the 2015 toa after getting used to the 2016 ones? 

 

I know this sounds weird, but after getting used to the new sets the old ones look really awkward to me. The angular, super smooth look of the 2015 sets combined with things like the gear box pushing the arms back and the upper chest piece looking too large makes them not look as good as I remembered. I know 2016 has a lot of problems, but after getting used to some of the new sets I think they've done a lot of things right and looking back really feel like an evolution of the line.

I agree. The 2015 sets look a little bit awkward and jarring next to 2016 ones. It's almost as if they were different brands all together.

[nunziotocci]

 

I Just saw the 2016 Bionicle Winter Wave on amazon US. I will probably get most of the new sets, but I will probably also get a couple old ones.

 

But I am not going to buy more than two at once. This spreads it out, and makes it more fun.

I used to like waiting throughout the season for good sales, but lately everything's been inconsistent, like how 2015 Gali and Onua went on sale but the other Toa didn't, and some sell out a lot faster than others. It gets hard to decide which to buy first and then find out that the ones you need later are out of stock and the only ones they have are the ones you already got :/

 

Well, I just got Tahu today from Amazon, and I am going to be buying a couple every few weeks.

And, I don't really wait for sales, the suspense is to much.

Also,  I just found out today, that the only 2015 winter set that we don't have (protector of ice), is now $20.00 on Amazon, and only from third-party sellers.

[Nescent]

Everything disappeared from the Products page. I hope that means they're updating the site. 

[Spiffy247]

I got Lewa, Ikir, Pohatu and Ketar this morning. Yay!

[IXRollOutIX]

So... My Umarak's chestplate is misprinted, because that's a thing that can happen apparently. One of the green "tooth shaped" thingies isn't colored in; it's just silver.

 

 

Anyone else run into this issue? I've already emailed Lego to see if I can get a replacement, but that said, this is kind of cool. I wonder how rare it is. 

[Rooster Nui]

I didn't see anyone mention this here yet, but recently Bionicle designer John Ho revealed which 2016 sets he worked on. He's responsible for the three larger Toa and their respective creatures. For reference, the sets he designed for last year included Pohatu, Skull Warrior, Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder, and the Protectors of Stone, Earth, and Jungle, along with Jango Fett, Clone Commander Cody, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader in the Star Wars theme.

Don't forget Onua Master of Earth, with his heavy usage of Technic as well!

[McNugget]

So... My Umarak's chestplate is misprinted, because that's a thing that can happen apparently. One of the green "tooth shaped" thingies isn't colored in; it's just silver.

 

[snip]

 

Anyone else run into this issue? I've already emailed Lego to see if I can get a replacement, but that said, this is kind of cool. I wonder how rare it is. 

I've run into the same thing with my Umarak. So it's a misprint then. Hmm.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Display Name Goes Here