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OFFICIAL 2016 Bionicle Topic


Makaru

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I'm still a little disappointed with the creatures. A lot of them don't feel very rahi like which is what I was hoping for them. Only Uxar and Akida really scream rahi to me and even then I wish they had unique heads to better represent the animal they're supposed to be. 

Technically this is the first iteration of Rahi in G2, but some variety would be nice. Lego doesn't seem too big on that in G2 though. Even if their builds are different, a lot of sets turn out similar.

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I'm still a little disappointed with the creatures. A lot of them don't feel very rahi like which is what I was hoping for them. Only Uxar and Akida really scream rahi to me and even then I wish they had unique heads to better represent the animal they're supposed to be. 

 

I feel like they're generally very Rahi-like, especially on account of their functions. They may not be shaped like or function exactly like specific classic Rahi, but I think they do a good job emulating those sets in spirit.

 

As far as builds go, the creatures are definitely a bit more conventional than a lot of classic Rahi, since for the most part they all use head pieces as heads, foot pieces as feet, and torso pieces as torsos (Akida being the exception in some of these cases). That sets them apart from such Rahi as, say, the Takea or Keras or Lava Hawk or Kane-Ra. But I don't think that's really a mark against them. They are still plenty creative for their size, and some standardization is necessary simply because of the way they're meant to unite with the Toa.

 

Some of them are better than others, of course. I think Uxar, Akida, and Ikir are stronger designs than the others since they not only have exciting functions, but their functions feel just as deliberate in unity mode, whereas Terak's function in unity mode almost feels accidental/coincidental, Ketar's function in unity mode feels awkward and purposeless, and Melum's function doesn't work at all in Unity Mode unless you want to bash Kopaka's ears in. (Do Toa have ears?)

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So has anyone noticed that when you look into the background of the kopaka + Melum set you can see some shadow traps. They look the same as the one you get with Ikir but they have blue legs instead of orange. So is this just for the box or are we getting more shadow traps this year? 

Yes, I've noticed. The comic has regular red-legged traps though. In fact, due to the piece count, Kopaka and Melum don't come with a specific trap. I would also like to point out that some of the traps add quite a big boost to the other creature's piece counts. Uxar in particular has 23 pieces added because of his shadow trap. In other words, it's not just that Kopaka and Melum's designs were lessened, the set also misses out on pieces for the trap. I was initially disappointed in how Kopaka's arms were attached, especially after I built Tahu, but after building Onua, I no longer feel that way. 

 

 

Also, are we allowed to talk about the names of the summer sets, or is that still considered leaks? I don't want to break any rules, but I have an idea about them. 

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Also, are we allowed to talk about the names of the summer sets, or is that still considered leaks? I don't want to break any rules, but I have an idea about them.

The names of the summer sets have not been revealed by LEGO, so any names that claim to be official are leaks.

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Also, are we allowed to talk about the names of the summer sets, or is that still considered leaks? I don't want to break any rules, but I have an idea about them.

The names of the summer sets have not been revealed by LEGO, so any names that claim to be official are leaks.

 

Or they stole my time machine. those %#$!$@&s!

A fish wielding vampire. That's Spiffy.

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Also, are we allowed to talk about the names of the summer sets, or is that still considered leaks? I don't want to break any rules, but I have an idea about them.

The names of the summer sets have not been revealed by LEGO, so any names that claim to be official are leaks.

 

Ah ok. I didn't want to go too far with my speculations.

But there's two things I've seen people want out of the summer wave: 

Bohrok and Rahi.

 

But, as evidenced by last summer, it seems like the summer waves are smaller than the winter waves. This kind of makes sense since they pretty much have to introduce 6 Toa at once as well as their partners while in the summer they only need to release the villains. Now, it would be a little overbearing for them to release all 6 variations of Bohrok in the summer, plus iirc all 6 bohrok (plus the bohrok kal) all had the exact same build and function. Since there seems to be some sort of build variety within the Toa and villains, all 6 bohrok won't be happening. That got me thinking: what if we didn't need all 6? What if we only needed one? I can see the requests people have been making for nostalgic-based older sets returning to the new generation, so why not do it all in one go?

At the point of my speculation, we haven't seen any images or have any official announcements for the summer wave. But I think it would be cool if we took, say, the red bohrok, and the white or blue rahkshi, and the brown vahki or visorak (Or are they too close to the LoSS?) and made sets out of those. The functions of the older sets were all the same across the species, so I think it would be an ok idea to just take one of each and make a wave out of them. Of course, that would be enough to satiate those asking for bohrok and other sets to come back. Mostly just a pipe-dream though. 

 

Most likely though, we can speculate that the summer villains will follow the unity theme. So maybe bigger, badder creatures that are designed to combine with Umarak instead of the Toa? It's hard to say, but having most of the Toa in my hand make me want to jump to the summer already. 

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I am curious about something: has anyone yet tried to modify the 2015 masters so they can combine with the 2016 elemental creatures, simply by replacing their masks with the 2016 versions and shortening the gear stalk in the back so it doesn't get in the way? The reason I ask this is that, having just recently purchased 2015 Kopaka (my first Bionicle set and Lego set in general in half a decade), I realized that his shoulder armor is the same mold as Melum's paws, meaning with a little modification he could probably incorporate the creature of Ice seamlessly. I'm probably going to purchase the Kopaka and Melum unity set so I can try this myself (and maybe mod what is left of 2016 Kopaka into a dark, skull spider controlled doppleganger), but I kind of want to know if this is going to work before I spend any more money.

I have slept for so long. My dreams have been dark ones. But now I am awakened. Now the scattered elements of my being are rejoined. Now I am whole. And the Darkness can not stand before me.

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This summer, I want a HUGE villain. I just think it would be awesome to have an enemy that looks impressive and can't be defeated by just one of the Toa. I also want some soup and soda.

After seeing what was done with general Grievous I'd say that's a good possibility. 

 

YAY!

*strikes a pose!*

A fish wielding vampire. That's Spiffy.

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"Millennia ago, when the Elemental Creatures came into being, the shadows gave birth to a terrible fiend whose sole purpose was to hunt the Creatures, to trap and bind them in darkness and drain them of power. He is known among the Protectors as Umarak, which in their tongue means ‘Shadow Hunter’. They fear him greatly and pray that the Toa will be strong enough to confront him. Should the Hunter ever track down the Elemental Creatures, Okoto’s very foundation will be threatened with destruction."

 

1. I love the focus on making this world full of wonder and fantasy. I love that so much

2. Umarak, is now my favorite villain. Seriously, he like, manifested from shadow as if it were a living thinking        

    entity.

3. The stakes are high now.

Edited by Tarvaxx
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In case anyone hasn't noticed, the background to bionicle.com is the Labyrinth of Control. I didn't realize how wacky those huge swinging blades are.  :tounge: Towards the bottom you can see an actual labyrinth, hadn't noticed that before.

 

Haven't figured out how to get the raw image, unfortunately.

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I really like the new info we got on Umarak and the Creatures from the Bionicle.com update. Especially with the Creatures. Its great that they each got their own bio, unlike the Protectors of last year.

 

Umarak sounds like he will be a challenging foe for the Toa. I just hope the story does him justice this year.

Everyone is one choice away from being the bad guy in another person's story.


 


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So since the website has been updated, who thinks that the new app will be released some time soon? Or that the current app will be updated. Which since there aren't 74 levels as advertised, I find it quite likely that it will be updated for 2016. Also, does anyone else think that Umarak is like a classic Makuta? His appearance is very similar to one, he can "birth" a shadow trap, and he was born from shadow, kind of like the Makuta of ye'olden times.

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Quote: "Love has no fear, and no vengeance." |

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In case anyone hasn't noticed, the background to bionicle.com is the Labyrinth of Control. I didn't realize how wacky those huge swinging blades are.  :tounge: Towards the bottom you can see an actual labyrinth, hadn't noticed that before.

 

Haven't figured out how to get the raw image, unfortunately.

Here you go.

Awesome, thank you! It'll be fun to see the Toa chasing Umarak through there in the Netflix series.

 

EDIT: Larger version.

Edited by Nescent

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This might be a bit early, but since it is believed that G2 is slated for at least a 3 year run, do you think we'll get new iterations of the same Toa next winter? I'm kinda weighing whether or not I should buy all the 2016 Toa and replace the 2015 ones, only to replace them again a year later for what could be the final year for now. I really like how the builds look compared to the 2015 ones, but they might get even better next year.

Edited by bioniclepluslotr
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This might be a bit early, but since it is believed that G2 is slated for at least a 3 year run, do you think we'll get new iterations of the same Toa next winter? I'm kinda weighing whether or not I should buy all the 2016 Toa and replace the 2015 ones, only to replace them again a year later for what could be the final year for now. I really like how the builds look compared to the 2015 ones, but they might get even better next year.

Honestly, if it only lasted 3 years, I'd expect a third redesign for the toa rather than a whole new set of Heroes.

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This might be a bit early, but since it is believed that G2 is slated for at least a 3 year run, do you think we'll get new iterations of the same Toa next winter? I'm kinda weighing whether or not I should buy all the 2016 Toa and replace the 2015 ones, only to replace them again a year later for what could be the final year for now. I really like how the builds look compared to the 2015 ones, but they might get even better next year.

 

I'm in the opposite boat. I adore the look of the 2015 Masters, especially after finally having bought one myself, and I find most of the 2016 masters to be an absolute mess. However, if actually carry out the plan above and modify the 2015 Masters so they can combine with the elemental creatures, I might as well buy the 2016 Masters as well, as it's either that or likely paying half the price of the whole set just to get their creature compatible masks. Thus, my plan is to mod the 2016 masters heavily, turning them into the Gen 2 equivalent of the Shadow Toa. I've already come up with a bunch of concepts, including the usage of skull spiders for masks, weapons that are dark analogues of the Generation 1 Toa Mata, and even a dark Potahu that is completely silver (based on a theory I read just today that the silver arms on the 2015 Stone sets are actually robotic prosthesis. Which would mean my Dark Pohatu replaced the rest of himself as well. Cybernetics eat your soul, dude).

 

Man, it feels good to be interested *coughobsessedcough* in Bionicle again. It's a good thing I have a full time job now, because my ideal display is probably going to be substantial. The only question is how I'm going to reconcile this with my other significant moneysink, Transformers. Decisions, decisions.

I have slept for so long. My dreams have been dark ones. But now I am awakened. Now the scattered elements of my being are rejoined. Now I am whole. And the Darkness can not stand before me.

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Bit of trivia: The Hungarian translations for the "titles" of the 2016 sets are a bit different.

 

For the creatures, the format is <name>, born of <element>, e.g. Ketar, born of Stone or Akida born of Water

 

The toa are more similar to the English version, simply putting the element into plural and adding "the", such as Pohatu, uniter of the Stones, and Gali, uniter of the Waters. (Onua is an exception, he isn't the uniter of the "earths")

 

Probably not important at all, but interesting nonetheless.

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:kakama: Stone rocks :kakama:

Model Designer at The LEGO Group. Former contributor at New Elementary. My MOCs can be found on Flickr and Instagram

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Hmm deciding between Onua and Umarak. Umaraks cool, but something about him just seems boring to me. Can't place my finger on it. Maybe its that Skull Warrior already had a bow and Skull Basher already did the horned thing. And the gappy shoulders and legs are a little weird. But his color scheme is great and I like how big he is.  Onua looks really cool though and I like the giant drill. Not much I see wrong with him.  Hmm....

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Hmm deciding between Onua and Umarak. Umaraks cool, but something about him just seems boring to me. Can't place my finger on it. Maybe its that Skull Warrior already had a bow and Skull Basher already did the horned thing. And the gappy shoulders and legs are a little weird. But his color scheme is great and I like how big he is.  Onua looks really cool though and I like the giant drill. Not much I see wrong with him.  Hmm....

That actually is a hard decision. Umarak will have more pieces to him, and comes with an optional trap plus the mask of control. I was big into getting the mask of creation, so I'm surprised I waited until my 4th set to get Umarak. All in all, I think I'd recommend Onua over Umarak, despite Umarak's good points. 

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I'm getting Umerak and Onua; fortunately my budget is big enough I don't have to decide. :P Then Terak & Uxar. The rest of the wave just isn't my bottle of Sprite. 

 

 

...and I don't really understand why the crystal blades couldn't be transparent. Maybe the softer plastic doesn't' work in a transparent color?


Exactly. The softer plastic parts are polypropylene and generally can't achieve the same glassy look you get in polycarbonate. Vahki eyestalks are a good example of this in a non-blended piece, and Tarix's water blades and Malum's flame claws are good examples of this in G1 blended pieces.

 

But polypropylene is what they make thermal underwear out of. Are you sure that's the right material?

 

 

People really don't like Melum. And whilst I can see why (and do understand) I'd like to point out that Vizuna and Nilkuu are almost the same model. They have the same body structure and nearly all the same parts (just arranged a little differently). Not that I have a problem with people criticizing Melum but I'd just like to point out that the same thing happened in 2015. 

I don't mind Melum, and in fact Melum and Terak are more different than even the Protectors you mentioned, thanks to having totally different gear functions. However, even with that in mind, Melum has the lowest part count of any of the Creatures (since more of the price of the set goes to Kopaka, who on his own would probably cost somewhere between the $15 and $20 price points), and this is reflected in his overall look—he has fewer claws and shorter limbs than Terak, and is generally smaller. Also, while this is due almost solely to the color scheme for Ice sets, Melum has far fewer new or interesting parts than Terak, since most of his Trans. Light Blue parts already debuted in Chima, as opposed to how Terak introduces a bounty of Trans. Bright Bluish Violet parts.

Ultimately I kind of wish the Kopaka and Melum Unity Set had been a $30 set rather than a $25 set, so that Melum could've been slightly larger (and more bear-like) than the other Creatures, instead of slightly smaller. But he's still a decent Creature design as it is, and much less of a clone than it seems at first glance.

 

I'm tempted to go Kopaka/Melum simply because Melum is adorable, but I think I shall convince myself to forgo. It's not worth the money. I wish that the set had been divided in half so I could just buy Melum for $10 and then turn the extra funds into making a better Kopaka with more gold.

 

This summer, I want a HUGE villain. I just think it would be awesome to have an enemy that looks impressive and can't be defeated by just one of the Toa. I also want some soup and soda.

Skull Grinder was supposed to be that. 

 

 

In case anyone hasn't noticed, the background to bionicle.com is the Labyrinth of Control. I didn't realize how wacky those huge swinging blades are.  :tounge: Towards the bottom you can see an actual labyrinth, hadn't noticed that before.

 

Haven't figured out how to get the raw image, unfortunately.

Here you go.

Awesome, thank you! It'll be fun to see the Toa chasing Umarak through there in the Netflix series.

 

EDIT: Larger version.

 

I can't wait to see that cool setting in action! Definitely an improvement over the settings of last year (even though I liked them). 

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Just curious, has anyone modified the 2015 Toa with the new "back piece" from the new Star Wars figures? I've seen people complain about the Toa's arms hanging too far back, but figures like Kylo Ren seem to have fixed that, and I think it would work with a Toa's proportions if the standard CCBS backbone was replaced with an Inika hip piece.

the_toa_sig_by_nickinamerica-dbn0wau.png

The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/25275-the-toa-a-retelling-of-bionicle/

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My brother got a sort of messed up Terak today, with a wobbly beast foot, AND a Purple spike that is a slightly different shade of purple than the other ones.

 

Lego sort of seems to have dropped the ball in quality control with this first batch of figures. On Terak and Umarak, at least. 

 

To top it all off, you have luck-of-the-draw with the friction in the waist gear mechanisms for the larger sets.

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My brother got a sort of messed up Terak today, with a wobbly beast foot, AND a Purple spike that is a slightly different shade of purple than the other ones.

 

Lego sort of seems to have dropped the ball in quality control with this first batch of figures. On Terak and Umarak, at least. 

 

I guess I got lucky with those sets then. I always get extra spikes with my sets. Did the set with the different purple not come with any extras?

 

To top it all off, you have luck-of-the-draw with the friction in the waist gear mechanisms for the larger sets.

I noticed that my sets had varying degrees of friction, but I assumed I had done something different. For my first set I snapped the waist bone as tight as I could get it and it had a lot of friction (too much even. To the point that I could barely turn it. Every time I try to quickly twist the gear back and forth the black mini-gear detaches.) The second set I didn't attach it as tightly and the friction was good but not too much. With the third set I had the piece in my mouth since putting it on the floor was too much work apparently. I assumed I had lubed up the waist bone with my spit or something and that was why it was really loose and smooth.  :superfunny:

 

That new commercial is very sick. Can't wait to hear the English version. Looks like they're focusing on umarak wearing the MoCo. Interesting.........

In the first commercial didn't they have LoSS with the Mask of Creation? Which is odd since he never uses it and comes with a Gold Skull Spider instead. In the summer commercial, Kulta puts on the Mask of Creation (which his set actually comes with) and that happened in the story too, so I'm sure we can assume Umarak uses the Mask of Control in the story. 

 

 

Also, did anyone else notice that half of the features are missing from the new face of the Bionicle site? There's no building instructions or wallpapers. It also doesn't highlight the masks or any tools. All in all, it's a little lackluster compared to the older version. What about the powered-up instructions or how to build Kulta Kal? We lost more than we gained. 

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Also, did anyone else notice that half of the features are missing from the new face of the Bionicle site? There's no building instructions or wallpapers. It also doesn't highlight the masks or any tools. All in all, it's a little lackluster compared to the older version. What about the powered-up instructions or how to build Kulta Kal? We lost more than we gained. 

I don't know if they will add back the instructions section, but I'm holding out hope that they will expand the gallery to include Okoto art, wallpapers, etc. Maybe even the art from Facebook, like concept stuff and Matt Betteker's monthly paintings.

IetTsFQ.png

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