Hero Factory 5.0

[Lyichir]

NO MORE FURNO!!! What's the deal with that guy?! I thought Stormer was the leader!I want LEGO to keep Stormer because we have some thing(s) in common.

Stormer IS the leader. But that doesn't mean the Hero Factory story has to be primarily about him. Just because Gandalf led the coalition in The Hobbit doesn't mean the story should focus on him and not Bilbo. Hero Factory is almost like a coming-of-age story for Furno, showing his progression from a rookie to a veteran hero. That's why if anything, I'd like to see Stormer retire sometime soon and pass leadership of the team to Furno. The last thing I'd want to see is an entirely new team, since that would basically eliminate the already-miniscule amount of continuity the Hero Factory story has had so far.

[Meiko]

For starters, I hope they don't call it "5.0".I guess a cool name could be something like "Jason" or "Aaron" or something cool. Then again, Meiko would be the best name you could name something after... :PI have no clue what kind of weapon they'd use, but hopefully it is a weapon that works, juts saying...

[Protodite Karzahni]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

[Aanchir]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

[Smitty]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

[Kojol]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

There's also every single weapon in Savage Planet. My issue is, most sets have melee weapons, but in story, they all have laser blasters.I'm personally a proponent of ranged weapons, but when they do this by giving everything lasers, it's annoying.Ideally, I would give 3-4 Heroes ranged weapons, the rest melee weapons or ambiguous weapons (e.g., Surge and Furno's original weapons)Other notes:-Hero Belt piece, perhaps a rubber piece like Rocka's ammo belt, but with two pins on one side to attach it to the hip pinholes on the Breakout chestplate-NO PRINTING-Redesigned helmet for Nex (Seriously, his Breakout helmet is terrible)-More decorative pieces like Nex's using a harpoon gun as an antenna-Varied bone colors:--My idea for the bone color of each hero:Stormer-Bright BlueStringer-OrangeBulk-BlackFurno-KeetorangeBreez-Bright RedSurge-SilverNex-WhiteEvo-Dark GreyRocka-Light Grey-A return to the 2.0-style chestplate/core system (though using the Breakout chestplate instead of the 2.0 underarmor)--More chestplate variety

[Aanchir]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

Oh goodness, I hadn't noticed that. That is pretty egregious.

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

There's also every single weapon in Savage Planet.My issue is, most sets have melee weapons, but in story, they all have laser blasters.I'm personally a proponent of ranged weapons, but when they do this by giving everything lasers, it's annoying.Ideally, I would give 3-4 Heroes ranged weapons, the rest melee weapons or ambiguous weapons (e.g., Surge and Furno's original weapons)

I wouldn't say most sets have melee weapons. Almost all of the heroes and villains in 2010 had projectile weapons, with a few exceptions like Breez (whose weapon admittedly was treated as a projectile weapon in the show), XPlode, Meltdown, and Thunder (whose claw wasn't treated as a projectile weapon, but they mounted a projectile weapon on top of it which I guess is about the same effect).In early 2011, again, most of the Heroes had projectile weapons besides Breez. Drilldozer and Jetbug had melee weapons, and they were treated as melee weapons in the show with the exception of Drilldozer's blade inexplicably being treated as a projectile weapon, which as I said above somehow went right over my head.In summer 2011, the Heroes tended to have claws and such, but made almost no use of them, so I guess your criticism applies there. However, the only weapons to be treated as projectile weapons were Stringer's "plasma gun" (I hate that so much; they could so easily have given him a "sonic roar" to tie in with his sonic theme AND his bear powers) and Witch Doctor's staff, which is closer to a magic wand than a staff you'd actually use in melee combat to begin with. Also ironically, neither Witch Doctor nor Rocka XL used the launchers that they had been given in the sets.Haven't seen the Breakout episodes yet, but it should be noted that Surge does in fact use his lightning shooter as a sword.Overall, I don't think there's any over-the-top tendency in the TV episodes to treat melee weapons as projectile weapons, at least not any more than there was in BIONICLE (where most weapons could channel elemental powers, and as such had an in-story explanation for their dual nature as melee weapons and projectile weapons).

Other notes:-Hero Belt piece, perhaps a rubber piece like Rocka's ammo belt, but with two pins on one side to attach it to the hip pinholes on the Breakout chestplate-NO PRINTING-Redesigned helmet for Nex (Seriously, his Breakout helmet is terrible)-More decorative pieces like Nex's using a harpoon gun as an antenna-Varied bone colors:--My idea for the bone color of each hero:Stormer-Bright BlueStringer-OrangeBulk-BlackFurno-KeetorangeBreez-Bright RedSurge-SilverNex-WhiteEvo-Dark GreyRocka-Light Grey-A return to the 2.0-style chestplate/core system (though using the Breakout chestplate instead of the 2.0 underarmor)--More chestplate variety

I personally think the new Breakout torso design already looks like it has a utility belt. It even has connection points for attaching things to it. And this makes it all the more egregious that in the Breakout episodes, they wear their utility belts over top of this armor. >_< Your suggestion would be pretty cool, honestly, especially as it could potentially allow for more Hero gear to be included in the sets. I'm very impressed with the addition of handcuffs to the Breakout-series sets.I like Nex's Breakout helmet, since it echoes his old one while adding new designs. Specifically, the forehead has a circuit-board pattern that echoes his chest pattern and goes quite well with his role as "the tech-head". Edited March 9, 2012 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Kojol]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

There's also every single weapon in Savage Planet.My issue is, most sets have melee weapons, but in story, they all have laser blasters.I'm personally a proponent of ranged weapons, but when they do this by giving everything lasers, it's annoying.Ideally, I would give 3-4 Heroes ranged weapons, the rest melee weapons or ambiguous weapons (e.g., Surge and Furno's original weapons)

I wouldn't say most sets have melee weapons. Almost all of the heroes and villains in 2010 had projectile weapons, with a few exceptions like Breez (whose weapon admittedly was treated as a projectile weapon in the show), XPlode, Meltdown, and Thunder (whose claw wasn't treated as a projectile weapon, but they mounted a projectile weapon on top of it which I guess is about the same effect).In early 2011, again, most of the Heroes had projectile weapons besides Breez. Drilldozer and Jetbug had melee weapons, and they were treated as melee weapons in the show with the exception of Drilldozer's blade inexplicably being treated as a projectile weapon, which as I said above somehow went right over my head.In summer 2011, the Heroes tended to have claws and such, but made almost no use of them, so I guess your criticism applies there. However, the only weapons to be treated as projectile weapons were Stringer's "plasma gun" (I hate that so much; they could so easily have given him a "sonic roar" to tie in with his sonic theme AND his bear powers) and Witch Doctor's staff, which is closer to a magic wand than a staff you'd actually use in melee combat to begin with. Also ironically, neither Witch Doctor nor Rocka XL used the launchers that they had been given in the sets.Haven't seen the Breakout episodes yet, but it should be noted that Surge does in fact use his lightning shooter as a sword.Overall, I don't think there's any over-the-top tendency in the TV episodes to treat melee weapons as projectile weapons, at least not any more than there was in BIONICLE (where most weapons could channel elemental powers, and as such had an in-story explanation for their dual nature as melee weapons and projectile weapons).

Sets whose primary weapon is close-rangePreston StormerWilliam Furno ?Mark Surge (depending on the range of the lightning)Von NebulaX-Plode (+Thornax launcher)Thunder (+Thornax launcher)Meltdown (+Thornax launcher)Drilldozer (+Thornax Launcher)Nitroblast (depending on range of flamethrower) (+Thornax Launcher)Jetbug (+Thornax Launcher)Stormer 2.0Furno 2.0 ?Breez 2.0Evo 2.0 ?Nex 2.0?Every Savage Planet set except for Furno 3.0Breez (+ Thornax Launcher)Surge (+Thornax Launcher)ThornraxxJawbladeBlack Phantom (+Thornax Launcher)Voltix (+Thornax Launcher)Speeda DemonXT4Stormer (+Thornax Launcher)Nex (+Thornax Launcher)

[Aanchir]

I'd like to see more melee weapons. Melee weapons that don't turn into sword shaped laser guns when transferred to the TV show.

Most of the things that were melee weapons in the sets are treated as melee weapons in the show, with the exception of Stringer's "plasma gun" in Savage Planet. In fact, in Savage Planet they inexplicably downgraded Furno's Plasma Bow (a projectile weapon) to a melee weapon.Granted, there are Breez's boomerangs, which were supposed to be throwing weapons and were converted to blasters of a sort in the show, but those are the only instance I can think of where something that wasn't technically a blaster to begin with got treated as one.

In "Ordeal of Fire" Drilldozer is pointing his gun at two of the heroes and then switches to his sword to shoot them.

There's also every single weapon in Savage Planet.My issue is, most sets have melee weapons, but in story, they all have laser blasters.I'm personally a proponent of ranged weapons, but when they do this by giving everything lasers, it's annoying.Ideally, I would give 3-4 Heroes ranged weapons, the rest melee weapons or ambiguous weapons (e.g., Surge and Furno's original weapons)

I wouldn't say most sets have melee weapons. Almost all of the heroes and villains in 2010 had projectile weapons, with a few exceptions like Breez (whose weapon admittedly was treated as a projectile weapon in the show), XPlode, Meltdown, and Thunder (whose claw wasn't treated as a projectile weapon, but they mounted a projectile weapon on top of it which I guess is about the same effect).In early 2011, again, most of the Heroes had projectile weapons besides Breez. Drilldozer and Jetbug had melee weapons, and they were treated as melee weapons in the show with the exception of Drilldozer's blade inexplicably being treated as a projectile weapon, which as I said above somehow went right over my head.In summer 2011, the Heroes tended to have claws and such, but made almost no use of them, so I guess your criticism applies there. However, the only weapons to be treated as projectile weapons were Stringer's "plasma gun" (I hate that so much; they could so easily have given him a "sonic roar" to tie in with his sonic theme AND his bear powers) and Witch Doctor's staff, which is closer to a magic wand than a staff you'd actually use in melee combat to begin with. Also ironically, neither Witch Doctor nor Rocka XL used the launchers that they had been given in the sets.Haven't seen the Breakout episodes yet, but it should be noted that Surge does in fact use his lightning shooter as a sword.Overall, I don't think there's any over-the-top tendency in the TV episodes to treat melee weapons as projectile weapons, at least not any more than there was in BIONICLE (where most weapons could channel elemental powers, and as such had an in-story explanation for their dual nature as melee weapons and projectile weapons).

Sets whose primary weapon is close-rangePreston StormerWilliam Furno ?Mark Surge (depending on the range of the lightning)Von NebulaX-Plode (+Thornax launcher)Thunder (+Thornax launcher)Meltdown (+Thornax launcher)Drilldozer (+Thornax Launcher)Nitroblast (depending on range of flamethrower) (+Thornax Launcher)Jetbug (+Thornax Launcher)Stormer 2.0Furno 2.0 ?Breez 2.0Evo 2.0 ?Nex 2.0?Every Savage Planet set except for Furno 3.0Breez (+ Thornax Launcher)Surge (+Thornax Launcher)ThornraxxJawbladeBlack Phantom (+Thornax Launcher)Voltix (+Thornax Launcher)Speeda DemonXT4Stormer (+Thornax Launcher)Nex (+Thornax Launcher)

Stormer's weapon is questionable, but Furno's is an obvious flamethrower, so I don't get how you could argue it should be used for melee combat (even though in the TV episodes, he does use it quite effectively to disable Rotor's propellor). Surge's weapon does indeed vary based on how it's being used-- the part's designed to be able to be used either like a sword or a launcher (or even a double-bladed sword), and it in fact gets used as a sword in some of the Breakout clips we've seen. Von Nebula only ever uses his staff to emit black holes, even outside the TV episodes. The 2.0 weapons are almost almost all tools rather than weapons when used at close range, and all but Breez's primarily resemble blasters of some sort.Assuming that one weapon in these cases is "primary" just because it's unique is also a bit questionable. From a set design standpoint, sure, the unique weapon better characterizes the model, but from a storytelling standpoint that doesn't mean the characters should be thrust into more situations where the unique weapon is preferable than ones where the long-range weapon is preferable.All in all, you can't act as if anything that's not gun-shaped is supposed to be used at close range. Just because Gandalf could use his staff to knock people senseless doesn't mean that's what it's for.There's also the factor that's been present since 2001 BIONICLE that led to the widespread use of elemental powers in the first place. Combat with energy weapons is just considered less violent by some people than combat where characters are exchanging physical blows. Even if a character is given what looks like a sword, they'll likely use it for energy attacks because it's considered less violent. But I'm not going into that discussion because it has nothing to do with set design and I know from experiences that debates about that never end. It's the reality of the situation, whether or not it makes sense, and TV shows have to be written according to that reality.

[Kojol]

Okay, since the original issue was whether or not more melee weapons are a good idea, let's review the Heroes who have melee weapons:Breez 2.0Stormer 3.0Stringer 3.0Bulk 3.0Nex 3.0Rocka 3.0Stormer 4.0Breez 4.0Nex 4.0(Total: 9/23)Additionally, the following have weapons which may or may not be melee weapons:Stormer 1.0Furno 1.0Surge 1.0Stormer 2.0Furno 2.0Nex 2.0Evo 2.0Surge 4.0(8/23)To sum up, a third of the heroes definitely have melee weapons, and another third have tools that are up to interpretation. As such, I believe that there are more than enough melee weapons in the sets, but the show needs to reduce the frequency of making everything lasers.In real combat, a long-range weapon is generally preferable to a close-range weapon.

[Smitty]

-Varied bone colors:--My idea for the bone color of each hero:Stormer-Bright BlueStringer-OrangeBulk-BlackFurno-KeetorangeBreez-Bright RedSurge-SilverNex-WhiteEvo-Dark GreyRocka-Light Grey-A return to the 2.0-style chestplate/core system (though using the Breakout chestplate instead of the 2.0 underarmor)--More chestplate variety

I like that they are all built on a some what standard frame. I also like the ides that different colors of bones could be used to show an upgrade to that standard, such as longer limbs being a different color and using a different color on the upper arm when bigger armor is used.

[Aaron Nuva]

Bulk needs more love. And they could try bringing back other stuff from Bionicle like the Phantoka launcher or Cordak blaster.

[Lyichir]

Bulk needs more love. And they could try bringing back other stuff from Bionicle like the Phantoka launcher or Cordak blaster.

Those were both cool weapons, but I doubt they'll come back. With the Thornax Launcher and its recent variants, LEGO has found a launcher that is versatile, compact, cheap, and easy to incorporate into sets. It has become, to some extent, Hero Factory's equivalent to the flick-fire missile.

[Aanchir]

Bulk needs more love. And they could try bringing back other stuff from Bionicle like the Phantoka launcher or Cordak blaster.

The Midak Skyblaster actually was used in the Drop Ship set from 2010. If TLG still has the molds then they could potentially return to using it, although personally I can see why they might decide that the Thornax launcher is preferable (easier to incorporate into both sets and MOCs, and less expensive to produce).

[Takanuinuva]

 

-Varied bone colors:--My idea for the bone color of each hero:Stormer-Bright BlueStringer-OrangeBulk-BlackFurno-KeetorangeBreez-Bright RedSurge-SilverNex-WhiteEvo-Dark GreyRocka-Light Grey

Good idea having varied bone colors. But I tried that in Ldd and some work but other Clash horriblyThese should be the bone and torso colors for the following heroesFurno, Breez, and Bulk. Black bones and torsoStringer, Evo, And Stormer. Dark grey bones and torsoNex, Rocka, and Surge. Light grey bones and torsoThese colors work for the heroes.

[Kojol]

 

-Varied bone colors:--My idea for the bone color of each hero:Stormer-Bright BlueStringer-OrangeBulk-BlackFurno-KeetorangeBreez-Bright RedSurge-SilverNex-WhiteEvo-Dark GreyRocka-Light Grey

Good idea having varied bone colors. But I tried that in Ldd and some work but other Clash horriblyThese should be the bone and torso colors for the following heroesFurno, Breez, and Bulk. Black bones and torsoStringer, Evo, And Stormer. Dark grey bones and torsoNex, Rocka, and Surge. Light grey bones and torsoThese colors work for the heroes.

But there's so much freaking grey and black...Besides, at least for Surge, Furno, Stringer, and Stormer, my suggested frame colors were their original frame colors.