Hero Factory Mask Packs on Cuusoo

[Art Vandelay]

I just discovered this idea on Cuusoo, and I didn't know if anybody here was aware of it or not. Somebody came up with the idea of having Hero Factory mask packs, just like the old Bionicle packs we know and love. I think this is a pretty great idea, and I'm not even a Hero Factory fan.

What do you guys think?

Here's the link: http://lego.cuusoo.com/ideas/view/18545#

Sorry, I just realized I should have put this in Lego Discussion. Could someone move this over there if you see it?

 

Thanks

[Chro]

Yeah, Cody's project has been around for a while.

I think it's a neat idea, though not too likely to exist as a set/pack.

[Hexann]

I would definitely support it. It's a neat idea.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Damaracx 7.0

[avak5]

Coming in different colors it will give MOCers more to play around with. So yeah, it's not that bad of an idea.

[Makuta of Time]

I'm going to support this idea, since the pack I got was a Kraata pack. (It had some purples in it and possibly some level fives.)

[Makuta_of_Oz]

I didn't even know we were allowed to advertise our CUUSOO projects in threads at all! o.O

[dRoko]

Well, it IS an LEGO site, so...

[CeeCee]

If I'm not mistaken, isn't Cuuso just for one off sets.

[Rooster Nui]

I think this is a good idea, it could introduce a new story element to Hero Factory.

Edited May 31, 2013 by Rooster Nui

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

This is a really good idea, it will help a lot of MOC maker to save there pints and in the Hero Factory series they have a lot of other Heroes with different color mask. Plus i found there was other Accessories and Booster Pack, it will be a good idea to have Mask Pack as well and if they have purple i think i'll go crazy with joy.

Edited May 31, 2013 by ShadowWolfHount

[Chro]

I think this is a good idea, it could introduce a new story element to Hero Factory.

I don't think it'd add a new story aspect, but it would certainly back up the whole mass-produced-robot thing.

[Black Six]

If you guys want to use this topic to discuss the idea of new masks/helmets and colors for Hero Factory sets, that's fine. I'd prefer people don't advertise Cuusoo projects in topics like this though.Also, moving to HF Sets...

[Chro]

If you guys want to use this topic to discuss the idea of new masks/helmets and colors for Hero Factory sets, that's fine.

Okay, uh... remember when the black Surge helmet popped up on LDD a few months ago? Edited May 31, 2013 by Chro

[Makuta of Time]

Yeah I remember, it was supposed to be Stringer's helm. I guess the didn't have the design of it digitally.

[Lyichir]

If I'm not mistaken, isn't Cuuso just for one off sets.

Wouldn't mask packs technically count as one-off sets? They'd have the same SKU as each other; the contents would just be variable.Still, I don't think this project will be successful in either gaining support or, if it comes to that, the review process. Hero Factory helmets have no real story significance save for which characters they depict, so the only people these would benefit would be MOCists. Meanwhile, I think Lego learned from the poor sales of the mask packs that supplementary sets like those aren't worth the budget for quite so many recolored parts. Plus, since the days of the mask packs, Lego has implemented a policy that states that each new element put into production (either a recolor or a new mold) has to be offset by removing one from production. I doubt they'd even have released the Bionicle Mask Packs if the theme were introduced in this day and age.

 

Additionally, this project is just exceptionally vague. What range of colors would the masks come in? Which masks would be used? The proposal only features a picture of various masks available on LDD, which includes both those modeled for 2.0 heads and Glatorian heads/Brain Attack heads, so consistency's out the window. And unlike the iconic, mostly primary-colored masks of the classic Bionicle mask packs, there's no rhyme or reason for the colors they've chosen apart from making sure no existing colors are used.

 

Now, would I be interested in recolors of Hero Factory masks released via some other method? Perhaps. But the only feasible alternative to mask packs that I can conceive of would be new figure sets, so the question is, would I prefer new figures to have new masks, or old masks in new colors? I suppose it would depend on the figure. For instance, I wouldn't necessarily object to a new Furno using one of his old masks in Silver or some other color that would complement his color scheme. But new characters often do best with an entirely new look, and sometimes a new mask mold is necessary for that. One thing's for sure, though; we're not likely to get any masks with the sheer color variety of the classic mask packs for a very long time, if ever again.

[Aanchir]

 

If I'm not mistaken, isn't Cuuso just for one off sets.

Wouldn't mask packs technically count as one-off sets? They'd have the same SKU as each other; the contents would just be variable.Still, I don't think this project will be successful in either gaining support or, if it comes to that, the review process. Hero Factory helmets have no real story significance save for which characters they depict, so the only people these would benefit would be MOCists. Meanwhile, I think Lego learned from the poor sales of the mask packs that supplementary sets like those aren't worth the budget for quite so many recolored parts. Plus, since the days of the mask packs, Lego has implemented a policy that states that each new element put into production (either a recolor or a new mold) has to be offset by removing one from production. I doubt they'd even have released the Bionicle Mask Packs if the theme were introduced in this day and age.

 

This paragraph sums up one of the big problems with mask packs. They require creating a whole bunch of elements, none of which are necessarily better or more useful than one another: they're just different. As building accessories, certainly, it's nice to have masks that aren't tied to particular characters. But a lot of people have to be buying them for this reason if it's going to be worth the cost, and the poor sales of the BIONICLE accessory packs show that this isn't something TLG can count on.Something else to consider is that Hero Factory helmets are more complex from a production standpoint than the masks from the BIONICLE mask packs ever were. The reason for this is that in most cases they can't just be popped out of a two-piece mold. The molds for most Hero Factory helmets have sliders, or additional sections that are inserted into the mold once the main two mold sections are assembled. This is really the only way to have both an axle that connects to the top of the head and eye holes in the front of the head: a simple two-piece mold really can't allow this. In contrast, Krana, Kraata, Kanohi Nuva, Kanoka, and all Kanohi from 2001-2004 were designed to use simpler two-piece molds: one section forming the shape for the front of the mask and one section pressing the cavity and axle in the back of the mask.There's another production shortcut that was taken for certain collectibles: randomization. Krana, Krana-Kal, and Kraata were a random shape in every set they appeared in (Krana and Krana-Kal were always one of eight varieties; Kraata were one of six). What this allowed was for Krana of a particular color or Kraata of a particular color combination to come off of the same mold: effectively a cost-cutting measure. On a side note, this is why there is only one element number for each color combination of Kraata: from a production standpoint, Kraata of the same color combination were effectively the same piece, regardless of which shape they were. This could not be done with Kanohi or Kanohi Nuva, or for that matter with Hero Factory helmets, because they are a central part of a set's appearance and thus cannot be randomized in all sets.Overall, I'm not too keen on the idea of Hero Factory mask packs. The only advantage of Hero Factory mask packs that wouldn't come from including the same recolors in actual figure sets is that viewers won't mentally link them to the character who wears them. And really, if it's so important to have existing helmets in different colors, what's stopping you from painting them?

[Toa Zaz]

1. It would be ridiculously expensive, in part because of price inflation of Lego bricks, but also because of much more complex designs of Hero Factory faces.

 

2. There's no storyline significance, so people would be less inclined to buy them.

 

3. Bionicle already did it. The gimmick's worn off. It would feel less like a smart creative decision and more like a cynical or even desperate attempt to hop back on the bandwagon of what they did before in order to make a few more bucks.People might not care at that point.

 

4. In my opinion, the Hero factory faces lack the simplicity and originality of the early Bionicle mask designs, and are kind of boring and ugly. The repetition they've got into with the sets, where we have three different Evo heads and they all look almost exactly the same, doesn't help either.

[Aanchir]

Toa Zaz, on 31 May 2013 - 18:04, said:1. It would be ridiculously expensive, in part because of price inflation of Lego bricks, but also because of much more complex designs of Hero Factory faces.2. There's no storyline significance, so people would be less inclined to buy them.3. Bionicle already did it. The gimmick's worn off. It would feel less like a smart creative decision and more like a cynical or even desperate attempt to hop back on the bandwagon of what they did before in order to make a few more bucks.People might not care at that point.4. In my opinion, the Hero factory faces lack the simplicity and originality of the early Bionicle mask designs, and are kind of boring and ugly. The repetition they've got into with the sets, where we have three different Evo heads and they all look almost exactly the same, doesn't help either.

I agree with #1 and #2, but #3 doesn't really apply (the demographic who such mask packs would have to target to be successful is not the same people who even remember the BIONICLE mask packs) and #4 seems a bit preposterous: if I recall correctly, BIONICLE fans did nothing but complain in 2008 when the Toa Nuva's masks DIDN'T immediately resemble their previous ones. And from what I've seen, Hero Factory's trend of having characters' masks resemble their earliest masks beginning with the Breakout wave has been very well-received. It's the changes that tend to bother people more than anything else, such as Furno XL's oddly-proportioned face pattern, Bulk's mouth and nose, or Evo's chin.

[Ziontyro Metalhead]

It would be very nice for all of the huge lego fans, but there are problems.

1. We have no idea how many other people would buy into the idea.

2. This requires more equipment in the lego factory, so more can go wrong.

3. They have done this before.

[Hexann]

I believe the maker of this project has a very good point: new builders and nostalgic seekers alike will be drawn to this.

[Relapse]

Interesting concept, tjough I don't see much hope for the project; Lego frowns upon new molds/colors popping up in CUUSOO sets.

[Aanchir]

Interesting concept, tjough I don't see much hope for the project; Lego frowns upon new molds/colors popping up in CUUSOO sets.

New molds, yes, but new colors and new printed elements are a different case entirely. A project consisting ENTIRELY of unique recolored parts like this might not stand much of a chance, since it would require the use of a LOT of molding machines which could otherwise be used for parts in regular-issue sets. But the reason for the "no new molds" rule is that creating the molds themselves is too expensive for initial Cuusoo set sales to cover, which doesn't apply in the same sense to recolors or new decorations. Note that the Shinkai 6500, the very FIRST set produced through LEGO Cuusoo, had a unique recolor (the orange tailfin on the submarine).