Intro

First and foremost: congratulations Giants! Sorry Patriots fans, but it was a great game, and the best team won.

Anyway, Bionicle. There were definitely some interesting stories this week and it should be interesting to see how they turn out in the long run.

Updates

One of the biggest stories this week is that Wal Mart stores have stopped ordering Lego products. Anything you see on the shelves is all that's going to be there until some sort of deal gets worked out. Some people have been blaming Wal Mart, others on the Canadian government. Very few have been blaming Lego, though in truth all parties are at fault in some way. Now I'm and engineer, not a politician or banker, so I try to not worry myself about these sorts of things. Hopefully though, we'll see democracy and capitalism at work. The Canadian dollar has a value as determined by the market. That price should dictate how much Lego charges for selling their sets to retailers and customers. As the Canadian dollar has risen, however, the cost of sets (and other products imported into Canada) has not fallen. From people I've talked to in Canada, it's gotten to some ridiculous levels. Now, I'm sure Wal Mart and Lego want to keep making money, and I'm sure there are lots of people in Canada creating a demand for Lego products that shop at Wal Mart. There will be a resolution, as they would be stupid to do nothing and lose potential sales.

The next important item is that the new artist for the Bionicle comic series has been revealed, one Leigh Gallagher. There has been a very positive response to the teaser page we posted (thanks to Greg for that). Many say it calls back some of the earlier comics that were illustrated by D'Anda, and I'd tend to agree. Don't get me wrong, Stuart Sayger definitely left his mark on Bionicle, and I think change is good to keep things interesting, but every now and then it's nice to get a little throwback.

Aside from that, we should have a Radiak review posted tomorrow, and hopefully a few more after that. Toy Fair is a week from tomorrow (so don't expect any set reviews next weekend, just pictures of new sets!). So some cool stuff to look forward to.

Mailbag

Finally, some letters!

What really got you interested into the world of Bionicle and LEGO?

As a young child I received lots of Lego sets as gifts over the years. They were great creative toys that provided hours of fun, more than any of my other toys. My interest in Bionicle stemmed out of that, combining the creativity of Lego with the story of Bionicle that we all know so well.

Have you read the new BZPMonthly as of yet?

- If you have, what article do you feel is most important in this issue?

- Of your own choice, out of all possibilities in the world, what one article would you want written on any subject?

 

What do you feel is the best 'perk' of being on the BZPower Staff, let alone being an Admin AND a News-Guy-Thing?

 

Lastly... Um. What's usually an average day for such an incredible person like yourself?

Nope, things are generally very busy.

As for an article, I always thing it's great to look at how Bionicle has changed over the years and the story and sets have evolved (for better or worse).

The best perk, eh? The giant avatars are nice, but I'd have to go with getting invited to events like ToyFair as being pretty awesome.

An average day depends on the time of year. Right now I'm taking classes, so my average day consists of waking up, having some breakfast, going to class, doing homework, having some dinner, going back to class, doing more homework, and then catching up on BZPower. Eventually I go to sleep.

Why don't you pay me for all those weird errands you send me on? And why did you need three tons of potatoes dug by my hand from a farm on the other side of the planet, anyway?

 

Why did you win that court case I filed against you? Was it because you could afford a lawyer and I had to pull someone off the street to represent me (she was friendly, though)?

 

Would you be upset if I admitted I stole one of your nuclear missiles?

 

What are all those books with satanic symbols on the covers that you keep on your desk? And why did you put a ring of candles with a pentagram painted in the center in blood in front of my door?

 

Why is your name so freaking awesome?

You're a volunteer. Volunteers don't get paid. Oh, and I like my french fries to be from China. I was just stocking up.

It was because I'm older, smarter, and better looking. Oh and that girl was a friend of mine, so I don't think she was trying to defend you too well.

Only if you pronounced it nook-yoo-ler, otherwise I have plenty.

Those are my engineering manuals. You'd be surprised the crazy things that go on to make the world work. Oh and that pentagram? That was, um, err, your invitation to ToyFair. Yes.

Because it begins with 'A,' ends with 'w' and has 'ndre' in the middle.

Want to see your questions answered? PM them to me and put 'Mailbag' in the subject line. I'll pick the few I like the best and answer them in the next update.

Conclusion

That's it for this week, but it was more than usual, so be happy! Until my next blog entry, have fun on BZPower!