OFFICIAL 2016 Bionicle Topic

[Umm Durmán]

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet.  The fan made box art of how the set could have looked.

I take no credit.  Photo found on Instagram and created by @notesandtabs.

http://www.imgrum.net/media/1314039223480882967_2160110565

 

Oh how I wish we would get Bionicle 2017 

[The Invisible Handman]

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet.  The fan made box art of how the set could have looked.

I take no credit.  Photo found on Instagram and created by @notesandtabs.

http://www.imgrum.net/media/1314039223480882967_2160110565

Dangit I just got over Bionicle ending early, why did you have to do this to us man?

[Toa Imrukii]

 

Edited August 19, 2016 by Toa Imrukii

[Rakrondewl]

Wow, this got a lot of negative feedback...sorry guys.  I personally thought it was inspiring to see that the Bionicle community is capable of making sets.  We had a bunch of people figuring out the build, we had a couple people design the mask and put them on shapeways, and now we have someone who made the box art.  We potentially made the set ourselves and if we can do that, imagine what else we could do.  Again, I am sorry for any unwanted feelings I may have aroused.

[Pohaturon]

So I got Umarak the Hunter the other day (another gift from my wife ^^), and I must say, he really is a great set. Up until now, I thought his design was somewhat hit and miss with a few good decisions (custom lower legs, color scheme) and a few bad ones (antlers, shoulder height). I only really wanted him for the parts and the Mask of Control.

 

Now that I have him in the plastic, I was pretty wrong about him. Many other have said this, but he really looks a lot better in person than on the renders or even on photos I've seen that have been made by other users. I really like the whole design, I've come to like the antlers, his shoulder height isn't really that bothersome. I love how you can make a shadow trap using his bits and pieces. I love how he has two weapons and that ammo-belt-thing on him. The complex colors of red,black,trans apple,brown and tan really work well together, and are expertly balanced.

 

I've seen someone call Umarak the Hunter the overall best set across all of Bionicle, even including G1 in that "best sets of 2k16" thread. Before now, I rolled my eyes at that (sorry!). Now, while I still may not wholeheartedly agree (because Pohatu is the overall best across all of Bionicle, fact), I see where the sentiment is coming from. Really, this set is pretty much the height of G2 (aside from Pohatu) and a sign of the potential that may have been.

 

On the downside, this makes me even more salty about how schematic, boring and generic Umarak the Destroyer turned out to be. He'd be a cool set to own for the parts, but he's not exactly a villain worthy of being the big bad sendoff to the line. The Hunter is much more menacing in my opinion.

 

So, anyone who likes Bionicle G2 and doesn't own Umarak the Hunter, go out there and get him before he's gone forever! If you're tight for money, you can always switch to one-ply TP for a month, it's definitely worth it. 

 

[Iruini Nuva]

(because Pohatu is the overall best across all of Bionicle, fact) 

Out of sheer curiosity, which Pohatu?

[Pohaturon]

 

(because Pohatu is the overall best across all of Bionicle, fact) 

Out of sheer curiosity, which Pohatu?

 

All of them.

 

But if I must choose one, Mata wins out of sheer nostalgia.

 

[Umm Durmán]

Wow, this got a lot of negative feedback...sorry guys.  I personally thought it was inspiring to see that the Bionicle community is capable of making sets.  We had a bunch of people figuring out the build, we had a couple people design the mask and put them on shapeways, and now we have someone who made the box art.  We potentially made the set ourselves and if we can do that, imagine what else we could do.  Again, I am sorry for any unwanted feelings I may have aroused.

 

The negative feedback isn't for you, the box looks magnificent and I thank you very much for posting it. It is greatly appreciated 

 

The negative feedback is for LEGO because they cancelled Bionicle and broke our hearts. We all would so love to see something like this in stores 

Edited August 19, 2016 by Umm Durmán

[Rakrondewl]

 

Wow, this got a lot of negative feedback...sorry guys.  I personally thought it was inspiring to see that the Bionicle community is capable of making sets.  We had a bunch of people figuring out the build, we had a couple people design the mask and put them on shapeways, and now we have someone who made the box art.  We potentially made the set ourselves and if we can do that, imagine what else we could do.  Again, I am sorry for any unwanted feelings I may have aroused.

 

The negative feedback isn't for you, the box looks magnificent and I thank you very much for posting it. It is greatly appreciated 

 

The negative feedback is for LEGO because they cancelled Bionicle and broke our hearts. We all would so love to see something like this in stores 

 

Okay, thank you for clarifying, it makes me feel a bit better.   

 

Agreed, don't understand why they* didn't want to sell what could very well be their best selling Bionicle set.  

 

 

*They meaning LEGO management not the designers who would of probably loved to release the set.

[Dark_Stranger]

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet. The fan made box art of how the set could have looked.

I take no credit. Photo found on Instagram and created by @notesandtabs.

http://www.imgrum.net/media/1314039223480882967_2160110565

I suddenly find myself wishing I was competent at this sort of thing...that is some masterful photo editing.

On the plus side, it also makes me really excited to actually build Makuta. Five of the component sets are already in the mail; only two more and one Shapeways MoUP to go!

Then I'll sort out the leftover parts and start Bricklinking like mad to get the rest of the pieces to MoC up some 2017 Toa.

 

I am officially spending way too much money on this, and I don't even care.

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

Makuta the Mask Crusher.  Nice.

 

Got myself Ikir and Terak at Legoland Discovery Center Chicago last night.  I would've liked to get a Uniter/Creature matching set, but unfortunately none of the Toa I wanted were there.  A couple of the Beasts were, but I'm honestly not too interested in those at the moment.

[Lenny7092]

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet. The fan made box art of how the set could have looked.

I take no credit. Photo found on Instagram and created by @notesandtabs.

http://www.imgrum.net/media/1314039223480882967_2160110565

I love this fan-made set! I really wish that Makuta set could be released like this as a real set.

Edited August 20, 2016 by Lenny7092

[The Invisible Handman]

 

Don't know if anyone has seen this yet. The fan made box art of how the set could have looked.

I take no credit. Photo found on Instagram and created by @notesandtabs.

http://www.imgrum.net/media/1314039223480882967_2160110565

I suddenly find myself wishing I was competent at this sort of thing...that is some masterful photo editing.

On the plus side, it also makes me really excited to actually build Makuta. Five of the component sets are already in the mail; only two more and one Shapeways MoUP to go!

Then I'll sort out the leftover parts and start Bricklinking like mad to get the rest of the pieces to MoC up some 2017 Toa.

 

I am officially spending way too much money on this, and I don't even care.

 

Similar situation here. I have all the sets (but no MoUP) but I'm saving it for a special occasion. It's hella expensive but Makuta makes a good end to Bionicle.

[Volatile]

Really not surprised to see it go but it's still disappointing.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

With all the talk I've seen around social media about Quake Beast becoming a rare set, I decided to take a trip to my nearest Toy's R Us to see if I could find any there. Sure enough, there were three Quake Beasts left, so I grabbed one. I also grabbed Lava Beast while I was there. I would've gotten Storm Beast too, but it was the only summer 2016 set not on the shelves. 

 

My nearest Lego Store was also in the general area, so I looked in there too to see if it had any Bionicle sets left. As I expected, there were no Bionicle sets to be found in it. Even though I knew that would probably be the case, it still saddened me a little.

[NickonAquaMagna]

I still want to make the Makuta combiner, but I won't have the money for the doubles needed for another week, and I don't want to destroy these characters. Hopefully when I go to Toys R Us they'll still have the sets, there. I hear Bionicle's basically being purged across  the country.

 

Good luck to you all.

[Katanga]

Ordered my last Bionicle set from Toys 'R' Us not too long ago. Hope Lava Beast turns out to be a decent set. Either way he'll complete my collection of fire element figures. Just wish I could have found him in the store, but sadly all of the Beasts were nowhere to be found.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

Well, just ordered the beasts, mask maker, and destroyer off Amazon. Probably paying a bit more than I should, especially for the destroyer at nearly 50USD, but considering I don't have a Toy R US or Lego Store anywhere near me, Lego's site is an absolute nightmare to navigate with a screen reader, and it wouldn't be worth the headache to place an order via Toy R US's website when I likely won't be placing another order with them within the decade, I think the 40 USD I spent over 20USD per set is worth it for the convenience and avoiding the inevitable collector's prices that will come when everything sells out in the first hand market.

[Tuuli]

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

[Bonkle]

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

You're not expected to do that at all. Would you rather they just didn't release instructions? Would you rather struggle to make your own version?

[Banana Gunz]

 

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

You're not expected to do that at all. Would you rather they just didn't release instructions? Would you rather struggle to make your own version?

 

 

It's not that we're expected to it's rather the idea that it's an absurd way to get your hands on an important set that was never released and how unfair it is that Bionicle was dropped without even giving us one last accessible set.

 

No matter what you thought of G2, the reality stands that it was ended abruptly and in such a way that as a fan you really can't help being upset about. Sure, LEGO doesn't expect us to do anything, and that's because they don't understand how to deal with fandom. Just because technically LEGO doesn't owe us anything doesn't mean we should stop expecting better things from them. They didn't owe us a proper Makuta set, but getting one certainly would've made a lot more fans happy and a lot less ###### at them.

 

The aftertaste left behind by the theme is plain disappointment. If you feel differently, that's you then, but personally the situation left isn't one where we can really learn a whole lot from it. You can't blame us fans for killing the theme since we're not big enough to sustain one through our money alone, and most of us did our part, supporting it (even if that means criticizing it) and its sets and media. The theme died because it was handled poorly, whatever the source(s) may be.

 

Fans, as obnoxious sometimes and critical some of us may be, still are forgiving and want to see the theme thrive. If G3 was announced tomorrow, anyone who's a real fan will be to some extent glad it's happening, but if something goes wrong in production or marketing or anything else to the extent that it not only breaks the theme but damages the IP, we shouldn't just act like that's okay or that it was our fault for existing and liking Bionicle. If LEGO makes Bionicle, it's their responsibility to make it work for their own sake and not to do us any favors, because we've now seen what that looks like.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Banana Gunz

[Bricko Botface]

 

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

You're not expected to do that at all. Would you rather they just didn't release instructions? Would you rather struggle to make your own version?

 

 

*COUGHCOUGHMAKUTACONTESTCOUGH*

[Bonkle]

 

 

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

You're not expected to do that at all. Would you rather they just didn't release instructions? Would you rather struggle to make your own version?

 

 

It's not that we're expected to it's rather the idea that it's an absurd way to get your hands on an important set that was never released and how unfair it is that Bionicle was dropped without even giving us one last accessible set.

 

No matter what you thought of G2, the reality stands that it was ended abruptly and in such a way that as a fan you really can't help being upset about. Sure, LEGO doesn't expect us to do anything, and that's because they don't understand how to deal with fandom. Just because technically LEGO doesn't owe us anything doesn't mean we should stop expecting better things from them. They didn't owe us a proper Makuta set, but getting one certainly would've made a lot more fans happy and a lot less ###### at them.

 

The aftertaste left behind by the theme is plain disappointment. If you feel differently, that's you then, but personally the situation left isn't one where we can really learn a whole lot from it. You can't blame us fans for killing the theme since we're not big enough to sustain one through our money alone, and most of us did our part, supporting it (even if that means criticizing it) and its sets and media. The theme died because it was handled poorly, whatever the source(s) may be.

 

Fans, as obnoxious sometimes and critical some of us may be, still are forgiving and want to see the theme thrive. If G3 was announced tomorrow, anyone who's a real fan will be to some extent glad it's happening, but if something goes wrong in production or marketing or anything else to the extent that it not only breaks the theme but damages the IP, we shouldn't just act like that's okay or that it was our fault for existing and liking Bionicle. If LEGO makes Bionicle, it's their responsibility to make it work for their own sake and not to do us any favors, because we've now seen what that looks like.

 

I think my comment was misunderstood. I am very disappointed that G2 is over. Maybe more than most because I jumped on board with G1 towards the end. I am just a firm believer that you should ask for something more while it's running. If G2 was still going, complain for a Makuta all you like. But it's over, and asking for one won't give us one now. I just think we should be happy with something, and honestly the sets used are kinda ones I'd expect the real fans to have.

[Dark_Stranger]

https://soundcloud.com/mikeraznick/bionicle-the-journey-to-one-makutas-theme

Forgot to mention how much I love this. It starts off a bit generic, but overall it has a great apocalyptic feel to it.

My little siblings and I were just listening to this earlier, because we finally started building Makuta today. I suppose I already knew he was monstrously huge, but it was still quite a moment to see it firsthand.

[Katanga]

Has anyone seen any full scans of the supposed European exclusive Bionicle magazine or pictures of the polybags that came with it?

[Aanchir]

Has anyone seen any full scans of the supposed European exclusive Bionicle magazine or pictures of the polybags that came with it?

Never seen any full scans. I have seen pictures of the first issue and its gift set (Skull Scorpion) on the Brickset Forums (German edition, UK edition).

 

I don't think I've seen any photos of Issue 2 yet, though I know some people have managed to build Agil (Ekimu's Falcon) from the preview pics in Issue 1.

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

Uniter Tahu is no longer available for me and this makes me sad because I wanted those gold parts.

[Katanga]

 

Has anyone seen any full scans of the supposed European exclusive Bionicle magazine or pictures of the polybags that came with it?

Never seen any full scans. I have seen pictures of the first issue and its gift set (Skull Scorpion) on the Brickset Forums (German edition, UK edition).I don't think I've seen any photos of Issue 2 yet, though I know some people have managed to build Agil (Ekimu's Falcon) from the preview pics in Issue 1.

Mainly interested in seeing Agil, but I was also pretty curious about the whole magazine. Sadly, I can't see those images because I don't have an account at that site.

[ShadowBionics]

 

 

Rest in peace bionicle. We should have at least had one last wave one final hurrah for bionicle. Now we are expected to buy out the rest of the sets just to build the makuta combiner. Smh.

You're not expected to do that at all. Would you rather they just didn't release instructions? Would you rather struggle to make your own version?

 

 

It's not that we're expected to it's rather the idea that it's an absurd way to get your hands on an important set that was never released and how unfair it is that Bionicle was dropped without even giving us one last accessible set.

 

No matter what you thought of G2, the reality stands that it was ended abruptly and in such a way that as a fan you really can't help being upset about. Sure, LEGO doesn't expect us to do anything, and that's because they don't understand how to deal with fandom. Just because technically LEGO doesn't owe us anything doesn't mean we should stop expecting better things from them. They didn't owe us a proper Makuta set, but getting one certainly would've made a lot more fans happy and a lot less ###### at them.

 

The aftertaste left behind by the theme is plain disappointment. If you feel differently, that's you then, but personally the situation left isn't one where we can really learn a whole lot from it. You can't blame us fans for killing the theme since we're not big enough to sustain one through our money alone, and most of us did our part, supporting it (even if that means criticizing it) and its sets and media. The theme died because it was handled poorly, whatever the source(s) may be.

 

Fans, as obnoxious sometimes and critical some of us may be, still are forgiving and want to see the theme thrive. If G3 was announced tomorrow, anyone who's a real fan will be to some extent glad it's happening, but if something goes wrong in production or marketing or anything else to the extent that it not only breaks the theme but damages the IP, we shouldn't just act like that's okay or that it was our fault for existing and liking Bionicle. If LEGO makes Bionicle, it's their responsibility to make it work for their own sake and not to do us any favors, because we've now seen what that looks like.

 

You, I like.

 

I honestly think what really crippled the line was how poorly it was handled. Lack of advertising, not much media or immersion into the story, and sets that you don't even know are there unless you follow sites like this. Even Lego booted out Bionicle from their shop catalogs not long after 2016 began, and I always wondered why. 

 

I've mentioned it in other topics, but I think this is most likely the more appropriate place to say so. However, I'm tired at the moment and I don't want to type whatever out again, but I'll run down whatever I've picked up on from interacting with other fans around the net.

 

Compared to G1, the G2 line didn't have much to go off of. Yeah, there were the animations in 2015 and... and... the animations. Oh, and the mobile apps that almost no one seemed to know much about. In 2001, what did we get? MNOG, for one. The Comics. A lot of promotions, a lot of which were even advertised in the comics. A promised PC game that was cancelled, but at least we could have gotten it. In other words, we had more to go off for story and immersion, as well as pretty much advertising the sets. G2 didn't really have that. It's like they wanted the older fans to do that job and talk about how great G1 was and how fun G2 is (was) going to be. 

 

In some ways, Lego almost treated it like they didn't want anyone to know. It's like Lego was the Dursley family and Bionicle was Harry Potter, living underneath the stairs so he was out of the way. I hate to put it that way, but it annoyed me how they pretty much treated Bionicle the same way Nickelodeon treated Legend of Korra, but that's another rant for another day. They overall handled this line VERY poorly, and it disappoints me so much that a toy company I loved is slowly going towards the way of a fully corporate company. Don't get me wrong, at the end of the day, Lego is a toy company making toys for kids to make profit and stay afloat, much like Hasbro, Mattel, and whatever other companies there are right now I can't remember right now are doing. However, this was a company that seemed to care about and encourage imagination. Every other TECHNIC set back in the day day the words "Just Imagine..." on the boxes, and it seemed like they really did care about nurturing a child's creativity. While Bionicle had its own story, kids could still make up their own stories and create their own characters to set in this universe. And isn't that what a lot of us did back then? I mean, "My own creation" comes from that whole idea. They cared about Bionicle and they cared about the kids (or young adults as I slowly turned into) that bought these sets.

 

Now we have G2. Comes out of nowhere, announced at Comic-Con, and then...? Aside from catching a few ads on Cartoon Network, I wouldn't have even known Bionicle was back if not for BZPower. Even the Lego Magazine, while it did advertise it, the line wasn't as featured as Ninjago or Chima was. And some people theorize Lego just shoved Bionicle out there, expecting it to be an overnight success and sell itself to save constraction sets, without really giving more into it. This made some people mad, going "OH NOEZ it's teh HERO FACTORY!!" and straight up hating the line while other fans wanted to give it a chance. I wanted to give it a chance. Sadly, by the time we did start getting new story material like the books and graphic novels, the hype died down and by the time the skull villains came out no one seemed to be buying sets anymore. The sets must have been selling so badly, Lego just had to put a halt to everything.

 

A point some people made is also how if kids may not buy it if they do not recognize it, and that's the case with toys in general. Watching Transformers Energon, would you rather buy Rodimus, the cool Autobot commander you see on the TV show, or Sharkticon, that guy who looks kinda cool but you have no idea who he is or what he even transforms into? Some concept. In 2015, what were some big things that came out? The Avengers. Star Wars. These things, as licensed lines, sell themselves, and so happen to have ties to Lego. While not original lines, Lego still makes money because kids will see "STAR WARS" on the box and get it. 

 

If a kid goes out to look at toys, just after seeing The Force Awakens for the first time, imagine their excitement with all the new stuff out there. Now, do you think they'd rather have toys for characters like Finn, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, etc, or these Bionicle alien robot things that look kinda cool but don't know much about because they came out of nowhere...? Of course they'll want to go for what they're familiar with, they'll go with the Star Wars toys. Ironically, the one line Lego made and created themselves sells itself short in favor of lines based off properties not made by Lego, but sell toys of based off an agreement, and those are making them money next to Ninjago for example. 

 

They've concentrated themselves elsewhere, and it's not good. All that was made by creation and imagination? Now they're just selling and making money off stuff based off something someone else made up, not their original ideas like it was with Bionicle. So going with the corporate idea, they've gone with what makes them the most money and are avoiding the "failure" of Bionicle like the plague.

 

Retailers aren't ordering sets because they want to get rid of them from the shelves ASAP. Even Lego stores themselves are trying to get rid of these things like they're nobody's business. Because, again, kids do not recognize them and are not hooked onto them like most of us were. G1 had so many good promotions to get interest going, even things like that Free the Band deal they had back in 2006. Would they have done something like that for 2016? Yeah... The way things went, I doubt they'd even make another fake Yacht website, let alone get permission to use the likeness of an actual band. 

 

Now they're just kind of brushing it off like it's nothing. We were promised 3 years, but now that's not happening. And aside from the pictures of what Dorek took and put up on that flickr album, they don't even have the sense to make actual instructions for us like they did for Spiriah or the Destral Cycle or any of those models. Unless they took apart the model without documenting anything, they should at least have given us official instructions. Some people can work well with just pictures, and I fully respect those people. However, I'm not one of those people, and I would need to ask for a lot of help in building such a thing without instructions. And I actually did need to one time.

 

I even related the story to my mother, who does remember how into these sets I was as a kid. She told me they're handling this very unprofessionally and it's absurd that we not only don't get instructions but we'd have to blow nearly $140 on sets just to build this thing, which based on reviews I've watched I almost don't like all that much anyway as a "toy," more than it is a model for display. I'm not tearing up my sets to build it, no matter what the scary psycho guy I watched says I "Should" do it because those sets are not worth missing and are only worth it for Makuta. No. And I'm having enough problems as it is trying to get these sets together. Sure, I can find them, but I'm still trying to get the summer 2016 stuff, and it's not like money grows out of the ground for me. When I told her about how not only would you have to use those sets to build him, but how the set wouldn't have the proper mask as it did not exist, she was like "Oh, come on, so they expect you to waste all that money for that and it's not even complete?" And she's right. While I truly respect and appreciate those who are making this mask themselves, it shouldn't have to be that way.

 

Had Lego treated Bionicle better, we could have gotten an actual Makuta set with an actual Mask of ultimate power. Instead, we get disappointment. And it leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth as well, because I was looking forward to this line, and it was sort of going to be like my last hoorah before having to sort of "give up" on collecting them. Money and inflated prices do not go well. And maybe that's another reason why kids might not have gone for it. in the old days, $20 could almost get you 3 canister sets. Before 2006, mind you. Today, you'd only be able to get one of the larger Toa. Or a small Toa and have some money left over. 

 

Point being, this line could have been handled better and after thinking about it for some time, while I am grateful to Lego for letting me enjoy this time before I would have to move on, I'm also disappointed that they crippled this line's potential for having possibly been a lot better. It's like they didn't even give it a chance. I mean, for one they give it a show, but it's on Netflix. Not Cartoon Network like Chima and Ninjago. I mean, why not have left it as a mini-series like Ninjago's first 4 episodes were? That'd be perfect! Plus, not everyone gets Netflix. Yet CN is available on most cable TV and satellite packages, thus more widely accessible. While I'm glad we got something, it feels like there wasn't much put into what we did get, it could have turned out much differently, and that's one of the main things people are upset about. It ended abruptly and it feels just like we were robbed of something. At least the G1 story did have some closure (aside from the unfinished serials) and it feels a lot more rounded out. Some might argue it was drawn out, but hey, I mean that's part of the reason why it was ended in the first place, so that it didn't feel so drawn out.

 

This line didn't even make it past the 3 years most themes get, which seems totally unfair and questionable. And sure, we don't have to do anything else, but then for those who do want a Makuta set... they have to go the extra mile just to get that supposed model in their collection. I got so turned off by the idea that it makes me like that model even less now. I can't say if I'll ever build it since I would rather hang onto that money and apply it towards the sets I'm still looking to get, which is pretty much all the summer 2016 ones and creatures. So aside from not even putting out an official release of the model, they can't even put out official instructions for said model as they've done in the past for other combination models. It all just leaves a bittersweet taste in my mouth seeing one of my favorite lines being treated so poorly by a company that has left me sad and disappointed. And after thinking about it, it boils down to how poorly they treated it. Like the Legend of Korra before it, so much potential just buried and hidden away. At least Korra did get a full run despite what was thrown at the story team. Bionicle was not so lucky.

[Timageness]

The way I see it, I've been a MoCist since at least 2001; I've enjoyed the figures and builds and the characters and story just like everybody else for the most part, but in all honesty, I couldn't (and still can't) keep an official set together to save my life. Taking that into consideration, I personally feel that rushing out to get the component sets for Makuta when I already have them, only to have him torn apart again anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 days later, would simply be a waste of time, as I would be shelling out money pretty much soley for parts I have no plans to use at the moment instead of those that I actually need.

Had Lego released the model as an actual set, I would've bought it just for the MoUP alone. As it stands right now, however, the most interesting aspect of G2 Makuta for me is watching others reverse engineer the figure's build, since remembering the basic layout and connections might be useful when it comes to making my own stuff.

[Aanchir]

 

A point some people made is also how if kids may not buy it if they do not recognize it, and that's the case with toys in general. Watching Transformers Energon, would you rather buy Rodimus, the cool Autobot commander you see on the TV show, or Sharkticon, that guy who looks kinda cool but you have no idea who he is or what he even transforms into? Some concept. In 2015, what were some big things that came out? The Avengers. Star Wars. These things, as licensed lines, sell themselves, and so happen to have ties to Lego. While not original lines, Lego still makes money because kids will see "STAR WARS" on the box and get it.

 

If a kid goes out to look at toys, just after seeing The Force Awakens for the first time, imagine their excitement with all the new stuff out there. Now, do you think they'd rather have toys for characters like Finn, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, etc, or these Bionicle alien robot things that look kinda cool but don't know much about because they came out of nowhere...? Of course they'll want to go for what they're familiar with, they'll go with the Star Wars toys. Ironically, the one line Lego made and created themselves sells itself short in favor of lines based off properties not made by Lego, but sell toys of based off an agreement, and those are making them money next to Ninjago for example.

 

They've concentrated themselves elsewhere, and it's not good. All that was made by creation and imagination? Now they're just selling and making money off stuff based off something someone else made up, not their original ideas like it was with Bionicle. So going with the corporate idea, they've gone with what makes them the most money and are avoiding the "failure" of Bionicle like the plague.

"The one line that LEGO made and created themselves?" No idea what you mean by that. Bionicle is just one of MANY lines that LEGO created themselves, including City, Friends, Ninjago, Elves, Technic, Creator, and Nexo Knights. And contrary to your assumption that LEGO's success is "concentrated" in licensed themes, the truth is that licensed sets make up no more than a third of the LEGO Group's business, a status quo that has held steady for over a decade. Of the LEGO Group's five top-selling themes last year, only one (Star Wars) was licensed, three (City, Friends, and Ninjago) were non-licensed, and one (Duplo) was a mix of both. The LEGO Group's portfolio of non-licensed themes is far more successful today than it was before Bionicle G1 began! Clearly, it wasn't Bionicle's originality that did it in, nor is LEGO in any way biased towards licensed themes when it comes to what properties they invest in.

[abstractAgamid]

On 9/2/2016 at 11:21 PM, Aanchir said:

 

Quote

A point some people made is also how if kids may not buy it if they do not recognize it, and that's the case with toys in general. Watching Transformers Energon, would you rather buy Rodimus, the cool Autobot commander you see on the TV show, or Sharkticon, that guy who looks kinda cool but you have no idea who he is or what he even transforms into? Some concept. In 2015, what were some big things that came out? The Avengers. Star Wars. These things, as licensed lines, sell themselves, and so happen to have ties to Lego. While not original lines, Lego still makes money because kids will see "STAR WARS" on the box and get it.

 

If a kid goes out to look at toys, just after seeing The Force Awakens for the first time, imagine their excitement with all the new stuff out there. Now, do you think they'd rather have toys for characters like Finn, Kylo Ren, Captain Phasma, etc, or these Bionicle alien robot things that look kinda cool but don't know much about because they came out of nowhere...? Of course they'll want to go for what they're familiar with, they'll go with the Star Wars toys. Ironically, the one line Lego made and created themselves sells itself short in favor of lines based off properties not made by Lego, but sell toys of based off an agreement, and those are making them money next to Ninjago for example.

 

They've concentrated themselves elsewhere, and it's not good. All that was made by creation and imagination? Now they're just selling and making money off stuff based off something someone else made up, not their original ideas like it was with Bionicle. So going with the corporate idea, they've gone with what makes them the most money and are avoiding the "failure" of Bionicle like the plague.

"The one line that LEGO made and created themselves?" No idea what you mean by that. Bionicle is just one of MANY lines that LEGO created themselves, including City, Friends, Ninjago, Elves, Technic, Creator, and Nexo Knights. And contrary to your assumption that LEGO's success is "concentrated" in licensed themes, the truth is that licensed sets make up no more than a third of the LEGO Group's business, a status quo that has held steady for over a decade. Of the LEGO Group's five top-selling themes last year, only one (Star Wars) was licensed, three (City, Friends, and Ninjago) were non-licensed, and one (Duplo) was a mix of both. The LEGO Group's portfolio of non-licensed themes is far more successful today than it was before Bionicle G1 began! Clearly, it wasn't Bionicle's originality that did it in, nor is LEGO in any way biased towards licensed themes when it comes to what properties they invest in.

 

To be fair, Creator, City, and Technic are mostly based on real-life things. (Not that that means they're bad.)

 

I do however think that Bionicle might be the least derivative of Lego's themes, or the most original, if you will. Saying that it's the only one is not really accurate though.

Edited November 24, 2019 by abstractAgamid

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

Wouldn't Technic and Duplo be more accurately described as building systems than themes? And to the casual observer, Ninjago and Nexo Knights are just the latest incarnation of generic Ninja and Medieval themes, though perhaps Lego has done a better job elevating those above generic status than they have elevating Bionicle above generic robots in the eyes of their target demographics.

 

Granted, it probably did Bionicle no favors that it's in the same genre as Lego's best selling License(a kid who likes robots but isn't interested in Ninja is probably going to choose Bionicle over Ninjago, but the kid's probably going to go for the robots he recognizes from Star Wars or even the non-robotic characters he thinks are robots, over the robots he's never seen anywhere but on store shelves).

 

If Lego was to license something super popular with Ninja in it, they might find themselves struggling to keep Ninjago selling well to anyone but the hardcore fans.

[Aanchir]

Wouldn't Technic and Duplo be more accurately described as building systems than themes? And to the casual observer, Ninjago and Nexo Knights are just the latest incarnation of generic Ninja and Medieval themes, though perhaps Lego has done a better job elevating those above generic status than they have elevating Bionicle above generic robots in the eyes of their target demographics.

Technic and Duplo are both building systems AND themes. For example, this year's Bucket Wheel Excavator and Porsche 911 GT3 RS sets use Technic as a building system, and are also part of the Technic theme. The LEGO Mindstorms EV3 set and the Lord of Skull Spiders both use Technic as a building system, but are not a part of the Technic theme. Duplo is not used outside the Duplo theme as often as Technic is used outside the Technic theme, but there are LEGO Education sets that are Duplo-based but not branded as part of the Duplo theme, just as there are LEGO Education sets that are Technic-based but not branded as part of the Technic theme.

 

Whether or not Ninjago and Nexo Knights trace their roots to previous ninja and castle themes, they still indisputably qualify as new and distinct IPs. Even Bionicle itself didn't spring up out of nowhere — it originated as a spin-off of the Technic theme, the Toa were inspired by the Slizer/Throwbots sets that came before them, and the Rahi were inspired by the LEGO Technic Competition/Cyber-Slam sets. What made Bionicle a distinct intellectual property was not just its branding but also its premise, world, and characters. Ninjago likewise has a decidedly different premise, world, and characters than the Ninja theme that came before it, and Nexo Knights has a decidedly different premise, world, and characters than any previous Castle themes.

 

Granted, it probably did Bionicle no favors that it's in the same genre as Lego's best selling License(a kid who likes robots but isn't interested in Ninja is probably going to choose Bionicle over Ninjago, but the kid's probably going to go for the robots he recognizes from Star Wars or even the non-robotic characters he thinks are robots, over the robots he's never seen anywhere but on store shelves).

Is that really anything new, though? After all, LEGO Star Wars had ten Technic buildable figures of its own from 2000 to 2003. But those were still some of Bionicle G1's most successful years. If the popularity of LEGO Star Wars were an existential threat to LEGO Bionicle then you'd expect that to have been a problem in those years as well, but that doesn't seem to have been the case. It's also worth noting that part of the reason Bionicle was created in the first place was as a response to LEGO Star Wars. LEGO wanted a theme with that kind of brand strength without the same financial obligation to license-holders. That factor has not changed — LEGO still has to pay royalties for every licensed set they sell, so they have as much financial incentive as ever to create and maintain their own IPs.

 

If Lego was to license something super popular with Ninja in it, they might find themselves struggling to keep Ninjago selling well to anyone but the hardcore fans.

LEGO actually did have a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme running alongside Ninjago in 2013 and 2014, and there were about as many Ninja Turtles sets those years as there were Ninjago sets (six in 2013 and nine in 2014). Ninja Turtles is an extensive IP that has survived for decades, and the LEGO Ninja Turtles sets tied in with a successful and highly acclaimed cartoon on Nickelodeon as well as a big-budget, high-grossing theatrical film. By contrast, Ninjago had no new TV episodes to promote it in 2013, and only eight episodes in 2014. But of those two, Ninjago is the one that ended up persisting, reclaiming its place as one of the LEGO Group's top themes and becoming evergreen. LEGO chose not to renew their license for TMNT building toys, effectively surrendering it one of their biggest competitors, Mega Bloks. So needless to say, Ninjago's success can't simply be chalked up to a lack of licensed competition.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

I suppose fair enough on most points, though I was under the impression the 3D-animated TMNT was much less popular than TMNT2K3 or even the 80s carttoon, and the fact that early Bionicle G1 actually managed to compete with Prequel Era Star Wars sets just seems to reinforce the idea that Lego did a much better job managing the Bionicle brand in its early days than they did with this reboot.

 

If nothing else, it feels like Lego thought Bionicle G2 would sell itself in much the same way Star Wars sets sell themselves, and instead of adjusting strategy when that proved a bad gamble, just gave up without caring who they gave the proverbial middle finger to in the process.

 

Then again, maybe the difference between now and 2001 is that back then, most people shopped at brick-and-mortar stores and it was a fairly common strategy to tell kids to run off to the toy department while their parents did their shopping, increasing the odds a child would catch sight of something interesting they didn't see a television ad for. Jump forward to today, and you've got many parents doing most, if not all, of their shopping online while their kids sit distracted by the latest fad mobile game on a smartphone or tablet, so even the kids interested in toys only know about the ones they see ads for and have fewer opportunities to discover a new favorite toy through window shopping(this might also be why, as far as I know, Toys R Us is the only chain toy store of note still in business). Then again, given I was 14 for most of 2001 and my mom was 38 when I was born, letting kids roam the toy department unsupervised at Wal-Mart might have been old-fashioned even then.

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

I wouldn't make assumptions, personally.  We don't know much yet about the behind-the-scenes stuff for Bionicle- if I recall correctly, the most we have right now is a statement from Lego's official Twitter account that the Bionicle line was considered "successful", with very little specifics beyond that.  So presumably they didn't have abysmal sales.

 

I also remember hearing about the Lego higher-ups planning a meeting to discuss "the future of constraction sets" or something.  Maybe Bionicle's cancellation wasn't due to its own failings- maybe it was just fallout from a much bigger issue.

[Jeffery Mewtamer]

Well, all of my summer sets have arrived. Anyone mind attempting to translate the building instructions for the Destroyer, Beasts, and Mask maker into plain text for the blind builder's benefit? Or at least the more technic/gear-function based bits since I have more trouble mocing in that area without existing designs for inspiration?

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

That's a lot of work you're asking for, man.  I hate to say this to a blind guy, but finding someone willing to put in the time, effort, and brainpower (even wording would probably be kinda tricky with that, which means I personally would probably end up screwing up hard) is gonna be pretty difficult.

[Crunchyn]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/09/06/the-surprising-reason-lego-wanted-people-to-stop-buying-its-toys/

 

Here's an article that's been circulating around other boards. Helps to explain the decrease on the side of marketing.

[Bfahome]

Gotta love the classic "legos used to be so creative and affordable and now they're all $500 sets with only three pieces" type of comments.