Dozens of 2016 Bionicle Images Added to cache.LEGO.com

[Bfahome]

If you mean that the Toa will be the same price as the creatures, no.  The Toa are huge and use a lot of large pieces compared to the creatures' relatively small pieces, especially in the case of Akida who likely includes about 20 ammo studs, if not more.

 

If you mean the new sets' price points will be distributed like this year's, probably.  Lewa/Gali/Pohatu seem to be the "smaller" of the sets while Onua and Tahu are still the "larger" ones.  And Kopaka's the super-extra-big one.

[Nescent]

If you mean the new sets' price points will be distributed like this year's, probably.  Lewa/Gali/Pohatu seem to be the "smaller" of the sets while Onua and Tahu are still the "larger" ones.  And Kopaka's the super-extra-big one.

To add to that - the three larger Toa use gold, while the three smaller ones only have silver, just like the 2015 Toa.

 

Although Kopaka doesn't actually look bigger than Tahu or Onua, he's just bundled with his Creature. I really wish Kopaka wasn't sold in a bundle, since the set doesn't gain anything special, even though it's more expensive, and it also doesn't include a Shadow Trap...

[Lyichir]

 

If you mean the new sets' price points will be distributed like this year's, probably.  Lewa/Gali/Pohatu seem to be the "smaller" of the sets while Onua and Tahu are still the "larger" ones.  And Kopaka's the super-extra-big one.

To add to that - the three larger Toa use gold, while the three smaller ones only have silver, just like the 2015 Toa.

 

Although Kopaka doesn't actually look bigger than Tahu or Onua, he's just bundled with his Creature. I really wish Kopaka wasn't sold in a bundle, since the set doesn't gain anything special, even though it's more expensive, and it also doesn't include a Shadow Trap...

 

While it stinks that the set doesn't include a shadow trap, I feel it's worth pointing out that it would be very easy to create a custom shadow trap to go with Kopaka and Melum. The main trap pieces are the same color on all the others, so all you would need to do to create a custom would be to add some unique "feet" like the others have. I think these or these would be good options. Or if you wanted something more intricate, perhaps some robot or skeleton arms attached to some of these.

[Radicool21]

I'm really excited for these sets! First off, as many people have noted, I absolutely love the integration of the Nuva symbols into everyone's designs- printed on the chest armor and as a pattern on the mask. Second, it seems to me like they're going to have hip articulation, which is gonna be great. Very Nuva-esque with all the metallic armor and weapons. In addition, all the masks are very movie-like: Gali's mask reminds me a lot of Nokama's from the second movie. The only things I dislike set-wise are:

 

-The gold kneecaps on Kopaka. TLG, you made Kopaka white, silver, and blue, that's a good color scheme... so why would you slap gold kneecaps on him?

-Pohatu in general. Oh gosh, he's a mess. Way too many colors. Nothing any good builder couldn't fix, though.

 

Otherwise, I think these all look great. Will definitely get Lewa, at least.

[Nescent]

-The gold kneecaps on Kopaka. TLG, you made Kopaka white, silver, and blue, that's a good color scheme... so why would you slap gold kneecaps on him?

-Pohatu in general. Oh gosh, he's a mess. Way too many colors. Nothing any good builder couldn't fix, though.

Both really good points, I especially agree about Pohatu. Someone made this mockup of a recolored 2016 Pohatu, and I think he'd have looked much better with dark tan hands and feet.

 

But yeah overall I'm extremely excited for 2016! It's gonna be a good year for Bionicle.

[Lyichir]

I'm really excited for these sets! First off, as many people have noted, I absolutely love the integration of the Nuva symbols into everyone's designs- printed on the chest armor and as a pattern on the mask. Second, it seems to me like they're going to have hip articulation, which is gonna be great. Very Nuva-esque with all the metallic armor and weapons. In addition, all the masks are very movie-like: Gali's mask reminds me a lot of Nokama's from the second movie. The only things I dislike set-wise are:

 

-The gold kneecaps on Kopaka. TLG, you made Kopaka white, silver, and blue, that's a good color scheme... so why would you slap gold kneecaps on him?

-Pohatu in general. Oh gosh, he's a mess. Way too many colors. Nothing any good builder couldn't fix, though.

 

Otherwise, I think these all look great. Will definitely get Lewa, at least.

To be honest, I mostly like Pohatu's color scheme. It's varied, but in a way that suits the scrappish post-apoc aesthetic he's had this year. The only change I'd make is to change the shells on his lower arms to silver so that the Trans. Fluor. Green doesn't dominate that part of his build quite so much.

 

I agree that Kopaka's color scheme is iffy, but I think it needs MORE gold, not less—I wish that Vorox armor came in gold, since it'd help him to stand out, spread the gold in his color scheme around, and better resemble his appearance from this year. I'm also not happy with the Earth Blue shells on his arms, and while I appreciate getting shells in that color for the first time, I'm considering swapping them for the stickered white shells from this year's sets. That'd better match the torso shell's color distribution, and would help to make his upper and lower arms "flow" a bit better.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Lyichir

[J46 Nui]

I really like the new sets, but I am not feeling the weapons for any of the Toa. They just look like they are supposed to flail about when someone uses the gear function, but none of them look that good as actual weapons.

[Lyichir]

I really like the new sets, but I am not feeling the weapons for any of the Toa. They just look like they are supposed to flail about when someone uses the gear function, but none of them look that good as actual weapons.

Really? I can see how some of them (like Onua's and Lewa's) could be cumbersome, but Kopaka has a pretty basic sword, Tahu has two swords with their own function, and Gali and Pohatu have pretty typical polearms with added flails.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Lyichir

[Lenny7092]

I love this clearer pictures! They look awesome! I love the new pieces and varied designs on them!

 

For the Toa, they look very epic! I love their new armor, weapons, and masks! It's interesting that all of them have blue eyes (like in Bionicle: The Legend Reborn and the Hero Factory TV series), and they have Nuva symbols on their masks and chest armor (kind of like a classic superhero thing). I hope it means that the Toa would become G2's own Toa Nuva. I like when things are classic that way. It's nostalgia. Anyway, it's also interesting that their new sets look like a mix of the CCBS and the Technic/old Bionicle G1 building system because I can see these pieces again, including the Vorox armor. Ah, classic and nostalgia! I don't know why the Toa's standard masks have silver top parts, but I would guess that they just got out from an Energized Protodermis bath. I do love the new Golden Masks because of their energized-looking top parts. I noticed their their gears on their butts instead of backs this time. I would assume this is hip articulation. That's new, and I might enjoy making them dance with their butts if possible. (Sorry about that.)

Tahu's swords look like that they can pinch. I like how Lewa's holds his swords. They like that they can spin around on the side of each of Lewa's hands. Lewa's limbs look weird for how they are built. Gali's weapon reminds me of Umbra's weapon from G1. Pohatu's weapon includes a rock ball, which is from Pohatu Mata's set in 2001 (Classic!). Onua's weapon looks like a combination of a hammer, drill, and machine gun, and he carries a disc-like storage for his ammo dangling behind his left leg (Smart-thinking, Lego!). Onua always looks less Hulk-ish. Kopaka's double-bladed weapon reminds me of Furno's weapon from Hero Factory in 2010, and his mask has a stud on his lens.

 

The Creatures look epically amazing! Their very unique designs match their elements very well. It's strange that the creatures' eyes don't have specific colors.

I love the Creatures of Fire and Jungle's wings. They look cool! I love the Creature of Water's machine guns. They make it look like a fish mixed with a military submarine. The Creature of Stone is interesting because it looks like a scorpion and Pohatu may going to hate looking for him because he hates scorpions as always. Oh, why Pohatu! I'm a bit disappointed that the Creature has four instead of eight legs (as always for some reason). The Creatures of Earth and Ice look similar. I do like their claws.

 

The Toa look more epic with their new combos. I can see why the gears are on the Toa's butts: it is because their backs need to be flat enough allow the Creatures to attach them, rather than trying to put them on their gear boxes. Onua's and Kopaka's look sort of the same because of their Creatures resembling each other. Plus, I don't know what there is a mirror image of Kopaka's combo on his box.

 

Umarak the Hunter looks very awesome! I love his machine gun and blade. He carries the disc-like ammo-holding thing, too. His legs look a bit weird, however. I knew that he could combine with any one of the Creatures, like the Toa. I like the idea that he has the Mask of Control in his set, but there are some things about the mask. One: it looks thinner than in the animations. And two: why release it this winter? Shouldn't it be saved for next summer? Hmm...

 

I'll bet next year is going to rock with these new sets, like this year! Oh, yeah! (Sorry for the long comment. I was being very analytical.)

Edited November 30, 2015 by Lenny7092

[J46 Nui]

 

I really like the new sets, but I am not feeling the weapons for any of the Toa. They just look like they are supposed to flail about when someone uses the gear function, but none of them look that good as actual weapons.

Really? I can see how some of them (like Onua's and Lewa's) could be cumbersome, but Kopaka has a pretty basic sword, Tahu has two swords with their own function, and Gali and Pohatu have pretty typical polearms with added flails.

 

Honestly I was generalizing a bit. I have no problems with Onua's or Kopaka's weapons, though I think Kopaka's blaster looks a bit odd aesthetically.

 

Tahu's is fine for the most part, but the function looks really useless and not fun. All it does is allow him to extend his swords just the tiniest bit, but not in any significant way to make a difference. Also, I do not see any way for the weapons to lock into a position besides just letting gravity decide how extended it will be.

 

I really dislike how Lewa's weapons are held. I know there are some real world weapons that are held that way, but as far as I know, none of them are bladed. I especially do not like the piece that connects it to his hands. Even though it is a friction piece, I still think that it will flail around a lot. All I can imagine is Lewa's weapons constantly being knocked out of any useful position during battle because he does not have a good grip on them.

 

There is a lot to say about Pohatu's weapon, which is the second worst of the bunch. I am fine with it being a polearm. I am also okay with the blade being enormous for a pole arm, since exaggerated weaponry is pretty standard for Bionicle (though I think a longer pole to go along with the long blade would have looked a bit better). What I have a major problem with is that it is a flail/pole arm hybrid. When Pohatu uses the pole arm part of it to stab or strike, he is in constant danger of being hit with the flail, and when he uses the flail, he suddenly has a blade that is twirling around really close to his body. This combination of weapons is way less than the sum of its parts. It combines a flail and a pole arm in a terrible way that makes both parts of the weapons way less effective than when they were not combined. Pohatu would be better off having a flail in one hand and a pole arm in the other, which would look way better and would only require an additional piece. I will give it one thing that I will not give Gali's is that since its flail consists of a stone, Pohatu should have some control over it to make sure he does not constantly bludgeon himself.

 

And finally to the worst of the bunch, Gali's weapon. It has everything that is wrong with Pohatu's along with 3 terrible bonuses. 

 

First off, the flail bit is bladed and not made of any material she has control over. So while Pohatu is only in danger of being bludgeoned if his concentration slips, she is in constant threat of being sliced or stabbed by her own weapon.

 

Second, it has a hilt. Why does the pole arm have a hilt? Pole arms do not have hilts, they are meant to be gripped by the pole, hence the name.  Being able to hold a pole arm anywhere along its pole length is important because it allows the user to adjust their hands to have a good grip on it. Having the hilt kind of makes this less accessible, especially because it is a bladed hilt.

The out of place sword hilt looks bad on this weapon. She would look ridiculous if she was holding it just by its hilt. If there is one hilt, why is there not another one for her other hand? Why is it placed at the very end of the pole? That isn't a usual place to hold a pole arm.

WHY IS IT PLACED RIGHT NEXT TO THE FLAIL? She is already in enough danger of hitting herself with it without having to place her hand right by it? How does this hilt function when she flips the weapon around to use as a flail? As a flail, her hand would be placed right at the neck of the weapon, which is not very conductive to flailing, as well as her hand being in the area that is being flailed. 

 

The last major flaw, and by far the worst is the propeller. What is it there for? Navigating through water? No, because it is placed off center on the side of an asymmetric object. Here's an experiment to show just how bad this propeller would be at helping Gali move through water. Go down to the nearest marina, get a boat and a boat engine. Now instead  of putting the engine on the back of the boat, put on the port side, a quarter of the boat's length from the bow. You would not be able to control that boat at all. Is the propeller there as a weapon? No, because the blade will be completely embedded into the enemy before the blade can even reach it. So it may appear that the propeller has no purpose, but I believe it does have one. See, it is dangerously close to Gali's non-hilt hand. So while that hand is safely out of the flail's reach, it can still be maimed by the otherwise useless propeller, because the designer of this weapon obviously wishes Gali bodily harm. Gali's weapon is like a sword with a spiked grip. It may look like a weapon, but really it is only meant to hurt the person who holds it.

 

Gali's weapon may just be the worst weapon in the entirety of Bionicle, and that is saying something considering that this franchise has exploding boomerangs. I play a lot of table top games, and I know exactly what would happen if I asked my dungeon master if I could use a weapon as ridiculous as Gali's. First, he'd make me take every feat that relates to exotic weapons to have ever existed because this thing is so foreign to the concepts of weaponry that I would need to know everything there is to know about weapons in order to use it offensively. Then I'd have to take every rank I can in weapon-smithing, because any blacksmith that is not aligned with the darkest of evils would not make a weapon for me that would so obviously lead me to my doom. I would never find any legendary magic version of this weapon because every heroic champion of yore that dared to wield the Hilted Bladed Pole Arm Flail with Optional Propeller Attachment to battle never made it out. Finally, the first time I try to swing this weapon, I would be cleft in twain, because this weapon appears to be designed to be absolutely fatal to its wielder. Every bard that would sing tales of my party would kindly leave me out mostly because of sheer embarrassment, and partially because including the phrase "Hilted Bladed Pole Arm Flail with Optional Propeller Attachment" would destroy their melody. People will avoid the area that I made my fateful swing in for generations because an instrument that had destroyed a person so utterly must have been cursed enough to blight the land it had been used on. Future historians would eventually recover the weapon, and decide that it must have been an optional weapon used in some harsh, bizarre rite of passage by combat in order to weed out the weak minded.

 

So yeah, I don't like that weapon that much.

Edited December 2, 2015 by J46 Nui

[Aanchir]

I can't speak for the purpose of the spike-on-a-chain at the end of Gali's weapon. I agree that it is superfluous on a functional level, though I interpreted it as a harmless decoration, not as an actual danger to Gali or her opponents. However, as for the propellor, it may be useless for providing propulsion, but I didn't think of that as its purpose in the first place. Rather, I thought of it as an alternate mode of attack, allowing her to direct powerful water currents at her opponent.

 

And I think the blade on Gali's weapon suits her better than it does Pohatu. It feels like an evolution of her harpoon from this year, and is the "primary" element of her weapon. In Pohatu's case, I feel like his stone flail is the primary element of his weapon, and would have been plenty sufficient without the added blade. They could have maybe even blended the boulder element with Tr. Fluorescent Green so that it would have the same "energized elemental crystal" effect the blades on the other Toa's weapons have.

 

The hilt guard on Gali's weapon may not be practical in real life, but it looks plenty elegant, which is generally what matters most in my book. Overall, Gali is my second favorite of the new Toa, after Lewa.

[Dallior]

To those of you you think the mask-popping-off function was stopped for this wave:

 

Zoom in on this image of Pohatu, the head specifically. See that on the back of his head? That spur thing? That's a shorter version of the ungainly piece jutting out of the back of all the 2015 character's heads. Mask function is still a go.

[fishers64]

The last major flaw, and by far the worst is the propeller. What is it there for? Navigating through water? No, because it is placed off center on the side of an asymmetric object. Here's an experiment to show just how bad this propeller would be at helping Gali move through water. Go down to the nearest marina, get a boat and a boat engine. Now instead  of putting the engine on the back of the boat, put on the port side, a quarter of the boat's length from the bow. You would not be able to control that boat at all. Is the propeller there as a weapon? No, because the blade will be completely embedded into the enemy before the blade can even reach it. So it may appear that the propeller has no purpose, but I believe it does have one. See, it is dangerously close to Gali's non-hilt hand. So while that hand is safely out of the flail's reach, it can still be maimed by the otherwise useless propeller, because the designer of this weapon obviously wishes Gali bodily harm. Gali's weapon is like a sword with a spiked grip. It may look like a weapon, but really it is only meant to hurt the person who holds it.

 

I can't speak for the purpose of the spike-on-a-chain at the end of Gali's weapon. I agree that it is superfluous on a functional level, though I interpreted it as a harmless decoration, not as an actual danger to Gali or her opponents. However, as for the propellor, it may be useless for providing propulsion, but I didn't think of that as its purpose in the first place. Rather, I thought of it as an alternate mode of attack, allowing her to direct powerful water currents at her opponent.

I thought the "propeller" was like Ekimu's shield buzzsaw - it was meant to give the blade additional cutting power, like a standard rotary saw. Either that as a hook to open traps.

 

The flail is probably a safety hazard, however - agreed.  

[KanohiCelt]

  Absolutely fantastic to see new Kanohi.! 

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Man when I first saw these pics in November, I got so freaking hyped man. I can understand a lot of others did too. Such high-res. Good time as ever to post my thoughts on these sets, 2016, Uniters and Creatures in general. Been a long time overdue. I'll probably confirm these thoughts once I read the in-depth reviews by the BZP staff. 

 

Creatures:

So glad these guys have names. It's almost a double whammy because they're creatures as well - two things that were (seemingly) missing from 2015 that have been rectified in 2016. Really cool designs and functions (especially the Unity gimmick) but the same helmet syndrome from the Protectors is present and worse because of the lack of varied colours in the helmets... But still really cool. Return to technic builds is very exciting. Shadows Traps seem humorous but fun little contraptions and adversaries to these beasts and I dig the variation each Trap has in each set. 

 

Uxar, Creature of Jungle - Really liking the wing design and technic elements. The bug look really works. 

 

Ketar, Creature of Stone - Interesting scorpion-like design. Again, function looks fun to build and is utilized well. Not too big on the colours though. 

 

Akida, Creature of Water - Love it. Fantastic fish-design and looks to be very well-built. Very unique.

 

Ikir, Creature of Fire - Looks like a bird, so successful to say the least, though the technic components aren't hidden as well as I'd like. Some cool elements though.

 

Terak, Creature of Earth - Looks a bit more generic than the other creatures, but the colour scheme is very solid. Overall, a good bunch of sets.

 

Uniters:

Hit or miss, but most of the things I have to say are positives. I love that the "over-complicated" look of G1 is finally back. A resurgence of older pieces and more detailed shells are now present and that really hearkens back to the time of the original Bionicle franchise. I see tons of custom torsos and limbs and that is fantastic, and really gets me excited about picking these guys up. But the lack of weapon variation and the one-piece torso armour is really bugging me. The waist-swiveling is back and that's great but wouldn't that have been better for a Rahkshi revival or something? I much preferred gearboxes... Return of the Nuva symbol on the decals and masks are awesome though, and I like that they look like clear evolutions of the Masters. Regardless, my thoughts on the individual characters:

Lewa, Uniter of Jungle - I actually like this set a lot. Awesome mask, unified colour scheme and sick mask and the design looks original and fun to build. Will get this one for sure. United form looks EPIC. 

 

Pohatu, Uniter of Stone - Love the mask and the Kohlii ball reference, but that's about it. Shoulders look compelling but the colour scheme is disastrous. Why three different browns? United form looks nothing special.

 

Gali, Uniter of Water - I feel this version of Gali has lost a lot of her identity from last year. Mask is infinitely worse, orange colour scheme is a questionable addition and the rest of the figure has unequal colour distribution and weird amour placement. Shoulder cannons aside, United form does help complete the figure but not enough to save it. 

 

Onua, Uniter of Earth - Mask does give me Pakari Nuva vibes and that's great. Colour distribution is perfect and the weapon is actually original! Yay! Really liking this one. United form doesn't add much, just bulk.

 

Tahu, Uniter of Fire - Tahu has always been my favourite, but this I'm not too sure. I love the technic-based weapons and broad shoulder design, and the mask is gorgeous. But that's a heck of a lot of gold and the lack of red is disturbing. But that United form is perfection!

 

Bigger sets:

Kopaka and Melum Unity Set - Interesting decision to make a dual pack. Melum looks like a simplified version of Terak but equally as charming, Kopaka is really hit or miss. I love the custom shoulder design but the heck is up with the gold thighs and dark blue arms? Weapons and obviously Nuva-inspired mask are awesome though. United form is meh, but at least it improves the colour distribution.

 

Umarak, The Hunter - I love me a character with custom limbs and original ideas and Umarak seems to be delivering. Add a Mask of Control and he becomes a must buy. Just, not sure if the final design is as cohesive as I would have liked.

 

Overall, doesn't look like a must-buy wave of sets and the incentive to buy the creatures to "complete" the Uniters is a little aggravating but there are some awesome looking ideas being implemented here. I will be absolutely sure to buy a few of them.

 

-NotS