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If Bionicle Never Comes Back


Max_Nui

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My question here is as follows:

Assuming that we will never receive a release of new parts to repair our sets, where do you see the future of the Bionicle legend going? I have a kid on the way right now, and I plan on sharing my collection with my children and telling them the story.

However, assuming that spare parts will become rarer and rarer, how do you believe interested future generations will experience Bionicle? Will it be strictly through the books & movies? Will MNOG matter anymore? Will 3d printing advance enough to print solid joints and sockets to replace old parts?

Or will it all end when the original sets do?

What is the generativity of Bionicle once the sets have deteriorated?

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Assuming it's never revived by LEGO, the future of BIONICLE will depend entirely on how much effort we put into preservation in the present. That's why I created Wall of History — to ensure that the entire story is preserved and accessible. I didn't read any of the BIONICLE novels until I first started working on the site a few years ago, and even as an adult without nostalgia goggles, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Because of that fact, I think the BIONICLE story has the potential to be enjoyed indefinitely, by both old fans and a steady stream of new ones, in the same way shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Neon Genesis Evangelion are. That's why I keep expanding Wall of History's scope, adding new projects like collecting the official translations of the novels and updating MNOG to be compatible with HTML5.

The sets are going to be more complicated, of course — if parts keep breaking, we will eventually run out of them. Whether or not our collections survive will therefore depend on how creative we get with repairs. If we could develop a method to fix broken joints, for example (maybe using acetone), that might keep an otherwise well-preserved collection in nice shape indefinitely. Beyond that... I've yet to be sold on 3D printed BIONICLE parts. They rarely look good. If we, as a community, want to get serious about making our own sets, or recreating old ones, we'll probably need to look to replicating LEGO's injection molding process, though I have no idea how feasible that would be. I think I recall seeing something about a hobbyist figuring out injection molding pretty recently...

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@JSLBrowning Oh wow, I literally discovered the Wall of History last month and I enjoyed seeing everything preserved on there, it is a pleasure meeting you on here. I have to thank you for creating such a site and for your dedication and effort, seriously, it means the world to us fans. :)

Also, yes, breaking was one of my biggest fears in terms of the sets, especially the ones later down the line in the sunset years, and there can be only so many replacements on Bricklink and elsewhere before the prices skyrocket.

This new molding process method is interesting and I hope it catches on soon if the hobbyist perfects the craft. I have hope for the future. :)

 

 

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6 hours ago, Max Nui said:

However, assuming that spare parts will become rarer and rarer, how do you believe interested future generations will experience Bionicle?

Honestly the only brittle part that determines set longevity are sockets right now. Obviously there will be issues with some particular sets (2007's brittle lime sockets, and the 2008-2010 socket design especially) that will make sourcing parts harder, but it is important to remember that Bionicle is a mass produced toy. I think we rarely give credit to how many Bionicle parts are out there, and as long as Bricklink and other second hand stores can maintain a steady supply we won't really have an issue. Break a socket? Buy replacements and swap them in when needed. If you want, might as well start collecting a few spare sockets now just to have on hand to swap the out for. 

As for the rest of the parts, rubber is going to be tricky to keep up. I have not had any real issues with my larger rubber parts (think like the Piraka and Inika masks/heads) but I keep replacing rubber bands because the originals keep snapping or drying up. 

Then the last big remaining issue is keeping white parts clean and from yellowing, again there are many many methods to cleaning them. For my needs I have found that an electronic toothbrush, baking soda and Dawn dish soap mix gets them clean enough to keep using. Sure its not "brand new" quality but there is enough luster in them that they aren't yellow anymore and they look decent again. 

Obviously Bionicle parts will not last forever, but with good care and a few spares I honestly think it is very likely almost all Bionicle sets will outlive us and last for many many years.

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All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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I honestly feel like the biggest threat to getting future generations interested in Bionicle is the way so many fans have taken Bionicle and twisted it into their own thing in the years since it first ended. People pick and choose which eras they consider "real", which details they want to believe, etc. Not to mention all of the retroactive reveals and rampant random canonisation issues we've had in recent years.

It seems like anyone and their mother can pitch a wacky theory to Greg and he'll go "yeah, sure, whatever", leaving us with a whole lot of weird trivia that contradicts and confuses the canon. There are so many details out there that are considered canon, but never facctored into any official source, only existing as a single sentence and citation on a wiki somewhere. 

All of that makes it hard for the Bionicle narrative to have a clear identity moving into the future, because so many people have found ways to weave their headcanons and opinions into the official sources, regardless of how irrelevant it is or how little sense it sometimes makes. 

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6 minutes ago, Gecko Greavesy said:

I honestly feel like the biggest threat to getting future generations interested in Bionicle is the way so many fans have taken Bionicle and twisted it into their own thing in the years since it first ended. People pick and choose which eras they consider "real", which details they want to believe, etc. Not to mention all of the retroactive reveals and rampant random canonisation issues we've had in recent years.

It seems like anyone and their mother can pitch a wacky theory to Greg and he'll go "yeah, sure, whatever", leaving us with a whole lot of weird trivia that contradicts and confuses the canon. There are so many details out there that are considered canon, but never facctored into any official source, only existing as a single sentence and citation on a wiki somewhere. 

All of that makes it hard for the Bionicle narrative to have a clear identity moving into the future, because so many people have found ways to weave their headcanons and opinions into the official sources, regardless of how irrelevant it is or how little sense it sometimes makes. 

I would say that has fortunately slowed down a bit, where the only stuff being canonized now are the big holes like missing character designs (ala the TTV contests) which all things is considered, I think fair. Helryx et. al. exist in story regardless, and giving them a physical depiction doesn't really change the story outcome and only allows us to have a unified vision of these characters going forward. But I would agree that especially in those final years of Bionicle and first few years after cancellation we ended up with a lot of extraneous plot points, trivia and info that is very guilty of doing in the wizard.

Its one thing I will defend the otherwise spartan G2 canon for, its vagueness and lack of every canon mystery being summed up was kind of refreshing after years of G1 gradually becoming this bloated canon blob.

52641688958_d61c0bc049_w(1).jpg.c0871df0de376218d7ca2bc4f409e17d.jpg

All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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I was actually thinking about my Bionicle succession plan today as I was putting my sets into storage (living situation demanded it).

Online resources and networking sites like BioMedia Project, BZP, BS01, The Wall of History, and so many more do such a great job at fostering a sense of Bionicle community and making the complete story accessible for all new fans. I've only recently been really getting back into Bionicle but I've been so encouraged by everything I've seen and everyone I've met online. That isn't even mentioning the incredible fan art I see on multiple sites coming out every single day.

Max Nui, I love your plan on sharing your collection with the next generation! As impressive and diverse as the online resources and communities are, I think most Bionicle fans were drawn in by what it all boils down to: a toy line. I saw a joke once that stated that 99% of the world's Bionicles are controlled by 1% of the world's Lego users, and while those numbers are exaggerated it is certainly true that the majority of Bionicle pieces are by now in the collections of established fans, and thus the responsibility of passing on what many would consider the heart of Bionicle falls on our shoulders. What that looks like will be different for each individual person, but I hope we each get the chance to pass on, in some way, the love of Bionicle to someone in our lives at some point. 

Twitter user @ HahaMakesGlass recently gave me the idea to put some of my physical Bionicle books in free little libraries around town in hopes that someone might try and enjoy them for the first time, as all the books/comics/etc. are now so readily available online.

8 hours ago, Max Nui said:

My question here is as follows:

Assuming that we will never receive a release of new parts to repair our sets, where do you see the future of the Bionicle legend going? I have a kid on the way right now, and I plan on sharing my collection with my children and telling them the story.

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18 hours ago, Toa Hovoki Zehvor said:

Max Nui, I love your plan on sharing your collection with the next generation! As impressive and diverse as the online resources and communities are, I think most Bionicle fans were drawn in by what it all boils down to: a toy line.

Thank you! I completely agree. The story is amazing, but certainly not what got me into the universe. That's something we can't forget about the series!

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For me, getting the monthly comic book was what had the most impact on me getting into Bionicle. It made me feel like I was engaging with an emerging story.

Have any of you here gotten into Bionicle after it ended (or know someone who has)?

On 3/31/2021 at 11:25 AM, Max Nui said:

I have a kid on the way right now, and I plan on sharing my collection with my children and telling them the story.

I suggest you get them into it young...

GENERATION 4: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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11 hours ago, Fyndegil said:

Have any of you here gotten into Bionicle after it ended (or know someone who has)?

At Brickfair 2019, one of the biggest things that surprised me was the number of Bionicle fans who got into it after it ended, or got into the original because of the reboot. But it makes sense, Bionicle is overall aimed at younger people, and a lot of them weren't around/old enough during the first run.

As for the question of the topic, I think right now the advent of things like Wall of History actually make it easier for people to get into the Bionicle story compared to say 2011 right after it ended, even if they don't become part of the "community" so to speak. It's not too rare for someone to mention Bionicle to me, not knowing that I'm a fan or what it's really all about, and I'll just drop them a link to that.

The sets on the other...The recent growth of the community combined with how long they've been out of print for seems to have driven up the prices greatly, at least that's what I've heard. I remember around the initial cancellation, vendors at cons were still selling Bionicle sets and parts for dirt cheap compared to other LEGO. So there is that barrier to entry. I think we may end up seeing more story-only fans, or possibly people like your upcoming child who inherit their collection from a relative who was a fan. Overall though, I think there are still enough people getting out there won't be a real crisis or shortage of parts for many years to come. And that's only if it never gets brought back as you state.

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If it does come back, it should only be graphic novels or even just plain novels, but definitely more than online serials. Pure story; no sets to hold it back. I'd want Lego to straight-up sell the IP to Scholastic or some other publisher, if only Greg hadn't retired from writing. Then again, maybe a new writer wouldn't be so bad if Greg was the advisor/editor or something.

#makeBionicleG1andHeroFactorysharethesameuniverse and #giveBionicleansHeroFactorytheirownliveactioncinematicuniverse 
GENERATION 5: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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I doubt The LEGO Group will ever bring back Bionicle in its traditional form, but I'd like to see a new system of CCBS. The building style is extremely diverse, and could continue on into the future if there are new waves of compatible elements. Like a universe of robots who are, idk, trying to fix the environment on an alien planet kinda thing. You have the good guys who have powers related to nature (water, earth) fighting against the villains with destructive powers (fire, electricity/storms.) There's always a possibility of a new CCBS line, but its not in the cards for the immediate future. We can dream.

Back to the discussion at hand, we can preserve our collections, and hope tech evolves to the point of recreating and continuing bionicle indefinitely. Plastics are only ~140 years old, the first 3d printer was made in the 80's, they first became economical in the late 2000's, and now they can print things that look much more streamlined then they did even 5 years ago. We are close to a point were people could 3D print LEGO pieces with similar quality to LEGO without the crazy molds. Thats still in the future, but its not too far off. 

:k::r::a::a::t::a:

 

 

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11 hours ago, Kraata Kink said:

related to nature (water, earth) fighting against the villains with destructive powers (fire, electricity/storms.

Joke's on you, all of those are both related to nature and destructive powers.

Honestly, just bring back Slizers with CCBS.

#makeBionicleG1andHeroFactorysharethesameuniverse and #giveBionicleansHeroFactorytheirownliveactioncinematicuniverse 
GENERATION 5: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation. Social experiment.

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11 hours ago, Alexander123 said:

On a related note several years back I accepted that Bionicle was over and was at peace with it having ended......... a month later G2 leaked. I have the mentality of it never coming back so as to not be crushed by disappointments like Sokodas Ideas project not being approved.

So if we all pre-order Sokoda's project on the Bricklink designer program, and it does get in production we should all act like "this isn't real" until it shows up on our doorsteps? 

Not going to lie, it sounds like a solid plan.

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All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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Speaking to the topic's first initial questions (specifically in the parts themselves), I primarily want to respond with a question. 

Are we restricted to using the parts provided by LEGO? Are they patent protected? (meaning that we can't just 3-D scan the parts presently and reproduce them again with 3D printing ourselves?)

My brain goes to, oh lets just reproduce the parts again ourselves and keep the systems alive, (hence keeping BIONICLE alive).

I'm legitimately wondering this and want your guy's input.  

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On 4/7/2021 at 10:35 AM, Calvirick said:

Speaking to the topic's first initial questions (specifically in the parts themselves), I primarily want to respond with a question. 

Are we restricted to using the parts provided by LEGO? Are they patent protected? (meaning that we can't just 3-D scan the parts presently and reproduce them again with 3D printing ourselves?)

My brain goes to, oh lets just reproduce the parts again ourselves and keep the systems alive, (hence keeping BIONICLE alive).

I'm legitimately wondering this and want your guy's input.  

I think scanning and reprinting the parts will be the future of Bionicle, however most printers are too low end to recreate strong socket joints reliably.

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3 hours ago, Max Nui said:

I think scanning and reprinting the parts will be the future of Bionicle, however most printers are too low end to recreate strong socket joints reliably.

Yep currently that is an issue. I think 3D printing works fine for "low load bearing" components like masks, but the socket joints require the precision that only injection molding can offer; and unless 3D printing makes leaps and bounds in the next few years it is going to be the hardest hurdle to making new Bionicle parts at home. There are online people who have printed sockets, but they look very rough compared to the official Lego ones. 

52641688958_d61c0bc049_w(1).jpg.c0871df0de376218d7ca2bc4f409e17d.jpg

All aboard the hype train!

 

 

 

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On 4/1/2021 at 8:45 PM, Fyndegil said:

Have any of you here gotten into Bionicle after it ended (or know someone who has)?

I got  in when I was 5-6 around 09-10  but I didn't really get into in until 11-12 and I have to say YouTube was the  biggest help, all  the web animations, reviews and overviews were very helpful. later when I was older BMP and the library were a massive help.

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