Matoro Lives

I actually think the Hero Factory minifigs are pretty well designed. Granted constraction minifigs were never that good, but HF figs are generally well designed and aesthetically pleasing. I thing the minifigs are probably the only area where HF has Bionicle beat, even if its just with the minifigs. I applaud HF for having at least one aspect of the theme that can compete with the Bionicle standard.

I think what you have seen of the show (or wherever your impression of Furno came from) is from the first year. He's still hotheaded, but he's matured a lot since then, to the point where he mentors later rookies like Evo.In any case, I don't think he even started out as quite as hotheaded as Tahu was at the beginning of Bionicle. Rocka fits the bill more, since in Savage Planet he rebuffs Furno's experience and thinks that his natural talent will make him the best at any mission (he, too, matures in later years, although he retains more of that hotheaded streak than Furno). But you forget that Furno's "mentoring" was just another form of his hotheadedness. Furno considers himself experienced enough to mentor Evo, even though in the end he was clueless and Evo had to figure it out for himself. To me it seems like Furno was just feeding his already huge ego, by telling himself he was good enough to mentor. He jumps into the role as "mentor" without thinking and ultimately ends up looking somewhat humbled (as humbled as a guy with his ego can be, anyway) by his "mentoring" attempt.

First of all, if Hero Factory were ripping off Bionicle they would be copying Bionicle and producing sets (and sales) equal to or greater than the sets produced by bionicle. Hero Factory has come nowhere near the Bionicle standard of quality. Hero Factories newest line-up, the Invasion from Below mechs, are nothing more than cheap copy of the Exo-force theme. Though again, HF would have to produce sets equal to or greater than the sets they are copying for it to be a rip-off. If it's as successful (or more successful) as the product being copied, its a rip-off. If it's less successful than the product, most people just tend to mark it as a cheap copy and move on. Hero Factory is to Bionicle and Exo-Force what Megabloks is to Lego... A copy, not a good copy, but a copy nonetheless. Ideas repeat themselves, its a fact of life. Although eliminating Bionicle just to replace it with a weak copy right afterwards does seem like a strange decision. Especially when you consider the fact that the main reason Bionicle was cancelled was due to the price of producing constraction parts (there were other reasons as well, but that one was the most significant). It would explain why HF sets use all the same parts all the time. You will always find something or someone that copies an original idea, its just one of those things that keeps this messed up world spinning. One could argue that Bionicle copied slizers and robo riders in many ways, or that lego was copying other action figure lines (like Transformers) by producing constraction themes. Its hard to find an idea today that isn't a copy (in a way) of something. No ideas are ever really "new and original" they just are old ideas with a new spin on the old.

The problem with having a Makuta as a Stars set is that there is no single definitive appearance that ties Makuta together. As shapeshifters, even the most important Makuta (Makuta Teridax) had various forms, though there's no doubt that the 2003 form became his most iconic, in great part due to the influence of the BIONICLE movies.The Piraka and Rahkshi sets might not have been based on specific Piraka or Rahkshi, but they were still very clearly inspired by those series of sets. Even at a smaller scale, they followed most of the same design rules as their forerunners. Makuta were diverse by definition there were never any set-in-stone "rules" that Makuta sets universally followed, although in 2008 the majority did at least follow a handful of rules like using black as a base color, having reddish eyes, and wearing two-color blended masks with beastly appearances. But going by those rules, it would have been nearly impossible to differentiate a BIONICLE Stars Makuta from a 2008 Shadow Matoran.Actually, some art in the Bionicle World guidebook showed that the Makuta common form was the Makuta set that sold back in 2003. True, because Makuta are shapeshifters each one has a form they prefer, but all the Makuta had to have an original form, right? The Great Beings and Mata Nui had to have a basic design that all makuta start out as, otherwise the Makuta couldn't be of the same species. That being said, I don't think its a good idea to use Makuta as star because they are much larger than the star sets. I would have liked to see a stars titan line up, with both good and bad characters. The line-up would look something like this: Makuta Roodaka Axonn Nidhiki Keetongu Takanuva (his titan form was waaaaay cool, even if he didn't have the original mask of light) My regular stars line-up would look like this: Tahu Matoro Gresh Bohrok Rahkshi Piraka I also think a matoran/agori stars would be cool, here's my list: Macku Raanu Taipu Ahkmou Defilak Kopeke Now keep in mind that some of these characters don't fit in with the story. I chose these characters mainly because I feel they are iconic characters in the history of Bionicle. I think what lego should have done for a grand finale was bring back a large selection of iconic characters regardless of what was going on in the story. A way for new fans to get classic sets and as a means of a final salute to all the dedicated fans who had been there from the start. To be honest the stars line was a pretty pathetic finale to such a legendary theme. I was hoping lego would end it with a bang.

I liked the Voya Nui online game a lot, it was a nice new spin on the old mnog series. I heard the Voya Nui online game actually was rushed a bit in production. Kinda makes you wonder how they could make such a great game even better. Bionicle heroes was the best console game hands down, but Maze of Shadows for GBA is a lot of fun as well.

All of the artists were pretty good, I went with Gallagher because her art was just so clean and crisp, and the coloring was brighter than Sayger's, but not too bright like previous artists. I never liked Sayger's work much. His art gave the comics a darker feel which really fit the story, but the characters were so slopply. Some of them were no better than stick figures and were barely recognizable.

Mask of intangibility: Allows the wearer to pass through any solid object. Like Makuta Krika's power. Mask of Analysis: Allows the wearer to see invisible targets and weak points on opponents. Mask of Durability: Increases the wearers stamina causing them to not tire out easily, and increases the wearers resistance to damage. Mask of Repulsion: The wearer can use this mask to make anyone instantly avoid a target (i.e. being, artifact, location, etc.). This power can be RESISTED by those with increased mental abilities (Makuta, Toa of Psyonics, Mask of telepathy users), the power can still affect beings with higher mental capacities, its just those beings have a chance at resisting it.

In the BIONICLE universe, there may be a high chance of weapons getting broken, damaged, or stolen, so backup gear, like Lewa's mask power, is always nice to have. Well yeah…I am aware of that..but have you seen Lewa's Flying swords ever get broken? that is like literally the ONE toa tool that was ever broken. Reidak snapped one of bad luck Miru's katana's in half back in '06. Sorry to jump of this, lol, just kinda found it funny EDIT: saw it was already covered, sorry! Velika later offered to try and repair Lewa's broken katana, but Lewa refused. He later swapped his remaining katana for the Air Saber he used in 2008 when Artahka gave the Nuva their new adaptive armor.

The sub itself seems relatively simple to build, but A+ work on the detailed environment. You definitely are a skilled builder, but I would spend more time on the main subject, than on the surrounding environment. The main build seems to be the weak point in the build and you never want that in a competition. Good work, but next time make the subject of the build what stands out, not the surroundings.

I would add: Gresh, Gelu, Kiina, Skrall, and Ackar Toa Mata Nui and Tuma Toa Norik and Iruini Toa Nuva Tahu, Pohatu, Takanuva, and Kopaka Toa Toa Inika Matoro, Nuparu, and Kongu Toa Metru Vakama, Nokama, and Matau Toa Lhikan and Tuyet Nidhiki and Krekka All of the Piraka All of the Barraki Axxon, Brutaka, and Vezon Roodaka, Sidorak, and Keetongu Shadowed One, Lariska, Sentrahk, and Ancient All of the Bohrok-Kal Teridax, Icarax, Antroz, Gorast, and Krika Maybe a matoran in a Boxor unit There could be boss fights like cahdok and gahdok, Vezon and Kardas, Voparak, Ultimate Dume, Rahkshi Kaita, Karazahi, Morubhuzak, Rahi Nui, Zivon, and Umbra. I would save the more grunt type bad guys as assist trophies and pokeballs (vahki, visorak, rahi, bohrok, rahkshi, etc)

The toa inika are my favorite team, because they were pretty kickbutt in the 2006 storyline. The Toa Nuva are my least favorite mainly because of the elemental energy inconsistencies in the story.

Those were covered in the story (I can't remember if it was in the books or the serials). The toa mata's "adventures" consisted of being trained by the order of mata nui, and saving mata nui from one relatively minor threat. If you wanted to add the toa mata's first mission to a tv show, I would put it as a story arc in a tv show about the order of mata nui.

I know the spider-mobile got a lot of hate (I didn't like it much either), but how cool would it be to have that as a set.

To be honest, quality themes kinda stopped being produced once bionicle ended. Ninjago, Chima, and Hero Factory (meh) are incredibly popular, but they really can't be compared to themes like knights kingdom (either series), rock raiders, exo-force, alpha team, or some of the classic cowboy, pirates, and space sets. To be honest, even the themes I didn't really like from the bionicle era (i.e. Mars mission, agents, vikings, and power miners) would be preferable to the themes lego has going right now. The only themes I really follow now are the licensed ones, and even those sets just seem to be getting worse. I thinks its because lego made a shift in general set design back in 2009. All the sets started having improved detail work done on them making the sets look cleaner, but the size of the sets shrunk and the prices rose to compensate for more detail pieces and more new molds. Call me nostalgic, but I preferred lego before they went on a detailing/inflation frenzy. Hero Factory is just a reflection of lego's new spin on the entire system, and frankly I'm not impressed. Gone is the originality and flair that the previous decades sets possessed. Gone is the clever stories and quality character development that previous themes with stories possessed. I consider myself lucky to have been able to experience some quality lego sets, and I pity those who will never know the joys of the previous decades sets. It is rare to find a set now that possesses the qualities that many older sets did, and it saddens me to see how far lego has fallen in just a few short years time.

Hero factory mechs are nothing but a cheap knock-off, the original exo-force sets were waaaay better with: superior design and creativity, a much more in-depth and enjoyable story, and superb bonus buildings to go along with the mechs (i.e. Sentai fortress, golden tower, sentai gate).

So, how many of you remember Exo-Force? Exo-Force was theme involving humans battling robots in giant mech suits. Backstory: The humans leader, Sensei Kieken, had created robots to help as aids to the humans, but the head robot, Meca One, rebelled. The humans battled the Meca One and his robots until the mountain they lived on split in half. The humans rebuilt their settlements and built bridges to connect the 2 halves of the mountain, but then the robots reappeared and took over one of the halves of the mountain. The humans defend their half using battle machines the Kieken created. The theme had a bit of japanese style art and storytelling that made it popular with the anime/manga fandom (there's a name for the fandom, but I can't remember what it is), but the theme was generally well-liked by average lego fans (like me) as well. The story was incredibly in-depth and was probably one of the best stories created to go along with a theme, ranking up there with themes like: Bionicle, Knights Kingdom II, and Ninjago. I liked the theme because of the battle mechs, which were some of the most innovative designs I had seen lego come up with since bionicle. Post your thoughts on the theme here.

2006 was definitely the best year for bionicle. A fresh new story arc started, which I found was very well written, it kept many of the darker aspects of the 2005 story, but had a much better constructed story to go along with it. The story also had more lighthearted moments than the 2005 story, making it more reminiscent of earlier years. The sets began a new structure design that defined how bionicle would be built until the stars finale. The new canister models showed that bionicle was no longer just based off technic designs, but a bold separate theme. We also got a more stable titan design to go along with the new canister models. The titan combo model of 2006 was also (in my opinion) the coolest combo bionicle had ever designed, Vezon and Kardas is one of the largest bionicle figures in existence. Lego also redesigned the bionicle minifigures with posable arms, and significantly more detail than the 2005 minifigs (I never really liked the bionicle system sets though, constraction and lego system have never gone together well). All in all 2006 was a very innovative year for bionicle with a new look to all the sets, a new story arc, a new book series, and new comic artist (never really liked his work though). 2006 created a bold new look that brought in many new fans to the bionicle theme, my only complaint was the lack of good collectibles carried over from 2005 into the next years as well. 2004 would be my second choice just because I liked the idea of bionicles having adventures in a huge, bustling, hi-tech city. I know a lot of people hated 2004 because bionicles were supposed to be biological beings in armor and they fit in more with the Mata Nui jungle island story, but frankly most bionicles (especially the earlier ones) looked incredibly robotic, and the sets seemed to fit in better in a hi-tech city.

I voted 2-D, because although I would prefer 3-D. 3-D animation is expensive and much more difficult to accomplish. I would love to see an online animated web series focused on some of the lesser know characters and events in the MU (toa hagah, toa mangai, lesovikk's team, the order of mata nui, etc) it would be neat to expand on the story-lines that ran in the background alongside the main story. I've always enjoyed creating stories using the MU, and I would be willing to help write for whatever project is chosen.

So I asked Greg Farshtey on the Chat with Greg page on the lego message boards, about what made the Toa Nuva more powerful, and this was his response: "As I recall, the Nuva had better armor, greater control of their elemental powers, and were capable of sharing the power of their masks with those nearby. That is what made them more powerful." He stated that they didn't have greater EE power, but rather they had greater control over their powers (increased stamina, more advanced attacks, etc). They are the same power level as other teams, but they can do more with their abilities than other teams. This explanation makes a little more sense than the "increased EE power level" statement. It also adds a bit more consistancy to the story, and makes the idea that a novice team did what they couldn't a bit more acceptable. Nuva powers don't increase power, they increase the number of things you can do with those powers. Along with the other more minor upgrades mentioned above, this is what made them elite among other toa. You could consider at least the inika and the hagah elites as well, due to the bonus enhancements and abilities they possessed.

I still don't see how you can say hero factory is one of the best things to happen to lego constraction. A simple google search for hero factory mocs will get you, either a bunch of heroes with custom paint jobs or rearranged armor, or you will find mocs that are made from almost 100% bionicle and technic pieces with a hero core mounted on the chest. There is no real potential for expansion on the pieces you get with the HF set. All the moc limbs follow the same basic design, with almost no room for creativity as far as design is concerned. Sure, you can rearrange the armor from the heroes, but the moc will still follow the same basic design of the original set. The only HF sets that don't follow this annoying uniformity that lego is forcing on us are a few of the villains from waves 1 & 2, and Witch Doctor. The XL sets are somewhat less uniform, but they still follow the same basic idea, but with more custom parts, just like some of the newer villains. You say HF is even more creative than bionicle, I have yet to see a good moc that uses an original design (not one based off the set you get) that doesn't require the use of bionicle bodies with Hero cores mounted on the front. I want to see an original design, made from the pieces you get in only HF sets, that doesn't look like the original set, just rearranged. You have shown us pictures, and I am unimpressed. None of the design demonstrate the originality, or creativity that you could get by MOCing with bionicles. Hero Factory is stomping on the creative potential for constraction, and we all know that creativity is supposed to be one of lego's main goals. I conclude that HF sets lack creativity for GOOD original custom designs, and so far you have not demonstrated how HF is more creative than bionicle. Saying the HF is creative will not change my mind, demonstrating it's creativity will, and so far you have not demonstrated anything that matches the standard bionicle set, let alone surpasses that standard. When you can show me how HF is creative, let me know, but until then nothing you can say will change my mind. You can disagree with what I'm saying, but to me it just sounds like you're being a fanboy. This back and forth between us on the subject is pointless unless you bring something substantial to the table. Disagreeing with me does not prove your point.

"Forewarned is forearmed." The Inika were somewhat more aware of the danger they were heading into than the Toa Nuva, as the latter group had not returned. Furthermore, unlike the Toa Nuva, who encountered all the Piraka before they encountered the Resistance, the Inika only encountered Vezon before meeting Garan. Matoro would have been enslaved were the Inika not immune to the effects of Antidermis. Additionally, I believe that the Inika never actually defeated the Piraka in battle (though they came close the first time round.) Correct me if I'm wrong.EDIT: There are, I think, five total battles in which the Inika fought multiple Piraka. The first was the battle at the Piraka Stonghold, as detailed in Power Play, in which Hakann and Thok, both of whom had stolen Brutaka's power, emerged victorious over all other combatants. The second, also in Power Play, was the battle of Thok and Hakann against each other and against the Toa Inika and the other Piraka. This battle ended with a stalemate of sorts, the Toa Inika successfully restoring Brutaka's power to him and everyone being knocked unconscious by Hakann and Thok (who were themselves knocked unconscious by the Inika's zamor sphere which they used to restore Brutaka's power.) The next battle, detailed in Inferno, took place beneath the surface of Voya Nui and ended in victory for the Piraka. The next battle, also in Inferno, ended with the Toa Inika pursuing the Ignika up the 777 stairs. The final confrontation between the Inika (now Mahri) and the Piraka took place in Downfall, and would have ended in the deaths of the Mahri, but for the defeat of the Piraka by Axonn. The toa nuva were uninformed in the first battle, when they attacked the stronghold in the second battle, the toa had met up with the resistance and were aware of many of the piraka's abilities. It still took multiple toa to subdue reidak who was guarding the entrance, and when they attacked the rest of the piraka, the fight was pretty even. Even though the Piraka were just as busy fighting each other in that battle, as they were fighting the toa. I think even without brutaka's intervention the toa would have gone down in that fight. The inika on the other hand, had the advantage in most of their fights, but unforseeable circumstance prevented them from actually winning any of their battles. They were beating a team of 6 piraka and brutaka by themselves in their first battle. If the toa inika were to square off against the piraka in a battle with no interference of any sort, the inika would easily win. What the toa nuva demonstrated was that even when they knew about the enemy they were fighting the could barely hold their own against 5 of the team, who were preoccupied with fighting each other. I personally think that EE power levels in the bionicle storyline were incredibly inconsistent. What the story says about EE power levels, and what the story demonstrates about EE power levels are two very different things. The story says that the toa nuva were significantly stronger than other toa. The story demonstrates that the toa nuva are not really that exceptional compared to other toa. The toa hagah, toa inika, toa mangai, and in some cases the toa metru all demonstrated that they were at least the toa nuva's equals if not (in some cases) better than them. Again, my theory is that the toa mata were actually weaker than the average toa due to spending too long in their canisters, thus weakening their bodies (like what happened to the matoran of metru nui). The toa were later restored to full power by the energized protodermis, and giving them new armor in the process. That's just my theory about it, but it agrees with what the story demonstrates, even if thats not what happened in the story. It makes the story make a lot more sense when you look at just how bad the toa nuva were at fighting, in what should have been easy battles. I'm not trying to say the toa nuva are weak toa, I'm just saying I find the whole higher power levels thing a bit hard to swallow, when the toa nuva clearly are no better than the other major teams in the storyline. I think the toa nuva are fairly average as far power is concerned, and no amount of statistics can change the fact that that is what the story demonstrates.

I like Hero Factory show's animation style, even if the story is garbage. If a bionicle show were to be made it should be made in that animation style. The characters are easier to recognize than in the animation for the first 3 bionicle movies, but it doesn't have the distracting spinning pins from TLR.

In hero factory brain attack bulk yells BULK SMASH, but that ones pretty obvious

What is the most prized lego set in your collection in your collection? It can be from any theme past or present, constraction or system. Tell us your favorite For me its the Tower of Orthanc from LotR, although the Sentai Fortress from Exo-force, and Limited Edition Toa Norik take a close second place.

Top 10: Bionicle Exo-Force Knights Kingdom (2004) Lotr/Hobbit Agents Star Wars Alpha Team Batman (2006) Mars Mission Marvel Superheroes (Power Miners, Dino Attack, and Pirates of the Caribbean get honorable mention)