NickonAquaMagna

I'm flattered.

Boy, it seems Bionicle is gonna be dead last to get any coverage.

I still find it disappointing that we get two Umaraks in one year. 

Think of it like a two-phase final boss fight. His normal form, and a hulked-out form. At least we may finally get a proper titan sized figure.

This doesn't really concern the 2016 sets, BUT it does feature the use of an important building element introduced in 2016. Behold ~

As much as I love last year's sets... they aren't perfect. The shoulders rest pretty far behind the head and hips, and it doesn't look so bad on some of them, but on a smaller on like Pohatu, the proportions just end up feeling more exaggerated. Callan brought up this criticism in a video of his, and I didn't pay it much mind at the time, but when I saw that new gearbox casing this year's Star Wars figures were released with.... I saw how much better these figures could be. Could've been... however you want to phrase it.

There are plenty of ways to work around the absence of a proper neck joint that the tired old CCBS "backbone" piece provides, but it's still a hassle. This new piece makes it all too easy to eliminate the backbone entirely, flip the gearbox around, and you'll line up the neck, shoulders and hips perfectly.

The hip piece made to correspond with this casing is fine for taller figures like Tahu, but I wouldn't recommend using it for all of these. Until Lego releases a smaller version of that piece, an oldschool Metru pelvis works beautifully.

Looking back, I really wish Lego could've released a piece like this a year sooner, to really complete the gearbox. Now, the 2015 gearbox is kind of an afterthought. It's old news for Bionicle, relegated to other figures made for people who may not be into Bionicle, and will appreciate the novelty of it in the Star Wars figures like it's some completely new thing. Build it the same way on these, though, and the problems these figures DID have suddenly disappear.

I've ordered two more black cases on Bricklink. I'll only need one more after that to "fix" all of these (Onua doesn't need any such changes, really.)

I wholeheartedly advise anyone who can to get these. The ONE drawback they have is somewhat hindered neck articulation, but it's not that bad. It improves the proportions, overall, at least.

Full gallery here for those who want to see a closer look at these modifications. http://sta.sh/2di3qes4xsq?edit=1

I just don't get it why those wrist armor pieces on kopaka are dark blue, gold or white would work a lot better on his arms since the dark blue on his chest is enough. Personally i refuse to forgive lego for this decision since it looks very out of place, i just knew it that they would find away to do a big mistake decision design by assigning him into the titan (enhanced toa build) category.

I switched his dark blue pieces for the white ones he had last year. Weirdly enough, it made him look kinda bland. I ended up switching it back so he'd have more character.

So, I dunno how many people share these issues, but as much as i love the 2015 sets... they aren't perfect. Some common complaints are that the arms hang too far back, and in some cases, too low, and of course, there's the complaint about the unused ball joints.

Well, I may have a solution. I have just ordered two of these from Aviary on bricklink. http://img.bricklink.com/P/11/24124.jpg One dark tan, one black. I'll use the dark tan one for Pohatu, the black one for someone else. Maybe Tahu. I'll use this to flip the gearbox around, making the shoulders, hips and neck in line, and I'll use a Toa Metru pelvis for the hips.

Now, they still won't be perfect. They will have incredibly short necks and a gear may collide with their chin. However, I won't know until I try it. Depending on how happy I am with this experiment, I will share the results.

@NickonAquaMagna

 

Sir, you won the Internet... I would love the elemental masters in that form as well! 

 

In addition to that, I would like the original element masters, and the father of Wu and Garmadon

 

(Now I'm going to go brainstorm how to make a modular elemental dragon system lol)

Oh, I didn't come up with it. I quoted another guy's post, but the quote got messed up, so I had to put quotations around what he said.

"And here's the best one:A basic frame for an elemental dragon(more accurate to the show than the titanium dragon),and sold separately would be all the individual elemental masters with pieces to add to the dragon frame to personalize it.Even if you don't get the dragon,all the elemental masters would be available fairly cheaply"

OH MY GOSH, I WOULD LOVE THAT.

I wonder why this Kopaka has gold armor only on the legs??

To match the gold parts on Melum when they combine.

Just curious, has anyone modified the 2015 Toa with the new "back piece" from the new Star Wars figures? I've seen people complain about the Toa's arms hanging too far back, but figures like Kylo Ren seem to have fixed that, and I think it would work with a Toa's proportions if the standard CCBS backbone was replaced with an Inika hip piece.

What is happening???

Not to beat a dead horse, but I must give my overall gripe with the Toa torso shell for this year: It does absolutely nothing. If the piston greebles contributed to posability, I would have loved it, but overall the piece seems useless. They used a traditional torso shell combo on Umarak, but why not on the Toa? We may never know the answer...

Because that would make them feel less new and more "hero factory-like" in ignorant peoples' eyes.

I'm just gonna extend her shins with longer trans-blue bones.

I got Onua two days ago, and he looks really good, except for the feet, they're really horrible.

I've found that those feet seem more appropriate for his 2015 build. They provide a good base for such a hefty character.

 

 

Ok, those look really freakin' cool. Except maybe that weird beak on the black one. That doesn't look right.

 

 

There are medieval helms that look like that. In this one's case, it's supposed to look like a drill nose... because of course the earth counterpart would have a drill for a nose.

 

I think what he means is that it doesn't look Bionicle enough

 

Well, uh... all right then. Not sure what I can do that would make it more Bionicle-like, but the armor will have more or less the same feel that the Toa Miro's updates have.

Ok, those look really freakin' cool. Except maybe that weird beak on the black one. That doesn't look right.

There are medieval helms that look like that. In this one's case, it's supposed to look like a drill nose... because of course the earth counterpart would have a drill for a nose.

Well, good.

"I question the use of Ahkmou's Rau as a way to detect deception, though. That greatly stretches the definition of what a "language" is. I mean, that's the way we got an X-Man who became a master Martial Artist through Body Language and a master Hacker through Programming Language, somehow (not to mention the ability to see structural weaknesses in a building because architecture something something language). Moreover, would he really need the help of a mask for that anyway, when he's already pretty good at picking up on those things?"

Was he using the mask that way, though? I intended for him to be vague about it, like he was using the mask as a metaphor and has just gotten really good at telling when people are lying.

A banner for the series, "BIONICLE 2016 NOVA ORBIS".

Well, more like "Bionicle- Nova Orbis 2016"

Oh, and sprites.

New sets- I mean, new characters!

I hope they leave a heck of an impression.

The anti-life eqation

Oh, geez. I can just imagine how this would go. The first creature Umarak merges with is Ketar, because Pohatu had a chance to reach the creature first but couldn't do it because of his fear of scorpions, then he has to save Ketar by separating them. Hey, it's a nice change of pace after all the times Lewa's messed up.

I just need a list of fan made Kanohi, that's all.

EDIT- Nevermind. I just found everything I need.

 

 

 

Just bought the new Tahu at the Barnes and Noble in Springfield, MO for any in that area wanting some sets early. They were out of Umarak, but had every other set. Well now they're out of Tahu, because I bought the last one, so every other set that isn't Tahu and Umarak.

 

Now, here are my thoughts on the set after having it in-hand:

He's... not the BEST G2 set in the world, his proportions are wonky, but they ARE more likable to me than 2015 Tahu's wonky proportions. He feels like an overall improvement, but there are things that hinder him from being my absolute favorite. That said, he is a GOOD set, in fact I feel like his character shines through better than it did in 2015. You can feel the anger of his scowl, and the firey rage seems to flow through his body. I think the set really shows off Tahu's personality. He just sadly isn't AS good proportionally or cohesively as sets like Gali Master or Umarak.

 

I should get the rest of the sets by next Friday, so expect my opinions on those as well. 

 

Edit: He's already REALLY starting to grow on me. He's extremely fun to play with (I just had him surprise skewer Kulta with his extendable fire swords), and I like to imagine that his swords are "sheathed" in their neutral position, and that when they're extended fire just shoots out. His weapons seem really brutal, and I love him for that. I also really like his leg design. I know a lot of people don't, but they really hit me in the nostalgia. Something about them just feels... right despite being weird and a no-no.

 

You should get Ikir and combine him with Tahu. It dramatically helps with his overall look and makes him look really great in my opinion. When he's united, i think he's visually the best thing about the 2016 wave.

 

Well, I "technically" do have Ikir, I just don't have him right at this moment. I bought Ikir along with Uxar, Akida, Lewa, Gali, and Kopaka as soon as they were available online. I knew I would be getting Tahu and Umarak, but I decided I'd check Barnes and Noble in hopes of getting them early, which I ended up only getting Tahu because everyone else was going for Umarak. I already really like Tahu's look right now despite his many flaws, so I'm sure that when he's united... I'll just be the happiest man-child in the world. 

 

I know that I only have one set right now, so it's too early to judge the whole wave, but I'm reaaaaally liking the Uniters more than the Masters, just because they work better as action figures(in my view). They have that standard range of motion, without clunky shoulder armor or the arm function getting in the way, AND they have waist articulation. Some even have weapon functions. I know that's an unpopular opinion to have right now, but I truly do feel that way about this year. It just feels right to me.

 

Yeah, even just having Tahu, Ikir, Umarak and Uxar in hand, I'm falling in love with this new wave. The simple fact that they were able to implement the whole combining gimmick WITHOUT having to give up having a gear function like the 2008 sets did, the way they gave the Toa a new function on top of that, shows how committed the designers were to making this wave feel like a new thing we hadn't already purchased some variant of before.

Heck, in some cases, combining them with there animal gives them MORE functionality. Tahu in particular has three gear functions when combined with Ikir. He has the waist swivel, the extendable blades, and the flapping wings, all in one glorious toy... and the weapons even combine. Geez. This is the kind of toy you're really meant to PLAY with, not just stand on a shelf after a while and look at it. Lego's really raised the bar again with these new figures.

It's been a good year.

Guess the only reason anyone will have to come back to this thread after tonight is to talk about the 2015 sets being better than sets in years to come...?

Having acquired Tahu today... I think he looks fine. I was surprised by how painlessly the 2015 piston texture piece fits with the torso and thigh armor, and even the crystal pieces on his shins have pistons on the bottom that look... well, pretty much exactly like the ones on his thighs. So the only pieces that REALLY stand out to me are the "skull armor" on his shoulders, but see, I don't even mind that because the downward sloping angle of the points looks much less aggressive than the other ways it's been worn, and when he merges with Ikir, it ends up looking like feathers to go with the bird head and wings! And even when Tahu's by himself, I can see how it's kinda sorta supposed to look like fire. Some of the photos of Tahu may make him look gaudy and all over the place, but having him in hand... I think he's great.

BTW, anyone got a list of fan made mask powers? Specifically, ones with questionable moral implications? I had a list a while ago, but I lost it.