Removed297

I don't think LEGO has treated BIONICLE badly at all, but the video does reflect the opinions of some AFOLs, by showing the more complex technic-based set outclassing the simpler. I think it's a funny (if perhaps unintentional) reference.

On the topic of inconsistencies, what of the Ninja and their finding of Morro's corpse? In every example up until now, it has seemed that ghosts have been converted from living creatures, such as with Cole's transformation, and the Cursing of Chen's Anacondrai army in the previous season. That Morro's soul somehow found its way into the Cursed Realm, when it seems that he died of mundane causes, and without having his body either taken to the Cursed Realm or being converted to a ghostly form, is confusing to me. And on another related topic, it was odd seeing Chen in the season finale, seemingly un-ghosty and completely human. Any thoughts on that, other than that we must accept minor inconsistencies?

Marvelous! With any luck, the ambivalence towards BIONICLE in the larger AFOL community will leave this at a slightly lower Ebay price than the other exclusives.

What a fine review! If I wasn't already convinced of my desire for this plastic wonder, this review settled any doubts. It has imperfections, such as the lack of sufficient friction pins on Grinder's gear function, and the gappy torso, but being a mass-produced set with a myriad of design constraints that I cannot even begin to imagine, these faults can be justified, and easily fixed.

Though I am quite interested in Dimensions for the Portal set, I'm more excited about the upcoming standalone Doctor Who kit, and I hope that we get some images of it, alongside any Dimensions information, over the course of Comic-Con.

Thanks for the criticism, I definitely agree that I ought to have put more dark green on it. Unfortunately, I don't have any dark green fists, or even Matau feet, as both of my masks came from two of the green Voyatoran whose name escapes me. Thanks! The hair just... happened, it was never really envisioned before construction. I'm glad you think it turned out well.

-purged-

It seems that the host site on which the Piraka Mania walkthrough is kept has been frozen. Should the link be removed in light of this issue?

With but a few extra Constraction frame pieces, I suspect POF might be my favorite Protector, though Protector of Ice is my favorite without mods. To those with small Constraction collections, I'd agree with the review's summation, but for anyone with enough parts to properly extend his pitifully short & unarticulated arms, and perhaps switch out the grey bones for black, I would think him a wonderful pickup.

The pictures are now visible. Edit: Looks like the BIONICLE theme is visible in the Themes drop-down tab on the LEGO Shop home page, though when clicked, it links back to home. However, when the Theme URL is manually typed, it still redirects to Hero Factory.

Doctor Bradley Watt Escapes Prison! At 57:45:03 Standard Galatic Week, Dr. Bradley Watt escaped from the high-security Vaalg Penitentiary. After a localized EMP disabled the cameras around his cell in wing 4-B at 57:45:01 SGW, guards were sent to investigate and were sedated by Watt via unknown means. Global sensor scans at the time record that Watt remained in his cell, though further data analysis showed a small Positronic signature making its way into the garbage disposal unit in wing 5-B, after which it disappeared from the sensor readings completely. Investigations of Watt’s cell at 57:45:04 SGW revealed the majority of Watt’s plasteel skinplate, as well as a small EMP bomb built from parts of his own body. Security experts have explained that the Vaalg global sensor array is attuned to each inmate’s unique skinplate electrical resistance. Because of this, Watt was able to fool the sensors through a highly risky self-flaying. Latest reports from the Vaalg Hospital report that all 58 guards who were sedated have returned to consciousness, but have yet to regain complete motor skills. Before his arrest 16 years ago, Dr. Bradley Watt was research director of Hero Factory’s lighly secretive Lab 56. When sentient rights activists managed to uncover documents revealing the host of dangerous experiments performed on Heroes in Lab 56, including direct Positronic processor alteration and reflex-network reformatting, Dr. Watt and all twelve scientists working under him were arrested. Six of the twelve scientists including Watts were given life sentences. “Funny, did you know that the last paragraph doesn’t care to make mee-ention that the only reference to me being director of Lab 56 were in those documents that the ‘sentient ri-rights activists’ uncovered? “Not to say I don’t know a lot about the Lab. That bit on Positronic proce-ceessor alteration? Let’s say I was jolly d-daamn well on the receiving end of that. Just a day before my trial I had half of the real research director’s me-memories shoved into my head, cursed man; it really diii-iid help convince the judge of my guilt when I haa-hardly knew the difference between my own identity and that from the memories of that f-filth. Still, all’s well that ee-ends well. I’ve had the mites picked from my machinery, and a fiii-iine new layer of plasteel grafted back on by yours truly! But best of all, you are here, and I fii-iiinally get to tell the world about all those fabulous things that are still going on in L-laab 56! “Oh, are you going to look at me li-liike that? Hah, even a journalist from one of the biggest, most i-idiotic conspiracy-mongering publishers is reaching for his blaster, thinking he’ll b-be “the big Hero” for bringing me to justice. Drat, why d-did I bother? Even if you cared to try and publish this chat, none of your readers w-would be able to do anything about this little siii-iituation I’m in. “D-don’t raise that blaster, please! I only need to se-eedate you! Oh, even if you did believe me I’d still have had to do this. Let’s see, Mark 947.3 p-Psuedoorganic Positronic pr-processor? Get comfy, lad, you’ll be in dreamland for a while.” Lovingly based on Professor Membrane and Wat Tambor. Watt's monologue a bit less interesting for being posted on BZPower. Ah, well.

Thanks for the feedback! I haven't had time to work on either the Seraph or a light box in the last few days; my LEGO collection has gotten a bit disorganized, so my free time has been spent re-sorting it. That was my intent. It has six outlying scanner-eyes, and a central seventh. The gray wheel is its sensor dampers. Hopefully I'll rediscover enough transparent parts during my sorting to make a less noticeable stand!

I and my recently-reassembled Toa Mata will not be joining that group; the old and new shall stand side-by-side next year, finances willing. As for the new mask itself, it must be of some significance to be the one chosen for BIONICLE's theme icon. Off the top of my head, I can think of a few ideas for what it might be. 1. A combined form of six Kanohi. Perhaps if this is a reboot we'll see the combined Golden Kanohi have an appearance completely different from their composite masks? 2. A powerful plot-device mask, akin to the Vahi or Ignika. 3. The mask of a titan-sized figure. It could be Makuta, Takanuva, Arthaka, anyone at all. It doesn't look similar to the original Toa Mata Kanohi, and since old metallic coloured Kanohi were often reserved for larger kits, I doubt it's for a smaller set.

Again, I give you all a look at my awful photography and prototype MOCs! Seraph I put this together quickly; so quickly that I neglected to make a grey-backed light box. Ah well, empty bookshelves can do in an emergency! Hopefully criticisms can give me ideas for improvement; by the time I implement any suggestions I'll likely have a light box proper. The MOC itself is loosely inspired by the Seraphs from Judaism and Christianity. I'm mildly interested in religious imagery of this sort, and thought I'd make a mech based on it. Definitely more interesting than making a mechanized baby-with-harp-and-wings. Loosely inspired. I know that by the descriptions it's not technically a Seraph. Just look at the legs are the 3rd set of wings. Half-baked lore I just skimmed from my mind: Their creators a mystery, Seraphs are unusual machines that are constantly being found at random throughout the galaxy. Endlessly patrolling their home planets, Seraphs are a boon to vulnerable colonists; Seraphs will fight to the death to protect peaceful life-forms of any class or species. All attempts at studying Seraphs closely have failed. Though never malevolent, they have put retrieval crews at great risk in their attempts to escape capture, and project a localized bubble of energy that negates long-range scanning fields of all types. Whether that is the purpose of the field or only a side-effect of a mysterious primary function is unknown. After a Seraph was destroyed in 8E 7750 while attempting to defend the Fielding Colony from a pirate raid, techs were dispatched to the colony's remains alongside relief crews, hoping to salvage any remaining Seraph components. The crew managed to retrieve a single leg, which promptly disintegrated when they attempted to perform a rudimentary scan of its structure.

I no longer receive LEGO magazines, am older than 13, and under current circumstances do not care if I lose the ability to subscribe. I suspect others have similar feelings, though this is obviously a biased suspicion. However, if LEGO were to release a regular comic alongside the magazine -like they did with BIONICLE comics, but not necessarily with similar content- I would not want to see the magazine restricted to those 13 and under. Where the magazine itself became increasingly lackluster to my eyes, I still value my collection of old BIONICLE comics, and imagine that collectors of LEGO media more serious than I will be disappointed if this change is implemented .

A fair analysis; you've given me a better perspective for the issue at hand, and perspective is everything. I may still not see this as such an affront as you do, but to be confronted with where I am wrong is an invaluable asset to better understanding your motivations and the motivations of those who think similarly. Just a final question of you, to better understand how you think of things; do you believe that this type of unintentional sexism is a symptom of a larger issue, and that this specific issue would resolve itself over time if higher issues were quashed, or do you think it a self-contained marketing phenomenon that needs to be directly combated? I'd be interested to hear your opinion.

I've read them, and I don't think they over-complicate things, but I think that the whole universe jumping trope is overused. It's just a way to justify writing AU stories, since without a tie to the main universe, Greg wouldn't have any justification to write them as a LEGO employee. I think all the AU stories would make great "what if" tales, if separate from the inclusion of dimension-hopping main universe characters.

An imbalanced gender ratio for the sake of sales can be seen, and felt, as sexism nonetheless. And in fact if you look back in this topic many people have brought up girl toy themes such as My Little Pony having a skewed gender ratio. Whether or not it is fine for marketing does not mean it is fine morally. Gender restrictions can be awful either way. True, Bionicle probably isn't intentionally sexist, but its restrictions affect many and very much showcase signs of sexism. How you're going to market a product off is important, because it does more than sell; it sends messages. Having a target audience isn't bad, but one must be very careful when targeting that audience, because sometimes it can send a bad idea. Perhaps so, but what if the only bad idea communicated is a skewed ratio? How, exactly, will a skewed ratio affect the minds of those who have been immersed in BIONICLE's world? Is the idea of a fictional society in which the ratio of males to females is skewed inherently toxic? Nowhere in BIONICLE is it stated that this ratio is right or wrong, it just is as it is. Unless an existing bias against the male or female gender has been planted in the recipient, I fail to see how the gender ratio in BIONICLE being what it is would make people accidentally sexist, or host to sexist sentiments. Yes, alongside other sources of intentional or more blatant sexist influence, I suppose BIONICLE's skewed gender ratio could assist in planting bad ideas, but I cannot personally imagine how it could do so on its own. I won't argue that it isn't potentially upsetting to those concerned with gender equality, as how skewed the ratio must be before it is a problem is more of a subjective opinion. I myself would have no problem if BIONICLE had a larger female cast, and I believe that if society continues on a progressive track, it will be easier to market gender-equal brands to everyone. However, neither do I see the current skewed gender ratio as a danger, and more as a passing annoyance that future society will be able to look back on and laugh at.

Many ancient, some slightly chewed, Krana smelling of mildew in the bottom of a bin; I've tried to save them, but unfortunately the hardiest of the bunch are those dreadful Krana Kal. What I'd give for another pair of intact orange and chartreuse Krana for my Nuvohk and Gahlok.

Everything ends, but it's best not to think too hard about it if you don't want to end up nihilistic (in the bad, pessimist way.) So you could say that it wasn't a shock when it ended, but neither was it pleasant for having expected an eventual end.

When I say that vanilla Skyrim is awful in comparison to the glory of modded, I do not mean that mods solve all of vanilla's problems; I mean that I have modded my game so heavily that I can ignore nearly all the vanilla quest and NPC content in favor of the better provided by mods. The only thing modding can't fix in Skyrim are the vanilla quests and NPC dialogue; though indeed a large chunk of the game, a simple alternate start mod can help a would-be avoider of vanilla weasel their way out of the MQ. I wish no anger between us for a misunderstanding; I agree with you that a bit of silver on a pile of dirt will do no good. However, I've found so much I deem silver that anything I deem filth is well-hidden. Perhaps your justified love of Morrowind will overshadow what good there may be in Skyrim, and you would never be able to mod Skyrim into something worth your while. However, I and many others find Skyrim's world map, aesthetics, and general lore a perfectly acceptable template for our better-written mod adventures. I can sympathize there. My first Fallout RPG was NV. Perhaps not the best starting place for the Fallout games, but certainly better than FO3. Playing one and then the other was a jarring transition.

Why is this such a big deal? If you make X product targeted towards audience A, then chances are that product X will be made more relateable to audience A than audience B. This does not imply that the producers have any bias against B, it merely means that they are not the intended audience. BIONICLE was made for young boys, and thus, it's likely that the majority of the cast will be male. Nowhere in BIONICLE do I see male superiority implied, and many posting here have already mentioned the interesting female characters that BIONICLE includes. It's just an imbalanced gender ratio for the sake of sales, not sexism out of any bias against the female gender. Really, no one I've seen complains about products directed towards girls having a skewed gender ratio; why worry about BIONICLE, so long as it isn't intentionally sexist, but just part of the same marketing phenomenon?

I agree wholeheartedly if talking about vanilla Skyrim; thankfully, mods like Interesting NPCs have redeemed the Skyrim experience for me, where else I would have dropped it after my first playthrough. The power of mods is a truly liberating thing. Where vanilla Vampires may be pitiful things, with slap-on-the-wrist penalties and little else to make them unique, I can find a mod that makes Vampirism a truly harrowing and dangerous experience, while granting far greater personalization and development of Vampiric powers. Where vanilla NPCs may be duller than a talking animatronic, I can find a variety of NPC and follower mods that provide well-written dialogue and quests, nearly on par with the follower quests of Fallout: New Vegas. Where in vanilla, loot is abundant and merchants merciful to a fault, with economy and loot overhaul mods I can make finding a piece of Ebony armor a truly special experience, equally unlikely, but possible, be my character level 1, or 100. Where in vanilla my PC is the Usain Bolt powered by a perpetual motion machine, with mods I can make him or her truly mortal, with needs such as sleep and sustenance, and a far lower run speed and carry weight. Where vanilla Destruction consisted mostly of "Get Impact, dual cast", with some overhaul and Spell mods I can turn it into an interesting experience, where every Spell has its niche. Unfortunately, many quest mods require that I finish vanilla quests before they become available, so in my current attempt at a playthrough I've finished slogging through the Winterhold questline so I can get to The Last Altar's quest. It's so annoying that I have little time to RP my development into someone worthy of the title Archmage, when the whole College questline (though not technically timed) screams "Hurry up before something awful happens!" to the PC at every turn. It's a pity, though; I enjoy installing mods and making them play together nicely, but I fear that the time spent finding, researching, making, and tweaking mods is nearly neck-to-neck with time spent actually playing the game.

Indeed, so I've read; from what I'd guess, that's why the first two games are more of a melting pot of fantasy tropes, whereas Morrowind was a departure from the more cliche ones.

TES lore is seriously great, and pretty much entirely the point to play the games, imo. Kinda surprised there hasn't been a tabletop game for it yet, honestly. Yeah, that's why I have such trouble actually starting a good Skyrim playthrough; I constantly feel like I've not created a deep enough character whose personality can outweigh the general dullness of vanilla Skyrim quests. As for TES lore in general, it truly is unique, not just among games, but among most modern media. Tolkien and D&D have inspired so many unoriginal and predictable stories, I'm glad Michael Kirkbride was able to steer TES lore away from that. Many fantasy books and games today make a play at originality, by thinking up new names to stick onto heavily overused concepts like Demons and Angels, Tolkienian Elves, and modern Christian Heavens and Hecks (oh, filter!) Some go a step further and use Eastern concepts for the basis of their cosmology, but rarely go further than that. TES lore, on the other hand, seems to have a truly original cosmology, with its concepts such as CHIM, The Dream of the Godhead, Mantling, Subgradience, Earthbones, Tonal Architecture, etc. Though parallels to some of these concepts exist, the TES lore has an original take on them.