masterchirox580

1 hour ago, Nato G said:

At the risk of sounding harsh: what fans? And where are they talking about it?

I just had a skim of the main Hero Factory-related sites, and the only active username I see on most of them is yours.

According to the changelog on HS01, you're the only person who's contributed to it in any way in months. The same is true of the Heropedia wiki. The Custom Hero Factory wiki has a little activity happening, but it all seems to be in relation to a single ongoing Youtube series. r/HeroFactory only has 369 members, weeks go by between posts, replies are in the single digits, and once again it looks like you're the most frequent poster by a vast margin. The only outlier is r/HeroFactoryLego, which has 3.4k members, and averages few posts a day, but that one seems to be used for general CCBS MOC-posting now rather than HF-specific discussion. 

I'm not saying that HF has no fans, or that it doesn't deserve to be remembered, but the general attitude of the wider community seems ambivalent at best. No one else seems to be anywhere near as fixated with the theme as you appear to be. Instead of sitting around making wistful posts hoping others will recover old content for you, why not create new content of your own, or engage with some of the existing fan content that's currently running? (Such as Master Inika's current HF story on this site). 

That subreddit is quite interesting as it seems to be exactly what Lego had in mind for the theme. Lego intentionally simplified constraction because they felt Bionicle was too restrictive with its' complicated storyline and use of very specific pieces. Lego seemed to have gone through some kind of internal backlash to their early to mid 2000s days of distinctive characters with heavier focus on storylines. It was this exact marketing which pulled me in and from what I understand ninjago also follows this line (although its' story cannot hold a candle to Bionicle). This strategy seems to work whereas the HF strategy did not. Admittedly it would have been cool to see the world of Hero Factory fleshed out more as they could have had a cool universe with so many planets. Maybe there was a big intergalactic crime syndicate that caused the Hero Factory to form or something. Either way this caused a loss of interest in Lego on my end and to this day I have no interest in rekindling it.

I mean I would say it's already been forgotten outside of this niche corner of the internet. I would even go as far as to say it was forgotten from its' inception as it was always an afterthought after Ninjago and Chima. I don't know if any numbers exist but I honestly believe a good chunk of people buying HF toys were those of us left over from Bionicle. From what I recall most actual kids at the time (defined as people below the age of 12) were more interested in Ninjago. Hero Factory certainly did last longer than most Lego themes but not enough to have a large fanbase today. Most people that have any interest in it today are mostly people interested in CCBS and don't seem to care for the very lackluster story and characters. That's what I seem to recall when I sold my collection of the stuff off. A lot of the costumers were people in it for the pieces. Admittedly these pieces were very good from a MOC perspective but other themes were also using them and Lego had wanted to simplify constraction since at least 2010 so I don't think it's right to credit Hero Factory specifically. The whole CCBS experiment has since ended and Lego no longer make anything resembling constraction in line with the original slizers theme. HF was just too bland and boring to make a significant dent in my memory. 

5 hours ago, Master Inika said:

If I composed music for Hero Factory, I would pay LEGO to make sure no one ever found out.

Sick burn. 

In all honesty the HF specials were just typical cheap kids entertainment. I'm not sure what the makers of those specials think about their work a decade on but I don't imagine it's a highlight on their resumes. Either way those cheap kids specials really don't age well as you grow older. In fact with a few exceptions most of what I watched as a kid is unwatchable at this point. 

It's a possibility but it's unlikely to happen as there simply isn't much demand for it. I do remember some of the HF jingles but other than that nothing. Unless you can assemble a large number of people wanting the HF soundtrack it is unlikely to happen. Although perhaps you could email the composer (assuming you can find his contact info). 

I remember having it a few times, years ago. Typically when it happens I am at a local supermarket that I sometimes went to in order to buy the things. Typically mine are of old sets being re-released. The only twist though is that every time it happened I was then shocked to find that the sets are in fact bootlegs. Very good bootlegs. I would see the images and then the clearly bootlegged logos. I always left disappointed. Not entirely sure what this was supposed to signify but it certainly was always a weird twist.

Well being Catholic I guess you can say I believe in the supernatural. I myself recall being visited by my grandmother in a dream and the next day my mother said she could have sworn she heard foot steps during the night and thought someone had come into the house. Make of that what you will. 

My recollection on this is that the Lego group really did not like the idea and I think this was with good reason. Placing a human in the mask of light, let alone making that human the seventh toa would have completely destroyed the canon and any sense of immersion. Plus there was technological problems as I cannot imagine how it would have worked given the now ancient animation software they would have been using. In creative development these things happen. Ideas get thrown around a lot and a fair number don't make the cut. 

I think you'd have to split this up by building system. If we're talking the G1 technic days I want to say the vahki. They weren't bad, so to speak, but they were just kind of uninteresting. Essentially they were just a robot police force being controlled by Makuta. The stars were actually very memorable on account of how terrible they were. With CCBS I want to say the Chima line. Chima figures were not only bad but nobody seemed to want them. I myself was largely out of the Lego scene by this point but Chima was not at all memorable. Even the superheroes figures were better.

21 minutes ago, Lorentz said:

Okay, well now you gotta spill the beans.

 

What did you do?

My understanding is that this individual has supposedly been pestering another user that he is has a deep obsession with and that this has gone on for circa a month now. I don't have screenshots of the conversations that were supposedly had but given the things I know from people of other lego adjacent online communities I would personally believe the accusations to be true. This person seems to be displaying symptoms of both Autism and OCD. It is very clear that he is undergoing anxiety as he is now trying to delete threads as well as re-apologise to the person making the accusations. There is a very high chance that this will not be the end of this person's activities on this website. I'm not sure if I have any solutions for this individual other than to try and seek treatment for OCD as I believe that is what keeps driving them back to this website and other bionicle fan communities. 

Well this topic escalated quickly. 

18 minutes ago, Nato G said:

 

Unfortunately, you're probably right. I totally understand the trope of the red one being the face of the franchise, but I imagine a lot of fans and collectors would prefer to see other sets and characters get some acknowledgement as well. 

I think Takanuva is also a very good bet for this sort of "future" for bionicle. I put that in quotations as it's not really a future with a new storyline or anything. Takanuva is also very recognisable due to the 2003 film. I could also see some brick built masks perhaps, such as the ignika. Either way it's not really a G3 as we'd like to have seen it as it will just be replicas of the old sets. I think this is also because the audience is way smaller than other Lego themes such as castle or classic space. Bionicle has a decent sized audience but it is no where near as recognisable as the generic old themes of the 70s and 80s.

12 hours ago, confused piraka said:

Tahu's seem to come in waves of 2 

01-02

08-09

15-26

22-23

anyone else notice this?

I mean here in Europe the stars were released in early 2010 and weren't out of production until the end of the year so as far as I'm concerned there was a good gap there. Either way though Lego's current strategy is largely that of reiterating their old themes with the most easily recognisable icons to draw in the highest number of people (mainly 20 to 40 something nostalgics). I'm not particularly happy with this strategy as it means there's a very good chance it's just gonna be more odes to Tahu. Although it does also mean a decently high chance of a bohrok replica being created or perhaps even a piraka. Either way I wouldn't buy it as these products only target collectors and are not designed for children. Lego has no real interest in actually bringing back themes for a new generation. They seem to assign certain themes to certain age groupings and then try and keep them hooked with the odd release here and there. As far as I'm concerned it stifles Lego's internal creativity and stops them from churning out new themes like they did in the 2000s and before. There are all sorts of concepts they could experiment with that they just won't. A Greco-Roman theme is long overdue I think but it doesn't seem like it'll ever happen. All we get is that very expensive colosseum set a few minifigures, and perhaps some of the Atlantis sets? It's a theme that should have happened by now but just hasn't. It's not like I buy this stuff so it doesn't effect me either way. 

Lego seems to have declared bionicle a "vintage theme" which certainly makes me feel old. It suggests its' going to take on a position similar to castle and space. That is something that Lego throws out an odd reference to every now and then and maybe makes a D2C set every now and then for some extremely high price. Mostly likely built brick replicas of the old sets as Lego can no longer produce the moulds that made them. Best case scenario is that we see brick builds of the 2010 Makuta and Mata Nui robots. Worst case is that we just get more odes to Tahu.

14 minutes ago, PortalPuppy31 said:

I've picked up an interest way after G1.

Yeah, sorry to say this but you're kind of barking up the wrong tree. The bionicle community mostly consists of people who were kids during its' original run between 2001-2011 (counting the extra story arcs). Most of us bond over that shared memory of the old days of bionicle back when it was on store shelves. Most people here will be coming from the perspective of a nostalgic rather than someone who has gained an interest long after the fact. You're more than free to continue reading up on this stuff and indulging in a love of an old franchise (I know I used to do that) but I would really suggest looking elsewhere for a sense of belonging. 

I'm not entirely sure what happened but from the looks of it you seem like a troubled individual attempting to use old internet communities to alleviate a sense of loneliness. I may be overstepping the bounds a bit by even commenting on this but you mentioned being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and having been accused of stalking. I'm not going to comment on that but I get the impression you have issues related to socialising. It's nothing to be ashamed of, in fact it's more an indictment of the society surrounding you that you don't have people in the real world to speak to. I would also like to enquire into your relationship with the bionicle franchise. Were you a fan of it during the time of G1 or have you picked up an interest later on? Either way I wouldn't recommend spending huge amounts of your time on this fanbase as virtually all of us are young adults now with different interests and responsibilities. 

On 10/20/2023 at 8:16 PM, Master Inika said:

I just revisited two classic season 1 episodes, "A Dog and Pony Show" and "Feeling Pinkie Keen." I have to say, and others might disagree, but the show holds up really well. I forgot how much I liked classic slice-of-life MLP. Huge world-changing adventures are fun, but it's so nice and chill for the ponies to just vibe with each other in fairly low-stakes conflicts.

I personally cannot bring myself to watch it anymore. Not because it's bad but just because of how much the world has changed since then. It just reminds of when the internet revolution was in full swing and we could all finally get away with doing this without normies to harass us. Nowadays my relationship with the internet is mostly negative and I can no longer stomach the fact that I used to be able to just switch off and indulge in this sort of stuff for hours at a time. Now I have to think about my family and long term well-being like never before. It's just too painful. 

That's kinda cool I guess. Won't be watching the special of course but seeing Tuma is certainly quite the throw back. My guess is that it was an aesthetic choice to match the whole Lego feeling. I like that the animators chose to do this.

When looking at Lego's current line up I find that it is no more expensive and perhaps cheaper than it was in the past. For example I compared the Trolls Mountain Fortress that I got for Christmas in 2009 which cost £75 at the time. In today's money that apparently translates to a whopping £113.79. Compare that to the recent Lego Dreamzzz line, a theme I could definitely have seen myself being into as a kid. Mr Oz's space bus contains a similar number of pieces and is cheaper when accounting for inflation. So what's happened? Answer is that we're all just a lot poorer than we used to be. Wages haven't risen significantly since the 2008 financial crash. Only recently have wage rises begun but the lack of a rise between 2008 and today means we've all just lost too much money to keep up. I myself am selling off my old Lego and am frankly amazed that it sells at all. 

Hello everyone. Today I am listing my rare Karzahni set for sale. It comes with an instruction booklet in scruffy but usable condition and all pieces in good condition. Pictures below:

https://imgur.com/a/WRmCsQC

If anyone is interested in purchasing please DM me and we can discuss the price and shipping and all that.

On 9/29/2023 at 8:07 PM, Master Inika said:

Blue is the best.

It's so weird how the brony fandom just kind of ended. I know it still exists (I still check My Little Brony every now and again) but it really was everywhere for awhile. MLP was the thing that got me through the end of BIONICLE. I remember so passionately watching each new episode on YouTube then listening to Digibro and Tommy Oliver's videos on them.

I think it was around S6 was when I stopped watching it. It wasn't intentional, I just ran out of time. I still plan on eventually tracking down and watching them all on DVD, but it really isn't the same anymore.

I have absolutely no interest in G5. I have heard exactly zero good things about it.

I have seen a small amount of G5 and it's just boring. The characters aren't nearly as dynamic and endearing and the world is just uninteresting. Also the animation no longer sticks out so there's nothing to look at. The programme itself simply started getting old by season 5 and other programmes stole the limelight. 

Also another Bluey fan I see?

On 8/9/2023 at 1:33 AM, Taria Pakari said:

I hated getting them from Argos cuz they always ended up being doubles. Triples, once.

 

Plus at Woolies I could get an awesome Pick-n-Mix loaded with Quality Street Green Triangles. :v

Argos often provided the wrong ones as they would sometimes be assigned to a single number in the catalog. 2008 canisters were all assigned to a single number. I remember you had to tell them the item number and then request which one (usually identified by colour). 

52 minutes ago, Taria Pakari said:

Eh? Could have sworn I'd already posted here. Whatever. First sets were a two-pack of Vakama and Onewa Metru with a bonus Kanoka pack. Good ol' Woolworths, losing those stores was a heavy blow to my LEGO/Bionicle purchases.

Oh yeah I used to get all my bionicles there until it shut down. Luckily we had argos and a local toy shop to keep me going.

Hard to say as I was so young at the time. I was into it because my sister and cousin were into it and got into it somewhere between the ages of 3 and 4. They had the sets and I simply played along. My earliest recollection of a set that belonged to me was Lewa Nuva and perhaps Lehvak Kal. Since then all sets in the house are now considered property of myself. 

All I can say is that I personally can believe something like this may happen in the future. The Lego company is now experimenting with brick built constraction figures and seems to be relaunching efforts in the constraction market with this in mind. A brick built bionicle isn't a stretch. Lego does now seem to have switched to the Hasbro model of creating established IPs with reboots every decade, so a bionicle reboot could very much be on the horizon.  Would I buy it? No. It's something that I frankly believe should have been left in the 2000s. Without Greg Farshtey attached it just wouldn't hit as well. Plus I don't have the money let alone the space for it. 

On 1/29/2023 at 9:08 PM, The Toa of Music said:

Why does this exist lmao.

Because at the time it was made many of us were MLP fans (then known as bronies). It used to be this huge content empire that has since receded into a much smaller but still dedicated fanbase. Most of us have moved on since. Although for anyone who was a fan of this programme I could possibly recommend Bluey which is having a somewhat similar moment right now. Although it's admittedly a very different kind of programme I think it can have some psychological benefits.