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Illuminatus

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Blog Entries posted by Illuminatus

  2. Illuminatus
    Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that 2005 was the only year we got 14 canister sets instead of just 12? While we've gotten canister-sized sets on more than one occasion throughout the years, we never actually got bonus canister sets outside of the Toa Hagah, and that is super special when you think about it.
    I read some complaints recently as to how the Toa Hagah are an "incomplete series" and were also clearly meant to be Toa Dume and Toa Nidhiki. The former statement is downright absurd for the aforementioned reason; did you expect that LEGO would produce 6 extra sets one year for no reason? No, that would've been at the expense at either the Toa Hordika or the Visorak and we would've gotten 2 sets less, not 4 more.
    Also, while I somewhat enjoy the notion that Iruini could've been Nidhiki (because of his mask shape), if we're being completely honest, Norik would've been a lazy Dume. No change of mask type from Noble to Great? Lazy. Besides, Dume and Nidhiki were from two different "generations" of Toa and they'd have had to be marketed as having lived and worked separately. And they would've had to be given different tools from one another. Given the circumstances, they were handled well enough.
    What I'm basically saying is that we got a treat and I for one loved it. Especially considering the pair wasn't available in Bulgaria and I had to seek them out abroad; it felt like a treasure hunt.
  4. Illuminatus
    So I'm looking into assembling my own Toa Krakua per John Dexter's original instructions. I had some fun compiling a BrickLink wanted list until I realized the set can't be assembled without having both dark gray and dark bluish gray parts and that's a huge pain in the neck. But it's still a childhood dream of mine to have the Toa so I'll do some experimenting until I find a color scheme that's as seamless as possible.
     
    IIRC Toa Krakua was the first Toa of a different element besides Fire, Air, Water, Earth, Ice, Stone and Light to be introduced into the canon, right?
  5. Illuminatus

    Light Bluish Gray

    By Illuminatus,

    My very first topic (or post, for that matter) on BZP was in BIONICLE-Based Creations and featured... an MOC with a very vague description and literally no photos, as I hadn't yet heard of Brickshelf. The MOC was called the "Ko-Defender."
     
    On a seemingly unrelated note, I had no idea about the distinction between "light gray" and "light bluish gray" until yesterday; I only knew about "dark gray" and "dark bluish gray" as the pieces in those two colors tend to be bigger. So obviously, I had to go through my entire list of sets to figure out which ones may have incorrect gray pieces.
     
    The answer was easy: all of the second-hand sets I'd bought from 2013 till now and all of my own sets from before and after the color transition in 2004 that I'd personally mashed up.
     
    And it turns out the last sets I'd EVER mashed up in my life were the sets I used for that cringy-looking ice-based MOC in 2005.
     
    So I opened up my Kopaka Mata, Kopaka Nuva, Kurahk and Toa Nuju to check if any of the light gray pieces were mixed up, and—of course—they were.
     
    And now they're all in their proper places.
     
    I literally can't believe how satisfying it was to trace and redistribute these pieces after almost 14 years.
  7. Illuminatus
    Back in 2006 when I became and Outstanding BZPower Citizen a US copper Huna was sent out to me as a token of appreciation but unfortunately never made it to me.
     
    12 years later I finally have it. Black Six was kind enough to send me one as a substitute for the Villain Pack I won in the 2018 Member Raffle #4.
  8. Illuminatus
    Unbelievably, there appear to be 10 snapshots of my BZP profile in the Wayback Machine, but all of them display a board message. Supposedly due to the fact that you can't view profiles while you aren't logged in. But people certainly must've made the snapshots while logged in and while looking at my profile particularly.
     
    Does anyone have any idea how to make these snapshots work?
  9. Illuminatus
    Beating my own lay attempts years ago, someone figured out a way to extract all the musical fragments from BIONICLE: The Game and sewing them together to bring the most complete, well-composed and high-quality OST of the game available online:
     

    or DOWNLOAD! 
    The score includes fragments that have never been used in the actual game for one reason or another, like
    amazing passage for Ta-Koro and entire battle theme for Ga-Koro. 
    Credit goes out to Hexadecimal Mantis for extracting the music and That1Cactus for editing. Insane job, you guys.
     
    I'll go ahead and also share the original Onua Nuva and Tahu Nuva tracks Bob & Barn were kind enough to share with me some years ago that I never got around to uploading—and while I'm at it, here's the entire thing I personally managed to put together:
     
    DOWNLOAD! (23/32 edited tracks + 2 original tracks by Bob & Barn)
     
    Enjoy the best score ever composed for BIONICLE!
  12. Illuminatus
    So just a few hours ago I got what I thought was a great deal on Toa Lhikan and Kikanalo: about $25 in local currency for a seemingly complete set; no box or instructions included. When disassembling the set and doing a piece count, I found a few were missing and several others were in the wrong color. All in all, nothing I wasn't prepared for (these are typical issues when buying from "normies"); I've already ordered the instructions from a US seller and all the necessary pieces from a UK seller. By my current estimations, the extra total shouldn't be more than about $15.
     
    Now the bit that I wasn't prepared for was the fact that Lhikan's Greatswords apparently have very fragile and breakable axles. Upon close inspection of the pieces, I realized one of the axles was glued to the actual sword and when I poked at it it came off with barely any effort; needless to say I'm rather disappointed with the seller, but I've decided to let it go. Here's the issue: Lhikan Greatswords cost a lot on BrickLink, precisely because of their breakability. So I've decided that I'll go ahead and try to mend broken fences, i.e. axles.
     
    My idea right now is to basically even the surface out of both the sword and the axle and then glue them together at as perfect an angle as I can manage. First I'll need to fill in the small crater on the sword with glue or plastic, then file it to produce an even surface. Then I'll file the broken surface of the axle. Then I'll glue the two.
     
    What do you guys think? Yea or nay? Any better ideas? Have any of you gotten a broken piece like that and how did you deal with it?
     
    Perhaps I should get a cheap piece in the same pearl light gray (I think?) color, melt it somehow and use that instead of glue?
  14. Illuminatus
    I'm gonna keep this one brief. A full set of mint-condition 2001 Matoran for $64.99. That makes less than $11 a piece.
     
    Sweet deal, right?
     
    Add $7.50 for shipping to a friend in the States, because the seller doesn't ship overseas.
     
    Add $48.00 for shipping to me, because I am not having the affordable service with a 75% success rate in delivery.
     
    Still a sweet deal, right?
     
    Add a 20% VAT on the entire total at customs, then several small "service" fees for retrieving and releasing my "goods."
     
    *grits teeth*
     
    Still a sweat deal... right?
     
    Update: As it turns out, I had to pay a smaller tax at customs than I'd originally anticipated. Then when I inspected the package closely, I found out it had been marked as a gift, so not only could I have avoided the tax, but it was practically illegal for customs to tax me.
     
    In any case, yes, the Tohunga sets are entirely worth it. YOLO.
  15. Illuminatus
    I'd have ended the story in 2008 with a cliffhanger and a "to be continued," then made Bara Magna the proper Generation 2 after a year's hiatus.
     
    Let's face it, BIONICLE had two reboots: a minor one and a major one. Both failed. IMHO, Bara Magna had promise but was handled poorly. The fact that it ran for only a year is still just surreal to me.
  17. Illuminatus
    For the past several years, I've been doing what I could never do as a kid—namely collecting BIONICLE sets, collectibles, pieces and merchandise online.
     
    I recently came to a very grim realization that had somehow been eluding me since mid 2011. Shipping overseas (in my case from the US to Bulgaria) without tracking is absolutely unreliable. I went ahead and made an extensive revision of every online purchase I've made from the US since mid 2011 and arrived at the following numbers:
    5 US eBay purchases (without tracking) – 5 arrived (4 BIONICLE-related)
    6 US BrickLink purchases (without tracking) – 1 arrived (6 BIONICLE-related)
    3 US BZP trades/purchases (without tracking) – 2 arrived (3 BIONICLE-related)
    1 other US purchase (without tracking) – 1 arrived (0 BIONICLE-related)

    Which means that out of 15 shipped packages (that I paid for; obviously) only 9 (60%) have arrived. That is absolutely maddening. For every 3 purchases that have arrived to me, 2 have gone missing. Those numbers are insane. I mean look at BrickLink, for goodness' sake—1 out of 6 arrived. Are you kidding me???
     
    I've had packages go missing from other countries as well, but nowhere near as often as from the US. Packages from Germany have occasionally arrived damaged, but almost always arrive without the need for tracking. That goes for almost all of Europe.
     
    Now I was almost certain the problem was with Bulgarian Post (a government-owned establishment) and their sloppy service; I'm willing to bet the majority of the packages that never arrived to me are in fact in my own country; although the numbers make me consider whether USPS is doing a good job too or is partly responsible for this gross unreliability.
     
    I hate to rant, but this simply isn't fair. Literally the cheapest delivery service in the civilized world should, by default, guarantee that your package will in fact arrive. It doesn't matter how long it takes. Arrival should be a given, not a privilege. When we pay for merchandise and pay to have it shipped, we pay for it to arrive, not just to depart. If I were paying for the latter, I could just as easily have the seller toss it out their window and then keep my fingers crossed it arrives somehow.
     
    Not to mention the obvious loss of time, money and valuable merchandise. I don't know about you guys, but even in the very rare cases where I'd gotten a refund, I've still felt extremely cheated, because the items I've (apparently gambled on and) lost have usually been the only ones for sale at the time. For a lost package to hypothetically be compensated, you would need a full refund and the easy opportunity to buy the same item for the same amount from elsewhere. If those circumstances are present, you can get over the time you've lost, but it's never really just the time you lose. You usually lose the time, the money and the ability to obtain the item again. That is literally criminal.
     
    Bottom line is, whenever I want to buy something from overseas, I have to choose between either paying a reasonable amount of money for shipping or being guaranteed that my package will in fact arrive. Having both is apparently too much to ask for in the 21st century.
     
    To wrap my rant up, I'll just go ahead and post a list of all the items I've lost in the aforementioned purchases (all of which are coincidentally LEGO-related items):
    1 Toa Mata US promotional mini CD
    1 Interactive Demo CD
    1 Throwbots 2000 Fusion poster
    7 different marbled silver Rhotuka spinners
    1 glow-in-the-dark opaque Rhotuka spinner
    1 dark bluish gray Rhotuka spinner
    1 pearl light gray Toa Mata head
    9 Kanohi polybags in 3 different colors
    1 Kanohi & Krana polybag

    RIP in the huge magical pile of "lost" packages I guess.
     
    BCJ out.
  22. Illuminatus

    Change in Plan

    By Illuminatus,

    NOTE: This proposal is also outdated. The current (and final) suggestion is being reviewed by the BSS and will not be posted publicly until they've consulted with Greg.
     

    - - -
     

     
    | CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE |


     
    Three is still at the base, with all ensuing numbers as multiples.
     
    Void is basically a superset of Vacuum, it is nothing, the absence of both good (moral light), and evil (moral shadow). It is to be a physical representation of the moral balance present in every Toa, except for the Toa of Shadow. Shadow is to be the only physical Element that would be unable to exist without its moral counterpart, whereas physical Light would be able to exist in a state of moral "Void." Altogether, Light, Shadow, and Void are to be the Three Fundamental Elements, acting as physical manifestations of the three basic moralities found in all things.
     
    "Poison" is just a placeholder name I used for an eventual Acid-based Toa Element. The idea is to simply redefine the powers we've already been presented with, and cause Greg as few headaches as possible, all the while preserving the main concept of the "numerology theory."
     
    On a side note, Void would be the third mixed-gender Element, along with Light and Shadow, and thus the gender ratio would be 3:3:12, with 3 mixed, 3 female, and 12 male Elements.
     
     
     

    - - -


  23. Illuminatus

    Just Two More

    By Illuminatus,

    Sent to bonesiii, who'll pass it on to the BSS for reviewing.
     
    UPDATE: Read this entry, it contains the updated concept.
     

    - - -


     
    As we're all aware, there's been a recent outbreak of complaints as to the overabundance of elements and their seemingly random addition to the BIONICLE storyline. Most members now are strongly against the addition of any new elements within the boundaries of the MU, with the grounds that there are "just too many" of them. And they've got a good point, if the addition is indeed random, and without an initially established final number. So, BSS (and hopefully Greg), I present for your consideration:
     



     
    This theory will attempt to explain why there is (or could be) a certain number of virtues, legendary powers, elements and hours within one day in the Matoran Universe.
     
    Now, let's start off with one of the most basic concepts of BIONICLE The Three Virtues:
    Unity
    Duty
    Destiny
    There are also three legendary powers in the MU, which in a way could be associated respectively to each virtue:
    Creation
    Life
    Time
    Unity brings about creation, as it could be related to building, or constructing. Life can viewed as a duty to the others and/or yourself, depending on your goals. And destiny can only be unfolded within a certain time span.
     
    So, we've got three virtues, and three principal powers. My primary idea is to have the number three be at the base of all other significant numbers, as each of them is comprised of it. There are six original elements, which were introduced in 2001, and six is divisible by three. We know of ten secondary elements so far, but let's assume that the total number is twelve. Twelve is divisible by both three and six. Furthermore, the complete number of elements in the MU would be eighteen, the product of three and six.
     
    I've composed this chart, enlisting the three virtues, and the hypothetical eighteen elements:
     

     
    | CLICK FOR LARGER IMAGE |


     
    Moving on, a BZP member recently presented the idea of there being thirty-six hours a day in the MU, with an eighteen-hour night and an eighteen-hour day, and that idea is currently being voted upon. If we assume that that idea becomes canon, then we've got one more significant number in the MU, one that fits perfectly in the virtue/element "matrix." Thirty-six is divisible by each preceding number three, six, twelve and eighteen, and it completes the cycle of the matrix.
     
    Here's a list of the described equations:
     



     
    And that is the essence of my theory. With your help and hopefully Greg's approval, we can make this a canon aspect of BIONICLE, and create room for two more elements. I realize that some people might not like the addition of new elements whatsoever, and that's understandable. But if we accept this idea, then such an addition would no longer appear arbitrary and uncalled for, plus such a matrix would pertain to the Great Being's way of work.
     
    Thank you for taking the time to read this.
     

    Acknowledgements:


     
    bonesiii, for his idea to associate the three virtues with the three legendary powers.
    Zakitano, for his sundial and thirty-six hour theory.
     

    - - -


  24. Illuminatus
    Christian Faber was kind enough to share a piece of concept BIONICLE artwork with me over email:
     



     
    Something else that might be interesting is, he'll soon be launching a website, entirely dedicated to his work with LEGO during the past 25 years. As I suspected, he was also involved in the making of the Slizer/Throwbots series, so it's quite possible that we may finally obtain some form of official canon for the guys.
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