Iruini Nuva

^ Pretty similar assessment on my end. Loved 01-05, thought Metru Nui was great. 06 was fascinating and still had me engaged, but it felt out of place. 07-09 I was more engaged with community projects than with deep lore. I liked the premise of an expanded universe (Barraki, etc.), but it diluted quickly and became hard to follow (Order, Hand, Brotherhood, etc.). Took a lot of wiki reading over the past few years to sort it out.

08 broke too many things. Yes shock value, but the payoff wasn't good enough. Mostly just made things (read: Makuta) awkward.

He's also got them on Soundcloud. And yes, I believe there was a nearly-successful attempt to release the soundtrack in the past that ran into a snag.

Would love to see the level of abstraction return, especially on late G1 sets (Stars, etc.). The fists aren't terrible with the G2 aesthetic, which is already much less abstract, but I've never felt like fists enhanced Bionicle in a meaningful way.

I believe both of these sets are Toys 'R' Us exclusive sets, so that's why TRU is pushing them and not the Rogue One sets (which will all be available from other retailers). I'm not sure how much of the Hot Toy list is actual predictions of what'll sell best at TRU and how much is just products TRU wants to promote, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit of both.

Used to do agency work for CPG campaigns similar to this. 99% targeted promotion--these are the products they want to sell well, though their reasoning may or may not be very deep. Also some guidance from the manufacturer, i.e. Lego indicating which are core products they'd like to push as part of their strategy for the year.

That said, I won't complain if Lego sells well.

Would you look at that. I totally missed it the first time around. Was thinking you'd dramatically overpaid for that mask at first, interesting catch.

I've no idea what I am looking at, but I am jealous.

All you young folks missed out on some good stuff. This was the second Bionicle TCG that Lego made (after Quest for the Masks). Card packs came with the short-lived Mighty Kids Meals at McDonald's, haha.

Oooo. Cards and pretty pictures.

So pretty. Really love little items like this from the early years. The art was so great. Would much rather have more of these as supporting media than an app, ha.

Ooooh, nice! 

 

I have copies of most of the cards kicking around somewhere, but I didn't have the fun of getting them from actual packs - save for the single pack I got  back in 2002. 

 

I need to get some card sleeves like those you've got - much nicer than keeping the cards stacked and stowed away in a closet.

Yeah, I think I only got 2 packs back in 2002. Found this batch on eBay, ha.

And yeah, the card sleeves are great! These cards feel a bit thinner than other TCGs (granted, McD prize), so they show wear a bit faster. Definitely recommend sleeves to keep them shiny.

Yep this card game should have official tournaments on Brick Fair.

That would be amazing. My understanding of the mechanics in this game are that it's pretty straightforward and since there are only 30 cards, deckbuilding is pretty limited. Mostly comes down to draw and your ability to play probabilities with your Toa.

Would love to see a QftM tournament too. Way more cards there to play with.

-secretly wishes they'd announced the winners of the Makuta contest-

Don't have a lot of familiarity with Ninjago, but I mean, they both follow general Western storytelling patterns, yes? Good vs. evil, etc. Both use common elemental archetypes to represent different values and characters in a way that's viscerally relatable (i.e. shadow = evil). Did you have more direct examples in mind?

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Cracked open 15 Bohrok Awake packs tonight, figured you all might enjoy a glimpse of the spoils.

The cards in the sleeves are preexisting from back when I got them in 2002 (and have a bit more play wear to show for it). Between them all, looks like I have a full set except Tahu, Exo-Kopaka, and Lewa. Gonna have to find some more packs.

I've also noticed some funny production bugs. One of the Pohatus and I believe Kopaka have a much darker stripe of foil ink running through the image. Looks like a printer thing.

Loved the old Metru builds--pretty reliably my favorite there.

Tohunga for Matoran. Have like...15 of them.

Wasn't really sure on the other small builds. Voted Bohrok Va, but the Hydruka are probably better builds (just don't happen to own any).

It's pretty good.  It's been years since I've been on the BBC forum, so I'm sort out of the knack for leaving insightful comments on these forums.  It's pretty good, and you're a natural MOCer.  I guess that asides from the cool trans-blue stuff that you did, there isn't a whole lot about this that makes it stand out from the crowd, and I think that it's probably because there isn't any use of any pieces that really stands out to me as innovative.

 

Although you have the Bohrok pieces.  That's awesome.  I remember that blog entry that you made about them, and I totally agreed with it.  It's nice to see you use them in an MOC.  I think that they're the best part of the whole thing.

 

By the way, where did you get each of the trans-blue pieces?

 

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Appreciate that you wandered all the way down here from the blogosphere! Also appreciate the feedback. The trans-blue is definitely the key differentiator in the MOC.

The pieces are 99% from some combination of various 2015-16 sets: MM v SG, Ekimu, Skull Warrior, Storm Beast. There's also a single eye from a Kohrak in there.

I assume we're classifying the Bahrag in with the Bohrok in all of this? At first glance I would have thought they were fairly independent beings, but a closer look leads me to believe the Kal actually had more free will.

The reason I bring it up is that you call out the word set and that, at the time, the Bahrag were perceived as and presented to be plenty evil, even if the ultimate, revealed plan was for them to be more...confused and misunderstood.

I should have clarified this earlier, but the "dz" is supposed to represent the standard English pronunciation of the letter "j", [dʒ], not the actual phonetic [dz]. I should have used either "dg" or "zh," that was my mistake, but I hope that clarifies that last choice.

 

Sorry about the confusion.

Ah I see! Yeah, "dg" is the sound I'm going for.

Answered 2 (Lay), 1 (Oh-neh), 5.

For a time I used Oh-nee-wa to help clarify the distinction between Onua and a slurred Onewa. I tend to emphasize the second syllable in oNUa now instead.

For Jaller (5/Other), I did a quick search for phonetics of DZ, and it sounds basically like it looks, which seems very different from the run-of-the-mill J sound I use. J as in Jam. Also see Mask of Light--same sound there.

Just wanted to drop an update in here. Parisian Restaurant turned out to be a huge hit. Looks like I've started her on a new [-cough- expensive] hobby. Appreciate all the advice!

Have Pet Shop on the way as an anniversary gift. Shhhhhh...

Wow. Five years and yet you return so strong.

 

This is brilliant. The lack of a villainous face will probably keep you from the winning spot, but this is great nonetheless. Keep up the good work!

Haha thanks! Definitely banking on a concept twist for this one.

Brilliant! One of the most original I've seen, if not for the build, for the theme/backstory. Lovely use of Bohrok head parts, I always thought they were extremely versatile with all those holes at different angles, even if chunky looking at first.

 

We need more pictures though.

Thanks! And yeah, those are my new favorite piece by far. I actually wrote a blog post about them, ha. Pretty sure there are 18 in there.

I have additional photos from the shoot that I'll see about uploading. Don't forget that you can click the ones I've included to see a lot more.

It's a pretty good blend of old and new pieces and I like that, the blue makes this different to most Makuta builds. Lower legs feel a bit bare though.

Appreciate the feedback! Definitely trying to blend the finesse of CCBS with the visual interest of G1 parts.

As far as your friction problem goes, I don't think there's a solution that lets you keep the ability to put an axle through the socket's holes. You probably need to close it up more so there's more contact with the ball. The only other thing I can think of is making the socket slightly more closed-up so that it's physically tighter, if that makes any sense.

Wait, is friction the reason you can't stick an axle through there like you can with earlier sockets? Never noticed a difference in friction, but the inability to stick an axle through (plus likelihood of survival) drives me to pick the older style pretty much every time. Always seemed like an inferior part.

Makuta: Consumed By Light

The Toa shattered at his feet, Makuta plucks the Mask from Ekimu's feeble grasp. Victory all but achieved, a soft laugh escapes as he dons his long-sought prize.

And yet, gloating turns to fear. A cry escapes as the Mask's light surges down. Makuta's final moment is consumed by the realization that the Mask is far greater than he. Toa Gali's words echo from the distant past: "You wanted our power, monster. Now let us see if you can handle it."

→ Rebrick Entry ← Don't forget to give it a like!

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My concept is a take on a classic Bionicle theme--the destiny of good to triumph over evil, captured in the pivotal moment when Makuta's arrogance is overcome, and the Mask's light begins to wash down over him. The total build + photoshoot took about 2 weeks.

All feedback and critique is welcome! It's been about 5 years since I last MOC'd; good to be back.

Always nice to see generally positive news. Interesting US data (though 1H should have fewer sales than 2H, I'd think). Makes sense to proactively contract a couple of lines (Bionicle, Mixels, etc.) as an easy optimization when you're not seeing explosive growth.

Got mine in, plus the wifes'. All worked on the first try (3 tags, < 2MB).

@Daler, did you submit at like...xx:59 before the deadline or 10 minutes before? It tends to stick on submitting for a while, but I don't know if it counts the start or the end for the gate.

Don't say such things.

Dropping both mine + the wife's sometime in the next few hours (final edits :3 ). Will reply w/ how it goes.

I like the concept--there have been a couple of entries taking the MNOG route, but I haven't seen one interpret the vortex form. Really like the tangle of the central pillar.

Loved this when it showed up on Rebrick the other day. Great way to evolve the Tohunga archetype without losing its charm. Think it works better with the flat gray Hau vs an infected one too, good call.

Also a huge fan of the lighting.

That's not to say that the Bionicle fan community isn't still unusually strong. Just as one example, the Makuta contest on LEGO Rebrick has generated over 1500 submissions, far more than any previous Rebrick contest since the site was relaunched.

Been watching those numbers too. I at least get some warm fuzzies watching Bionicle set the bar one more time.

Hopefully this gives the team over at Lego a sense of a job well-done.

Welcome! Always happy to see a new face.

Your review definitely brings back a lot of memories. Pretty sure I got my Pohatu back in early 2002 as a treat for a trip overseas. Must've rebuilt those same pieces 20 different ways.

Best of luck with future vids!