Lyichir

 

I really think nitpicking stone vs earth is about as logical as nitpicking ice vs water would be, yet I see no "get rid of ice as an element" threads anywhere. Neither make sense in a scientific way, but the lore - as convoluted as it is - has made the distinctions between them very clear.

But water is liquid and ice is solid. The elements of Ice, Water, and Air all control the same substance, just in different states (solid, liquid, gas).

 

Um... air is very definitely a different substance than water. Mind you, a Toa of Air could conceivably control clouds/steam by manipulating the air around it, but that doesn't really count as "controlling water" any more than a Toa of Earth creating an earthquake that formed a tidal wave.

Personally I'm a fan of a team of six, in part due to how easily it can be split. A team of six can pair up into three groups of two, or split into two groups of three. Growing up, the usual roster of six sets allowed me to split most sets evenly between myself and my two brothers. That's something that doesn't work quite as well with groups of four, five, or seven (excepting seventh members like Takanuva that typically occupy a different price range or product category).

I would be psyched up for a Lego Halo or Metal Gear.

You know who else would probably be psyched for Lego Metal Gear? Hideo Kojima. Not only did he use a minifigure avatar on Twitter for a while (actually designed for him by the team at Warner Bros. and Lego responsible for the Lego video games), but he has talked at length about using Lego to design the levels for the original Metal Gear Solid!

Unfortunately, both of those themes will probably never happen because of Lego's reluctance to license M-rated games (which is the main reason why Halo went with Mega Bloks instead). The closest we might get is the Ultra Agents set 70164 Hurricane Heist, which not only took visual inspiration from Metal Gears for its bulky, militaristic flying machine, but even included a Metal Gear-style codec conversation on the windscreen!

I know it probably won't happen, but I would love to see some Nintendo franchises made into Lego lines. Specifically Metroid. I love that series and I would get a Samus Aran or Ridley set in a heartbeat. Sets based on other Metroid characters, like Kraid, Mother Brain, Dark Samus, and/or a Metroid (species) would be really cool too.

 

Another one could be Super Mario Bros. I don't know if Mario, Luigi, and some of the other characters would work as sets themselves, but I think minifig versions of them would be neat. Though some characters like Bowser could definitely be their own sets.

Unfortunately, Super Mario Bros. is currently licensed by K'nex (the sets and figs are mediocre at best and I feel Lego could do much better, but until that licensing agreement ends I doubt Lego will get a crack at it). And I don't know if we'd be likely to see Metroid except possibly in the context of a larger Nintendo theme, considering both the slightly more violent and mature subject matter of the series as well as the fact that it's a fairly niche series that has gone without an unambiguous hit for quite some time.

In terms of Nintendo themes, I think the one with the most potential currently would be The Legend of Zelda, considering that theme's global popularity, the imminent release of a highly anticipated title, a provable audience by virtue of the many highly-supported Ideas projects that have come and gone, and of course, the fact that the franchise is not currently licensed out to any other building toy manufacturers.

Look at it this way, though—the rate of violent crime is pretty much zero! There aren't even any guns!

Has LEGO ever celebrated or really even mentioned the anniversaries of any of their lines? I can't think of any time they have.

Lego is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Technic theme next year with a special printed beam in every set. But 40 is a heck of a bigger milestone than 15, particularly considering that unlike Bionicle, the Technic theme has continued mostly uninterrupted since its inception.

Conversely, the 40th anniversary of Lego trains went mostly uncelebrated this year apart from the annual Lego employee gift. Like Bionicle, that probably has to do with the fact that the theme is much less popular now than it was back in those days, with only one train set this year and many years in the intervening time that went without any train sets at all.

OMG, that's hilarious. I had completely forgotten about that filter, but it chose to manifest itself in one of the greatest ways possible.

Now I'm picturing actual "BZP Lovers' Suites". Like, private forums for the surprisingly large number of couples who have found each other through BZPower. Completely impractical, but a fun mental image nonetheless.

There's a sort of irony in the fact that while the 2015 Bionicle reboot only lasted four waves, the 2015 Pirates reboot only lasted a single wave. No wonder they couldn't stand up to Tahu.

Out of all of these, I'd have to say my favorite is definitely that new villain apparently named "The Eraser". Just as the Lego Movie had Vitruvius with a staff that was actually a lollipop, it looks like the Lego Batman Movie will have the Eraser with a head that's actually a pencil's head and eraser.

Eraser isn't actually a new villain. The writers are really digging deep into Batman lore with this one!

Yep, I've grabbed most of the harder-to-find ones from there. There are other sites that have powers online, but Spyrius.org is the best I've found.

 

I have to wonder if the kids playing it have figured that out too...

Yes, Spyrius.org is great. My only issue with them is that they don't actually list where those powers were originally sourced from (important if for whatever reason you want to limit which powers you scan based on their availability). For that, this Twitter account is one of the best resources I've found.

If I had to pick one single mistake, it'd be Greg's decision to attempt to continue the story after the theme's end rather than focusing on tying up any necessary loose ends beforehand. Plot points were not just left hanging in the theme's final years, but new plot threads were actually introduced even when the decision to draw the theme to a close had already been made and there was little time left to bring them to fruition. In fact, I might even say that the serials in general were not the best decision. Perhaps they helped from a promotion standpoint (especially as the number of books published each year dwindled and certain sets like store exclusives had to be promoted through other channels), but in general I felt that the serials were weaker than the main story and the tangential stories they told would mostly be better off either ignored or folded into the main series.

I'm ok without a Dragon theme.  Ninjago, Elves and I'm sure Nexo Knight one day have plenty of variety of builds. I don't think I need one exclusive theme.  What I would like is a variety of dragon parts leaving it up to the builder to fill in the body.  Like a number of heads and wings and you use the parts to build a dragon out of that.  It may be infeasible, but a guy can dream. 

 

I don't think you have to worry about How to Train Your Dragon.  They tried a theme set in Mega Blocks and it didn't do well. They also had an original dragon theme and it also failed to catch on. That one had eggs and dragon parts you assembled. 

The Elves dragons do have a bit of that sort of variety, with two standard wing sizes (in addition to the brick-built wings of the queen dragon) and two standard head sizes (the smaller head used for most of the dragons as well as a larger one for the queen dragon). I'm sure that the wings in particular might continue to find use in future dragons, even ones in other themes.

Speaking of those dragons, one interesting fact that's not well-known is that they also share a standardized jaw connection with a few of the Legends of Chima constraction figures! Obviously not all combinations of those look great due to the varying jaw sizes and shapes, but they can be mixed and matched nonetheless.

 

Those are some of the best suggestions I can come up with. Of course, if you aren't picky about what you get, it could be worth waiting a little to see if discounts on this year's sets bring some of the larger sets down to your price range. Hope this helps!

Actually, it does. Thanks a bunch!

 

My reasoning for the lower price has more to do with the fact that I am running out of space to keep stuff, so something smaller, yet effective is what I'm after. Your insight is most appreciated.

 

One set that I was eyeing before posting this was the Aero Striker V2. What are your thoughts on that one?

 

The Aero-Striker V2 is definitely a nice looking set, and like a few of the others I mentioned includes a knight, squirebot, and villain (in this case, a winged Ash Attacker). In terms of functionality, it's probably one of the most playable models at that price point, considering that it basically functions like a working, swooshable handheld crossbow. Build-wise, it's not too shabby either, with a nice blend of Technic and System and some great details like the jet intakes formed from castle wall panels. The only reason it didn't end up on my list was that I was unsure whether its color scheme (with green accents in addition to the blues, greys, and Trans. Fluor. Reddish Orange shared by other Nexo Knights sets) would be up your alley if you were looking for a single, iconic Nexo Knights set. But if you're okay with that, then it'd be a fine choice.

 

No.

Just let people dream. Sometimes they come true.

 

Sure, people can dream. But picking a date out of a hat at random and asking if that's when Bionicle's coming back doesn't make for a substantive discussion topic. On YouTube, I suppose it doesn't matter whether you actually have anything valuable to say as long as you can get views. But that's not how BZPower operates, nor should it be. There are already two other topics on the first page of this subforum for people to share their thoughts about the likelihood of a hypothetical G3, so I don't see what a topic like this that starts with a baseless assumption adds to the discussion, besides elevating one member's voice above the rest of the crowd.

Interesting question!

Clay's Rumble Blade is pretty much at the top of the suggested price range, but considering that Clay is arguably the main character of the theme and that his color scheme is the closest to standard of the main knight characters, it might be a good choice. It, like many of the Nexo Knights vehicles, is inspired by medieval weaponry, and separates into multiple vehicles, which is always fun. It also includes an Ash Attacker (one of the most distinctive generic monster varieties in the theme) along with not one but two squirebots. It's far from your only option, though.

The King's Mech is cheaper at $30, and is not only a great Nexo Knights set but a fantastic mech in general (one of the best ones Lego's made, IMO). It includes a fancy golden-armored King Halbert figure along with a King's Squirebot, and has great articulation. If you're in the market for something bigger, The Black Knight Mech is still within your price range at $40, and features the young knight Robin, the snake-tailed Whiparella, a King's Squirebot, and an Ash Attacker (though personally I prefer the shaping, colors, and improved articulation of the smaller King's Mech).

If you want something decidedly more villainous, Beast Master's Chaos Chariot is not a bad choice. Not only is the chariot a fairly creative villain vehicle (pulled by two giant Pac-Man-esque Globlins), but the set also features a hover horse (one of five such standardized-but-interesting builds included in the theme for the five main knights). Figure-wise, it includes Macy, the theme's only female knight, and while Beast Master himself is less distinctive than some of the other lava monsters in terms of his design it also features a fair number of his tiny "globlin" minions. This set also includes one of the evil books that can be collected in the theme, unlike the three aforementioned sets.

Unfortunately, for a "Castle theme", there aren't a lot of actual structures and fortifications to choose from, particularly at your desired price point. If that's what you're most interested in, Merlok's Library 2.0 is pretty much your only option. It features three figures and an evil book, though the set as a whole is more interesting when paired with the much larger Fortrex.

Those are some of the best suggestions I can come up with. Of course, if you aren't picky about what you get, it could be worth waiting a little to see if discounts on this year's sets bring some of the larger sets down to your price range. Hope this helps!

No.

Why isn't a Lego Dragons theme an idea yet I mean cmon they could make a theme of just dragons with the Ninjago Dragon build that I consider the best and if they do get to do that I only ask one thing DONT LET IT BE Dreamworks Dragons.

I think the main reason for that is that themes that allow for a diverse range of set types tend to perform better than themes that focus almost entirely on one type of set. For instance, the popularity of the Ninjago theme, which features dragons, mechs, temples, ruins, and plenty of other ground and air vehicles, is probably due in no small part to having something that appeals to pretty much everyone. Elves, which focused its second year on dragons, still offered plenty of sets based on castles, villages, and other sorts of settings. Conversely, Exo-Force, which had a few bases and ground vehicles but otherwise focused predominantly on humanoid mechs, seems to have been less successful, possibly because its appeal was largely limited to mech fans. A theme focused exclusively on dragons might run into similar issues.

Haven't watched the video (not keen on doing so with a title like that)... but you are aware BZP still has rules about profanity?

 

I noticed the price per piece ratio in sets back when I was a kid because it was a big deal when a set's piece count went up. Back then I remember titan sets like axonn had higher piece counts than the inika but he was short, but nowadays you can have a tall/big set, but have a lower piece count than many small or medium sized sets 

 

I mean, I haven't really been taking this topic seriously at all, but price-per-piece ratio isn't a good measure for sets like BIONICLE. The pieces vary in size and complexity far too much.  Blindly comparing price-per-piece ratios without considering what the pieces actually are is meaningless.

 

Well, it is a fair point. Sets packaged in boxes (including the G1 titans and pretty much all the G2 sets) DO generally have better price-per-piece ratios than sets in canisters, because canisters are very expensive to produce compared to folded cardboard, which in turn reduces the number of parts that can be included at a given price point. LimeFlavoredLibertarian is really just proving why boxes are a better choice.

I mean, us old-timers have already been through this same thing before when Bionicle ended the first time. Some of us tried to keep the dream alive through fan-continuations, though many of those turned out to be easier said than done. Some of us moved on to other Lego themes, and some of us moved on to other interests entirely. And even among the people who completely lost interest in Bionicle, many of them maintained the relationships they had formed as part of the fandom, including those here on BZPower and elsewhere.

For my part, I will probably continue to enjoy other Lego themes with other members of the fandom, and continue MOCing both Constraction and non-Constraction creations. But that's not to say you have to do the same thing. The community can and will do any number of things in the aftermath of Bionicle's end, but what you do is entirely up to you.

2017 is shaping up to be the year of the tile, what with the new 2x3 tile and all the new tiles in this set...

 

The good news: if neither version of Pohatu was overstocked and on clearance, then perhaps you could take that as anecdotal evidence that brown sets no longer sell as poorly as they used to during G1.

I don't think that necessarily counts since none of the stone sets in the second generation actually have brown as a primary color.

 

They have Dark Orange, which is much more of an earth tone than, say, Bright Orange or Flame Yellowish Orange (and was one of the original '01 stone colors to boot). And considering that the "brown" of the original Pohatu was ALSO considered a shade of orange (Earth Orange, to be precise), I'd say Dark Orange qualifies.

Worst case scenario: 2016 Gali sold poorly because she's a female character. I'd like to believe otherwise, but as much as society has progressed, many pre-teen boys probably still have hangups about girls.

However, that wouldn't explain 2015 Lewa being left over and on clearance, and there are plenty of other explanations as well. 2016 Gali has one of the most generic builds of the 2016 Toa, despite her asymmetrical armor. 2015 Lewa had odd proportions and two weapons that could be considered less impressive than, say, Gali's even bigger axe or Tahu's giant swords. Both sets had color schemes that diverged somewhat from the others, with bold, contrasting secondary colors. It could even just be limited to that one location—a single anecdote, even at a prominent location like Legoland, might not accurately reflect sales trends for all of Denmark let alone the whole world.

The good news: if neither version of Pohatu was overstocked and on clearance, then perhaps you could take that as anecdotal evidence that brown sets no longer sell as poorly as they used to during G1.

It's almost like Lego wanted Bionicle to fail this year...

Netflix series was below average and the line was pulled a year early, Nexo Knights is probably going to start season 3 soon, Elves on Netflix soon, Ninjago a movie and a season soon.

Not gonna lie, I'm a bit salty.

Bionicle didn't need to fail for any of those things to happen. So I don't see why you'd think Lego would be any less disappointed with its failure than the fans are.

I'm excited—so long as they can keep the animation quality the same or better and maintain the show's great voice cast.