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So now for my favorite set of the year so far... More picts on Instagram After Lego released really awesome Chinese New Year sets last year but only in, like, the area around China, it was really cool that they came up with another wave that got a worldwide release. I gotta be honest; I'm not super familiar with the traditions depicted here, but the builds were a lot of fun and the piece selection is great, so I had to go all in for this set. You get a stellar 8 minifigs in this set. Yeah, the torsos get reused (as do the legs, both on the figs and the lions) but they really help set the mood for the celebration. Highlights are the red scarf and the new mouse / rat costume head. The band area is pretty basic, but using the bulky space wheel for a drum was imaginative. The dance stage itself is pretty basic, but the design is also sturdy and allows for a lot of Lion poses. The biggest draw to this set are the Lions themselves. You get five of them; the builds are all the same but the colors vary. You have two yellow-on-gold lions, two white-on-red lions, and one red-on-white lion. The sides of the bodies have very awesome printed curved slopes to help detail the fabric designs with a few specialized plates to resemble the tassels. The legs are just minifig legs stuck into a 2c6 brick; it's a design I've used plenty of times as a kid but I don't think I've seen it used like this in sets before. (Somebody pointed out an Alpha Team robot inserted legs into a 1x2 brick, but not something like this to make a quadruped.) It's kind of a shame you can't fit out the full performers beneath the costume, but it fits for the scale. The most ingenious design is the head which uses some pieces in interesting angles to a great effect. The forehead is a boat stud attached to a clip that's squeezed into place by a robot arm; it all works a little too well! And then you have the banana eyebrows, the frog ears, and the awesome new balljoint eye printing. And then a simple but effective jaw with printed quarter circle tiles. There are a lot of nice recolors here, but I kind of don't want to take apart the lions to use them! The largest build here is the temple design. It's not quite as intricate as the one from the larger Chinese New Years set, but it still makes for a nice addition. It had great color blocking, the the orange tiles contrasting against the Keetongu-orange roof, topped with golden frogs. The teal highlights on the red pillars are also a nice touch, but I particularly like the printed bricks in the top arch, which make for a very ornate design. It's not an overly complex build but it's sturdy and really stands out, making it a fine addition to the set. While it is a bit early in the year, this set has been the best of the 2020 batch that I've picked up so far. There's lots of great designs from the lions to the temple. There's a lot of playability with the figs and the stage. And when you finally are willing to take them apart, there are a lot of useful pieces too. (Only new mold is the mouse helmet, I believe, but there are more useful recolors and printed elements than I'd want to list out.) The price of $79.99 USD is a bit hefty, but for 882 pieces it's still a good deal. Still, an easy recommendation.

IC: Triki - Northern Desert, Vahki Transport "Can-not you hear the voices too?" Triki asked, not understanding the strangeness of Yaushe speaking up occasionally. And this time she hadn't even been cursing him out; improvement! @Toru Nui @ZippyWharrgarbl @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva

IC: Triki, Northern Desert, Vahki Transport Triki got to his feet after being tossed around, still a little disoriented. Still, after hearing Whisper, he said, "What kind of wishes are we talkin' about? Can-be we wish for more wishes??" @Toru Nui @Nato the Traveler @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva

IC: Triki - Northern Desert, Vahki Transport Coincidentally, the only thing that saved Triki from getting splattered by the acid he had just created was NU-8020S grabbing him and pulling him away... "Hey, down-let me!" Triki protests, thinking that he had done a fine job of opening up the window to allow the flying being to enter / speak (as long as they avoided the acid splatter themselves). He couldn't see why NU-8020S was upset that the window was now gone and droplets of acid were eating away at the metal floor of the Vahki transport. Surely it would give the transport a stylized look, right? @Nato the Traveler @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @Toru Nui @ZippyWharrgarbl

IC: Triki - Northern Desert / Vahki Transport "I think-be robot pal said to open window," Triki said, using his ability of selective hearing. "Wonder-be what flying-thing wants with tap-tap of glass." Triki reaches forward and touches the glass, consequentially triggering his Reconstruct at Random power to turn the glass into something else... OOC: Somebody else can determine what it turns into... @Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@Toru Nui@Nato the Traveler@ZippyWharrgarbl

IC Triki - Northern Desert "Approaching Rahi, you say?" Triki said. "Well, I can help with that; I ever-learned how to speak Rahi when trapped in sewers! I can speak everything from mole-rats to rat-moles! I can-be translator, yes-good!" @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @ZippyWharrgarbl @Toru Nui @Nato the Traveler

IC Triki - Northern Desert "Alright, fun-time adventure-time awaits! Let us sand-crawl into the sunset!" Triki continued to babble as he pushed the currently-silent Yaushe onto the transport, whether she wanted to or not. @Edelgard @Jakura Nuva @ZippyWharrgarbl @Toru Nui

IC: Triki - Northern Desert Triki was very much intrigued by the Vahki transport. He didn't much care about tracking down some old warlord and helping people, but he would like to tinker around inside and see what made it run. He starts pushing the van towards the ramp. "C'mon, Yaushe, looks like we found free-ride thru sand-land!" @Toru Nui@Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@ZippyWharrgarbl

IC: Triki - Northern Desert "He-be lousy player of hide-and-seek if he near-close to here," Triki said, gesturing out to the barren desert around them. "Can see incoming thingies from Kios out." He paused for a moment and asked, "Why-be you seek-search for him? He is hiding good treasure on his person?" @Toru Nui@Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@ZippyWharrgarbl

IC: Triki - Northern Desert "Hmm," Triki mused, watching the incoming bug approach. "Wounder if we can find-seek tread-parts on that thing, make Yaushe super-speed across sand!" @Edelgard@Jakura Nuva@ZippyWharrgarbl@Toru Nui

Oh dang, you have Chicago. Nice. Of that batch, my favorite is Tokyo, but San Francisco is probably my top pick of the Skyline sets. It is fun to line them all up once built.

IC: Triki, Northern Desert Triki was working on the back of the van, where one of the wheels had buckled on one of the desert rocks and needed repair. "We be good-right in soon-time," he called up to Mahryo and Lueiji. "Fix-work no problem, and we be drive-rolling across hot-sand before you can say 'Kikinalo Krunchies'." Patting the side of the van, he adds, "How-be you doing, Yaushe?"

Name: Triki Breed: Le-Matoran Faction: Metru-Nui Refugees Description: He is a green Le-Matoran who wears a Great Kanohi Kakama (powerless). He is eccentric and impulsive and occasionally quite violent. His left arm has been mutated and merged with a Kanoka disc, giving it a silvery gleam. Background: A brilliant mechanic turned treasure hunter, Triki found himself lost and abandoned in the pipes beneath Ga-Metru, where he went crazier still from the isolation, causing significant memory loss. He was eventually freed when the GSR crashed, and he made his escape to Zakaz, where he can use his mechanical skills to service vehicles and hopefully search for more treasure. He also claims that his time trapped underground taught him how to speak Rahi, although this ability remains unconfirmed. Flaws: Triki’s crazy persona and chute-speak are often found off-putting to others, and his violent tendencies and shortsightedness often land him in trouble. He also has memory loss from his time lost underneath Ga-Metru. Powers: Beneath Ga-Metru he encountered a mysterious substance, which merged his left arm with a Reconstruct at Random Kanoka disc. Now, he can trigger the reconstruct power by touching something... but the power is unreliable and uncontrollable, and only as strong as a level 4 Kanoka.

I as never a big Pirates fan, but this set is very appealing...

Oh hey I think I'll actually review a set I've picked up from this year... More picts on Instagram Okay, this is one of Ninjago's more substantial figs packs. 9 figs for $29.99? Not bad! Well, okay, the builds are bad, polybag level IMO. But the weapons and accessories more than make up for it. We've got katana in gold, silver, azure, pale green, red, and orange all in one set. And the new gamepad weapon hilts are super fun! Not to mention that pink sword that does fit loosely into an axle hole. And more of the Ninjago blades pack in trans green! This set is great for the figs and accessories, but mostly supplemental when it comes to actual sets. $30 for 218 pieces is a bit steep, after all, so this is really targeting minifig enthusiasts. (I'm one, so it still works out for me.) For the figs... you get four of the Ninjas. Jay is in his new Digi outfit, very cool looking with the blue and white and cyber face, but he shows up in a bunch of other sets. Cole and Nva get their generic Avatar forms here, which is cool because they didn't get the arcade pods like Jay, Kai, and Lloyd... of course, their torsos are common City ones so nothing too exciting. The highlight of this set is Pink Gi Zane; I guess it's supposed to be his avatar, but it's placement in the set makes it look more like a display, so who knows who he's supposed to be character wise. Still, it's a great callback to a one-shot fig from the early years of the TV show. (Second year but first season... the numbering of the TV seasons irks me.) The baddies here are Red Visor and Richie, both who appear in other sets but still come with the trans orange icons and such. Richie is interesting with his custom head and wields a game controller weapon too. Scott has a fancy pale blue outfit, and while Okino is in a very generic white robe, he comes with the new ponytail hair piece, which is fun because the ponytail includes a bar element that can be gripped. The final fig is the Harumi avatar; I first thought she was in a prisoner's uniform, but I guess it's actually more of a standard orange jumpsuit. Dunno if this is supposed to represent her returning to the series or just a depiction of her... haven't actually caught up on the last few seasons of Ninjago. There are three marketplace stands, which look even less interesting because I didn't apply stickers. One is a standard red / black arch, but I couldn't ruin the nice 6x6 teal tile with a sticker, so it stayed blank. Then you have the weapons market, which has a lot of the green blades attached to it. Some interesting connections, but still fairly simple. The "Item Market" is even more generic with basic bars making up a hat stand (and a place for pink Zane to stand). It's neat to get a lot of headgear to customize your figs, but display wise it's filler. I mean, not a whole lot to really say about this set. Great figs and accessories. Lousy builds. But I think for the price and number of figs, that's to be expected. I am interested in getting a couple more of the substantial Ninjago Prime Empire sets to see how they build out the theme.

NOICE

More photos on Instagram So I am not an Overwatch fan by any regards. Never played the game, was only barely aware of the characters before the Lego sets were announced. I'll admit that some of the figs have been mildly appealing, but most of the models didn't look that great to me. Well, except this one; the two Mechs look awesome, and having one in pink is another major draw, because I think that'll be a first for an official Lego set. (Why haven't we seen a Friends subtheme with pastel colored mechs and spaceships!?!) So I picked this set up last spring, but set it aside for the chance to do a livestream of it eventually... only now livestreams are more complicated than I can easily pull off, so I'm transitioning to blog / Instagram picture reviews. Horray. First is Reinhardt's mech. I am getting serious Sauron vibes from his helmet, and the bulky mech fits the same mood. I especially like the detailing textures on the torso, and the arm shoulder pad elements are quite striking. (Seriously, I'm thinking of a lot of fun things do with them in greater quantities; shame I'm late to the game with this set.) I also like the clean way the fig just easily slides into the torso, with the neck piece flipping down to secure him in nicely; it's a cool design that beats the Nexo-Knight mini mechs from a few years ago. However... posability is an issue. The legs are okay; there's no knee joints but that's standard for Lego system mechs. But the arms... there's a balljoint at the shoulder, but only a restricted swivel plate at the elbow and nothing for the wrist. It limits posing options, especially when trying to adjust him with the hammer in hand. It's a solid look, yes, and I don't know how to improve the mobility while keeping it to the same scale... but all the same, it's a bit disappointing. D.Va's pink mech is far from a standard mech. (I'm assuming it's true to the game, but again I never played it so that's not a big issue for me.) It's kind of like a mix between a spaceship and a mech with a rabbit theme, complete with ears and jumping legs. I was concerned with the legs because the feet are loosely connected via rods, which doesn't seem like a solid stand at all. But overall, they're actually pretty sturdy and hold the model up well. Not the most posable, but they suffice. The arms use Mixel joints and are a bit short, but they work well enough given that they're mainly restricted by the big pink side fins. I'll give some props for the cockpit and screen having an unconventional look, but the original instructions just have an empty space in the center where you toss the fig in without any points of connection. No studs for the feet, no bars for the hand, just a loose fitting fig. This didn't work for me at all, so I replaced a tile on the interior with one of the feet panels used for the mini-dolls, this giving the fig in the mech a bit of a connection. It felt like a weak and pathetic oversight, and the fact that I was able to put together an alternative design with ease makes me wonder why the official designs did without it. (I mean, probably from a playability stance it's too complicated to attach the fig... but gosh they should've done something instead of nothing.) It's a different style of mech, but I think it works, and the vibrant pink color makes it stand out too. For $39.99 USD and 455 pieces, this set is a good value, especially when it has some rare pink elements and that exclusive shoulder armor piece. Oh, and the figs look great too; I like the bubblegum look with D.Va. Certainly a worthwhile set, and you don't even need to be a fan of the game to appreciate it. (I assume if you are a fan then you probably appreciate it even more.) I'm mostly disappointed in myself for not building this sooner. I also have the unopened Overwatch Wrecking Ball set which I'm looking forward to finally building; will probably post a short review for it too.

Having not watched the show or paid too much attention to this yet (besides the bombardment of baby Yoda memes) I'm getting some major Serenity vibes from this ship. Spaceship has an interesting design for sure. If it wasn't obviously going to be pretty pricy, I might be tempted to pick this one up.

Photos on Instagram I've honestly not purchased a lot of Friends sets in recent years. First I started collecting from the theme because of the new pastel colors, but the novelty kinda wore off after a while (and I started focusing on the Elves theme instead) so I haven't picked up any. But this set had a few fun pieces that I was interested to get. And besides, I've always been tempted by submarine sets. The figs are... honestly I don't care, which is kinda unusual for me. The designs and hair pieces are nice but I have no real need for the minidolls. (I hear this is a scene directly from the show though, and the other character is actually an antagonist, so that's cool.) Indeed, the bigger drawl was the wildlife. The adult dolphin isn't new but I love the mold so I can appreciate another one. The baby dolphin is a great addition too, and actually has better connection anti-studs, so more versatile. Plus, the pack of coral-colored sea life is great, with fish, clams, seahorses, starfish, and an octopus; these are super fun and I can't wait to find a way to incorporate them into a MOC. If we're also looking at new molds, the teal seaweed / coral elements also greatly interests me. The plethora of pins and attachments is inspiring me to have fun with these somehow. I am a bit disappointed that they are very much unsymmetrical, but that just adds further challenges to using them in builds. And the angles are quite fun to experiment with. You get three pieces in this set, which is a nice start, but I'm thinking I'll need a lot more to really come up with something crazy. (And I've apparently angered a lot of folks in LUGBulk by making these my part choice. Hehehe.) The first big build is the submarine, which is well rounded and compact. It's not a super intricate build by any standards, but the rounded doors in the back and the bubble window are positioned quite well, and the setup inside to seat the minidoll works quite well. It's a bit of a junorized built but it works well. My biggest gripe is that the arms on the front are too short to really be useful. (I'm sorry, I'm nostalgic for the Aquazone subs and their lanky arms.) The two mini-builds that you build before the sub, on the other hand, are forgettable. The landscape piece is very simple (and I guess it has a cloth that reveals a treasure map when it gets wet... I didn't really deal with that element.). The underwater scooter also positions the propeller right beneath the diver's belly, which seems unsafe. The best part of the build was the sunken ship wreckage. It was kinda fun building a mini pirate ship and then covering it with sealife. The stern of the ship has a neat technique that angles it upward pretty nicely, but the bow's angled attempt is a much weaker connection that is prone to breaking whenever the model gets moved. There are a few hiding spots for fish and the baby dolphin built around the ship, and the mast has an action feature where it can fall down and pin the dolphin, which necessitates the need for the sub to swing by and help them out. It's also not a super complex design, but it really does a great job at setting the undersea location. Very well done. For $39.99 USD, only 363 seems a little low, but the coral, dolphins, and sea life elements bring up the value. It's also the second cheapest set for the teal coral and baby dolphin, the cheapest set for the coral colored sea life elements, but it has them all in one set. Plus, the sub and sunken ship are fun designs and add a lot of play value. Yeah, it won't win set of the year, but it's a modestly priced set that does a great job at bringing out the Friends underwater adventure. And it's been a while since a Friends set caught my eye, so I'd say it's worth it. (Granted, I bought it nearly six months ago but only recently put it together, so I guess I wasn't that hard pressed for the pieces.)

Man, back in the day there were just so many stories in the library that it was a real challenge to compete and get stuff on just the first page of the forum; an hour after you'd post something and it would already be three pages back. There were a lot of stories from kids who were clearly just beginning to dive into fanfiction (like myself) but there were also some very talented authors who spun together narratives that put the official storyline to shame. If nothing else, I greatly appreciated growing up with the literary community that Bionicle put together, and it's a shame that the library is no longer as active as it once was. (Granted, I barely have the time to read as much as I used to. The joys of a working adult.) Some of the stories I remember... The first story I remember following was by a member named Golden Krana who wrote a BZP-Koro story about members getting recruited to fight a virus or something. He asked for characters so I got to cameo in it, but it was a fun adventure / mystery he had going, and was interesting because he would pick off the characters one by one as it progressed. I've read a lot of fun BZP-Koro stories (and tried to write a few myself) but that was the first that really sticks to mind. My friend Kumata Nuva had a really interesting adventure epic about Matoran on some other island searching for a lost Toa or something before the evil guy found him first. The team of characters were really amazing and he built up a fun society, and included a few non-conventional Toa elements too. I forget the member's name, but there was a story called "Turkey Shoot" that took place after Bionicle's canceling, and treated all the characters as actors who were now without a job and living together in the real world, until some evil conspiracy arises and Bionicle characters start getting murdered. It had a few outlandish concepts but ended up being a dark and compelling story with a lot of great mystery and action sequences like a spy thriller. I also greatly enjoyed an epic called "A Second Darkness" by a member named Daikaiju King back in 2005. The basic premise was the Toa Nuva and Matoran return to Metru Nui but there was a mysterious evil being there who didn't want them around so he started making evil clones of the Nuva, arming them with modern weaponry, and sending them out to kill the originals. He had a bunch of moving and intercepting storylines, amazing character development, tons of callbacks to obscure Bionicle things, and a lot of action and mystery. Unfortunately, one day the member just kind of disappeared from the site and never finished the story, and it was left with some serious cliffhangers. (I actually saved a copy of it to my computer to read offline, so I still have a copy that survived the datapocalypse... I didn't even manage that for all of my own stories.) Unfortunately, I don't recognize any of the other comedies mentioned above. On one hand, it's kind of cool that there was so much interest in writing Bionicle stories back in the day. On the other hand, it's a shame that stories were so easily lost in the crowd, and made worse by the loss of the old forum data. It was a pretty great community back in the day. [/nostalgia]

IC: Triki, Ga-Metru Triki is soon lost within the maze of pipes and underground drainage canals as he searches for a Great Disk beneath the Great Temple. The world moves on above him, but his short term companions have long since been left behind them, and he pays them no heed. Somewhere down here was treasure, and where there was treasure, there was adventure! Of course, it still remained to be seen if anybody would ever encounter him on this adventure again... OOC: Party kinda dissolved and the character is too far in, so I guess he's cut out of the game for now.

IC: Triki, Ga-Metru Triki had already proceeded quite far down the left tunnel, so that if Tekmo or Karista reached the split, they would only see the faintest light of his lightstone. He was fumbling around in the dark, as if looking for secret passages or hidden chambers. But mostly he just found extensions of the drainage pipe, including a section that dipped down rather drastically...

So I'm still too lazy to do proper front page reviews with custom pictures, write-ups, and massively edited video... and also we've stopped doing Youtube Livestreams. But I still have a backlog of sets I want to build (and talk about) so I'll be posting a few more brief blog reviews with images via Instagram! (Since Flickr has it's whole image count thing). So without further ado... Ninjago's 70678 Castle of the Forsaken Emperor More Instagram photos and videos Gotta be honest, I picked this up for the cool minifigures and then for the pieces, but the build itself is actually pretty neat too. It's $99.99 for 1218 pieces, so a bit pricy but still a decent value. It comes with 7 figs, a dragon, a guard tower, and a "castle". The figs are good. The Ice Emperor has some neat printing on him and enough hints to verify that it is actually evil Zane. (Haven't quite caught up on the show, don't know how he turned out this way but just know that he did.) The other Blizzard minions are okay but again fairly generic; azure katanas for the win though. Cole is a nice grab, and this is the version of Lloyd with the could energy helmet which was a huge want for me. But the fox-like Akita steals the show for the figs here; good printing but also an excellent helmet. The guard tower is so-so; it has a little mini prison on the bottom, but the cooler design is the functional crossbow at the top. (I mean, it doesn't function like a crossbow but it looks really close and the spring loaded launchers handle the action feature well enough.) The main castle involves an icy throne with two towers rising up to the sides. The ice detailing on the throne is cool and I like the use of the printed flags as roof elements. But the coolest part is the action feature. Place the ninja in the ice spikes and push the lever; the two towers split out to reveal the throne, which has ice blasts shoot up behind it. Best of all, the spikes in the front spin, so when you put Lloyd in his tornado it looks like his Spinjitzu causes the towers to slide away as he approaches the emperor. I think this is the cleverest incorporation of Spinjutzu into a Ninjago set ever. Very fun. Of course, the true highlight of the set is the dragon. To be fair, there have been a few other brick built Ninjago dragons who have used a similar design with the wings before (NRG Green Dragon pops to mind) but this is the first one I've picked up like this and I'm totally impressed with it. In addition to decent posability, the icy color scheme totally works. Only real downside is that the head is a bit small and doesn't stand out compared to some of the other dragons we've seen out of Ninjago. But it is still up there as a great model and I've already taken it to work to display on my desk. Woo. Overall, I think this is a very worthwhile set, capturing a lot of great things from Ninjago and mixing it with the cool icy theme. It's a little expensive, yes, but if you can handle the price I'd totally recommend this. Anyway, thanks for reading, planning to go through a couple of other 2019 sets that I've been hording and post some pictures and reviews.

IC: Triki, Ga-Metru Triki reaches into his pack for his lightstone; it was chipped and dim, but it was better than nothing. With that in hand, he turns left, humming to himself as he goes.

IC: Triki, Ga-Metru "Excellent!" Triki says, jumping over the broken grate to venture further into the maze of underground pipes. It was evident that he was clearly not concerned about the destruction of public property, and perhaps even used to it. Ignoring the bickering of the others behind him (and the fact that a rather strong Ga-Matoran had just broken the lock with her bare hands) he continued on, eagerly looking around for something interesting to investigate.