Aanchir

What is that supposed to mean? It's coming out on DVD about three months after it came out in theaters. That's not really anything unusual — the same thing happened with Zootopia and Trolls, both of which were commercially successful. I'm not pretending that The LEGO Ninjago Movie was a huge box office success like those, but how on earth does it getting released on DVD much like any other animated movie have anything to do with its poor box office performance? You also don't seem to understand the meaning of the phrase "direct to DVD". Also, waiting 20 years for adults to be nostalgic for a brand that's already wildly popular with kids right now is a pretty dumb strategy. You didn't see Pokémon, Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Harry Potter, or Bionicle waiting twenty years to release their first movies. Haven't you ever heard the phrase "strike while the iron's hot"?

I'm not particularly drawn to trooper-style buildable figures with monochrome color schemes and full armor and helmets. It is interesting though that this one is priced at just $20 rather than $25 like Rey or the Elite Praetorian Guard. His piece count is higher than either of those so I guess the lack of a textile element is the determining factor there — something similar happened with the Obi-Wan figure in the first wave, who was priced at $25 despite having more or less the same piece count as the $20 sets from the same wave. It's a shame the life support system isn't more attractive. It's really one of the most unique aspects of this figure, but you're right that from any angle but the front it looks clunky.

It's a nifty concept for a fanfic, though as a hypothetical reboot I think it's far enough from the core Bionicle concept that at that point it might be better to just turn it into a totally new IP. Trying to make it function as a Bionicle reboot feels kind of like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole (or a round pin in a cross-shaped hole, as it were).

In some of those cases I think it might have been the other way around. For example, if LEGO Dimensions had been doing well enough to garner more attention, then The LEGO Ninjago Movie almost certainly would have been turned into a story pack like the LEGO Batman Movie one. The fact that it got a full game instead suggests to me that by that point Tt Games had already made the decision to start winding LEGO Dimensions down. Also, I wouldn't read too much into Chima getting "mixed reception from LEGO fans". Pretty much ANYTHING new gets mixed reception from LEGO fans. To this day, there are loads of AFOLs who despise super-popular themes like Technic, Star Wars, Bionicle, Friends, and Ninjago, just because they feel different from the traditional themes like Town, Castle, Space, and Pirates that they grew up with. For that matter, I've encountered numerous AFOLs who can't stand Technic, despite it being even older than Pirates, because it feels too detached from basic stud-based LEGO building. I doubt there will ever be a new theme that isn't hated by some segment of the AFOL community. But that's OK, because most of the bigger themes aren't aimed at AFOLs in the first place. The only series of LEGO sets that seems to be almost universally beloved by AFOLs seems to be the modular buildings. And even then, they often bicker about the merits of the individual sets, or try to insist that the ones they don't like aren't "real" modular buildings.

Interesting question! Overlord is definitely high up on my list, whether in terms of appearance or having an intimidating personality and powers. But I think judging by appearance alone he might be surpassed by the Vermillion Warriors, especially General Machia. I'm not scared of snakes in real life, but a bunch of writhing snakes animated into the shape of a ferocious armored warrior is pretty scary to look at! And that's taking into account only minifigure characters. If we expand the list to non-minifigure characters then I think the Morro Dragon is a contender on account of its sheer size, ferocity, and eerie, ghostly design.

The problem is that your metric for "not doing so well" seems skewed. Like, Nexo Knights has already been successful. Chances are it's not going to become an evergreen hit like Ninjago did, but there's no reason to think it should, or that that's the benchmark for success. And you're really treating themes like Power Miners and Atlantis as if they were failures just because they could have done more or done things better? I hate to break it to you, but even if a toy line continues for years and years, there will never stop being more things it could have done or ways it could have done things better. If you expect perfect satisfaction, treat anything that disappoints you in any way as a failure, and outright ignore how many successes there have been in the meantime, then of course you're going to see failure everywhere you look. Take a step back and you'll realize that by the high standards you've imposed, there has never been a time in the LEGO Group's (or any large toy company's) history that wasn't rife with disappointment. It's hardly a "this decade" problem. Like, do you have any idea how many short-lived themes, unresolved storylines, cancelled or failed media endeavors, and actual unsuccessful products there were during Bionicle G1's heyday from 2001–2010, or even before that? The fact that LEGO is still around today and stronger than they've been at most points in their history should be enough to tell you that their successes outweigh their failures. Beyond that, the nature of risk-taking is that there's never any guarantee that those risks will pan out. And sometimes, whether they do or not is entirely out of the LEGO Group's control. If they weren't prepared for that possibility than a lot of these riskier initiatives like LEGO Dimensions or LEGO Universe never would have existed in the first place.

Thok once dared him to see how many Zamor spheres he could fit in his mouth at once. His face was never the same after that. Remember, kids, don’t be a Piraka! Say NO to peer pressure!

Worth pointing out that many of the respondees to this topic (and the person who started the topic) AREN'T male... Plus, what would be so weird about caring about characters who aren't the same gender as you? Any girl who's ever been into Bionicle has managed to live with over 80% of its characters being male (aside from girls who headcanon some of those characters as female). Surely, then, boys should be capable of enjoying a series where more than 20% of the characters are female? After all, 50% of people in our world are girls and women, and in general they're just as cool and interesting as anyone else.

Good review! I definitely plan to pick this one up. Her build is perhaps not as unique as last year's Rey figure, due to using a more conventional torso shell and a textile element that doesn't cover as much of the body, but I like that we finally get a female head without headgear, and that her arm shells now show her shoulders like her outfit does in the movie. The face is very good, although printed freckles might improve it. I wish the textile element worked better here, and in your photos I also feel like it's not a great color match to the other Dark Stone Grey parts. I don't really mind the boots being longer than they are in the movie, though. I think it gets the idea across that they're boots. It's nice that she implements some System curves on the back of her shins, something the previous Rey figure notably lacked compared to other figures from the same wave. I managed to pick up a Jyn Erso torso shell at BrickFair and while the jacket print in that set was sub-par, I love the mold's smooth shape and understated curves, and the print in this set works a lot better.

Dimensions wasn't an MMORPG. It was a single-player console game with a multiplayer battle mode.

Personally, I feel like most Ideas sets improve on the original project. Minecraft took a really rudimentary concept and turned it into a decent display piece. Yellow Submarine smoothed out the curves, improved the accuracy of many parts like the railings, and added more detailed colors. The Ghostbusters Ecto-1 strengthened the build and added details like interior seating and white-wall tires. Even the much-maligned Back to the Future DeLorean set improved the proportions of the hood and cabin to make them less boxy (the Eurobricks review does some direct side-by-side comparisons that really highlight all the improvements). I would be wary about this set's availability, just because so many of the science-related sets (Research Institute, Curiosity Rover, Saturn V, etc) have had some kind of availability issues, and this one coming out in early November so close to the Christmas shopping rush (as well as having a pretty low price point) might exacerbate that. On another note, the project creator of Women of NASA left a nice little message on Twitter: https://twitter.com/20tauri/status/920615589554647040

I don't collect Star Wars for the most part, but I was really impressed with this set when it was announced. The Rathtar scene was one I didn't anticipate working so well in LEGO because it combines two things that can be really hard to realize in a playset — big tentacle monsters, and tight corridors. But not only does this set execute both those ideas exceptionally well, it also has great details like the identical series of switches (for that iconic "wrong fuse" moment) and the ability to connect multiples of the set together into a bigger modular layout. It also gives you a generous number of pieces for its price tag (especially for a Star Wars set). Location-based Star Wars sets in general can be a lot harder to create than a typical starfighter, and I think the designer succeeded admirably here.

Sorry I missed your birthday. Glad you enjoyed it though!

I once thought about making a Kopaka Master of Ice costume, so I might have to go with that. One nice thing about that is that if I managed it I could probably repurpose the shells as a template to use for costumes of other CCBS characters. It'd be a lot of work to make a costume I'm really satisfied with, though. A Gali Master of Water costume could be just as cool if not cooler, since she's my favorite Bionicle G2 character and probably a bit closer to my proportions, but as a guy that would probably wind up confusing the many people who don't know Bionicle and already tend to assume any robot character without obvious breasts or a human-looking face is a man. And again, probably more work than I'm prepared to put in these days.

Good review! A feature you didn't mention about the portal is the two little black horns on either side. These are a place for the Goblin King Cronan to put the two amulets (Emily's and his own) that are needed to power the portal. Also, the ammo for the catapult is more of the same evil seeds you see inside. These seeds, when planted, are what grow into the bigger carnivorous plants like the snapping ones out front of this set. Speaking of that feature, I absolutely love it — the motion, the sound it makes, how compact it is! The carnivorous plants are in a lot of sets in a number of different forms, but this might be my favorite use of them. Even though this castle is not as big as Ragana's, it's still really playable and really spooky. Like all the Elves buildings, it's carefully integrated with its environment… but in this case, said environment is dark and forboding. The trees which in other parts of Elvendale are a warm Reddish Brown are here a cold Dark Blue, with vicious red thorns instead of flowers or crystals. And the pink crystals emerging from the rocks glow an ominous red at their base. In the LEGO Elves story, it's explained that the Shimmering Woods were not such a grim place until Cronan stole crystals from the Guardian Tree to build his portal, making the entire forest sick and angry. The castle's greenish color suits Cronan both as a villain and as an earth elf. It also nicely mimics the color of his dragon, Ashwing, and of the Goblins' various buildings and machines. And the castle interior is lavish and decadent as well as livable — I especially love the portrait of Cronan and his mother Quartzine, as well as Cronan and Tufflin's matching beds! The Elves first started really taking up arms in last year's sets with the catapult in the Shadow Castle set, but in this year's they've gone even further. Emily's longsword in this set exemplifies that. It's a shame that she doesn't wield this sword (or the crossbow from the Airship set) at any point during the Netflix series Secrets of Elvendale. Emily's mini-doll is a fantastic redesign, keeping her the sneakers and stripes that mark her as being from another world, but also giving her a shoulder-baring outfit that makes her seem a little more grown up. Sophie takes the same sneakers and stripes and applies them to a much younger-looking outfit. One almost gets the sense that she's wearing Emily's hand-me-downs, particularly since her sneakers are the same color Emily wore in the first year of sets! Speaking of Sophie, she also gets a different face print here than in her previous appearance — a little less gung-ho and more meek, as though she's happy to see Emily again but still a little bit shaken from her ordeal. The Cronan mini-doll the same as in the Dragon set, but this time wearing his own magical amulet. It really completes his ostentatious outfit. Tufflin is a great new goblin design. When I first saw pictures of him from Toy Fair I thought he had an evil Mirror Spock style goatee around a closed-mouth frown, but it turns out that instead he's got a wide-mouthed scowl which still makes him a bit more fearsome than the average goblin. It's nice to see him actually carrying one of the Goblin King's shields, since previously we'd only seen them as ornamentation like they are on the parapets of this set. You didn't make much mention of the raven in this set outside the list of interesting parts, but it's actually a form of the Goblin King's Shadow Creature, a shapeshifting cosmic evil that plays a big role in Secrets of Elvendale. I'm hoping to try MOCing some of its other forms, though it's a shame I won't likely be able to match that awesome metallic blue printing. Overall I've really enjoyed this set, and I hope that somebody makes an attempt to stock up on parts and rebuild it into the bigger castle seen in Secrets of Elvendale! I also look forward to seeing what uses you find for this set's parts in your own MOCs. Thanks so much for this review and I hope other BZPower members consider picking this set up!

You mean in a fight, or just which do we prefer? I'm not really any fond of "who would win in a fight" type questions because there are often just too many variables. Thinking about it in simple terms, the 2016 villains have way more powers than the Skrall did, so they'd have a pretty decisive advantage. The 2015 villains, on the other hand, didn't really have much in the way of special powers, so it would be a purely physical and tactical matchup in which the Skrall might more likely have the edge. As for which I prefer, G2 villains, easily. Cooler colors, cooler play features, and generally more complex builds. Plus, on a conceptual level, "swarms of mind-controlling spiders led by a giant spider", "an army of undead warriors", "a mythical, shadowy hunter turned raging beast by his lust for power", "the island's elements awakened against the heroes", and "manipulative force of evil who was once an honorable mask maker" just feel much more distinctive to me than "a bunch of really strong rock people led by the king of the really strong rock people". To be honest, I even feel like calling the G2 villains "the worst villains of the whole Bionicle franchise" is a disservice. They have a lot more going for them than the Vahki or Visorak, the way I see it. And certainly more going for them than the Morbuzakh.

Pretty nice dragon, like all of yours. It definitely shows a lot of advancement since your earlier Western-styled dragons like Imaust, helped of course by the use of newer parts like inverse curved slopes and brightly-colored Technic cross axles. That said, I had a hard time getting excited for this one at first glance, since despite its sophistication, the color scheme and physique feel fairly conventional. I guess that's one of the limitations of creating a MOC based on somebody else's concept art — less freedom to personalize it so it instantly stands out from your previous work and the viewer's expectations. I suppose what excites me the most about this one is the prospect of you taking these techniques and applying them to new creatures of your own design in the future!

Okoto did have cities. In the southwest, it had the City of the Mask Makers, which was in ruins during the 2015 story but was repopulated at the beginning of the 2016 story. Then in the northeast, it had the Capital City, which was transported to the Shadow Realm when the Mask of Ultimate Power was first shattered. There were also other ruined cities in some of the other regions, all abandoned after the great cataclysm. That said, no, I don't believe there is any canon connection between G1 and G2 that involves them being part of the same reality. On a meta level G2 takes lots of inspiration from G1, including the Mask of Creation and the core conflict between two brothers. And it's not hard to headcanon G1 and G2 as alternate realities. But there are just way too many reasons why it'd contradict the canon of one or both of the two stories for Okoto to be a specific G1 island like Artakha or Mata Nui in the distant past or future.

My understanding of past events was that it was sort of at the discretion of the individual store. Would be a good thing to ask if you call your local store.

Looking at this website, it looks like nothing more than a fansite using materials from the media kit LEGO distributed for their 2001 "Build Your Own Bionicle Website" contest. Plenty of people who had no official connection to LEGO at that time entered this contest. There's no reason to think that the bios on this site were the source for the official website's text.

I'm not entirely sure what's going on here, but cool robot anyhow! The halo and robe remind me of classical portraits of saints and other religious figures. How is the backdrop constructed?

I really love this song as well! And I was definitely struck by the number of Ninjago callbacks in it — even to the Skullkins, who are rarely addressed by name even in the TV show! It makes me wonder if maybe these elements might have been planned to have a bigger role in the movie at one point, and this song was a relic of those earlier plans. There's definitely a lot of stuff in the "Making Of" book that hints some earlier plans for the movie would've been very different, such as including the Great Devourer as a major plot point. The other thing I'm struck by, though, is how the "Garmadon!" chant gives me flashbacks to .

Okay upon further reflection I think I might have to say Harvali? She's pretty cool. Kinda surprised nobody else has mentioned her, guess not a lot of people here read the G2 chapter books. On that note, it has only now occurred to me how sadly short the Female Characters category is on BS01.

Just fixed the link on the front page! It should be working now. I'll try to think of ideas, though I have to admit it's tricky thinking of stuff that I'd like and also other AFOLs would like, especially with it having to be non-size-specific. A lot of my favorite themes like Ninjago and Elves aren't as popular with AFOLs as they are with kids.

No headway yet on those older colors coming back, but there actually is a new copper color this year called Copper Metallic! …That said, this is a revival of a two-year-old topic so it's probably going to get closed now.