Aanchir

This usually happens when you accidentally click outside the text field (or hit a key like "tab" that takes you out of the text field) while you're typing. And I agree, it sucks!

Nowadays some websites like Facebook will send up a warning message asking "are you sure you want to leave this page?" before you leave a page that you've started typing into. That would be a cool feature for BZPower to implement.

Good to see you being creative with Technic functions! A lot of people heap Technic-based constraction sets with praise for their complexity, but in spite of that I never see a lot of builders giving their own creations unique Technic functions. Technic is more than just sticking things together with pins and axles, and it's good to see a builder really exploring its creative potential.

I just count myself lucky that the Lego store literally couldn't be any easier for me to get to. Paying shipping with Lego is always kind of a drag.

The LEGO Shop site offers free shipping on all orders over $75 (in the US, anyway, don't know if there's any equivalent offer in other countries), so if you do find yourself having to order things online it can be smart to order a lot off your wish list in one fell swoop. Though with the price of LEGO, it's not hard to bring your total to $75!

I like to save a lot of my LEGO purchasing for months when there's either a gift with purchase I want, or double VIP points.

^ I have the opposite opinion. Rubber bands tend to dry out which means that in order to make some functions work you have to replace the rubber band every few months. The sole exception to these seems to be the bands on the Bohrok and Kal, which for me are still working 12 years later.

 

Anyway, I'm always game for more gear functions.

1. Yes, I'd like more functions. Not that I'm dissatisfied with the ones we have, I just don't want ALL future sets to use these same functions instead of experimenting with new ones.

I like that the summer villains are giving us some real variety with functions, like how Skull Slicer's gearbox swings two arms on one side instead of two arms on opposite sides, Skull Basher's function swings its arms together horizontally, and Skull Scorpio has a unique grabbing function in its tail. All of those four are apparently $15 sets, by the way.

I think the current sets have made a good call by giving the smaller Protectors blasters instead of gear functions, as it would be hard to give them so much variety at that scale with a function that is integrated into the build. Also, it gives people a good incentive to get both the smaller AND larger sets, since the smaller ones offer a function you won't find in a Toa-sized set.

2. I love 'em. I don't think they're a necessity for a set design by any stretch of the imagination, but they do add a lot of play value. With many "creature" models like Lord of Skull Spiders, sacrificing some of the articulation for a clever function is a fair trade-off. With a many-legged model you often don't want there to be TOO much articulation anyway, or posing it can become a bit frustrating. And sometimes functions and articulation can work at cross-purposes — you don't want to have to "reset" a set's arms or legs every time you use them to attack an enemy.

My biggest regret about Lord of Skull Spiders is that unlike many sets with funtions (including the skull villains we're getting in the summer), there is no "failstate" for competitive role-play. Many sets have a way to signal that the character was "defeated", usually involving knocking a mask off, and sometimes something more elaborate in classic sets. Defeating Muaka and Kane-Ra would make their legs fall off, defeating the Tarakava would make them go slack-jawed, defeating the Manas would disable their movement, and defeating the Bahrag would lock their neck and jaw function. There is no way to signal that the Lord of Skull Spiders has been defeated. But it's still a great set with an elegant function.

1. Brain Attack has the most connection points and looks fantastic, but I feel like 2.0 is the most versatile in terms of its simpler shape and texture. I'd be hesitant about using a Brain Attack torso shell on certain parts of certain models (like Tahu's lower legs).

2. Hard to say. I really like the BIONICLE piston piece and the two Breakout armor pieces, but this one might come out ahead of all of those.

3. The new BIONICLE one for actual use as a head, Brain Attack for use as a connector.

4. I'm not usually strict about even thinking of weapons as "CCBS" or "non-CCBS", since the connection points and aesthetics not much different either way. I like the Brain Attack/Legends of Chima sword piece for its simplicity and versatility.

5. You didn't even ask about beams! But anyway, I'd say probably the friction extender. I've never had one break, honestly.

6. More shells in rarer colors like Dark Azur and Dark Orange would be nice, but I'm not waiting at the edge of my seat for them or anything. Also, BIONICLE masks in silver would be pretty cool.

7. A 3x3x3 symmetrical shell that attaches to the bottom of a torso beam and functions like a codpiece. Currently there are a lot of excellent ways to create custom armor for a figure's upper body, but many of them leave the lower body rather bare. For certain kinds of models, this works, but it'd be great to have an easier option. As a bonus, a shell like this could also be used on other parts of a model like limbs, as an alternative to the usual 3M shell.

What kind of person grows wheat in a garden?

I feel like Tr. Flu. Green and Tr. Flu. Reddish Orange have gotten so much use for a reason. As fluorescent colors, they stand out really nicely even when not lit directly. By contrast, colors like Tr. Red and Tr. Blue are awfully dark and dim. I was not a big fan of those colors being used for the Toa Metru, though I guess they worked OK for the Barraki's dead-eyed, fishy stare. Though, to the Toa Metru's credit, they DID each use an eye color that contrasted with their mask color, something some of the Toa Mata didn't do so well with.

Tr. Bright Green and Tr. Bright Orange are also fluorescent (usually, anyway), but for eye colors I generally prefer Tr. Flu. Reddish Orange because its reddishness allows it to stand in for red in lieu of an actual Tr. Flu. Red (a color which we haven't had since 2003).

I'm bothered by the current sets using Tr. Light Blue instead of Tr. Flu. Blue, though. Tr. Light Blue is a nice color for building elements like shells and beams (and goes great with any shade of azur), but it just doesn't glow as brightly as an eye color.

Re: all the team balance things, those are the sorts of things that used to bother me a lot. But these days I've come to realize that kind of rigid thinking can be limiting from a creative standpoint. Sometimes it's better to think of what's best for individual character designs, not just about divvying up traits equally among a team. With that said, I suppose Pohatu could have been cool with blue eyes.

1. Probably Basher.

2. Anything fluorescent (in the case of these sets, Tr. Flu. Reddish Orange, Tr. Flu. Green, and Tr. Bright Green).

3. They're pretty awesome, though they lead me to wonder what kind of masks the next versions of the Toa might have (since I had thought transparent blends of their current masks would be a good next step, but now that might feel too repetitive).

4. Simple reason, not enough sets. If there are any store exclusive sets or exclusive polybags for the summer, maybe we might see one or both of them, but if not, then it's presumably not gonna happen this year.

5. I wouldn't say it sucks, though I am disappointed. There are some great ideas in that set, but the zigzag shape of the tail bothers me.6

6. Quite possibly!

I think all these sets had their merits and flaws.

The Toa Nuva were much more recognizable as "upgraded" versions of the previous versions of those characters than the Phantoka/Mistika were, but they had weirdly organic masks that could be a turn-off for some people, and their shoulder width became more uniform. The Phantoka/Mistika, on the other hand, became MORE diverse in some ways than the previous versions had been, and their masks became less organic, but they also became less recognizable as the characters in question due to the radical design changes.

The Toa Metru had more diverse proportions than the Toa Hordika, and their color schemes were more vibrant due to having more of their primary colors. However, their color schemes were also simpler, with no metallic accents besides their weapons. I did not really like the "mutated", asymmetrical body proportions or wide, flat torsos of the Toa Hordika or the lack of elbow articulation in their left arms, but I liked their foot design. I liked the Toa Metru gear functions and proportions better than those of the Toa Hordika, but they weren't flawless.

Bohrok-Kal and Bohrok are about equal in my eyes. Bohrok have more vibrant and diverse color schemes, but Bohrok-Kal had metallic armor that made them look "elite". Personally, I liked how the Krana were visible from the outside and matched the Bohrok's eye colors, but I can see how other people might have preferred the Bohrok-Kal's unique printed faceplates and metallic Krana-Kal. Bohrok-Kal have a slight advantage in terms of all their shields being symmetrical, which makes them more versatile in many ways. It's easy to see why many people like the Bohrok better, because they came first and the Bohrok-Kal thus felt redundant to a lot of people who had already collected the Bohrok.

Personally, I'm not too interested in pitting sets against one another. I try to appreciate most sets for their merits, while also keeping aware of their flaws. That doesn't mean I don't have preferences, but I think it's important to keep things in perspective and recognize that a flaw that doesn't matter to me personally might really bother some other people, whereas an asset that is really important to me might not matter at all to other people.

In the case of Ninjago, that's really on Cartoon Network's shoulders, not the LEGO Group's.

Tr. Bright Green (the color used for Breakout Rocka) was indeed new in 2010. It was first used in the LEGO Atlantis theme.

Inika torsos were not especially useful, but I still found them a lot more useful than any of the prefab torso pieces that came before them, and most that came after them prior to the CCBS. They're packed with connection points and don't have a lot of parts sticking off them at inconvenient angles.

Gali's use of Tr. Light Blue seems to me like it's mostly due to budget — all of the parts she uses in Tr. Light Blue already exist in that color, whereas only the shells exist in regular Tr. Blue. But IMO Tr. Light Blue is also a better match for her Dark Azur, so I think her color scheme as a whole benefits from that decision. Now, personally, what I regret is that none of the new BIONICLE sets use Tr. Fluorescent Blue (a.k.a. Kopaka's classic eye color/Toa Inika Matoro's bone color).

In general I've heard a lot of good things about Lord of Skull Spiders from the people who have gotten him. I look forward to trying out his function myself.

I guess I'll be the nitpicky guy who points out the Tr. Light Blue shell on one of Gali's arms is upside-down.

Overall, my favorite of the smaller Toa is Gali, and my favorite of the larger Toa is Onua. Granted, I don't have Tahu or Pohatu yet. The Protector of Jungle is my favorite of the Protectors.

I find Lewa anything but "average" (except, perhaps, in height). His lanky arms and legs and raised shoulders give him a sort of a simian appearance, which I think suits a jungle-dweller like him. I do notice that you have the axe blades on his arms upside-down — the pointed end should be facing his hands.

I really like Lewa's new mask. I'll concede that it is the most different from his classic mask out of the six new masks, but it retains the Miru's narrow eyes, angular jawline, dome-like shape, and playful grin, and in that respect I'd say it's much closer to the classic mask than any version of the Miru Nuva has been. I definitely think it suits him as a character.

I definitely appreciate that it fits closer to the face than the classic Miru, since that mask's eye holes scarcely lined up with Lewa's actual eyes from any angle except direct front view. It was a problem that became readily apparent to me when I was taking comparison photos for my review on The New Elementary.

I'm not terribly fond of Tr. Bright Bluish Violet (Trans-Purple). It's a cool color, but so far the BIONICLE sets that have used it have not used it terribly well. On Onua, there's barely any of it and it's barely noticeable. On the limbs and mask of Protector of Earth, its color barely shows up clearly except when backlit. I have him lying down in front of me right now, and his body and limbs look almost entirely black, which isn't a very flattering look at all.

Perhaps on a more brightly-colored model those parts would look a lot better. But I strongly disagree with anybody who thinks it could make a good eye color. The Tr. Green used for the original Onua was already duller than it had any right to be, considering every other Toa back then had brightly-colored fluorescent eyes.

I have never had a CCBS friction joint break. Did they just break from regular assembly or disassembly? Because that's extremely weird. There's no reason I can think of why they should do that. I've used them in plenty of MOCs with no trouble.

I'd ask why you have a personal hatred of buzzsaws but I'm not sure any answer could really measure up to the various possibilities my crazy mind can concoct.

I am not bothered by the chunky torsos and lanky limbs of the Protector of Water and Protector of Jungle. Truth be told I think the resulting look is kind of cute and amusing. Like Robotnik/Eggman from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

I think it's a fun feature. I haven't had any real problem with it. Maybe I'm just not rough with my sets, or maybe I'm just used to adapting the way I move the head depending on the demands of the set in question and the direction I want to move it.

Even if it does bother you, I see no need to resort to gluing. I imagine a small wad of sticky tack would be enough to prevent wobbling without damaging the ability to use the pieces individually.

As for the reason for the feature, it's the same as the stud connections in 2001 — a play feature to add a competitive role-play element to the sets. Only this time, the designers wanted to make sure that people understood it was an intentional play feature and not just a faulty connection point.

I'd say it's better to stick with a core group of characters for at least five years (or however long it takes to finish telling the story that they're the main characters of). If people get bored of a franchise's main characters after three years then that probably means you didn't do a great job writing/designing them in the first place.

I also didn't like how BIONICLE would just send its "benched" characters on meandering side-quests once they were no longer the focus of sets. That's part of the reason the story serials left as many loose ends as they did.

If the current team of G2 Toa does cease to be the main characters, I want it to be because their chapter of the story has wrapped up in some fashion, not just because they're demoted to running errands until there are new sets of them to be sold.

I want the Toa in G2 to have less repetitive stories than their G1 counterparts. I don't want them to have to constantly learn about teamwork, only to childishly split up and give the enemy an edge, only to come together again for the climactic battle.

Rather, I want their relations to be rough at first, but for them to learn to depend on each other for support. Their new character flaws are a great source for tension but also a great source for that kind of supportive relationship as they learn to be honest about their own weaknesses and tolerate one another's.

I wouldn't say the door is closed on any possible ties to the old continuity, but I do think that if there are ties, they will be subtle ones, and I would rather they be a surprise than speculate endlessly on how the universes MIGHT be connected.

I feel like Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire did a great job crafting a connection to the previous Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire games in a way that didn't require one continuity having to answer to all the baggage from the other:

They don't have names as of yet, which gets a bit confusing. Especially since they have unnamed ancestors that look exactly like them.

 

(also I'll totally take one of those codes :3)

I actually think the unnamed ancestors are part of the reason why they weren't given names — this way, the Protector sets can be used either to represent the current generation of Protectors or the Protectors of the past.

Rather than generic villagers, think of the Protectors as village leaders like the Turaga, except instead of the title being given to heroes who "graduate" from being Toa, it's passed down in a single family line from generation to generation. It's actually a term that has some history behind it when referring to BIONICLE village leaders — the original bios for the Turaga on BIONICLE.com identified them each one as the protector of the corresponding Toa's legend. Likewise, the Protectors are in charge of passing down the Prophecy of Heroes to future generations.

Whenever you decide you want to get caught up with the storyline, you can catch up with it starting here. There are currently just five story videos ("The Legend" and the first four episodes) which are each less than two minutes long, as well as a 30-second video for each of the Toa on their character pages.

There are also a handful of other story details that have been revealed from other places on the website and the LEGO Club magazine, but I'm sure they'll be covered in the story episodes when/if they become relevant.

Looks nice. My only issue is that the "BZPower" text feels a bit small and boring. It'd be cool if you could make it bigger and more like this version of the site logo. I just did a version here that would fit nicely in that corner.

One issue I see here if you wanted to do this as a collab is the purple. In this image, I'm not sure what kind of purple it's supposed to be, but the only color of purple 1x1 brick is Medium Lilac/"Dark Purple". 1x1 bricks in that color appear in both current sets and older ones, but it's still a bit rare!

Also, Dark Azur might present some problems, since 1x1 bricks do not exist in that color, which might make some edges hard to fill out. Medium Azur ones do, but again, they're kind of rare — Heartlake High is the only set with more than five of them.

Not sure how best to solve those problems. Mosaics are not my forte.

I prefer Gali, but it helps that she's my favorite character and is in a pose that really shows off her design.

If you don't like the LEGO.com video player, all the videos are on the official LEGO YouTube channel.

Happy birthday!

Pretty neat! I hadn't even considered that using them like that would make the transparent parts line up with the eye holes!

That is fantastic!