Xboxtravis

11 hours ago, fabSheers said:

One thing I did really appreciate about Gen 2 was how the Toa Mata were handled. They felt like true lineage sets in ways that the Nuva (and certainly the Phantoka/Mistika) missed the mark.

Oooh yes. There is a reason I have all the Toa Masters and 5 of the Toa Uniters (darn you Pohatu!), the G2 Toa really felt like a return to the 2001-2002 roots that the Mata and Nuva set that G1 was never able to somehow recapture itself. Furthermore the changes between the Masters and Uniters are much nicer and well thought out than the differences between the Mata and Nuva. So many of the Nuva had been radically redesigned that if you removed the identifying color it would be hard to tell who was who, but the revamped masks and builds of the Uniters still felt very much in vein of who the characters we met in the Masters were. Not to mention the easter eggs, such as the inclusion of the Nuva symbols as chest decals on the Uniters (symbols which only showed up in packaging but never in G1 sets) felt like a nice nod to their 2002 predecessors. Even then, it was great to just have the original six Toa back in some form, seeing it had been 7 years since the Mistika/Phantoka years and 13 years since their Nuva and Mata forms. 

Furthermore G2's sets in general just did, a lot right. I know CCBS isn't for everyone since its normally is much smoother and futuristic than the rough and worn texture of G1 (pistons!) but CCBS is a very robust system that combined the best of Constraction with traditional Technic builds. I recently have rebuilt a few of my G2 sets after having previously built the Makuta combiner from them, and as I was putting stuff like Umarak the Destroyer and Lord of Skull Spiders together I was pleasantly reminded at how much Technic was in the models. LoSS feels very much like he belongs in the same family as the 2001 Rahi sets. Oh and the socket quality, CCBS is built to last in a way G1 never was.

Speaking of sets, I came to love the Protector style and have many G1 characters "revamped" in the Protector style to bring them into the G2 story and I love how the little figures have so much articulation in G2. While I think the villains in G2 in general never hit the same high water mark as a wave that G1 had with stuff like the Bohrok or Pirakha, I do think Umarak the Hunter might be one of the best villain sets Bionicle ever put out; with a great spooky forest-man "wendigo" vibe to him. The Makuta combiner (while a pain to collect all the pieces needed to build it) is so spectacular in person and really shows the full potential G2 had. 

G2's biggest sins were in its story, and its unfortunate since I will stand by that the physical sets were well designed products and a much better final series for Bionicle sets collectors than 2010's Stars were. 

From a fanon perspective it could maybe work, but as for any official canon stance my best idea is that Ekimu was only inspired by both Mata-Nui and Artakha from G1. Artakha and Ekimu both are skilled crafters and wear the mask of creation, but Ekimu being "the brother of Makuta" and being put into a thousand year long slumber is all very very Mata-Nui like. My guess is  since G2 is a reboot (with only a few Vahi related easter eggs to tie it back to G1 via any official means)is that Ekimu was created behind the scenes as an amalgamation of Mata-Nui with some Artakha characteristics (and maybe a dash of Turaga Vakama too), but is at the core still a new character and not intended to be the exact equivalent to any G1 character. Really the only canonical G2 characters that can be seen as direct successors to their originals are the Toa and Makuta, since they share the same names and story roles (even then its arguable if they could even be considered the same characters to some degree, since some of the Toa such as Pohatu have very drastic differences in their attitude and portrayal between generations).

I know I have wondered before it would be possible to remaster MNOG into a Flash-less remake with HD sprite and sound assets, but since my total skill with programming is in Matlab I feel very ill equipped to even attempt the idea or participate in it; so I always feel guilty for suggesting it! 

I'm just going to be crazy here and suggest the fanon that a pearl gold/glitter Kraata (be it a misprint, knock-off, one off, etc.) is Melding Alternate Universe Makuta's "Kraata of Peace" or "Kraata of Courage". Because come on... that is totally the Kraata this Makuta would produce. 

 

13 hours ago, Cheesy Mac n Cheese said:

In regard to his vortex form, did he lose that battle on purpose, too? The Toa had just recently arrived. We don’t know specifically how much time passed between their arrival on Mata Nui and their descent into Mangaia, but long enough for each to locate and collect ten Masks and one Makoki Stone and have some miscellaneous adventures on the side (like the abduction of most of Le-Koro and the infection of Lewa). Maybe Teridax decided that he needed time to figure out how to deal with them now that’s he’s seen a small sample of them in action, and basically put on a little show of a fight and played dead.

It didn’t seem like a terrible loss. All we really see are the Toa shooting elemental energy at him, together (but not in sync, so no Toa Seal is formed), and the vortex just kind of stops, and the “body parts“ that were whirling around in it just fall to the floor. Now, the Makuta’s true nature may not have been fully developed by the story team yet at that point (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong sbout that) but based on what we later learned about a Makuta’s anatomy, that doesn’t seem like a very sound defeat. Just imagine those body parts are “containers” full of Antidermis. None of them rupture, they just scatter around the room. Therefore, it seems logical to conclude that Teridax wasn’t particularly injured at the end of that battle, just a little frustrated, and stopped the vortex to give the impression that he was defeated.

Much of our idea of Terridax as he was in later stories really hadn't been fleshed out in those early years, and it has to be understand that Makuta in his first incarnation was never planned to become the mastermind villain he was in later years. As such the MNOG Makuta is much more symbolic as a spiritual villain or boogie man, he is the Yang to Mata-Nui's Yin. If Mata-Nui was the force of creation then Makuta was one of destruction. Both are a part of the Lego process, Lego sets get build up but must be destroyed before they can be rebuilt as something else. So Makuta' swirling void form in its most basic was just a metaphor for loose Lego pieces, and when he says "destruction lives in all your hearts" referring to the Toa and Matoran, it can be taken literally since they are all Lego products and as such destruction and creation is the same cycle they are trapped in. The same idea with how the Toa Mata had to absorb the Shadow Toa forms, it was them having to face their own innate abilities for destruction in their nature and accept their dark side. 

11 hours ago, TheZOMBIEJ said:

wow! these Turaga revamps look freaking awesome! they give off kind ov a "movie feel" to some extent! however; i always thought there were more Turaga in the MU than just these nine! i know there were Turaga ov Voya Nui but then they got killed? i don't know it's been so long! ha ha!  

anyway, good job! i'll definitely hit you up with a sub!  

The one in the back wearing Nuparu's Inika mask (Jovan) was the Turaga of Voya-Nui prior to his death. 

If you want the best application, an airbrush and then a second coat of clear-gloss paint would be the best looking. Spray paint is fine, but it usually leaves behind a texture that isn't very smooth looking. 

If you have the specific URL's for any of the lost MOC's, the Wayback Machine is probably your best bet... and since you said its already not working for you its probably a lost cause. At this point I'd say it is like the situation with MOCpages' old content, its all lost in the internet void except a few small bits that the Wayback Machine somehow managed to save before the site vanished. 

Really the best time capsule into old school Bionicle MOCs is in printed media, Lego Club Magazine MOC spotlights, the old Rahi and Dark Hunter books, etc. Brickshelf is still up too and has MOCs going all the way back to the early 2000's and would also be a good place to check. 

On 8/5/2020 at 10:13 PM, Bionicle Guru said:

I didn't realize it at the time, but 2004 was the last time we got the original Kanohi mask designs in sets. I missed getting recolors of the original BIONICLE masks in later years, especially since some of the Matoran sets released between 2006 and 2008 could have used that extra spice of a classic mask. Yes, I understand the practical considerations of a LEGO part mold wearing out or not being financially viable for limited runs, but still, it was disappointing.

Yes. I have actually have been thinking about the material changes too. The original 2001-2003 masks I think used regular LEGO ABS, while the 2003-2010 masks used a more soft plastic, I think its the same type the Toa weapons were made of and maybe even Lego plants. I do give credit to G2, while I don't think those masks were ABS they did use a harder plastic that felt much more in line with the 2001-2003 mask range than later G1 masks did. But yeah the classic masks would have definitely helped in 2006 and 2007 especially, imagine the Voya Nui Resistance team if they didn't look like mini Toa Metru. At the very least its a shame the 2004 masks didn't see many recolors either (just one Metru Blue Great Ruru... really?)

On 8/18/2020 at 8:37 PM, Zestanor said:

This is a great point. It proves that Bionicle was NOT as all planned out as they made it sound in 2010. In the early years, even in MOL, Mata Nui island is called paradise. Hahli even says something like “we’re blessed that Mata Nui gave us the best home ever” (this line belongs an earlier lore, perhaps from the beginning of the movie’s creation). Doesn’t seem like its getting Bohrokked and broken by a face was to be considered a happy thing or even a necessary evil.

Then we moved to Metru Nui, which now was billed as the new homeworld for the Matoran. Having them leave Metru was definitely not intended back in 2006, but by 2009 we abandoned it too.

The robot was always planned out, but I don't really know if they did intend for the Matoran to return to the inside of the robot or not to be honest. It seems the early story stuff I have read suggested that Mata-Nui was meant to be settled by the "colonizers" who were in stasis tubes inside the Great Spirit Robot; and that the Matoran had failed to wake them up because Makuta made them lose their purpose. With that said... I think since Mata-Nui was always supposed to "wake up" I I think there were always plans to smash the island especially since the Bohrok's purpose to clean the island was established since 2002. Either way, I think Metru-Nui as a city inside the GSR was a later addition. 

On 8/5/2020 at 10:13 PM, Bionicle Guru said:

Later on, my biggest disappointments became quality issues. Cracking connector sockets from all years, as well as cracked Toa Mata feet, cracked Bohrok feet, cracked lime green t-bone connector pieces, dried up and cracked rubber bands from my 2001 Rahi (big tears shed on that one), cracked Glatorian hand sockets, and any other Technic part that cracked. It is going to be a real challenge to collectors of the original BIONICLE toys to maintain a certain "purity" to them if they have to spend lots on Bricklinking old parts to replace cracked pieces. I already did it for my Exo-Toa and some original Toa Mata feet. As far as LEGO in general goes, that is a massive disappointment that will haunt BIONICLE for a long, long time.

It took me several years, but I finally restored my Toa Mata, Bohrok and Turaga sets after Bricklinking a lot of new pieces. The problem with most of the parts there, other than a few cracked sockets; one of my dogs had gone through a chewing spree on my Lego pieces as a kid. For years my Kopaka had a lame-ankle for example since the socket was loose and partially open because the dog chewed on his foot. Tahu Nuva's fire swords had teeth marks in them. Vakama's fire staff was a makeshift Technic axle with a System flame piece stuck on top since the dog completely turned the fire staff to little red bits. My early Bionicle sets were just physically abused, and I am glad to have almost finished restoring them all (I just miss one socket to fix a Gahlok Kal that I bought second hand off Bricklink and the socket broke in shipping). The rubber bands are a lost cause... I have to use non-Lego replacements but hey I can't be to upset over just the rubber bands at this point. 

But... I am glad I kind of quit G1 when I did (2007 after the first few Barraki sets) since I think the line's quality control problems really kicked off about then and lasted until Hero Factory introduced CCBS. Knock on wood, but my Ehlek (one of my last G1 sets I got as a kid) has zero broken sockets. I think the fact I lost interest in Bionicle after the Barraki wave meant I only assembled Ehlek once, but now I am afraid to ever take him apart since lime joints have such a reputation. But yeah its unfortunate that despite Bionicle's popularity it had some of Lego's worst quality control issues. 

Built it a few weeks ago, I didn't do it with a 3D MoUP, instead using a stock Mask of Control as a stand in. Building it was a bit tricky, I bounced between several photo sources and videos to try and get different angles. I think Eljay's stuff on the TTV channel has the best views of the build and its components. There are also some photos on Flickr of Lego's original Makuta model that make a great reference to try and get it as close to how the original Journey to One build was.

Building it is satisfying because it is a challenging model, and once finished has the size and heft to make it really feel like a massive display centerpiece. That size really hampers posing and play aspects. The gear function for the arms is completely useless and really doesn't offer much to the model especially since the shoulders block so much of the motion. The model can stand on its own, but the limited articulation in the legs makes it hard to pose really effectively. The skirt also limits leg motion really locking Makuta into an almost constant standing pose (or standing with a slightly bent knee pose). The staff is so massive that even with friction extenders its hard for Makuta to really hold it up steady without placing the bottom end on the ground to provide additional support. Its clear as a concept model, Makuta never went through the same quality assurance processes as an official set, it really feels like a high end MOC and not an official Bionicle product. With that said the staff is a fun build since the planetary gear function makes spinning it really easy and fun, and the switchblade arms are kind of neat.

You also have to consider what sets you are sacrificing to get the build. Lord of Skull Spiders, 2016 Tahu and Ikir, 2016 Onua, both Umarak the Hunter and Destroyer models, and Skull Grinder vs Ekimu. When it comes to playability and action I'd say those sets individually are more impressive than Makuta, and breaking them down to make Makuta feels almost like a waste. A big reason I haven't broken down my Makuta yet though to rebuild those other sets though is because Makuta's build is so complex and massive any project to break it down would take hours before I'd have all those sets assembled again, and none of their building processes are quite as interesting or innovative as Makuta's are. 

The big pro to Makuta though as I mentioned already is that size and heft. Put that guy on a shelf and he TOWERS over almost everything else. Really my only other Bionicle set of a similar height is Roodaka, but while she is about as tall as Makuta she is much thinner and feels light. Makuta is just heavy to hold, he has a powerful aura and when you put him on a shelf... he is KING. Makuta while not as fun as a toy is probably the best Bionicle build I have ever made for display purposes, it draws the eye in and dominates my own display (G1 sets from 2001 all the way to G2's 2016 and my MOCS). Its the other big reason I have yet to break down the build, I really just love how he looks on the shelf. As much as I miss 2016 Tahu and Ikir right now, its hard to swallow the thought of restoring them to their glory as long as Makuta just towers over everything. If you can somehow get the parts for Makuta in bulk/used packs definately do it if you want to avoid the "should I break down my sets" dilemma I am in. If I had enough spare parts to have built Makuta separately I would never consider taking it apart, the only reason I keep thinking about it is because I miss the sets I had to breakdown to build Makuta up. Although when we consider that G1 Makuta was originally supposed to be a symbolic representation of the "destructive" side of Lego and how the Lego creative process requires breaking down other creations... maybe in a sense having G2 Makuta built like that is the embodiment of everything the character has ever stood for in all iterations of Bionicle. 

The weapon kind of has the look of an unpainted resin, either casted off a prototype mold or maybe some form of early 3D printing. Its pretty neat for sure!

As some of you know, Lego has recently launched a new website called Lego World Builder. Like Lego Ideas, this website is meant to be a route for fan created media to become official Lego products. Unlike Ideas, World Builder is meant not to pitch individual sets but instead entire themes and their stories. Something I have wanted to see in Lego that has yet to happen is a Greek/Roman myth based theme. Taking inspiration from these classic myths, and Lego's own internal themes like Ninjago and Bionicle; I have started the Lego Mythos project as a "pitch" for a suggestion for a Lego theme. 

Maybe I am just having fun with it because it is my own chance to mimic Christian Faber, Alastair Swinterton and Bob Thompson? I dunno. 

Mythos is a classical mythology inspired setting, where six heroes and their three headed dog travel the seas island hoping while following the Path of Monsters to face the evil Medusa, who wants to turn the whole world to stone! Like other classic Lego themes it is centered on a core team of heroes, who are in a shared quest to triumph over evil. Lego has never had any classic myth inspired themes before, although Greek and Roman inspired figures have shown up in the Collectible Minifigure range. 

Mythos is an early stage where I am sketching it out on paper and pen. This is where your help can come in! A unique part of Lego World Builder is the ability for other fans to contribute to projects, producing art to supplement the original vision. I know with the great talent in the Lego community we can have a shot at creating something truly special. 

The official project page is here with character bios and location information I will be updating as the project goes on, liking the project will help improve its visibility on the Lego World Builder site: https://worldbuilder.tongal.com/world/73f1bbbe-fdb6-4921-adfa-c2be46f79d6f

I have also started a Facebook page for public updates here: https://www.facebook.com/Lego-Mythos-112304443930641/?notif_id=1598571397019963&notif_t=page_fan&ref=notif 

Now for some of the rough sketch work I have done today:

Early cover photo sketch:

Medusa's lair: *spot the hidden "petrified" Pohatu easter egg* 

Vassillios the Bard:

Zoe the Siren Sorceress: 

Phaedra the Amazonian-esque warrior:

Vigilius the Centaur archer: 

Edit, I just did the first cleaned up in-color sketch for the project; one of Archeon the team's self appointed leader:

Remember when walking this island Chronicler, that there are many ancient spirits that were here long before my brother and I forged our first masks. One of legend is the mighty Pono Waoku guardian spirit of the jungle. Pono Waoku protects the trees and the animals from defilement, and maintains the balance of nature on this island. Neither truly benevolent or malevolent, Pono Waoku judges from a neutral eye as nature itself does. Respect the spirit and its lands with care, and it will treat you with honor in return.
-Ekimu the Mask Maker in conversation with Takua, three years after The Arrival of the Toa on Okoto.

Listen I don't care how much Ahkmou wants us to set up camp here, the whole Brotherhood would be best to avoid this spot in the jungle! There is something in the trees stalking us, and I would rather not find out what it plans to do with us.
- Internal correspondence of the Brotherhood of Makuta from Servitor Kirop to Lieutenant Gavla, one year prior to The Arrival of the Toa on Okoto. 

Terrible just terrible. I was hoping around different universes, went back to one I visited before; some stuffy island called Okoto... You know one of those boring paradise islands lead by some old prunes, the type of place the Matoran would call a gift from the Great Spirit. Yada yada yada yada etc. etc. No giant robot sleeping under that island though, but I digress... Anyways I was having some fun hunting down some wild Rahi-like beasts (good furs, good ivory too) in their jungle area when this massive creature rushed to attack me. You'd think my poaching wouldn't hurt anything, but this creature was FURIOUS at me. Rose its axe in the air to strike me down... if it wasn't for my trusty old Olmak there would be two very dead parts of Good Ol' Vezon scattered in the jungle of Okoto now.
- Record of Vezon's Inter-Dimensional Travels preserved by The Order of Mata-Nui in New Atero, Spherus Magna. 

While searching for the Great Creature Uxar, the wind-quick wasp of the Jungle I stumbled across a mighty beast. Height near that of Toa, hulking and strong. Both Protector Vizuna and Turaga Matau speak of legends of a great jungle wood spirit. In respect I quick-went to my knees and offered salute to the beast, it let me pass by quietly. I think great jungle wood spirit understands I needed to find Uxar, and knows that we both serve as guardians of Okoto's mighty jungle.

- Toa Lewa private journal, recorded two months after The Arrival of the Toa in Okoto. 

They actually look like they are from the second film, Legends of Metru-Nui. I can recognize a lot of scenes from them, such as Lhikan's death or Jaller waking up on the Mata-Nui beach at the end of the film. 

On 8/5/2020 at 3:05 PM, Hahli, the Chronicler said:

I personally think G2's biggest story problem was its lack of interesting villains.

The Skull Spiders were an attempt to re-do the Rahi from 2001 but it didn't work as well because the Rahi were all unique in appearance, personality, and environment - the skull spiders were all small and samey, except for the big skull spider (but there was only one). Then they had a bunch of generic skeletons, and then shadow people.

The Bohrok and the Bohrok-Kal might have all been clone sets, but they were all interesting story components which is why people bought the sets. The Bohrok had elemental powers that posed a serious and symmetrical challenge to the Toa, and the Bohrok-Kal were an assymetrical opponent because they had non-elemental powers. While the Skull Army and the Shadow Horde are objectively better sets, their characters aren't as interesting. The Bohrok-Kal had real personality. The original Bohrok did not, but they instead had a mysterious hive mind whose initial motivations were unclear and only revealed later, in the form of another set: the Bahrag Queens, leaders of the Bohrok. The same could be said about the Rahkshi and Makuta (later named "Teridax").

If your heroes don't have a noteworthy challenge to overcome, you haven't written a noteworthy story. Okoto was interesting. The Protectors and Masters were interesting. The bad guys weren't.

I point to two big issues in worldbuilding in G2 and that is one of them. I think the Skull Villains once built in hand, are actually really great sets; they are all unique and certainly are fun to build and play with. But... compared to the Bohrok they lack the same story punch. The Skull Villains as depicted in most media really had about the excitement of punching any skeleton warrior in any generic RPG game. The Bohrok felt alien, they were remorseless and ruthless. Their lair was insectoid, they were a swarm and something about them made the audience feel uneasy as they read the comics and watched the animations, the Bohrok were truly other. As the years went on and the mythology of G1 was slowly peeled back we got to see the Bohrok in a new light, eventually realizing that they had noble goals and were as critical as the Toa in the journey to re-awaken the Great Spirit. It was certainly a cool bit of story, and kudos to Lego for nailing the use of the Bohrok in 2002 in particular. 

The second issue I take up with G2 is the lack of life in the villages. MNOG was a story set from the villager's point of view, and it humanized the Matoran life style and highlighted why they needed to be saved from Makuta. The Toa were greater heroes once we knew what they were defending. It was a mistake to release the Protector's without proper names, as "Protector of Fire" and "Protector of Ice" dehumanized the supporting cast.

I think a lot of credit has to be given to Ryder Windham and his novels for G2, I think he tried to fix the issues. The Skull Warriors in his book became an ancient un-dead Pirate gang lead by Kulta the Skull Grinder. The six Protectors were given real names, and in a subversion of the tropes of G1 we found out that in G2 the Protector of Earth was a woman named Korgot. There were archaeologists such as Harvali, and stories of ancestors and families. It seems Ryder understood G2 was lacking in world building, and he was trying to flesh out the universe Okoto sat in and make it come alive more like G1's had. I think though that unfortunately Ryder's work was to little to late. Since so few people read the novels compared to the primary media (online animations and the Netflix show) it meant that the world building work Ryder had done had little impact on the rest of G2's story and couldn't help make the line more appealing in time to save it from cancellation. 

At this point if Lego released a 2x4 tile on a keychain that said "Bionicle 20th Anniversary" I'd be surprised. Really the only theme to get any anniversary recognition other than Star Wars was the 40th anniversary of Lego Trains with a GWP set and an internal employee gift. Some advancements in Lego have had anniversary sets, I remember special sets for the Lego brick itself, the anniversary of the creation of Technic and the anniversary of the creation of the Lego Minifigure. I don't think Classic Space, Castle or Pirates have had any anniversary recognition. 

Bionicle's biggest hurdle will be its unique parts. Other than some ball joints, almost nothing from Bionicle is still in production, and the theme itself is not in production currently. While I thought Sokoda's Ideas project made a good case for using common System parts to homage Bionicle, its still felt like imitation and not the real deal since it lacked any major Technic or CCBS parts. If Lego attempted to make a Bionicle tribute for 2021 in System parts it would feel "Bionicle-adjacent" and not quite like the original.  

Do I think it deserves an anniversary tribute? Personally, yes; as the recent Popular Mechanics article stated there were years during G1's run where Bionicle made up 25% of Lego's revenue and 100% of profits. Bionicle really did save the company, and it pulled Lego through what could have been a tough time otherwise. But since Bionicle is not a currently ongoing theme, I feel like Lego will skip the 20th anniversary totally (unless Lego wants to try a crack at G3... I wouldn't complain about that!)  All I can hope for is that whatever Faber is cooking for his push for a Biovival, or whatever Lego's own internal ideas on how to use the Bionicle theme; will somehow make it so Bionicle can at least maybe if we're lucky celebrate its 25th anniversary a few years down the road. 

19 hours ago, That Matoran with a Vahi said:

I wonder, though. I wonder if the set department didn't design the Toa waves first, with no specific intent for them to be transformations of already-known characters; and it's only later that the story department decided "oh, this set of new Toa we've been given? They can be the same people as the little guys from 2001..." I've honestly long been curious whether sets were designed to meet story needs, or story had to just take whatever sets they were given and make something of them; though I feel like the latter might be more likely.

I wonder that too... its hard to look at the Toa Mistika/Phantoka and think they were ever supposed to be the Toa Mata, or if the design team originally intended them to be the third incarnation of the Mahri/Inika team, before somebody sent them a memo that "Matoro is dead and the story team wants to bring back the original Toa, so slap some asymmetry on that figure's mask and call it Kopaka now!" Then again, that's impossible to tell if that is the case or not, since we have very little behind the scenes info on how set design was working in that era.

The uniform look of the Metru didn't bother me to much since it kind of adds to the whole... cosmopolitan city vibe of Metru-Nui. Yes its kind of bland, but it just fits so well to have the team feel uniform like that. With that said, I understand why the film team mixed in the Turaga colors, and I have seen plenty of MOCs do the same; and its a nice "what might have been" to imagine Vakama sporting more orange or Matau with some lime green in the mix.

G2's color choices, never bothered me if only in part because the visual design was much more consistent. Yes, Tahu 2016 looses almost all his red in favor of gold and flame orange and even azure blue bits... but I can still look at him and say "yep that's Tahu" thanks to the Hau-inspired mask and the flame swords, much more than I could ever look at Tahu Mistika and believe it was the same character Lining up Tahu's sets (skipping over the Mistika and Star incarnation) from 2001-2016 is actually a neat visual trip, since all the variants share enough similarities it is clear that the designers were iterating the same character over the years. The other stuff like the Protector's eye colors not matching their Toa never bugged me since G2 eye colors never were locked to one village or tribe like the original 2001-2004 sets were, and Ekimu's 2016 trans-blue fest looks very nice in person; much better than it looks in many of the set renders. 

The right three Kraata look to be the stock colors from the Brown, Black and Green sets. The white ones might be from the White Rahkshi, but I am not sure since I haven't handled that set and seen its Kraata for myself. Either way, it seems there is nothing super rare in this Kraata set. 

The best option is to keep an eye on Bricklink, eBay, thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace for the occasional deal. I have recently ordered five G2 sets I found near or below MSRP from a seller near me on Facebook Marketplace. Mind you his listing was up for all of 45 minutes before I stepped in and snapped it up, so be aware that any G2 set can and likely will be quickly grabbed up as soon as a Bionicle fan spots it at a good price. Bricklink  and eBay can be trickier to find good prices on, since so many of the sets are already so expensive there its unlikely that anyone will lower their prices, and even if they did lower their prices you can bet they will again be gobbled up quickly. Another option, check used Lego stores like Bricks and Minifigures and dig through used parts bins, its likely that many G2 sets were sold "disassembled" in bulk to the store, and you can find many of the pieces needed loose in the bulk bins and if you can manage to find all the parts you can piece it together at home for a fraction of the cost. 

11 hours ago, TuragaNuva said:

It sells for so much because it was a flop. The sets, particularly the 2016 sets, weren't on shelves too long and weren't purchased by that many people, so there just aren't that many out there to be sold (making them a rarity and driving up the price now that they're no longer available). The final wave is especially rare, since in the US it was TRU exclusive - even Lego stores didn't carry it.

Exactly. Hindsight being 20/20, I should have bought up the 2016 wave then and there. But because it flopped, fewer people have it to resale, thus driving up the value. Not to mention that "rare failed Lego theme" can have a ring to it that can draw in some collectors. 

Compare that to 2001, where most sets can be found easily for cheap used; because 2001 was so successful and huge a lot of people have them and are willing to resale.

Well I am looking back at the comments I made in April and May, and I can say my opinion on the matter has changed. I made my entry and uploaded it at the start of June (I ended up as Entry 4 in Poll Uno: https://board.ttvchannel.com/t/helryx-leader-of-the-order-of-mata-nui-contest-entry-the-first/51876). I followed the contest to the end, and even to my surprise one of my favorite entries was declared the winner of the contest, this one below: 

But... to say the contest was drama free would be a lie... as Hoseryx, Bendyrx or whatever you wanted to call it came into second place (and would have taken first place had TTV not culled the votes they felt were coming from dupe and bot accounts). Personally I thought it was a hilarious entry, and the amount of memes it created kept me (and even some of my non-Bionicle fan friends) chuckling for the last few weeks. Now with the contest over... I think Hoseryx will always cast a shadow over everything that the winning Helryx achieved, especially as people will accuse TTV of tampering with the votes to create a more favorable outcome (although I agree it was right to cull out any bot accounts and fake votes, that will forever be in debate with Helryx I think in our fandom now). 

So what are my thoughts on the contests now? Well first, lets finish the art contest and get the mask finished and a few nice drawings of the winning Helryx for BioSector01. Then... end the contests. This was fun while it lasted, but looking at the list now... Arthahka... Lariska... 2/3 of the Toa Hagah... Marrendar, etc. These are all characters I really no longer care to see with a canon form or not at this point. Yes they are characters I would love to MOC and create on my own just as I did for my own Helryx entry if I ever get a chance at it, but I don't want to see the endless debates that would be caused if Arthahka used 3D printed parts, G2 style CCBS, or even a joke entry like Bendy-thahka or something like that. Yes this contest was fun and a blast while it lasted, but its ensuing drama makes me feel now it is time to end the great experiment so to speak and just let the G1 canon rest again with Helryx as the last addition. Leave the moc contests in the more imaginative areas like the BioCup, and let any attempt to officially alter G1 to Lego themselves if they ever return to the franchise someday.

"Democracy is nothing more than mob rule where, 51% of the people take away the rights from the other 49%" (source unknown, often erroneously attributed to Thomas Jefferson) feels like a great description of the events of this contest. 

My thoughts if G1 were to be continued:
 

• Finish the serials (obviously)
• Re-tell the existing story if possible via new medium, imagine an animated series like The Clone Wars telling the G1 story or something.
• Or... perhaps the best idea... restart the story in a new location. What were the Toa and Matoran not from Metru/Mata/Voya/Karda-Nui doing in G1? What was society like in the Great Spirit Robot in far off lands before the Great Cataclysm? How did Matoran survive in the far corners of the universe after the Cataclysm? Or even outside the GSR, what is happening on Bota Magna and Bara Magna during all those years after The Shattering? Yes it would still be G1, but it would be a completely blank slate offering a new perspective on unseen corners of the universe. 

Just random, but I want to speak candidly of some of my thoughts of Bionicle and the fandom as a whole right now. Maybe something I can share for future reference if anyone wants to know what my thoughts are on different things regarding Bionicle.
 

• Somedays I don't really care about the Bionicle community's past, I have been on this website on and off for 14 years; 14 years in the Lego community online. Something that surprises me constantly is how people though are still bringing up so to speak "the sins of the past." I hear all the time about "Well seven years ago TTV said this" or "8 years ago somebody posted this on BZPower" and sometimes it seems grudges are still going back to the day and age when Mask of Destiny was still active. I frankly... don't get it. I'm 26 years old, I wake up every morning and see the beard on my face, and lately have been trying to wrap my mind around how in the world I am going to finish my degree during the middle of a global pandemic. 14 years ago when I first joined this community I was not the same person I am today, and I can't help but feel like that applies to everyone in this community. Yes, maybe people wronged people in the Bionicle fan community 5, 10, 15 or almost 20 years ago... but why are we still hung up over it? Do we really want to judge others based on the actions and words they said when they were 10, 11, 12 or 13 years old? I certainly wouldn't want anyone to be quoting the stupid stuff I said when I was 12 years old in the present day, and I figure its best to give people the same consideration. 
• Nuvaboobs are still stupid. I don't think I need to explain this one.  
• I loved G2, warts and all. Most of my MOC's are CCBS heavy. I love a system who's sockets won't break apart if I sneeze in their direction. Yes I know its not following "the G1 aesthetics" but... since when did G1 ever have a consistent design? I can barely put a Toa Mata right next to a Toa Metru without them looking night and day in difference, and they were only released three years apart from each other. Yes G2's story and advertising was abysmal, but I am just glad it happened since it is what re-ignited my fascination in Bionicle as an adult. 
• G1 wasn't perfect either. Don't get me wrong, I love G1 and have a lot of hard baked nostalgia for the early years 2001-2003 especially. I have recently been sucked back into mask collecting, and am hoping to soon have a complete collection of the 2001 masks (excluding the pricier misprints... I will complete those on a later date). But for everything G1 did right, I think its fair to look critically at its flaws. The early figures were simple, and pretty clone-ish. I think its understandable (even if a bit frustrating) as to why many AFOL's in 2001 dismissed Bionicle outright, since (outside the Technic heavy Rahi and Titans) the theme never had any really complex building in the early years. The Toa Mata as iconic as they are, were pretty crude as action figures with limited articulation and large single piece limbs. G1's early years will hold a special place in my heart, but I think its fair to look at it with a critical eye and recognize the flaws it had while also celebrating the things it did right.

16 hours ago, Distorted said:

I would never have realised the foreshadowing without your comment, but actually, Makuta does talk to himself a lot during the Mangaia scenes in Mask of Light.

Granted, they're straight-up monologues rather than him talking to a reflection of himself, but it's interesting that the parallel was there all along!

My thoughts too reading this thread... Makuta is monologuing a lot to himself in Mangaia. The comics which had him narrating certain scenes also can be seen as him talking to himself (remember the 2001 comic with the big infected Hau looming over a swarm of Rahi during Makuta's narration?).

At least in the 1000 years after the Great Cataclysm... I bet Makuta did not get to leave Mangaia a lot... so he might have some cabin fever locked up in his lair and scheming. 

Disney and Universal are the two leading theme park companies in what I would call "immersive design" and would be my two top picks for a theme park, I would lean more towards Disney though since Universal is known for using a lot more projectors and screens in their attractions which takes me out of the immersion a bit. I know technically Merlin Entertainment has the Bionicle rights through Legoland, but for this hypothetical scenario I am imagining it as a Disney park. 

As for locale... the Island of Mata-Nui makes a prime location for a theme park. It has Bionicle's most iconic locations, and the hub and spoke design would be extremely easy to imitate in the theme park layout. 

Our park guests will begin the day via entering on the Ta-Wahi beach... with the security gates and ticket sands on a faux-sand concrete, a water feature off to the side suggesting the Aqua-Magna oceans and Tahu's lone canister washed ashore. Although off limits to park guests, the Great Telescope towers over the area and might even have an animatronic Nixie up there staring at the stars. The park's main entry will then follow up a winding path through the charred forest ending in a central hub point of Ta-Koro with Mount Ihu and the Mangai volcano towering in the background (imagine as similar layout to Tokyo Disney Sea and its Mysterious Island actually). Mount Ihu and Mangai with Ta-Koro at the base act as the park's "weenie" (an actual theme park design term about using large structures to draw in guests attention and serve as a visual icon, also aiding in guest navigation through the park). A cable car ride will take guests over the Mangai and to Ko-Koro which is on the opposite end of the park. 

Ta-Koro will have some sort of E-ticket... perhaps a lava surfing themed ride or roller coaster along the Mangai. Ta-Koro will also serve as a central commercial hub, with several shops and eateries for park guests and a stage for park shows and events. Lucky guests might find Takua or Jaller at work in the Ta-Koro area.  Lastly, Ta-Koro is the access point to the Onu-Wahi highway system. Unlike the MNOG system, this highway will have access to Ga-Koro and Ko-Koro too... just to provide ease of park flow and insuring Ko-Koro's only access point isn't the previously mentioned cable cars.

Le-Wahi will focus on the Le-Koro tree tops offering a vibrant futuristic jungle (think Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom) and a central E-Ticket at the Kini-Nui. The Kini-Nui attraction will drop into Mangai, perhaps taking guests through the Bohrok Nests and offering a brief glimpse at Metru-Nui in the distance; culminating in a face to face encounter with Makuta himself! Imagine something similar to Universal's Harry Potter rides for example. Additional family friendly attractions in Le-Koro will focus on the various tamed Rahi in the jungle, perhaps offering Gukko rides or other experiences. The Kini-Nui also offers a place to learn Bionicle lore, for the uninitiated. 

Ko-Koro is built around ice, and the park has several playgrounds and ice caves to explore and family attractions themed around skiing and sledding. A major E-Ticket will take guests into Mauka hunting with Matoro, think something along the lines of Disney's Matterhorn and Expedition Everest. Guests can explore the knowledge temple, and perhaps seek out wisdom from Nuju in his sanctum. 

Onu-Koro is completely enclosed, and the interior building will make guests feel like they are in a constant state of nighttime down there. Perhaps a water flume attraction could serve as a solid D-Ticket through the flooded Great Mine tunnels, while other attractions will highlight the stout miners life of the Onu-Koro guilds-man. A family attraction gives guests the chance to experience riding on the back of an Ussal crab. At the bottom of the land, the "layer of unbreakable strata" hints at the massive Great Spirit Robot buried underneath the island. 

Po-Wahi is a desert of carved rock, imagine something like Car's Land in California Adventure. The Po-Koro marketplace is a vibrant outpost for guests, and they can join in a game of Kohli or purchase their own Hafu originals to take home. A Lego experience full of Bionicle parts also offers guests a chance to create their own custom Bionicle heroes in the park, featuring exclusive and rare masks only available in the park itself. I don't know what the E or D ticket ride would be here, maybe a dark ride where guests join Pohatu as he fights the Nui-Jaga. A visit to the Turaga's hidden Kraata cave offers guests a chilling locale to visit, and park cast members remind guests to be wary of Ahkmou, who is represented as an animatronic figure in the central village working his Comet Ball Stall. 

Ga-Koro provides a tranquil shade covered market, with plenty of water based attractions and ocean themed sights. Perhaps a motion simulator can take guests boat racing with Macku, leading them to encounter a wild Tarakava and be saved by aid of Gali. A more tame boat attraction (think like the Jungle Cruise or Navi River Journey) takes guests on a tranquil journey along the shores of Ga-Koro. 

Park food will be interesting, it has to be palatable enough for human consumption but kind of alien and strange, along the lines of the menu items at Star Wars Galaxy's Edge. Its unique and flavorful, and park guests might even get a passing comment on the Matoran being disgusted at how humans eat with their mouths and maskless! Either way, the food is unique and offers guests the sensation of being in a foreign land (even if a few of the menu items are just traditional theme park corn dogs and burgers, it will still have a twist to them to keep them from being bland and "Earth like")