T.B.O.C

Just Kraata and 4 or 5 Kanoka, at this point, but that's a multi-year venture. Someday I intend to finish my G2 collection with the remaining 2016 sets. Pricing for everything has gotten terrible and it's such a rough market for anything. Takes the fun out of it for sure. I think I'm even done with boxes and canisters now. Toa Mata Nui was a chore. I just need to get cracking on filling out the Kraata and maybe someday I can mark this down as fully complete.

Chiming in here to say similarly, it's perhaps the best course of action to understand BIONICLE is a closed book. While your enthusiasm and love for the franchise is awesome, it has been done in most all capacity for 15 years. In all honesty, it was done when the last pieces of major story media were released with Journey's End and the final comics back in 2010. As Nato G and the others have said, an adherence to canon or official response from LEGO is completely arbitrary at this point. Stories are down to what you make of them, and at this point the only likely thing to continue to matter to you is your interpretation thereof. In the matter of like, personal importance and affect, that's gonna be it. No petition will "bring back BIONICLE," nor is this something that can happen. ******, BIONICLE has already been revived and cancelled a second time. There isn't a reality in which the story would be ended or continued. I understand that might be a struggle to sit with, or that the idea of canonical ending is deeply important to you - I definitely get this. I just don't think it's healthy to continue to extol upon the need for something that not only won't happen, but seems to draw some of your focus away from what you enjoy about the franchise. You seem to have ideas about that - sounds like something to keep working on. Anyways, congrats on the hot topic. Genuinely forgot that was still a thing - been like a decade and a half since I've seen it last.

Welcome to the forums, stranger... It's been so long since I've thought about BIONICLE comics online. Very nostalgic 🙂

Wall of History just made the announcement this morning they are taking over - a very welcome relief, given the high degree of LEGO pictures and such that we'd lose otherwise. Very happy to hear!

I think we've actually gotten a lot of extrapolation on this due to the release of the early BIONICLE story bibles, which described the McDonald's Matoran sets and their designs. We also have some very intriguing information other more keen members than me were able to cobble together into the potential designs of a second cancelled wave of McDonald's Matoran. This wonderful Bluesky thread by Wolk describes their info and breakdown: but it looks like they had slated a Kaukau for production in transparent bright bluish violet. How nice that would have been! They link to another great TTV topic about these unreleased but likely produced parts, which extrapolates that the Kaukau's palette restrictions probably prevented it from being used at first. My personal guess is that it would have been a higher cost to have another color, and a transparent one at that, in the set. The polybags all had exclusive mask colorations as well, so I presume doing another trans-dark blue Kaukau didn't fit their plans. No need to make any one set less desirable. I assume too they had barred the Kaukau from solid colors, given they never got produced in anything but transparent ones. It's very possible that Maku had been intended for a later release, and got switched in. As for the Hahli information, two things: 1. BIONICLE Heroes contains a lot of incorrect information, likely because it was implemented by the game development studio and was not thoroughly checked for accuracy. That's not to say there weren't checks - just given the very non-canon nature of the game (the titans, the enemies, Axonn being evil, etc...) this was not their prerogative. I don't recall if they were supplied with info from the BIONICLE story team, this information was gleaned on it's own, or if we even know. I, however, recall reading several incorrect pieces of information in those tidbits. Just the nature of the beast. Ironically, they did in fact make that color Kaukau though in those "european misprints" from early 2001. Granted - I think the current thought was that was an early idea for Kopaka's Kaukau, given it's placement with the yellow one (potentially Pohatu's?) and the lack of the clear and trans-neon orange ones in that first production wave. I recall too someone postulating the Gali render actually has her wearing the lighter one, but I chalk it up to the lighting of those early 3D models. My guess is the light blue description is just incorrect. 2. I think the current thought was the other Ga-Matoran set would have depicted Kotu. I am a bit hazy on when she was introduced in production material, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was before Hahli. If I recall (so check me on this, please): Hahli was introduced by Templar in the Bohrok animations from Wall of History, almost certainly to prepare for the MNOG II that was in development at Templar. Given her protagonist role and tie-ins with Mask of Light (as well as the introduction of tertiary dark blue in 2002 (I THINK...), her regular Kaukau was a better match. I really like your thoughts here though - because honestly, as seen above in those links... there's a ton of interesting production history that explains the little oddities we saw through BIONICLE's release, especially in those early years of LEGO financial turmoil.

Heh... the woman you're looking for is right here... I actually have a lot of fondness for G2 - I'm fairly similar in age range to you (zillenial cusp) - so my fondest memories are of G1. Exiting G1 was around the time my interests shifted and I was not into LEGO stuff much at the time. Variously my teenage years and ennui coalesced into a lot of other interests - such as anime and video games. Around when I started working and having some disposable income in 2013-2014, I revisited a ton of the missing BIONICLE sets I'd never gotten. Most of the 2001 rahi and older titan sets, and so on. Rumors were circulating then about the potential revival... and then the reveal! I was actually elated - at the time, I was at one of the most stressed out and depressed times of my life (wouldn't you know it, but the onset of depression really kicks your ****** as a teenager). A BIONICLE reboot felt insanely like a gift being thrown directly in my lap. I followed the new G2 animations with glee, and went out set hunting during the holiday season in 2014. I recall going to the old Target I used to buy all my BIONICLE sets from and spotting a Kopaka - who was my first set of the line. Broke my streak for going for blue sets first, but hey: I was no longer a child following basal color affiliation. I was a slightly older teen with nostalgia for the toys of my past. I really enjoyed the process. Spent the birthday money I received that year cleaning up the rest of the Toa, and dipped every so often to get a protector. That summer I'd saved up to get the full summer line at launch at the LEGO Store (which hadn't existed around here during G1). Spent the whole afternoon assembling them together and listening to the animations and voice-overs. This was, for fun, also the year I reignited my love for Galidor. As one of the sole champions of the franchise (hey - I've even talked to the very kind and very awesome Matthew Ewald about our shared loved of the series). I think 2015 for me was a year of reconnecting with a lot of old things that had brought me joy, and re-evaluating what I liked from them. G2 BIONICLE, interestingly enough, made me think a lot about what I did and did not like about original BIONICLE. I of course adore BIONICLE (clearly, why else am I here?) - but sometimes I think the monolith of opinion serves to create a bit of a false pretense about the series. BIONICLE trudged along in it's later years - with toys that were neat but not quite with the same fervor and fanfare as before. The story was long and detailed and complex - but strenuous and overburdened, much of the solid roots of the series gone lackluster. For all the great reveals and fun - there was a lot of dead weight. BIONICLE itself has a lot of issues - issues that caused derision, issues that made sets less fun, and honestly a oddly hostile fanbase at times. I'm not certain how many people here today were in the mix back then but man, uh, you notice things, huh? Also, at the time I think I just enjoyed the G2 toys a bit more. They were stable and fun and it was the first time in a long time I felt like I could sit around and play with a toy like that. Granted - that issue is mostly that there is not a ton of space or time to play with toys as a teenager and into adulthood (though as a working adult now: make room for toy time, seriously, it's a good form of relaxation). Let it be said though - G2 did have a lot of lackluster components. Some more time and effort into story, into direction, into larger and grander sets would have been great. I enjoyed the novel work done at the time, I enjoyed the animations and art direction, but it was clear that LEGO only had so much money and focus on the franchise. By 2016, I was starting the tenuous journey of collecting amiibo (a fate I would only be freed from in 2021), and I picked up a handful of sets before it was unceremoniously cancelled. A lackluster ending, but I have a lot of fondness for that year of energy. Sometime soon, I intend to finish up my G2 collection and live satisfied with every BIONICLE set. Except for all those european magazine promos. And misprint masks... eh, you get what I mean. I'm not going out of my way to get factory tour Mask of Water (what a terrible idea, I still curse LEGO for that). But it's a fond little anecdote from a pretty rough part of my teenage years.

Like other posters said, Quest for Mata Nui and Masks of Power are two separate games. Masks of Power is in active development, and any progress will be reported by the team when they have progress to present. Game development is a lengthy process, much less independent individuals who are not capable of the funding and subsequent output of major studios. Last I heard, there is still work being done on the Free the Band demo? I am doubtful that Quest for the Masks would continue, unless the development team has stated plans to continue. Given that a core member of the team literally died - I figure it's not their most important concern at the moment. Immediately hyping other people to come in and recreate or finish comes off a bit insensitive - this is a BIONICLE fangame, and even though I also was quite excited for it: life happens, and I think it's okay to let this one stay as the team wants it. I'd say it's worth focusing on Masks of Power, which does appear to be actively in progress.

I don't know offhand - but it's worth looking through news from late 2006-early 2007 and seeing if LEGO did a public announcement of their merchandising partners for the year. I recall LEGO doing this not too infrequently for promotional purposes. These things were often the product of merchandising agreements, and therefore tend to be a bit overlooked in databases (as they aren't LEGO sets - I wanna say even Brickset wasn't cataloging "gear" for a long time). I recall a couple official announcements in 2005 for the companies who were licensed for bedsheets, costumes, birthday cakes (those always get me, lol).

It's always wild to me that a single year (or to be honest, half year) of misproduced socket parts has lead to nearly 20 years of it being an in-joke. Makes the Bricklink prices fairly ridiculous! Absolutely - I've even had non-socket parts from 2008-2009 break much easier on me (though this may have been due to issues with dark red and reddish brown plastic quality at the time). My dark red rahkshi legs on Skirmix snapped off right at the ball joint last time I messed with them. Luckily, it's a part that's very easy to get new ones of.

This made me actively remember that the Bohrok didn't help out the Kal - it's been some time since I've misremembered BIONICLE story! Anyway, I believe Master Inika is right. Given the Kal's arrogance, and the lack of connection to the Krana - doubtful.

1) BIONICLE has a legacy - and to be quite honest, it's not bothering LEGOLAND California to keep up old statues they have little reason to upkeep. BIONICLE isn't "dead" as in it's a well-regarded, well-remembered and beloved old toy franchise. It is "dead" in the sense that it is not a current part of LEGO's product portfolio, and therefore not within LEGO's plans nor desire to upkeep as branding. LEGOLAND parks are just merchandising. BIONICLE is defunct, that's not pessimism, that's reality. BIONICLE being defunct doesn't make it less special to people, or less fondly regarded. Everything has an end, it's fairly bittersweet. Much less about bringing back BIONICLE - we really don't need that. In fact, that's sort of the idea of the legacy of BIONICLE. We've been seeing a significant resurgence of fanart, stories, etc being made and iterated on. It's genuinely better than what we'd get from LEGO. What would we want from LEGO? There is no return to original BIONICLE, nor should there be. We had an entire reboot of the franchise that showed a fair lack of interest in what LEGO would do with it (though I liked it quite a bit!). We sort of have what we need. 2) This won't happen. Again, no reason to actually do this. The twenty-something people that might shell out money to visit for a picture is not a profit motive convincing to the LEGO group. We are a biased group of people in this regard - this is a special piece of BIONICLE history to us, and more so a legal liability + easy example of their brand name seeming rundown. Genuinely, sun-faded, paint-flaking representations of toys that have been off store shelves for 21 years is kind of the exact opposite of what you want at your amusement park. We do not in fact have a right to these statues being put back up. They are also more than likely destroyed, which is sad, but nothing we can do. There isn't something we can do to prevent this. As for the prototype content... we don't have a right, but I do wish they'd reconsider more. This is history that's wild and wonderful to have. LEGO is within legal rights to ask for it to be rescinded, and my personal feelings as an archivist aside (like drip feeding content for a YT channel being exactly how we end up in this mess), this is unlikely to change. LEGO has mentioned time and time again that they do hold onto ideas for a long time (for example, I recall the dino rider concepts written in 1999-2000 during BIONICLE's development years supposedly being used for Ninjago and Chima). This is also why we haven't seen things like the supposed Queen's Royal Starship models they've made for Star Wars that didn't make it to a finalized product. It sucks, but it's kind of how that sort of inside baseball works. We are lucky to have what we got. I would say again for the production content - there isn't like a genuine ethical reason we can't have it, more so than the legal copyright owner's wishes - but that doesn't give us the right to it, per se. Just wish it had been made, uh, more available before LEGO realized. I'm guessing safety is a big reason - they looked pretty sun decayed in the end. I know a ton of the statues and such made for stores that stayed inside and out of the elements have survived to rest in people's collections or to forever be unsold online at high prices. Yep, LEGOLAND California. A shame too, I had actually been thinking about going out there in the next year and getting a picture. The BIONICLE Blaster is still there, though. No one's been mentioning that!

I think about this a lot with the second year (2016) sets. I was finishing high school and really had no money for them, and now... so pricey... In my heart of hearts I hope there's some sort of dip, but perhaps I'll just have to watch lots more closely.

I believe it's established in canon that the original Kanohi on the island were in fact hidden by the Toa Metru/Turaga. They brought spares from Metru Nui, and it's been a hot minute so I could be wrong: but I'm fairly certain the idea was to have the Toa Mata prove their skills and abilities before they challenged the Makuta. I don't recall if this was something they did before their transformation - though if they did, it was not directly mentioned. Nonetheless, they had a significant time to do so during the 1000 years between inhabiting Mata Nui and the arrival of the Toa. It would give credence to why the Turaga and subsequently Matoran had a degree of information about where they might be hidden - easy to establish tales and stories when the Turaga likely knew where they were. Kanohi Nuva were from Artahka, who had created them. He was prone to making a lot of objects offhand - such as the Great Kanohi, so I'm not too suspicious he figured this out. I believe they sort of got teleported to the island? It's a retcon/later established factoid that has little basis, but at the same point, is as reasonable as any other answer was. The Order did have a member on Mata Nui, actually - they were killed fairly quickly by Teridax (if I recall), but are the reason there was a seventh Toa canister on the island for Vezon to take. I don't believe the Order distributed the Kanohi Nuva, though.

Ooh - nice catch. Hadn't realized I was using the wrong terminology there. Resin casts for sure!

Go for casts. They're excellent, work for what most people want, and honestly are relatively affordable for what they are. I go for resin casts, since most filament based prints are gonna need more finishing to get into a nice smooth shape. Most masks I've gotten have been around the $15 mark - some custom painted, some cast in the correct colors, some unpainted for me to finish myself. There's also scores of 3D models for masks, so if you have them in mind you can get them typically. I've gotten official masks, and custom 3D prints for "canon" masks - such as the Mask of Creation, and the Great Kanohi worn by the Hagah, and recently even Helryx's mask. Injection molding is not necessary, especially for display items. If you're interested though - several people already go through companies to do so. It's likely not worth your time or effort to navigate this yourself. SocketBall is a great one, as many have said: though due to the limited nature of production, prints go fast (I managed to get their last few Rau's by waiting for them to drop LOL). Etsy is also full of people - the two sellers I prefer are there. I'm not sure if I'm allowed, but I do have recommendations on a few people I've gotten masks from. Primarily, this was for my Hagah, but I've also gotten some very nice ones: such as this Blue Rau for my Kotu.

Often - I think it's less a BIONICLE experience as much as it's a common dream format. Location you're relatively familiar with (store, in it's own dream form), buying something you like or desire, and something is weird with them. I had them during BIONICLE's release, and since. Often times nowadays it's that I'm finding bags of BIONICLE parts and I sort them out looking for individual parts or masks. I always think it's funny that I remember what I'm looking for still. I guess it is my brain, so the information is there...

Listing it on eBay would be good. I figure many people would be interested in it. I'd actually be curious if you had a price in mind - wouldn't mind getting my hands on it...

Are there other pictures of the bag? Just my guess, but Lego did release Service Packs from late 90s-2000s if I recall correctly. I don't recall if they're resealable ones, but it's possible this is one of those bags and just full of misprints. However - all guesses. The misprints were parts produced for the first production run of the Kanohi Packs in Europe, it's possible they eventually just sorted out a number of them when they prepared more shipments and some of those bags eventually got out. A lot of test colors and moulds seem to have gotten out and are now resold for tons of money. Possibly related?

Usually in original boxes/canisters, disassembled. I've found issues with minor part breakage if assembled - but that's mostly due to how tempreature shifts work in my area (consistent temp is good for plastics, afaik). From there right now, I have them minorly bubble wrapped and in large storage boxes, moved off to a storage unit because I am woefully low on space. However - these are my main collection sets, and therefore I don't need them out to work on projects. My other loose sets and parts are usually in plastic storage bins - lidded to keep off dust. I have one of those 64-shelf little plastic shelving things for organizing small and commonly used parts. Would like to get them all in there someday. Otherwise, plastic storage bins, plastic bags, and a couple of those BIONICLE tubs filled up with parts. A low wide bin has been good for searching through for parts - would recommend over some of the other options.

Yep! As for rarity - unsure. I sure don't see them a lot, but I don't think they're especially valuable. I got my sealed set of 4 masks for around $25 if I recall?

Anyone notice Ignika and Toa Mata Nui prices slowly going down a bit? Seeing WAY more listings in the low $300s, dipping into high $200s. Waiting with bated breath to see if it keeps dipping. I got an entire Toa Mata Nui for around $40 minus the mask from an eBay auction, so a cheaper Ignika would be nice... If only anyone ever sold the box and instructions!

If you want to get technical, they're actually from 2002. Released in Krana packs, and for that reason are not considered rare. Gold ones have gotten a bit pricier, but it was sort of joked back in the day that you'd have a pile of spares to swap back in the day while hunting for the far more numerous Krana. More expensive than set masks, less expensive than any other collectible pack masks. Still neat though. I think I have about 3 sets of each, mostly spares from buying Kanohi lots the past few years when I was still finishing my collection of them.

Prototypes - just coloration tests, but (nearly) one of a kind. Have seen someone with the same Zamor somehow... but either way, I do get messages occasionally asking if I'm selling the Pearl Dark Gray / Pearl Gold Strakk helmet 😋 Other than that... masks? Copper Komau (hardly consider it rare, but eh). "European misprints" - blue, red, white Rurus and a brown Matatu. Other than that, probably sets or little pieces of merchandise. Still have my Tahu Nuva sneakers, and I have a sealed pair of those Metru mask clips for the Toa Metru shoes (sadly do not have my Whenua Metru shoes...)

Agreed - it's been very nice so far! I check it every couple days during downtime at work and have been a fan of the writing. But yes - as others said, it's through Vision of the Great Beings and not canon. Cool that Farshtey is consulting with it - cool to know he approves, since he didn't have further planned.

I have more nostalgia and history with G1, but there's a lot of rough edges people smooth out remembering it tbh. I liked a lot of G2 better as like, playable action figures - never had problems posing, or creating cool displays with them. I thought there was some good modernization, though in many ways it just didn't last long enough to even see what an evolution in that line might look like. It's kind of hard to compare in that way - is the extremely funded elaborately built 10-year toy line I played with and had great memories of as a child going to seem better to me? Yeah. I liked G2 though, despite some of it's drawbacks. It's rough to compared the two like they have equal footing.