T.B.O.C

4 hours ago, confused piraka said:

I'm not telling because then more people would bid.

Lmao, I understand the grind. Either way, hope you find some good stuff!

8 hours ago, Tohunga Premium said:

If I can remember them all, just the Bionicle sets, I have the full McDonald’s tohunga line, Chirox & Kirop, Click & Klakk, Vezon and Fenrakk, Manas crabs, Ekimu, Umarak the Hunter, and I put together JTO Makuta a few months back. I also recently got the Bionicle GWP and I love it!

Something I haven’t tried for the technic displays is having nails/thumb tacks or whatever you use supporting it on multiple levels instead of just the top. I’m pretty sure that will work, I just haven’t been able to find more of the type of “nail” I used for mine! Makes the fancy glass cases look even better haha.

I appreciate it! I’m super excited and I can’t wait to be able to share pictures of all of them together

That's a pretty good line up - a lot of the hard hitters throughout BIONICLE (particularly Vezon and Fenrakk, I have a lot of good memories of that set.) Is the JTO Makuta that larger combiner set with the late 2016 sets? That one always looked so cool - unfortunately I missed a TON of the 2016 line because I'd started collecting amiibo at the time. Only ever got the Kopaka/Melum Unity set and Umarak (though Umarak ROCKS so this isn't too bad). I also have the BIONICLE GWP! Haven't opened it yet though, saving it for a rainy day where I'll appreciate it more I think.

In other collecting news - my final few parts for the Kanohi Dragon arrived today! I'm excited to put it together. I have some clear figure stands that I'd experiment with holding it aloft with. I don't think it'll work too well, but it would be fun if it did.

I'm also vaguely starting a few other fan-canon models sometime soon - thinking about starting Artahka and Miserix. Artakha seems the harder of the two given the rare/expensive parts, but I like the idea of having him assembled. I'd also really like to get into 3D printing and finishing some masks that never got made in G1 - like Helryx, Artahka, and the unmutated Olisi. We'll see if I manage to do some of that! 

19 hours ago, Nato G said:

The Duckbricks fanon contests have really got me back into building, both digitally and physically. I've also been working on a fanfic in my spare time and been gradually making MOCs of all the characters to get myself into the headspace. 

I've been fairly interested in seeing how those shake out. I follow Bukkey, a mocist that does some of my favorite renditions of some characters and their entries for some of those fanon contests have been great. I'm actually assembling parts to make their Tuyet right now! Fanfic and OC mocs are a fun idea too. That's honestly something I really enjoy about BIONICLE - its nice to be able to design a character and then be able to make a model out of them! Or even vice versa.

10 hours ago, Constraction_Deva said:

I just completed my 01-03 Kanohi Krana and set Kraata this year. It took a crazy long time to acquire but they look great in my display case. I am collecting every set now and should have the complete collection by the end of the year.

Wow - congratulations! All of that is incredible, with Kraata alone being such a feat. I never collected many Kraata when they were out, so most of mine have been in the current market. Less than stellar, but makes you appreciate the ones you have. I think I'm at something like 92 or so? So I still have a long way. Would love to see pictures of that display case!

9 hours ago, Tohunga Premium said:

Sounds like a sick collection! I haven’t collected the play sets really, I’ve just bought a few that I really like. I was collecting krana and I’m 100 or so in, but the display doesn’t hold together anymore so I had to take it down from my wall. My main goal and “white whale” collection I’ve been working on for the past few years was getting all the prototype shadow leech colors, and just made a trade for the last ones I needed. So, for awhile at least, I’m done collecting! I don’t think I have a lot of incentive to finish the krana while they aren’t on my wall haha.

I think getting just the ones you like is a really good idea. In all honesty, there's a ton of BIONICLE sets that just aren't that amazing to me anymore. At this point, it's more so memories and getting a complete collection together. I'd be curious to hear which ones you went for. I feel similarly on displays - I have a few technic displays for Kanohi, but they are NOT good at holding themselves up. I need to improvise some solutions. I had a few ideas for Krana and Kraata, but they're a little parts intensive so I might wait on them.

The Prototype Shadow Leech collection is SO interesting - I saw some of your pics in the topic you made. Stellar to hear about getting the last ones! That's such a wonderfully unique part of your collection.

7 hours ago, confused piraka said:

I'm just buying random lots and hoping for cool stuff.

Lot hunting can be somewhat addictingly fun - I'm a big fan of combing through and seeing what sets are complete in there, or what's missing. You can get a lot of nice little things from lots too - my last one had 90% of a Nui-Jaga set, two golden Vahi, some extra Krana and Rahkshi Kraata, as well as my third extra set of Turaga. I'm genuinely starting to think about doing the few Kabaya combiners with them at this point. Do you normally do eBay, or shop around in general?

6 hours ago, The_Chill_Toa said:

Well, even if it isn't regarded well I am looking to finish the 2010 Bionicle Stars wave and building up the Bionicle rogues gallery. 

If anyone has some pointers on what to look out for though when visiting third party LEGO stores, it would be appreciated. I always want to look out for the best deals. 😁

The STARS, for all the flak they get, are fairly solid. Even with the Av-Matoran/Agori builds, I think they capture their characters quite well. I've sometimes thought of assembling some extras of the Skrall and Rahkshi sets, but haven't gone too out of my way to try. I believe I have an extra Tahu and Rahkshi from back in the day though (I thought it would be a neat idea to have a Tahu to showcase the Golden armor on - I was right, tbh).

Not too sure on pointers - I only have one independent Lego store in my area, and they don't typically have much BIONICLE. Had a couple of Toa, and a loose Hydraxon and Gadunka. They had a fair few loose Kanohi, but all normal ones from the sets for a fairly high markup. Interestingly, a lot of the 2015 masks too. I'd say just have a general sense of market prices in your head for when you see something unexpected. I sometimes keep lists of rarer parts I need more of in my mind and check through loose bins or baggies of parts to see if any snuck through. Happens sometimes!

Hello all, feels like it's been a considerable amount of time since I've made a topic here, but I've been doing a lot of work lately on my collection, and thought it might be a fun thing to discuss.

What's your collection status right now? Do you actively collect still, or do you just maintain what you have? Do you buy sets to keep and display, or for parts to MoC with? Have any parts of your collection you're particularly working on, or any projects you've been doing?

I'll start with a few answers. I've been collecting since I started buying G1 BIONICLE sets back in the day, though my collecting was at a minimum in high school and college (way back when) as money was tight. Nowadays I work full time, and have had extra money to start filling in gaps in my collection. Unfortunately it's quite a bit more expensive than it used to be...

Right now I'm working on pinning down the last 7 regular retail releases I don't own. These are primarily playsets I missed from 05-07, with 3 constraction sets left: Mazeka, the limited edition Jetrax (only have the regular), and Toa Mata Nui. The last one is a bit of a sob story as I actually passed up a chance to buy it in 2009 and instead bought the Kaxium and Cendox. Little did I know how those prices would turn out. The remaining playsets are: Visorak's Gate, Race for the Mask of Life, Toa Undersea Attack, and the Toa Terrain Crawler. I started this year with 10 sets remaining, and actually cut down some challenging ones. Got a Fero & Skirmix boxed for a decent price (the original box, I think there's a variant released alongside the Glatorian Legends wave for The Legend Reborn), as well as a boxed Vultraz. My current prize and awkward money sink was a boxed Karzahni. Unfortunately at 10x retail, but that's actually below market price for a boxed one. Figured I'd have to spring on it. 

Other than that, I've been focused on collectibles. I'm 4 noble Kanohi away from a complete original set of 72 Kanohi. I've gone back on my age old decision to attempt to collect European Misprints, given their excessive individual prices. May still pick some up as I can, just I can't justify the $100-300 they each show up for. Can I pretend the black Ruru is still a misprint?

I'm a handful of Krana away from a complete Krana collection as well, and I'm steadily working my way through Kanohi Nuva. Almost have all of Gali and Pohatu's masks - missing one each. I made some considerable strides in getting their Protodermic Kanohi Nuva as well - just missing a Pakari Nuva and and Akaku Nuva. Funnily enough, I have enough extra Toa Nuva that I can use them to display the masks.

In terms of other projects - I've been working on assembling some of the fan-canon models I liked. I've had the Tahtorak complete for around a year now, but I'm waiting on the last 7 or so parts to build the Kanohi Dragon (Kohlii balls and those black axle/pins). I have a few smaller ones nearly done too, like the Metru Mantis and Razor Whale. I am very close to finishing a Melding Teridax too - though that has probably been the most painful - insane amount of expensive and rare white parts! The Hordika feet alone are pretty expensive, much less some of the pins and axles that only got a handful of releases in 02-03.

Canon combiners have been coming in too, usually easier since many lots have given me extras. I have a Kahgarak and Zivon I've been building on. Slowly assembling Botar as well, as I find people who aren't overpricing every single piece to come out of Brutaka. A handful of pieces away from The Shadowed One and Sentrakh as well.

I'm also nearly done on completing a little Bohrok swarm. I've been trying to put together 6 of each type with 3 accompanying Va each (who are actually considerably pricier to assemble). Nearly done with all the Bohrok, besides missing a lot of Nuhvok shields. Waiting on some odds and ends to finish up the Va.

In terms of finished projects, I recently finished my little self-indulgent Exo-Toa collection. I'd wanted to assemble 6 of them to have each Toa in one, to replicate the fight against the Bahrag. Midway through last year I happened upon two used and mostly complete Exo-Toa in quick succession. I joked about finding more, when a third was found at a thrift store I went to. A few other lots contained partials, until I finally just jumped on a under market value one I saw to finish out at 6. I had plenty of extra Toa Mata and Golden Kanohi, but the real trouble then was modding them to fit all the Toa. I followed mods from PurpleDave, a user on Mask of Destiny, who in 2002 posted some astonishingly good mods for Exo-Gali, Exo-Onua, and Exo-Pohatu that make them look barely different from the stock set. Now they're just sitting around, waiting for me to clear enough space to get some decent pictures!

Either way, that's enough of my rambling. How's your guys' collections going?

8 hours ago, confused piraka said:

were there supposed to be 6 Turaga in Metru nui?

I don't believe so. I think Metru Nui was always ever overseen by a singular Turaga (I believe there's at least one unnamed predecessor to Dume, as well as Dume himself). I think the first time they had multiple leaders was when the Matoran returned to Metru Nui with their Turaga. I think Greg's stated before that six Turaga made more sense on Mata Nui as the villages were very separated - far apart and quite frankly much more beset upon than the individual Metru had been. The Koro benefitted from having individual leaders to oversee the villagers and promote relationships between villages, since they all has respect for each other.

I have to agree with confused piraka - the Turaga of Mata Nui are just about the only group thats genuinely characterized, and I would say they're my favorite besides that. I think they run a really good story about unlike characters uniting, learning to trust each other, and ultimately making significant sacrifices for the betterment of their people. I think 2004 had some of the strongest story in that regard.

This is not to say I dislike any of the others. Lhikan is, to me, probably the next best character. His narrative weight alone expands far beyond his own life, in a way that would have been fun to explore a little more than canon had. He has such excellent construction in his emotional build. I could write a minor dissertation about how his theme music in Legends of Metru Nui alone serves as a wonderful reflection of who he is.

The Rahaga are extremely interesting, though I think just due to the fact they weren't ever really able to hold significant space to themselves in the story, they fall behind a bit. This isn't really anyone's fault I think - Greg did a lot to continue their story in the serials. I just think we saw them at their most interesting in 2005, especially in the back story of them being Hagah. Just the idea of them bravely revolting against the Brotherhood is very endearing to me. I'd probably have more feeling if we got to see more of their journey against the Visorak and some of their interaction with the Turaga upon returning to Metru Nui.

Dume feels like a missed opportunity - I sort of wish we had nearly any time to characterize him. The difference in his ruling versus the way the Turaga led on Mata Nui is SO worth discussing, especially in the way that Dume has become a stranger to the people he once lead for thousands of years. Unfortunate we never really got to see his thoughts on that. Thanks, Teridax.

Ekimu was an interesting concept for G2 - I really liked his role in the backstory and in the 2015 story. I really haven't interfaced much with what happened in Journey to One or the remainder of the 2016 story - mainly I think because I never finished that collection of sets. Can't speak to that much. Most of my issue with the concept of Ekimu comes from my distate of how Makuta was handled as a villain. He absolutely should have been played as a well-meaning person who became corrupted, which they sort of just don't do later. Upsetting for sure.

The Protectors had fun designs, and  I think were a good way of merging villager and elder into a concept that's a little less basic than wise elder. Design-wise, they all rocked - though Narmoto is definitely my least favorite, being just a bit too bulky in the upper body. Korgot fit for sure, as a brawnier design, plus her chest cannon was very neat. Storywise, I think they fit their roles reasonably well. Just not as impactful given the less story-driven aspect of G2.

I believe they weren't exactly entirely in pieces, as a set would have come, but more so in "chunks." If you've seen the opening to the cancelled Legend of Mata Nui, I believe Onua emerges with his head and an arm still connected to his torso. I assume most were in stages of decomposition that allows for some ability to pull themselves together.

I think also just given their general composition (85% mechanical, 15% organic) only so much could have decomposed and fallen apart. It seemed to mostly be limb connections.

19 hours ago, Nato G said:

I wasn't too bothered by Gorast and Bitil. They were sufficiently bonkle-sounding, and distinct enough from existing names to stand out on their own.  But Krika specifically did very much annoy me, because we already had a Krekka and a Krahka and Krana and Kraata and probably a few more samey names I can't recall off the top of my head. 

To be fair - now that I recall it my biggest problem with Gorast was mainly I pronounced it wrong as a child. Gorast is a lot more normal to me now. Bitil always made me think "Bill" though, and still does to this day. Likely just my own association.

Yeah, a lot of K's in BIONICLE. I feel like someone once said that K names tended to be easier for them to pass through legal? Don't recall if that's true though.

I'm continually impressed with BIONICLE fans who claim to want BIONICLE to come back, centrally because I don't think I've ever seen a person give any tangible concept of how this would work, why it would work, and why it wouldn't be an absurd disservice to what exists. Here's how I feel, and have felt for years now: BIONICLE doesn't need to be continued, and you wouldn't want it to be continued. The idea of a continued BIONICLE that just "happens" to pick up on G1's continuity to finish side stories is impossible. Why would a toy company ressurrect a noted old franchise in the least approachable way possible? Not even Greg Farshtey has interest in continuing story where it was - which is the writing on the wall. BIONICLE is over in any official capacity. Nothing Lego could write and produce would be what you want out of it. If you want an example, remember they literally rebooted BIONICLE and people got so mad that it didn't do the exact thing people wanted that it folded in barely 2 years.

(Critique of G2 aside - I honestly could write a paragraph about bad expectations for reboots and why I'm still somewhat mad people rejected sets that were better toys than several years of G1 BIONICLE were)

What people want out of a BIONICLE reboot is literal fantasy - which makes it so wonderful that you can just... do it yourself! Do you want the Yesterday Quest to end? Draft out an idea of what you would have done. Did you want exposition on Velika and what would have happened on the new Spherus Magna? People have written fanfics, drawn comics, and more that do this. I've read some genuinely really wonderful takes on characters and stories in the BIONICLE universe, alongside my own imagined ones. The best part about it is that it's really what you want it to be. I don't know why people disdain this answer, and instead expect Lego to grant them something perfect that they want. It's misguided at best.

Other people have echoed that sentiment to me. The best BIONICLE content I've run into in the past years are people who just do stuff with it. Reviving Bionicle is a wonderful ode to the series and the toylines. People make excellent stop motions, create new MOCs, envision characters the way you wished sets did from the movies, and even wrote things to fill in gaps (I read someone's whole take on the cancelled Ignition Book 7, and it was a lot of fun). Fans are what keep BIONICLE alive, and that's the way I'd want it.

There's this very pervasive aspect of it that always bothers me, and it's the idea of BIONICLE canon and having to establish something is in fact canon, and not just your own made up answer. It's the reason I feel like so much of the "canonization" thats occurred over the past 10 or so years has been disappointing. So much of it has been done out of the desire to be part of the BIONICLE story, rather than explain something interesting or actually flesh out the world. It's been some of the most nitpicky and weird little things that I almost groan hearing about canon contests and such. When BIONICLE was ongoing and it was a cool collaborative storytelling process, like 1000 years untold or the Dark Hunters competition? It was super cool and unique. Nowadays, trying to assert that some character somewhere in the universe actually always had this mask? What's the point? It's canon confirmation so some guy can point and say "I did that!"

On 7/2/2021 at 10:16 AM, Heyzorks said:

i think galidor should be rebooted. it's not bionicle, but it is constraction!.... kind of.

While I assume this is a joke, Galidor genuinely has more reason and ability to be rebooted than any of these IMO. Here's my yearly reminder as one of the longest lasting Galidor fans around - the world Galidor establishes is really good sci-fi and it sucks that Lego throwing in the towel on the toyline brought down such a wonderful kids/teens show. I would take new Galidor over new BIONICLE literally any day.

On 7/25/2021 at 10:43 AM, (-Kopaka Toa of Ice-) said:

I think Exo-Force is the same as Bionicle G2. The series did get off to a great start but my guess is that the theme dragged the Golden City plot for too long and sales plummeted fast.
That's why it got dropped.

I'm sort of curious why you think the Golden City plot went on too long - wasn't it literally just 2007? Granted, I sort of see what you mean: 2006 had a much more intriguing world and story. I really loved early Exo-Force.

I'll be real, I never had a problem with Teridax as a name. When it was revealed, I recalled a lot of the controversy, and felt like it was very overblown. While The Makuta had been a much more intriguing title, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Teridax had been very steadily transforming into a different sort of character concept than he had been introduced as. While the initial Teridax was introduced more as a force of nature - a true brother to Mata Nui - and a misguided power who sought to transform the world to his image. Teridax fit more to me for what Teridax ended up being as a character - a villain of plots and plans who eagerly sought out his goals without regards to others. It made sense to give him a name, particularly as we introduced more Makuta into the fray.

To me it was never more silly than the other names handed out to characters. I recall thinking the Mistika Makuta had terribly silly sounding names - Krika, Gorast, and Bitil sounded odd to me. I was always sort of sad at the backlash, particularly as Greg has numerous times before stated that backlash has prevented him from wanting to give out future names for characters like The Shadowed One. Especially upsetting given how much people bothered him for the name, only to be rather rude about it in return.

On 9/30/2021 at 2:49 PM, Xboxtravis said:

There is a method to get the battery out, that relies on an Exacto knife and some stressing of the plastic to pop it open. I have done it on all my Piraka... and while the stress marks aren't visible once they are put back on display and its great to get the battery light up eye effect again let me say... It was a lot harder than a Mata head is.

The Mata heads I learned are easy to use the flat end of a modern style Lego Brick Separator to slide in-between the eye and the head and with a bit of leverage pop the eye off. Seeing how easy it is to get those brick separators now since they come in almost every higher cost set, I think its my favorite method to swapping eyes. 

I only learned the brick separator trick this year, and WOW is it a comparative breeze to the inventions of yesteryear. Plus one for that.

Been a hot minute since I've done it, but I'm fairly certain the Piraka eye piece just comes apart without stressing it. Even the Exo-Force light up brick can be (though it is a piece of work...). I'd have to look back at how I did it last.

But yes, I echo everyone's statements here. Mata heads (formerly), the second liftarm of Rahaga heads. Honestly, I've also found the regular pin/axle connectors can be lodged pretty terribly in regular hand pieces. It's mainly sets I'd kept together for years and not disassembled, but I had a wild time getting them all out of my Icarax set earlier this month.

The decision to cancel BIONICLE was made in late 2007-early 2008, if I recall. BIONICLE ended due to slowing sales, which Greg as well as other Lego officials have specified. Simply put - they wanted to end BIONICLE before lowering sales began to tarnish the public image of the theme. Hero Factory was the successor that replaced BIONICLE, and very clearly. BIONICLE's niche was a unique buildable action figure component, alongside story. Lego also tried experimenting over the next few years with constructable action figures - the Ben 10 line, a brief stint with Marvel and DC comics characters, Chima figures, and the ill-fated yet very intriguing Star Wars constraction figures. Note that these go far into Ninjago's lifespan - these are far more equivalent to the descendents of BIONICLE design, at least in terms of a building system.

Ninjago was likely not conceptualized until a year or two later than BIONICLE's cancellation, and occupies a much different niche IMO. Their similarities mainly lie in being an original IP, with a roughly 7-12 year old demographic target. I would say Ninjago skews a bit lower too, especially in earlier years. They really have little to no relation in Lego's terms, I would expect. Different design principles, somewhat overlapping but otherwise expanded demographic, extremely different approach to set-making. BIONICLE's niche doesn't really exist anymore at Lego, and with adequate reason - BIONICLE is a product of it's time. The things that introduced BIONICLE and made it unique at the time were becoming ubiquitous, and the place Lego was in 2010 was lightyears away from where a struggling Lego was in 2001. I don't think there's much comparison, besides a handful of shared elements, most of which are attributed to both being Lego themes with a story.

12 hours ago, NCHaskew said:

Hello all!

 

I was wondering if anyone here has Bionicle Nesquick cereal spinners from 2006: Vezok, Hakann, Reidak, Matoro, Hewkii, and Kongu. Or if anyone's got any tips for looking for them--I don't see a page for them on Bricklink, and no sign of them on eBay.

Also, and I'm sure this is like just asking if anyone has a spare Holy Grail, but anyone have the Morbuzakh sponge released in Germany in 2004?

Happy hunting, fellow collectors!

Huh, could have sworn Bricklink at some point had them. I could easily be misremembering though. I recall having seen them sparingly in auctions on eBay. Might be worth keeping a saved search? Going through some European Bricklink sellers might be easier too - sometimes people run custom lots, and I want to say they were primarily in Europe from my recollection.

Can't say I've seen the Morbuzakh sponge in years - sounds like you're on the right track for finding potential ones though.

4 hours ago, Tohunga Premium said:

Any chance any of them are leeches? 😅

Nothing that cool, unfortunately! If I recall correctly: Strakk helmet (Pearl Gold / Gunmetal), Upper Hordika arm piece (Grayish-White / Green), Gresh blade (Pearl Silver / Gunmetal), and a Zamor Sphere (sort of a dark metallic green).

2 hours ago, confused piraka said:

I have no protos or rare masks 😪 how can I get some?

I would echo what Tohunga Premium said: besides the more common misprint stuff, prototypes are rather difficult to come by. Granted - you can find some prototype parts out on the market. I've seen McToran feet a few times, but they're usually pricey or other people looking for other prototypes. I have a few that are prototype colorations for finalized parts, but I won those years ago in a BZP contest.

On 1/12/2023 at 7:55 PM, confused piraka said:

how big is your bohrok army?

(thanks a lot Tobc amazing analysis as always. you are sooo helpful)

As of the moment:

- Tahnok (5 - 1 for collection, 4 extra), Va (3 - 1 for collection, 2 extra) + 2 partial Bohrok

- Kohrak (3 - 1 for collection, 2 extra), Va (2 - 1 for collection, 1 extra) + 2 partial Bohrok and 1 partial Va

- Lehvak (4 - 1 for collection, 3 extra), Va (1 for collection) + 1 partial Bohrok, smatterings of extra Va (nothing very complete yet)

- Gahlok (5 - 1 for collection, 4 extra), Va (3 - 1 for collection, 2 extra) + 1 partial Bohrok

- Pahrak (4 - 1 for collection, 3 extra), Va (1 for collection) + 1 partial Bohrok and 1 partial Va

- Nuhvok (2 - 1 for collection, 1 extra), Va (1 for collection) + 3 partial Bohrok and 1 partial Va

They're in varying stages right now - most of my partials are missing shields, as it's hard to find stores that have that many Nuhvok and Kohrak shields. I suspect this may be due to their use in fan-combiners, but hard to say. That and I just ran out of my extra supply of eye pieces. Always sort of running out of something - 3L and 5L black axles come to mind. The reason so many Va are partial is because each use 2 of those black axle/pins that are like $3 each, so my supplies of them are critical at all times. Doesn't help that I'm coming off collecting those six Exo-Toa, each of which used 25 of those pins... needless to say, I did not Bricklink the Exo-Toa unless I had a partial that was mostly complete.

As for collection, I tend to keep a CIB copy of all my sets. This is the primary way I collect, I really didn't maintain too many extras before I started buying lots a few years back. You get a lot of useful and otherwise expensive parts for sure. My last lot had two McToran Macku, whose arms sell for like $10 each. Going to any canon Ga-Matoran I can make, then probably going into my bag of extra McToran parts for a Matoran Nui if I can ever get Onepu and Kongu feet for less than an arm and leg. 

Glad to help 🙂

It is likely coincidence - as you said, they were commonly available in Kraata pods back in 2003. I find Kraata are a particular mixed bag on the market - I think the casual consumer is unequipped to properly categorize and understand what they're worth, other than they can be sold for high amounts. I also find in particular, many people on Bricklink don't seem to understand the instructions for listing colors (often just listing one color and not differentiating between the second). This can make finding them difficult. I agree with Xboxtravis in that case - I actually ended up getting a Slow Kraata instead of a Disintegration one the other week for that same reason, seller just did not label them correctly.

There's also a degree of confusion I've personally seen in people determining color - likely exacerbated by the official lists for Kraata being written for Lego's own color terms, some of which are surprisingly esoteric. Metallic Sand-Yellow, for instance. Again, I've seen much debate on Bricklink concerning colorations, especially for metallics. For instance, it can be a bit hard to differentiate between the pearl colors for the Rahkshi parts, and standard colorations that came later (the standard white and black for Bomonga and Kualus).

The glut of different Kraata colors also just makes it hard, and now that we're approaching 20 years from release, somewhat difficult for the market. Kraata are just notoriously expensive now, especially compared to the historical cost on the market. I recall for many years you could get Kraata for a dollar or less here, which is somewhat unheard of nowadays. That and how larger lots on eBay and other websites tend to get bought up quick by collectors coming into the scene or bolstering their own collections. I figure a lot of the particular gaps in the market right now don't necessarily reflect a lack of stock or production at the time as much as market space in the modern era, where a lot less of us are going for comparatively more pricey objects.

"BIONICLE Discussion" is probably the most applicable forum for this, but I figure mods will move it as needed. Either way, welcome to the forums!

As someone also doing this recently - I think it varies. The most direct way is certainly just copying the lists - that second number next to the part number is the Bricklink code for the corresponding color. But yes - it can be very difficult to differentiate. I'm a bit colorblind, so it's an issue I've certainly had myself.

If you have Stud.io, the fanmade digital designer, and have a model file for the particular model, I believe you can directly export a parts list into Bricklink. I've heard this, but not done it myself unfortunately. Many of the fan-canon models have Stud.io files out there to download for that. Might be worth it, depending on the model.

Very much depends on the set. Many sets hold interest to me for combiners, and I have a shortlist of all the ones I intend to complete and hold onto. Likewise, I have parts lists for those combiners so sometimes I'll just take partials for that. Many sets canonically are just one of many (Bohrok, Vahki, etc) and I will often hold onto those for army building. I've been buying a lot of lots the past few years and so I have a mini-army of Bohrok this way.

Some sets I've specifically set out to get doubles of - I own 7 Exo-Toa (1 for my collection, 6 for each Toa). Just recently completed that, and have an extra set of Toa to display in them. Otherwise, I'll comb them for parts for combiners/canon fan models/other things I'd like to build. You'd be impressed how much of the Kanohi Dragon you may have from extras (for me it was roughly 50%). Depending on how you buy lots, this can be a good way for getting expensive parts. A lot of those recent canonization contests from the last few years have decimated the market for parts, which is incredibly annoying. Lots tend to alleviate this to some regard - though you're paying higher up front costs. Partials or otherwise unfinished sets that I don't have much else to do with get disassembled and fed into my extra parts. Fun to have those around to mess with, even if MoCing isn't really my thing.

Ones that I don't really need or want extras for, I keep around with the intention to sell them at some point. Gotta fund those Protodermic Kanohi Nuva somehow...

4 hours ago, confused piraka said:

its crazy how much they just thought "we'll do this later" 

are those books still expensive?

Typically BIONICLE books aren't too pricey, given that they're mostly children's books. If you have any sort of used bookstores around there's a chance you'll find some. Mostly the chapter books as versus the guides. Otherwise, I'd echo the Biomedia Project suggestion - all there for digital access.

Oh wow, entirely missed it being taken out. Interesting what slips by you...

9 hours ago, confused piraka said:

Thanks for the amazing guide, best of luck looking. I've found almost nothing good(some over priced hero factory) so maybe I'm just coming at the wrong time? What day of the week do you usually go on to get the best finds?

It's probably more locally dependent - I haven't found consistency with BIONICLE stuff in particular, as it just depends on when people bring stuff in. I go on Fridays/Saturdays most weeks since my usual haunts are bookstores I visit with my sister (Half Price Books - which is definitely hit or miss bc they definitely look up value for things). Sometimes, especially if you have rapport with people who work there, it's worth asking if they see a lot of a particular thing coming through. I found a few used/mostly complete Metru canister sets the other week and ended up talking with the cashier about if they get BIONICLE stuff in frequently. He told me they don't too much, but it wasn't unheard of.

Local listings can sometimes be nice - Mercari can be good for that, I hear, or even Facebook marketplace (though I'll stress: keep regular safety in mind with one on one meetups for this sort of thing). Even garage sales/yard sales can be, since that tends to be people just wanting to get rid of stuff. However, yard sales (in my area at least) tend to be big targets for resellers, so again, hard to tell.

That Matoran with a Vahi is right in regards to eBay - not much of a deal place anymore. I swear they used to not correct spelling issues a number of years back, because I definitely recall searching "Bioncle" and the like to find stuff that wasn't coming up in regular searches. Somewhere like a decade ago (MAN does time fly) I got a loose Exo-Toa and Boxor for around $30 or so that way. A lot of people listing the Bahrag as "Gahook and Gaboon" due to difficulty in reading the font. 

All in all - I'd say just keep searching and you're bound to find stuff eventually. The issue just tends to be that deals happen, and you wanna be around when they do. If you're looking for just general sets, I'd still advise keeping an eye on lots. Many will go for more than they're worth, but you occasionally happen upon ones that people seem to miss. I got one earlier in the year that was a half sealed Nidhiki with an entire Pewku and some of Takua in it. Something like $30 altogether. Half the stuff I find really just comes down to saved eBay searches and staying vigilant.

Onepu from a Happy Meal in 2001, then I wanna say Pohatu and Kopaka Mata.

Hunting for decent prices takes time and effort. All platforms people have mentioned are good - eBay, Mercari, thrift stores. Typically, "deals" are made when someone is just trying to get rid of something and isn't extremely informed of their specific value. This is usually the advantage of a thrift store, but it depends heavily on your locality. If you live in a big city, there's typically a lot of other collectors also looking. If a deal is pretty wild, most people are gonna see it on eBay. It requires sleuthing.

Just in general, this is probably the highest prices I've seen BIONICLE prices go for in my many years of collecting. The pandemic really inflated most collecting circles, as people suddenly turned to hobbies and interests to keep themselves entertained. I used to joke about how little "value" BIONICLE stuff seemed to retain (depending on the set for sure - but still). Not sure if we can predict in any way where the chips fall on how those prices will ease. I'd say keep in mind what you're looking for, use websites like eBay for sold listings and Bricklink to ascertain value. Are you wanting complete sets in box? Are you mainly just interested in the sets?

Personally, I do eBay and thrift stores. You win some, you lose some. A local store had a bag with a mostly complete Exo-Toa for about $5. Pretty good - but keep in mind I go here weekly and keep an eye on Lego stuff that gets sold. A complete in canister Tahnok was $6 at that same store another time. But most places nowadays can search pretty easily for what a set is worth and get an approximate. Lots tend to be really good for pricing - you will almost always get things for cheaper than you would otherwise. Good for getting started too, if you are looking more broadly. There are still plenty of lots that have miscellaneous Toa, Rahkshi, Bohrok, etc... Last year I got a boxed Ultimate Dume that also had a few sealed Rahaga and Matoran inside (I had been bidding thinking they just had the boxes, due to my eternal search for impulse set boxes). Keep saved searches, check frequently, keep general prices in mind, and you'll find stuff eventually.

Bricklink is also a friend, depending on what you're looking for. Things are often expensive there, since they are known, but you can still find deals. Some sets are much cheaper for parts alone, but keep wary for sets with rarer parts. For example, did you know the Exo-Toa has approximately 25 half axle/pins in black that sell for like $3 each? MUCH easier to buy partial or complete Exo-Toa. Learned this the hard way for fixing up the many partial Exo-Toa I've run into.

As for what I buy - mostly individual sets I'm looking for. I have about 6-7 sets left from G1 so it's rarely advantageous for me to buy lots. I also collect sets complete, so I'm looking for boxes/instructions/etc. However, for sets I just want extra of or don't care as much - lots can be good. I picked up two lots last year for around $50-60 overall and ended up with a full set of extra Toa Mata, Toa Nuva, Turaga, and almost all the Rahkshi, plus a few McToran and Collectibles too, although those get pricey. I bought a lot of 2001 Kanohi recently for a pretty penny (48 or so for roughly $300), but the 20 or so I wanted to get from it currently go for over $500. I don't particularly care about the market value of things I own, but knowing what they go for saves money in the long run.

Partial sets can save money too. This is what I did for a few rahi back in the day (before they were so expensive). If the parts remaining are common, it's a quick way to get a cheaper deal. A lot of lots I've seen have had partial/incomplete rahi, titans, etc that were difficult to purchase on their own. A few Kardas dragons recently too, if I recall. Definitely keep an eye on those!

I keep mine. Been collecting since 2001, with periods of downtime. More recently I've been back into completing my collection, and it's been both fun and uh... interesting, to see how the market has shifted post-COVID and as BIONICLE becomes a nostalgic thing for those with disposable income. Certainly having to get used to the prices things command now. Far cry from BST 15+ years back. No plans on selling them, but storage does become a factor. It doesn't help that I collect other things as well!

I don't think I have more of a distinct sentiment than other people have expressed - but I would say there's no shame in owning something you enjoy. The mindset to feel ashamed of it is definitely pervasive, but toy collecting has definitely become far more normalized nowadays than it used to be. I think you would find (and may have seen from posts here) that most people here are adults who collect. I find people who are excessively judgemental of other people's harmless hobbies tend to be oddly insecure themselves, and project. I personally always think its fun for people to have hobbies they're passionate about - and you'd be surprised how many people feel the same way.

I feel like Marie Kondo's advice often gets thrown around poorly - but if it sparks joy, no harm in keeping it. Selling is an option too, if you think other people might enjoy them more. Particularly that titan Mata Nui. It might currently be the most expensive BIONICLE set in the secondary market? My philosophy with selling is that it's nice to sell to people who also want to enjoy it. However, I really don't sell, so not my forte.

My opinion on this has changed over time, I feel. Av-matoran/Agori design is a very easy answer - perpetual 90 degree limbs and generally less intriguing builds. However, I gotta say the more I review them critically the less I like 2008 and beyond sets. A lot of VERY intermidiate design, and a lot of just not very good thigh builds. This is not very different earlier (see 2005 titans), but less intriguing. I recently got Icarax and was pleasantly surprised at most of the design.

On a separate note, not a huge Skopio-XV1 fan. Got one in the last year and it was just... a very bland and boring build. Telluris is not a very good pilot other. The Baranus was a lot more fun, and the Thornatus is relatively top tier. It's nice once assembled, but oddly large... and VERY empty in the cockpit. It's odd - definitely not an issue with older 2008 vehicles (the main 3, not really thinking of Mazeka or Vultraz's ships). Those ships didn't waste much space, or at the very least got paneling better. I think too much of the general part count was eaten up by the design of the legs for the Skopio. Given that the majority of the build is repeated 4 times, it goes for a VERY bland experience.

There's some awkwardly glaring design choices in 2008-2009 Inika builds. I still cannot for the life of me understand why they started making characters have arms and legs the same length. Shorter forearm pieces would have been wonderful for a lot of them. I picked up an extra Vorox the other week and had entirely forgot every limb uses exposed blue 3L pins on an otherwise black/tan/brown design. Glatorian are somewhat of a mixed bag that way. Like Vastus, who is relatively complex but without substance, and somewhat lacking for it. Meanwhile a set like Ackar or Mata Nui is less complex, but works better. Color scheme, armoring, etc. The Mistika were notably some of the worst designs in my mind - very paltry designs, ugly colors, and generally just rough features. Nynrah Blasters were eh, the silver looked tacky on the Toa, most Toa had extremely rough designs, and rather lame weapons. The Makuta looked nicer, but generally do this by using single-use molds that provide little other use. Krika is probably the best out of the 6, and exemplifies that latter point.

I will say though - articulation got a lot better as we went on. I adore a lot of the earlier 2001-2004 builds, but they lack awkward amounts of articulation. I love the design of the Exo-Toa, but man is it uh, static. I think earlier sets make up for this in features, complexity, and color. Many later sets have a lot of positives too, but get held back.

This is again to say - I wish we had the joints we did in 2015 back then. So many sets can hardly stand up. Granted, due in part to age, but one of my Ultimate Dume's literally can't do any sort of dynamic pose without falling over. Not an official set - but the Tahtorak is similar. I suspect this one is partly due to age of the parts now, though.