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Binkmeister

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  1. Binkmeister

    Blast From The Past

    By Binkmeister,

    So for work today, I've been trawling through a bunch of old Style Guide material from 2001-2003, and it sure brings back memories. Some of this stuff never saw the light of day, or was released in different formats. One of the images I thought was cool but I don't recall being released was one of the Rahi facing down Tahu.
     

     
    Of course, my memory could be faulty and maybe it was used somewhere - I'm old, after all. But still, it's a small sample of stuff I've been running across. Some of the layered Photoshop images are fun, since I can deconstruct them to see what layers were used. One of Lewa in the jungle, for instance, had an evil pair of red eyes in the deep foliage, which you couldn't really see. I drilled down until I could see the outline of a cougar with red eyes, very un-BIONICLE but it worked in context.
     
    This is the kind of stuff that geeks me out - the kind of stuff you guys would all spend hours poring over. I honestly haven't put my "BIONICLE fan" hat on too often, although lately it's been more and more since I've become more involved with steering the story. Vive la Geek!
  2. Binkmeister

    Free Agent!

    By Binkmeister,

    So, it's been almost six years (!) since I started working for LEGO. Yesterday was my last day with the company. So now I can actually post on BZPower again!
     
    I'll probably be posting some reminiscences about my life in Denmark, and what I found it to be like to work for one of the best companies in the world. A year and a half in Denmark, four and a half years back in the US, and frequent travel. It was really the most excellent job I've ever had, and the BIONICLE portion of it was by far the best.
     
    Short answer to "why I'm not with LEGO anymore": the position was relocated to the East Coast, and for various personal reasons (family mostly) I decided not to relocate. So we parted on amicable terms, LEGO and I.
     
    Obviously I won't be posting any confidential, non-public info about the company, or talking about future products or anything like that. Mostly just my experiences working there, the friends I made, and what it was like for me to be able to do things like take tours of the molding halls, packaging areas, and so on. I also recently moved, and discovered just how MUCH memorabilia I've collected in the last few years. I think it might be a good idea to take some pictures and share with people who'd be interested.
     
    I was also thinking of doing an AMAA (ask me almost anything) thread later, when i have some time. I'll announce that later.
     
    - Binkmeister
  3. Binkmeister
    It seems that for the most part, the Mata Nui Saga is being well accepted. I agree with most of the people saying the cool art, coupled with the excellent voiceover by Michael Dorn, really lends BIONICLE an epic feeling - which is exactly what we wanted. I'm pleased that for the most people are enjoying it.
     
    There are two things that come up regularly, which I'd like to quickly address: Scale of the robots, and timing of all story media.
     
    First, the scale.
     
    Yes, the scale is difficult to portray, especially when we want to get other smaller characters into the foreground. If it were done exactly to scale, all you'd really see would be a big old foot towering into the sky, and then maybe the robot's eyes glinting high in orbit. Hard to get the epicness you're going for with that scale. So, in order to really get the message across, the robots are portrayed the best way the artist could find. Personally, I think he did a great job of getting across the hugeness of the robots. You look at the artwork, and think, "Those things are frigging huge." So yes, there are some liberties taken with the scale, but I don't think it necessarily negates the story or epicness of what we're portraying.
     
    Also, please remember that a majority of people looking at this will be relatively younger, and probably won't be thinking about scale. The important thing is to show two big robots and how they interact (in this case, forcefully). In that, I believe the MNS images are a success.
     
    Second, the story.
     
    We have the story being told in several venues: the BIONICLE.com "Story" page, the BIONICLEstory serials, Journey's End, the comics, and the Mata Nui Saga. When deciding how to portray the 2010 BIONICLE story, we had two ways of going with story in multiple media.
     
    One, we could've had multiple sub-stories in different media leading up to a single resolution in one place. That broadens the story for those who are able and willing to follow it from book to comic to web, but not everyone is going to be able or willing to do that. It's easy for somebody (who doesn't get the comic, for instance) to miss something.
     
    Two, we could tell the overall story in different media, and focus on different levels of detail. This is what we chose, for several reasons:
    We have a single epic tale to finish. I think it has more impact being told in multiple media. Marketing message: we have a couple of messages to get across. One is the golden armor on the Stars; another is the giant robot battle in the sky. We needed to convey these messages across as many media as possible, so we couldn't fragment the storytelling. Time & budget: of course, it would've been nice to have some really nice video for this, but we didn't have the time or budget to do that. We could do text and images, so we tried to do those the best we could. Multiple storylines mean having to tie up multiple plot threads. In essence, 2010 is wrapping up the biggest story threads for the entire BIONICLE story (basically, Mata Nui's story). This is so important it didn't need to be fragmented. So yes, you've now seen the "end" of the story in the comic, but you haven't seen everything that led you there. Journey's End will give much deeper detail in how our robotic protagonist and antagonist have gotten to where they are, and how everyone else fits into the picture. The Mata Nui Saga will continue to detail not only the current story, but will do three more flashbacks so you can see the entire path Mata Nui took to get where he is today. The serials on BIONICLEstory will actually give you most of what you're looking for, by filling in some of the gaps from other perspectives. 
    Telling the story in this manner is a conscious and well-planned decision. While not everyone may be happy getting the "same" story in different venues, it does fulfill our marketing goals of spreading the story as widely as possible, and helps tie up as many loose ends as we can - for now, of course, since Greg will continue writing about BIONICLE.
     
    If you'd only gotten the comics, or only gotten the book, or only gotten the MNS... you wouldn't have gotten the full picture. Together, they create a whole that's more than the sum of their parts, a montage that presents a detailed picture of one of the most important chapters in BIONICLE's story.
  4. Binkmeister

    Site Update

    By Binkmeister,

    Although it's a week and a half late, the last major update to BIONICLE.com has gone live. After a few hours of bug-fixing, it seems to be working properly now. Sorry for the inconvenience of the Mata Nui Saga not loading.
     
    Here are a few details about the site update, what's there, and what's coming.
     
    Mata Nui Saga:
    This was a tough one. When LEGO decided not to continue the BIONICLE product line, we were stuck in the middle of a planned story arc. The movie was already in production, and the cliffhanger ending wasn't going to be changed. But BIONICLE wouldn't have another movie, so how to solve this?
     
    On the web, obviously. No pressure.
     
    So, within my budget limits, we had to brainstorm how to end the story, as well as sell products. We had two major points to focus on: the Stars (specifically the Golden Armor), and the conflict between Mata Nui and Makuta Teridax. The story serials, story information on BIONICLE.com, product info, and upcoming book sufficiently tell the story on the ground, with explaining why Tahu looks the way he does, why Toa and Glatorian are elbow-to-elbow, etc. So how to address MN's spat with Makuta?
     
    One of the options was to create high-quality 3D CGI animation, but I could only afford a handful of seconds of that. It's expensive. Plus, we'd be competing visually with the full movie just released. Another option was Flash-based animation, but that's kind of 2003, and would be going backwards stylistically. The other option I initially favored was using the technology of the Unity 3D "Glatorian Arena" games to create machinima episodes, a la "Red vs. Blue." We could've gotten a lot more for the money. But again, that type of animation would look cheesy compared to the nice animation done for the Legend Reborn, so reluctantly, we shelved that idea.
     
    Time to think outside the box. What haven't we done that fans would like? Well, some way of tying into the movie is key, so we hired Michael Dorn, who voiced Mata Nui in the Legend Reborn, to reprise that role for the web. I wrote the story for the web, and he read it in chapters (see previous blog entry about meeting him). So now we've got cool audio... what about visuals? It turned out that one of the former set designers for BIONICLE is an excellent artist, who was already familiar with the BIONICLE graphical style, and so we contracted him to come up with all the different visuals.
     
    Since we've announced we're wrapping up BIONICLE, obviously we need story closure or everyone will be left hanging. Even though one chapter closes, another remains open... and we decided it was most important to tell the entire story of Mata Nui, from 100,000 years ago to the present. So we'll see flashbacks (like the Core War image you've already seen) and then focus on what the story is now. The Mata Nui Saga will be updated twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, for the next four months or so.
     
    That, essentially, is how the Mata Nui Saga came into being. It was actually quite a large project to coordinate.
     
    Robot Showdown
    The site's background was done by Advance, based on the information we had at the time. This was before the comic came out, with a different design for the older Bara Magna robot. I anticipate complaints about whey they look the same, but you'll just have to live with it. It's a very cool graphic and I'm using it for my wallpaper.
     
    Agori Defender Game
    The other major addition hasn't been done yet, the final BIONICLE web game. You've seen screenshots, and it looks and works really nicely. I'm very pleased with it, it's a "sticky" game... I keep coming back. The graphics are really well done, and I can't wait to get it out there for you all to play. I'm hoping for January, but it all depends on resources.
     
    Comics
    They haven't been updated online due to resource and budget constraints. Sorry, but they've been ignored for a while. I don't know when they'll be online.
     
    Scale of the robots
    Yeah yeah, I know. But you've got to take artistic license, right?
     
    Great Beings
    Do you see them? Are they Christmas trees? Rocks? Dementors? Or GBs? I'll leave that up to you to decide.
     
    The future
    Local language sites will be updated in the next few weeks, and the Agori Defender game put online. You may also see some more story stuff on the site, but you'll have to look for it. After the MNS is done, that's pretty much it for BIONICLE.com. You'll continue to see story serials on BIONICLEstory.com, but for the most part, I'll be concentrating on the Next Big Thing which you all have seen now but I can't talk about because it isn't officially announced (nice timing).
     
    I'm glad you all seem to like the site update, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Leah started it, I'm ending it. It's kind of a big deal, for a fan to slide into this position and end up writing the webisodes that helps close out the franchise. And it was a personal high point to see a Big Hollywood Star reading my script.
     
    Now, on to the next big thing...
  5. Binkmeister

    April Fools

    By Binkmeister,

    While some people thought this year's April Fools prank on BZP was weak, I would disagree. And not just because I thought of it. But I think it worked for several reasons.

    It wasn't expected. Everybody's grown used to huge, forum-wide pranks. This was just a simple little story. It was plausible at first, then increasingly unbelievable toward the end. You've got to set the hook before you reel them in. It was a gentle type of humor - it wasn't mean, it didn't promise anything and then yank it back, it didn't set up unrealistic expectations. For example, a news story that said, "LEGO plans to give away free solid gold kanohi in every other canister" would set an unrealistic expectation that would disappoint people when it was announced it was a joke. Not everything was incorrect in the story, but you won't find out about exactly what for a while yet. A lot of people started their reply post with, "You got me at first", or "You almost had me". That's the hallmark of a good prank. So, because many people commented on the Photoshop work, I present below the stages in building a prank. And I coincidentally get to show off my mad Photoshop skilz.
     
    Step 1: Get the idea. My youngest son is a huge fan of the Food Network, and watches altogether too much of it. That kid knows more about how to get the most out of your food dollar than anyone I know, and Alton Brown is his hero. (Well, why not.) After getting an Antroz set last week, he started dreaming up weird Food Network shows, including "Cooking With Makuta". Step 1: Complete.
     

    Step 2: Find a suitable picture on the Internet of an unsuspecting celebrity. I looked for Alton Brown first, but there were surprisingly few embarrasing images of him. So I settled for the lovely Rachael Ray.
     

    Step 3: As appealing as Teri Hatcher's butt is (to some of us), it had to go. A quick clone job in Photoshop got rid of most of the offending appendage.
     

    Step 4: Insert the Makuta of your choice. I liked this pose from Antroz, and the colors blended in with the background very well, so in he went. (Handy tip: When placing artwork into another photo, you can either spend countless hours outlining the object with Photoshop's pen tool; or, preferably, get yourself hired by LEGO and simply download the full-resolution, pre-outlined artwork from the image bank.)
     

    Step 5: Add ridiculous apron with rude motto, just small enough so nobody can read it and complain.
     

    Step 6: Take some parts of the table, sauce, and bowl from behind Antroz and his spiffy apron, cut it out, and then paste it back over on top of the subject.
     
    Voila, you have a picture good enough to eat.
     
  6. Binkmeister
    You guys are getting more patient. I've only gotten a handful of anxious "When will BIONICLE.com be updated???" PMs lately.
     
    I'm working on getting the site updated as soon as I can. All my stuff is done (and has been for a month), I'm just waiting for others to have the time to work on their parts. There are some good things for you to get, including a really nice desktop image you haven't seen yet. The game is done but won't launch at the same time as the product updates.
     
    With luck, it'll be online within the next couple of weeks. I'll let you know when it's getting close... but I won't be able to tell you exactly when it'll be live beforehand. There are too many variables. So you'll just have to keep checking.
  7. Binkmeister

    Tv Ad 2010

    By Binkmeister,

    I just saw the TV ad for 2010, and it looks awesome. But the first thing that struck me was that it's not even close to canon.
     
    So, to defuse some of the comments I know we'll see, I thought I'd post something here.
     
    The purposes of a TV ad (in order of importance) are to:
    A. Inform the viewer there are new BIONICLE products available
    B. Inform the viewer of the product features and benefits of purchasing the product
    C. Create desire to purchase or own the product
     
    You'll notice that "Tell the BIONICLE storyline" isn't on that list.
     
    Even though, in the past, some of our TV ads have told some of the story, that's not the primary purpose of a TV ad. For 2010, we're using some other ways to create excitement about the products and features, while not worry about putting it into the context of the storyline. This was a conscious decision... trying to fit everything into a story-based TV ad would've been confusing. You guys who are interested in the story will find out from the web and print, but for mass media, we needed something more snappy and more product-oriented.
     
    So, when you see the TV ad, just remember that the context is not canon, and it's not meant to be.
  9. Binkmeister
    OK, an actual work-related blog entry. (I haven't met anyone interesting recently. At least, ones who'll hold still long enough for me to get a picture with them.)
    Glatorian Arena 2 download: I don't know if it'll ever be put on the server. There are resource issues, and it's not a high priority right now, unfortunately. Glatorian Arena 3: Still waiting for that to be put online. You guys'll probably find it before me. Hint: it won't be on LEGO.com. Comics: Same deal as the Glatorian Arena 2 download: resource constraints. Again, don't know when they'll be updated. 2010 web game: It's coming along really well. It'll be a tower defender type of game, by the same company who did the Mahri, Phantoka, and Mistika games. Scheduled for late January or early February release. Should be really fun. (And I'm not even going to get into the discussion of "Is it canon?" - my answer is Yes but I'm sure others will disagree.) January update: Some text updates, and of course downloads and stuff, but mostly it'll have a cool story on the home page. It'll be updated twice a week. Something like Takanuva's blog from 2008 (but not from Taka), only illustrated. Ben 10: check out the teaser site tomorrow: http://ben10.lego.com Ben 10 again: Just finishing up the full site for a January launch. Working on stuff for the next couple of years, lots of really fun and interesting stuff planned. I'm busy busy busy, and I hope it means Job Security For Binky for the next few years. Especially in this economy.
  10. Binkmeister

    Ben 10

    By Binkmeister,

    It's now live... time to check out the Ben 10 teaser!
     

     
    Come back every Friday for a new character unveiling, along with new stop-motion videos of each character.
     
    I'm working on the full site for January release.
  11. Binkmeister
    >> TrdX Location :: Metru Nui :: SYSMASTER
    >> MN_OS ERROR :: unreconciled memory storage :: ERROR
    >> MN_OS WARNING :: rogue B.I.O. Code :: WARNING
    >> TrdX override :: REJECT
    >> TrdX reroute :: REJECT
    >> TrdX shutdown :: REJECT
    >> MN_OS SYSDUMP :: B.I.O. Code status :: ONLINE
    >> MN_OS codeVal :: HEROPOSE
    >> MN_OS codeType :: POSTER
    >> MN_OS FlashMemStatus :: FRAGMENTED
    >> MN_OS reqAction :: PermDownload :: IMMEDIATE
    >> TrdX DLblock :: DENIED
    >> TrdX Reroute :: IN PROGRESS …
    >> MN_OS WARNING :: Time to deletion :: 72 Hours
     
    >> TrdX Set Watch :: EOF
     
  12. Binkmeister
    Several of you commented about the life-size Ignika in the picture I posted with Michael Dorn and myself. I thought you'd like to see that mask in its natural environment.
     

     
    Yes, the eyes do light up. It's a very dramatic setting in my newly-rearranged living room. Sorry, it's one-of-a-kind, and not for sale (of course). There are perks for having to have lived in Europe for more than a year.
     
  13. Binkmeister
    Prepare yourself. The Mata Nui Saga is coming to BIONICLE.com in January.*
     

     
    Also - I'm going to put a couple of sneak peek "Easter Eggs" on BIONICLE.com this week, to get you ready for the site update in January. You'll like 'em, I think... they were put together with the fans in mind.
     
    * No, not 12:01 a.m. on January 1st. Remember: patience, young Padawan. (Padawans? Padawani? Padawahoonie?)
  14. Binkmeister

    The Brick Is A Lie

    By Binkmeister,

    CONTEST Contest contest...
     
    Do you think the cake is a lie? Can I haz yr cheezburgerz? Do all your base belong to us?
     
    Make your own meme!
     
    First of all, if you don't understand a word I've just written, click "back" before your eyeballs are scarred for life. This isn't for you. If you nodded knowingly and muttered, "Shake that baby app," you're the one I need.
     
    What do I need, you ask?
     
    I need random schtuff. I need you to put a nonsensical phrase together. I need the most random, off-the-wall, weird, "what the heck did he just say?", left-field gobbledegook that you can come up with. Then, unbeknownst to my colleagues within LEGO, I intend to plant it into some of the work we're doing for 2010 (probably later in the year). It should be short and sweet, something able to be spraypainted on a wall (not that I advocate that in any way, of course). You can have multiple suggestions - simply edit your comment. Questions will be ignored in the order in which they are submitted.
     
    The prize? Um. Well, yeah. About that. How about my undying gratitude for as long as I remember (which, given my advanced senility, is about 45.6 seconds these days. What was I saying?). Srsly.* No prize except Binky saying, "You won!"
     
    What you should do:
    Post in this comment field, with one or more nonsense phrases. No crudity, no swearing, nothing like that. I'll be watching you with the little webcam built into my forehead, so I'll know when you're cheating, I'll know when you're awake, I'll know if you've been bad or good, so you better be good for goodness sake... wait, that's Santa Claus. I didn't know he had a webcam built into his forehead too.
     
    As you can tell with the random nature of this blog post, I'm looking for wacky stuff. The less sense it makes, the better - and who better to ask than you guys? (Bam! Inyerface.)
     
    I don't know where this will turn up, or if it will. But if it does, in a year or so, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you may have contributed in some small way. I'd love this to become viral and meme-worthy, and I feel confident in sliding this past my colleagues into a game, to bamboozle them.
     
    Just remember - the brick is a lie.
     

    » Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «OK, a slight explanation for the brave yet confused souls who think I've gone off my rocker. "The cake is a lie" is a phrase from the video game Portal, which is excellent, by the way. The lyrics at the top of this post are a modified version of the song sung by GladOS at the end of the game. "I can has cheezburger" is from the Lolcats site. "All Your Base Are Belong To Us..." if you don't know that one, you're way too young to be talking to me. 
    Let the nonsense begin!
     
    * Don't you just hate it when old folks try to be "hep"? Isn't it just... so embarrassing? Sheesh, have some dignity, you old fogey!
     
    UPDATE: The nonsense doesn't have to be BIONICLE related. In fact, it shouldn't be related to BIONICLE characters or settings.
  15. Binkmeister

    Announcement

    By Binkmeister,

    By now most will have seen the news about the future of BIONICLE sent to BZPower. Before I'm inundated with questions, I just wanted to let you know that there's no additional information I can provide regarding the announcement.
     
    However, I'm still continuing to work on the BIONICLE web site for January, including a game and something else that's pretty cool, and I'm also going to be working on other LEGO web projects, so I'll still be around.
     
    There are endings, and there are beginnings, and this is both.
  16. Binkmeister

    Game Teaser Image

    By Binkmeister,

    Development on the BIONICLE web game is coming along nicely. Thought you guys would like a screenshot of what it'll look like. Plans are to release it in late January or early February.
     
    It's a tower defense style game, where you place your defenders to protect your Agori from baddies. The game is still in development but the graphics are looking great.
     

     
    There will be multiple levels, this is just one.
  18. Binkmeister

    Reorg

    By Binkmeister,

    There have been a couple of reorganizations at work, fairly major ones. I'll be working on the same projects I'm currently on, but will do it from another department. I'm looking forward to this, since I get to continue working with people I really like. My boss will be in a different part of the organization, and I'll miss working with him a lot - he's been a great boss. But the future looks bright too.
     
    This doesn't affect plans already in place for BIONICLE, so don't worry about that. We're continuing down the path that's been mapped out, as usual.
     
    This is my first big reorg at LEGO, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out. Probably pretty well, from what I understand in the past, and almost certainly better than reorgs at previous jobs I've had. And much better than what Dilbert's gone through.
     

     
    So, no need to worry, just wanted to share that little bit of corporate news. And to reiterate - I can't talk about 2010 yet. This has nothing to do with any rumors you may have heard here or on other sites. Deep breath... deep breath. Exhale. Good. Smile.
     
  19. Binkmeister
    OK, so now that it's September, I should probably let you know that the Glatorian Arena 2 game has been slightly delayed. You know me - always timely in my updates.
     
    Anyway, the game is looking really good. We're making sure all the languages will be available for this one, which is taking a little longer. Plus, we got stuck behind a couple of other games in the pipeline, and we're now back in the slot for getting online.
     
    We anticipate having it launched by the end of next week. That would be Sept. 11, but I can't promise it'll be live then. It's the current goal.
     
    For those who want the nitty gritty: "As a BIONICLE Internet Content Manager, I want all language versions of the BIONICLE Glatorian Arena 2 game QA'd and staged, approved, and launched live on all local sites so I can provide a fun experience and increase affinity for the BIONICLE products and brand." The sprint planning meeting was yesterday and we added this user story and done criteria to the sprint backlog, from the product backlog. Product owners prioritized this within the current sprint.
     
    And if you know what I'm talking about above, you have my condolences.
     
    Bottom line: Trying to get the game on all sites within 2 weeks, but no promises.
     
  21. Binkmeister
    Nothing exciting, but I figured it was time to give you an update on work-type stuff.
     
    I just finished launching all the local sites (11 languages), after having launched US, UK, and Germany in July. Now I can concentrate on getting the game out there. It's in testing right now, and although I don't think it'll be ready for an August release, it should come in early September. The good news, though, is it WILL be released in all languages - either simultaneously, or right after the US version launches (to check to make sure it works OK). I've had enough of not having games in different languages available. FYI - the Glatorian Arena 1 version (now on BIONICLE.com) will not be released in multiple languages. Sorry, had to concentrate on the next one, which will have most of the first one anyway.
     
    Regarding the DVD portion of BIONICLE.com... we planned on having it go to 4 page types (Movie, Characters, Cast/Crew, and Story) but the last two pages got cut due to resource constraints. The most important stuff is up, though, like release dates and teaser movie clips. I'll dig up the full cast/crew list and post it here soon.
     
    A large part of my time is now directed to working on 2010 and, to a lesser extent, 2011. I have an overview of what we're going to do on the web for the next 2.5 years, which is good. I think a lot of it is stuff you guys will like. Some of it will be quite different from what you've seen or what you might expect. But overall, it's all good. I'm excited, and most importantly of all, it provides me with job security.
     
    I sent out a game brief last week for a game for the 1st half of 2010. It'll be simpler than the Glatorian Arena, and is based on a popular casual game mechanic that you'll recognize right away. I think it'll be what we call "sticky" - you'll play it for a long time, and come back to play it more. It'll have some good humor in it, too.
     
    Tomorrow, I'm heading to Copenhagen for a day-long working meeting about web stuff for 2010. Should be intense but fun. We have way more stuff on paper than we can actually do, so it's time to do some ROI analysis and resource allocation estimations. Yes, this job is more than just putting stuff up on the web site. I've gotta justify my existence, but with you guys all out there, regularly visiting, that's not too much of a problem.
     
    My to-do list is pretty epic, but I hope to get a lot of it done on the train tomorrow.
     
    We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog.
  22. Binkmeister
    OK, since the Legend Reborn update didn't go live on Wednesday like it was supposed to, the least I can do is feed you a few little tidbits about who's in the movie. Here's the (partial) cast list.
     
    Mata Nui: Michael Dorn
    Ackar: Jim Cummings
    Kiina: Marla Sokoloff
    Metus: David Leisure
    Berix: James Arnold Taylor
    Gresh: Mark Famiglietti
    Raanu: Armin Shimerman
    Tuma: Fred Tatasciore
    Strakk: Jeff Glen Bennett
    Click: Himself
     
    Trust me, there'll be much more coming up.
  23. Binkmeister
    OK, so it's not done, but it's getting there. The mechanism is all working, now it's just a matter of putting a "skin" on it so it looks like it should. But I wanted to post a work-in-progress movie. Click the graphic to download and watch a 12MB WMV movie.
     

     
    For those of you who don't play the Halo video game, it's a Scorpion battle tank. It has four treads and a revolving turret. Obviously the turret is just tacked on to give you an idea of how it will look when finished. But I'm pretty happy with the shape and function so far. I hope to have the full thing finished within a couple of weeks.
     
    Oh yeah, should show you what it's supposed to look like: Halo Scorpion Tank.
     
  24. Binkmeister
    Tomorrow I'll be getting up at 4 a.m. to update BIONICLE.com. I have to coordinate with my colleagues in Denmark, hence the time difference. There'll be some fun stuff you guys will like, I think.
     
    The things I do for you.
     
    UPDATE: For technical reasons, the update has been delayed 24 hours. Sorry for the inconvenience.
     
    UPDATE 2: For more technical reasons, the update has been delayed until at least next Monday.
  25. Binkmeister
    Over the last few days and weeks, LEGO and its partners have announced several new products and licensing deals. These include:
    Disney (Cars, Prince of Persia, Toy Story) LEGO Rock Band LEGO Harry Potter video games LEGO Ben 10 etc. I've been following threads here and on other online communities in response to these announcements, and I have some comments and reflections. 
    Most of the Disney announcement was greeting enthusiastically. LEGO Rock Band seemed to be half and half enthusiasm and derision. I haven't actually seen much about the HP video game. But the Ben 10 announcement seems to really have people frothed up.
     
    From what I see, the more familiar/comfortable people are with the licensed property, the happier they are to hear LEGO is doing a license of it. For example, Disney is well known and well respected, and the properties announced seem to be held in regard. From what I've read, many people are looking forward to them.
     
    On the other end of the spectrum, Ben 10 is a popular Cartoon Network show that has a wide fanbase. But the announcement drew instant criticism from LEGO fans (both adults and kids), with a minority of people taking a "wait-n-see" approach. A lot of people are also comparing it to Galidor, which I don't understand, especially since nobody has seen the sets yet.
     
    My main takeaway from this is that LEGO fans apparently equate corporate decisions on a personal level. I think the main critique of the Ben 10 announcement could be summed up as, "Since I don't like or know the show, LEGO is making a bad business decision in licensing it." But if you've been to a Toys 'R Us or Walmart or Carrefour or Intertoys, you'll see a metric ton of Ben 10 merchandise on the shelves. So it can't be that the show doesn't have an audience... clearly it does.
     
    The other key takeaway for me is the unexpectedly large amount of complaints regarding the number of licenses from LEGO these days. I don't really have an opinion on whether a company should produce products from a few or a lot of licensees, but apparently lots of other people do have opinions.
     
    So here are a few questions for you:
    What do you think of all the licenses LEGO has announced this year? Do you strongly agree or disagree with any in particular? If so, why? Do you think LEGO has too many partners its licensing from? If you disagree with a particular license, is it because you're not familiar with it, or because you think it will not make a good LEGO set? Before you answer that last (trick) question, remember: you haven't seen any of these sets yet, you don't know what they'll look like or how they'll be marketed - or to who. Don't underestimate the ability of LEGO designers to come up with something cool. 
    OK - start talking.
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