ToaDraco

So do y'all think we'll ever get vehicles in gen 2 Bionicle? I'd really like to dee some cool technic sets. Did hero factory get any vehicles?

As awesome as that would be, I don't think vehicles would really fit in gen2, at least as it is thus far. Mounts however, absolutely. I'm picturing a Protector sized character on the back a cool 4 legged lizard creature like Boga from Star Wars epIII. Maybe even a jungle villager on the back of a large bird as a nod to the Gukku Force or a giant crab like an Ussal. I could also see a gladiator-looking character with a flail weapon on the back of a CCBS horse-like creature too. Any wildlife in general would be great really. 

Why do Tahu and Pohatu's masks have a fake vent on the top rather than a real one, as seen on Gali's mask?. Wouldn't a proper vent look better, allow for better light exposure for the brainstalk, and reduce cost, or is the process too difficult and expensive?

 

What is that menacing plant in the background?

 

 

Morbuzakh 2.0, of course 

I would agree, it would've looked a lot better. Lewa's mask would have benefited as well but perhaps they were concerned that the masks would be brittle or something. I'm still not a big fan of Pohatu's mask. It's just way too box-y and looks very flat and long from the sides. I think if the air intakes were shaped differently and extend halfway down the sides of the mask, it would look a lot better. As it is, it looks like he has two boxes strapped to his cheeks.

Put this guy together last night, figured I'd share him here.  This is probably one of my favorite combiners ever.  Thing is ssaaaweeeeet.  

That looks insanely awesome! Certainly one of the best combo models in a loooong time and certainly the best CCBS combiner thus far. It's especially nice how the the colors flow together and don't look like a jumbled mess.

I for one am absolutely loving the re-imagined plot points and references to Gen 1 so far. Things like that rekindle my excitement about this reboot. 

Same here.

Also, I like the new info on the website but once again stuff is switched around for Stone and Earth. Sigh... seriously, they mess that up every time. You'd think by now they'd have it straitened out. After all, the elements are color-coded for Mata Nui's sake. It's not a big deal, it just gets irritating. I can't wait for the new episodes and to get the new sets! I also look forward to a new game to replace the MoC one.

I'm digging the new videos and good to know for sure that there are at least 2 Skull Scorpios, and they look so much better in the animation. I love how bulky and intimidating Basher is and Kulta certainly rekt face. Ekimu has some mad skillz too.

I just received the neon green SDCC exclusive mask in the mail this morning, now all I need is Skull Scorpio to put it on... and all the other Skull Villains. I can't wait! I'm so getting Ekimu vs Kulta or Basher first though. I'll be in Seattle when they come out, it's tradition for me to get a new set on vacation because it always happens to fall around the time the new sets come out and that's when I first got Tahu back when Bionicle first came out. Onua was my first choice, but all they had was Tahu, Kopaka, and Pohatu... ah I remember well. 

My friends are always cool with me geeking out to them about Bionicle and showing them cool new LEGO sets in general. One of them was even interested in borrowing the movies from me and he watched them all and he's 4 years older than I am. Surprisingly, he liked TLR the most which disappointed me... His main reasons were he felt the animation and voice acting quality were better than the first 3. He was really fascinated in the G2's concept art, when he saw it on my computer (I have the one with the Toa standing before the ancient city as my desktop background).

No thank you. Only occasionally, like Skull Warrior but not on all of them, only if it suites the design. It gets way too gimmicky if every wave of canister sets have to have launchers. Leaving them for an occasional thing or mainly for small Protector-sized sets is fine though. 

I want to view the chest blaster as how marching bands carry marching bass drums. Except that may imply that Korgot is weaker than the other five Protectors, and while that's realistic, it still might be irksome. 

I don't think that implies she's weaker. I've pictured it like this from the original Clone Wars cartoon.  

I honestly prefer the colored masks, they just fit the color schemes better and add more personality, I think. The golden masks look better on the Toa without gold IMHO. It really shows that they are special, while the Toa that have gold make them feel like they are just part of the color scheme and feel less special.

My Toa wear their regular masks while the golden ones are clipped onto their hips. Except Tahu, his is attached to the back of his ankle due to the thigh armor being in the way. The elemental masks will be clipped to their opposite hips when I get them. Sadly, Gali will be the only one without a second mask on her hip, darn exclusives. Tahu at least has the trans orange mask on the opposite ankle to kinda balance things out and add some temporary armoring on the back of his legs.

As if I didn't already like Nightwish enough! That's pretty cool and they are a great band. 

Man, it's really hard to avoid reading any more of those previews, I want to wait until I get the books, but it's pretty neat that Korgot is female. I totally wouldn't have pegged the PoE to be female. Also, anyone else in the US getting the Skull Villain's tv commercial while watching youtube videos? Because it happened to me and the sets aren't out for another 2 weeks or so.

EDIT: Also, how about that glorious new alphabet! Man, I am so relieved we are getting some real world building now. Also, presumably Bingzak is a member of the Jungle Tribe, correct? It seems that way considering he knew a shortcut through the jungle. Which means that him mentioning most of his tribe was taken over by Skull Spiders... that's a throwback to when Le-Koro was taken overtaken and mind controlled by Krana! I just now put that together, awesome I hope we get more throwbacks like that.

This is really exciting and I love how much they look like Nuva symbols! Also, holy Mata Nui, that imgur link RollOut posted has every page of the first two books! I must avert my eyes, the temptation...

Skull Scorpio looks amazing with that mask! I just gave in and ordered the mask on Ebay for $23.50, congrats you convinced me lol.

I am so incredibly happy about the new Protector names! Those snippets from the book are pretty good too. Also, while watching a youtube video today, the new commercial for the Skull villains played as the advertisement. The hype is real!

Nice, I can't wait for the full fledged videos. Kulta... looks a bit strange but the rest are great. He has a big chin and bunny ears, but kinda puts me in mind of Emperor Zurg. Basher looks very intimidating, I like it. I totally dig the Coliseum call back for the arena. 

I love that mask, too bad I'll never see it, let alone get it. I really hate exclusive stuff like this. It alienates fans and encourages price scalping.

I'd just like to say I'm really fond of how LEGO tried to diversify its action features with the skeleton gang. The Toa all had the same "arms swinging" thing, but then you've got Skull Warrior with his bow, Skull Basher's "bashing" function, Skull Slicer's four arms, and Skull Scorpio's entire body.

 

(still hate the color layouts though)

I agree about the Skullies' action features. I hope this trend continues, it's quite refreshing. 

...Also what did I just watch and why didn't I already know about it!?

I really like the backstory tidbits and I'm SO happy Grinder gets a name, the more names the better! It's also nice to get confirmation that Kulta is draining the elemental power from the masks to amass his army of the undead. Slicer also gets a bit more backstory and confirmation that he is being reanimated by LoSS with help from the Mask of Skull Spiders. It's also interesting that he was a beloved arena champion to the villagers long ago. In which case it would have been/would be nice if he got/gets a name too especially given that fact, unless they are focusing on the whole 'his past and memory are lost to time'. I wonder if Kulta's name is inspired by the term 'occult'?

I really love that Batmobile and for $30 with 2 more minifigs and another vehicle? I'm sold!

I would totally buy a set like that! I wouldn't be surprised if we get something similar in the future as it is very reminiscent of the kind of thing we've seen in Ninjago and Chima among others. LEGO really likes it's tournament-type sets it seems. They do offer quite a bit of playability after all. Let's cross our fingers for Kohlii 2.0!

Also, what was the price point you had do design for? My guess is $20-$30?

Holy Rahi, that new commercial is awesome! I dig the organ music in the background too. I love Tahu's spinning jump slash at the end there.

 

If you saw the scanned comic (or at least, the front box-art), it's clear that the Skulls (except Grinder, which is the endgame boss) are an army.

 

Just going by the comics, it's possible that Slicer and Basher are individuals. Only Scorpio and Warrior are shown as multiples. I think that's unlikely, but it would be cool to have both swarm enemies and unique characters in the same wave.

 

That would be the best way to do it IMO. 

Also, those combiners look fantastic! I love the Takutanuva vibe off of Grinder's and they both could have made great titan sets in their own right. Well done TLG, keep this up! Now hopefully they will appear in story.

It certainly was for me, then again I love motorcycles.

I'm going to dive into this Gali debate, though I doubt I'll change many minds and will probably regret putting my own opinions into the mix.

 

It's true that she's not that overtly feminine. The only aspect I'd consider particularly feminine on its own would be her mask, which has organic curves, a pointed jaw, and soft eyes. All in all it's not just more feminine but also more human than the classic Kaukau.

 

At the same time, she doesn't have features that DETRACT from an appearance of femininity. There's no moustache-like tubing on her mask, like Hahli Inika. No Piraka torsos that make the body almost as wide as it is tall, like Hahli Mahri or 2008 Gali Nuva. And she's not just a clone of her five "brothers", like Nokama.

 

On top of that, there's another aspect of her that makes her such a strong design—she abstains from problematic features meant to evoke "femininity". She doesn't have stripper heels or a metal bikini like Roodaka, instead sharing the same feet and armor breastplate of the other Toa. She doesn't have the waifish figure (and totally out-of-proportion arms) of Kiina. She's not a caricature or a cartoon, just an armored heroine whom a wide variety of female fans could easily picture themselves as.

 

Features like her narrower shoulders and her slimmer torso shell, taken on their own, would not be exclusive to a female figure, and indeed several of the other Toa share those features. But combined with all her other features, they make for a figure who is more recognizably female than the other five Toa, which is the most important factor for a character who, fairly or not, ends up tasked with representing the broad spectrum of femininity for the entire cast. And by using subtle, gender-neutral features to build up that look, she ends up as one of the most REALISTICALLY female-looking characters Bionicle has ever had.

I agree with this 100% I actually just got her a couple days ago and I now have all the Toa, 2 Protectors and LoSS. Now I just have 4 Protectors left to go until the summer wave...

Also, anyone else think the blaster for the newly announced First Order Stormtrooper might give a bit more credence to the rumors about spring-loaded shooters with legs for 2016? I'm not saying I believe it per say but I thought I'd bring it up.

 

Where are the pics?

We haven't seen them, but some of the set bios from retail sites included information about them.

What I find interesting is the referring to the new mask design as 'bull skull' mask. Does this mean the horns are part of the mask (in-story) and not the reanimated corpse? Also, I suddenly like Skull Scorpio a lot more with the implication that it isn't one corpse, but two or three (or more?) that have been forced together by the power of whatever being created the mask it wears. That tail isn't a tail, but a pair of arms locked together to wield the blades while the mutated torso crawls on multiple joined ribs, frantically grabbing at intruders with what remains of its own arms.

 

I love this idea and it makes his look acceptable and creepy.