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Warning, minor rant ahead. The Piraka torso fails. Even the Metru torso was better. Y'know why? Depth. The Metru torso was fairly thick from front to back, giving it a much better look than the Piraka/Inika/Mahri torsos that so plague sets these days. So it seems that the Bionicle universe is full of wide-shouldered, thin-limbed, paper-torsoed apes. This fails. Lego, get some set designers with some knowledge of anatomy. And, while I'm at it, get some who know how to do functions properly. [opinion]And get better focus groups.[/opinion] ~D
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I believe that I have figured out the primary reason for my dislike of so many sets recently. Do you know what the concept of Lego is? ~D
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Yes. For real this time – some of the Maori-esquified Kanohi Mahri (see this entry) fixed up some, plus some of the Makuta and their masks as well... Kanohi Faxon :: I originally made this the Kanohi Faso (lack of x and -on in 2001, scarce in 2002), but after some ideas from Aanchir I decided the Kanohi Vaso would be better, giving it the strong V sound instead of just the weak f and s. Kanohi Arthron :: was the Araho (never three consonants in a row, nor th), but again from Aanchir's comment the Kanohi Arahon might work better, giving it back the final n and making the name slightly stronger. Why I don't mind the -on here, I'm not sure – maybe because sonar is a highly technological power, rather than the mystical ones most masks have. However, I'm still not sure which name I'll use. Kanohi Jutlin :: because I couldn't stand a mask that sounded virtually exactly like the Jutland Peninsula (where half of Denmark is located), this became the Kanohi Juulan. Antroz :: as I've mentioned earlier, he became Atrokan. I love the derivation from Antrozoidae, but it's so much of the epitome of modern Bionicle names, which I dislike – English letter combinations and terminal x's or z's – and I'm also just not fond of the name. Atrokan is partly derived from atrum, the Latin word for "dark" ("partly" because it wasn't intentional, but I liked the result). Chirox :: I pronounce him "KY-rox" after the typical English pronunciation of the Greek "chi," so I have a few possibilities for him. Kairox is closest, but I like Kairahk as well... bringing "rahk" back... Vamprah :: he's just too close to "vampire" to be subtly derived. (Antroz and Chirox are, but I'm not fond of their results.) Vanrahk is my favorite alternative I've invented, but it sounds so close to Panrahk that I'm iffy on it – but it's also the only one that's any good besides, perhaps, just Vanrah. Maybe I'll leave him as Vamprah. Which brings me to the second half of this entry: musings on Makuta powers. These came about after reading how Mutran specialized in mutation (Shapeshifting power), which gave me the idea that each member of the Brotherhood could specialize in one or two of their uniform powers... and then some backstory ideas grew from there. For one, only one of the Makuta Phantoka is blind. Kairox was the first one I came up with – he specializes in Power Scream; somehow that just leapt to mind when looking at him. Battyness and all that, using sound, and he looks the type to scream a lot anyway. Vamprah specializes in Sonics, a thing brought on after he was blinded in a duel with a Toa many years ago, after which he took the form of a bat to use its ability to detect his surroundings through echolocation. Both he and Kairox have refined their Rahi Control power in particular as well, and Vamprah is rarely seen not surrounded by a whole flock of bats, who answer to him alone and through his Telepathy inform him of what he can no longer see. Atrokan specializes in Darkness, and as such was chosen to lead the Brotherhood of Makuta in its assault on the home of the Matoran of Light. Him I really decided only last night... Ikarax – yes, spelled that way. Both because c is a strange letter Bionicle-wise and to use the Matoràu word ikatan, lightning. And so, of course, Ikarax would specialize in Electricity and Chain Lightning – might be how he was able to take out five of the Toa Nuva at the same time. All that, of course, is just ideas... Our dear Makuta apparently specialized in the element of Shadow over any particular power, but it seems Shapeshifting at least was not his specialty, if it required so much energy for him to do so. Anyway... ~ ToM
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I'm sure some of you know how I started a BOM member somewhere around a year ago. Well, I worked on him a few days ago. Before After What do y'all think? -K-
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Yay! Taka's back in action with new twilight powers! Anyway, I got BotW much to my half surprise. Nothing really to comment on there, though ti has inspired me to update my content blocks finally. One thing that was mentioned was that most of my previous entires are locked - I mainly did this because I'm lazy and don't want to have to check a dozen old entries. Back to Taka, I hope to finish the preliminary Official Takanuva Topic for S&T in the next two weeks (I am still on holidays you know ), as I think it will be needed a fair bit. I'm disapointed to say nobody met my challenge to find out what word I derived "Vespidax" from, so I'm giving you a second chance. I'll give you a clue - think insects. 'went fishing today, we only caught a small Brim, but what will you do? That's all for now.
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Anyone who's payed attention to Bioniclestory.com, the S & T forum or the software forum has probably noticed by now that the first chapter of Dark Mirror - the Takanuva podcast - is up. It's pretty cool, I have to admit, but there are a few things I don't like about it (which may end up sounding like everything. I can be over-critical at times). If you have not heard the biocast and do not want it spoiled, STOP READING NOW! First things first, the shadow leech. I'd like to know how it got to Metru Nui, and why it effects Takanuva's appearance (the Matoran in the Core had to be mutated) although that to me is one of the less important things. Now, the idea of him being able to control both light and shadow is cool, but why oh why would it matter which hand he uses? The light/darkness thing is to do with the character's spirit, not their body, isn't it? If he could control both but only one at once, that would be fine. If he could control both but had a lesser control over each than a Toa of any single element, that would be fine. I don't like the idea that 'this hand uses this power, this hand uses the other'. Nevertheless, the whole light+shadow thing is pretty cool. Ok. Now onto the alternate dimension. Cool idea - Tuyet and Nidhiki betray Lhikan, Tuyet becomes master of the universe, existing organisations have no choice but to fight back. I like that. What I don't like is why suddenly, the Toa decide to back this. From what I've seen, Toa are very noble beings who simply do not stand for injustice, wherever it's coming from. This certainly is true for most Toa in the story, but suddenly the Toa Mata's personalities have changed completely and they've turned evil for no other reason than another Toa decided to. Huh? That really doesn't seem in character. I can't imagine any of them following a totalitarian regime that actively oppresses Matoran, whether it's run by Toa or not. I'd have thought they'd be horrified at the thought. Also, why on earth are the Toa Mata there in the first place? Their task is to awaken Mata Nui if and when he ends up in a coma. Evidently this has not happened, so there's no purpose for them to be out of their canisters. I really dislike alternate universes that suddenly make all the characters we know both exist and be evil simply because it's 'cool'. Half the time the characters we know have no reason to exist, let alone exist in the same time, place and position they do in the 'real' universe. If the universe differs for a specific reason (like Tuyet using the Nui Stone), I would like the events that spring from that difference to be both credible and believable, please. No "oh look, these characters are evil because this character's evil!" because that's just lame and completely unrealistic, especially when the characters who have reportedly turned evil are reknowned for being unwavering heroes of justice. Oh yes, one last thing annoys me: we didn't find out Toa Tuyet's tool!!! I want to know! /End rant. I'd say that came across too critically, wouldn't you? Perhaps something to do with having just had a Critical Thinking exam and generally enjoying any opportunity for a good rant. Anyway, with any luck, the discrepencies I mentioned will be explained/cleared up and I'll be a happy bunny (wait, I'm a bunny now?). Until then, I shall be contemplating this question: If there are 6 biocasts this year, 3 at the start 3 at the end, they're the same length (same length as last year's ones) and they're being released one chapter at a time, that would mean the first ones will take 30 weeks to be over. The second ones would also take 30 weeks. But that means we're 8 weeks over the 'yearly limit', as it were. I mean, we didn't get one in the first week, so if all goes well there's another week to compensate for! I'm hoping it means we'll get a few multi-updates. That would be awesome. 3 weeks is too long a wait for something so short.
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Woot woot! I have a Toa Tuyet variant out! Her Little Page What really suprised me today was when I recieved my Brickmaster Magazine. There was a section hat made my jaw drop... a BOM building contest! I have already designed a chracter prfofile. The sweet thing is that I think I might have a chance of winning! The only bad thing is that I can't make an extremely custom MOC. I've realized that LEGO doesn't really like those entries. Also for those Naruto fans who have seen Shippuuden 42: Orochimaru vs Jinchuuriki... it was totaly off the chain! Even though I've read it before in the manga, seeing it in action was all the more better.
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Wow, I can't believe it's done. In my drafting class, my teacher let me work on my own project. I kinda picked a Pakari :sheepish: . Anyway, I finally finished it. I'd say I've been working on it off-and-on since October/November, but this week I got to work on it for the whole class time for maybe three-four days. I put, maybe, 3-5 hours of work on this thing. My teacher did help with a lot of thing, so some credit to him. I'm gonna post this in the Artwork forum, so go give me a post, if you want. I'll post the topic link here. Oh yeah, I used Autodesk Inventor Professional 2008. Black Pakari Front Black Pakari Isometric Black Pakari Side Draxon? Infected Pakari (Made out of cardboard? ) Onepu Onua This one's just for kicks, but it's pretty sweet IMO I think I like the ones without eyes more. -K-
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2008 is full of Makuta -- even the canister villains are Makuta. These masters of power have quite a lot of, well, powers. Remembering them all can be tricky, but rewarding for fun roleplaying, fan fiction writing, or even just enjoying the Bionicle story. So today the Bones Blog brings you an easy way to "decode" and memorize all the Makuta powers. Basics First, all modern Makuta have transcended normal life and death. This means they all:Exist as antidermis energy-gas inside strong Protosteel armorCan use mask powers, each has their own maskCan slowly die if armor is shattered -- gas slowly scatters so they must find another host fastAntidermis can control Matoran, etc.Don't need sleep, foodCan absorb other beings, killing them and adding to the Makuta's mass, or absorb stuff.In addition, they were all once scientists that made Rahi creatures for the whole universe so often experiment and still know how to make new creatures or mutants. They became guardians of certain zones before betraying Mata Nui, and came to learn just about all there is to know in the Matoran universe. All current Makuta are evil. Mask Powers:Makuta of Metru Nui -- ShadowsAntroz -- Corruption (decompose objects)Chirox -- Silence (make target deaf, mute)Vamprah -- Hunger (drain light, energy, positive emotions, turn Matoran into Shadow Matoran)Icarax of Karzahni -- Wears Shadows for now, normal mask unknownMutran -- SilenceSpiriah of Zakaz -- CorruptionKraata Powers:Makuta can make kraata slugs out of their substanceKraata come in 42 types, each with their own powerKraata can that infect masks and control the wearerCan put Kraata in energized protodermis to make Rahkshi armor for another Kraata to control like a vehicle with enhanced power and a staff to focus itNow, can carry Tridax Pods in their chests, with Shadow Leeches insideShadow Leeches are mutant Kraata that turn Matoran into evil Shadow Matoran42 Rahkshi Powers42 can be thought of as seven groups of six, like seven Toa teamsEach power can be roughly equated with the six elements of the Toa MataArranged counterclockwise from Ta-Wahi on Mata Nui Island, elements are: Fire-ishWater-ishSton-ishEarthishIce-ishAir-ishThe Seven Lists: Here's the powers, with the justifications for how I've arranged them. Note that of course many are a stretch, but the idea here is to aid memorization. Most Makuta-ish: Most easily identified with Makuta. Shadow and Shapeshifting are obvious, Mind Reading and Illusion were tactics Makuta used most often in the Chronicles Books, Makuta teleported the Toa to the surface after they beat him in MNOG, and Chameleon goes with Shapeshifting.Darkness -- Leads all Makuta powers; fire = leaderShapeshifting -- Water is fluid like Makuta's shapesMind Reading -- Turaga Onewa had a mind mask power Teleport -- Biggest stretch Chameleon -- Ice can be harder to spot than many thingsIllusion -- Turaga Matau had an illusion mask powerRahkshi Mata: Powers of emotion and destruction, these are the six Rahkshi Makuta sent to stop the Toa of Light from coming.Fear -- Red Rahkshi in Mask of Light storyDisintegration -- Blue Fragmentation -- Brown Hunger -- BlackAnger -- WhitePoison -- GreenKal Elements: Still not sure why Makuta have these six elements and not the main six elements themselves, but hey. Electricity -- Red Bohrok KalMagnetism -- BluePlasma -- BrownGravity -- BlackSonics -- WhiteVacuum -- GreenEnvironmental: Control over, or resistance to, what is surrounding you is what makes these powers stand out.Fire Resistance -- Fire Toa have thisWeather Control -- Water affects weather stronglyRahi Control -- Po-Koro MNOG had more visible Rahi than other KoroInsect Control -- Bugs and dirt mixIce Resistance -- Ice Toa have thisPlant Control -- Le-Wahi is full of plantsStrong Attacks: These are all destructive powers. All but molecular disruption are easily identified as "projectile" attacks of some sort.Heat Vision -- Fire's hot yoChain Lightning -- Lightning hits water = bad, reminds me of a water beamLaser Vision -- Lasers could carve rockMolecular Disruption -- Similar to rock coming apart into dirtPower Scream -- Would shatter ice, goes with white Kal of SonicsCyclone -- DuhSubtle Attacks: You are getting veeeeeery sleepy. Now you are asleeeeeeep. Now you're being infeeeeeeected.Stasis Field -- Vakama made Vahi; Tahu used it to put Kal in time-stasisConfusion -- Underwater navigation is confusingSlow -- Pohatu is slow without his mask power of speed.Sleep -- It's dark underground, like night when people sleepSilence -- Kopaka is silentAccuracy -- Projectile accuracy could be done via air currents tooPower-ups: These all affect the Makuta himself more so than a target, giving the Makuta a special ability, useful in battle but defensive rather than offensive.Limited Invulnerability -- Sorta like the Mask of ShieldingAdaptation -- Common example is developing gillsDensity Control -- Rock is denseElasticity -- Dirt can bend, as it wereQuick Healing -- Ice can be quickly shaped or refrozen, etc.Dodge -- Air Toa are acrobatic, can dodge wellNOTE: There may be more powers; for example MoMN had a "Shadow Hand" power in LoMN but it's not known if all Makuta have this power. In roleplaying and fanfictions, it's plausible to make up new powers for them. In the story, we might learn of other powers in the future. This content also available in topic form here.
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A few comments on two of the three '08 sets I recently got. Vamprah: This Makuta is amazingly, on four legs, as tall as Kongu/Pohatu on their two legs. I always saw the Makuta as being highly intelligent beings, and to see one choosing to walk around on four legs is quite something. It's nice to break the mold and make a sentient non-humanoid--something which even sci-fi often doesn't do. The pieces in here are really nice, and the posing works well. The wingspan is awesomely done. Pohatu: The legs are pretty basic and expected. Neat pieces in an awesome color. I see that functions are making a return, with a function similar to Roodaka's and Keetongu's. The new pieces used for the blades are neat. I don't really like the gear box, but it's interesting. The mask isn't as bad as it looks, but I do like full-face masks. Not full-head masks we've had recently, but covering all the face. The build has improved since Kongu. See how the Hordika lower arms are flipped horizontally from how they were on Konug--now I don't know if the set designers read the review for Kongu, or if they figured it out on their own, but it's cool. The blaster is almost a head length above the head, which isn't that great. Chirox: Nothing to say here yet. You'll see more later. The Tridax Pods are really meant for dropping than launching. The Midak are awesome. Shoots real fast, real strong and real far. Keep 'em loaded though, for best shooting.
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My little borther now likes Bionicle. And he's only 3.
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Why do 2008 sets not come out in Australia until February? It is really slack. Then again we get all the information about the Phantoka and the other sets. In 2005 I already saw that the Piraka were on Voya Nui using Zamour Launchers to enslave the matoran. But I have a question for you. Would you rather get the sets first or the information? It is a really hard choise. On one hand, you could get the sets and hardly know anything about them or on the other hand you could know everything about them and post it on BZP then have to wait ages for the sets. Really hard choise but I would rather have the sets first to be honest.What about you? x-L-x
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I'm broke, so I can't buy any more Phantoka. *Coughcough* Anyway, Lewa, Antroz and Pohatu are in my possesion, so if there's any pics you want just ask.
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I thought I was losing intrest in BIONICLE. Until a random spurt of fanboyishness this afternoon. Turns out I'm not losing intrest. -Canama
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My Lewa was missing a Zamor, and my mom was going for dinner with my dad near TRU, so she's taking it back and getting a new one. Hooray.
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Here's one Tohunga you probably never expected to see here, and in fact I never did either. It's Akuna, the heroine of Torn Identities III: Torn Dimensions by CrypticIdentity. And she plays no small role in the first two either, Torn Identities and Stones of Malice. (They're great epics. You should read them.) By CI's permission, she's a background Matoran in QfLD and the whole Chronicles of Ea-Nui, one of the few female Ko-Matoran on Mata Nui in the time of the Toa. And here she is! And yes, that is an ice blue Kaukau. It was a wonderful Christmas present from Alsru... He's awesome. Elsewise, I'm finally listening to Dark Passion Play – it's quite epic. Not my all-time favorite Nightwish CD, but still excellent... I'm only up to Sahara at the moment, though; I listened to clips in B&N a few weeks ago and if I recall correctly the best is yet to come. *hoards his icy Kaukau* ~ ToM
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Not a very catchy title, I know. But I wanted to make this so I could stop repeating myself so much. Today the Bones Blog brings you the truth about this much-over-asked question, and some major points to consider about where Bionicle might be headed. To everybody asking "Is 2008 the end of Bionicle? It says 'Final Battle'! ": No. Stop panicking. It's the end of the first chapter of Bionicle. Bionicle will end only if the sets stop selling. Everything from 2001 to 2008 has been about awakening Mata Nui (or, in the flashback years, showing what happened when he fell into slumber in the first place). This year, the Toa Nuva are finally being set up to finish that task. The "Final Battle" refers to this final stage of all that story. But evil doesn't just go poof when Mata Nui awakes. Indeed, it's possible it could get even worse. Remember that in 2004's storyline, we learned that the Dark Hunters, the rebellious Makuta, even in the past groups such as the Barraki were able to wreak havoc before being stopped by the heroes of the Bionicle universe, the Toa, and in some cases others. Mata Nui didn't wave a magic wand and make them all magically stop. Mata Nui's job is to worry about the bigger things, like keeping the underground Matoran universe running smoothly, the roof not collapsing, the domes not flooding, etc. So you will still have heroes who can fight enemies, and not "super-over-powered" heroes either -- think of it like a nuclear bomb in war compared to ground soldiers' weapons. You can't just nuke everything to win; you also need the smaller weapons to go into more complex, local situations. If Mata Nui could wave such a wand, it's quite possible he'd cause unintended damage even to the good guys, since he's so powerful. (For example, any Matoran who's infected in some way would be destroyed even though they weren't evil.) There will presumably still be the Brotherhood of Makuta to deal with. It's doubtful the Toa Nuva will defeat them all in one year, even if it is a war (which is implied by the term "battle"). The Dark Hunters would probably still be around. Who knows who else is lurking out there. For all we know, the Red Star beings include some big enemies that will be unleashed. But let's take this a step farther -- think strategically. Do you think the Makuta will just go "oh, well, you win"? No. The BoM might fight even harder with Mata Nui awake, pulling out all the stops to overcome this new challenge. Remember the mysterious inscriptions Zaktan found. Mata Nui might still be in a weakened state too. Don't just assume everything becomes hunky-dory when Mata Nui awakens. Besides, it wouldn't make sense for LEGO to remove all bad guys, 'cuz then there'd be no villains to fight, and no way to keep making cash off of Bionicle. Now, Greg said that this new direction would involve new ideas with "sets, story, setting," etc. "while still keeping it BIONICLE". That tells me we could very well expect a new kind of hero, new kinds of villains, who knows, maybe even a new master villain! What if there's a part of the Bionicle universe cut off from the rest that has its own seperate story but still has protodermis, Matoran, etc? Just one possibility, but you get the idea. And finally, if you don't believe me: 1) Read this GregF blog entry. 2) Remember there's a movie in 2009. 3) Greg's attended planning meetings for 2009 and beyond. 4) All along, Greg has said they have basic concepts for about 20 total years of Bionicle (and then would make up more later if it stays alive). We've only had 8 years. 5) Don't forget this year is built around the return of the Nuva which is something BZPers have been begging for in the first place. For them to return, it would only make sense if they finally got to awaken Mata Nui. So the setup of this year is expected anyways; we should be expecting this kind of marketing verbiage for such a major event. 6) MNOG2 in 2003 was called the "Final Chronicle." Don't take these things too literally. Thar. Now I can just link to this, lol. Quicklink version: 2008 is [b]not the end[/b] of Bionicle. It's the end of the first chapter, which has been about awakening Mata Nui. 2009 takes the story in a [b]new direction[/b]. Bionicle will only end if the sets stop selling. [size="4"][b]Please see these links:[/b][/size] [url="http://www.bzpower.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=39&showentry=24601"][color="#0000FF"][b]Bones Blog: 2008 Is Not The End[/b][/color][/url] [url="http://www.bzpower.com/forum/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=26&showentry=20886"][b][color="#0000FF"]GregF's Blog: 2009[/color][/b][/url]
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I GOT ANTROZ, POHATU AND LEWA! WOOT!
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"Makuta Icarax The Makuta of Metru Nui, Icarax once posed as Turaga Dume and forced the Matoran there to be put into stasis. This deadly foe has immense strength and toughness, and has access to shadow energy and all 40+ powers of the Makuta. Unlike the Makuta of Karda Nui, Icarax was not blinded by the burst of light when the Mask of Life was used. Mask: Kanohi Kraahkan, Mask of Shadows Weapons: Rotating blade; shield Quote: “I have fought tougher Toa than you before. And as I stepped over their bodies, I will step over yours.”" O_o Oh, and there is the new updates for Bionicle dot com, in case you didn't catch that...
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So with the current sucsess of my Tanma revamp(Tanma) I have decided to make more MOCs outside Contests. Some of you may have heard of my little "Project Ancient", and I have thought about making two lady toa for my next installment. That's where you come in. I'm currently working on Toa Nikila and Tuyet. I have a pretty solid color scheme for Tuyet. This being Metru blue and purple. *Why did they make two purples!* Mask is set also, although I'm stuck between the Metru Ruru, and Faxon. Any thoughts? Weapom wise, I cannot recall what her weapon was. Anyone know? I'm also thinking metru armor for her... On to Nikila, and I hope I spelled that rite. So we know three things about her: . Toa of electricity . Wields a trident . Member of Lessovik's team There have been plenty of debates on what color sheme electricity should have... so I'll need some fresh input on that. Also, what to do to make that trident? What armor would best fit with her? I hope to get some great input on the two!
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I called around, and only TRU has them. I'm 'a goin' Phantoka-Huntin' this 'a evenin'!
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It's late at night, I'm tired. Anyhoo, here are comparison pictures of the available 2008 canister sets with Jaller Inika and Jaller Mahri, plus one comparison with Nocturn. Will elaborate more in my next blog. Click on the thumbs for the full picture: ~Y
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It's 2008! Time for Phantoka-Hunting this week! I promised instruction scans and request photos, so you can request away. Fisrt I'm getting Antroz, Radiak, Lewa and Tanma.
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*refuses to reminisce about Bionicle years that weren't utterly awesome* (This means you, 2007) Also, Midak blasters seem adaptable enough to use in a Zamor-gatling. ~D
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Hm, meant to do this at the beginning of December... Well, I haven't been on the computer much for the past two weeks, and I guess today might be the best day to post this anyway: a summary of ideas introduced in 2007's sets, and why they either succeeded or failed. Might as well start with the biggest. ~ Non-clone sets. This succeeded generally to perfection with the Barraki, but only partly worked on the Mahri. With the Barraki, each one had his own unique "body" mold (that is, not a weapon or face), which served to tie the rest of his pieces together into a distinct shape. Ehlek, for example, had his spine pieces, which worked with the shape of his body to tie mostly old pieces in old colors into a single shape... rather than looking a bunch of old pieces thrown together. The Mahri did not all have this. Jaller and Kongu had their chest armor, which worked just as well as the Barraki's new molds, but the others were more iffy. Nuparu had his spike armor, which would have done the trick if the rest of his limbs hadn't been see-through and his mask the only silver part of his body. Hewkii, too, had his shoulder spikes, but the rest of him was so mish-mashed that the result was a confusing bunch of pieces and colors. Hahli's wings and Matoro's shoulder pads did the trick for them, but not quite to the extent of the Barraki. (But since they were the Inika transformed, much of their bodies still being Inika pieces worked swell.) ~ Visors. Needs little explanation, and still going strong in 2008. Going straight along with these are the Mahri's masks – masks that can be modified by adding more pieces to them. This is good so long as the mask looks good even without anything attached to it. ~ Upper-half masks. Well, mask, with Hewkii's Garai. Interesting idea, and it worked pretty well on Hewkii, since the (in my opinion) unsightly mouth of the Metru head was still covered up. ~ Multi-piece shoulders. Only Kongu had this – a chest region where the body-to-shoulder attachment was actually built from multiple pieces, not just an Inika or Piraka torso (or Vahki hips). The idea was great, but because it resulted in such atrocious proportions as Kongu had it, it looked much worse than a standard chest. ~ Rahi familiars. (A familiar is an animal companion spirit, for those who don't know.) Meaning, of course, Jaller's crab. She looked good, did not mean Jaller had to be forced together from fewer pieces (I think he's one of the best-designed Mahri, really), and boosted his piece count as well. I would absolutely love to see a full set of Toa with familiars. ~ Winged canister set. Hahli looked awesome. Antroz follows in much the same vein, but with less flexibility; Chirox and Vamprah's wings are their arms, while Kopaka's are limited to up-down rotation. Hahli's are pretty much the best in terms of posing. ~ Shoulder pads. Looked great on Kalmah, Matoro, and Lesovikk, and it wouldn't hurt to have a few more pieces that could be used as such... ~ Shortened Metru eyepiece. Great piece, but I've always hated that air tank thing on Kongu's head... That blemish aside, now all we need is the eyepiece in more colors. And some Metru heads and Hordika necks in more colors wouldn't hurt anyone, while we're at it. ~ Waist articulation. Maxilos made good use of it – it looks stunning on him, finally allowing a set to be posed to realistically shift his weight. I can't truly say on Pridak, since I don't have him, but I imagine it works better on such a set as Maxilos, whose body is stabilized by his pistons, while Pridak and other canister sets might be a bit too top-heavy. ~ Full shoulder movement. Maxilos. Love that part of him. Might be difficult to make for a canister set, but more titans with such would be truly wonderful. ~ Nocturn. He's so awesome he gets a category all to himself. Two great things about his color scheme: one, suddenly releasing a large number of pieces in a color previously only used as a secondary color (all that lime); two, adding more pieces in a color blend introduced earlier (the Takadox-blue head and spines). ~ $15 Titan. Would be nice to see more of them – we now have Mutran & Vican for such, but they pale in comparison to Nocturn. I've thought for a while that Hydraxon, Lesovikk, and Toa Ignika would all be better as $15 sets, given their about-150 piece counts... ~ Lime? Just because it was remarkably prevalent this year – Ehlek, Nocturn, Hahli, Lesovikk, and Karzahni all had it with fair prominence, so I was just thinking that it might be interesting if another bright secondary color got the spotlight at some point... (Going along with Nocturn, the titan in a secondary color.) ~ One-piece blasters. Not so good. Certainly the Cordak and Midak would require pre-assembledness, given how they work (or my understanding of how the latter works, since I don't have one), but in the case of the former I'd rather have something that I can build myself and that fires every time. (Zamor anyone?) Also, every single Cordak blaster being red clashed and stood out horribly on a lot of its wielders – Midak is far superior by being both black and, as far as I can tell, guaranteed to fire. That's all I can think of at the moment – if you can think of more ideas introduced in 2007, do mention them. Most of these worked pretty well, and some are being continued in 2008 – most noticably the non-clone sets, but through different means than either Barraki or Mahri had them. One thing we that would be really good, methinks, is a multi-piece chest that doesn't result in hugely disproportionare shoulders. And I've got to go. I got the Exo-Force Arachnoid Stalker and Tanma today (no Karzahni) – the former is an excellent set in every respect; Tanma will be getting a full review from me... And with that said, happy New Year to all! ~ ToM
