Poll: 2015: The End of Hero Factory?

[fishers64]

Vote away! 

[Spiderus Prime]

Well when that rumor about Bionicle's Second Coming,I might missed Hero Factory for the Heroes with ACTUALLY Names with some cool versions with the XL Heroes too. 

[Lyichir]

I voted "Not really sure at this point". Hero Factory may well end in the event of Bionicle's return. But it doesn't necessarily have to—the minifigure-scale mechs from this year's sets could help to set the theme apart from Bionicle enough to allow the themes to coexist for at least a wave or two if next year's Hero Factory sets carry on with mechs and mini-heroes.

 

I picked option five on the second poll because technically options three and four both apply to me. I won't be too broken up if Hero Factory ends next year, since it had a good run and I expect Bionicle's return will carry on the set design innovations of Hero Factory while hopefully improving on the story. However, I would much prefer Hero Factory to continue for one or two waves if it would allow the theme to follow up on plot threads like the stolen Hero Factory plans and give the theme a sort of "grand finale", rather than simply ending with a legacy of ignoring cliffhangers and other previous story developments.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Lyichir

[believe victims]

I voted "not sure" and "lego can do better"

 

i think HF could do with getting an actual end instead of the jumbled mess that was IFB, but then again I can think of no end that defines Hero Factory more than the murder of a native creature defending her territory followed by a useless cliffhanger.

[Kessen]

As far as I see it, let it be gone. Yes, LEGO could have done better, but it began as a mediocrity and got worse. There is literally no way that LEGO could save the theme now. I'm readily beginning to doubt the sanity of 'the masterminds behind BIONICLE'. However, I would totally forgive them if they stopped Hero Factory and began BIONICLE anew. However, one of the original conniptions that I had with them re-making BIONICLE was the fear that they would ruin it. Time will tell.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

1. Option 3. I say we just have to wait and see what Lego annouces in the future about the line.

 

2. I never bought a HF set or got into its story, so I can't say that it would affect me at all if the line ended next year. But I wouldn't care if it did continue on.

[Underscore]

1. Not really sure (explains it all).

 

2. I stopped following Hero Factory about a year ago, and I don't really care if it ends or not.

[Art Vandelay]

I'm not really sure if it will end next year. If BIONICLE comes back next year, I can definitely see HF being canceled, and I would not want them to run simultaneously. I'm not really a fan of HF, but I don't hate it either. I do hope it at least receives a proper ending in 2015, if it is to be canceled afterwards. 

[The Swimming Beard]

1: I personally don't think it will end next year, partially due to seeing some discussion on Eurobricks.

 

2: I'd rather have it continue along with Bionicle. After all, you can never have too many options for constraction sets, and more sets means more useful parts.

[Kessen]

*Laughs after looking at poll* No one chose option 4 on question two.

[Aanchir]

I voted "not really sure at this point" and "I like Hero Factory, but if it ends I'm not going to complain much". Hero Factory is great but its storytelling style doesn't really demand any kind of special "Grand Finale" in my opinion. And as long as the building system sticks around and future themes continue to innovate with it, I won't particularly mind if the sets end (though I will miss the mini-heroes).

 

Beyond that, when do I ever complain much? At least about things the LEGO Group does. Generally I try to be pretty understanding and level-headed when it comes to their business decisions.

 

In any case, though, I would LOVE if Hero Factory continues next year, because together with next year's new constraction theme (which may or may not be BIONICLE, though signs point to the former) it would probably represent real growth for the constraction category and for the CCBS. I love the theme, but my loyalties are more to the category than to the theme in particular. If the question were about the CCBS, I would definitely have chosen option 4.

Edited July 9, 2014 by Aanchir

[Sybre]

As much as I like buying Preston Stormers every single year, HF's time has come. This just can't go on.

[Manducus]

"No" and "No, I want more Hero Factory"

 

As far as I can tell, Hero Factory won't be discontinued anytime soon and I need HF for parts.

[Aanchir]

"No" and "No, I want more Hero Factory"

 

As far as I can tell, Hero Factory won't be discontinued anytime soon and I need HF for parts.

It's been confirmed that Hero Factory's building system is sticking around, so even if it ends there's no need to worry about a lot of typical Hero Factory parts not being available in other constraction themes. Certain very HF-specific parts like helmets and the hero core might be discontinued, of course, but I can't imagine those are the sorts of parts you're talking about.

[Some Random Phrase]

*Laughs after looking at poll* No one chose option 4 on question two.

I didn't see it. I would've if I saw it.

[The Swimming Beard]

*Laughs after looking at poll* No one chose option 4 on question two.

 

I would have chosen option 4, but I forgot at the time of my post. I did just now, though.

[Chro]

1. 1

2. 3

[Mesonak]

I voted that yes, I do believe Hero Factory is going to end in 2015. I subscribe to the belief that BIONICLE will be making its return next year, and unless they gear the HF theme to remain minifigure focused forever, I doubt the two could coexist.

 

I voted number three for the second question. I've always enjoyed Hero Factory, and have become more and more of a fan as the years have gone by. The theme recently began to come into its prime, and I will be sad to see it go. That being said, if BIONICLE 2.0 can surpass Hero Factory then I see no issue in having it go by the wayside. It will be remembered fondly by me, at least.

 

-Mesonak

[Manducus]

 

"No" and "No, I want more Hero Factory"

 

As far as I can tell, Hero Factory won't be discontinued anytime soon and I need HF for parts.

It's been confirmed that Hero Factory's building system is sticking around, so even if it ends there's no need to worry about a lot of typical Hero Factory parts not being available in other constraction themes. Certain very HF-specific parts like helmets and the hero core might be discontinued, of course, but I can't imagine those are the sorts of parts you're talking about.

 

 

Very, very certain parts.

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

yes, I do think that Hero factory will end in 2015 unless Hero Factory takes Chima place.

I don't really care about Hero Factory and if it's end it end or it continue okay because again I don't really care if it end or not but I do think it will end, I not going to act like "OMHC HERO FACTORY ENDED, I WANT IT BACK" or "BY MATA NUI WHY IS HERO FACTORY STILL GOING ON" or anything like that.

[Kopekemaster]

I voted no, and yes, respectively. While it is still fairly possible that it would end in '15, I think it would more likely turn into what I suggested in the Bionicle Returning thread; It has already been changing somewhat more towards a blend of system and constraction, and I think it might end up more like the Bionicle playsets. Which I think would actually be fairly cool.

[Aanchir]

I voted no, and yes, respectively. While it is still fairly possible that it would end in '15, I think it would more likely turn into what I suggested in the Bionicle Returning thread; It has already been changing somewhat more towards a blend of system and constraction, and I think it might end up more like the Bionicle playsets. Which I think would actually be fairly cool.

I dunno whether we could expect anything quite like the BIONICLE playsets... that was essentially "system sets with constraction parts for joints and decoration", which seems like perhaps TOO great a departure from the building style people are used to. I think if it does continue with the minifigures it will probably continue to use mainly Technic-based and CCBS battle machines and/or monsters, perhaps with occasional bits of more System-based scenery.

 

One thing that's frequently been brought up in community discussions is the possibility of a wave that, like Exo Force, has battle machines for both the heroes AND the villains. The hero battle machines could continue to use the same very mechanical aesthetic they currently have going, while the villain battle machines would have more jagged spikes and other evil-looking features. If the writers ever did decide to follow up on the "villain factory" concept that was set up at the end of "Breakout" (and I have no idea if they will), then that would be an interesting way to utilize it.

 

Another possibility at the current scale would be an underwater wave with sea monsters like the ones in LEGO Aqua Raiders and LEGO Atlantis. Though I'm not really counting on that idea. It seems like it could be a tricky one to follow through with.

Edited July 12, 2014 by Aanchir

[Kopekemaster]

I'm not saying it would be just like it, I just mean that it would be closer to that than, say, just a regular constraction set.

[Manterax Prime]

Judging by William Furno's youtube video regarding his question he sent to Lego about HF anytime soon (i.e. 2015) and Lego's response being, in short, "no", I voted no on both questions.

[Lyichir]

Judging by William Furno's youtube video regarding his question he sent to Lego about HF anytime soon (i.e. 2015) and Lego's response being, in short, "no", I voted no on both questions.

Emailing Lego customer service is almost never going to get you the best answer on whether a theme will be continuing or ending, since the people who would know that sort of thing (which would not typically include customer service reps unless an official announcement had been made) aren't necessarily going to be allowed to discuss it (since it concerns future sets). On top of that, what a designer considers "the end of a theme" and what a customer service rep considers "the end of a theme" are pretty much completely different—customer service is concerned with set availability, so their idea of a theme's "end" is not about whether new sets are coming out, but whether Lego is still producing and/or shipping sets, which can continue to take place a year or more after the last new releases (to say nothing of story updates).

 

I'm not saying Hero Factory ISN'T coming back, but Lego customer service is hardly any more authoritative a source on the subject than your local weatherman.

[Tahu3.0]

wow in this wan i cant tell what i voted  

[Sumiki]

I'm not sure if HF is going to end. I'm totally on the hype train but at the same time there's still a chance that it's all fan-made and the entire fandom is getting trolled. Also, while a BIONICLE return would likely spell the end of HF, that doesn't necessarily mean that it'll end. 99.9% chance, but not total.
 
I went with the third option in the second question because I don't really hate HF. The story is beyond ridiculous at this point and I really want to get back to writing my gritty re-imagining of it when I get back from BrickFair this year, but the sets have had some really nice parts. I participated in a parts draft of a bunch of Splitter Beasts today and I really got a sense of how useful a whole load of those pieces are. Then again, the HF building style will more than likely outlive its line, so my position is one of complete apathy.

[Tristan Teridax]

I like hero factory and most of the newer sets look quite nice but right the story's incredibly messed up along with the tv show also which has completely different voice actors now. I just really want a consistent and interesting story back and be inspired by the story to maybe make more mocs.

[toa kopaka4372]

Not really sure if it'll end, but I don't really care anyways. The story is so 'meh' that I never got invested, and since I didn't make a habit of buying LEGO outside of BIONICLE...yeah.  I don't dislike it but I don't like it either, so I'm indifferent to its fate. The only piece of Hero Factory media/story that I ever truly enjoyed and liked was The Doom Box which was written by Greg, so go figure. The books are cancelled now too, and to be honest it looks like the line is slowly dying, but I'm still not sure it's ending in 2015, or even if BIONICLE's arrival would actually spell its end at all.

[ExclusivelyPlastic]

I honestly don't really care whether or not HF ends or not, it's the sort of theme that they can keep adding year-long not really connected storyline, but I think LEGO might have to start thinking up more innovative "themes" (Jungle, Breakout, Mechs) for future waves of the series.

 

What I really want to see is a LEGO theme with the building system of HF and the lore of Bionicle. Which, if Bionicle comes back, is probably what it'll be like.

[Argentum]

Quite frankly if Hero Factory ends or not it's not really big news to me, I was expecting it to be deeper and have a more interesting story than the tiny arcs that it did have. I got bored of it, and decided it wasn't worth keeping up with about a year or so ago, when I realised they were never going to expand upon the story. I liked the sets, but at the end of the day I couldn't justify buying them if I just didn't care about the theme at all

[LimeFlavouredLibertarian24]

If Bionicle returns in 2015, I wonder how much impact Hero Factory pieces will have

[Heir of the Chronicler]

Although I don't dislike HF, I won't miss it. HF was a huge missed opportunity- when you consider that Heroes are basically Halo Spartans wearing Iron Man armor- and I'm happy to let it rest in peace.

 

- Heir

[LimeFlavouredLibertarian24]

As far as I see it, let it be gone. Yes, LEGO could have done better, but it began as a mediocrity and got worse. There is literally no way that LEGO could save the theme now. I'm readily beginning to doubt the sanity of 'the masterminds behind BIONICLE'. However, I would totally forgive them if they stopped Hero Factory and began BIONICLE anew. However, one of the original conniptions that I had with them re-making BIONICLE was the fear that they would ruin it. Time will tell.

How did you create that Thornax game/GIF?

[Airoski]

Yes and yes. This'll sound pretty negative, but I honestly think the presentation of HF since it went to market has been insultingly lazy compared to the Bionicle line's detailed marketing and story. Back in Bionicle's heyday in the early 2000s, the line was famous. Ridiculous statistics were released about how many kids and parents knew about it. Hero Factory has not reached that level of success, and I put it down to the lacklustre backstory/marketing. While I've interacted with other peoples' HF sets, I've never bought one myself, so I won't miss it. Bring on the Bonkles.

[LimeFlavouredLibertarian24]

1: I personally don't think it will end next year, partially due to seeing some discussion on Eurobricks.

 

2: I'd rather have it continue along with Bionicle. After all, you can never have too many options for constraction sets, and more sets means more useful parts.

That MOC looks cool and awesome

 

EDIT: Lime, please remain on-topic. If you want to comment on their MOC, do so in their topic.

 

~Makaru

Edited August 7, 2014 by Makaru
spam

[Timageness]

I'm not sure what Lego will do with HF, but I don't want them to cancel it for two reasons: the HF specific parts (which do have other uses- for example, I've seen some very cool looking Toa/Glatorian mocs using the helmets and I'm currently using two of the cores to hold together a modified Vortixx jaw and passing them off as earrings) and the fact that there are some HF fans out there, and I don't want Bionicle to be the theme that killed their line off. Some people still claim that HF killed off Bionicle, and that caused it (for them) to have a negative first impression from the start, even before the story was an issue. If that same bad taste is left in the mouths of the HF fans, the two sides might just end up switching places, and that could potentially shorten the lifespan of Bionicle's return.

[Ford]

I understand that Hero Factory means a lot to some people out there, but if it ends with Bionicle's rumored return, I really would not be phased. TLG is what it is, a business. They do what people want while making sure it can still be a good choice for the company.

 

Story wise, HF is decent. It's not dark like Bionicle was in its later days and was episodic/varied from year to year. This left a lot of room to work with for MOCs, stories, etc. Bionicle (somewhat) struggled in this feat due to how some people would have to take the time to place their MOC into some part of the canon.

 

Overall, HF had a lot of good things going for it, but sustained a wound from the fact that most of the Bionicle community did not like it at first.  

[Banana Gunz]

All I want from Hero Factory is for it to have an ending involving Von Nebula and Black Phantom and then Hero Factory can die whatever death it wishes.

 

I'm not a huge fan of HF story-wise, but they already have an edge for an ending and I hate seeing any story being cheated of an ending.

 

But that said... CHOO CHOO. The hype train is gonna run HF into the ground!

[Fyreball]

I am not sure at this point, as we all are, really. But, I wouldn't mind it ending. At all. 

 

Mediocrity without aspiration doesn't bring improvement. It just makes things worse. I see it as a cash cow with good intentions. Never followed it after the first two issues or so, but, I'll admit, I bought one of the sets. Can't even remember what it was, however, haha.