OFFICIAL Bionicle 2015 Topic

[Xabla]

May I be the first one to say that the Skull villains are anatomically incorrect.

Please note that this does not make me an opponent to the summer wave overall, but this is just a single thing that bugs me about them. Honestly, the new colors are great, but just read on:

As a college student, I already know the anatomy of the human skeleton, and the skull villains get it wrong! (I'll lay off Scorpio, though. That wouldn't be fair)

The new bone pieces are meant to look like a radius & ulna on the lower arms and a tibia & fibula on the lower legs. On most of the sets, the arms are done right, but the legs are so wrong! Skull Slicer is the only one with legs that make at least some sense, but the rest are either backwards or asymmetric

TTV covered this in a podcast, believe it or not.

[Bfahome]

There's also the anatomical issue of the four arms, the horns, and the fact that they all seem to be living skeletons in the first place.

[Jobber]

 

So, is this a good time to talk about the Star Wars constraction figures? I just read the press release (no pics yet  ) and it said that the lowest price would be $19.99. I want to see the sets now to justify the price...

They were pictured on Twitter, and look extremely simple. Basically, the shell pieces cover the length of each limb so they don't really look like constraction figures anyways.

https://twitter.com/LEGO_Group/status/566636761183313921

 

that doesn't make sense

[Ford]

 

May I be the first one to say that the Skull villains are anatomically incorrect.

Please note that this does not make me an opponent to the summer wave overall, but this is just a single thing that bugs me about them. Honestly, the new colors are great, but just read on:

As a college student, I already know the anatomy of the human skeleton, and the skull villains get it wrong! (I'll lay off Scorpio, though. That wouldn't be fair)

The new bone pieces are meant to look like a radius & ulna on the lower arms and a tibia & fibula on the lower legs. On most of the sets, the arms are done right, but the legs are so wrong! Skull Slicer is the only one with legs that make at least some sense, but the rest are either backwards or asymmetric

TTV covered this in a podcast, believe it or not.

 

Really? Can you put a name to the episode, please? I am now curious to hear their thoughts...

[Xabla]

 

 

May I be the first one to say that the Skull villains are anatomically incorrect.

Please note that this does not make me an opponent to the summer wave overall, but this is just a single thing that bugs me about them. Honestly, the new colors are great, but just read on:

As a college student, I already know the anatomy of the human skeleton, and the skull villains get it wrong! (I'll lay off Scorpio, though. That wouldn't be fair)

The new bone pieces are meant to look like a radius & ulna on the lower arms and a tibia & fibula on the lower legs. On most of the sets, the arms are done right, but the legs are so wrong! Skull Slicer is the only one with legs that make at least some sense, but the rest are either backwards or asymmetric

TTV covered this in a podcast, believe it or not.

 

Really? Can you put a name to the episode, please? I am now curious to hear their thoughts...

 

The TTV Podcast #129 (Summer Set Discussion) and

TTV Podcast #130 (I'm Sort of Greg)

[Infamousevil]

I have bought Kopaka Master of Ice, and Space Marine in the service of the Imperium of Man!

[Jobber]

I can't believe no one's talking about how Skull Scorpio's mask is gone, [lol].

Edited February 14, 2015 by -Windrider-

[Bfahome]

I can't believe no one's talking about how Skull Scorpio's mask is gone

Well, it doesn't really matter that much relatively speaking.  There's almost always something wrong with the sets displayed at ToyFair, and a misplaced mask is probably one of the lesser errors.  Especially when we've already seen the set with its mask, and its packaging is right next to it.

[fishers64]

There's also the anatomical issue of the four arms, the horns, and the fact that they all seem to be living skeletons in the first place.

I think it's silly to expect Bionicle to be anatomically correct to humans, when almost every piece of story media has made clear that they aren't human. 

[Bfahome]

Okay, so all four of Skull Slicer's arms are part of the function.  I'd thought it was a possibility that something like this was part of the design, but I hadn't seen any clear indication of a connection between the sides, since the pictures from Nuremberg were less than thorough.  Interesting that the top left arm is the only one to rotate counter to the others, though it's the bottom left that goes against to the usual "right-up-left-down" (and vice-versa) motion.

 

In short, my suspicions were confirmed, but I can't really take any credit since I never shared them in the first place.

Edited February 15, 2015 by Bfahome

[NickonAquaMagna]

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

[Xabla]

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

I can't see that mask staying in that chain.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

I can't see that mask staying in that chain.

 

 

I'll probably just switch that for another sword. Maybe a shield. Then he'll look like that one guy from Mega Man Zero.

Edited February 15, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna

[Aanchir]

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

Actually, not quite. There genuinely is only a black gear on one side. The thing is, the LOWER arms are joined across the center: see here.

[Blueblur21]

Alright that's it. I'm only grabbing the Mask Maker/Skull Grinder set. Mostly because I also want an Xbox One but also because the other sets just look... unfinished? The legs have these huge armor pieces but then the arms are bony. The masks look cool and the weapons are nice but other than that I just don't know if any of the other sets are worth picking up.

 

If I had to choose, I'd probably grab Warrior, Basher, or Slicer. Probably Basher.

[NickonAquaMagna]

 

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

Actually, not quite. There genuinely is only a black gear on one side. The thing is, the LOWER arms are joined across the center: see here.

 

 

 

....Huh. So the top pair of arms goes up while the lower pair goes down, and vice versa. Honestly, I'd find it more visually exciting to see each arm go its own way. Oh well. It's an easy fix.

 

No, wait... now it looks like the bottom pair of arms go the same way, and each top arm goes a different way... huh.

 

In fact, it looks like 3 arms go the same way. Each new thing I notice about this guy continues to confuse me.

Edited February 15, 2015 by NickonAquaMagna

[Ford]

 

 

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

Actually, not quite. There genuinely is only a black gear on one side. The thing is, the LOWER arms are joined across the center: see here.

 

 

 

....Huh. So the top pair of arms goes up while the lower pair goes down, and vice versa. Honestly, I'd find it more visually exciting to see each arm go its own way. Oh well. It's an easy fix.

 

No, wait... now it looks like the bottom pair of arms go the same way, and each top arm goes a different way... huh.

 

In fact, it looks like 3 arms go the same way. Each new thing I notice about this guy continues to confuse me.

 

Just as confusing as my first viewing of the movie "Birdman". lol

[Bfahome]

 

 

HURRAAAAAAY, the Skull Slicer IS worth buying for a successful, crazy gimmick! I guess the one with a missing black gear at Nuremberg just wasn't assembled properly.

Actually, not quite. There genuinely is only a black gear on one side. The thing is, the LOWER arms are joined across the center: see here.

....Huh. So the top pair of arms goes up while the lower pair goes down, and vice versa. Honestly, I'd find it more visually exciting to see each arm go its own way. Oh well. It's an easy fix.

 

No, wait... now it looks like the bottom pair of arms go the same way, and each top arm goes a different way... huh.

 

In fact, it looks like 3 arms go the same way. Each new thing I notice about this guy continues to confuse me.

From what I can see, the top arms move as they would in any other two-arm function; when one goes up, the other goes down.  The bottom arms, however, follow the top right arm in its motion, so the three arms rotate the same way and the top left arm rotates counter to them.

[Blueblur21]

....Warrior looks pretty cool too...

 

I know for a fact I'm skipping Scorpio. That thing is just ugly. 

[Xabla]

....Warrior looks pretty cool too...

 

I know for a fact I'm skipping Scorpio. That thing is just ugly. 

I'll get it from a complete-the-wave point of view. But if I could, ill pass.

[Jobber]

Why was my comment about Scorpio's missing mask edited by Windrider?

[dotcom]

So with the very nice and detailed pictures we got from the Toy Fair I was able to whip something up.

 

 

I was only able to take this really terrible photo before my camera died but basically I built a Skull Scorpio. But blue.

With the exception of new parts (and a smaller rubber band), and the fact that I'm probably using the wrong kind of connector for the pincers, I'm pretty sure that I built it correctly.

 

And I have to say, I'm definitely more pleased with the design than I would have expected.

The function is A LOT of fun. Wow. I'm going to be using this thing for days. Pretty well done. Looks pretty awkward, but if it's too much of a bother you can definitely just shorten it and switch out the weapons for something of more manageable size. It's not really as big as it looks in pictures.

 

The body itself is built pretty solidly. I imagine it'll look more impressive with the new ribcage shell, but it still looks pretty good to me. The lack of articulation on the legs doesn't bother me much--I imagine if they could move, the function would cause all sorts of stability issues. So I'm ok with it.

 

The arms are still kind of eh, especially the hands, beacuse wow those are terrible hands. But it's not really anything that a little modding can't fix.

 

The actual thing will certainly be different from what I have now, and I imagine it'll only look better with the boney bones and the ribcage shell and the new skull mask (though honestly he sports the Skull Spider mask pretty well). The color scheme is probably the only thing I'm gonna miss. The colors on the real guy aren't so hot. Also the new axe piece looks way too big but whatevs.

I imagine the real selling point will be the function, and again, that is a lot of fun. While writing this post I periodically stopped because I got distracted using it. It's a fun function.

Edited February 15, 2015 by farmstink buttlass

[Toa of Gallifrey]

So with the very nice and detailed pictures we got from the Toy Fair I was able to whip something up.

 

 

I was only able to take this really terrible photo before my camera died but basically I built a Skull Scorpio. But blue.

With the exception of new parts (and a smaller rubber band), and the fact that I'm probably using the wrong kind of connector for the pincers, I'm pretty sure that I built it correctly.

 

And I have to say, I'm definitely more pleased with the design than I would have expected.

The function is A LOT of fun. Wow. I'm going to be using this thing for days. Pretty well done. Looks pretty awkward, but if it's too much of a bother you can definitely just shorten it and switch out the weapons for something of more manageable size. It's not really as big as it looks in pictures.

 

The body itself is built pretty solidly. I imagine it'll look more impressive with the new ribcage shell, but it still looks pretty good to me. The lack of articulation on the legs doesn't bother me much--I imagine if they could move, the function would cause all sorts of stability issues. So I'm ok with it.

 

The arms are still kind of eh, especially the hands, beacuse wow those are terrible hands. But it's not really anything that a little modding can't fix.

 

The actual thing will certainly be different from what I have now, and I imagine it'll only look better with the boney bones and the ribcage shell and the new skull mask (though honestly he sports the Skull Spider mask pretty well). The color scheme is probably the only thing I'm gonna miss. The colors on the real guy aren't so hot. Also the new axe piece looks way too big but whatevs.

I imagine the real selling point will be the function, and again, that is a lot of fun. While writing this post I periodically stopped because I got distracted using it. It's a fun function.

That's a fantastic MOC-up! It's gonna be great having LOSS and Scorpio duke it out.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

The new Toy Fair pics are great, and I'm enjoying the sets now that we've had a better look. I'm probably going to pick em all up. Not as solid as the winter wave but still exceptional in my books.

 

Did anyone see the Romanian Bionicle pamphlet news lately (courtesy of TTV)? 

 

 

Protectors are being referred to as Matoran here.

 

-NotS

[Xabla]

The new Toy Fair pics are great, and I'm enjoying the sets now that we've had a better look. I'm probably going to pick em all up. Not as solid as the winter wave but still exceptional in my books.

 

Did anyone see the Romanian Bionicle pamphlet news lately (courtesy of TTV)? 

 

 

Protectors are being referred to as Matoran here.

 

-NotS

WOAH. 

[Jobber]

Yeah, seen that earlier today! Interesting stuff. Though, it's pretty likely that it's just a mis-translation.

[Xabla]

Yeah, seen that earlier today! Interesting stuff. Though, it's pretty likely that it's just a mis-translation.

Awww...

[Bfahome]

I'm siding with Betteridge's Law of Headlines on this one:
 

Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.

I'm also reminded of this article from The Onion:
 

BREAKING: Has The Word ‘Breaking’ Lost All Its Meaning?

Edited February 16, 2015 by Bfahome

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Still, it'd be a weird mis-translation considering the fact that Matoran isn't a real word. Could be mis-communication, or the publishers assuming these characters are Matoran. Regardless, some eye-catching news. 

 

-NotS

[Xabla]

Still, it'd be a weird mis-translation considering the fact that Matoran isn't a real word. Could be mis-communication, or the publishers assuming these characters are Matoran. Regardless, some eye-catching news. 

 

-NotS

Exactly. How could you mistranslate a made up word? It's like, mistranslating "Spongebob"

[Jobber]

 

Still, it'd be a weird mis-translation considering the fact that Matoran isn't a real word. Could be mis-communication, or the publishers assuming these characters are Matoran. Regardless, some eye-catching news. 

 

-NotS

Exactly. How could you mistranslate a made up word? It's like, mistranslating "Spongebob"

 

Whoops. Even if I typed the wrong word, my statement still holds true.

[emily]

Still, it'd be a weird mis-translation considering the fact that Matoran isn't a real word. Could be mis-communication, or the publishers assuming these characters are Matoran. Regardless, some eye-catching news. 

 

-NotS

I'm sure that they were referred to as Matoran in development - it makes enough sense. The term was likely dropped as a part of the story streamlining efforts - "protector" and "villager" are straightforward, understandable terms while "Matoran" has no intrinsic meaning in English.

 

So basically whoever printed the pamphlet got outdated info.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Pereki

[bioniclepluslotr]

Why everyone mad at Scorpio? He's so unique in terms of design. More technic, less CCBS.

[Nescent]

Why everyone mad at Scorpio? He's so unique in terms of design. More technic, less CCBS.

 

Unique doesn't always mean good...my biggest gripe is the total lack of leg movement, but I don't hate him.

[Quisoves Potoo]

I'm sure that they were referred to as Matoran in development - it makes enough sense. The term was likely dropped as a part of the story streamlining efforts - "protector" and "villager" are straightforward, understandable terms while "Matoran" has no intrinsic meaning in English.

Besides, "Matoran" was derived from "Mata Nui." While that's hardly the first association one makes upon reading the word, it's still the sort of thing most fans of Gen 1 notice. I think it's plausible that LEGO felt that the word's connotation was too strong for it to be sufficiently distanced from Gen 1.

[Irrie]

 

I'm sure that they were referred to as Matoran in development - it makes enough sense. The term was likely dropped as a part of the story streamlining efforts - "protector" and "villager" are straightforward, understandable terms while "Matoran" has no intrinsic meaning in English.

Besides, "Matoran" was derived from "Mata Nui." While that's hardly the first association one makes upon reading the word, it's still the sort of thing most fans of Gen 1 notice. I think it's plausible that LEGO felt that the word's connotation was too strong for it to be sufficiently distanced from Gen 1.

 

That's the first time I've noticed the connection.

But why would LEGO use a new word, when they've already got a copyright on 'Matoran'? (I think) 

[IXRollOutIX]

Would it be possible for anyone to translate the Protector 'bios' from that pamphlet? See if it mentions anything about gender association in there? (Of course the Water Protector is the only one not photographed.)

[Anapouri]

I'm really into the new reboot of BIONICLE. 

I was really skeptical at first (sorry if I'm just sort of jumping in here, I'm kind of new, but I did read the thread and I'm just putting my own opinion out there) because the new sets seems a little too, I dunno. Clunky. Or something. I also wasn't a fan of Hero Factory at all, so the introduction of the Hero Factory elements bothered me at first. But I spent time looking into the new sets and I got really excited because they were incorporating both Technic elements (such as gears and whatever) with the new elements introduced through the Hero Factory theme. Also, seeing them release all of the animated clips and the story really got me excited. 

Sure it's not the same BIONICLE I knew back when I was a little girl, but I think that this reboot will be just fine. It's interesting, and it still has that sense of mystery and adventure the original BIONICLE had while allowing itself to be an entirely new story. 

I went out the other day and purchases ALL of the sets they have out right now and I'm pretty glad I did. They're so sturdy and they aren't as clunky as i thought. The builds actually fit the characters pretty well IMO. The only thing that I wish they did was make Gali a bit more feminine looking (I know she's a bio-mechanical entity but I always saw her as this really graceful female character and I kind of want her design to match that). The other thing I don't like are the graphics on the Toa's bodies. I think those are kind of overkill (on the chests and Kopaka's legs). Also, I love the Protectors.....they're so cute! 

One thing I hope they do is introduce a wide variety of kanohi again. I do like the new masks but I want more. I do enjoy that they've included golden masks with all of the major sets such as the Toa. But I'd like to see mask packs surface again. I also feel they could have been a bit more adventurous with the Toa's weapons. I like them, but a lot of them use the same elements and it makes their weapons pretty repetitive design wise.

Overall, I'm really looking forward to throwing my money at LEGO again for BIONICLE sets. I'm also trying to rush out and buy the remaining stock of Hero Factory so I have more elements to work with in my bin of parts.

[dotcom]

If anyone is interested I threw a bunch of pictures of the Scorpio mock-up on my blog. He's gonna be one fun set to play around with.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

Set is looking pretty sweet. Been a fan of the Scorpio since first seeing it. Looks like a really fun function. Thanks for the mock-up!

 

I'm actually pretty impressed by the diverse play functions for the summer wave.

 

-NotS