BIONICLE Website Updated

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I like the new update as well. The text might still be all in one big text wall, but it is much easier to read. The big pictures also give a better image of the sets. I'm beginning to think that the blue on Gali is teal...

[Lyichir]

I like the new update as well. The text might still be all in one big text wall, but it is much easier to read. The big pictures also give a better image of the sets. I'm beginning to think that the blue on Gali is teal...

The old "Teal" (Bright Bluish Green) is out of production, and has been for a long time. However, you're close—Gali uses Dark Azur, which is pretty much the closest current color to the old teal. The main difference is that Dark Azur is slightly lighter and much less greenish than Bright Bluish Green was.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

 

I like the new update as well. The text might still be all in one big text wall, but it is much easier to read. The big pictures also give a better image of the sets. I'm beginning to think that the blue on Gali is teal...

The old "Teal" (Bright Bluish Green) is out of production, and has been for a long time. However, you're close—Gali uses Dark Azur, which is pretty much the closest current color to the old teal. The main difference is that Dark Azur is slightly lighter and much less greenish than Bright Bluish Green was.

 

It still looks teal enough for me! I've always hated how any type of teal was such a rare color, especially in constraction.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Pohatu: Master of Stone

[Titron]

I am quite excited to see this theme returning after so long. I am a bit dissapointed that the old storyline won't be continuing (since it was a phenomonal one to follow and quite in-depth in places), but I guess it's for the better of the theme itself.

 

Forgive me if this question has been answered already, but is Greg writing the storyline for the rebooted theme, or will it be somebody else? If we have the same writer, I have no doubt it will be excellent.

 

The sets look nice; I'm not crazy about the makeup of the toa's bodies themselves (a little too Hero Factory-ish), but the masks and the weapons look amazing.

[Aanchir]

I am quite excited to see this theme returning after so long. I am a bit dissapointed that the old storyline won't be continuing (since it was a phenomonal one to follow and quite in-depth in places), but I guess it's for the better of the theme itself.

 

Forgive me if this question has been answered already, but is Greg writing the storyline for the rebooted theme, or will it be somebody else? If we have the same writer, I have no doubt it will be excellent.

Greg was a consultant during the early development stages, along with Christian Faber and Christoffer Raundahl. However, he is not a member of the story team and will not be writing the books.

[Lyichir]

I am quite excited to see this theme returning after so long. I am a bit dissapointed that the old storyline won't be continuing (since it was a phenomonal one to follow and quite in-depth in places), but I guess it's for the better of the theme itself.

 

Forgive me if this question has been answered already, but is Greg writing the storyline for the rebooted theme, or will it be somebody else? If we have the same writer, I have no doubt it will be excellent.

 

The sets look nice; I'm not crazy about the makeup of the toa's bodies themselves (a little too Hero Factory-ish), but the masks and the weapons look amazing.

Greg is not writing the story. He was a consultant during the early development of the new theme, but he's not on the story team and will not be writing the books.

 

I encourage you to give the Toa a shot. Their torsos may look "Hero Factory-ish" due to using similar parts, but behind that they're much more complex, even including gear functions like those of the classic Toa.

 

EDIT: Ninja'd again! (Kapura'd?)

Edited October 19, 2014 by Lyichir

[Titron]

Oh, that's a shame. Hope the new team can do as good a job as he did (the elaborate storyline and setting was what drew me to Bionicle in the first place, so hopefully the new books can give the theme just as much depth as the previous ones).

 

I'll definitely give them a shot; some of the new parts look a bit simplistic, but I can get used to them (I still think the weapons and the masks were very well done - looking forward to getting my hands on some of them). Do you guys happen to know what the pricing range will be for the new sets? I'm hoping they aren't as expensive as they were the last few years of the original series (but hey, that's Lego for you, right?).

 

BTW, thanks for answering so quick guys.

[Aanchir]

Oh, that's a shame. Hope the new team can do as good a job as he did (the elaborate storyline and setting was what drew me to Bionicle in the first place, so hopefully the new books can give the theme just as much depth as the previous ones).

 

I'll definitely give them a shot; some of the new parts look a bit simplistic, but I can get used to them (I still think the weapons and the masks were very well done - looking forward to getting my hands on some of them). Do you guys happen to know what the pricing range will be for the new sets? I'm hoping they aren't as expensive as they were the last few years of the original series (but hey, that's Lego for you, right?).

 

BTW, thanks for answering so quick guys.

Protectors are $10 each. Pohatu, Lewa, Gali, and the Lord of Skull Spiders are $15 each. Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua are $20 each. So yeah, more expensive than Toa and Matoran in the later years of BIONICLE, and much more expensive than Toa and Matoran/Turaga in the earlier years.

 

Then again, you're getting more pieces and greater complexity than ever before. The Protectors each have 66 to 73 pieces, so they have more pieces on average than the six BIONICLE canister sets with the highest piece counts. The $15 Toa have between 66 and 87 pieces each, and the $20 Toa have between 89 and 108 pieces. The Toa as a group have about the same price per piece as the original Toa Nuva from 2002 or Toa Inika from 2006 (20 cents per piece in both cases), and that's WITHOUT factoring for inflation.

 

I know getting a good value for money doesn't completely make up for having to shell out $105 for a team of six Toa, but with that said, the prices are still extremely low compared to what sets from other LEGO themes often cost.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Aanchir

[fishers64]

Side note: I like the bigger pictures, but the text looks generic. How hard is it to insert line breaks? That should take like 10 minutes. What's wrong with them?

Edited October 20, 2014 by fishers64

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Side note: I like the bigger pictures, but the text looks generic. How hard is it to insert line breaks? That should take like 10 minutes. What's wrong with them?

The text is a lot easier to read than before, though.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

The bigger, hi-res pictures are SUPER NICE! Wow, love them. But the formatting is still god-awful...

 

-NotS

[Toa Of Virtues]

I take back what I said earlier, I didn't update my computer. The pictures are good now.

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

Eh... I have to confess to not being thrilled with the new bios. I mean, with each of them, they start off as reminiscent of the Toa I remember and love - and then they throw in some stupid quirky character flaw that each made me double-take and go 'wait, *what*?'

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to characters being flawed. But just... with the original Toa's incarnation, the character flaws each of them had were... I dunno, they always felt like they made sense in the way they meshed with the rest of the character's personality. They sort of felt 'coherent' as characters, if you will; at least to me. These new traits just seem to have been tacked on the end for comedy's sake than rather than being believable in any way. Still, seeing how they're handled ought to be... interesting, I guess.

 

 

 

As for appearances, I love the callback to their 01 masks, especially in Kopaka, Tahu and Onua. These actually feel like they *could* be the same characters, which already makes them a massive improvement on the Mistika in my book. I think I like Kopaka's new form the best, truth be told; I dunno if I'm actually going to buy any of them myself, but if I do, he'll be my choice.

[Axilus Prime]

Lot of hate on the bios. There are two ways these new quirks can go.

 

The way everyone seems to assume will 100% for sure happen is Gali constantly making joke attempts that fail, Kopaka falling over frequently, Lewa being a hyperactive freak who never stops talking, Onua falling asleep in battle, Pohatu pulling a full retreat and screaming like a 3 year old if the lights go off, and Tahu forgetting he has elemental powers at all.

 

The other possible way is Gali being mostly humorless with a few, extremely rare (think once every 3 episodes or so, if there's a TV series) instances of attempting to make jokes, none of which ever go well. Kopaka being a little less graceful in his movements during fight scenes, but still taking down bad guys. Lewa being a risktaker, but not annoying. Onua having a generally sleepy tone, and sometimes falling asleep in unimportant conversations, but never falling asleep in anything important. Pohatu having a slight paranoia/jumpy edge in the dark, but nowhere near panic. Tahu forgetting minor details which lead to somewhat poorly thought out plans at times, which is basically the same as he was in the original except with hotheadedness being only partially the cause of bad planning, rather than entirely.

 

Judging by the tone of the Legend of Ekimu and Makuta video, I believe the latter is far more likely.

[Toa Of Virtues]

All the Toa have disappeared from the site! It's just the banner, the message boards, and the flashing mask. Could this be the sign of a bigger update about to come?

[Gatanui]

All the Toa have disappeared from the site! It's just the banner, the message boards, and the flashing mask. Could this be the sign of a bigger update about to come?

Maybe, but maybe they're just messing up stuff. Yesterday the main picture was all distorted for some reason.

 

Though of course I hope you're right. Who knows, we could see an update on December 1st if we're lucky.

[Toa Of Virtues]

Now the entire site is down! I am almost certain that there will be an update, this doesn't usually happen by accident.

 

EDIT: It's back up, but the Toa still are missing.

 

EDIT: UPDATEEEEEE

Edited November 27, 2014 by TuragaOfVirtues

[Gatanui]

Nice catch.

[ToaJaller77]

*drools uncontrollably*

 

New screenshots, places, masks and-

 

 

IT'S MNOG ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!

[Jakura Nuva]

The Protectors wear sacred Elemental Masks that have been passed down through the generations from father to son along with the Prophecy of Heroes, which foretells the coming of Tahu and his allies. In their wisdom, the Protectors must guide the heroes on their quest.

I'd like to point out that this text is used for every Protector - including the Water Protector. Does this mean the Protector of Water itself is male... and for that matter, that we may be seeing villages consisting of mixed genders?

 

EDIT: Something I forgot to add - they mention fathers and sons! So now reproduction is canon as well...?

Edited November 27, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[fishers64]

Right now I'm getting a blank page for both bionicle.com and lego.com/bionicle...

[believe victims]

 

The Protectors wear sacred Elemental Masks that have been passed down through the generations from father to son along with the Prophecy of Heroes, which foretells the coming of Tahu and his allies. In their wisdom, the Protectors must guide the heroes on their quest.

I'd like to point out that this text is used for every Protector - including the Water Protector. Does this mean the Protector of Water itself is male... and for that matter, that we may be seeing villages consisting of mixed genders?

 

 

If so, that's a shame, because that means they scrapped the gender ratios just to pull a 2009 all over again.

[Daniel the Finlander]

 

The Protectors wear sacred Elemental Masks that have been passed down through the generations from father to son along with the Prophecy of Heroes, which foretells the coming of Tahu and his allies. In their wisdom, the Protectors must guide the heroes on their quest.

I'd like to point out that this text is used for every Protector - including the Water Protector. Does this mean the Protector of Water itself is male... and for that matter, that we may be seeing villages consisting of mixed genders?

 

Wait, there are mixed genders within tribes and families now? So Protectors can have children? There can be relationships and stuff? Talk about a reboot. I wonder if it applies to Toa..

[Toa Of Virtues]

It's only working on my phone now.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

It's only working on my phone now.

Are you talking about Bionicle.com? I have it pulled up at the moment and it's working fine for me.

[Zeddy]

I guess if they're putting up so much stuff now they're preparing for a Christmas release of the sets. At least that's what it seems like. And Okoto... I wish they had different names than "Region of Whatever" but it does work to simplify things a lot rather than having to remember a completely different name.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Zeddy

[Jakura Nuva]

I guess if they're putting up so much stuff now they're preparing for a Christmas release of the sets. At least that's what it seems like. And Okoto... I wish they had different names than "Region of Whatever" but it does work to simplify things a lot rather than having to remember a completely different name.

I agree with both of your statements. I have Tahu at the top of my Wish List right now, and he isn't budging, either

 

As for regions, I expected as much. What surprised me is how it says that the majority of Protectors prefer the Region of Fire above the others... especially given how small a region it is.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

*drools uncontrollably*

 

New screenshots, places, masks and-

 

 

IT'S MNOG ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!

OMG IT'S 2001 MNOG-VIBES EVERYWHERE! Even the second pic of the carving depicting the Toa surrounding the Mask of Creation is very reminiscent of the carvings found on the great telescope.

 

Really nice site, love the Okoto section and how you can zoom into a high-res version of the pic. There's a lot of new content, like the profiles on the Protectors, Skull Spiders, weapons and masks and I am super thrilled about it. Huge update, awesome set up for BIONICLE.com! PLEASE BE 2015 ALREADY

 

-NotS

[Night Terror]

Tell me that figure greeting Tahu is Turaga Vakama. Elder of Fire for Summer 2015 anyone?

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I really like the pictures of the villages. They definitely have a '2001 Mata Nui' feel with a touch of a Metru Nui look mixed in with them. They all look great, though my favorites would be the Regions of Fire and Earth.

 

I do have to point out something though about the Water Tribe Villages. In their pictures, it appears that the Water Villages are underwater. I wonder if that is indeed the case, because it would be cool to have a 'Mahri Nui' type village in the story. 

[fishers64]

Now I see it. Interestingly enough, the building instructions for the Protectors and Toa appear to be released, in addition to rudimentary story details.

 

Although the Turaga guy in the picture hardly looks friendly...Tahu appears to be mid-explanation. "Well, you see I forgot that the village was this direction, so I had to improvise..."

[Jakura Nuva]

Something I noticed:

 

"The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps."

 

...

 

X-Ray vision? Wouldn't infrared/thermal vision make a lot more sense?

Edited November 27, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[Rooster Nui]

The most recent update to the site is just awesome and very big. I can't wait for more story information to roll out. 

 

By reading about the Skull Spiders in their character profile, you'll find that they have special abilities depending on their colors. EDIT: (Just as Jakura Nuva mentioned) That is just sweet.

 

It's also interesting that the Protectors pass their masks down through each generation.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Rooster Nui

[Toa Smoke Monster]

Something I noticed:

 

"The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps."

 

...

 

X-Ray vision? Wouldn't infrared make a lot more sense?

They must've learned how to use Whenua Metru's Mask of Night Vision.

 

But to answer your question, I guess it would make more sense for them to have infrared vision now that you mentioned it. But maybe there is a story reason for them having x-ray vision instead. 

[Iben]

I just noticed that the Region of Ice area shows the picture of the Protector of Water and Gali as the main figures in that area

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I just noticed that the Region of Ice area shows the picture of the Protector of Water and Gali as the main figures in that area

Well, if all the ice melted in that Region, I guess it probably would become another Region of Water, right?

Edited November 27, 2014 by Toa Smoke Monster

[Gatanui]

There is a talkback for the new article now.

[doodleloot]

 

Something I noticed:

 

"The green skull spiders have developed x-ray vision, which enables them to find prey even in total darkness. A fact that that gives Lewa the creeps."

 

...

 

X-Ray vision? Wouldn't infrared make a lot more sense?

They must've learned how to use Whenua Metru's Mask of Night Vision.

 

But to answer your question, I guess it would make more sense for them to have infrared vision now that you mentioned it. But maybe there is a story reason for them having x-ray vision instead. 

 

 

Or it could just be that kids are familiar with x-ray vision, while many probably don't know what infrared even means.

[Jakura Nuva]

@Doodeloot This occurred to me as well. Still, they could have just said something like "...heat-sensing vision" or even "night vision". Then again, as mentioned before, the x-ray vision could pertain to an important story element.

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

I wish they had a part of the site dedicated to the different types of skull spiders. The one on the characters page only links to light green

 

-NotS