Least Favorite Aspect of New Sets?

[Munty]

Makuta can be any shape they please. They don't have to have a team uniform.

 

You seem to be forgetting that Makuta DID have a team uniform. They all wore the same armour as Teridax back in the day. Then KArda Nui started messing with everyone, Makuta and Toa alike. Such is the storyline explanation of all that ugliness...

 

As for the gearboes. Lego is investing in Constraction as a whole by creating this new piece rather than limiting it's value solely to Bionicle by making a highly stylised torso such as the Mata had. It also gives us a highly adaptable piece that will hopefully last many years while adapting to function in different roles. In G1 we just had the Mata torso and then nothing so I think it's a welcome change personally!

[LegoSWfan]

I liked the Mata body and specialized parts. I'm a Bionicle g1er.

[Xan]

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

 

yellow stands out more, since most of their skeleton is black. (notice the inner gears are black.)

[Spiron the Eviscerator]

 

Not the biggest fan of the current gearbox build. Hopefully they design a dedicated torso by wave 2

 

That would completely ruin the point of designing a gearbox that works with any torso.

 

I mean a torso that takes the inclusion of the gearbox into account, and doesn't leave 2 ball joints just...there. 

[Aanchir]

 

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

 

yellow stands out more, since most of their skeleton is black. (notice the inner gears are black.)

 

 

Actually, Gali and the Lord of Skull Spiders both use yellow for the inner gears on their builds. I think the fact that the gears stand out is exactly what many people dislike about them, though personally I'm not bothered by it. After all, it's not as though the Medium Stone Grey gears and white cross axles on the backs of the Toa Metru didn't stand out. I actually think the yellow makes for a nice accent, just like it does on our good friend Hapori Tohu.

 

 

 

Not the biggest fan of the current gearbox build. Hopefully they design a dedicated torso by wave 2

 

That would completely ruin the point of designing a gearbox that works with any torso.

 

I mean a torso that takes the inclusion of the gearbox into account, and doesn't leave 2 ball joints just...there.

 

I'll admit, a 5x9 version of the torso beam (which currently only exists in 5x6, 7x9, 9x9, and 9x11 versions) could be interesting, especially for building non-humanoid creatures. Ideally you might still want to leave balls for the shoulders so that space isn't completely empty — narrowing them slightly should be more than enough to keep them from being obtrusive. Though personally, I don't even find the shoulder joints that obtrusive on the sets we have.

[Spiron the Eviscerator]

I admit I've never even touched a hero factory set since the very first, and one time messing with a toxic reapa, so I'm not too familiar with the system. I have no doubt that once in-hand, all my worries about the gearbox and torso will fade away, but for now I'm just a little skeptical.

[Munty]

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

 

This was my gripe too. I've since purchased the parts needed to avoid ALL the nasty yellow bits in the new sets and I was actually surprised at how few there are. I counted 26 parts in total, nearly all of which should be black (in my opinion anyway!) 12 of these parts are gears, I got one white one for Kopaka and the 3 for Gali I got in grey. The only parts I had trouble with were the half-sized spacers which should be black for the best result but will have to be grey instead as the black ones are about $10 each!!!

[dotcom]

 

 

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

 

yellow stands out more, since most of their skeleton is black. (notice the inner gears are black.)

 

 

Actually, Gali and the Lord of Skull Spiders both use yellow for the inner gears on their builds. I think the fact that the gears stand out is exactly what many people dislike about them, though personally I'm not bothered by it. After all, it's not as though the Medium Stone Grey gears and white cross axles on the backs of the Toa Metru didn't stand out. I actually think the yellow makes for a nice accent, just like it does on our good friend Hapori Tohu.

 

 

You've said the thing about the gray gears before, but I don't think it's really comparable. Gray, white, black, etc, are all neutral colors. Even if they stand out (and, being more subdued, dull colors (except for white), they generally don't) they don't really detract from a color scheme...plus the Metru were already plenty grey. Personally, I have no problem with the yellow bits in the new sets, for whatever reason, but, it being yellow, there's little arguing that they stand out in a completely different way from gray gears.

[Aanchir]

 

 

 

Yellow gears on the back. Why not just use black ones?

 

yellow stands out more, since most of their skeleton is black. (notice the inner gears are black.)

 

 

Actually, Gali and the Lord of Skull Spiders both use yellow for the inner gears on their builds. I think the fact that the gears stand out is exactly what many people dislike about them, though personally I'm not bothered by it. After all, it's not as though the Medium Stone Grey gears and white cross axles on the backs of the Toa Metru didn't stand out. I actually think the yellow makes for a nice accent, just like it does on our good friend Hapori Tohu.

 

You've said the thing about the gray gears before, but I don't think it's really comparable. Gray, white, black, etc, are all neutral colors. Even if they stand out (and, being more subdued, dull colors (except for white), they generally don't) they don't really detract from a color scheme...plus the Metru were already plenty grey. Personally, I have no problem with the yellow bits in the new sets, for whatever reason, but, it being yellow, there's little arguing that they stand out in a completely different way from gray gears.

 

I recognize that it's a different type of contrast. The neutral grey gears didn't really detract from the color schemes... but they didn't really add to them in any positive way either, and I think the yellow gears actually do (at least in the case of the three Toa sets I've gotten).

 

Same goes for the other yellow parts, possibly to an even greater extent in some cases. I really like the little bands of yellow on many of the Toa and Protectors' weapons, which I think add a decorative touch, kind of like if you were to tie a strip of colored cloth to the handle of an axe, bow, or spear.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Aanchir

[Munty]

Poo, I forgot to get replacement parts for the protectors I hope you're right Aanchir and they look good with them as I probably won't order anything else before I get the sets!!!

 

I have to agree with farmstink butllass (whut? XD) though and I almost commented myself on the difference between the grey and the yellow. The original mata gears were all in their shoulders anyway (and often the neck would be the same colour) so even though the larger gear stuck out from the back it still blended in (colour wise) to the rest of the shoulder region.

 

When they stopped having plain simple grey triggers a few years (?) in, they went to having red pieces right? Though off the top of my head Keetongu is literally the only eample I can think of. I always thought that was a poor choice as it could just have easily been made yellow to blend in with the rest of him. The tarakava actually had yellow 'triggers' in the very first year and while they were still contrasting I don't think they stood out quite so much as these new sets do. Probably because they were just tiny parts on a large model and spent most of their existence covered by your thumbs...

[Aanchir]

Poo, I forgot to get replacement parts for the protectors I hope you're right Aanchir and they look good with them as I probably won't order anything else before I get the sets!!!

 

I have to agree with farmstink butllass (whut? XD) though and I almost commented myself on the difference between the grey and the yellow. The original mata gears were all in their shoulders anyway (and often the neck would be the same colour) so even though the larger gear stuck out from the back it still blended in (colour wise) to the rest of the shoulder region.

 

When they stopped having plain simple grey triggers a few years (?) in, they went to having red pieces right? Though off the top of my head Keetongu is literally the only eample I can think of. I always thought that was a poor choice as it could just have easily been made yellow to blend in with the rest of him. The tarakava actually had yellow 'triggers' in the very first year and while they were still contrasting I don't think they stood out quite so much as these new sets do. Probably because they were just tiny parts on a large model and spent most of their existence covered by your thumbs...

The color of trigger/control pieces for action features generally depends on how much the designers want them to stand out and what color they need it to stand out from. Keetongu's red half-beams are a good example. I had entirely forgotten about those. Another example is the red firing button of the Cordak Blasters. But some even older examples of colored accents that correspond to an action feature are the yellow arrow tiles from Muaka and Kane-Ra, or the red half-beams on the Ussanui.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Aanchir

[Munty]

... or the red half-beams on the Ussanui.

 

I genuinely had to google that name, I never remember what that thing is called! Maybe I'll remember this time but it's doubtful... I had equally forgotten about the red parts on that set but they are a particularly good example. Isn't it strange that the later 'Battle Vehicle' sets brought back larger play features but didn't (if memory serves) bring back the coloured pointer bricks? Wonder what changed their mind. Off the top of my head there was the rockoh and aalara with 'unfolding' features which I don't think were coloured at all.

 

Also the arrow signs on the muaka and kane ra are an interesting point. Instead of existing to show you how to operate the feature (the role of most of these coloured parts) but rather highlight the point of vulnerability on the model. ie. where to bite it!

[LegoSWfan]

Please rip mask off here..

 

[IcarusBen]

 

 

I'm honestly not really a fan of the overall bulkiness of the new Toa. I always imagined Kopaka as a sort of wise and introverted type of Toa, not the "LiFtIn WeIgHtS eVeRyDaY BrOoOOoo" kind lol.

Kopaka's design doesn't look at all like that stereotype. He doesn't look muscular to me, he looks armored and bundled up, traits which I think really suit a cold character with a guarded, reserved personality. On some levels, it's an extension of the way he has always carried a shield. It's a way of showing how he keeps the rest of the world at a distance.

 

 

I see your point but it would still be pretty nice if he had a neck lol.

 

I always thought Onua and Gali were the wise ones, Pohatu and Lewa were the crazy ones, Tahu was the hot-headed one and Kopaka the lone wolf.

 

Of course, that brings up the problem of Onua's design not looking very "wise." I'm guessing that Gali's the sole voice of reason and Onua got swapped for the Brute. Or perhaps he's like Oleg from Saints Row: The Third, the Big-Brained Brute.

[Aanchir]

 

 

 

I'm honestly not really a fan of the overall bulkiness of the new Toa. I always imagined Kopaka as a sort of wise and introverted type of Toa, not the "LiFtIn WeIgHtS eVeRyDaY BrOoOOoo" kind lol.

Kopaka's design doesn't look at all like that stereotype. He doesn't look muscular to me, he looks armored and bundled up, traits which I think really suit a cold character with a guarded, reserved personality. On some levels, it's an extension of the way he has always carried a shield. It's a way of showing how he keeps the rest of the world at a distance.

 

 

I see your point but it would still be pretty nice if he had a neck lol.

 

I always thought Onua and Gali were the wise ones, Pohatu and Lewa were the crazy ones, Tahu was the hot-headed one and Kopaka the lone wolf.

 

Of course, that brings up the problem of Onua's design not looking very "wise." I'm guessing that Gali's the sole voice of reason and Onua got swapped for the Brute. Or perhaps he's like Oleg from Saints Row: The Third, the Big-Brained Brute.

 

According to Onua's character page, his persona is still "grounded and wise". Being huge and powerful doesn't reduce him to dumb muscle by any stretch of the imagination.

[bioniclepluslotr]

 

 

 

 

I'm honestly not really a fan of the overall bulkiness of the new Toa. I always imagined Kopaka as a sort of wise and introverted type of Toa, not the "LiFtIn WeIgHtS eVeRyDaY BrOoOOoo" kind lol.

Kopaka's design doesn't look at all like that stereotype. He doesn't look muscular to me, he looks armored and bundled up, traits which I think really suit a cold character with a guarded, reserved personality. On some levels, it's an extension of the way he has always carried a shield. It's a way of showing how he keeps the rest of the world at a distance.

 

 

I see your point but it would still be pretty nice if he had a neck lol.

 

I always thought Onua and Gali were the wise ones, Pohatu and Lewa were the crazy ones, Tahu was the hot-headed one and Kopaka the lone wolf.

 

Of course, that brings up the problem of Onua's design not looking very "wise." I'm guessing that Gali's the sole voice of reason and Onua got swapped for the Brute. Or perhaps he's like Oleg from Saints Row: The Third, the Big-Brained Brute.

 

According to Onua's character page, his persona is still "grounded and wise". Being huge and powerful doesn't reduce him to dumb muscle by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Isn't he also basically Bladvic?

[Tuuli]

From nonbackwards compatibility with the old masks, to the annoying amount of hero factory pieces (feet) and Onua looks rediculous but I guess we really need to buy the set first before judging it.

[bioniclepluslotr]

I never really liked building my HF or Chima constraction sets as much as my old Bionicles, so I'm not sure why I'm looking forward to in these new Bionicle cause they use the same parts.

[Blueblur21]

Ras, why the heck would there be backward compatibility? IT'S A REBOOT.

[LegoSWfan]

Fan loyalty.

[Rahkshi Lalonde]

Ras, why the heck would there be backward compatibility? IT'S A REBOOT.

 

plus, they switched to top-mounted helmets for five years, they wouldn't make something compatible for a head style last seen in 2010. (and then only twice)

 

 

Fan loyalty.

 

fans from 2008? in 2015? who aren't accustomed to the many changes in head style and connection point in the past?

[Blueblur21]

Screw fan loyalty. If you were a loyal fan you'd appreciate them bringing Bionicle back period instead of something like Space Police.

[Iblis]

Screw fan loyalty. If you were a loyal fan you'd appreciate them bringing Bionicle back period

100% agree with ya!  

 

instead of something like Space Police.

:o I, I liked Space Police 1 & 2...

Okay maybe I only liked about one-ish from #2, but still; they all worked well with Blacktron & Blacktron Future Generation, and M:Tron was awesome

and, and ...yeah I never got into SP3, & at the end of day we should be grateful that Bionicle came back.

 

Serious mode though, you can still use G1 pieces with G1 pieces with G2 pieces, so I don't really see the issue; do you want them to move forward or not? 'Cause as soon as they need to keep the heads this way they need to do X, Y, & Z.

 

Unless you have a counterpoint why heads are so great? ^{(¡Hahaha‽)}

:Honestly though I am interested in your reasons, they just don't seem apparent to me beyond I like X, which is fine to feel that way don't get me wrong

Edited December 12, 2014 by Iblis

[IcarusBen]

Plus, it's not like it 'might kill you to use the new heads. Plus, it looks less awkward to me. Should've done this a long time ago.

[LegoSWfan]

It would show Lego still loves it old bionicle fans, after all, TLM didn't give that vibe at all!

 

Wouldn't YOU want to give Tahu Nexus his old Hau for fun?

Edited December 12, 2014 by ToaSalvus

[dotcom]

It would show Lego still loves it old bionicle fans, after all, TLM didn't give that vibe at all!

 

Wouldn't YOU want to give Tahu Nexus his old Hau for fun?

...Pretty much everything they've done already shows that they care about the old fans? Like. Pretty much everything. The way masks connect (which is honestly way more mask-like now) isn't a big enough deal to say that it makes much difference either way in showing that they care about old fans.

[fishers64]

It would show Lego still loves it old bionicle fans, after all, TLM didn't give that vibe at all!

 

Wouldn't YOU want to give Tahu Nexus his old Hau for fun?

Can't I use Tahu's 2001 head to accomplish that feat? 

 

And the cameo in TLM could have been worse. At least they acknowledged Bionicle's existance, as opposed to pretending that it didn't exist. I think TLG still loves all of us. I mean, come on - they threw a big event at NYCC for us. They brought back gear functions, for us. They hosted an entire building competition on sites where we hang out, entirely for our benefit (do you think the average kid knows about Bionicle yet, enough to enter a building competition? Please.). They still like us, and dang it, it shows. 

[LegoSWfan]

I lost faith in Lego for a very long time, since 08. With bionicles downfall, its so called "replacement" Hero factory, several kiddy series (Chima, ninjago, space police) and sub par

Star wars sets. The only things i got from them were four star wars sets. This is their last chance, they'd better show me they can create a deep and thought provoking story, or my moneys going elsewhere. :/

[Lyichir]

I lost faith in Lego for a very long time, since 08. With bionicles downfall, its so called "replacement" Hero factory, several kiddy series (Chima, ninjago, space police) and sub par

Star wars sets. The only things i got from them were four star wars sets. This is their last chance, they'd better show me they can create a deep and thought provoking story, or my moneys going elsewhere. :/

Gotta say that with that attitude I'd be perfectly happy with your money going elsewhere. Ninjago, "kiddy"? Space Police, "kiddy"? I suppose they are... to the extent that LEGO ITSELF is and has always been "kiddy". We are talking about a brand of children's toy. And while the later end of Bionicle's story wrapped itself in grimdark pretensions to try to appeal to adolescents who felt they were "growing out of Lego," the theme, at its core, was not significantly more deep or mature than Ninjago (and significantly less deep and mature than The Lego Movie, but that's another discussion).

 

Bionicle divorcing itself from Lego proper was a result of the company's failure. The modern tendency of themes to embrace play, and fun, and all the other trappings of childhood, are a glorious sign of the company's resurgence. It's a more honest, sincere approach, and I hope the new Bionicle follows that same path by never getting so full of itself that it forgets its roots.

[believe victims]

Screw fan loyalty. If you were a loyal fan you'd appreciate them bringing Bionicle back period instead of something like Space Police.

 

careful there; you might upset a true Scotsman, which I hear is a rare thing

[IcarusBen]

 Gotta say that with that attitude I'd be perfectly happy with your money going elsewhere. Ninjago, "kiddy"? Space Police, "kiddy"? I suppose they are... to the extent that LEGO ITSELF is and has always been "kiddy". We are talking about a brand of children's toy. And while the later end of Bionicle's story wrapped itself in grimdark pretensions to try to appeal to adolescents who felt they were "growing out of Lego," the theme, at its core, was not significantly more deep or mature than Ninjago (and significantly less deep and mature than The Lego Movie, but that's another discussion).

Yeah, I've got to agree with you here. Just because the last year of BIONICLE was "dark" and "grim" doesn't mean the first year of Gen2 should be.

 

There should be one dark year of Bionicle, just to see if it works in Gen2, but if it doesn't, then they should go back to kiddy. TLM was kiddy, and that movie was great, with enough kiddy stuff for the kids and enough symbolism and nostalgia for adults.

[LegoSWfan]

You seriously think that TLM was more mature than Bionicle?

 

I hope g2 is more like 06-08.

[believe victims]

I hope g2 is more like 06-08.

 

Those are the worst possible years to base Bionicle G2 on.

 

Fortunately, there's already one way Bionicle G2 has excelled beyond anything those years could dream of: the characters actually look like the characters.

 

It's pretty clear Bionicle G2 is first and foremost taking its cues from 2001. Six heroes crash on a mystical island with elemental regions and a force of evil is rising that they must stop. There are no pseudo-technological babblings here, or cramped character portfolios, or grimdark OW the EDGE islands of doom and destruction and deadliness. Just six heroes with magical masks defending an island from a rising evil.

[LegoSWfan]

I LIKED the dark and serious tones. >

[IcarusBen]

You seriously think that TLM was more mature than Bionicle?

 

I hope g2 is more like 06-08.

More like '06? MORE LIKE '06? MORE LIKE '06?

 

The most hated year of Bionicle? '06? Don't you say that word again! '06... Good grief. 

 

As for TLM, Bionicle had imitation maturity. '06-'08 tried to be mature, but a combination of things resulted in it coming off as unnecessarily gritty.

 

The Lego Movie had actual maturity. True morals, a very deep symbolism, good themes... It was infinitely more mature that those years. 

[LegoSWfan]

06.

 

TLM had a bunch of one shot jokes, product placement, annoying characters and its so called symbolism (how is running around tearing stuff apart for your own ends "symbolic"?).

 

But we are getting off topic. I sugest we make a new thread for this conversation.

[dotcom]

 

You seriously think that TLM was more mature than Bionicle?

 

I hope g2 is more like 06-08.

More like '06? MORE LIKE '06? MORE LIKE '06?

 

The most hated year of Bionicle? '06? Don't you say that word again! '06... Good grief. 

 

As for TLM, Bionicle had imitation maturity. '06-'08 tried to be mature, but a combination of things resulted in it coming off as unnecessarily gritty.

 

The Lego Movie had actual maturity. True morals, a very deep symbolism, good themes... It was infinitely more mature that those years. 

 

That seems to be stretching it a bit. The most hated year of Bionicle? Like. For the fandom? All of them? Or even most of them? Really? Jeez

I know there are a lot of people around here who tend to have a more dismissive or negative opinions of the period that started in 2006, and who criticize the pseudo-darker tone it took starting in 2006. I am one of them, sometimes! But this attitude right here is on a bit of a ridiculous extreme.  If anything, 2006 was one of the better liked years of the story, at least for that period--certainly later years get a far worse rap. Especially the last couple.

 

I don't disagree that the Lego Movie had, for what it was, more value to it. However, the two things--the movie, and the Bionicle theme--aren't really comparable in a meaningful fashion.

[Nescent]

You seriously think that TLM was more mature than Bionicle?

 

I hope g2 is more like 06-08.

More like '06? MORE LIKE '06? MORE LIKE '06?

 

The most hated year of Bionicle? '06? Don't you say that word again! '06... Good grief. 

 

As for TLM, Bionicle had imitation maturity. '06-'08 tried to be mature, but a combination of things resulted in it coming off as unnecessarily gritty.

 

The Lego Movie had actual maturity. True morals, a very deep symbolism, good themes... It was infinitely more mature that those years. 

If anything, 2006 was one of the better liked years of the story, at least for that period--certainly later years get a far worse rap. Especially the last couple.

 

But wasn't 2006 the only year to have a rap?  

 

I liked the dark vibe from 2006, and pretty much all of the sets. The titans alone were enough to make it a fantastic year for sets, in my opinion.

[Aanchir]

TLM had a bunch of one shot jokes, product placement, annoying characters and its so called symbolism (how is running around tearing stuff apart for your own ends "symbolic"?).

The LEGO Movie told a story on multiple levels. On one level, the movie's message was about politics. On another level, it was about commercialism. On another level, it was about family. On another level, it was about faith. On another level, it was about culture. And on yet another level, it was about creative expression. If you were unable to understand the events of The LEGO Movie at anything deeper than face value, then I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't the MOVIE that lacked maturity.

 

These aspects of the LEGO Movie are the measure of real maturity — conveying deep, poignant meaning on multiple levels, whether directly or through symbolism. Making a story darker and grittier and filling it with death and despair doesn't give it maturity, let alone sophistication or literary value. It gives it pretensions of maturity, and as such appeals chiefly to people with such pretensions. It should surprise nobody that The LEGO Movie has already won or been nominated for more awards than all the BIONICLE comics, books, and movies put together.

 

I do not entirely expect the new BIONICLE to reach this level of sophistication right off the bat, of course. Hopefully, with time, it will be able to earn critical acclaim of its own. But it won't do that just by pandering to kids' preteen desperation to seem "grown-up". It doesn't take maturity to watch the new videos and exclaim "Eww, it feels like a cartoon". In fact, that kind of knee-jerk reaction often suggests exactly the opposite.