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Worst Bionicle Blaster ever?


Umarakthefan

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I personally loved the cordak blaster, when it worked at least. There were some odd times when the bolt got stuck in the barrell, but since it was rapid fire, you'd just keep firing until they all got released.

 

Squid launchers were a bit disappointing, especially because I was always scared that the next time I use it would be when the squid would break, and then you'd have to replace it (I got the ammo pack to be safe too)

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For me it was the Nynrah Ghost Blaster. Say what you want about the Squid Launcher and Cordak Blaster but the NGB was big and clunky, very unreliable (it either fired a very short distance or not at all), it was single-shot and the projectiles were so big they just flopped on the floor.

 

At least the Squid Launcher had an incredibly high range and the Cordak Blaster had good velocity and was multi-shot.

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Gonna rank 'em all from "worst" to "least abysmal." I'm excluding things like the Krana-launching function on the Bohrok, which weren't technically projectiles, and system missile launchers, which weren't explicitly Bionicle.

1. Squid launcher. Didn't even work most of the time. Sorriest crossbow I've ever seen.

2. Cordak blaster. Worked half the time, the other half...uh...no.

3. Rhotuka spinner. It was functional, but it was annoying when you tried to aim it straight forward and the spinner just fell out. Projectiles don't exactly do much if you can't, you know, aim them.

4. Zamor sphere launcher. Precision and range were definitely on-point, but again, without any extra parts, the ammo fell out. The amount of pressure needed to fire it was also a bit high, since it made the experience of using it a little tense, as if the launcher would break after extensive use.

5. Nynrah Ghost blaster. It worked well enough, but it was a little clunky and would fail to fire every now and then.

6. Kanoka disk launcher. Aimed well, held its ammo well, but the range wasn't too great. Still, it was pretty good.

7. Thornax launcher. Literally its only con is that it can't hold more than one shot at once. Its backwards compatibility with older projectiles is also a nice touch.

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I'd go with the Inika-style Zamor sphere launcher. Way too bulky with a lack of ergonomic design, and ammo was always falling out. I honestly preferred the Midak Sky blaster over both versions of the sphere launcher, as it fired the same kind of projectiles and was designed in a way that prevented ammo from falling out.

 

Cordak blaster was always one of my favorites, even if it wasn't particularly reliable. Same goes for the Nynrah Ghost blaster.

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I'd go with the Inika-style Zamor sphere launcher. Way too bulky with a lack of ergonomic design, and ammo was always falling out. I honestly preferred the Midak Sky blaster over both versions of the sphere launcher, as it fired the same kind of projectiles and was designed in a way that prevented ammo from falling out.

 

Cordak blaster was always one of my favorites, even if it wasn't particularly reliable. Same goes for the Nynrah Ghost blaster.

Those two are my favourite too!  Cordak Blaster was like a minigun and the ghost blaster was special because of the tube that you need to press

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The one I dislike the most is the Vahki-style kanoka launcher. The ones that came with the Matoran, as well as Vakama's special launcher were both great, but the ones in the Vahki heads were flimsy and when squeezed for shooting, more often than working the disk just sort of tilted upwards awkwardly.

 

 

I'm a huge fan of the squid launcher myself, though granted, the released version isn't as good looking as the prototype was.

 

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The one I dislike the most is the Vahki-style kanoka launcher. The ones that came with the Matoran, as well as Vakama's special launcher were both great, but the ones in the Vahki heads were flimsy and when squeezed for shooting, more often than working the disk just sort of tilted upwards awkwardly.

 

 

I'm a huge fan of the squid launcher myself, though granted, the released version isn't as good looking as the prototype was.

 

:kakama:

I agree with you on both statements.

The Vahki launcher was terrible and the prototype Squid launcher looks better.

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i'd have to agree with the squid launcher, ugh

that said, who thought it was a good idea to use the smallest lego pieces as ammo? sure the Gen2 launchers have great design and function, but those studs are the easiest dang pieces to lose :<

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I would say the Squid Launchers and the Cordak Blasters for reasons: 

I tried to use a Squid Launcher to shoot a Sea Squid, but it doesn't shoot the Squid well.

I also tried a Cordak Blaster, but when I press the button, it doesn't shoot a Cordak missile. So, I have to loosen the missiles in the Blaster by making them stick like a half of each out of a Blaster, so I can shoot them. I think it's the air that the Blaster needed to shoot. 

These blasters are just silly for how you try to use them to shoot.

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People actually liked the G2 launchers?  I was not a fan.  I mean, sure, they worked.  But have you ever tried finding a single stud that you've blasted half way across the room?  Literally impossible.  At least when my squids misfired, my Zamor fell out, and my Rhotuka blasted away, I could still find them afterwards.

 

That being said, I didn't really like the added burden of the ripcord for the Rhotuka.  Like, I understand the importance from a functional aspect, but they really just got in the way.

 

And why not just call them Zamor instead of Midak?  Such an unnecessary complication.

 

 

Sorry, this awakened some latent projectile-related rage within me.

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In terms of functionality, the Squid Launchers barely worked and the Squids never could stay loaded on the launcher so you ended up having to put them on those clips which also never worked.

 

But, to not beat a dead horse, I'd have to throw one in against the Stud Launcher too. The projectiles are way too small and the trigger (on my one set I own) is really sensitive. Sure, you can just remove the studs but then it looks really awkward.

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Not really being a fan of the launchers in general, I dunno that I have much to offer the discussion; I usually found that they made the sets look awkward, so I tended to take them off and have the characters rely solely on their unique weapons. Still, I grant that some of them were fun to play around with, so...

 

I have to say I probably disliked the Nyrah ghost blasters more than any of the others. Functionally they worked, granted, but they just seemed so... bland, comparatively speaking? I didn't find anything aesthetically pleasing about them at all, they were just there. And, unlike some of the others, I didn't even get any satisfaction out of firing them. Something like a zamor launcher, midak skyblaster, or even cordak blaster, I could have some fun with shooting; but the ghost blaster just didn't do anything for me.

 

Favourite, though, for me would probably end up being the thornax launcher. It was one of the best, functionally; and it was scaled to work with a canister-sized figure, so it lacked the 'laughably oversized for the character' aspect that some of the others suffered from.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My personal top where the first is the worst and the last the best:

 

1) Squid Launcher: It works with a certain method, not really manageble;

2) Cordak Blaster: It works, but a good amount of time the missiles get stuck;

3) Nynrah Ghost Blaster: While it is really big, it works with some strength (Keahi doesn't have problems);

4) Vahki Launcher: Well... Kinda works;

5) Disk Launcher: Better than the one above;

6) Tohunga Disk Launcher: Better than the two above;

7) Rhotuka Spinner: They work... I think that they work too good... Rip little Rhotuka on the shelf;

8) Thornax Launcher: When it shoots, is really strong;

9) Zamor Launcher: We can all say that with something that covers the top, this blaster is one of the best;

10) Midak Skyblaster: And we can all agree on this to be one of the best launcher. Is like the fusion between the Zamor Launcher (same projectiles) and the Cordak Blaster (spring function).

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My appraisal for the major BIONICLE projectiles:

 

Disk Launcher - Great. Function generally works, plus high collectibility with the different kinds of disks. Not as collectible as the Kanohi or Krana, but a fair tradeoff with them being launchable, and definitely better than the multitude of Kraata. I also appreciate the variations that Vakama and the Vahki had, even if they weren't as good, it's still nice to see some diversity.

 

Rhotuka Launcher - Pretty good. The function worked almost every time for me (except when my poor Rhotuka got stuck on the roof forever ;.;) and I appreciated the unique ways the rip cord could be incorporated into the build, most notably with Roodaka. The BZP review of the Rahaga says it looks like they have "overstuffed backpacks" with their rip cords in, and I thought that was adorable. The Rhotuka lose points for being mostly silver. At least the Rahaga had special colors. I understand why the Toa Hordika/Visorak have plain silver, because in larger sets the weapon isn't the focus, the build and Technic functions are, but I have a bag full of just 24 silver Rhotuka.

 

Zamor Launcher - The best launcher BIONICLE had or ever will have. Buildable, easy to use, always works, plus the story feature of different colored Zamor having different powers. The only real downsides are that the Zamor fall out so easily, and just different colored balls aren't too much fun to collect, but it's better than the barrage of silver Rhotuka.

 

Squid Launcher - Worst BIONICLE launcher; we all know why. All I'll give it props for it looking cool and being interesting as a story feature. And I think it's neat how all the Barraki and others stored squids on their bodies, but that doesn't have to do with the launcher itself.

 

Cordak Blaster - Pretty good as a weapon, terrible collectible. The function works pretty well and is fun to use, but its size and weight are awkward on most canister sets, and the bright red is a poor color choice on most sets.

 

Midak Skyblaster - On par with the Cordak Blaster generally with a few noticeable upgrades. Like the Cordak, it's cumbersomely bulky yet works well, but the color looks good with virtually any other color scheme, and it's a little more customizable, as seen on Pohatu and Kopaka Phantoka.

 

Tridax Pod - Very creative and well-thought-out as a function, but awkwardly executed. The color only really meshes well on Antroz and Icarax, and the body piece is only useful with the function or, as seen on Krika, with an equally-specialized part.

 

Nynrah Ghost Blaster - Opposite of the Tridax Pod. Inoffensive yet forgettable. Like the Zamor, it's buildable, which I love, but unlike the Zamor, the parts are generally useless on their own (although I did once see the pump component used in an excellent recreation of the Ga-Koro pump machine from MNOG). I don't know why they bothered with different colors for the Makuta and Toa; it was neither visually interesting nor that story-relevant.

 

Thornax Launcher - I like it. Buildable, the pieces were small enough to be useful in MOCs, and it worked well. Points added for being able to fire Zamors just as well.

 

So, here's my final best-to-worst list:

 

Zamor

Kanoka/Rhotuka

Thornax

Cordak

Midak

Tridax

Nynrah

Running away

Giving up

Chucking handfuls of dirt

Literally anything else

Squid

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Rhotuka Launcher - Pretty good. The function worked almost every time for me (except when my poor Rhotuka got stuck on the roof forever ;. ;) and I appreciated the unique ways the rip cord could be incorporated into the build, most notably with Roodaka. The BZP review of the Rahaga says it looks like they have "overstuffed backpacks" with their rip cords in, and I thought that was adorable. The Rhotuka lose points for being mostly silver. At least the Rahaga had special colors. I understand why the Toa Hordika/Visorak have plain silver, because in larger sets the weapon isn't the focus, the build and Technic functions are, but I have a bag full of just 24 silver Rhotuka.

Wait, yes. Rhotukas were just silver in the Toa Hordika, Visorak, Sidorak, Roodaka, Gaaki and Bomonga.

Keetongu, Pouks, Norik (and Toa Norik), Iruini (and Toa Iruini) and Kualus have colored one.

But then there were Rhotuka Packs with more colors (orange melded with silver, metru blue...)

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Rhotuka Launcher - Pretty good. The function worked almost every time for me (except when my poor Rhotuka got stuck on the roof forever ;. ;) and I appreciated the unique ways the rip cord could be incorporated into the build, most notably with Roodaka. The BZP review of the Rahaga says it looks like they have "overstuffed backpacks" with their rip cords in, and I thought that was adorable. The Rhotuka lose points for being mostly silver. At least the Rahaga had special colors. I understand why the Toa Hordika/Visorak have plain silver, because in larger sets the weapon isn't the focus, the build and Technic functions are, but I have a bag full of just 24 silver Rhotuka.

Wait, yes. Rhotukas were just silver in the Toa Hordika, Visorak, Sidorak, Roodaka, Gaaki and Bomonga.

Keetongu, Pouks, Norik (and Toa Norik), Iruini (and Toa Iruini) and Kualus have colored one.

But then there were Rhotuka Packs with more colors (orange melded with silver, metru blue...)

True, but those blended Rhotuka were never seen in the story, so they barely left an impression.

 

Also, fun fact, some versions of Bomonga included a dark gray spinner. I use to have one.

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It's the squid launcher. No argument.

I liked the Squid Launcher

As did I, but did you ever accually hit anything with it?

 

Yes. In fact with the right technique it is quite accurate.

 

I remember as a 7 year old lining up all my Matoran and then blasting them with squids from a distance of maybe 4 feet :D

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It's the squid launcher. No argument.

I liked the Squid Launcher
As did I, but did you ever accually hit anything with it?

Yes. In fact with the right technique it is quite accurate.

 

I remember as a 7 year old lining up all my Matoran and then blasting them with squids from a distance of maybe 4 feet :D

Good for you, mine always got stuck at the launcher.

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  • 2 weeks later...

In terms of looks I would say the Thornax launcher was the worst, being just two rods holding a spiky ball.

 

In terms of functionality I would say the squid launcher was the worst, as more often than not my squids would just get their head stuck in the "barrel" or their tails would rip after only a few uses.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Not really being a fan of the launchers in general, I dunno that I have much to offer the discussion; I usually found that they made the sets look awkward, so I tended to take them off and have the characters rely solely on their unique weapons. Still, I grant that some of them were fun to play around with, so...

 

I felt the same most of the time. Especially as they got bulkier and heavier, which made them really get in the way of posing. Vakama's disc launcher is probably my favorite just because it's unique and relatively easy to hold a pose with. The squid launchers are easily the worst (even just the concept is...weird) but it's hard to pick a second worst because they all had some kind of issue. Rhotuka spinner ripcords looked terrible, the Inika's zamor launchers were always losing their ammo, cordak and nynrah ghost blasters were unreliable, skyblasters weighed a ton. 

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The Squid Launcher, in terms of actually firing things, was easily the worst. It didn't really work that well, did it? 

 

In terms of looks, though, it's probably got to be the Nynrah Ghost Blasters for looking so awkward compared to pretty much literally any other blaster On the other end, I've always preferred the Midak Skyblaster for firing zamors  - even if it's absurdly large compared to all the others.

 

But overall, my favourite launcher has to be the Thornax Launcher, a launcher that actually stuck around for a few years and could fire both thornax and zamors, and even got an updated newer variant in Hero Factory. 

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The Squid Launcher, in terms of actually firing things, was easily the worst. It didn't really work that well, did it? 

 

In terms of looks, though, it's probably got to be the Nynrah Ghost Blasters for looking so awkward compared to pretty much literally any other blaster On the other end, I've always preferred the Midak Skyblaster for firing zamors  - even if it's absurdly large compared to all the others.

 

But overall, my favourite launcher has to be the Thornax Launcher, a launcher that actually stuck around for a few years and could fire both thornax and zamors, and even got an updated newer variant in Hero Factory. 

This...when the Breakout series was launched it finally gave a great piece that could be used to make characters with arm cannons such Samus Aran from Metroid (nintendo game series)

 

4652055.jpg

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The Squid Launcher, in terms of actually firing things, was easily the worst. It didn't really work that well, did it? 

 

In terms of looks, though, it's probably got to be the Nynrah Ghost Blasters for looking so awkward compared to pretty much literally any other blaster On the other end, I've always preferred the Midak Skyblaster for firing zamors  - even if it's absurdly large compared to all the others.

 

But overall, my favourite launcher has to be the Thornax Launcher, a launcher that actually stuck around for a few years and could fire both thornax and zamors, and even got an updated newer variant in Hero Factory. 

This...when the Breakout series was launched it finally gave a great piece that could be used to make characters with arm cannons such Samus Aran from Metroid (nintendo game series)

 

4652055.jpg

 

That certainly was a nice edition to the sets, I'll give them credit for that!

 

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Functionally, the squids were the worst, but the Ghost blasters were also pretty awful in my experience. Between the two of them, at least the squids actually looked cool.

 

In terms of functionality, the thornax / zamor launchers from 2009 onward were pretty good, but I have a soft spot for the Kanoka discs and their collectability.

 

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What were they thinking with the squid launchers...

 

I mean, I really want to know how that design meeting went.

 

Designer 1: I made a new launcher.

Designer 2: What does it shoot?

Designer 1: Squids.

Designer 2: How does it work?

Designer 1: ** Puts rubber squid in launcher, pulls back, lets go. Squid head gets stuck. Squid goes nowhere. Designer tries again five more times. Squid flops onto the floor. **

Designer 2: It's perfect. Ship it.

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