Why Are Hf Colours Different To Bionicle?

[DeLaSouth]

As in Metru Red & Purple.they're different.Why?

[Gatanui]

As far as dark red is concerned, my guess is they changed the plastic at some point. Purple is an entirely different colour, though, the old purple used for BIONICLE in 2001 has long been discontinued.-Gata

[Paleo]

Adding to what Gata said, I recall a discussion where it was said that purple was discontinued for being too brittle, and that they new purple was sturdier. Also, advances in the design and chemical make-up of the plastic might adversely affect the color.

[Aanchir]

The dark red in Hero Factory, as far as I know, is the same as was used in BIONICLE. It may have been slightly reformatted, but the "target color" should be the same. Dark red, along with other bold reddish colors like reddish brown and bright reddish violet, has been known for having occasional inconsistencies for many years.The purple in Hero Factory is called Medium Lilac and was introduced around 2003-2004, and featured in both versions of the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter theme as well as both versions of Danju from the Knights' Kingdom. The purple color used in BIONICLE, Bright Violet, was discontinued after 2003.EDIT: Paleo, as far as I know the problem with the old purple wasn't that it was brittle, but rather that it was too difficult to match the "target color" (i.e. a lot of parts in it would be inconsistent and so would not make it through quality control).

Edited April 19, 2012 by Aanchir: Rachira of Time

[Akuna Toa of Sonics]

I'm pretty sure dark red is the same, and purple may be the same shade as the post-Mata Nui saga shade.

[The Swimming Beard]

Something I have been wondering is, why are Hero Factory parts so much shinier than Bionicle parts?

[Bfahome]

Something I have been wondering is, why are Hero Factory parts so much shinier than Bionicle parts?

A lot of parts, like for instance Visorak feet and shells (I have one right on my shelf here so that's the comparison I'm using), seem to be made of slightly softer plastic, since they don't really need a lot of structural integrity to them. Socket joints and other such things, however, need to be rigid enough not to warp. Hero Factory doesn't seem to be using as many of the "softer" pieces, probably because the armor connects via sockets now, so overall the sets look shinier.There's also the fact that some pieces look the slightest bit translucent, so they don't have the shine that other parts do.ALSO Hero Factory shells don't have as many little knob and piston and rivet details molded into them, and the smooth surface gives it a more mirror-like appearance.

[Aanchir]

Something I have been wondering is, why are Hero Factory parts so much shinier than Bionicle parts?

The shininess of a part sometimes just has to do with its design: there's a quality called "surface finish" that affects whether parts have a rougher and more matte appearance or a smoother, shinier appearance. Many Hero Factory parts just happen to have been designed for a smoother, shinier look. Surface finish is discussed in one of the LEGO Cars videos from last year, in which the designers are rapid-prototyping a part. A good example of surface finish can be seen in the Hero Factory 2.0/3.0 head piece. The eyes and the sides of the lower jaw are very smooth and shiny, but the chin, upper jaw, and area around the eyes are all a rougher texture. Another example is slope pieces from LEGO system, which likewise have a very rough surface finish on the angled portion but a smoother surface finish on the other sides. The surface finish of most BIONICLE parts is subtler than the rough portion of most of these examples, but these are just to demonstrate how the surface finish (and thus, shininess) can be different even when working with a single type of plastic. A subtler example is the Glatorian head, on which the eye, nose, and mouth cavities are smooth but other parts of the face are slightly rougher.The smoothness and shininess of Hero Factory parts is one reason I really feel the aesthetic is different from BIONICLE, and perhaps more consistent with System. Of course, this has to do not only with the surface finish but also with other aspects of the part design: Hero Factory parts often have large, flat surfaces while BIONICLE parts would often have a more detailed, framework-like look with lots of details like pistons and joints.

[The Swimming Beard]

Something I have been wondering is, why are Hero Factory parts so much shinier than Bionicle parts?

The shininess of a part sometimes just has to do with its design: there's a quality called "surface finish" that affects whether parts have a rougher and more matte appearance or a smoother, shinier appearance. Many Hero Factory parts just happen to have been designed for a smoother, shinier look. Surface finish is discussed in one of the LEGO Cars videos from last year, in which the designers are rapid-prototyping a part.A good example of surface finish can be seen in the Hero Factory 2.0/3.0 head piece. The eyes and the sides of the lower jaw are very smooth and shiny, but the chin, upper jaw, and area around the eyes are all a rougher texture. Another example is slope pieces from LEGO system, which likewise have a very rough surface finish on the angled portion but a smoother surface finish on the other sides. The surface finish of most BIONICLE parts is subtler than the rough portion of most of these examples, but these are just to demonstrate how the surface finish (and thus, shininess) can be different even when working with a single type of plastic. A subtler example is the Glatorian head, on which the eye, nose, and mouth cavities are smooth but other parts of the face are slightly rougher.The smoothness and shininess of Hero Factory parts is one reason I really feel the aesthetic is different from BIONICLE, and perhaps more consistent with System. Of course, this has to do not only with the surface finish but also with other aspects of the part design: Hero Factory parts often have large, flat surfaces while BIONICLE parts would often have a more detailed, framework-like look with lots of details like pistons and joints.

Now that I compare the parts, you are right, there is not much of a difference betwwen Hero Factory parts and the smooth sections of Bionicle parts.