Me and the CCBS

[Logan McOwen]

When the CCBS was first introduced in 2011, I didn't really MOC with it on its own very often. I usually integrated what little CCBS I had with standard Bionicle parts. At that time, I also built much more complex models using the G1 parts and Technic. But, as my CCBS collection grew, I decided to keep my CCBS and G1 parts separate, which led me to start MOCing with the systems separately.

I really love building with the CCBS, and back then it was nice to take a break from Technic and over-abundant greebles and just build simpler things - like a holiday for the imagination. But, as time went on, I found myself MOCing with G1 parts less and less... To the point where I haven't so much as touched my G1 parts collection for any other purpose than to scavenge for weapons or masks for CCBS MOCs. When the Bionicle reboot hype really got going, I started integrating gearboxes into my CCBS MOCs, adding functionality and more longevity into the building process.

So now, I don't really MOC to make things as custom as I can, like I used to, but rather just to make things which are fun to build, nice looking and poseable, without stressing myself out. Before now, I'd spend weeks perfecting a design, getting annoyed with myself when something I'd spent hours on didn't look right. That was sometimes really stressful.

But now that I MOC with the CCBS, the creative process is actually therapeutic more than anything. Snapping the bones together, slapping on the armour shells and addons, swapping out different colours, spending some time perfecting a characters mechanism/s... It's just nice to spend an hour or less putting somebody/thing together.

Yes, CCBS MOCs can be somewhat samey, but I'm working on that. Things like gearboxes and other mechanisms are one of the many steps I am taking to ensure that. But again, I'm not building to blow people away with my technical prowess - rather, I'm just building for my enjoyment and relaxation. I don't want to be doing the same thing every time though, which is why I am beginning to experiment with new things.

Is anybody here of the same mindset? Or am I just weird?

[Shakar]

Yeah, same feeling. I did like building with G1 parts, but MOCs would never manage to properly capture what I had in mind (colours, proportions, size, etc..). I was almost never fully satisfied, to the point that, around 2010-2011, I definitely gave up and settled down on limiting myself to "Toa-mods". They looked nice but they certainly weren't the pinnacle of creativity or engineering.

With the CCBS it's just another matter entirely. Putting into plastic what I have in mind is immensely easier for me. I can adjust the size and the proportions of the MOC however I want, and colours that used to be rare or non-existent (purple, gold, azure/teal, yellow, orange, etc.. and the impressive plethora of transparent shades we've been getting) are now fairly common. I MOC and mod my sets much more often, and the results are much cleaner and well-executed, and overall far more satisfying for me.

[DraikNova]

Same thing here. You can make complex models with the CCBS if you want to or you can make a simple MOC, but either way it's easy as can be. And no matter what, the result tends to look a lot more visually pleasing and less disjointed than those built with the older system. In my book, Queen Beast, which uses six parts for the frame, is a million times as good as Kardas, which uses over a hundred. A scorpion build took me twenty minutes with the CCBS; with the old technic-esque system, I wouldn't have known where to start. This sort of thing is of why I dislike the increased use of Technic systems in the new Bionicle sets.

Edited February 5, 2015 by DraikNova

[Logan McOwen]

Yeah, same feeling. I did like building with G1 parts, but MOCs would never manage to properly capture what I had in mind (colours, proportions, size, etc..). I was almost never fully satisfied, to the point that, around 2010-2011, I definitely gave up and settled down on limiting myself to "Toa-mods". They looked nice but they certainly weren't the pinnacle of creativity or engineering.

With the CCBS it's just another matter entirely. Putting into plastic what I have in mind is immensely easier for me. I can adjust the size and the proportions of the MOC however I want, and colours that used to be rare or non-existent (purple, gold, azure/teal, yellow, orange, etc.. and the impressive plethora of transparent shades we've been getting) are now fairly common. I MOC and mod my sets much more often, and the results are much cleaner and well-executed, and overall far more satisfying for me.

Some would argue that humanoid CCBS MOCs are essentially "Toa-mods", which is honestly rather silly. But anyway, we're definitely in the same boat. With what the CCBS has provided in only 4/5 years, I'm able to build so much more that I've wanted to than the 11 years previous to it. It's a fabulous System, and it's made things a lot more enjoyable.

Same thing here. You can make complex models with the CCBS if you want to or you can make a simple MOC, but either way it's easy as can be. And no matter what, the result tends to look a lot more visually pleasing and less disjointed than those built with the older system. In my book, Queen Beast, which uses six parts for the frame, is a million times as good as Kardas, which uses over a hundred. A scorpion build took me twenty minutes with the CCBS; with the old technic-esque system, I wouldn't have known where to start. This sort of thing is of why I dislike the increased use of Technic systems in the new Bionicle sets.

Exactly. I think a lot of people who criticise the CCBS just have their Nostalgia Goggles™ on and tightened to the last notch on the strap. You don't have to have 1,000,001 Technic pieces in a MOC's structure to make it look good. Just have fun!

Edited February 5, 2015 by LewiMOC

[Iben]

I personally try to combine G1 and CCBS as much as possible, simply because it forces me to think outside the box. I like to challenge myself and I personally love to come up with unique designs to incorporate a G1 piece in a more CCBS typed moc and vice versa, or simply going for something more in the middle. Although I have to agree that it sometimes frustrates me a bit, the end product always pleases me more than using only CCBS.

The increased amount of Technic in the new sets doesn't bother me that much, because it's all relatively simple but still gives you some challenges. Although I really love the relatively "easy" way of building that CCBS provides, I simply love the more complex building that a combination of both provides more. Not that I think you need Technic to make complex models, but I just like the extra complexity it can give.

The only thing I really prefer in G1 over CCBS is the coloured "bone" pieces G1 had. The long connector pieces were available in many different colours, and I certainly miss that in CCBS. I believe that the colours of the bones are as important to the overall colour scheme as the armour is, and at this point I'd really like to see more colours. At least some white bones.

-Iben

[WARHEAD]

Limiting yourself to any single given system is bad, in my opinion. It's all Lego in the end and if the shapes and colors work together go for it!

I say this as someone who actually used to build solely in CCBS, back hen it came out in 2011. HF 2.0 is completely responsible for me regaining the interest into Lego. I was instantly hooked by the combination of clean aesthetics and nigh absolute versatilty.

That said I later discovered techniques that link it to both System, Technic and the specialized Bionicle parts. I find that striking a balance between these yields the most interesting looking results.

Also it's darn satisfying seeing everything for a cohesive whole no matter where the parts came from :v

[CabooseBM]

I was fully embracing the CCBS all the way back when it was first leaked, it really reignited my interest in Constraction and building. I remember back when people used to say you couldn't build titans with the system. I took it as a challenge and ended up rebuilding Fire Lord, a then massive effort who even now is one of my favorite builds, even if he never got published!

(Which, unrelatedly, is why Fire Lord is my favorite Constraction titan.)

[Voxovan]

I build my first CCBS MOC back in 2011 and I have to say it's a pretty neat system. It provides a lot of very useful pieces, which allow me to make things I wasn't able to build using only Bionicle system (especially the friction extenders and the shortest bones are extremely useful). But I think that connecting those two system allows to make even GREATER things. Since 2011, when CCBS was introduced, I've made a lot of MOCs using both systems and that's when CCBS shines in my opinion - when used together with the classic Bionicle pieces. I still kinda prefer the old system and use more parts from it rather than the CCBS, but I respect the new system for its versatility, durability and providing A LOT of very useful pieces.

[ZORK64]

To be frank, I've never been over-the-top creative when it comes to MOCing, as I very often relied on concepts present in official LEGO sets which I simply altered here and there to my personal liking. Most of the stuff I built from 2006 onward were essentially Inika builds, even though I went for more greebles and some other twists here and there.

The CCBS didn't changed that, but it gave me another slew of material to work with. Whenever I got the opportunity, I mixed the older stuff with CCBS, especially since I became kinda paranoid about MOCing with older sockets. As my collection of HF grew however, it became more common for me to incorporate more CCBS than old-fashioned Bionicle style building into my MOCs, simply because I got more material to work with.

One thing I don't like about CCBS is the limited number of bone colours, as Iben also already stated. But other than that, I like CCBS, and I'm happy that the new Bionicle sets continue it, especially since these new Bionicle parts will sure help to make more cohesive looking MOCs using elements from G1 Bionicle and Hero Factory.