Bionicle 2015 Discussion

[Zenerius]

That's what happens when you get an extra hour in the ball pit.

Best. Joke. Ever.

I just want some collectible masks.

[Kalhiki]

Man. When was our last collectable? I want to say the Kanoka Disks. I guess you could say Rhotuka, but there really wasn't a drive to get them (that I can remember) as opposed to the Kanoka Disks which had the Great Disks. Then there were Zamor and Squid packs, but those were just extra ammo.

Well, I guess there were multiple colors of Rhotuka, but those colors didn't really serve a storyline purpose...

[Kingslayer]

Man. When was our last collectable? I want to say the Kanoka Disks. I guess you could say Rhotuka, but there really wasn't a drive to get them (that I can remember) as opposed to the Kanoka Disks which had the Great Disks. Then there were Zamor and Squid packs, but those were just extra ammo.

Well, I guess there were multiple colors of Rhotuka, but those colors didn't really serve a storyline purpose...

I think this speaks volumes about demand for collectibles. I dont think we;ll see them come back in any big way at all, because they just wouldnt sell all to well IMO

[Zenerius]

I think this speaks volumes about demand for collectibles. I dont think we;ll see them come back in any big way at all, because they just wouldnt sell all to well IMO

Although, LEGO has seen the success of the CMF line, so maybe there is hope.

[Agent Fusion]

I would appreciate Kanohi or Skull Spiders, but if it's something as trivial as ammunition, they shouldn't bother.

[Aanchir]

Although, LEGO has seen the success of the CMF line, so maybe there is hope.

I think the CMFs are a different case than BIONICLE collectible packs because no matter what you get, one pack basically guarantees you a play experience. You get a unique, fully-articulated figure that you can play with or display on its own. BIONICLE collectibles were invariably just accessories for the larger sets — the closest you ever got to a complete play experience was the Kanoka pack, which at least had two disks and a launcher.

I was thinking earlier that it would be possible for Matoran-sized sets to sort of take the place of collectible packs if they were to include randomized masks. However, that was when I thought a Matoran-sized set could be priced at about $5, like the Mixels, Ninjago booster packs, or Friends animal packs. Since the Defenders seem larger and more complex than what I envisioned, I expect they'll be priced at $10 instead, so buying multiples of the same set carries a slightly greater risk. I think an average buyer is less likely to spend $10 than $5 on what might turn out to be an exact duplicate of a set they already have.

[Kingslayer]

I think the CMFs are a different case than BIONICLE collectible packs because no matter what you get, one pack basically guarantees you a play experience. You get a unique, fully-articulated figure that you can play with or display on its own. BIONICLE collectibles were invariably just accessories for the larger sets — the closest you ever got to a complete play experience was the Kanoka pack, which at least had two disks and a launcher.

I was thinking earlier that it would be possible for Matoran-sized sets to sort of take the place of collectible packs if they were to include randomized masks. However, that was when I thought a Matoran-sized set could be priced at about $5, like the Mixels, Ninjago booster packs, or Friends animal packs. Since the Defenders seem larger and more complex than what I envisioned, I expect they'll be priced at $10 instead, so buying multiples of the same set carries a slightly greater risk. I think an average buyer is less likely to spend $10 than $5 on what might turn out to be an exact duplicate of a set they already have.

Well what if the defenders arent even Matoran. Tohunga showed that with a few pieces, you could make something that looked great. Although i do think there is a much greater appeal for minifgs rather than Bionicle, no matter how popular it becomes

[Zenerius]

How about accessory packs with armor, weapons, masks, ammunition, and a skull spider?

[TheGreatSpirit]

How about accessory packs with armor, weapons, masks, ammunition, and a skull spider?

You mean something like these?

[Zenerius]

You mean something like these?

*snip*

Yes, but slightly more substantial.

[SmoothJazz]

Any news on the mystery box at SDCC?

Edited July 27, 2014 by SmoothJazz

[Still Raindrop]

I was thinking about the story, and if it is a reboot, I hope they do something about treespeak--either improve it or eliminate it. It was a good idea, I think, but poorly executed. It makes sense that the tribe who dealt with quick life-or-death decisions regarding flight, etc. would develop a jargon to state specialized terms and ideas quickly, but they should be able to switch out of it or make it a full-fledged pidgin with sayings that make sense--many of the words were just longer versions of the normal words, like "Toa-hero." It was meant to sound gimmicky, but there was no logic behind it.

Sorry for the linguistics nerd rant. Tldr: if treespeak remains, I hope it's less like Episode III Yoda ("At an end your rule is, and not short enough it was!") and more like Episode V Yoda ("Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you").

[Shakar]

To be fair he had been grotesquely mutated by the Pit in that set.

Let's be honest though: aside from the chains, horns and green armour, no effort was made to make Karzahni look like his illustrated, pre-mutation (green AND BLUE!) counterpart. I bet they were tasked to make some generic green monster and when the story team saw he looked little like his canon form, they had to shrug it off with "pit mutagen, son". If he actually remotely looked like his illustrated form, they could've explained that with him being immune (or nearly so) to mutagen (not that odd of a concept, since he is, ahem, was BIONICLE's Hades).

Let's not forget stuff like "Takanuva is dark and big because he was attacked by a Shadow Leech and Karda Nui makes Toa and Matoran of Light grow!". Or quite possibly my favourite one: "The Toa Inika have blank faces because they're so charged with energy you can't see their features!".

The story team had to excuse a lot of weird crap set designers came up with. To be fair though, they were probably "forced" to do most of those things, due to budget constraints or the classical "That's what focus groups want!".

This is another reason I want a reboot. Less canon to adhere to, less awkward excuses to come up with, less expectations clouding our judgement and ruining our fun. A phrase many have written here- a fresh start.

That's what happens when you get an extra hour in the ball pit.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Shakar

[Dorek]

Sets come before story; it's always been that way. Sometimes there isn't much to work with, like the Inika masks. Generally I appreciate an effort to explain what is otherwise something to dismiss entirely.

[Aanchir]

Sets come before story; it's always been that way. Sometimes there isn't much to work with, like the Inika masks. Generally I appreciate an effort to explain what is otherwise something to dismiss entirely.

Also, the story explanation for the Inika masks would not have seemed quite so out of left field if the heads had glowed in the dark like they were apparently intended to (some media at the time even mentioned it as a feature even though it wasn't present in the final sets).

Personally, when it comes to simple cosmetic changes I often think a contrived explanation makes the change worse. Some of the excuses used for the Inika's design changes, for instance, were supposed to be a part of why the Inika were so out-of-the-ordinary — but it leads me to wonder how the LEGO Group would have explained things if these design changes had been extremely successful and had been used for all future sets. Would ALL future characters get super-energized in the storyline, or receive "organic" masks?

I'm glad Hero Factory didn't try to come up with some stupid explanation for the new head designs for the Brain Attack arc... not that they really needed to, since there are hardly ever any occasions where a hero doesn't wear a helmet of any kind, so from a story perspective their helmets can basically be considered part of their heads.

[Shakar]

Exactly, Aanchir. As you said, contrived explanations just tend to make things worse. At 14 (when the Inika came out), I was old enough to tell that explanation was on obvious cover-up. I was slightly out of the target demographic, though..

So I guess I'm on the opposite of Dorek's. Sometimes, I prefer having things dismissed. Lego is about creativity, isn't it? I think it's fine to let fans come up with their own explanations once in a while. Some needlessly contrived explanations tend to hinder creativity, I think.

[KazeMonsuta]

Lego is about creativity, isn't it? I think it's fine to let fans come up with their own explanations once in a while. Some needlessly contrived explanations tend to hinder creativity, I think.

Sure, it's about creativity. But one thing I have to address: Hero Factory left many things open for... creativity. And I think that that is the reason we got so many open endings. So many things never again talked about.

Plans of the Hero Factory stolen? Let the kids come up with, how the Heroes get it fixed.

Brain-Outbreak right under the factory? Well, they maybe get rid of all of them eventually.

One of the Cocoons going straight to the factory? Huff, maybe they find it in time.

I mean to say, that the story they are telling should maybe be closed and done. Let have dealt with the enemy of summer and then go to the next one. There are too many things left open in Hero Factory that are never addressed ever again.

Might be one point why the story felt so flat.

[TheLastToaofLight]

Any news on the mystery box at SDCC?

It was the Tumbler from Batman.

[Dorek]

Also, the story explanation for the Inika masks would not have seemed quite so out of left field if the heads had glowed in the dark like they were apparently intended to (some media at the time even mentioned it as a feature even though it wasn't present in the final sets).

I keep forgetting that they didn't! They were actually supposed to.

Personally, when it comes to simple cosmetic changes I often think a contrived explanation makes the change worse. Some of the excuses used for the Inika's design changes, for instance, were supposed to be a part of why the Inika were so out-of-the-ordinary — but it leads me to wonder how the LEGO Group would have explained things if these design changes had been extremely successful and had been used for all future sets. Would ALL future characters get super-energized in the storyline, or receive "organic" masks?

Possibly. Who knows? We could have gotten more than one iteration of the Inika, for instance, to keep the changes palatable. I guess there are some changes that end up being contrived or just flat out unnecessary, but I still appreciate an acknowledgement of such, even if the end result is a bit... weird (and this goes for a lot of stuff in BIONICLE).

I'm glad Hero Factory didn't try to come up with some stupid explanation for the new head designs for the Brain Attack arc... not that they really needed to, since there are hardly ever any occasions where a hero doesn't wear a helmet of any kind, so from a story perspective their helmets can basically be considered part of their heads.

And then there's IFB...

Exactly, Aanchir. As you said, contrived explanations just tend to make things worse. At 14 (when the Inika came out), I was old enough to tell that explanation was on obvious cover-up. I was slightly out of the target demographic, though..

So I guess I'm on the opposite of Dorek's. Sometimes, I prefer having things dismissed. Lego is about creativity, isn't it? I think it's fine to let fans come up with their own explanations once in a while. Some needlessly contrived explanations tend to hinder creativity, I think.

I think there's two trains of thought for that. One is creating an open world where anything and everything can happen (which is Hero Factory in a nutshell), while the other is telling a very specific story in a very specific timeline. BIONICLE tried to do a bit of both, to varying degrees of success, but since there was always a bigger plan in mind, it makes some of the nitty gritty contradictions passable, at least to me.

[Bfahome]

A comic-themed set revealed at a comic convention?

What are the odds???

[Aanchir]

And then there's IFB...

True! They did a great job redesigning the hero head to be more expressive and less uncanny-valley in that, I think. Great eyes and faces.

I get that that's probably not what you meant, but I for one was glad to get a head design that wasn't excessively masculine and didn't look like a robotic skull.

[Zenerius]

Man, we need another leak to spice things up. Or at least an official announcement.

[Kamen Rider Kiva]

Man, we need another leak to spice things up. Or at least an official announcement.

I know, it's kinda shocking how it went from fandom-explosion to awkward silence in such a short time period. O.o

[Mesonak]

We may as well settle in for a long wait. I doubt we're going to get anything until product listings start showing up on shop sites, and even then, the pictures we get will likely be worse quality than the display due to confidential markings. :P

[Bfahome]

I know, it's kinda shocking how it went from fandom-explosion to awkward silence in such a short time period. O.o

Probably because people keep expecting new information around every corner, when leaks have almost always been short and infrequent. We get some images, then nothing else for a month because that's all there really was to show.