2016 Action Figure Wishlist

[The Outsider]

These were mentioned in the 2015 topic:

Underwater year 2016 LET'S DO IT

If they did that, I'd die of happiness. :D Also, still no summer bonkles in my little area of Georgia. :/ That artwork is beautiful, I might have a new phone wallpaper. :3

Would be nice to see and could allow for a lot of new sets, though cant picture CCBS water villains... just keep getting reminded of Aquagon

Ugh, an underwater wave means hoses/tubes. And hoses/tubes means tangled messes and clashing colors.

If TLG does decide to do that, hopefully they re-design those things.

I actually liked Aquagon, but that aside, go back a year to Furno and Jawblade. That's how you do it.

Furno Breakout was actually a bit of a letdown to me. I know the whole "fire guy underwater" thing was suppose to be ironic but something about the actual set just put me off(still bought it). I always thought it was the red and white color scheme but I've seen other things with that pallet that were still appealing. Maybe it has something to do with the water jets that made his figure look goofy, idk.

On the thought of an underwater them, I loved 07, but that was 5 1/2 years after the theme premiered, so if it were to happen in Gen 2 I would be okay with it happening later then sooner. Maybe if the theme continues past the 3 year mark? Definitely not as the ending theme, though. I'd want something a bit more epic for that, like... air. >:D Or dessert, if that was considered the true ending to Gen 1(I'm kidding about both). Speaking of which, the Star's were a bit of a letdown. How come Gen 1 didn't go out with a larger bang? Why were't Teridax and Mata Nui released in a twin pack, or as Titans, or something...

Personally, what I would like to see is some brick based play sets.

Me too. I would immediately stop collecting Star Wars' sets and collect those instead. (if they were any good)

Don't hold your breath for playsets, those were the single worst selling features of the original line.

Ga-Koro comes to mind, they've done it before (albeit never in set form).

I LOVE this idea a lot more than I should.

Could you imagine it though? Toa exploring the ocean, searching small islands for treasure, facing sea monsters, or pirates, or both!

(I need to make a Bionicle version of Davy Jones now)

Ehh, as an owner of a few playsets (piraka outpost, some barraki thing) They were just "ok" lego sets in their own right.

But if they returned I would buy them just for the mini toa and the AWESOME weapons. Like seriously those playset weapons are some the best minifig gear I've ever seen.

Just LOOK at this hammer:

http://www.bricklink...em.asp?P=55237j

Glorious

Which makes me sad. I'd like to think that the reason for the classic playsets' failure was due less to the concept (which was incredibly appealing for a story buff like myself who had always wanted to see Bionicle's rich locations represented in sets) and due more to the execution (with terrible, disproportionate, unposable, and mismatched figures, and the poor luck to debut right after Bionicle abandoned diverse and interesting elemental biomes in favor of dour battlescapes and fortresses).

Playsets with the amazing figure designs from last year's Hero Factory IFB wave (which were similarly less successful than other waves by virtue of timing and circumstance) and the lush and mysterious background of Okoto would be the bee's knees. But numbers speak louder than words, and the numbers form a clear argument of why playsets are a bad idea. I'll continue to hold out hope for Bionicle figs appearing in Lego Dimensions or some other avenue for release, but it's a fool's hope, all things considered.

[MakutaOfWar]

I post my wishes here a lot but here's another! More exploration of Okoto. Reviewing my lil' map makes me realize how unique the geometry and full of mystery it is when compared with the (awesome)islands of G1.

[bidiminished]

I'd like the Type 1 HF foot to return in hard plastic, or at least a different non-clawed foot design.

[Nekchir]

So if we do get 'ghost sets', what's the chances of us fininally getting some 'white' clear/GITD bones and shells?

I know it'll be really cheap for TLG to make regular clear parts, but I'm going to take a guess that GITD parts are slightly out of budget.

Edited July 18, 2015 by MonkeyChud

[Kalhiki]

I'd like the Type 1 HF foot to return in hard plastic, or at least a different non-clawed foot design.

For some reason I read "foot" as "reboot" and made me realize how much I miss Hero Factory...

Anyway, hopes for 2016... I really don't want an environment-specific theme. Just seems too restrictive. I like the diversity of the regions and the characters who live there, so that way there's something for everyone. And as MakutaOfWar said, more Okoto exploration.

The idea of Ekimu becoming a Toa-sized figure I do not want. I want a super-powerful short guy. His height is part of his charm.

Also, I still like the idea of upgraded Toa with completely trans bones. That'd be a heck of a lot of recolors, but it would be sweet. Ekimu already looks great with all of his bones (minus torso) and trans, and I'd like to see that applied to the Toa.

[Jetrax99]

Not exactly something I want in 2016, but in the later years of Bionicle should it surpass 2017.

Exo Toa. Made to fit a standard sized CCBS figure.

[Lyichir]

Not exactly something I want in 2016, but in the later years of Bionicle should it surpass 2017.

Exo Toa. Made to fit a standard sized CCBS figure.

Could be tricky, considering the variety in recent sets makes it so that "standard sized CCBS figures" are more or less a thing of the past.

It wouldn't be impossible—for instance, all current Toa use the same torso beam, which is at least one commonality to use as a starting point—but that doesn't mean it'd be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

[VBBN]

Exo-Toa is a cool idea, but what I'd really love to see (and this will never happen but I can dream) is a wave of attachments for Toa. So say we got the 2015 Toa this year, and one wave next year is a wave of six "add-ons" to upgrade the Toa, Like an Exo Suit, an Aero-Booster, set of "Doc Oc styled claws" etc. Of course each one would also have to include a figure of it's own, but like the 08/09 sets it could be a simplified figure..like I said I can dream.

[Jetrax99]

Could be tricky, considering the variety in recent sets makes it so that "standard sized CCBS figures" are more or less a thing of the past.

It wouldn't be impossible—for instance, all current Toa use the same torso beam, which is at least one commonality to use as a starting point—but that doesn't mean it'd be easy by any stretch of the imagination.

Allow me to clarify. By standard size, I mean figures that aren't as wide as Onua.

[Zorglorfian]

What I'd want to see are traditionally-colored weapons instead of all the silver we've been seeing, to harken back to the Toa Mata.

Hopefully next year's villains will be great!

Edited July 19, 2015 by Zorglorfian

[Destroz65]

I would like to see something like the Boxor for the Protectors or an Exo Toa.

[DraikNova]

The protector format would be easier to accommodate than the much wider variety seen in the Toa. So yeah, I also want to see Boxor-esque vehicles for the Protectors. Preferably built mostly out of CCBS. A few bone pieces could make a perfect roll cage. At a $30 or $35 pricetag, this could work quite well. And it'd be nice to see a matoran/Protector character get some more attention for once. Ekimu doesn't count, considering the fact that he's basically Mata Nui, Arthaka and Takanuva all rolled into one.

[The Outsider]

If they pulled off decent minifigures, I'd like to see playsets of the various temples in Okoto.

Another thing LEGO really needs, not only for 2016 BIONICLE but for the other lines as well: non-human heroes. Except for Life on Mars and the occasional robot, every line with humans and non-humans puts the former as heroes and the latter as villains, no matter what they're actually doing. This is hardly only LEGO's fault (for example, Decepticons nowadays are so feral-looking they hardly seem to be the same species as the Autobots), but someone needs to show kids that goodness is not exclusive to normal-looking humans.

[DraikNova]

Yeah, it's kind of ridiculous how much LEGO is obsessed with humanoid heroes. We need more non-humanoids in general. They tend to have much more interesting builds.

[GK733]

If they pulled off decent minifigures, I'd like to see playsets of the various temples in Okoto.

Another thing LEGO really needs, not only for 2016 BIONICLE but for the other lines as well: non-human heroes. Except for Life on Mars and the occasional robot, every line with humans and non-humans puts the former as heroes and the latter as villains, no matter what they're actually doing. This is hardly only LEGO's fault (for example, Decepticons nowadays are so feral-looking they hardly seem to be the same species as the Autobots), but someone needs to show kids that goodness is not exclusive to normal-looking humans.

I basically don't know anything of Mixel's story expect that they all seem to have ADHD and smack Nixels from time to time. Aren't they kinda heroes?

Edited July 22, 2015 by GK733

[The Kumquat Alchemist]

If they pulled off decent minifigures, I'd like to see playsets of the various temples in Okoto.

Another thing LEGO really needs, not only for 2016 BIONICLE but for the other lines as well: non-human heroes. Except for Life on Mars and the occasional robot, every line with humans and non-humans puts the former as heroes and the latter as villains, no matter what they're actually doing. This is hardly only LEGO's fault (for example, Decepticons nowadays are so feral-looking they hardly seem to be the same species as the Autobots), but someone needs to show kids that goodness is not exclusive to normal-looking humans.

Though we've yet to see extremely non-humanoid protagonists in System lines, I have hopes for Ninjago 2016 continuing to feature humans (or at least, previously-humans) as antagonists; though not evident solely through the sets, media such as the Tournament of Elements story arc in the television show have managed to repair Ninjago's speciest reputation, and the inclusion of a protagonist Ghost (who will likely hang around for quite a while) in the Possession arc has prevented all Ghosts from being lumped into the "evil" category.

Edited July 22, 2015 by The Kumquat Alchemist

[The Outsider]

I basically don't know anything of Mixel's story expect that they all seem to have ADHD and smack Nixels from time to time. Aren't they kinda heroes?

Me neither. From what I could gather, though (can a Mixel fan confirm this, please?), it's the Nixels who try to attack them first and the Mixels just retaliate, so I guess they really are heroes. But I wouldn't count either side as "humanoid" except for the loosest sense of the word, anyway.

Though we've yet to see extremely non-humanoid protagonists in System lines, I have hopes for Ninjago 2016 continuing to feature humans (or at least, previously-humans) as antagonists; though not evident solely through the sets, media such as the Tournament of Elements story arc in the television show have managed to repair Ninjago's speciest reputation, and the inclusion of a protagonist Ghost (who will likely hang around for quite a while) in the Possession arc has prevented all Ghosts from being lumped into the "evil" category.

That's a good step in the right direction. Now all we need is to see this translated into sets as well.

Edited July 22, 2015 by The Outsider

[Aanchir]

In my opinion, having hero characters who look monstrous or grotesque is good storytelling but bad toy design. LEGO toys are designed so a seven-year-old can figure out who's good and who's bad at a glance. And generally, they should be able to relate to the heroes more easily than to the villains.

If these sets were being designed for a non-human audience it'd be a different story. But currently, LEGO sets are ALL designed for a human audience, and there's no reason at this time why they shouldn't be. The point of diversity in media is to give people from different backgrounds characters like them who they can relate to, so until we know of potential LEGO fans from a non-human background, "speciesism" (particularly directed against entirely imaginary species, like ghosts, undead skeletons, or snake people) is effectively a non-issue. Better for LEGO to focus on representation for actual under-represented groups, like women or the disabled.

Besides all that, recent LEGO themes have plenty of non-human protagonists. For instance, every dragon in LEGO Ninjago other than the Overlord's dragon form and the Nindroid MechDragon has been a protagonist. For the most part, so are the legend beasts in LEGO Legends of Chima (I know no Chima characters are truly human, but most are humanoid/anthropomorphized, while the Legend Beasts decidedly are not). The Serpentine from LEGO Ninjago (other than the Anacondrai) have been portrayed as protagonists since the third season, and Zane (a non-human Nindroid) has been a protagonist since his introduction.

I did hate the story of LEGO Mars Mission, but in that case it was for a different reason. In most themes with non-human protagonists, the antagonists are plainly portrayed as evil not because of their species, but because of their actions. The crooks in Space Police III, for instance, are shown clearly breaking the law in most sets they appear in, although it is a bit problematic that in a theme where aliens and humans live in harmony there were no non-human police officers. Mars Mission was much more morally ambiguous, though. The humans were waging war against an alien civilization that clearly settled Mars before them — the aliens had already designed their ships to run on the Martian energy crystals, so it's hard to argue the humans had any more right to the planet or its resources than the aliens did.

[BBBeavarr]

In my opinion, having hero characters who look monstrous or grotesque is good storytelling but bad toy design. LEGO toys are designed so a seven-year-old can figure out who's good and who's bad at a glance. And generally, they should be able to relate to the heroes more easily than to the villains.

I get your point, but at the same time I'd love to see a villain who has real depth to their character; something where you can care about them. I mean, you still understand that they're evil, but it seems that every villain ever in Bionicle was just a bad 'ol guy who worked for Makuta - which is somewhat one-dimensional. Conversely, I'd also like to see a hero that you don't like. It would really shake things up in the action figure world. The chemistry between the toa teams is always too good; there's never any conflict. Conflict is mainly why people love the Avengers: because it shows that they're not invincible all-powerful beings - they're actually characters, who think the way we do.

But as you said, these things are marketed primarily toward kids, so Lego isn't likely to change things.

[MakutaOfWar]

I get your point, but at the same time I'd love to see a villain who has real depth to their character; something where you can care about them. I mean, you still understand that they're evil, but it seems that every villain ever in Bionicle was just a bad 'ol guy who worked for Makuta - which is somewhat one-dimensional. Conversely, I'd also like to see a hero that you don't like. It would really shake things up in the action figure world. The chemistry between the toa teams is always too good; there's never any conflict. Conflict is mainly why people love the Avengers: because it shows that they're not invincible all-powerful beings - they're actually characters, who think the way we do.

But as you said, these things are marketed primarily toward kids, so Lego isn't likely to change things.

Well, Nidihki was a Toa, then he became a Dark Hunter so there's backstory and an unlikable Toa(who are suppose to be heroes). Scarce and not exactly what you mentioned but it's close enough. Also, the Piraka didn't work for Teridax or any Makuta(did they? I followed comics not books.).

Edited July 23, 2015 by MakutaOfWar

[Quisoves Pugnat]

Well, Nidihki was a Toa, then he became a Dark Hunter so there's backstory and an unlikable Toa(who are suppose to be heroes). Scarce and not exactly what you mentioned but it's close enough. Also, the Piraka didn't work for Teridax or any Makuta(did they? I followed comics not books.).

The Piraka were being manipulated by Makuta, but only Zaktan had any inkling of that fact. The Barraki were free agents, obstacles to Makuta, in fact. They had, at least, an air of tragedy about them. Yes, they were evil warlords with dreams of conquering the world, but their run of misfortunes added layers to them. Even Carapar, who was the dumb brute of the group, had only become so due to Takadox's frequent hypnosis, a fact of which he was resentful, if I recall correctly.

[The Outsider]

In my opinion, having hero characters who look monstrous or grotesque is good storytelling but bad toy design. LEGO toys are designed so a seven-year-old can figure out who's good and who's bad at a glance. And generally, they should be able to relate to the heroes more easily than to the villains.

True, but that doesn't mean the heroes can't have more variety. And we could distiguish them anyway with subtle visual cues: the "heroic" non-humans could have friendlier features, smoother edges and soothing or heroic colors, while the "villain" monsters could have rougher edges, an agressive or predatorial look and more menacing colors. And, of course, names.

If these sets were being designed for a non-human audience it'd be a different story. But currently, LEGO sets are ALL designed for a human audience, and there's no reason at this time why they shouldn't be. The point of diversity in media is to give people from different backgrounds characters like them who they can relate to, so until we know of potential LEGO fans from a non-human background, "speciesism" (particularly directed against entirely imaginary species, like ghosts, undead skeletons, or snake people) is effectively a non-issue. Better for LEGO to focus on representation for actual under-represented groups, like women or the disabled.

Now this, I don't agree. Fictional species often serve as a metaphor for real-life diversity, so we should give them the same capacity for good and evil we give humans. After all, if we keep telling kids that everything different from a "normal" human is irredeemably evil, how willing do you think they will be to respect real cultures and ethnicities other than their own?

That being said, you're right in the end: some real-life groups need better representation.

Besides all that, recent LEGO themes have plenty of non-human protagonists. For instance, every dragon in LEGO Ninjago other than the Overlord's dragon form and the Nindroid MechDragon has been a protagonist. For the most part, so are the legend beasts in LEGO Legends of Chima (I know no Chima characters are truly human, but most are humanoid/anthropomorphized, while the Legend Beasts decidedly are not). The Serpentine from LEGO Ninjago (other than the Anacondrai) have been portrayed as protagonists since the third season, and Zane (a non-human Nindroid) has been a protagonist since his introduction.

Good point. And the Anacondrai were painted rather heroically in season four (it was the human Master Chen and his human Anacondrai cultists that were painted as villains), so your argument is even stronger.

The crooks in Space Police III, for instance, are shown clearly breaking the law in most sets they appear in, although it is a bit problematic that in a theme where aliens and humans live in harmony there were no non-human police officers.

And that there were no human crooks. I mean, even the earlier versions had the Blacktron faction.

I get your point, but at the same time I'd love to see a villain who has real depth to their character; something where you can care about them. I mean, you still understand that they're evil, but it seems that every villain ever in Bionicle was just a bad 'ol guy who worked for Makuta - which is somewhat one-dimensional. Conversely, I'd also like to see a hero that you don't like. It would really shake things up in the action figure world. The chemistry between the toa teams is always too good; there's never any conflict. Conflict is mainly why people love the Avengers: because it shows that they're not invincible all-powerful beings - they're actually characters, who think the way we do.

But as you said, these things are marketed primarily toward kids, so Lego isn't likely to change things.

Well, Nidihki was a Toa, then he became a Dark Hunter so there's backstory and an unlikable Toa(who are suppose to be heroes). Scarce and not exactly what you mentioned but it's close enough. Also, the Piraka didn't work for Teridax or any Makuta(did they? I followed comics not books.).

The Piraka were being manipulated by Makuta, but only Zaktan had any inkling of that fact. The Barraki were free agents, obstacles to Makuta, in fact. They had, at least, an air of tragedy about them. Yes, they were evil warlords with dreams of conquering the world, but their run of misfortunes added layers to them. Even Carapar, who was the dumb brute of the group, had only become so due to Takadox's frequent hypnosis, a fact of which he was resentful, if I recall correctly.

There was also Krika, who didn't really agree with Teridax's plan (and in fact tried to prevent its completion sometimes) and longed for his days as a protector, but went along anyway because he figured they were doomed no matter the outcome; the Bohrok and the Vahki, who were merely following their function (cleaning Mata Nui's face/upholding the law in Metru Nui), but Teridax took advantage of that and used them as an obstacle for the Toa (in fact, the Toa once used the Bohrok in a similar way to protect Metru Nui from an invasion); and the Skrall army, who had no inkling of what was going on in the Matoran Universe and were trying to conquer Bara Magna after fleeing their killer-robot-infested lands (but they were too arrogant and brutal to be tragic. Not to mention misognystic).

As for unlikable "heroes", there's also murderous extremist Tuyet (who later was imprisoned) and cheating, greedy mercenay Strakk (who later was banished). But I'm more of a fan of tragic villains, especially if they become heroes later.

Edited July 25, 2015 by The Outsider

[Vinyl Scratch]

(in fact, the Toa once used the Bohrok in a similar way to protect Metru Nui from an invasion).

They did?

Never read that, when did it happen? Sounds interesting.

[The Outsider]

They did?

Never read that, when did it happen? Sounds interesting.

It was in one of the web serials. "Destiny War", chapter 9 (you can read it in Biosector01).

Now back on topic, I'd definitely like to see more CCBS-sized mechas or vehicles. And more Okoto fauna.

[Destroz65]

If the rumors of the ghost sets are true, I would like to see fluorescent armor pieces. I also would like to see a new torso armor with a ghost design.