Bionicle 2008 Images and Discussion

[Zarkan]

Woah, the protoype Kopaka is sweet.

I'd have to disagree - I think he's really quite ugly. :-X

Still, it is cool to see how the Kopaka of 2008 came to his latest form. It almost looks like Kopaka's prototype mask is a modified Great Ruru. At least the jetpack designs are really cool. :-)

[Spartan_01]

I'd have to disagree - I think he's really quite ugly. :-X

Still, it is cool to see how the Kopaka of 2008 came to his latest form. It almost looks like Kopaka's prototype mask is a modified Great Ruru. At least the jetpack designs are really cool. :-)

Yeah. :-X

Kopaka prototype looks lame. Looks more like a Mistika actually. The Phantoka version is better. The jetpacks do look cool though.

[VBBN]

The jetpacks rock to.

But Kopaka's chest armor looks interesting for a piraka torso.

[Pencoin]

whoa how come you dont like prototype kopaka hes better then the real thing!

[VBBN]

I guess I never looked at him very hard.

He does look mistika.

Not very creative, and still worse than the Mata/Nuva version.

[Icesaber]

The jetpacks rock to.

But Kopaka's chest armor looks interesting for a piraka torso.

Yes, I don't think I've seen that solution for a backwards Piraka torso. But I'd wish that they'd kept one idea from the prototype: Make his torso armor silver. Or better yet, make the armor more Nuva-like.

Are there any others? I know there's a white Vamprah, and a black Pohatu. Any others (with pics, please)?

[VBBN]

A white vamprah?

[Makuta'sdarkslave]

Sure, here ya go! Oh, and I threw in the other extra as well. ;-)

Kopaka's wings said ti-7477. That's the Dino attck stickers... *wacko*

HOLY CRAP! These are amazing! You should post the other totally awesome prototypes as well.

[Clonie]

For those too lazy to earn them ( :-P ):

Prototype Pohatu propellor (alliteration lol)

Prototype Pohatu

Prototype Avsa

Prototype Vamprah

Large Phantoka poster (pdf file)

Prototype Jutlin (hardly any different...)

Unknown mask prototype

Prototype Kakama (like the Jutlin, hardly any differences)

Ignika wallpaper

Another prototype Pohatu propellor (whoop-dee-doo)

Phantoka and Karda Nui avatars

Prototype Miru (Omg! So different.)

Jetpack prototypes

Prototype Kopaka

*shrug* I'll update this as the games come out.

[VBBN]

Thanks clonie for all of those!

Man that is strange seeing vamprah in white.

But I've seen the proto-pohatu.

Weird place for a Midak. *wacko*

[Makuta'sdarkslave]

For those too lazy to earn them ( :-P ):

Prototype Pohatu propellor (alliteration lol)

Prototype Pohatu

Prototype Avsa

Prototype Vamprah

Large Phantoka poster (pdf file)

Prototype Jutlin (hardly any different...)

Unknown mask prototype

Prototype Kakama (like the Jutlin, hardly any differences)

Ignika wallpaper

Another prototype Pohatu propellor (whoop-dee-doo)

Phantoka and Karda Nui avatars

Prototype Miru (Omg! So different.)

Jetpack prototypes

Prototype Kopaka

*shrug* I'll update this as the games come out.

Okay, thank y. I know I'm so bothersome. But those were awesome... well some of them. The unknown mask, I originally thought it to be a very early Avsa prototype, but now I read the stuff and think it might be a Nuva mask becasue of the jet air intakes on the sides.

They should've stuck with the prototype Kopaka adn Pohatu in my opinion, they look WAY better than the current ones.

[Clonie]

Liek hell no.

[BrotherDog]

Sorry for the double-post

Edited April 6, 2008 by BrotherDog

[BrotherDog]

For those too lazy to earn them ( :-P ):

Prototype Pohatu propellor (alliteration lol)

Prototype Pohatu

Prototype Avsa

Prototype Vamprah

Large Phantoka poster (pdf file)

Prototype Jutlin (hardly any different...)

Unknown mask prototype

Prototype Kakama (like the Jutlin, hardly any differences)

Ignika wallpaper

Another prototype Pohatu propellor (whoop-dee-doo)

Phantoka and Karda Nui avatars

Prototype Miru (Omg! So different.)

Jetpack prototypes

Prototype Kopaka

*shrug* I'll update this as the games come out.

Any chance of anyone with a gallery of these, for those of us who's 'puters can't handle those sites?

Edited April 6, 2008 by BrotherDog

[Icesaber]

Any chance of anyone with a gallery of these, for those of us who's 'puters can't handle those sites?

I'm putting up a gallery soon. But in the meantime I think you can find one if you search around a bit.

EDIT: Here's the gallery. It's not public right now, but if there are any specific ones you want, let me know and I'll deeplink them.

Edited April 6, 2008 by Icesaber

[KMOI]

Whoa. I never thought I'd say this, but they REALLY nailed Kopaka in the prototype. Whereas the one we ended up with is a highly unimaginative mish-mash of random (awful) Mahri designs (seriously, his legs minus the foot and arms minus the hands are the EXACT same build), the prototype comes pretty close to what I would have imagined what Kopaka would have looked like, given the trend Bionicle is diving down into. The shoulder pads and kneeguards are just amazing, actually making his arms look like arms and legs look like legs. It just blows the current "Kopaka" out of the water.

To be honest, I would have been VERY happy had they just used the prototype with just a few adjustments. Using Inika thigh armor instead of the Mahri ones, give him a pair of large, double edged swords (ala Transformers Animated Megatron), get rid of that awful Matoro-looking mouth growth and replace it with some sort of triangular mouth and I would buy HUNDREDS of him. Heck, even if LEGO came out with those shoulder pieces later on, I would DEFINITELY go out and buy whatever set they come along in AND a Kopaka set. LEGO, please release those shoulder pieces! I BEG of you!

Oh, and for those who don't know what I mean by Megatron, here's a pic. Yeah, that's right. Kopaka's blades are in season.

It'd be awesome if they did Kopaka in similar form, attaching his cannon (as much as I hate that thing) onto his arm and freeing his hands for giant melee weapons. It doesn't even have to look like what's in that picture. Just swords in general would be enough for me.

[Shine]

LEGO, please release those shoulder pieces! I BEG of you!

Uh, they have?

[KMOI]

Uh, they have?

Ah. Thanks for the info. I've been out of the loop for a while and this comes as a surprise! But...

Hurgh. It just had to be the one set I had sworn never to touch... Guess I'll have to wait longer. I guess what I meant was "LEGO, please release this piece in the small set-range!" Sigh...

Edited April 6, 2008 by KMOI

[VBBN]

Chirox has them to.

[Dark_Avenger]

As does Nuparu Mahri, if memory serves.

[Shine]

As does Nuparu Mahri, if memory serves.

No, his are black

[Zarkan]

Whoa. I never thought I'd say this, but they REALLY nailed Kopaka in the prototype. Whereas the one we ended up with is a highly unimaginative mish-mash of random (awful) Mahri designs (seriously, his legs minus the foot and arms minus the hands are the EXACT same build), the prototype comes pretty close to what I would have imagined what Kopaka would have looked like, given the trend Bionicle is diving down into. The shoulder pads and kneeguards are just amazing, actually making his arms look like arms and legs look like legs. It just blows the current "Kopaka" out of the water.

Honestly, I don't really see what you see in him that you don't see in the final set. Aside from the new body and a different body design, he's almost the same, shape wise. He still has the same feet, almost the same wings and mask, and aside from that tiny mantax claw, he's still the same under-armed toa he's been this year. :-/

That's not to say that I like the final kopaka much better, though. The final kopaka wins only slightly because his mask is slightly better and the chest armor looks a lot more held together (on prototype kopaka, the metruan armor just doesn't look nailed down enough for some reason). In fact, he really is a sign of how the canister sets of 2008 are extremely boring in design. I like the inika design, actually, but it's been used way too much since 2008. Kopaka and Lewa have the EXACT SAME DESIGN, except for the shoulder armor and the new back armor - er, Inika shoulder piece. *sad*

I really miss 2007, because that to me was a turning point in Bionicle set design. The barraki were amazing in design, each with different body designs and unique shapes. Mantax was hunched over and built like a tank, like a giant manta ray - Takadox was super slender and angled, like a preying mantis, etc. The mahri were not quite as good, but again, they all had unique features. Jaller has his crab and unique chest armor, Hahli had her wing pack, Matoro had his hunched over design, Kongu had his bulky, rifle man design - etc. Now - look at 2008. All the toa except kongu use the same basic body and limb design. All the winter makuta have the EXACT same body. It's really disapointing, considering how creative they got with 2007 sets. |-/

[Visorak-kal]

To tell the truth, that prototype Kopaka is everything this one is and worse. I much prefer his blizzard blade, which can double as a knife, to a dimpy Mantax claw. And I think the Piraka legs and snowshoe Inika feet are very good for the Toa of Ice. Plus, I don't see what's unimaginative in having arm and leg styles the same. It merely doesn't work for every Toa. In Kopaka's case it was okay, but I think it goes too far in Tahu Nuva, Gali Nuva, AND Onua Nuva. Where I do agree is in the use of that great upper arm armor (the one also used on Chirox and Ignika) and in the fact that all the Toa this year do have more similar builds than the Toa Mahri.

As shown with Jaller Mahri, there are easy and what appears to be relatively inexpensive ways to create new armor styles. Jaller Mahri used two pieces for his armor attachment to Kopaka's one armor piece. Another example is Toa Ignika, who I find to be a prime example of a well-armored Toa that doesn't use the same torsos and armor pieces. Ignika has shorter arms than legs, neat shoulder armor, and still manages to have frontal and back armor even though he uses a better, forward-facing Piraka torso. (Though I don't really have problems with backwards Piraka torsos, I just prefer my Toa well-armored.)

My sentiments are pretty much exactly like Grievous puts them, I think 2007 so far has been a prime example of a BIONICLE year in terms of variety and mix of articulation with some technic (the trap, Karzahni, Maxilos, Lesovikk's sled).

Now - look at 2008. All the toa except kongu use the same basic body and limb design. All the winter makuta have the EXACT same body. It's really disapointing, considering how creative they got with 2007 sets.

Well, looking at all six Toa side-by-side and not just either the winter or summer Toa Nuva, I am seeing some differences, but as you said nothing so creative as the Toa Mahri. I mean, Tahu and Gali have the same body-build. Kopaka and Lewa use the same shoulder/thigh armor and both have Inika torsos from 2006. Pohatu is really I would say the most creative with his choice of weapon. Onua I think has a new build, with a new type of armor on an Inika torso. You'll also notice that both Tahu and Kopaka use Piraka legs for their arms and legs. Plus, both Tahu's arms and legs have the same Metru armor, and both Kopaka's arms and legs have the same INika armor. Not nearly as diverse as the Mahri, and a hundred times less diverse than the Barraki.

Winter-Makuta wise I can't complain, as they have the same body because their body is their function. I would actually prefer they have the same body with a Tridax pod than having a gun like the Toa/Summer Makuta. I think the Makuta are the first canisters in a long time to remind me of the original Toa and the Rahkshi. They have old-style weapons, blades, daggers, claws, swords, spears, etc. Not one of them carries a projectile weapon! And luckily, the Tridax pod either can appear like glowing center or it can be removed, giving the Makuta a wicked skeletal-rib look.

What I think we're seeing in 2008 is a result of 2007. While 2007 sales were good, GregF on BZP reported that the sales were not as high as expected because of the high cost of not doing clone sets. So, to compensate in 2008, LEGO decided that while they shouldn't go back to clone sets, they had to cut down the cost. The result is that while the sets are still not clones (they are all different) they are less diverse and less creative. It must be said though, that I think the designers did a fair job on making the summer Makuta really different from one another and from the winter Makuta.

I am just glad that the winter Toa Nuva are more noble-looking than the Mahri and Inika, a style I like in Toa. None of the winter three have remotely evil-looking masks, whereas the same cannot be said for Hewkii and Jaller Mahri or *shudders* the demented Gali Nuva.

VK

Edited April 7, 2008 by Visorak-kal

[KMOI]

Honestly, I don't really see what you see in him that you don't see in the final set. Aside from the new body and a different body design, he's almost the same, shape wise. He still has the same feet, almost the same wings and mask, and aside from that tiny mantax claw, he's still the same under-armed toa he's been this year.

I never said that I would love it. I still think 2008 is designed specifically as a smack in the face to the few like me. Makuta-face-Onua, Naruto Tahu, Man!Gali, 40-piece Krika, and those Racer-esque sleds are continuing to heap the abuse that was started by Gorilla-Musket Kopaka.

Also, you completely missed the second half of the post. I didn't like the reused mantax claw either and suggested they replace it with some sort larger melee weapon. Like a pair of blades, while putting the launcher as a forgettable side-piece, because that's all it really is.

For starters, the prototype's arms and legs have a different look, as opposed to the one we got, where both his arms and legs not only have the exact same design, but armor as well. At least you can tell the difference between the arms and legs on the prototype. Seriously, the one we got looks like an ape, which is an insult to Kopaka's classic regal "dark knight" warrior theme. Also, the sheer fact that he's alot thinner makes him blend into the rest of the "Winter Three" alot better. The one we have is a highly uninspired rehash of everything we got in the past two years.

I much prefer his blizzard blade, which can double as a knife, to a dimpy Mantax claw.

It seems you also missed what I said. As I said earlier, this is on the right track, but it still needs revisions. Heavy revisions.

You know, one major disconnect I have with many of the Bionicle fans is that I see no novelty in "unique" builds when it gets in the way of making something look good, which in some cases, I define as being faithful to the character. To be honest, I hold a great distaste for all Toa canister sets in 2007 because they didn't reflect the characters. The "heroes" ended up looking more nasty and vicious than the villians, which I simply could not stand behind. 2008 has some really strong elements in the first half, though almost all of these were dropped in the second half. I'll say it here and now, and you can quote me on this.

I love the Winter canister villians. I love Pohatu.

Sure, they've been bashed for being similar in build, but they look absolutely amazing, especially Chirox. I don't care if his build is similar to the others. His arm structure is by far the most entertaining and interesting in the entire Bionicle universe, even surpassing the Piraka's flip arms. Just to have 2 different modes for the arms blows my mind, especially in the now mundane line that Bionicle has become.

I also liked 2006's Toa and loved the Piraka. Sure, they were huge, but it looked so good to the point where you completely forgot about it. You loved it for the thrill of the asthetics and how it actually reflected the characters. The Piraka were basically all the same build, but they really worked the look to the point where you just loved it. I had a real blast as I was taking photos of it, as every shot conveyed how simply intimidating they were. In my books, they will be the team of villians who really stood out amidst a sea of bland, "dark", "violent" types in recent years. Seriously, you don't have to be dark, brooding and boastful to be a good villian.

Well, those are my thoughts. Not much, as I don't think anyone can see where I'm coming from, but it was well worth the effort.

Edited April 8, 2008 by KMOI

[Phantoka_Chirox]

DM 6 si up..yeah!!

toa naho is the name of the water toa in lhikan's team (not tuyet) oh and lesovikk is a rebel in the alternate universe/dimension :D