Dr_Chronos Posted September 23, 2015 This is the third attempt at writing this post. I'm a little burned out by now so forgive me for putting this in a list format: Textures 1. The three smaller sets pull of the natural flow and look. The three larger sets add detailed addons which throw off the look and textures. Creature design choices: 1. Head is simple enough so we can project emotion on it, a common tactic. 2. Large head proportions and stubby limbs to resemble infancy, more adorable. 3. Heavy use of trans-plastic. 4. Respective metallic color schemes to the Toa. 5. While the art displays all the creatures having blue eyes, this is not the case. Taking a look at Melum shows the eye piece is in the blended transcolor of the head. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shakar Posted September 23, 2015 Indeed the Creatures are meant to be cute. I for one I'm happy since most of the Rahi in G1 were big and scary, creatures like the Fikou and the Master Builder models being among the rare exceptions. Not sure what your point #5 means though. Someone on 4chan pointed attention to this. It certainly looks like a very early draft of these sets. I can see why that Elemental Being got scrapped- way, way too evil looking. I wondr if the design got reused for a Beast (Lava Beast?) ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDesuComplex Posted September 23, 2015 Ackar was my favorite set that used the Inika build. I think I will like Tahu 2016 too for a similar reason- to me, the disparity in textures is not a big deal, and it looks to me like he combines many disparate pieces into a great silhouette and overall look. Him and Onua are probably gonna be Day One purchases for me. I'm also really, really hoping for a Makuta/Rahkshi/Vahki-esque torso rotation powered by gears. Onua, Gali, and Pohatu all use two-handed staff weapons that could benefit greatly from a sweeping side-to-side motion, Lewa and Tahu have weapons that could swing outwards when the torso rotates, and Kopaka's sword (as seen in the Unity position) could also be used in this fashion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grima Posted September 23, 2015 I'm also really, really hoping for a Makuta/Rahkshi/Vahki-esque torso rotation powered by gears. Onua, Gali, and Pohatu all use two-handed staff weapons that could benefit greatly from a sweeping side-to-side motion, Lewa and Tahu have weapons that could swing outwards when the torso rotates, and Kopaka's sword (as seen in the Unity position) could also be used in this fashion. This seems most likely, but at the same time, I'd expect one of their poses to show it off if that were the case. But in all the pictures, their shoulders and hips are in the same plane. If their function was torso rotation, I'd expect at least one of them to be showing it off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DuckBricks Posted September 23, 2015 This seems most likely, but at the same time, I'd expect one of their poses to show it off if that were the case. But in all the pictures, their shoulders and hips are in the same plane. If their function was torso rotation, I'd expect at least one of them to be showing it off. True, but the 2015 Toa had front box images didn't exactly show their gearboxes off... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDesuComplex Posted September 23, 2015 True, but the 2015 Toa had front box images didn't exactly show their gearboxes off... Their gearbox worked with a joint that was already there, and as such you cannot tell if it is the gearbox or the shoulders that is moving. Grima's point is that the suppossed gearbox would introduce a new axis of rotation that was not available before and as such it would be obvious if it was used. I myself think this can be chalked up to prelims. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grima Posted September 23, 2015 Their gearbox worked with a joint that was already there, and as such you cannot tell if it is the gearbox or the shoulders that is moving. Grima's point is that the suppossed gearbox would introduce a new axis of rotation that was not available before and as such it would be obvious if it was used. I myself think this can be chalked up to prelims. I suppose, but they seem awfully final-looking for prelims. Granted, Tahu looked pretty final before they changed his mask, and they did completely change Gali's pose, but those were more the exception than the rule. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Outsider Posted September 23, 2015 Now to take my look at the individual Toa: General: they're a bit all over the place. Some things I like, such as the new elemental add-on and the return of the Vorox armor; some things I don't like, such as the half-silver masks and the reused blade piece. The weapons functions seem neat, and I love the Nuva symbols in their chests (I wonder if it has story relevance...). However, having them looking for Golden Masks again feels repetitive. I'm hoping that the rear gear (bad placement, but I've seen worse) rotates the torso too. I also see a lot of similarity between their masks and the Metru masks. Onua: my favorite of the bunch. The build feels burly and muscled, but not as disproportionately top-heavy as the 2015 one. The mask is neat (hi, Whenua!), and the drill-gun is freaking awesome! Though it makes me question: is the drill rotation linked to the minigun shooting? That's a bit impractical... Lewa: second best. An interesting build (especially the lower legs), and very cool bladed tonfa/rotors. However, the arms' add-ons seem too clunky; it just seems like his neck problems passed on to his elbows. Could be just the image, though. The mask looks a lot more like the Miru mask (especially the smile), but also seems a bit animalistic. Pohatu: close, but not quite. The build and mask are nice, but nothing remarkable. The weapon, however, just feels underwhelming to me. I notice the G1 reference, but I never really liked the rock-weapon anyway, so it may be lost to me. Gali: this one's weird. The asymmetrical shoulders feel strange, but not too bad. Again, the mask is neat (hi, Nokama!). Once again, it's the weapon that makes it worse; or more accurately, the propeller. Just, why? What's the point? Tahu: for me this one's the weakest. Not because of the build or the mask; those are average. Not because of the double-bladed swords; those are cool. It's because of the color scheme: just too much gold. I know people complained about it this year, and it may just be my impression, but in this set he seems to use gold as a primary color and red as a secondary. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I guess sets like the Bohrok and films like ET don't exist any more do they? I remember the bohrok being the best-selling sets of G1. Or ET's so very human design. Kids clearly do not care about this thing. What do Bohrok and ET have to do with each other? ET was already old news when Jurassic Park was released. Because if kids did care about the line, LEGO would've continued G2 in 2016. Yes, clearly I was talking to you and not about the freaking discussion that's literally right above that post. Apparently the discussion that goes on for several posts right above that post of mine doesn't exist.. I wasn't talking to you anyway. If I was I would have quoted you. What do Bohrok and ET have to do with each other? Instead of leaping to attack me, maybe read the posts above and gain some context?!I It's obvious you weren't talking to me, but who were you talking to? You hadn't quoted anyone, the discussion had already changed, and it seemed like you were just making an off-hand comment about Bohrok and ET and talking about how these sets aren't popular with kids, when they are. If you really were talking about the effort that goes into a piece and how it fits into a set and subjective opinion, please let me know how. Really, I'm interested to know what you meant by what you said if you were simply joining the discussion with DV and the others. 1) I wasn't attacking you. 2) ET is literally mentioned nowhere on this page outside of posts made by you and I, and the only person that has even mentioned Bohrok on this page except for Lord-Vorahk, and he was talking about the Bohrok-Kal. I physically cannot "read the posts above" to gain context on why you brought up ET and the Bohrok, and I also cannot find out who you were talking to, if anyone, because you did not quote anyone. 3) I had read the above posts, and I did not see how they related to your post 4) You didn't answer my question. Mandate, I think what he means is to present the Bohrok and ET as examples of inhuman-looking characters which were well-liked despite, or because, of said appearance. Though even then, there's different reasons for that: ET used other visual cues besides anthropomorphism to look cute (if we only liked humanoid figures, there would be no pets, teddy bears or My Little Pony, among other things), and the Bohrok were villains meant to be freaky and inhuman anyway. That being said, Ikaatril, please calm down! Even if he attacked you (which he didn't, by the way) that's no excuse to be so rude! This discussion couldn't be any more relevant to what I wanted to talk about. I’ve figured out what’s bothering me with Tahu - He’s too textured. With the 2015 sets, each character had one unique texture alongside the sleek CCBS shells - the Toa had the piston addon, and the Skull Creatures had their cracked armour addons. Each figure had their own, cohesive look going on. This rule even applied to a lot of Hero Factory or Chima figures - Heck, even the Barraki, arguably. Contrast this against, say, Ackar. Ackar mixes the bevelled shaping of his Inika legs and Torso, the flatter more organic shaping of the Mahritoran blades on his shoulders, and then the blocky shaping of the Vahki limbs in his lower arms. He ends up looking like multiple things bashed together, because… Well, he is. 2016 Tahu is like Ackar. He has 4 unique textures alongside the CCBS shells - the new Technic-y armour piece and firey addon, and then the piston addon and the cracked Skull Creature addons. That’s 5 different kinds of texture on one figure, not counting the new torso and weapons. Put him next to 2016 Lewa, who is mostly textured with Vorox armour and CCBS shells, and you can see what I mean. He just doesn’t look cohesive. I don’t want to take this as an omen that LEGO are regressing design-wise with Bionicle (they likely aren’t), but Tahu is the leading ‘bot, so… I though Ackar's cobbled-up appearance made sense in the setting: Bara Magna was a post-apocalyptic desert, and the armor of everyone was probably put together with every piece of scrap they could find. Maybe the same is going on with the Toa? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ikaatril Posted September 23, 2015 Mandate, I think what he means is to present the Bohrok and ET as examples of inhuman-looking characters which were well-liked despite, or because, of said appearance. Though even then, there's different reasons for that: ET used other visual cues besides anthropomorphism to look cute (if we only liked humanoid figures, there would be no pets, teddy bears or My Little Pony, among other things), and the Bohrok were villains meant to be freaky and inhuman anyway. Thank you. See, Mandate, someone here read the above posts unlike you! Also, Mandate has done nothing but attack me and my opinions. So as long as he continues his 'attitude', I'll continue my own. Because having an unpopular opinion is not an 'attitude'. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toa of Gallifrey Posted September 23, 2015 I personally loved how strange the Barraki looked. I love it when Bionicle does sets like those, like the 01 Rahi, like the Phantoka Toa and Makuta, etc. I though Ackar's cobbled-up appearance made sense in the setting: Bara Magna was a post-apocalyptic desert, and the armor of everyone was probably put together with every piece of scrap they could find. Maybe the same is going on with the Toa? 2016 takes place in the NGE universe post-Third Impact confirmed? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dr_Chronos Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Also, Mandate has done nothing but attack me and my opinions. So as long as he continues his 'attitude', I'll continue my own. Because having an unpopular opinion is not an 'attitude'. Because that is totally going to end well. Be the bigger man, let it go. Negative attitudes never solve anything. Indeed the Creatures are meant to be cute. I for one I'm happy since most of the Rahi in G1 were big and scary, creatures like the Fikou and the Master Builder models being among the rare exceptions. Not sure what your point #5 means though. Someone on 4chan pointed attention to this. It certainly looks like a very early draft of these sets. I can see why that Elemental Being got scrapped- way, way too evil looking. I wondr if the design got reused for a Beast (Lava Beast?) ? I was running out of ideas by #5, it was just an observation. The Elemental Being idea has aspects of both the protectors (face design, humanoid) and the creatures (combination). It's interesting to see what it could have been. Edited September 23, 2015 by Dr_Chronos Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fulcrumfan91 Posted September 23, 2015 Tahu: for me this one's the weakest. Not because of the build or the mask; those are average. Not because of the double-bladed swords; those are cool. It's because of the color scheme: just too much gold. I know people complained about it this year, and it may just be my impression, but in this set he seems to use gold as a primary color and red as a secondary. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Ok hang on though, you like Onua the best...and he has a lot of gold featured on him..I mean less so than Tahu, but....anyway. What are your thoughts on Kopaka? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grima Posted September 23, 2015 Ok hang on though, you like Onua the best...and he has a lot of gold featured on him..I mean less so than Tahu, but.... Visually, Onua is about 25% gold. Tahu is at least 50% gold. Considering another ~35% of him is trans orange, not red, it's easy to see how red can stop feeling like his primary color, while Onua strikes a far better balance. (Granted, with Onua's main color being the same color as most CCBS bones, it's easier for him to feel more grounded.) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DraikNova Posted September 23, 2015 Also, black and purple go well with gold. Red and gold is just a bit overused in general, which makes any amount of it look worse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grima Posted September 23, 2015 Also, black and purple go well with gold. I agree. Also, I'm kinda disappointed that all but one of the Toa have blue eyes. I was hoping 2016 would step forward with diversity of eye colors, not backwards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDesuComplex Posted September 23, 2015 I agree. Also, I'm kinda disappointed that all but one of the Toa have blue eyes. I was hoping 2016 would step forward with diversity of eye colors, not backwards. Oh man, I was wondering why the color scheme of black and purple/gold seemed familar to me. I really regret missing out on this set. As to the eyestalks, I have five extra Trans-Neon-Green eyestalks so I do not really worry about it; of course, they could possibly change the eyestalks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aanchir Posted September 23, 2015 Also, black and purple go well with gold. Red and gold is just a bit overused in general, which makes any amount of it look worse. This reminds me of a little over a year ago when somebody was trying to argue with me that the Turaga Lhikan polybag had more effort put into it than any other "good guy"/"bad guy" figures because color schemes like black and orange or black and white "clash" while a color scheme like gold and red is inherently better. Yes, really. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Outsider Posted September 23, 2015 Ok hang on though, you like Onua the best...and he has a lot of gold featured on him..I mean less so than Tahu, but....anyway. What are your thoughts on Kopaka? I liked Onua the best because, as you said, he has less gold than Tahu, his build is more burly and different from the other Toa (and better proportioned than his 2015 self) and his weapon is cool. Tahu just has a cool weapon, but his build is an average, if large, humanoid structure; combine that with too much gold, and I like him the least. Do note, however, that this is just my opinion, and it's mostly based on personal appeal and first impressions. In fact, I was considering marking Lewa as my favorite until I took a better look at Onua. You're free to disagree with me, and it's possible that my own opinion might change once I have the finished sets in my hand. Also, I just said I liked Tahu the least; I still like these sets as a whole. I'm going to talk about Kopaka and Umarak tomorrow. I was going to talk now since you asked, but I have to leave now and I doubt I'll get time to sign in later. Sorry. This reminds me of a little over a year ago when somebody was trying to argue with me that the Turaga Lhikan polybag had more effort put into it than any other "good guy"/"bad guy" figures because color schemes like black and orange or black and white "clash" while a color scheme like gold and red is inherently better. Yes, really. ...Wow. Just, wow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fulcrumfan91 Posted September 23, 2015 I liked Onua the best because, as you said, he has less gold than Tahu, his build is more burly and different from the other Toa (and better proportioned than his 2015 self) and his weapon is cool. Tahu just has a cool weapon, but his build is an average, if large, humanoid structure; combine that with too much gold, and I like him the least. Do note, however, that this is just my opinion, and it's mostly based on personal appeal and first impressions. In fact, I was considering marking Lewa as my favorite until I took a better look at Onua. You're free to disagree with me, and it's possible that my own opinion might change once I have the finished sets in my hand. Also, I just said I liked Tahu the least; I still like these sets as a whole. I'm going to talk about Kopaka and Umarak tomorrow. I was going to talk now since you asked, but I have to leave now and I doubt I'll get time to sign in later. Sorry. No, that's totally fair. I kinda like Onua too myself...I was just pointing out that Onua has much more gold than his old self...but yeah, it's different on him than on Tahu. I'm really wondering what the combo model will look like between him and Terak...I mean...the basher ribs are kind of in the way and the pauldron claws/paws would look silly...at least it seems like that for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GK733 Posted September 23, 2015 Some people have pointed out that Gali seems to have a y-joint on her left thigh. Weapon holstering? Extra weapon? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDesuComplex Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) This reminds me of a little over a year ago when somebody was trying to argue with me that the Turaga Lhikan polybag had more effort put into it than any other "good guy"/"bad guy" figures because color schemes like black and orange or black and white "clash" while a color scheme like gold and red is inherently better. Yes, really. To be a bit fair, red and gold had not been used as much, and Lhikan was pretty much the first figure that I can think of that did it and he looked dang good doing it. After him and the polybag came Hakaan and Tahu Stars, and I don't remember seeing it much if at all in Hero Factory. Tahu uses it, and now Tahu 2015 and Ikir use it. Looking back at it that way... I dont think it's overused at all. Now, saying another color is inherently better is flawed logic because color schemes are always subjective. Edited September 23, 2015 by TheDesuComplex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Timeline15 Posted September 23, 2015 This reminds me of a little over a year ago when somebody was trying to argue with me that the Turaga Lhikan polybag had more effort put into it than any other "good guy"/"bad guy" figures because color schemes like black and orange or black and white "clash" while a color scheme like gold and red is inherently better. Yes, really. Well... he DID have more effort put in... because they actually gave him a mask xD Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mysteriouspi Posted September 23, 2015 Well... he DID have more effort put in... because they actually gave him a mask xD Yeah! And a proper head too, like his buddy Kazi! I'm fine with Onua's gold this time, even though he has more than before, because it's not mixing with large amounts of silver. They picked one metallic color this time (besides his mask frills) and stuck with it. That's a plus in my book. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Grima Posted September 23, 2015 To be a bit fair, red and gold had not been used as much, and Lhikan was pretty much the first figure that I can think of that did it and he looked dang good doing it. After him and the polybag came Hakaan and Tahu Stars, and I don't remember seeing it much if at all in Hero Factory. Tahu uses it, and now Tahu 2015 and Ikir use it. Looking back at it that way... I dont think it's overused at all. Now, saying another color is inherently better is flawed logic because color schemes are always subjective. Do you mean Jaller? Hakaan had gunmetal, not gold. The gold twins of the Piraka were Zaktan and Reidak (who both pulled it off rather well IMO) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheDesuComplex Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Do you mean Jaller? Hakaan had gunmetal, not gold. The gold twins of the Piraka were Zaktan and Reidak (who both pulled it off rather well IMO) Yeah, I thought off the top of my head that Hakaan had Zaktan's weapon, and Jaller did use gold chest armor and weapons. Edited September 23, 2015 by TheDesuComplex Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
