Bionicle 2016 Sets Discussion

[Aethersprite]

So, few thoughts I've had in regards to Kopaka and Umarak's Destroyer form. If Kopaka is in the $/£25 range, the new large hexagonal box would most likely be only for that tier, right? Which means they'd most likely use it again next year, possibly on UmarakTD, unless they release another set at that price. Or Kopaka's $/£30 and none of this matters.

Curious, how large a figure do people want out of Umarak the destroyer?

I'm hoping for something Grievous-sized. Wouldn't seem much of an upgrade if his Destroyer form was small.

Anyway, it just hit me: Onua's long hammer + swivel function = our first G2 Kolhii player!

Edited November 15, 2015 by Lockon Stratos

[YellowCorvette]

So, few thoughts I've had in regards to Kopaka and Umarak's Destroyer form. If Kopaka is in the $/£25 range, the new large hexagonal box would most likely be only for that tier, right? Which means they'd most likely use it again next year, possibly on UmarakTD, unless they release another set at that price. Or Kopaka's $/£30 and none of this matters.

Curious, how large a figure do people want out of Umarak the destroyer?

Something as big as this one: (http://brickset.com/sets/8998-1/Toa-Mata-Nu), but I doubt that it will happen.

Edited November 15, 2015 by ArmstrongYong

[Shakar]

And since Melum looks so miserable as opposed to other creatures I find it likely the set costs only 25$ as opposed to MMvsSG which was 30$

So, few thoughts I've had in regards to Kopaka and Umarak's Destroyer form. If Kopaka is in the $/£25 range, the new large hexagonal box would most likely be only for that tier, right? Which means they'd most likely use it again next year, possibly on UmarakTD, unless they release another set at that price. Or Kopaka's $/£30 and none of this matters.

Curious, how large a figure do people want out of Umarak the destroyer?

If Kopaka and Melum is 25 Euro (the Dollar-Euro conversion for these is 1:1 anyway) that would bring the Winter wave to a grand total of 180 Euro, exactly like the 2015 Winter wave. It'd be fair, since Melum is, well, a bit limited, and Kopaka himself is more or less Lewa with a gun in terms of complexity.

That might mean that the Summer wave amounts to 90 Euro like the Skull sets this year. If Umarak the Destroyer is 30 Euro, that would force the other 4 sets to be 15 Euro each. I'd personally like 1 or 2 Beasts to be a 20 Euro figure, but it's not vital I suppose.

How big do I want UtD to be? UtH is a bit shorter (not counting his antlers) than Darth Vader, right? He should at least be as tall as DV then. But ideally I'd want him to be on par with Grievous. But I fear my expectations are too high.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Shakar

[The_Fiery_Rooster]

My expectations for umarak the destroyer is not only larger in height, but more bulky as well. I'm imagining a warlord type guy with a cape.

[DraikNova]

I prefer a figure around as tall as Grievous, less wide, but more heavily armored and as a result possesing fewer gaps.

[Kalhiki]

As much as I'd like a big figure, I don't know if I'd want Umarak to be Grievous tall. If he's A) more heavily armored or B) a bit taller than the tallest Toa, I think I'll be happy.

[Shakar]

I don't think Umarak should be much bulkier than he is now, I just want him to be taller and still be well designed. And keep his antlers of course.

I'm curious about his colours too. I guess it depends on the nature of his transformation, if he's just enlarged his colour scheme should be fiarly similar to his Hunter form, but he's magically transformed his colours might change.

"Because it's not like the animations :o" is what I've summed it up to be. I like this one, as well, plus I'm not all too sure of how to transition the animation version into set form. For some reason I can't draw a clear image, maybe just my lack of an imagination(oh childhood, where you go?). Am curious though, maybe UmarakTD will get one more accurate to the animations, but that wouldn't make sense story-wise, and in marketing since the box-art features the winter one. Hm.

People are unhappy about the MoCo because...well, I don't know why, but personally it's because the Mask gives off a completely different feeling from the animated version. The animated Mask had these huge ram horns and a square chin, while the set form had its horns shrunk and the beard elongated. What is the effect? The Mask to me loses its aggressive attitude and becomes.. I don't know, older, less menacing. Picture a strong warrior in his prime (animated MoCo), and then imagine him in about 30-40 years, aged and out of shape (set MoCo). That's how it feels to me.

I can't picture Umarak or Makuta wearing that mask. It looks like it belongs to an old wizard, not a titan of evil. I hope the Mask looks better in person and/or that Umarak the Destroyer includes a corrupted/mutated version. The beard can stay, but I do want those ram horns.

And regarding the Toa, I get the "they lost individuality" bit, but I'm pretty sure it is mostly due to the Unity function (which limits both the Toa and the Creatures in their designs, actually). The new build should be able to allow a completely custom torso- it depends on how the other two new parts we can't see (black upper gear+neck ball joint and dark bley ribcage area) work.

That's only partly justified though, they could've still slipped some unique tidbits in, on their limbs if the torsos couldn't be customized.

But it's not terrible, since I feel they look more unified (HAH..s-sorry) this way. But that's always been a debate- should a team of Toa be as diverse as possible (Toa Mata, Mahri, Masters..) or should its members be more unified in their looks (Toa Nuva, Metru, Hordika, Inika, Uniters)? Depends on personal preference, in the end.

[dviddy]

People are unhappy about the MoCo because...well, I don't know why, but personally it's because the Mask gives off a completely different feeling from the animated version

This exactly. They are two different masks almost entirely. The animated mask is aggressive, dark, slightly evil, malevolent. The new one looks like an older dwarf wearing a war-cap from LotR. It's not the same effect or design at all.

[YellowCorvette]

This exactly. They are two different masks almost entirely. The animated mask is aggressive, dark, slightly evil, malevolent. The new one looks like an older dwarf wearing a war-cap from LotR. It's not the same effect or design at all.

And also, the mask is over-detailed. That's also the same reason why I prefer the MoCr in the animations rather than the set version.

[Lyichir]

This exactly. They are two different masks almost entirely. The animated mask is aggressive, dark, slightly evil, malevolent. The new one looks like an older dwarf wearing a war-cap from LotR. It's not the same effect or design at all.

I can see the difference, but I greatly prefer the version in the set... both for Makuta and in general. The one in the animations felt unfinished, like someone just cobbled a pair of horns onto Makuta's mask from Mask of Light. The new one feels much better suited to be a counterpart to the ornate Mask of Creation, as far as I'm concerned.

[GK733]

Back on track with the design disappointments.

Pohatu looked like he had lost his left arm, there was no elemental flow to it and the only piece same was his hand. You can't make a fully artificial arm into one working like the other just by changing some armor and somehow this is the case with his uniter model.

And Onua being less wide/bulky, you either can't make a character less bulky just by replacing his armor, it's part of Onua himself, not an armor add-on. Granted, everything else is obtainable trough armor and gear upgrades, though it depends if Lewa still has his shoulders higher than the rest.

I might sound nitpicky and like an absolute nerd here but the concept art clearly gives out the message that the sets are not the actual characters, they just represent them, like it has always been with Bionicle.

Ekimu probably didn't take Onua's upper torso apart nor made some inner workings for Pohatu's left arm, because I wouldn't call it "upgrading gear and armor". Of course there could be an explanation for it but I seriously doubt it.

I don't even know if this fits more into the story or set discussion anymore even.

[Dorek]

And also, the mask is over-detailed. That's also the same reason why I prefer the MoCr in the animations rather than the set version.

The finalized version was always going to have more details, though.

I have no particularly strong feelings on one design over the other, but all this talk about masks makes me think... Mask of Time in Umarak the Destroyer, maybe? It's been a while since that got a mention, and if the original panel was any indication, we're getting it at some point in the future.

[Ceroknight]

I remember when the third? series of Hero Factory was released everyone thought they looked like Power Rangers, I can't help but thinking about that when I saw the second series of Bionicle 2.0.

Which isn't a bad thing of course, and I can't wait to see better pictures of them when they are released.

[Takanuinuva]

Looking at the preliminary and the finalized versions of the mask of control. They don't seem too different. The horns are less curved and the cheeks aren't as pointy but otherwise there exactly the same. Still looks nothing like the animation though. The hole might also not have any marking as it looks to be the moulding hole that all the masks have

I will delete this picture if its not allowed.

Edited November 16, 2015 by Takanuinuva

[Fulcrumfan91]

Looking at the preliminary and the finalized versions of the mask of control. They don't seem too different. The horns are less curved and the cheeks aren't as pointy but otherwise there exactly the same. Still looks nothing like the animation though. The hole might also not have any marking as it looks to be the moulding hole that all the masks have

I will delete this picture if its not allowed.

They really aren't that different, but people will constantly complain about something. I do it all the time :P

[---Vertea---]

hm... looks like Goht from Majora's Mask lol.

That aside, I really don't care for the round forehead and droopy look. It's less evil, and more grumpy.

[One Very Agile Cat]

I can see the difference, but I greatly prefer the version in the set... both for Makuta and in general. The one in the animations felt unfinished, like someone just cobbled a pair of horns onto Makuta's mask from Mask of Light. The new one feels much better suited to be a counterpart to the ornate Mask of Creation, as far as I'm concerned.

I agree, I like the set version more. It also feels less... blatantly evil. Iike it's still mean-looking, but Makuta wasn't always a horrible guy according to the story. It feels like it could be the mask of a neutral dude as well as a villain. Plus, it feels more like the MoCr's contemporary with the addition of the cheek protrusions. I really like it, and I'll definitely be getting extra sets to try and make a "Protector" Makuta.

They really aren't that different, but people will constantly complain about something. I do it all the time :P

No kidding. When I first saw these pictures, I thought "man this'll make some folks on Eurobricks happy for sure" and then NOPE. "Old sets were too simplified!" "New sets are too detailed!"

[Aethersprite]

I prefer the prelim version. The finalized version really looks like a grumpy dwarf wearing a skullcap, as DV mentioned. The prelim version, unlike the animation version, is also less "blatantly evil", and more ornate. I like the more sloped gradient of its horns compared to the rounder finalized version. Oh well. Hopefully it looks better in-hand.

[MakutaOfWar]

Looking at the preliminary and the finalized versions of the mask of control. They don't seem too different. The horns are less curved and the cheeks aren't as pointy but otherwise there exactly the same. Still looks nothing like the animation though. The hole might also not have any marking as it looks to be the moulding hole that all the masks have

I will delete this picture if its not allowed.

The first one is just a mirror of the set, right? Somebody try mirroring the actual one and it might look similar.

Edit: Just tried it, similar results as it doesn't look like the mask on the boxes.

Edited November 16, 2015 by MakutaOfWar

[Dorek]

I mean, when you compare the Mask of Creation to its animation version... the difference there is pretty striking too. The face part is a lot smaller, the layering of the cheeks is different, the brows are a lot more pronounced. The video version was an unrealistic expectation to start with. As long as the final design contains the same level of intricacy as the current MoCr does, I can't complain.

Final MoCr and animation version

[bidiminished]

I'm glad that Onua has a more regular physique, because his 2015 one was a really generic way to signify strength, and it relied on using a massive chest piece rather more complex construction. Overall, I like this wave more because the toa no longer use the dreadful 2015 gearbox. Hopefully the arms are in line with the rest of the build, and the new torso seems taller, meaning that the legs and arms will be more proportionate.

Some of the mask designs seem great, like Onua's, but others like Gali have a worse design or a design that is ruined by the silver "hair". It would be a lot nicer if all the masks were monochromatic.

It's incredible how the ugly HF Type 2 foot is still being used and we still don't have a red 4L shell.

[YellowCorvette]

I also prefer the prelim version ore than the final version like the others.The prelim version looks smoother and sleeker. The final version looks less evil and make the wearer looks more old.

Edited November 16, 2015 by ArmstrongYong

[One Very Agile Cat]

Overall, I like this wave more because the toa no longer use the dreadful 2015 gearbox.

Whoa, and now all of a sudden the gearbox is "dreadful?" It's like as soon as the year coems to a close eveyrthign in it has just become total shite for no reason.

Lego fans, man.

[Aethersprite]

Whoa, and now all of a sudden the gearbox is "dreadful?" It's like as soon as the year coems to a close eveyrthign in it has just become total shite for no reason.

Lego fans, man.

I wouldn't go so far as to say the 2015 gearbox is dreadful, but I do share his opinion that I didn't like how it caused the shoulders to be so far back, and exposed the shoulder balljoints on the existing torso. Thankfully this problem won't recur next year.

[bidiminished]

Whoa, and now all of a sudden the gearbox is "dreadful?" It's like as soon as the year coems to a close eveyrthign in it has just become total shite for no reason.

Lego fans, man.

Haha, it was "dreadful" from the beginning.

• Shoulders shifted 2M back (biggest problem for me, not a problem at all for some others)
  
• Exposed balljoints and inner workings look ugly
  
• The back armour sticks out a module too much
  
• Having the shoulder armour rotate was messy and made posing more annoying
  
• You can change the shoulder height, but the actual figure height is the same because the head is in the same place
  
• The ridges that stop the gears from falling out reduce versatility.
  
• The minimum shoulder width is 9M, which is quite broad.
  

But in comparison, the gearbox design on the 2016 SW figures seems to fix almost every problem with the 2015 gearbox.