Bionicle 2016 Sets Discussion

[One Very Agile Cat]

I think they're three-colored. Tahu's seem to have a bit of yellow or orange in them besides the gold and red, so it doesn't seem to strange for Onua's and Terak's to be gold, grey and tr. purple, which would align nicely with Korgot's shoulder armor color.

I was tempted to say the orange was just the red mixing with the gold, but you're right it does look distinctly bright orange.

[Konahrik]

I was tempted to say the orange was just the red mixing with the gold, but you're right it does look distinctly bright orange.

I think it has to do with the rendering of that piece. Kopaka's crystal add on looks like there is some green between the gold and trans light blue. I doubt there will actually be three colors on that specific piece.

[DraikNova]

Didn't we have the exact same discussion about the Voltix lightning pieces?

[GK733]

To be fair, Ekimu's protector mask has some green hue too. It's not because there's green in there but simply because there are two colors that are clashing.

And we finally have crisp-clear pics without any marks restricting me form posting them, all expect Umarak and Unity set.

http://lavoixdekimu.tumblr.com/post/133803679955/les-images-de-la-premi%C3%A8re-vague-de-sets-bionicle

Edited November 23, 2015 by GK733

[Fulcrumfan91]

Ah lol whoops, I was late. Pohatu is awesome, looks incomplete from the back, but I'm sure that when he'll be combined with Ketar that he'll look monstrously cool. Onua is good too, as is Terak. Gali is excellent, Lewa is well-designed, save for all the silver that seems to be drowning out his green (I'm still not sure about Lewa tbh). Tahu and Ikir are actually a bit disappointing for me....I'm mostly disappointed by Ikir. Just don't like him. Maybe reviews will change my mind.

Edited November 23, 2015 by lambda_cla3391

[Takanuinuva]

the black backgrounds make the Toa's eyes look dead since it removes most of the blue.

But finally I can give my opinions on them

Uxar- Not to bad a design and certainly different enough from Ikir in terms of build. I might pick this one up.

Ketar- I really don't like this design at all. If its supposed to be a scorpion it looks nothing like one. The arm blades look just tacked on. I'll pass on this one

Akida- A bit to0 technic heavy but I suspect there is some kind of gimmick in there other than the stud shooters. I'll get it if it goes on sale

Ikir- Love this one really convey's the phoenix style and I love how they did the back talons on the feet. Definitely buying this one when it comes out

Terak- Also love this one all that glorious trans purple. Buying this as soon as it comes out.

Lewa- Not too bad a design. I appreciate the custom design for the lower legs but I don't really care for them. I'll get him but only for those trans apple green bohrok eyes.

Pohatu- He doesn't look bad but I don't care for the staff. I'll pass on him for now but I might get him if he goes on sale

Gali- Hate the asymmetry. Other than that she looks pretty good. Probably get her if she goes on sale

Tahu- Way too much gold. Tahu needs more red. Trans orange does not work as a replacement to red. Completely passing on him.

Onua- All that trans purple is glorious and were finally getting trans purple 1x1 studs. Getting him ASAP.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Takanuinuva

[xboxtravis7992]

I'm actually kind of okay with Tahu's colors: Jaller Inika and Tahu MoF did nearly the same thing and it kind of worked. What I don't like is Tahu's swords,those just look wrong.

The water creature (Akida?) is my favorite creature, it just looks like an actual fish.

Looking at the pictures on Brickset I can see that there is also a new brainstalk!

Edited November 23, 2015 by xboxtravis7992

[Aanchir]

Just wrote up a news story for BZPower with links to all 85 pics. Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

[Voxovan]

So we ARE getting a new brainstalk! Sweet!

[Takanuinuva]

Looks like we get a new torso bone that molded with the gear at the waist. Luckily its still compatible with the 2015 gearbox so we can have Toa with both functions. I might just bricklink a couple of the new torso pieces to mod my 2015 toa with.

Edit: Forgot to give my opinions on Kopaka, Melum and Umarak

Kopaka- Looks pretty good although they forgot to show us a picture of Kopaka's back with the POU showing how to connect to Melum

Melum- Looks ok if just a slightly smaller clone to Terak- Still getting both it and Kopaka

Umarak- Still don't care for the horns or legs but Its cool to see he can unite with the creatures. Particularly Uxar Ikir and Terak. Though Umarak's shoulders are a bit to low. I'm really starting to like the new Mask of Control design. And I was right about the hole on the forehead. Its just a molding hole and there is no engraving on it.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Takanuinuva

[Vinyl Scratch]

Picturing Umarak's leg from the side was probably not a good idea at all.

Looks a bit weaker than the box art, but still, I love him. The fact that he can unite with the creatures of Jungle, Fire and Earth is sweet, and probably confirms that the Beasts will unite with him too. I wonder if he can unite with Stone and Water too?

[Frozen Assasin]

New pieces...new colors...new builds...new everything...this is better than the probability of Tom Hiddelston in one movie with Benedict Cumberbatch and RDJ...OHMYFRACKINGOD THIS IS MOTHERFRACKING AMAZING OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOD OHMYGOOOOOOOODDDDDD. *faints*

[TheDesuComplex]

Just wrote up a news story for BZPower with links to all 85 pics. Here it is for your viewing pleasure!

Thank you for compiling the images with links! Lots of very exciting things coming through. Looks like my prediction just two days ago was still pretty off, but I'm alright with that. The torso we have seems to be really awesome!

The fact that he can unite with the creatures of Jungle, Fire and Earth is sweet, and probably confirms that the Beasts will unite with him too. I wonder if he can unite with Stone and Water too?

All of the creatures use the same connections, so he can connect to them all. Uxar makes the most sense color-wise.

[Aanchir]

Opinion time!

Lewa looks great, possibly the best of the Toa. His back is a little bare-bones, but he uses some very creative techniques very creatively for his arms and legs. Lewa's new mask looks awesome, though it's surprising a lot of people consider it more authentic to his classic mask than the 2015 version was, since most of the similarities to the classic mask were present in both versions. I do wish Lewa had a more contrasting color like Gali and Tahu do. Even Flame Yellowish Orange like this year's version used could look quite nice.

Pohatu generally looks alright, but his color scheme is not as coherent as Lewa. I think he'd be much improved if he used 4M Silver Metallic shells on his forearms instead of 3M Tr. Flu. Green ones. Maybe also if he used Dark Orange shells on his upper legs rather than Sand Yellow ones, though I know many people would be upset to miss out on a new recolor, particularly in such a rare color. His weapon is one of the weirder ones, as is his "Power Up" form with the Creature of Stone. His mask is very nice, though!

Gali might be my second-favorite of the Toa, after Lewa. Her design is now asymmetrical, yet well balanced (so she sort of takes Pohatu's place as the asymmetrical team member). Her weapon is similar to Pohatu's, but I generally like hers more. Her color scheme is very dynamic, with orange accents taking the place of the previous version's yellow ones and Tr. Dark Blue taking the place of the previous version's Titanium Metallic. The "powered up" form looks great. The artists creating these renders chose some excellent poses for her. And her mask is a great update of the current version.

Tahu's proportions are not as weird as I expected them to be since his lower legs are actually 6 modules rather than 5 — which means we get a nice new recolored shell and recolored beam as well. I think his upper legs could stand to be a module shorter, though. His combination with the Creature of Fire is excellent and makes for a particularly majestic upgrade. I'm still not totally digging the way he uses so many different textures. Maybe the crystal element from his lower legs would have been a better fit for his lower arms as well. Like the others, he's got a good mask, and I love his Dark Azur accents!

Onua... oh dear, what to say about Onua. He's definitely a coherent design with a well-coordinated color scheme, but I do not think this design suits the character nearly as well as his design from last year did. I miss his clawed feet and his short stature and his muscular chest. I'm not as thrilled with his mask as many of the others (though it's a better upgrade than the Pakari Nuva in 2002 was), and I'm not 100% sold on the "Power Up" form with the Creature of Earth. The weapon also lacks the crystal motif of the others, which is a bit of a shame, but at least it's creative.

I had already seen some details of the Kopaka and Melum Unity Set at BrickFair New Jersey, so it's not as new to me. Kopaka looks nice, although his color scheme would probably feel a lot more balanced if his shoulder shells were Warm Gold instead of Silver Metallic. I guess it just wasn't in the budget. His design does nicely evoke the feeling of a lean character in heavy padded armor. I like his new sword a lot more than his new shield, but maybe it will have some stickers to spice it up a bit. He was cool when he had a spear, but since Pohatu and Gali now both have spears a sword offers more variety. And it does feel distinct from Tahu's.

The Toa in general have longer torsos than they did previously, and I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about that. I definitely am not too fond of how all the characters use friction joints in their ankles, because in my opinion it messes up the proportions of the foot. I understand why they did it, but perhaps a newer foot with a shorter ankle (2M rather than 3M) would have been a good idea. The new eyestalk looks good, but makes me wish the Toa's eyes were green like the "good guy" eyes in 2006 and 2010. Because not only was that an generally sound decision even back then, but a fluorescent color would probably glow a lot better with the new truncated eyestalk. The elemental crystal motif of the armor and masks is a much nicer update in my opinion than the extremely organic look of the Kanohi Nuva from 2002.

On to the creatures!

Uxar is an awesome bug design with some good recolors and tasteful use of System. The Jungle shadow trap gives a good idea of what to expect with the others: a bear-trap with element-specific legs and possibly a tail. The yellow accents look gerat with the green, and are the sort of thing I'd have liked to see more of on Lewa. The flapping wings function seems nice, and is a great addition to Lewa in "power up" mode.

Ketar has a cool slashing function that sets it apart from past scorpion creatures. I wonder how Pohatu's previously expressed hatred of scorpios might affect his bonding with Ketar. I wish the tail were mounted a bit lower on the body, and I'm not sure why a new recolor for the Vorox shell was necessary for just this set (Pohatu uses it in Silver). The shadow trap is simple, but I like its "stinger".

Akida is definitely one of the most unique creatures. Instead of a gear function it has launchers that change direction with the angle of the fins. Bit awkward that you can't spin the propellors without firing the blasters, though. The color scheme suits Akida as well as it suits Gali. The shadow trap is nice, though maybe more organic-looking tentacles or fins might have suited the environment better than legs.

Ikir really has what it takes to be the "poster child" of the Great Elemental Creatures. Good posability, a unique avian design, and a cool color scheme. I don't know if the Hero Factory flames really suit the design or go well with the new crystal blade pieces on the wings. The wings flap when you press the tail, which is a nice function. Great talons! Ikir's Shadow Trap is maybe the most mundane, though.

Terak is a nice design. Its "digging" function when you press the tail is quite nice! It has some great new recolors too. I mentioned already I'm not super thrilled with its "power up" function with Onua, in part because it doesn't add extra functions the way Uxar, Akida, and Ikir's combinations do. And Onua's shoulder armor didn't really need beefing up. The drill legs on the Shadow Trap are nifty!

Melum is a bit plain as creatures go, and similar structurally to Terak, but its "bear hug" function seems interesting. Its combination with Kopaka makes a bit more sense than Onua's with Terak, since Onua already has pretty beefy shoulders while Kopaka's are a little leaner. It also does a nice job balancing out Kopaka's color scheme. Bit of a shame that this set doesn't include a Shadow Trap, but it'd be easy to rig up a custom one!

Finally we come to Umarak. They really want to push that Umarak can combine with any of the creatures, judging from all the different "Power Up" pics. The Creature of Jungle matches Umarak's color scheme best, but I actually like the other ones' contrast. Feels a bit more evil and unnatural. Umarak's antlers are awesome, and it's great to have the segmented leg/tail pieces in the same color at long last! The bow and sword are both nice weapons, if ones we've seen a lot in this year's sets.

Umarak's color scheme is a lot more dynamic than the typical red and black we see for villains. It almost feels like camouflage, which suits a hunter character. Some people have criticized Umarak's leg construction, but I feel like it's fairly coherent and quite creative. Umarak's mask is nice and spooky, and the Mask of Control looks excellent, every bit as ornate as Ekimu's but a bit more stern. My biggest criticism of Umarak is that the area above his shoulders feels a bit gappy.

Overall, my opinion of the new sets since seeing these new, highly-detailed pictures has generally improved. I look forward to getting some story info on more of these characters!

[MakutaOfWar]

*grabs wallet, sigh*

Loving the technic, really nice and nostalgia-inducing. So the Creatures can be enemies, I guess?

[davidr]

Gali's mask looks like Matau's mixed with movie Nokama's

Edited November 23, 2015 by davidr

[Bbrink1996]

The silver creature heads on golden Toa masks look better than I expected, they look like helmets and look really good actually.

Also, can we all agree that Gali's gold/trans blue mask is super sexy?

[DraikNova]

I don't have the time to write up a detailed response right now, but the main torso piece looks both weird and useful, and I don't understand why the smaller Toa don't use their silver masks when in combined form, since the silver masks of the creatures really clash with their gold ones.

[Lyichir]

The silver creature heads on golden Toa masks look better than I expected, they look like helmets and look really good actually.

Also, can we all agree that Gali's gold/trans blue mask is super sexy?

I actually think the silver creature heads look BETTER when combined, since instead of blending together with the masks into a visually indistinct clump, they form a sort of crown that looks super-awesome. Makes me wish all the creature heads had been silver...

My thoughts about these sets pretty much match Aanchir's, so I won't go into too much detail. Let's just say I'm impressed with these sets despite their flaws and can't wait to get them physically!

[One Very Agile Cat]

Oh man, I am loving these sets even more. Can't wait to get creative. Gali may have the best combo model.

I feel like, I guess to have a universal attachment point, they're a little lacking in the back. A little flat. And Umarak's arms look like they should be up one module on the Hordika head thing, but otherwise he looks great. It's cool how his mask is tatered/broken at the mouth.

[Shakar]

I have very little to complain about these. The backs are decent, the builds are custom enough, the masks look great (the MoCo looks better!), and my my Kopaka, Onua, Lewa and Umarak look AWESOME.

Also, hooray for Lewa and Umarak the Fairy Types!

[Quisoves Pugnat]

Coolio!

Though I'm disappointed to see that the posing hasn't improved much from the prelims, sill as that might sound. This year's sets were posed much more dynamically. It doesn't affect me, much, but I could see it making a dent in sales. I appreciate that the staffs are part of the problem, but you still think there'd be a better way. Gali's picture is the worst example of this.

On another note, Lewa's mask is an intriguing blend of his 2001 Kanohi and his current mask.

My favorite Toa are probably Onua (again) and Kopaka (in spite of his upper arms.) I'm having a much harder time picking my favorite creature. The Toa are wonderful, don't get me wrong, but these beasties benefit immensely from not being tethered to a humanoid template.

[One Very Agile Cat]

Oh yeah, the masks are excellent. I like Tahu's the best. It probably goes Tahu, Lewa, Kopaka, Onua, Pohatu, then Gali. And she's only the last because she looks a little bald compared to her 2015 version's sweet mask.

[Aethersprite]

EDIT: Double post, oops.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Lockon Stratos

[Dorek]

_{are we on the upswing of popular opinion now}

Looking good, looking good. I think this is the first solid look we've gotten of Kopaka and Melum apart, and I'm really digging their vibe. Good combo, good individuals, just solid colors and everything across the board.