Bionicle 2016 Sets Discussion

[TwistLaw]

Onua looks to be my favourite Toa, along with Kopaka! His mask is one of my favourite of the 2016 masks. The silver meshes very well with the black.

After twelve years Tehutti's legacy lives on.

[Aethersprite]

After twelve years Tehutti's legacy lives on.

Ah, yes. Also, while Uniter Onua's mask is a great design and update to Master Onua's, it's not very G1 Onua-ish in essence. It reminds me more of the Great Ruru.

[Lyichir]

I am pretty sure they made his other arm use a hinged bone because it being the end holding up the hammer needs a bit more friction, and I believe the hinged bone does have the sort of stability needed to hold a big ol' drill-hammer. As to why it isn't Tr. Blu. Violet- I have a feeling that his legs where already the Dark Bley variety and they didn't want to include the same part in another color or make all of his bones that color.

I figure it has more to do with not wanting the set to include both "A" and "B" beams in the same color. Those two parts are very easily mistakeable, especially to someone new to CCBS, so if all of his bones had been Trans. Bright Bluish Violet I think there would be a lot of issues with builders accidentally using the wrong bones on the wrong limbs (or parts of his limbs). Note that this is similar reasoning to why both "A" and "B" bones alternate between Dark Stone Grey and Black in most modern sets—it ensures that two different types of bone in the same size will be easily distinguishable.

[Iben]

I figure it has more to do with not wanting the set to include both "A" and "B" beams in the same color. Those two parts are very easily mistakeable, especially to someone new to CCBS, so if all of his bones had been Trans. Bright Bluish Violet I think there would be a lot of issues with builders accidentally using the wrong bones on the wrong limbs (or parts of his limbs). Note that this is similar reasoning to why both "A" and "B" bones alternate between Dark Stone Grey and Black in most modern sets—it ensures that two different types of bone in the same size will be easily distinguishable.

I still think this is taking it a bridge to far for my personal taste. I honestly cannot imagine that there would be such a multitude of accidents between using the wrong bones on the wrong limbs. I'm not saying that it wouldn't happen at all; I'm saying that "a lot of issues" feels a bit exaggerated. The shapes of the bones are certainly familiar; but the instruction booklets should just be clear enough to prevent confusion. You can't avoid all mistakes of course.

Both in CCBS and the older system, we have bones/ connectors that are quite visible. They are unmistakeably a big part of the colour-scheme of the set. In the "old system" the connector parts were an essential part of the colour-scheme and more often than not they really did complement the design. In the case of CCBS, the bones are just as visible and once you disrupt the colour flow of the bones by alternating between colours for different kind of bones, then you're messing up the whole colour-scheme.

I'm not saying that it can't work because in some cases it certainly does; but in a majority of the sets I feel it looks a lot better when all bones have the same colour. Tahu 2016 for instance uses 3 different bone colours, and it's really bugging me. I can see the reason behind the colour coding in smaller pieces like the small Technic axles and pins; but when it comes to larger pieces like CCBS bones, I think the colour-inconsistency is just to prominent.

It's my personal opinion though, I can get that it doesn't bother other people; but for me it does.

-Iben

[Aanchir]

Ah, yes. Also, while Uniter Onua's mask is a great design and update to Master Onua's, it's not very G1 Onua-ish in essence. It reminds me more of the Great Ruru.

To me it feels like a cross between the 2015 Mask of Earth and both the 2002 and 2008 versions of the Pakari Nuva. Like the 2002 Pakari Nuva, it's now much wider, and like the 2008 one it has angular contours and narrow triangular "fins" in the lower left and right corners (which are very visible here).

I'm not sure where people are seeing similarities to the Great Ruru. That mask's most iconic traits in my eyes were the large triangular cavities in the cheeks and the stipple texture on the forehead. The latter isn't really present on the new mask at all, and the closest thing to the former are the cavities way up near the eyes, which are just larger versions of the ones from the 2015 version of the mask. I guess you could say there's slightly similar detail in the mouth area, but again, that's more similar to the 2015 Mask of Earth than to the Great Ruru.

[TheDesuComplex]

As has been demonstrated, to a newbie it is very hard to make CCBS sets as per instructions. A good example is the Brickset review for 44018- I believe Huw was corrected twice on the placement of shells. Another example is that, in many reviews of 75111, people who are new to CCBS not only place his lower arms the wrong way around but also complain about the lack of arm articulation that results from this. It is not that much of a stretch at all to say that people will mix up bones of the same length (which I swear I have seen before too). Since the differently colored bones came out with the Savage Planet wave, it's not that much of a stretch to think that it was a common complaint from builders during the 2.0 wave.

[Aanchir]

I've even seen people mix up bones of different lengths — I remember seeing a photo of Brain Attack Stormer that used the 6M "B" beams on his lower arms and 5M "A" beams on his upper legs.

Even in G1 Bionicle, color decisions were often made as much for ease of building as for aesthetics. For instance, alternating colors between adjacent parts to make the building instructions more legible, as in the Toa Metru sets — colored hips, grey thighs, colored shins, grey ankles, colored feet. And when it could be avoided, G1 Bionicle sets wouldn't use near-identical parts in the same color. Just look at the beams on the back of the 2008 Takanuva set — the longer 13M beam is Dark Stone Grey, the shorter 11M beams are White. G1 canister sets ran into this issue less because so many of their parts had highly specialized shapes and textures, so there was less risk of confusing, say, a Toa Metru shin with a Vahki shin of the same color. The same goes for more specialized CCBS parts like shell add-ons, which is why the new Tahu can use the Skull Villain add-on, 2015 piston add-on, and Piece of Unification in the same color. But basic CCBS beams, like basic Technic beams, are aesthetically similar parts in modular sizes, so with those there are more issues where certain parts are near-identical and have to be included in sets in different colors for ease of building.

[Shakar]

It's also nice to see that Shakar and me where damn close on the torso bone. It does look beautiful in the flesh and I'm glad to see that they found a way to work in some more friction.

Hah, yeah, we pretty much nailed it. Looking at the Kylo Ren review, though, the SW torso is slightly different in that there's only one module above the shoulder connection, unlike the Uniter torso which has two.

Overall I'm ok with it. The gunmetal hips are a surprise, but they work as a common solution for the silver torso shell (Lewa, Gali) and the black one (Onua). Seems like the hips and the bone can be removed too, though it requires force. And there's enough friction, so no awkward flopping waists like 03 Makuta's. So no complaints, though I'm waiting to make a final judgement until I get my hands on the piece(s).

[Fulcrumfan91]

http://www.bzpower.com/story.php?ID=8171

:D

[xboxtravis7992]

Akida includes a stand? Sweat.

[Aethersprite]

Akida includes a stand? Sweat.

Wait, what? That's awesome!

Compared to the other Creatures, Akida seems pretty weak, function-wise. But I'm a sucker for aquatic stuff so I'll be getting it anyway. And the fact that it has a stand just makes it so much better. Props to Lego for including one; they could've easily left it out.

[Kalhiki]

Akida includes a stand? Sweat.

Now that's cool. How nice of them to include a stand.

I kinda like Akida... Don't care for the guns, but the figure looks properly fishy.

[CloverMaryam]

Oh man I'm digging the mask.

[Aanchir]

Akida has a pretty incredible value, I've got to say. 120 pieces for $10? I can count the number of Bionicle sets with a better price per piece than that on two hands (all but two of them are bulk parts buckets, the other two are Vezon & Kardas and Voporak). Even if you deduct the ammo for the stud shooters, that's still 96 pieces for $10! Most G1 canister sets cost $8–10 for less than HALF that many!

I was a bit unsure how much I liked Akida, but after reading/watching this review I definitely think it's a great set. Beautiful color scheme, creative build, and an authentically fishy look (though I think Jawblade had a better tail). I look forward to adding Akida and Gali to my collection!

[MakutaOfWar]

Really liking Akida, but judging by that picture of Gali I'm a tad disappointed. Her(Gali) color scheme is waaaaay too spastic for my taste. The orange, blue, silver, and two shades of translucent blue? Yikes. And those grey bones are a bit of an eyesore for some reason, which is odd considering they never bothered me in other figures. But it is nice to see the 2015 blue in a different shell size, as well as Akida's use of the colors. The orange also is appealing to an extent. Well, there's my premature opinion of Gali from the Akida review. Cheers.

[Aanchir]

Really liking Akida, but judging by that picture of Gali I'm a tad disappointed. Her(Gali) color scheme is waaaaay too spastic for my taste. The orange, blue, silver, and two shades of translucent blue? Yikes. And those grey bones are a bit of an eyesore for some reason, which is odd considering they never bothered me in other figures. But it is nice to see the 2015 blue in a different shell size, as well as Akida's use of the colors. The orange also is appealing to an extent. Well, there's my premature opinion of Gali from the Akida review. Cheers.

Personally I think Gali's color scheme looks really coherent. Really, most of what it does is swap out most of the 2015 set's Titanium Metallic parts for Tr. Blue, and its yellow parts for Bright Orange. Otherwise it just redistributes those colors a bit to fit her new asymmetrical armor layout.

I don't think the grey parts are obtrusive (in this particular photo it's hard to tell they're even a different shade from the set's many Silver Metallic parts), but your comment does make me wonder a bit why the set used those parts at all, instead of using black 5M "A" beams. Usually it's because they want the extra friction in the elbows, but that clearly wasn't a concern for Pohatu, Kopaka, Tahu, or Lewa, and Gali's weapon is hardly any different structurally than Pohatu's. So maybe they just wanted the elbows to be a little less bony.

[CabooseBM]

Akida looks like a sad pile of technic pieces, put together for pure function with no thought to form or finesse. The fins everywhere don't do much to hide that.

Props on the stand though!

Edited December 9, 2015 by CabooseBM

[DraikNova]

Akida looks pretty good for a pseudotechnic set, and that stand is nice. I really hope that Gali's review includes a picture where the two are combined, but using the blue and silver mask rather than the gold and tr. blue.

[santaends]

I'm liking the 2016 sets already.. those fins? They'll look good on a small fan.

[Logan McOwen]

Yikes. Akida is certainly the LoSS equivalent of this wave. Gali's nice though - I like the gunmetal!

[Iben]

I've even seen people mix up bones of different lengths — I remember seeing a photo of Brain Attack Stormer that used the 6M "B" beams on his lower arms and 5M "A" beams on his upper legs.

Even in G1 Bionicle, color decisions were often made as much for ease of building as for aesthetics. For instance, alternating colors between adjacent parts to make the building instructions more legible, as in the Toa Metru sets — colored hips, grey thighs, colored shins, grey ankles, colored feet. And when it could be avoided, G1 Bionicle sets wouldn't use near-identical parts in the same color. Just look at the beams on the back of the 2008 Takanuva set — the longer 13M beam is Dark Stone Grey, the shorter 11M beams are White. G1 canister sets ran into this issue less because so many of their parts had highly specialized shapes and textures, so there was less risk of confusing, say, a Toa Metru shin with a Vahki shin of the same color. The same goes for more specialized CCBS parts like shell add-ons, which is why the new Tahu can use the Skull Villain add-on, 2015 piston add-on, and Piece of Unification in the same color. But basic CCBS beams, like basic Technic beams, are aesthetically similar parts in modular sizes, so with those there are more issues where certain parts are near-identical and have to be included in sets in different colors for ease of building.

I don't think I was clear in my complaint. It isn't that I'm against colour-coding perse, because it's really necessary of course. What I dislike is that there now seems to be a "uniform" colour-coding for A and B beams; aka the grey and the black beams.

I don't mind it if there's a colour-coding inside the sets themselves. It's obvious that the beam in Onua would have been confusing if it had been in trans-purple. But why use grey, if black complements the colour-scheme a lot more ? The trans-purple bones were already there to help highlight the trans- purple/gold/black colour combo; I feel like it would have looked a lot better if they had used black ones. Same for Tahu for instance, we have trans-red, black and grey beams. I don't think it was necessary to have the long thigh-beams be grey in this case.

I guess it's purely aesthetic and my own opinion of course; but sometimes I feel that the grey bones break up a good working colour-scheme. (Not to say that the grey beams can't work, they work well in Pohatu this year ).

-Iben

[YellowCorvette]

Akida is priced with $10 with 120 parts? Kinda too good to come true but it's kinda make sense since Akida's build is more based on Technic related build than CCBS parts related build, similar like LoSS and the jet thingy from Rocka and Surge Combat Machine set.

[Shakar]

Meh, Gali's Vorox armour doesn't look that good anymore. Not into the mask very much either. But that colour scheme, dayum.

My perfect Gali has her 2015 design and mask and her 2016 colours. And possibly a combination of her two weapons.

[bidiminished]

I don't think I was clear in my complaint. It isn't that I'm against colour-coding perse, because it's really necessary of course. What I dislike is that there now seems to be a "uniform" colour-coding for A and B beams; aka the grey and the black beams.

I don't mind it if there's a colour-coding inside the sets themselves. It's obvious that the beam in Onua would have been confusing if it had been in trans-purple. But why use grey, if black complements the colour-scheme a lot more ? The trans-purple bones were already there to help highlight the trans- purple/gold/black colour combo; I feel like it would have looked a lot better if they had used black ones. Same for Tahu for instance, we have trans-red, black and grey beams. I don't think it was necessary to have the long thigh-beams be grey in this case.

I guess it's purely aesthetic and my own opinion of course; but sometimes I feel that the grey bones break up a good working colour-scheme. (Not to say that the grey beams can't work, they work well in Pohatu this year ).

-Iben

It could be to do with LEGO phasing out certain colours of parts. The grey bone on 2016 Onua's arm hasn't been made in black since 2013, and the 2015 SW action figures used the same bone as 2016 Tahu in grey as well. It's similar to how technic axles come in alternating colours with different lengths.

If Onua used trans-purple bones in both arms, then the chance of the mixing up the bones could be easily reduced with a clarification in the instruction manual, but it isn't as foolproof.

[ToaDraco]

Yet Onua uses 2 different sizes of bones in trans purple that look far more similar to each other than they do to the grey bone, the only difference being a single pin hole, so why not color code those? The ends of the bones are completely different and I'm baffled that someone could possibly mess that up. Clearer instructions should be the fix, not crazy color-coding. Set instructions have scales for beam pieces so someone can place it on the picture to know which they are supposed to use and I like that system far better. That same 1:1 scaling could be better utilized for bone pieces as well. Color coding, although helpful I suppose, is still visually distracting and often makes sets look cheap and low quality IMO. Never in my life-long experience building with LEGO have I ever put a piece on wrong in a set.

Edited December 9, 2015 by ToaDraco