Lego Ideas 90th Anniversary Fan Vote

[Robert8]

I really really hope they can do this every year

Like a throwback set per year

It can become a tradition like Winter Village or the modular

[Aanchir]

9 hours ago, danth said:

My prediction: Bionicle will win, mostly due to sockpuppet accounts created by a few people, LEGO will make a mostly System-based Bionicle set, Bionicle fans will hate it, non-Bionicle fans will hate, it will be a massive failure, and LEGO will never try this sort of AFOL outreach again. 

I don't think it's fair to attribute the Bionicle votes to sockpuppet accounts — speaking as somebody of the "Bionicle generation", my social media is PACKED with genuine Bionicle fans enthusiastically "signal boosting" the poll to bring it to other fans' attention. And many have been creating Bionicle-themed memes or fan art to garner further attention. Even some actual LEGO designers like Nick Vas and Niek van Slagmaat have been voicing their support for Bionicle in this poll on social media. So have some prominent AFOL bloggers, fan artists, and YouTubers who usually tend to focus more on news, reviews, and interviews of more current themes.

Keep in mind that Bionicle was effectively the closest thing to a Ninjago-level hit among kids of my own generation, and while some of those kids drifted away from LEGO after that, there are plenty like me who didn't — especially since many of us enjoyed other LEGO themes long before getting into Bionicle, or even became aware of it in the first place through the LEGO catalogs, magazines, or website. For my part, I've long felt that Bionicle was a considerable factor in why I didn't have a "dark age" like many other AFOLs did before rediscovering the joy of building later in life. Certainly there were several System sets and themes of the 2000s that I took interest in at least partly because they included pieces that seemed potentially useful for Bionicle MOCs.

There is certainly toxicity within the Bionicle fan community I don't care for which definitely impacted how long it took me to decide what to vote on, despite the tremendous importance the theme had to me growing up. Some Bionicle fans can act every bit as entitled about the special attention it "deserves", bitter about LEGO cancelling it, and dismissive of newer LEGO themes as older AFOLS can often be about Castle, Space, or Pirates. And it's been genuinely frustrating seeing this poll bring some of those dormant negative energies and long-simmering rivalries back out of the woodwork.

But I ended up voting for Bionicle (in addition to Forestmen and Spyrius) not only on a nostalgia basis, but also because I'm confident that a System-based tribute to that theme could be genuinely amazing — especially if it's handled by some of these LEGO designers I mentioned who both grew up with the Bionicle theme and have demonstrated an extraordinary talent for designing highly detailed System mechs, characters, and creatures. Just look at some of the recent $10 mechs in the Marvel Super Heroes theme — if LEGO can make builds MORE posable than a typical Bionicle figure for  a price that low even at a KFOL building level, imagine the sort of amazing Bionicle-inspired figures they could create for an 18+ set at a higher price point!

This MOC series by LEGO Masters contestant Aaron Newman (@Nuju Metru) offers just one example of what a modern, System-based Bionicle tribute set could potentially look like! But there are any number of ways that LEGO could create a Bionicle tribute set depending on what they felt would be most exciting to buyers — including ones that might even offer some crossover appeal for fans of other themes. I'm not super invested in whether or not Bionicle wins, but I certainly can imagine plenty of tantalizing possibilities if it does.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Aanchir

[Kingriedak]

1 minute ago, Aanchir said:

This MOC series by LEGO Masters contestant Aaron Newman (@Nuju Metru) offers just one example of what a modern, System-based Bionicle tribute set could potentially look like! But there are any number of ways that LEGO could create a Bionicle tribute set.

Thats still a bit too small of a scale for what I'd want (I prefer figures to have fingers, articulated waists, and open socket elbows for better articulation), but I must admit, I'd definitely buy that lineup of figures if we got something of similar quality, it isn't a minifigure and its not a mech, so this scratches a good itch

[danth]

42 minutes ago, Aanchir said:

This MOC series by LEGO Masters contestant Aaron Newman (@Nuju Metru) offers just one example of what a modern, System-based Bionicle tribute set could potentially look like! But there are any number of ways that LEGO could create a Bionicle tribute set depending on what they felt would be most exciting to buyers — including ones that might even offer some crossover appeal for fans of other themes. I'm not super invested in whether or not Bionicle wins, but I certainly can imagine plenty of tantalizing possibilities if it does.

Yeah, there is no way Bionicle fans are going to want something like tha--

31 minutes ago, Kingriedak said:

I must admit, I'd definitely buy that lineup of figures if we got something of similar quality, it isn't a minifigure and its not a mech, so this scratches a good itch

Well I'll be damned. Was not expecting that. I mean, I wouldn't want a Classic Space set made out of Technic or whatever.

How many Bionicle fans would go for something like that you think?

[captain jari]

It would be nice if they end up making a lego legacy line like ninjago legacy, redoing old sets with modern building styles.

[Kingriedak]

13 minutes ago, danth said:

Well I'll be damned. Was not expecting that. I mean, I wouldn't want a Classic Space set made out of Technic or whatever.

How many Bionicle fans would go for something like that you think?

Hey, like I said, I like articulated figures. I just don't like mechs (Exo Force is a strong exception) or minifigs, plus, these were made by an actual Bionicle fan, and it sounds odd but Bionicle fans just "Get it"

As for folks who will buy it? well there's a whole website full of less jaded Bionicle fans than me (TTV) that want a system reboot of Bionicle in the style of ninjago, the very idea turns my stomach, but if it were a fusion of system and articulated figures/constraction like this, I'd actually buy it

[Stuartn]

13 minutes ago, Kingriedak said:

(Exo Force is a strong exception)

That is understandable, exo force was more mechs built to accompany a ninifigure based theme, whereas other mech sets are derived from contraction themes (such as the last hero factory wave) and don't make sense as much. Also, Exo force wasn't really marketed as mechs (although they were/are), more 'exoskeletons', and vehicles, unlike those in themes such as ninjago, hence it feels apart from the idea of the 'mech'.

Now that makes me wonder, Why wasn't exo-force included in this survey, I mean, it co-existed with, and ended before, bionicle (yeah, I'll bring that up again) so surely it should be included as it was from the same time.

[Merlo]

7 hours ago, MAB said:

I like Forestmen, Wolfpack  and Black Falcons but there is no way I'd buy a Classic Castle set.

How so? Classic Castle kinda feels like just another faction, albeit with less realistic colors. But since it's make believe a yellow castle feels normal for a fantasy world and even if they made a new one the colors and details would be more pleasing to AFOLs.

Probably a lot of people who voted had a different idea of what Classic Castle is too...

[Kingriedak]

4 minutes ago, Stuartn said:

Now that makes me wonder, Why wasn't exo-force included in this survey, I mean, it co-existed with, and ended before, bionicle (yeah, I'll bring that up again) so surely it should be included as it was from the same time.

Might just be its short run length that disqualifies it. Though if it were allowed into the poll, the Bionicle vote would be significantly splintered 

[Roebuck]

8 hours ago, MAB said:

I like Forestmen, Wolfpack  and Black Falcons but there is no way I'd buy a Classic Castle set.

Me to, and unlike classic space a lot of the people that voted for it probably thought it was just a grouping of older castle themes not only the oldest stuff with brick-built horses
Like this :

5 hours ago, Kingriedak said:

Whether it wins or not, I sincerely hope lego considers just selling the IP

That will never happen! Maybe Bionicle will get a successful relaunch in the future if it have enough fans, just look at HP how successful that is now with a huge and ever growing fanbase

Edited January 24, 2021 by Roebuck

[Lira_Bricks]

6 hours ago, Stuartn said:

Now that makes me wonder, Why wasn't exo-force included in this survey, I mean, it co-existed with, and ended before, bionicle (yeah, I'll bring that up again) so surely it should be included as it was from the same time.

When I saw the article on Brothers-Brick, they also had an icon of Exo-force. So I rushed to the poll to vote for Bionicle and Exo-force... I was so disappointed :(

Since a lot of people are saying they didn't like Bionicle because it is not system, how do you feel about Technic (as it is today)?

What I really hope is they will make Technic sets that are not cars or boats in the future. I want technic mechs and monsters. That was what the first few waves of Bionicle felt like to me.

[ProfSrlojohn]

8 hours ago, danth said:

How many Bionicle fans would go for something like that you think?

I mean, the TTV message boards, one of the biggest Bionicle fansites, has an entire section dedicated to the G3 Brickonicle project, quite alot:

https://board.ttvchannel.com/c/ttvchannel/brickonicle/61

Not to mention the Sokoda project that got to 10,000 in record time, plus plenty of system Bionicle MOCs out there.

7 hours ago, Kingriedak said:

Hey, like I said, I like articulated figures. I just don't like mechs (Exo Force is a strong exception) or minifigs, plus, these were made by an actual Bionicle fan, and it sounds odd but Bionicle fans just "Get it"

See, that's the thing. Bionicle has this odd quality that I don't think even Lego could replicate if they tried. A perfect storm of Lego's desperation, early 2000's culture, and an obscene amount of multi-marketing appeal, created something that bionicle fans get, but I'm not sure anyone else, not even Lego could duplicate.

Bionicle is almost like warhammer 40k in my opinion. It's got a lot of very broad, open sections of the hobby, that allows people to get in at different entry points, and eventually cross-pollinate with other parts. Warhammer has the game, the modeling, and the lore. Most people get drawn in by one of those 3 points. Bionicle has the Set collecting, MOCing, the Lore, and the character creation (Which is an extension of the lore, but Bionicle is one of those few franchises built so that you can make an OC with D&D levels of ease. A distinct enough aspect I would split them)

EDIT: I do second this, I'd be happy to have Brick-built Bionicle with mixel joints. (At least, I would if I cared at all for the model lego aesthetic)

Edited January 24, 2021 by ProfSrlojohn

[adwind]

Adventurers set with details level and size comparable to Pirates Bay would be a dream come true 

[Lego David]

10 hours ago, Stuartn said:

Now that makes me wonder, Why wasn't exo-force included in this survey?

I don't think Exo-Force is old enough to be counted in a poll like this. The general rule seens to be that only "vintage" lines that are at least 20 years or older can be counted, and Exo-Force came out in 2006, which is not old enough for that.

[PacificDuck]

It seems pretty clear to me that the overall winner will be a space, castle, or pirate set.  For the definitive 90th anniversary set it only makes sense.

 

What was surprising to me was the passion of the Bionicle community as it is a theme that wasn't really on my radar.  This vote has opened my eyes to it and I think Bionicle fans can take heart that this is showing TLG that there is demand for a reboot.

 

I'd predict there will some sort of Bionicle set in the next few years that comes from this market research....oh I mean "vote"

[Kingriedak]

11 hours ago, Roebuck said:

That will never happen! Maybe Bionicle will get a successful relaunch in the future if it have enough fans

Doubt it, we got a relaunch that wasn't advertised anywhere and many fans didn't even know that it happened, Lego killed the IP and I'm pretty sure its just gonna be indefinitely shelved after this. Christian Faber wants to buy it, and I'm fully in support of that notion, just get it it out the hands of lego if they aren't gonna do anything with it.

4 hours ago, ProfSrlojohn said:

See, that's the thing. Bionicle has this odd quality that I don't think even Lego could replicate if they tried. A perfect storm of Lego's desperation, early 2000's culture, and an obscene amount of multi-marketing appeal, created something that bionicle fans get, but I'm not sure anyone else, not even Lego could duplicate.

Makes me wonder why they didn't just have fans of the series handle G2, hmmm

4 hours ago, ProfSrlojohn said:

the character creation (Which is an extension of the lore, but Bionicle is one of those few franchises built so that you can make an OC with D&D levels of ease.

Theres also that. I'm not too big a fan of human protags in scifi/fantasy (which is probably why I paid a bit of attention to Chima, among other things), But Bionicle has a very DnD feel to it when you start taking into account the different races and their fantasy analogues (Matoran = Humans/Halflings, Skakdi = Orcs withs guns, Vortixx = aesthetically Drow, closer to above ground Dwarves) Its honestly a shame that people never made many OCs of the latter two

Edited January 24, 2021 by Kingriedak

[Lego David]

30 minutes ago, PacificDuck said:

It seems pretty clear to me that the overall winner will be a space, castle, or pirate set

Sadly, Castle is probably gonna be excluded from that list, as it didn't make it to the top 3 (because of the unfair subthemes distribution, obviously). 

23 minutes ago, Kingriedak said:

Christian Faber wants to buy it, and I'm fully in support of that notion, just get it it out the hands of lego if they aren't gonna do anything with it.

Christian Faber never said anywhere that he wants to buy the Bionicle IP, and even if he wanted to, an IP can cost up to millions of dollars (depending on how much that IP made during it's lifetime), so logistically speaking, I don't think a single independent person like Faber could buy an entire IP from a multi-billion dollar toy company. If LEGO were interested in selling the Bionicle IP (which I very much doubt) they would probably sell it to another toy company like Hasbro, or perhaps a movie studio that is interested in making movies based off the Bionicle story (both of them incredibly unlikely). As for Faber and his cryptic "Biovival" project, whatever he is doing will probably just be an independent project done with the permission from LEGO, without necessarily having to purchase the Bionicle IP (which I already said, is pretty much impossible logistically speaking).

Edited January 24, 2021 by Lego David

[Kingriedak]

Just now, Lego David said:

Christian Faber never said anywhere that he wants to buy the Bionicle IP

Could'a sworn he wanted to take it off of them, regardless its disappointing that they won't pass it to someone else then. I know many afols wouldn't complain if it were officially bumped out of lego's catalogue. And I'm not expecting much out of Biovival, but it seems like more of a reality than us getting G3, or another constraction theme

[Flak Maniak]

20 hours ago, koalayummies said:

You know what Lego, just cancel this and make a Fabuland set. Those characters are absolutely hilarious and we need more of that in this world.

Sounds good to me!

[Aanchir]

15 hours ago, danth said:

Yeah, there is no way Bionicle fans are going to want something like tha--

Well I'll be damned. Was not expecting that. I mean, I wouldn't want a Classic Space set made out of Technic or whatever. 

How many Bionicle fans would go for something like that you think? 

I suspect that quite a few would, especially those who also enjoy System themes. It's important to keep in mind that for a lot of Bionicle fans, the lasting appeal of the brand had just as much or more to do with the world, story, and characters as with the sets themselves. Frankly, a lot of the iconic imagery associated with the brand was stuff that did not even appear in the sets, like the Island of Mata Nui, the Nuva Cube, and the Great Spirit Mata Nui's true form.

That's not to say that I think a tribute set should necessarily focus on that type of stuff — after all, a tribute to the actual Bionicle characters/figures would probably be more fitting for an anniversary set celebrating the theme within the context of the LEGO brand. But it helps to illustrate why a lot of Bionicle fans don't mind seeing the theme interpreted with a certain amount of creative license.

It's not at all unusual for official Bionicle media and fan art alike to stylize the characters to such an extent that they no longer resemble the plastic components originally used to build them, and many Bionicle MOCs over the years have likewise employed very different parts and building techniques to give the characters less of a toy-like or robotic look than the Technic-based sets. So there's no reason to think System-based re-imaginings would be categorically out of the question, as long as they maintain the essentials that make them recognizable as Bionicle characters: stuff like metal armor, decorative masks, intricate tools/weapons, elemental color-coding, and miscellaneous mechanical-looking details like pistons.

Plus, if the resulting set is well enough designed to appeal to people who don't even consider themselves Bionicle fans — like how the Ninjago City sets appeal to people who don't consider themselves Ninjago fans, or how Barracuda Bay and Benny's Spaceship have appealed to people who don't consider themselves Classic Pirates or Classic Space fans — then that would probably go a long way to compensate for any bitterness or disinterest from more aggrieved segments of the fanbase.

Because while there certainly ARE some fans who might react to a System-based Bionicle tribute set as an "insult" or "slap in the face", it's best that we resist the temptation to judge ANY theme's fanbase by its most ornery members. I know I've made that mistake embarrassingly often in the past…

2 hours ago, Kingriedak said:

Could'a sworn he wanted to take it off of them, regardless its disappointing that they won't pass it to someone else then. I know many afols wouldn't complain if it were officially bumped out of lego's catalogue. And I'm not expecting much out of Biovival, but it seems like more of a reality than us getting G3, or another constraction theme

Even if Faber had an interest in taking over the entire Bionicle franchise, I can't say that would necessarily hold any more promise for the theme than keeping it in LEGO's control, given that his pet project "Rebel Nature" has languished in the concept development/teaser phase for well over a decade (the first post about it on his blog, back in 2012, described it as a story "7 years in the making"), with little to no finished storytelling media to show for it.

Not only could Bionicle's development in the hands of a single individual be just as sluggish, without a clearly defined product release schedule to set the pace or an organized development team to share the work, but there's also no more reason to think that Faber would put his other projects aside for Bionicle's sake than that LEGO would do the same.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Aanchir

[Old-mf]

I am really upset by one thing. That this vote brings quarrel into the what should be united community of Lego fans.

And here is why this happens: as many times mentioned, the most popular themes were split. This caused them to get much less vote. 

Now here is the question: why lots of people are not happy with bionicle getting into top 3 themes? The answer is simple, because it is not. And here is why:

About bionicle... I cannot say I like it. I cannot say I dislike it. It is there. It has passionate fans, which is great. I started with 5 killo of broken lego in 91 with blacktron ship and a pirate ship inside. And one of the first sets I bought myself was bionicle (though never bought it since). I do not find most of the parts useful for myself. But from time to time it is nice to make a mech out of bio or hero factory sets.

I appreciate what it did to lego and that it is opportunity to make something different with lego pieces. But here is the truth. Most of FOL do not care for these pieces. They are integrated into lego system, though they are not the same. They look and feel different. I personally think they may be useful for dendroid creatures in fantasy castle, mechs in space and creatures in any action themes like Ninjago, Monkey kid or Chima... But it is still niche. I saw only one good use of it outside the actual theme... General Grievous because he is robot!

The vote says there are 11% for bio. I would say 15%. As others split their choices while many bio fans had one vote. Which means more in total no of unique users. I used 3 votes for castle. This does not mean 3 people voted for it. All this makes me believe there is more (than 11%). And I would not trust haters saying they used bots. As I myself registered there only for this vote. I had acc on lego but not on ideas part. I voted not for bio and I am not one of a kind. So there are about 10-15% of lego fans who like it. That is wonderful and they should get sets from time to time...

But imagine this. What would have happened, if vote was organized by people who understood AFOLs who they are aiming at? We would have choice between aggregated themes like pirates, space, adventures, castle, and bionicle among others... Who would have received votes? I would have voted then Castle, Pirates and Space or Adventures! Even I am castle fan, I would be glad to see and buy any of these... And many space and pirates fans would opt for castle as well... This would have shown real picture of what is popular (and could be sold)! No matter how I like bionicle I would never buy a BIG 18+ set! And so will most of system AFOLs which seem to be at least 80% of voters. Which will make most probably Space, Castle and Pirates/adventures most popular themes.

The conclusion is that 80% of people do not like that bionicle takes place of some other theme, they might want to see in the top 3 list! Not because they do not like Bionicle... Not because they do not like you or bio community. Majority will vote anything but Bionicle if Lego decides to pass it to round 2. I will personally do so. And not because I do not like it, but because I want something else. And I really do not want bio fans to get offended. Lego neglects them more than others. It is like being a Tition Lannister in Lego family! Look at the picture they got for the vote! Lego does not make much new stuff for my beloved castle, but they are making nothing for bio fans. So they should get at least a hug from the rest of Lego themes fans, and not giving them hard times for Lego choices...

 

Lego really messed up this vote and opportunities the whole situation gives them! I really hope some of them is following the discussions they brought up and making conclusions. They need to make really careful calculations, thinking and choices not to drop the ball.

As many have said, the best outcome could have been set for each major theme! Bio too. I would buy my son a small bio set if they made one. But sure I would like Castle for myself.

The other thought I had was if I were a dedicated Lego bio fan and successful businessman, I would love to discuss some form of franchise to be able my all times favourite theme to resurrect! 

But I am neither...

 

Sorry for such a long post. But I have been lurking in eurobricks for years, and only this topic made me register.

 

[Pulp Detective]

Hey I'm all for a system based Bionicle set.I loved the Barraki playsets from way back in 2007.Or the Piraka sets from the previous year. 

[Kingriedak]

Assuming that Bionicle wins, It will most likely be system anyway, but what if it isn't? Many people including myself moc exclusively in the style of G1/ccbs constraction, and our parts are dwindling daily due to age. There will always be another system set, but there is only one chance for us to have a constraction set.

[Pulp Detective]

So tomorrow (or today depending where you live) will end the current vote.I wonder when the results will be announced,for the 3 winners. 

Edited January 24, 2021 by LOTR34

[Modal]

All I want to know is what the results would be if the final vote was between Space, Castle, Pirate, Bionicle. Just give Castle a fair shot :(

Better yet, just make a high-fantasy modular line ala Ninjago City. I will love you forever, LEGO :)

Edited January 24, 2021 by Modal