Hero Factory 2010

[VBBN]

Does anyone know if Hero Factory will be like bionicle with the villains coming out first?

~Insectoid Aristocrat

The first wave includes 6 heros(small sets), 6 villans(4 canister and 2 boxed), and 2 vehicles.

[Zip]

The first wave includes 6 heros(small sets), 6 villans(4 canister and 2 boxed), and 2 vehicles.

To add on to that, there's some special-edition set named "Bulk and Vapour".

[BrickPerfection]

So that's what should replace Bionicles???

Not sure but somehow I don't like that idea.

Again they're nothing really new, just like the former Bionicles in a different design and with a new name...

[Aanchir]

So that's what should replace Bionicles???

Not sure but somehow I don't like that idea.

Again they're nothing really new, just like the former Bionicles in a different design and with a new name...

What are they supposed to be? "Different design" and "new name" is pretty much all you can expect from a new theme, especially one which we knew would be the same style of buildable action figures.

The main advantage these have over BIONICLE, as far as I'm concerned, is that the story is easy enough to understand even if this is your first time seeing them in a toy store. There are good guys, and there are bad guys. That's all you really need to know-- the rest is just embellishment for the better-informed.

I myself like Hero Factory as a concept. BIONICLE was fun-- it still is fun, and unlike some fans I have no regrets about the direction the story took. But Hero Factory just seems like it'll be a lot easier to promote to the target audience.

[BrickPerfection]

What are they supposed to be? "Different design" and "new name" is pretty much all you can expect from a new theme, especially one which we knew would be the same style of buildable action figures.

Sorry, I might have not made clear enough what I wanted to say:

I feel that these differences are too small! Why do these figures always have to look so human-like when there are plenty of different designs available like Spiders, krakens, 4 leg animals of any kind, dinosaurs and all other kins of mosters Well I know these are supposed to be heros, but still don't always need to be human-like!

And why does it allways have to be 6 of them that are technically much the same, just with some very slight differences?

Marketing I guess. Well TLC is quite good at that.

Well I guess this isn't the right place to discuss further wishes for the serie, but that's just what I think!

[80 Dollar]

To add on to that, there's some special-edition set named "Bulk and Vapour".

I really hope these are not fake. I always enjoy special-edition sets...

[Aanchir]

Sorry, I might have not made clear enough what I wanted to say:

I feel that these differences are too small! Why do these figures always have to look so human-like when there are plenty of different designs available like Spiders, krakens, 4 leg animals of any kind, dinosaurs and all other kins of mosters Well I know these are supposed to be heros, but still don't always need to be human-like!

And why does it allways have to be 6 of them that are technically much the same, just with some very slight differences?

Marketing I guess. Well TLC is quite good at that.

Well I guess this isn't the right place to discuss further wishes for the serie, but that's just what I think!

The thing is, kids relate best to humanoids. (it's not just kids... most adults do, too!) It's a lot easier to role-play with a character who resembles you physically than with some other creature. Why do you think so many aliens who appear as characters in a story are at least partially humanoid? The very same reason so many fictional "robots" are designed as androids-- robots with human-like qualities? No, it's not just for the sake of easy costumes in sci-fi movies-- people actually connect better with that sort of character than one who doesn't resemble them at all!

In the BIONICLE fandom, this was evident by the fact that Rahi sets have consistently sold worse than humanoid titans, and the fact that an overwhelming majority of MOCs and fan-characters are humanoid (sometimes with slight differences, such as those we saw with the Makuta in 2008, but still mainly humanoid in design).

You can't expect LEGO to make an unpopular decision because it would be more interesting. It would be a terrible business decision, and it'd be terrible for their public image. To exaggerate a bit, it'd be like releasing a film in theatres where the camera stayed perfectly focused on a motionless soap dish. Interesting, perhaps, but really, really stupid.

And this place is perfectly fine for that sort of discussion, IMO. Once the sets are actually out, then maybe more topics might be worthwhile, but as of right now this topic is pretty much the place for general theme discussion.

[Nightmare]

I'd just like to say... How many Rahi would have bought you as expensive as they were with your actual money?

All sets with Rahi are really expensive, since they all have those pieces needed to make an animal body. This doesn't happen with most Titans, which is the reason why most of you might have an Hydraxon or Brutaka instead of a Kane-ra or Manas. (Heck as much as I loves the Kane-ra and the Muaka set, I've never been able to buy it. So expensive, my mother always said NO)

[dviddy]

(Heck as much as I loves the Kane-ra and the Muaka set, I've never been able to buy it. So expensive, my mother always said NO)

Too true. Though they did end up on clearance at some US Targets for $17USD. That's when I bought mine.

[Captain M]

Too true. Though they did end up on clearance at some US Targets for $17USD. That's when I bought mine.

Speaking of Rahi, I got my Kardas Dragon for $25USD a few days after Christmas.

[Nightmare]

Speaking of Rahi, I got my Kardas Dragon for $25USD a few days after Christmas.

You sure are lucky. I had to pay 60 Euros for it. Plus Shipping and Handling :P

[The Crazy One]

Okay, I think there isn't a human presence anymore. Readng the testomonials on the site I found this from a saved civilian.

I didn't even need to pound out any dents in my torso.

I doubt I would be punching out dents in my torso, I think I would be dead by then.

Edited May 30, 2010 by The crazy one

[Aanchir]

Okay, I think there isn't a human presence anymore. Readng the testomonials on the site I found this from a saved civilian.

I doubt I would be punching out dents in my torso, I think I would be dead by then.

Well, yeah, it's been known for a while that there are robots other than those at Hero Factory. What people are asking is whether humans live alongside those robots, or whether humans do not exist in the Hero Factory universe. My bet is that humans do not exist alongside the robots, and that we're talking about a robots-only society.

It's basically what people who know nothing about BIONICLE would think after seeing one of the BIONICLE movies, or for that matter after seeing one of the BIONICLE sets. Which reinforces my theory that the point of Hero Factory is to keep the story restricted to what you can infer when you pick up a set off a store shelf. IMO that's a good thing-- although I liked BIONICLE, I've learned enough from experience about how impossible it is to explain the story to somebody with no prior understanding. This way the story is easy to understand, and thus marketing the sets based on it will be a lot easier.

[Captain M]

Well, yeah, it's been known for a while that there are robots other than those at Hero Factory. What people are asking is whether humans live alongside those robots, or whether humans do not exist in the Hero Factory universe. My bet is that humans do not exist alongside the robots, and that we're talking about a robots-only society.

Maybe they're all 'robots' with a human personality.

[prateek]

Hero Factory website. I'm not sure if this has been posted here yet, but it's not that good. There aren't even any products. Even World Racers has a full site up.

[Bfahome]

Hero Factory website. I'm not sure if this has been posted here yet, but it's not that good. There aren't even any products. Even World Racers has a full site up.

You're about four pages late.

Also, I don't see the problem with not having products up yet. They'll be out when they're out, and in the past some of the lines' sites haven't been updated for a few weeks, even after the sets were made available.

[The Alchemyst]

-Pops in-

Bulk and Vapour hopefully won't disappoint. With names like those, they have to live up to it. >.>

I also hope they have some snazzy parts.

I've yet to get a Stars because of the eh parts, and I'd rather get a Ben 10 [sand Green <3333] at this rate.

But the Hero Factory has those swooshable leg guards, and neato colors on the canisters. Hopefully the price won't be jacked up again.

I hope more lore is built around this. The building architecture in the video page back caught my eye.

The design a villain/creature thing is a little bugged when I get to backgrounds, but it's a neat addition.

Love some of the Calls though:

"Opposums! Opposums everywhere! They're setting fire to my house!"

[wmanidi]

"Help a monster ate my lunch!" --- "monkeys robots ate my pants" I love this call center! Yes kids, a monkey-robot is going to eat your pants, Mah Ha Ha Ha! This might be funner then the lego message boards.

Wmanidi

Edited June 1, 2010 by wmanidi

[Zip]

It looks like TLC is taking their sweet time about releasing the sets. Tomorrow's going to be the first of June, and still nobody has even sited an HF set yet.

Intentional or no?

[Phantoka Kopaka Nuva]

It looks like TLC is taking their sweet time about releasing the sets. Tomorrow's going to be the first of June, and still nobody has even sited an HF set yet.

Intentional or no?

Be patient. The sets usually come out during mid-June.

[vexorian]

Except for the original Bionicle heads.

They were removable :/

They were just hard to remove, I just hope LEGO is not taking the "making new series again" stuff too seriously and would begin making such mistakes again... So I am guessing it will be easier to remove than that...

Edited June 1, 2010 by vexorian

[Front]

HF has a later release than e.g. World Racers.

.......

Take armor of the torso and pop off the sign from the armor. A 5 year old can do it.

[Aanchir]

They were removable :/

They were just hard to remove, I just hope LEGO is not taking the "making new series again" stuff too seriously and would begin making such mistakes again... So I am guessing it will be easier to remove than that...

They were actually designed not to be removable. Removing them was kind of cheating in a way, and was bad for the pieces.

Anyway, yeah, I can't figure why people have so much trouble picturing the Hero Cores as removable. Front's explanation is what I've been expecting the whole time. And since he's a part designer, I think we can trust him.

[Front]

On friday we had a release party in the HF project. We started out in the yard surrounded by the Tech-House (where Technic, HF and Racers are), got a special designed HF t-shirt(designed by our crazy german designer Cerim) and went out onto the grass lawn to have some fun.

We played beach-volley, had a rubber-boots throwing competition, and other fun stuff. I won a HF set for making an awesome save in beach volley :-)

Afterwards we had some food and a soft drink.

Working at Lego is not that bad

[Superkalle]

Working at Lego is not that bad

That sounds fantastic. I envy you sometimes to be able to work with stuff that is so interesting.