Toa Eljay

Let's run through this, shall we? A: Front row seats at one of the biggest nerd conventions in North America. From what I've heard from folks that went to the event, Bionicle was practically the first thing you saw when you walked in the doors of New York Comic Con. That takes a lotta money. Plus, constant social media giveaways and contests. Their marketing is fine. It's actually pretty standard fare if we're comparing it to G1. B: I'll be frank, that's subjective. Not saying it's untrue, but it is quite subjective. Also, it's pretty clear they do love us. Bionicle is back, is it not? (Loaded question, I bet. I digress) C: Like the two currently set to be released very soon? With entirely original content? We only got one (to my knowledge) graphic novel with entirely new content and that was in 2009. The rest were mostly compilations. D: Again, subjective. Bionicle survived six years without Cryoshell. No reason to bring them back just to make a select group of people happy unless there'd be a major effect toward attraction. E: Why? Why is a fresh start such an alien concept to so many people? Do you wanna go back to stick figures and brittle pieces? Do you want to sink tons of money that will end up being wasted thanks to new pieces? The same cluttered designs instead of a canvas just waiting to be filled? There is quite honestly no reason to go back to the old team aside from just being nostalgic. In regards to the price-per-piece value thing, you need to also keep in mind that a vast majority of the pieces used in the 01 titans were smaller, technic-y bits. While I can't exactly explain why Tahu or Kopaka of all sets are $20, I can say confidently that every other set has quite a reasonable value. The Protectors? Incredible. Best Matoran sized build we've ever gotten, and cheaper than the last Matoran sets we got. They've come with new pieces, molds, a new style, a new world, and something new to get invested in. It hadn't occurred to me until recently how difficult it actually is to get into the old story. Trying to remember the Protectors new names was actually a bit of a challenge. Now multiply that by 10 years. It's like getting into a Marvel or DC comic from the start... tomorrow. Lego has done a great job so far in my opinion. I know that not everyone is happy with it, which is no surprise, but I do believe they've done all they can to make all parties happy. Bionicle IS back. Just don't assume it's your Bionicle. But that doesn't mean it can't be. A petition? Do you mean an online petition? If so, that's absurd. Parents with kids who were fans of the line calling in, however, would be more like it. As I recall, they got like... 50k calls a day for quite a while asking about Ninjago. May be wrong about that, but it was a hefty number. Actually, fairly recently Lego was quoted saying that Ninjago has become an "evergreen theme", the likes of City or Castle or what not. If someone could find the source on that, that'd be awesome. . However, I do feel it has some helpful insight in regards to how Lego has handled Bionicle and its return.

I wouldn't count them, but I threw them in since I believe most people would. And whoops, only got Ignika and Icarax... Lemme throw in a 3!

My apologies for not knowing, but is there a G1 vs. G2 topic anywhere? That might be a good place for the majority of this discussion. Granted, it is still pertaining to 2015, so I may be wrong. If this reply isn't supposed to be here... I'm sorry! I agree with the majority of your post, however I just wanted to point out one thing. I may come off like a tad bit of a pill for this (I don't mean to), but technically they can be. =P Heck, it's founder is one. Not counting a year just because it doesn't fit into a certain argument isn't proper arguing. 2001 counts as well as any other year, really. That's an opinion. The 01 titans (if you can call them that) were riddled with issues and hang-ups that certainly takes them down a few pegs. In regards to the whole debate regarding how many sets got released when, I whipped this up. I hope it's helpful, and please correct any inaccuracies if you guys find any. 2001: First half: 18 (Toa, Turaga, McToran) Second half: 5 (Rahi) 2002: First half: 12 (Bohrok, Va) Second half: 10 (Nuva, 3 titans, Master Builder) 2003: First half: 12 (03Toran, Bohrak-Kal) Second half: 10 (Rahkshi, 4 titans not counting Takutanuva) 2004: First half: 12 (Metru, Metrutoran) Second half: 10 (4 titans not counting Ultimate Dume) 2005: First half: 12 (Hordika, Rahaga) Second half: 11 (Hagah, Visorak, 3 titans not counting Voporak) 2006: First half: 13 (Piraka, Voyatoran, Irnakk) Second half: 10 (Inika, 4 titans not counting Kardas) 2007: First half: 11 (Barraki, Nocturn, 4 small sets) Second half: 11 (Mahri, 5 titans) 2008: First half: 15 (3 Toa, 3 Makuta, Kardatoran, 3 titans) Second half: 12 ( 3 Toa, 3 Makuta, 6 large sets not counting the Yellow Jetrax) 2009: First half: 14 (6 Glatorian, Agori, 2 titans) Second half: 12 (Legends, 6 large sets) 2010: First half: 6 2015: First half: 13 (Toa, Protectors, LoSS) Second half: 5 (4 skull villains, EvK)

Good thing Lewa kept his Mask of Jungle, since Skull Slicer has his Golden Mask.

While it's not the best idea, one could suggest sizing the villains down to be almost Protector sized. Of course, I'm happy with what we got, but that's always something that could be done.

Not going to get too involved here, but I just find this kind of funny. "Aside from an entire wave that utilized the CCBS to an incredible extent, it's all terrible!" And I mean, gearboxes exist, too. Anyways, that's all from me. Otherwise, snagged a SDCC Skull Scorpio mask as well. Twas around $23 or so, but shipping shot it to $30. In comparison to some other folks, I don't feel too bad. ... Is that a good price? Did I make the right choice? Do I need help, guys? ;-;

Out of curiosity, where did this quote come from? I don't remember this being mentioned anywhere.

Jang is Californian. =P And I'm happy to see his review. Eager to pick 'em up!

Yeah, I've personally never heard anything quite so generic in the history of Bionicle myself! Personally, I loved the trailer. It was short, but it's gotten me really excited for the new sets. The ending was rather nostalgic to boot with the whole "Each Set Sold Separately" bit.

So, I've got no way to verify this, but according to a commenter on the latest TTV Podcast episode, the new wave has hit France.

Okay, so the descriptions DID have something important in them. Looks like we're finally getting our combo models after all. Skull Warrior, Slicer and Basher combine to create a "multi-headed warrior." And Skull Scorpio and Skull Grinder combine to create a powered up Skull Grinder. I'm very interested to see what these look like.

My hero! =D Yeah, all of these look pretty neat and I really am excited. Out of curiosity, were the descriptions of any importance?

Ain't showing up for me either. Deep links please? ;-; (Pretty please?) The one I can see that was posted looks awesome. Despite my certain criticisms, I am really excited to get ahold of these.

I'd actually argue that he didn't have two. I couldn't give you an exact number, but just reading this paragraph reminds me of Hahli and how Greg handled her character. She started out as a rather novice Toa in 2006 and ended up growing as a character throughout and into 2007. In the end, Hahli was neither of the two examples you've given here, and Greg did a lot of writing for her and is one of my favorite examples when it comes to actual character growth in Bionicle. The other examples are Gali who shared the peace-keeper role with Onua on the Toa Mata/Nuva team, Gaaki who was never a major character but also wasn't either of those things (as far as I can recall), Helryx who also wasn't either two tropes but just tough from age and burden, and then yes, the psychopath Chiara. (Edit: Giving it some more thought, from what I can remember Nokama did fit the sole peace-keeper role, so yeah. I may be misremembering though, but I'm not sure either way) (Edit #2: Also forgot about Tuyet, who'd certainly fit into the psychopath role. Then there is also Krahka, but I dunno if she fits into this argument whatsoever) It's honestly been a while since I've sifted through the female character traits, so I may bee totally and completely wrong about every single thing I just said, so feel free to and please correct me if need be. In regards to the incident, however, I remember a bunch of people claiming Greg was sexist through his writing of the Great Being's reason for making all other Toa of Psionics female in order to be calmer. I do wish to ask, out of all the characters to write himself through, why would it be the Great Beings? They've shown up all of however many times, barely given speaking roles, and are often not characterized. It just seems like an odd choice if the folks objecting to it were right. For a fair amount of the time books came out, I was on the BZP forums reading feedback, primarily during 07 and 08. Can't say I remember any of these things, but I doubt that'd matter anyways. Honestly, I really doubt he's concerned with his own fame as opposed to us being so. This rapid canonization stuff is rather recent, starting at least around the time Bionicle ended. Before 2009, the majority of the time that things became affected-canon due to fan interaction is because The Lego Group or Greg himself came to the fanbase and presented them with the opportunity to do so. This page lists most if not all the contests that were held regarding the story and canonizations. Maybe I'm out of the loop and Greg asked those fan sites to host said contests, or the sites broached him about the subject. I dunno. All I know regarding this is what I'm able to read and hear. Also, I feel it's really pointless to tear about the alternate universes. So we got some alternate realities, so what? How many times did they affect the actual main story? Dark Mirror didn't. The Kingdom gave Takanuva his weapons, but otherwise it didn't do anything. Vezon bouncing around did pretty much nothing. The alternate reality with Light Teridax got rid of a character that didn't show up outside of the serials anyways, and brought over into the main universe a character that was set up to do something but didn't. I'm not defending the serials, per-say, but I am saying that the Alternate Universes were pointless and unnecessary to enjoy the over-all story. But that doesn't mean they're the worst thing Greg has ever done, and there is very little point in lumping them in. Maybe they did take time away from the main universe, but I can't think of many examples. To be fair, 09 and 10 were handled very poorly entirely, so in that regard you may be absolutely right. Says who? I'm seriously asking. I've heard about the debates and the arguments, but I haven't found/seen the quote from Greg saying he picked the height. Chances are I'm missing it, which is why I'm asking. You know, I agree. I'm happy he was a part of it all, and gave fans a chance to interact. And he certainly is not without flaws or issues or things that have caused Bionicle to fail to living up to it's potential. But I do believe that he is given a lot more flak that he certainly doesn't deserve. That's not to say don't criticize him, of course, but I'll be first to give him the benefit of the doubt before condemning him. But maybe it's just because I don't know quite as much about the developmental process that was taken over the years, and I'm lacking some important information. If so, I'm looking forward to learning about it. Er, long story short Greg's a person who does person things writing about not persons while everyone wants them to be persons. Does that work? =P

A conversation we'd been having about Greg Farshtey and his handling of Gen1. Posting it here in case we'd like to continue the conversation in the right topic.

As most tend to be. =P Yikes! You're right! Thanks for the reminder, I'll shoot anything else that way. In regard to Gen2, in which case, I'm honestly quite excited for the next series of animations. Anyone have any idea how many there'll be? I doubt there will be anymore than 9, like the first half of 2015.

I believe we can agree here for sure. =P I do agree with you that it limits fan creativity. That's why I'm also opposed to rapid canonization. However, if it fans are actively becoming involved in the community to make it so they're heard by Greg and they're able to contribute in some way to a (supposedly) never changing story, why is that such a bad assumption? I've seen the polls. A lot of people voted in them. An online poll where you had to register to a website in order to be heard. Who else would Greg be listening to? Fan letters in the mail? Postcards? Strobe lights in the sky, signaling the return of the mighty, mysterious, dark and brooding Bat-Greg? My slightly more realistic and serious point is that I don't feel Greg is in the wrong for listening to active fans online. All the stuff that has recently been canonized has been stuff being polled for. I DO however believe doing all this canonization in the first place is an issue. I think Greg shouldn't be doing it at all. Maybe some few exceptions every once and a while for things that absolutely make sense and contribute, but very rarely even then. The entire line took a shift like that around 2006 and 2007. I wouldn't exactly pin that solely on Greg either considering all the dark imagery and alt-rock we were being shown around that time. But regardless, those are you problems with his writing and that's perfectly fine. I personally find that people read too much into and flipped out a bit much over that last one, but aside from that I won't get into it. I'll say it again, I do not deny Greg had problems and has caused issues for the story. However, I most certainly do not believe he's the sole cause nor majority cause, and I think people oughta think about it some more and realize there was an entire team of people at Lego running the story, and as such they may have had an even larger role in regards to certain aspects than he did.

Considering the Klakk came with... BrickMaster, was it? I'm not 100% sure, but an official Lego catalog. Considering it came with it as opposed to other polybags such as Good Guy, wouldn't one assume it was always meant to be a part of the story? Did he ever say that he thought up and single handedly wrote into the story a plot point such as that? And if I remember correctly, Sahmad's Tale was actually really well received. Did that change? I'm not honestly sure. However, yes, all of the serials post-cancellation were Greg's doing, and I know a lot of that has given the fanbase mixed feelings. But what about during the first run of Bionicle? Books? Story? Etc?

Out of curiosity, do you or anyone have a list of the things he's canonized that has detracted from Bionicle and/or hurt the line/story? Post and pre cancellation, of course. The reason I ask is because it's easy enough for you to make a blanket statement such as that (as many have) in order to push blame on Greg as some sort of scapegoat. I won't deny that Bionicle had many problems, but it's arguably ignorant to claim they're all or mostly his. The height of the MU robot? Where has it been said that was his doing? If I remember correctly, notes claiming it was the height it was were included in Christian Faber's concepts. I may be wrong, so please correct me if I am. Not to mention, what problems per-say? I ask for a list because what may seem like problems may only be problems to you or a select group of people. It's easier to discuss the semantics of what's an issue and what isn't with a visual list of issues, because then we can figure out if they're actual issues or your own personal tastes. As far as recent canonizations go, I blame the fan base more than I do Greg. A lot of it has been voted upon and discussed on fan sites, then pitched to him. Why should he have to say no to something that A. The fans want and B. Makes sense? I'm not claiming all of these things do, not am I saying I like them. I'm merely bringing up an argument.

I really do believe a lot of fans have taken his work for granted simply due to becoming jaded. I'm sure, as many have surmised previously, it's because of his handling of Bionicle post-cancellation. But gee, the things I've seen good chunks of the community say about him is... I think the word I'd use is bratty. A lot of the folks criticizing him for letting fans take control of the story via rapid fire canonization end up wanting this or that of their own accord (i.e The MU's height). A lot of it does seem to be valid critique, but a lot of it also seems to be incredibly condescending and almost hypocritical, like somehow after years of enjoying Greg's writing they're suddenly against him because a few folks have become very vocal about it over the last 3 or so years. And then the blaming. I don't think I've seen people before in a fanbase that have been so downright ungrateful to an author because they didn't get their perfect little bio-mechanical world. So they end up blaming pretty much just him, when a very good majority of the decisions made for Bionicle came from a story team. It's incredible. Granted, I'm sure some people would say that these folks don't owe Greg anything, which is true, but I still find it ridiculous that they've followed a line Greg is partially response for helping exist to begin with and then whine and complain and nitpick every single thing because it's either not realistic or not how they want it.

While I really enjoy both, I can see that CCBS edges out as a victor in regards to versatility, design, and durability. I have a soft spot for the original Bionicle/technic based system (since it's what I'm better at building with at the moment. =P), but I'm impressed and content with CCBS. I'm eager to see more pieces and colors added to the pallet.

Me too. I hope it's like this stuff. That stuff was the bees knees, man. Pinnacle of Gen1. Yeah! Fight the power! Stupid tracing! Good for nothing! Yeeeaaaah! (This sheer lack of contribution brought to you by Eljay LLC. He's sorry)

Oh, I realize that. Like I said, I'm not saying that makes these true, I'm just saying that statement reminded me of July. If anything, I do doubt these. Again. Just reminded me of July, and I found it amusing.

I'm serious when I say this, but wow. That portion gave me flashbacks to last July when another set of rumors were circulating. Not claiming these are true, I just found that to be funny. XD In all honesty, I doubt these are legit. Considering the mention of the new Star Wars leg piece after NYTF, I can't say my hopes are high. Guess we'll see come June.

From what I understand, those rumors originated from 4chan.