Visorak-kal

My, that's a lot of posts to sort through. Well, here goes with the response, lol: DV: You point out that they should retain old colors and have some recognition. Let us go over this point thoroughly this way I can state it all here and now. 1. We KNEW that Pohatu would not be brown. Brown does sell, therefore he cannot be brown. 2. What colors did Kopaka have? White and grey. I see white and grey on the new Kopaka. 3. What colors did Lewa have? Green and lime. (Lime was his legs/arms). I see the lime green on the new Lewa. So 1/2 there. He has lime green, just no green. 4. Kopaka's mask still has the eyepiece. That is a few that I notice, off the bat. To take your points, one by one: 1. Kopaka's mask should be rounder. Why? It keeps the eyepiece, does it HAVE to be completely round? I like this mask just as much as the Akaku Nuva. The only mask I like better is the Akaku, but then that is my favorite mask. 2. Keep the Colors Lewa has some of his original colors, and Kopaka's colors are identical. Pohatu was obviously going to be different, so there is no point arguing that. 3. Weapons, Kopaka Shield, Pohatu Feet, etc. Lewa still has a sword; it sems to be a larger, more upgraded version of his Katana sword. Compare. The Katana has a small, curved blade with bumps on the interior side. So does this new sword. Weapon similarity without an exact copy of the original weapon. Granted, Kopaka has no shield. Must we have everything? Pohatu with his feet would have been nice, I grant you. But I see it as no disaster; he keeps the tradition of having two identical weapons/hands. If you look at the small poster with the Kanohi Ignika background, you can see that Pohatu has two Hordika heads (interior) that hold onto those things which in turn hold his weapons. So he continues to have hands, just perhaps not as obvious as his old ones/claws. 4. Batman That's the point, DV. Batman can look like he always does and still get away with it. From what I continually hear (from both LEGO and Greg Farshtey), stores are still trepid to have name AND looks again. I'm sure I don't know why. It has been five years, the fanbase has changed. But business is business; I don't know why stores are so hesitant, so I can only assume that the designers were pressured not to make clones with new poseability. 5. Preference. To tell the truth, I see this only as a good thing. If I am going to spend my money on a BIONICLE 2008 set, I want a new set. I don't want Kopaka Nuva with knees and a near-identical Akaku Nuva. I want a new set. Give it semi-noticeable similarities, such as close coloring and a long eyepiece. He doesn't have to have the same weapons. Lewa does have a similar weapon, but I don't why he's got to. See, DV, you're mixing up taste with what you think LEGO should do. I can look at these sets and find a great number of similarities to the Toa Nuva. Are they intentional? Who knows? But the point is that they obvioulsy aren't pleasing you. Just because there aren't the similarities YOU would want, or they aren't as similar as YOU would want, doesn't mean they are nonexistant. I am no expert, Lord Admiral Helden Ravensdorn, but I believe it has to do with the name and what similarities this entails. The similarities between the new Nuva, the Mahri, and the Inika exist solely in generic parts, such as armor, legs, bodies, etc. However, if you were to slap on masks that looked too much like the old Nuva masks, the stores would probably suspicious. Then slap on the name Kopaka Nuva, and they say, "Wait a second, this guy's been here before." Despite reasonable upgrades, I don't think they want repeats. Probably because BIONICLE's medium is not the same as Batman or Superman, for which they appear to have no hesitation in release near-identical action figures. I don't know exactly why, I just know from GregF and LEGO that it is so. The target audience is long-gone, InnerRayg, but I suspect the store buyers are probably not. They see the name tag "Kopaka Nuva," see too many noticeable similarities and say, "This guy's been on the market too recently for me." You can't risk stores not wanting it. Even if most stores do, in today's market can LEGO really takes the risk of designing sets and having even some stores not want them? GregF has confirmed that this was the hesitation of re-releasing the Nuva. 2008 was originally supposed to be another Inika transformation (can you imagine the complaints here if it were so? It seems we complain about everything.) but since BIONIClE is going in a new direction in 2009, they managed to convince management to allow a re-release of the Nuva. Sure the designers can make updated, clone-copies of the originals. It's easy. The question is if it is too much of a risk. As Greg points out, it's risky to even put the name Toa Nuva back on the market. Apparently toy stores don't like it in certain products. Can you imagine how risky it would be to make them look too much like the old Nuva? Besides, they do have callbacks. Read earlier in my reponse to DV and I list numerous ones. They are callbacks, but slim enough so that store managers don't return LEGO a big fat "NO." The lines's current execution does NOT blow; it MAKES MONEY. It does what it is supposed to do. YOU THINK the line's current execution blows because it does not suit YOUR tastes enough. I didn't like Nuparu. I didn't like Mantax. I didn't like Kongu Mahri. I didn't like Toa Lesovikk. Does that mean LEGO is failing in black sets or air Toa for 2007? No, it means I didn't like it. Personally. And I don't see how falling in the middle is a halfway job. They brought back the Nuva. These Nuva bear certain similarities to the old Nuva. They don't look exactly like them. And you call it a halfway job. (Sorry if the word halfway is not exactly what you meant. I prefer not to use the word you used.) Okay, let's say LEGO ditched the Nuva not to be halfway, and re-released the Toa INika for the third time as originally planned. I wouldn't have been happy. Maybe you would have. See? Our position might have been switched ,or we might both have been upset. LEGO has no choice. Take a look at 2006. Woah! A ton of new pieces never before seen, on both PIraka and Inika! Guess what? Clones, clones, clones, clones, clones. Woah! Visorak have new limbs, new pieces, Hordika have new bodies, new pieces! Clones, clones, clones. Woah! Toa Metru have tons and tons of new pieces, with so much more poseability than the Rahkshi! Clones. Rahkshi? Clones. Bohrok? CLones. See a pattern? New pieces=same pieces on all sets. Why? New molds are expensive. Old molds are not as expensive. Old molds means new weapons for each figure (a must-have. You want two Toa with the same sword?) Old molds means non-cloning, since Toa can have different legs. You want new armor, most of the Toa are probably gonna have it. Then we all cry, "Clones!" We all bash LEGO for making clones. And now we're bashing them because they use older pieces? And 10-11 new pieces is pretty impressive to me, Clonie. Better than 20 new pieces and, dare I say it, clones! You should check out some topics on BZP. They are complaining worse than we are. There are a million canister topics, one Destroying our Favorite Heroes? topic, a gazillion Bionicle Going Downhill? topics. Greg is not talking smug; he's talking smart. What's he gonna do? Go around saying, "Sorry we upset you. Sorry we upset you, too. Sorry we upset you all, too. I'm gonna go now and I convey our apologies." And Grievous, LEGO is not in complete control either. Yes, they have direct control. But guess who has the most control? The market. If LEGO goes in our direction when the market is going in the other direction, good-bye LEGO. They're done for. The store managers don't want re-released, obvious Toa Nuva. Their reasoning is their own. LEGO has to comply, or end up a dead toy company. And despite whichever you or I would prefer, LEGO I am sure does NOT prefer the latter. Oh, and Grievous, my comments are not actually directed on you personally. I agree with what you said, wholeheartedly. :-) So, those are my points. After saying so much, I can hardly think of a closer, lol. VK :-)

I have both, and they are both wonderful. Hydraxon is amazing in style, weapons and design, but Maxilos' design is so unique and innovative that he blows all the other Titans away. (Maybe with the exception of the great Karzahni.) If you can't get both, I must reccomend Maxilos and Spinax. Maxilos is just so new and his design is something i've never seen before, but has all the poseability of other Titan.s If you can only get one, I definitely recommend Maxilos and Spinax. But try to get both! VK

It took me a while to find what post you were referring to. Sorry about that, I for one must have missed it! :-D I have to agree with all that you said. But I don't really mind the Inika parts, I don't view it as a bad thing. The Inika armor parts are generic enough that they don't really impede upon the Nuva's look. Lewa looks, IMO, very nice with that light green armor. And from what I can see Kopaka's armor fits him pretty well too. The Mahri as a group were better than the Inika; each was different, so there was no risk of clone sets. My only gripe was the usage of backwards Piraka bodies on Hewkii and Hahli. I don't know, it seemed too armorless. On Kalmah it was okay, because he was like a squid, but on armored Toa it was too little. I never try to get story spoilers for the next year. I intend not to go on the internet at all once the new comic comes out; this one I am waiting for in person. I think it was okay to look at sets this year; I had already accidentally found out that it was the Nuva, so the story there was already spoiled. And the looks spoil nothing. I too like to wait for the end of the year story before guessing about the next. I'm a story man myself. And I agree, Clonie, that we should save our final thoughts until the final sets/story emerge. I always do. VK

See my point on taste. You disagree with my conclusions. I agree with them. :-D j/k. However, thank you for being so respectful! :-) I actually like Greg, from what I see of his comments and personality through his posts on BZP and his blog. He seems to be a person who respects and appreciates fans (otherwise I doubt he'd stick around with over 50 PMs to him a day. He has no obligation to actually be there.) He consistently holds contests, lets us fans decide upon things we'd like in the storyline, and keeps throwing in old characters for us older fans. But, then again, he is also, from what I see, a realistic guy. He knows business sense, he knows you can't please everybody, and most importantly he knows how to keep us fans in our place. ;-) Overall, a likeable but smart guy. Thanks for that post, Lord Thrawn. I was one of those who misunderstood your last one. I just think those Toa Nuva, despite several upgrades on poseability, are a complete downgrade from the designs we have been treated to since 2004. I, too, like the grey on all of them. I see it like this; a Toa's armor is armor, exterior. The grey lends to a feeling that the outer armor is actually armor. Now we're seeing armor in colors like orange, light green, white, when we used to see all armor in basically silver. A little grey lends to continuity. Now, that's not to say I don't like the mix of red/orange on Jaller Mahri or white/electric blue on Matoro Inika. I love those combinations as well. But I don't actually see the grey as a bad thing. Except for the grey Lewa Nuva feet. I'm not sure if I would have preferred green feet, seeing as both Kopaka and Pohatu have feet that match their armor color. Oh, and Greg has confirmed that Icarax will be a first-half 2008 release, but not a canister set to his knowledge! Go Titan Makuta! VK

My point and Greg's Tohst, is not that LEGO shouldn't please old fans, it is that they shouldn't worry about it. And it brings up an interesting point about the complains of laziness by designers and other general complaints I have seen here and on BZP. How do you know the designers didn't try to throw in old looks here and there? They apparently still kept Kopaka's eye design. Perhaps they liked this mask design and since the focus groups liked it, they kept it? Just because the design doesn't hearkent to Kopaka to you, doesn't mean that the designers didn't like it themselves. Look at this way; we complain that the designers are lazy and so and so stinks and so and so should be better, and there are a million ways to do this better, etc. But if I was a designer, I would not stop until I was pleased with my final product. No designer EVER stops before he likes his product. I am writing a book; I write. And I do NOT stop writing and editing unless I like my book, my product. No designer can possibly think otherwise. My brother writes music, and he does not stop editing until he is pleased with his composition. My other brother plays basketball and he does not stop working on new moves unless he is pleased with them. Look at us: we're split here on who likes the new Nuva and who doesn't. The designers liked their final products and went ahead with them. The only way they would change those products is if the focus groups did not like them. Just because you or I don't like a mask or don't think it looks enough like the original character doesn't mean that the designers didn't care about making it look like that character; perhaps it just means that their tastes are different from yours or mine. VK

Taste, Ikki. Taste. I love the Jaller Mahri mask, it is one of my favorites, but guess what? To me, it looks nothing like a Hau. Not one bit. And Ikki, I am talking about the similarities you want. Armor pieces, pieces, etc. aren't what matter. I'm talking about Haus and Mirus and Kakamas; you can't really make the nuva look the same. And personally, why would you? I wouldn't want Nuva leg designs that were more poseable but near identical to the old ones. Remember; more new pieces means less variety. I'd prefer more varied Nuva rather than identical Nuva that looked more similar to their older counterparts. More importantly, why? Why should they look similar? There are like millions of BIONICLE kids, and I doubt they are all like you and I. They are not 2001ers; they dont' know who the Nuva are, much less care what they look like. IF you joined BIONICLE now, would you go back and say, "OH, these new Nuva should look like those old ones did." No, I doubt you would. You make it sound as if this is betrayal; no, this is business. To make them look like the Nuva would have required new pieces; Rahkshi feet, Inika legs, none of those are near-like the Nuva. Why should they make new pieces at the risk of them being identical? We just left clones, let's not go back to them for the sake of nostalgia. Not hard to please, Tohst, you just have different tastes. I, too, am glad that the Nuva appear to have brighter colors. The dark green was never a favorite of mine, though I did approve of it on Nidhiki and Umbra. I like Lewa's new light green, and I love Pohatu's orange. Their designs are all different, regardless of whether they use Inika pieces. Same pieces do not equal same design. I also was getting tired of dark colors, which is why I liked Jaller, Hewkii, and Matoro Mahri. Brighter colors. Nocturn I also loved because of that. And if you think about it, the new Nuva do have callbacks to the originals. Lewa's mask keeps that Toa of Air look, and he is tall and superior, unlike Kongu Mahri (my least-favorite Mahri). His Miru does remind me of the old Miru (not Nuva). Pohatu's mask is obviously changed, but i like the Vahi-like, so no complaints. And Kopaka's mask still has the telescopic eye-lens. They could have gone Matoro Inika and given him a symmetrical mask. Lewa Nuva, instead of having dark green, has his original light green. Kopaka Nuva still has white and grey. (Aha! Yes, the original Kopaka had grey, no change here. His old arms were grey, and so are his new ones.) There are callbacks, just perhaps not the callbacks you would have wanted. It comes down to taste. I'll end with that, but you might want to read this quote I found from Greg with regard to a discussion of this on BZP. It seems a lot of them have fears that the Nuva will be destroyed. (Ah! Eurobricks and BZP agreeing on something! The horror, the horror! :-D j/k) It is pretty neat, it reveals some things I didn't know about the Nuva' return. VK

Lord Thrawn: If LEGO had released those as the Toa Nuva, I know that die-hard fan that I am, I wouldn't have bought one...single...nuva. For pete's sake, they're a downgrade! For MOC, maybe, for nostalgic fans, maybe, for normal fans or loving fans like me, NEVER. I would NEVER buy those as Nuva. So, because they knew they were designing the Nuva, they should have made them look like the old Nuva. Uh, nope. Because if I was store, and I looked at LEGO's catalogue and saw the name Toa Nuva with figures that resembled ones I had in the market just five to six years ago, then I wouldn't order them. Greg Farshty himself said that stores and LEGO are hesitant about even re-issuing the Toa Nuva as TOA NUVA. Stores DO NOT like it. This is not Batman. It is BIONICLE. It is not betrayal, it is called making money. And if LEGO doesn't do it, there is no BIONICLE. What I don't get is why the Toa Nuva need to look like the old ones. Why? What earthly purpose does it serve? Were the old Toa Nuva that good that we need copies that look like them in certain ways? I think the new Nuva look far better than the old ones did. They have more poseability, more function, cooler masks. If LEGO made ugly sets, then this would be the utmost betrayal. But they are not ugly, they are well designed in my opinion. I like them, and so this is not betrayal. Ikki, is this betrayal because you don't like the new Nuva or because they don't look remotely like the old Nuva? This first set-release seems to me to be just as good as the first 2007 set-release, if not better owing to Toa Ignika. Of course I can't comment on story. Interesting how it's all about taste; many here on Eurobricks thought in early 2007 that 2007 was the worst year yet, set-wise. I'm of your opinion, InnerRayg, although I actually like 2008 sets so far. VK

You'll find it here: http://www.bioniclestory.com/ Skip the movie if you like, hit next, then go to Command Central, and Story Serials, and you'll find it under the Gali Nuva Blog #6. At the end Icarax is mentioned. Also, upon reading a quote from Greg, the Bionicle Legends 9 quote in his sig a while back on BZP was a quote from a Makuta. He has now confirmed that this Makuta is not Icarax, so it may be that the new Phantoka villains are Makuta after all, or it could simply have been the Makuta of Metru Nui or another Makuta. Hopefully Icarax is a Titan. VK

Hate to be sarcastic, but: Did you seriously think that the Toa Nuva would be similar at all to the old ones? You're disappointed because they bear no similarities. I expected this, so all I could be was pleased when I saw the great designs. I like this Lewa mask better than Miru Nuva, as well, however. It just seems you're disappointed because the main characters don't look like they used to. There is no way they could make them look like they used to. Stores were probably even hesitant to accept the same names, much less the same look. I like the Nuva's new look, I think they seem a lot more muscular and capable than the lanky Inika. InnerRayg: I don't think that ends up as hollow; there are technically two claws, much like the Titan Karzahni this year. I think there is something behind the claws, so it is not necessarily hollow. I don't really mind the things on the villains, I think they are interesting, to say the least. The Toa Nuva launchers look really nice, though I'm not sure about that long tube sticking out the back. It will no doubt look better in person. It works well with Kopaka, from what I can see. BTW, does anybody see how the villain spheres possible launch? Perhaps they don't? Also, important: I don't think these are Makuta, because the 2008 villain Makuta was revealed today in the Gali Nuva blog, and his name was Icarax. He wore the Mask of Shadows, and I don't think he is any of these Phantoka. He is, in all probability, a Titan. I, for one, am glad. I suspect these Phantoka are really servants of the Brotherhood or perhaps another team entirely? VK

It was not the multiple powers that the PIraka had that bothered me. Hakann can have all the heat vision, lava launcher, and mental blasts he wants, he was steal going to be creamed by the Toa Nuva. And Darkness Falls, Zaktan did not have the ability to have objects fly through him. You listed three powers that are all the same. Zaktan is made of protodites, which is why he can fly, split his body, etc. My gripe was, in actuality, Reidak. I never understood how his power actually worked. If he's hit by a small rock, does that give him immunity to a giant boulder? The Toa Nuva bring a whole mountain down on him, and he's laughing in the crater? I mean, the Toa Nuva were better than him anyway. If not for the other PIraka, Lewa would have broken his arm, so Reidak was by no means invincible. His power over adaptation was just way too confusing to make much sense. (Granted, lots of superheroes have confusing powers; how does Superman flying super fast spin the world backwards, lol?) But I just prefer more simplicity. That's why I like 2007. Hydraxon, the Barraki, Gadunka, they don't have powers, per say, but can still be a threat. You don't need powers in BIONICLE to be a threat. The Toa Mata, for example, were trained by Hydraxon in physical combat, which I really like. Yeah, Reidak was my only gripe with 2006. VK

I am not crazy about that police plane. Now, I love the new plane hulls in the Passenger Plane and Airport, I think they look very realistic and very nice (my brother's got the Passenger Plane). But for smaller sets like this Police Plane, that hull is just way too big. As many said, the proportions are off. If you look at a police plane, you'll see that all of it is significantly smaller than passenger planes. A policeman would be nuts trying to fly something that big. Good idea, but they really needed to build this one out, I think, or probably create a smaller hull. It is just way too big for its wings and for its purpose. That truck looks nice, though; a police blockade, it appears to be. Nice design, not too bulky nor <insert that tiresome argument>. I like that they included those blockade extras. I don't really collect city, but the second set looks a lot better than the plane. Final Equation Big Planes+New Hull=Superb Small Planes+New Hull= No Comment VK

If you're not posting them, Tyranide, add me to your PM list as well. But according to Jinzoningen it seems you can. Eurobricks is infamous for this; I feel like such a hypocrite. I keep saying "This is not good for LEGO, yet I come here to see anyway. Oh, well. lol. :-D Jinzoningen, I liked some of the Nuva masks, though I think they had a way more organic feel that some of the newer masks. The Inika masks I agree were not as good as the old ones, but I feel that the new Mahri masks are very well done; I pretty much like them all, and I just love the visors! VK

Eh, oh well. If LEGO wants to put out stuff like that, then that's okay with me. As long as they keep up with the good work on Titans and the rest of BIONICLE's quality doesn't suffer, then they can put out as many crazy weapons as they want. I was hoping for a large Titan, or perhaps a technic-built setting. That would've been neat. VK

My problem with the PIraka was that they were set up to betray one another; they were all double-crossers. I was waiting the whole year for the final moment, you know, Zaktan's shock as Thok and the others abandoned him to a horrible fate. I was just waiting for the Piraka to kill each other off, and instead they got defeated as a group. That, though, wasn't Greg's fault; there was simply no room to have individual defeats if the Piraka were to be in for most of Bionicle Legends 5. I like the Barraki better than the Piraka for the exact reasons you guys mentioned; they have a more reasoning feel, while the Piraka were evil for the sake of it. VK

Woah, Pohatu is looking very nice. Very, very nice. If the better pictures of Lewa and Kopaka are as nice as that, I may just get all three of them. I am loving his style of mask, where it is as much about the visor as the mask; Vahi-like, and I have always liked the Vahi-style. And for those of you who are disappointing at the lack of resemblence to the Toa Nuva, this shouldn't come as a surprise to you. I didn't expect them to look like the Nuva, nor did I expect them to have the same masks and collectibles instead of new launchers. That said, my views on the Toa Nuva can only improve. Pohatu especially is looking nice; by the way, I think that is Pohatu, his style is too much like a Toa and too little like a villain. Just look at Chirox, and then at Pohatu. Think they're in league? Also, Greg confirmed that the Nuva WOULD NOT have the same masks, not that they would. Somebody mentioned that. Finally, I don't see how the names are that weird. Midak sounds kinda cool, reminds me of Cordak. Besides, at the time BIONICLE started, I'm sure Lewa and Tahu and Kopaka sounded weird. Change happens, lol. I'm interested to see the validity of this Karda Nui, Trydax Pod, Brotherhood of Makuta stuff. I too am looking forward to the new Makuta, Greg has confirmed that there is one and that he will be a set. He is also appearing in the sixth Gali Nuva blog and possibly into the next Into the Darkness podcast. I too hope his character is different from the Makuta of Metru Nui. Say, I wonder, do you think he might be trying to overthrow Makuta, you know a secret traitor? Just throwing up ideas, already. ;-) VK

True, I was thinking 2003-2007, I forgot the actual release dates. Yes, Ikki, that is how they work, I think. The only time they didn't do that was with the Toa Hordika, and those.......didn't turn out so good. And while most fans were 1 or 2 back then, remember that the toy store owners were not. Greg himself has said that they can't release the Nuva too early or too similar, because the toy store owners had them in the market only 5 years ago. (Remember, they were still on market in 2003) I'm not really liking the mix of silver and hewkii on Toa Ignika; I wonder if Toa Ignika is Hewkii? Lewa and Pohatu are looking okay, shame there is no Kopaka picture. I will need a better pic of Chirox to decide. So far, all the pics are too blurry for me to make my final decisions. VK

Darkness Falls, should I be screaming at the top of my lungs? :-D Just kidding. But, honestly, my excitement on seeing new pics was somewhat dulled at the fact that there wasn't much to see. I know, Shakar, BIONICLE pics are always of the lowest quality, probably because LEGO wants to avoid spills on their number one line. ;-) DinoBot, I knew they would not bear similarities to our old Nuva, it wouldn't make good business sense for LEGO to release Nuva that looked even remotely close to ones in the market only four years ago. 2008 is looking very good in my opinion, what with the new pics that are showing up. Let's hope Kopaka Nuva looks as good as Lewa Nuva does. (I can't tell that much about Pohatu, but orange? Wasn't that reserved typically for fire?) We will see! VK

Hate to disagree with you, VBBN, but from that Lewa Nuva pic (as blurry as it is) Lewa looks nothing like Lesovikk. The Pohatu picture is far too blurry to comment on, but I doubt he wears the Kanohi Vahi. I will look around for the other pics, but so far Lewa is looking pretty good; my interests however, are going for Kopaka Nuva, as he is the only one I will buy. VK

Grievous, where was this posted? 'Cause I've checked all over the BZP site and in Greg's profile, and I can find this post. I was hoping to see if he posted anything else, or what it was in reference to. Where exactly did you find this post? Thanks! VK

Thanks, Grievous! :-) Well, Clonie, if I recall correctly, Greg said that in Bionicle Legends 8 Mata Nui's death is described as being felt by all in the Bionicle Universe as a strange change, something they could feel but not actually see or hear; it wasn't something physical. I think he said it would take about three days for the universe to end after Mata Nui's death. The lights-out of the Ignika is just symbolic, if you read beneath the lines of the comic carefully, you can see that Matoro feels something is wrong before he notices the Ignika has gone dark. What do you think? VK

Would you have preferred the Mask of Life exploding and taking Matoro down with it? T Seriously, I think the comic was very well done, given the amount of space Greg has to deal with. I think the abrupt death was the preferred way, rather than something stretched out and over-dramatic. I say let the drama be in the death itself, rather than any major consequences of it. Ikki, you should recall that when the Toa Nuva first landed on Voya Nui, they believed they had plenty of time; were they to know that others were after it, including Brutaka? They were in no mega-rush. Inferno really began the rush to save Mata Nui's life, because countless time had been lost. By the time the Toa Mahri finished getting the Mask of Life, they knew time was almost up. I agree that Bionicle Legends 8 will probably be a lot better, the books tend to be better than the comics. Lord Admiral Helden Ravensdorn, if I recall, all Greg revealed was the same words that were at the end of the July comic: "Not a joke. Not an illusion. The death of Mata Nui!" I myself was expecting a twist of some sort, but it turns out that he does die. He revealed it to hide the truly emotional ending of the year, which I heard is happening in the November comic. Also, I think LEGO believed it was a good marketing plod, because otherwise Greg would be fired for leaking information; LEGO definitely approved it. I thought the suspense was well played out. The suspense was very apparent in this issue, with Matoro swimming down after Voya Nui with the Mask of Life, and the abrupt end where he kneels on the ground in shock. The suspense was building up, and they did a good job of ending it. VK

The problem is not LEGO quality, it's Lesovikk quality. The Lesovikk set has a number of issues (this is not the first time I've heard of Lesovikk with broken joints.) This is why it was recalled. You probably ended up with a fractured set. Also, as InnerRayg suggested, carefulness is also an issue. There is a way to take off ball joints without breaking them, and I have done it several times. As such, all the broken joints I have are from 2004-Winter2006. Ever since the summer, I do not have a single broken joint, and I am one that likes to rebuild sets to observe their construction. Between my younger brothers and I (the youngest of which is 11), we have all six Barraki, all six Mahri, and all Titans save Lesovikk. (I dislike him) Not one of them has a broken joint. Yet a number of my 2006 sets have broken joints (the Piraka) and a great number of my 2005 sets have broken joints. A Nidhiki joint is also broken. As far back as 2004, this happened. It happens. I used to take sets apart a lot more than I do now, that could be an issue. I also used to take apart ball-joints willy-nilly, and now I am more careful. So I really don't see this as a LEGO issue. What is a LEGO issue is the quality of the Lesovikk set. Seeing as Lesovikk is the only recalled LEGO set I can think of, it doesn't seem like LEGO is failing, considering the recent mass recall of other toy companies. I don't like Lesovikk, but Hahli Mahri is pretty cool. I reccomend her, from second-hand experience. (My brother owns Hahli Mahri.) We haven't had any broken joints as of yet with her. P.S. The targert audience is age 7-8 in America, I think 6-8 in Europe. If you read the canisters/boxes, there is no 1-8. VK

Breaking joints has been happening with my BIONICLE sets since 2004/2005. Nidhiki, Vakama Hordika, on each of them I only took off the piece once. My 2007 sets have been taken apart multiple times without breaking, so it is a bit of luck (good or bad) I think. (Which makes sense, since that is when they started using the most ball joints and the least gears/technic pieces.) Which is why I don't MOC; I don't think the ball joints are meant to be taken apart, although it is perfectly possible to do so if removed carefully. However, the Lesovikk issue is widespread, in fact I have read on another site that someone from LEGO explained that the part in question (the socket) cooled too quickly. I would reccomend calling, as the people on the phone are instructed to replace certain pieces (I called for my replacement Meca One legs from Striking Venom last year). You can explain to them what pieces are broken, and they should have info about it. The Lesovikk set has experienced a lot of problems, including missing pieces in some sets. THey recalled it temporarily, in fact, so this may not be LEGO as a whole slipping, but just one set that had multiple errors in molding and packing. VK

StarWars4j: You thought 2006 was an increase in build structure? It seemed to me that LEGO was moving away from complex builds in 2006, because Axonn and Brutaka were nowhere near as built as the 2005 Titans in the previous year. Also, perhaps newer molds are more easily achieved that re-using old pieces? I too find it odd, but the designers themselves are not to blame for laziness. That's taking it to the extreme; I was referring to now. As far as I'm concerned, BIONICLE sets are still built, and the canister sets don't seem any less built than 2001 canister sets. There doesn't appear to be a change in quality to most people from what I see, and I too am not extremely pleased with less build. So I believe this is a taste issue. The trend in less construction I am noticing is happening with the Titans; compare Axonn to Sidorak and you'll see what I mean. A lot less build. 2005 TItans had over 200 pieces; 2006 and 2007 Titans have considerably less. That's what I'm hoping. But from 2006 set sales, it doesn't appear that lego necessarily NEEDS to have more complex builds. Notice I said "foreseeable future". Seven years is a long time, and as you said BIONICLE may not still be around. So far, the 2005/2006 approach is working. Hopefully they can incorporate that success with more complexity, as shown so far in 2007. Jinzoningen: I was referring to the part of your post where you said Bionicle parts and sets were lazy in design. There's no proof of that. And it may not be the executive's fault for that; LEGO is finding it harder and harder to compete in a modern world with electronics and stuff. Sad, but I'd prefer LEGO releases some lines I may not like, so long as they make the money to produce lines I do like. And I don't think there are any before budget-cut designs. They are limited as to pieces they can use. This may be why they must create new pieces. All I know is that their pieces and designs are limited. So laziness probably has nothing to do with it. I'm hoping for more build and complexity; that's what 2007 shows is heading our way. As for my buys this year, I will stick with my red/white tradition and get Matoro and Jaller, along with the three Titans and Karzahni. I think I'll skip Lesovikk, as the Ussanui is cooler than his bike. VK

To enter into the discussion here: I recall reading in either a BrickJournal magazine or an interview that a LEGO fan who helped design either Cafe Corner or Market Street (I believe the latter) was shocked and surprised at the limited number of pieces that LEGO Designers are allowed to use in order for LEGO to actually make money and not just die out. In fact, he commented that MOCers have more pieces available to them. So, just as Clonie should probably know something about MOC to comment on MOC quality and design, I think it would probably be fair to assume that you should wait until you know everything about the restrictions on LEGO/BIONICLE designers before you accuse their parts of being lazy. Lazy is when work is not put into something; you are assuming that because these pieces do not suit your taste that no work was put into them. That's simply not true. There are over 30,000 members on BZP, and not all of them are experienced MOCers. I, for one, am not. You really can't judge the pieces by the creations made with them. If you are an experienced MOC and have trouble with them, that I can understand. But, guys, I think we are getting a little mixed up here with quality and taste. I don't like Lesovikk's new speeder bike, whereas I have liked 99% of BIONICLE sets up to this point. Does that mean that Lesovikk's new speeder bike is low quality or lazy in design, or does it mean I want something different? I see it as two sides here: those that like the new, simpler design and more one-way pieces beginning in 2006, and those that don't. There's no "quality" involved here. It has not escaped me that 2006 began a less advanced build trend, (I like more advanced), but hey, it brought BIONICLE back to Number 2 in LEGO, and it allows for the survival of more complicated TItan sets. From a MOC standpoint, you guys complain (for lack of a better term; you're not really "complainers") about the lack of ways in which new pieces can be used. But if I recall, it was realized in 2001 that BIONICLE was not going well with the majority of the Technic fanbase. 2006 showed a major increase in sales from previous years. What LEGO has realized is that its target audience (not us, my friends, that 7-16 on the labels is LEGO's nod to us, they don't make that much off of us builders) does not want what we want; and in order to survive, who must they please? But to add to your current discussion, I find the 2007 piece far more equipped for more usage than the 2006 ones. Notice that the Inika, Piraka, and Metru leg armor allowed for only one way to connect. The three new Barraki leg/arm armors allow for two ways, either by axle or peg. The Carapar armor has been used in multiple ways; take a look at Mantax, Carapar, and Karzahni. Again, though, this comes from my purely looking at the pieces and not from any long experience with MOCing of any sort. I am very glad that the Mahri show the return of Toa Metru faces, which allow for their masks to be used in more ways, and I like that the transparent mask piece is separate! The Mahri and Barraki this year, to me, show the beginning of a BIONICLE future that combines the best of 2006 and its predecessors, in which build was more prominent. Plus, I like the design of the Mahri and Barraki, for the most part. I find nothing about them "lazy", with no offense to yourself or yourselves. Perhaps, perhaps not, Lord Admiral, but in 7 years there may be plenty more BIONICLE fans that will more than make up for those lost. It is a changing world. In fact, BIONICLE's current age group may have changed, and they may have to adapt to that. It's life. But what matters to BIONICLE is not 7 years from now, but what is the foreseeable future. Why target an age group that is not making money for you now? You won't be here seven years into the future. And their age group is not six-year-olds, however much you or I may dislike their tastes. Those views from the Barraki ad early this year were from European kids (where the target group is younger than the U.S.) and they were not the focus groups or the actual age groups that LEGO is specifically targeting. They were selected children. But hearken! I bring what may hopefully be good news for you all! On his blog today, GregF announced that 2008 should see the return of more advanced and complex builds. Let us hope that this will see a future that you all will approve of. Good evening, all. :-) VK