The Outsider

Now that I think of it, the only thing I want as a future constraction line is at least one original constraction line, without being a licensed theme or an offshoot from a predominantly-System theme. Other than that, anything (with quality) works for me. And maybe a more modular torso skeleton, to facilitate non-humanoid builds. But that's more parts-related. Seeing that, I can't help but think that if BIONICLE G2 had done something similar, with the masks as collectibles/weapons/powers, it would be a much greater hit.

Sounds very interesting! Glad to know Kulta's name isn't a LEGO Magazine-only thing. But describing Makuta's spirit as "dark" before he was possessed/maddened/whatever-it-was by the MoUP sounds a bit too much... And where's Skull Slicer and the Warriors in the flashback narration?

I chose sets over story. I think the sets are the best executed part of G2. Everyone has already mentioned the aesthetics and color schemes, but to me the top-selling point is how they managed to add functions without sacrificing posability (well, except one or two arachnids ): this way, people like me who like to move their toys around without restriction can enjoy them, but it can also please the kids and G1 fans who like to have gears and knobs to tinker with. The story, however, is a bit too generic for my taste. Or at least, the most accessible mediums are (I haven't found the books or graphic novels on stores in my country, and I doubt a newcoming kid would be able or willing to buy them online), which is pretty much the same thing. I don't mean they should have the overly-complicated plots of G1, but at least fill out the world of Okoto a bit better. And with so many new characters and concepts compared to old ones, this feels to me as less of a BIONICLE reboot and more of a BIONICLE-inpired line.

Actually, he's still directing The Last Knight (hopefully it's his last Transformers film, and Sir Hopkins might salvage some of it) and these films have mostly been financial hits. Just be glad it isn't Uwe Boll... Besides, unless either Hollywood stops pitching only human-centered adaptations or LEGO concedes in bringing a human to the BIONICLE world, direct-to-DVD films like for G1 is all we're going to get. I seem to remember Hasbro mentioning in a recent convention (can't find the page right now, but I think it's on seibertron.com or tfw2005.com) that their action figures were making far more money than their other brands, so I guess they're only popular when attached to a cartoon series or franchise. Then again, Hasbro has far more action figure brands than LEGO.

While I fully agree we should enjoy what we have for now, I think this sort of discussion is important to see whether BIONICLE just can't capture kids these days as it did to us or if there's more that LEGO could have done. Personally, I sit somewhere in the middle. As mentioned in the story discussion, action figures have decreased in popularity in the last years (unless they're tied to a cartoon series or Skylander-style figures, I guess), and with so many "popular" themes like Ninjago and Nexo Knights, it's kinda hard to compete. However, one has to admit most story material requiring either an online purchase* or an online login, there isn't much chance for kids to explore and become invested in this new world even if they fleshed it out. * (at least in my country; I don't know if the books and graphic novels are physically available elsewhere) I also liked the concept; it was the execution that bugged me. If they keep a more rotating (and perhaps expanding) cast and actually conclude the plot threads and cliffhangers, I'll be all for it. Not treating infanticide (Evo's Breakout storyline) and mass extinction (Invasion from Below) as heroic deeds would also be very appreciated.

This. So, so much this. Maybe with a few transforming mechs as well? Frankly, I'd like to see Constraction show up in Dimensions somehow. I would also like some truly "fantasy" line, without sci-fi in the mix (I don't count Chima because of the vehicles and Speedorz). Alternatively, a Roboriders-type story in a version of Cyberspace. Ha ha ha ha no.

Thanks! Most pictures I find of him using the sword use the whole assembly (some of them even keep the extra ammo disk, oddly enough), but your suggestion is far less klunky.

Why have only Makuta and the Toa been adapted from the original line while all the other characters are completely new creations? Aside from the ones I've mentioned, can we expect to see other G1 characters and concepts adapted to this new continuity in some form (set, cryptic reference...)? Note that I don't want to know which, if any, will appear; only if they're considering the possibility. What concepts, set- or story-wise, had to be cut or heavily altered in these last years? Nevermind, Kalta beat me to it. Has the line met sales expectations so far? What other forms of media are you considering to explore int the (possibly) last year? And a question to this forum: does this have to do with Dorek's interview? Or do I have to post in a different topic for him to take my questions? EDIT: Almost forgot: do they plan on releasing the Ice Shadow Trap as a polybag, or is that a series-only design?

Maybe Jagiri is another past PoJ (this is not my theory, it's in BIOSector01). Anyway, the two episodes for 2016 are on the site now. Which means I subscribed to Netflix for nothing. Oh well, at least now I can see some more Marvel shows.

Well, to me the opposite happened; I still see the sets in my local Toys R Us (although there are very few of Terak left), but when I check online there's absolutely nothing. There are no LEGO Stores nearby for me to check, though. And before anyone asks, I live in Portugal Frankly, this whole discussion is leaving me worried. So far I've only got Umarak and the Unity set; I was going to wait a few more months and save some money before buying the others, but now I'm afraid there won't be any left...

So, I finally got this set; and like I predicted from this review, I loved it. I only have two questions: How is he supposed to hold the sword? Can he store the bow while using the sword or does it just lay around like the extra Shadow Trap pieces?

Yes, they used white Exo-Force robot arms (does anyone remember the last CCBS set to come with those?), but you switched the legs around: it was blue claws on the back, and white arm/horn combo on the front. And I think they also had a chain tail like the Stone Shadow Traps, but without the blades at the end. A shame this trap design didn't come with the Kopaka & Melum set, really.

Just checked on Biosector01; the "largest" BIONICLE set was Skopio XV-1; before that, it was the Kardas Dragon (which I think is probably the tallest, since Skopio was a quadruped vehicle). Don't know about Hero Factory or anything with CCBS, though.

I don't know, but there's something in your link that I noticed: look at the golden curves in Ekimu's chest. He doesn't have a Nuva symbol. He has all of them!

That's what I meant when I said "long-lost machinery pulled from the ancient ruins of Okoto": something mechanical but clearly not futuristic or sci-fi (like the Ussanui from G1). And I have to agree, the Baranus was a bit lacuster compared to, say, the Thornatus.

I thik there's a few images and a video on TTV.

While I'd also like the vehicles and mech, I think they would clash with the intended tone since they're trying to keep the mystical setting of the Mata Nui arc. And I wouldn't want playsets and minifigures to replace action figures so soon. Maybe if they can get beyond the planned three years... However, beast-pulled carriages, actual mounts or some long-lost machinery pulled from the ancient ruins of Okoto might make good vehicles in the meantime. Aside from everything you guys mentioned, there's also a couple of things I'd like to see: An anti-villain in the style of G1 Krika (maybe with a redemption arc). Transformable characters in the vein of Bohrok and Vahki. Canisters integrated into the story (I don't mean making them plastic vessels again, I get cardboard boxes are cheaper and more eco-friendly; maybe something like shaping the boxes so, when stacked in a certain way, they form one of the temples of Okoto). More villager heroes. Reusing some ideas from the original which were scrapped (Three-Finger Island, Baterra sets...). More mask powers besides elemental and Creation/Control/Time (I'm guessing we'll get the Mask of Time, anyway...).

I also recall that Slizers lived in separate, single-biome planets in the North American version (including the Judge Planet); which made the whole meteor storyline even more confusing, as they suddenly were in a single planet. And they were Throwbots in the European market. Also, I found the disk gallery. I think they reused some pieces, but other than that they were a completely different line, with a completely different story. Slizers were canceled to give way to Roboriders, and Roboriders was canceled immediately afterwards to give way to BIONICLE.

A Q&A directed to one of the characters, like Transformers' "Ask Vector Prime", might also be a cool idea; they could even pull humorous lampshades or "misinterpretations" on those nitpicking questions and head-canon proposals that apparently doomed the original BIONICLE. If it did, then the "no-romance" policy clearly didn't work (I always felt it was a stupid idea anyway; most kids have basic ideas of love and romance way before they can think of "reproduction"). I also wouldn't mind canonizing a few MOC contest entries, as long as they don't commit one of the errors of the original that really annoyed me: create an entirely new sentient species, with no information other than "this guy that only appears in this guide book and nowhere in the main story belongs to this species". Damned Dark Hunters... Also, if they pull out another Wildlife/Rahi book, it would be nice to mention it as "incomplete" or "outdated", to give kids and fans the option to create or modify their own species.

Huh, I thought "dinosaur" only referred to the extinct species. Well, I stand corrected.

You mean Cernunnos? That's the only one I know of, but I think he was a forest protector, not an evil spirit. Then again, Thor was a redhead in the original myths and Hades never was evil in Greek tales, so I guess mythical accuracy doesn't really matter in popular culture. You know, calling an albatross a dinosaur is like calling a human an australophitecus; related, but not the same thing. Where are the pictures? EDIT: Nevermind, found them. Was that idea before or after watching Age of Extinction? Seriously, though, that'd be cool.

Just to to give my two-cents on the "new team vs. old team" debate: I think that really depends on the kind of story LEGO tells. Something like this generation of BIONICLE or Ninjago, where there is only one operating team from the start, doesn't really need new heroes every year, as the focus is on the development of said fixed cast. Though new characters might be introduced/promoted later, these should be saved for special occasions such as final battles (the fight with Teridax in G1; the search for the Green Ninja and the battle with the Ghost Army in Ninjago) or in the passing of the torch, to symbolize the end of a cycle. However, in stories like Hero Factory and Exo-Force, where the heroic team is part of a larger organization, I think it would be best for the cast to rotate a bit, to avoid the sense of wasted potential. One of the things that annoyed me on both of those lines was that, according to the setting, there were so many other adventures and characters we could be following as well, but we always got stuck with the same group, with little to no addition to their ranks (Hero Factory only had Nex, Evo and Rocka as newcomers, and Exo-Force only got Hitomi for a single year before being discarded in the Jungle arc). Hero Factory was a bit better, rotating among the fixed cast of 9, but they still got stuck using three "central" characters (Stormer, Furno and later Rocka) in every storyline instead of, for example, having one or two in one mission/wave and the other(s) in another mission/wave occuring simultaneously in-story. However, what's really important (at least for me) is that both these new and old characters are suitably explored, and that the old heroes don't just get ditched so the new ones can sell their toys (unlike, say, Transformers: The Movie). Seconded, as long as the original cast has some role to play in the story (for example, as a mentor; or as a King In The Mountain).

So, it's a bit early to judge these sets, as they're merely prelimns, but anyway: The Destroyer, despite what anyone says, is just how I imagined (color scheme aside): a hulking brute. Though I'd propably shorten the claws and/or horns and add a few more bulk to the legs to balance it out. And though I imagined him as a brute, I hope they don't turn him bestial; only more rampage-prone. Ekimu has the opposite of Tahu's problem - too little gold (or maybe trans-blue too concentrated in one spot; we really need a two-piece torso). Can't see much with the trans, but the build doesn't seem bad...but it doesn't seem good either. Of all the Beasts, Storm is the best, but only because it's the most bestial-looking. All of them are too bipedal, Quake Beast's pose reminds me too much of 2015 Onua, and Lava Beast has hand-held weapons? No; just, no. On a sidenote: I've been waiting since August for the 2015 Summer sets to come to my local TRU; up until December, all I saw was a few Masters and Protectors, and if the site was to be believed, they weren't in other parts of my country either. And now, I just went there and saw...the 2016 Creatures. And only the Creatures. ... What?!

Seconded. These sound almost spiritual, which to me brings back some of the mystical feel of early G1. I'm not sure if I like Ice being considered the purest element, though. In my opinion, unless it's some metaphysical element like light or ether, none should be above the others. Oh well, I guess they need an excuse for that 2-in-1... Yeah, they never really explained where they came from, did they? I also wonder where Makuta is in all of this. Is he in an uneasy alliance with Umarak or the Toa to get his mask back? Is he on his own? Is he just waiting in the sidelines, letting his enemies wear themselves out before he swoops in and takes the MoCo from the exhausted winner(s)?

The problem is, it sounds forced and stilted. If he only mentioned Lewa's appearance and weapons at them moment and only talked about his dual mode's abilities when he used that function, it would sound a lot better. Show, don't tell. But it's even worse with the other Toa, because Vizuna never met them and yet goes on lenght on their dual weapons functions; and why is knowing Tahu has a lavaboard useful when he's nowhere near lava at the time?