Lyichir

Very neat! It really shows how great the new armor parts can be even on a much bulkier build. Love the use of the Chima spider legs, as well.

The effect granted by the talon pieces and looks awesome, but I do think the lack of Trans. Orange hurts it. And now I can see more of why the actual set used those leg/tusk pieces instead—while less poseable, they add variety to the build and help the clawed arms stand out more. Even in this photo, the arms blend in with the legs to the point where the claws themselves almost look like another set of legs.

No one was talking about canon. They said a "reference or shout-out", which can be as innocuous as a logo on some crumbling ruins or an inside joke like the "Clutch Powers" reference from the second season. Lego themes generally don't occupy any single shared canon, but that doesn't mean they can't reference one another from time to time as a nod to the fans.

I am fine with names as they become necessary, but people who continuously advocate for named characters have done a poor job convincing me of such. Look at the Protectors. They have gotten scarcely any individual characterization, and unless they can prove themselves to be integral characters, I think their respective titles are perfectly functional. If the Protectors receive backstories, or we learn more about past Protectors and need to differentiate them, I'd be fine with retroactively giving them names. But right now it's not necessary, and could even be harmful. The superiority complex many older fans seem to have for being smart enough to keep track of names belies the fact that many lapsed fans were not. The classic story's tendency to invent names for every single character may have been popular with a select few, but more often it was a source of confusion or even ridicule. I saw one review of an early Bionicle comic (by an adult reviewer, mind you) that simply could not take the story seriously due to the excessive vocabulary. This was a comic about Lego robots—what gave it the right to require so much decoding from its audience? And that reviewer is not alone. What diehard fans considered "mature" and "complex" might be considered by others (kids and adults alike) to be "pretentious" or "ridiculous". I've been accused by idiots on other sites of being a "shill" for Lego, by defending the newer, simpler story. But my opinions on this weren't born when the new story started. They came from my actual experience as a fan for the entirety of Bionicle's run. It was lonely. Trying to introduce friends to the story was a fool's errand. And the fans I did manage to interact with (mostly online) often WERE pretentious and whiny, considering the theme's target audience of kids to be too "immature" to really appreciate the theme. I don't have time for those kinds of attitudes. I'd rather have a simple story I can share with others than a complex one that breeds that kind of elitism and contempt.

Was the Inika build really that innovative? Mostly, it just took the type of leg poseability already used by the Toa Metru and later sets, and applied it to the arms as well. What little innovation it offered was incremental at best, particularly compared to the completely revolutionary shift when the CCBS was introduced.

This actually wouldn't surprise me. 2003 was the year Lego almost went bankrupt due to their reliance on licensed themes like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Spider-Man (none of which had a movie that year to bolster sales). Bionicle accounted for more than 100% of Lego's net profits that year. I don't know any firm facts about how successful or unsuccessful the Kal were, but I do know that they were a last-minute stopgap to keep Bionicle sets on shelves during its absolute peak in late 2002 and early 2003. So it's not hard to believe that if not for the Rahkshi (and their promotion via the highly successful Mask of Light movie), there might not have been a 2004, not just for Bionicle but also for Lego in general.

It's worth noting that considering the initial wave of Elves sets was a March release this year, it's entirely possible that next year's first wave of Elves sets might similarly launch a few months into 2016. That probably wouldn't make the biggest difference in when we see our first pics of the new sets, but it would mean that calling them "sets for the holiday season" might not be that accurate.

Overpriced? It hits the beloved 10¢ per piece almost perfectly, and with a sizeable number of minifigures to boot.

Personally, I appreciate it. If anything, G1 had TOO MANY names. Did the Rahkshi really each need unique names when you could just describe them as "Rahkshi of Anger" or "Rahkshi of Fear" (and thus not have to worry about naming the many, many other types?) Did the Visorak all need individualized names? How about the Vahki? The Bohrok? Who here can list the eight types of Krana, and what powers those names each signify, without looking them up? Again, this XKCD comic is relevant. Would I like important characters in future story to have names to identify themselves with? Sure! But the fact is, I don't need mindless zombies to have individualized names, nor do I need one-of-a-kind dignitaries to go by anything other than their honorary titles. And more importantly, if simpler names actually make it easier for even one kid to get interested in the story (instead of all the work put into that story being wasted on them), then that's a measurable improvement over the overwhelming cruft and complexity that helped to kill off the classic theme. Accessibility is not a vice. It's a virtue.

Which makes me sad. I'd like to think that the reason for the classic playsets' failure was due less to the concept (which was incredibly appealing for a story buff like myself who had always wanted to see Bionicle's rich locations represented in sets) and due more to the execution (with terrible, disproportionate, unposable, and mismatched figures, and the poor luck to debut right after Bionicle abandoned diverse and interesting elemental biomes in favor of dour battlescapes and fortresses). Playsets with the amazing figure designs from last year's Hero Factory IFB wave (which were similarly less successful than other waves by virtue of timing and circumstance) and the lush and mysterious background of Okoto would be the bee's knees. But numbers speak louder than words, and the numbers form a clear argument of why playsets are a bad idea. I'll continue to hold out hope for Bionicle figs appearing in Lego Dimensions or some other avenue for release, but it's a fool's hope, all things considered.

To be honest, when Lego games give female characters unique attributes, it's often to compensate for many such characters being less useful. This isn't a dig at Lego or the games themselves, but when you have a "damsel in distress" character like several of the ones from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, or Jurassic World, you've got to do something to help compensate for their lack of guns/lightsabers/force powers/etc., or they'll essentially be useless compared to their male co-stars in story mode who typically have all the same powers and then some. Giving them a double jump is a good way to give them some added versatility and usefulness without having to make up abilities that contradict their actual story role. Besides, it's not like that rule is universal to Lego games. In the original Lego Star Wars, most female characters could double jump... but so could Jar-Jar Binks and a few others. In games like Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin, almost every character can double jump (justified, since most of them are ninjas with plenty of athletic skill). And in Lego City: Undercover, the only characters with any sort of double jump are astronauts who can wear jetpacks.

How do hoses mean clashing colors? They could easily just be silver, a neutral color that already exists in practically every 2015 set by virtue of being the color of the head. Mind you, I'm in no hurry for an underwater wave either. How about something Bionicle's never done before, like an OVER-water seafaring theme?

The funny thing is, the giant foam claws sold at Lego stores alongside the Atlantis theme WERE redecorated and reused for Chima. Makes you wonder why the sets themselves didn't end up using them.

I was there, and I definitely don't remember them saying any such thing. Unless it was told directly to an interviewer or something...

You know, all the Halloween jokes about the new sets got me thinking... I wonder if anyone will try to make costumes of the new Skull Villains this Halloween? It's still a couple of months out, which should be plenty of time for someone who's really dedicated to getting it done.

I didn't specify CCBS. It's possible that a "constructible doll" theme would need its own parallel (though perhaps compatible) system. But even CCBS could potentially work with a few new molds. Of course, I'm in the camp that Luke and Obi-Wan both look pretty ace.

Just to make absolutely sure... you all DO realize this topic is solely about constraction sets, right? Hence why it's in the action figure subforum. This is not the place for your System-based wishlists, unless those wishes are for action figures based on System themes, or Mixels. On that note... Elves constraction sets? Ninjago constraction sets? Am I alone here in wanting that?

Great review! There is actually one subtle change to the Samurai X minifigure—she has the same black shoulder armor as the Ninja, instead of the Titanium Metallic shoulder armor she used earlier this year. Personally, I think it looks better this way, now that it matches her helmet. I agree with you about the Titan Mech—it looks just fine without knees, and in fact I'd consider it better-looking than any other mech Lego's ever released. However, when I recently built this set on LDD I also noticed Mech-enstein's poseability issues. Not only are his ankles a problem, but the Hero Factory detail elements on the sides of his legs even collide when posed with his legs completely straight! It's not impossible to put him in a decent pose, but the number of poses he can pull off is extremely limited.

What sort of connector do you think that would use, out of curiosity? A part like this but with connections on all four sides would be pretty epic, I think. Though of course there are other solutions that wouldn't involve new parts.

It was. I was hoping the update would come today... but at this point it looks like it won't update until July at the earliest, and might possibly be delayed until around the time we normally get the FALL update. I hope the content of this update justifies the long wait...

Notice that that release pattern was abandoned completely after 2005, with subsequent sets alternating between heroes and villains (or featuring both in the same wave). I think Lego did that deliberately due to the nasty side-effect of having heroes entirely absent from the current range of sets.

Worth noting that on the set version, the octagonal "seal" on the front of possessed Lloyd's uniform is shattered: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CFdKZ3WUsAA_Zda.jpg

One thing that I think would make an aquatic wave neat is that it could follow a very appealing story pattern to serve as a two-wave theme. The first half of the year's sets could feature the ocean surface and beaches, fighting whatever undersea foe should arise (maybe even with shirtless "beach" costumes? Nothing wrong with a little fanservice... ). The second half year's sets could feature them fighting those foes at their source, deep under the sea with appropriate scuba costumes (which may or may not need new molds—simply strapping air tanks onto a traditional masked ninja would probably suffice). This structure would allow for a wide range of set designs, with surface vehicles and tropical beach scenery for the first half of the year, and deep-sea vehicles and underwater scenery for later in the year. As for foes, pirates might work... but personally I think cephalopod-themed villains could be quite creepy and diverse.

Trans. Bright Bluish Violet (the current Trans-Purple) has a certain quality that makes it perhaps less than ideal for certain parts. That is that unless it's backlit to some extent, it has a nasty tendency to appear totally black. Indeed, Lego's Power Functions infrared receivers and remotes have used that color for several years for the "shield" that allows infrared light to pass through while blocking out other colors. It's not hard to imagine that if the Nether Fortress set had used Trans. Bright Bluish Violet studs, their color would be mostly indiscernable against the black of the portal border (unlike the portal itself, which allows light to shine clearly from one side to the other). And absent their use for that set, I can only imagine that the ammo in the Protector of Earth did not present a compelling enough case for the introduction of a brand-new recolored element. So, in short, while Trans. Bright Bluish Violet would make a great color for 1x1 round studs, Lego probably hasn't seen a compelling case for introducing it when Medium Lilac is more vibrant and visible in a wider variety of applications.

Lego's goal is not to make them biodegradable. Their goal is to create a more responsibly sourced plastic or plastic substitute, that retains all or most of ABS's physical properties while not relying on declining oil supplies. The difficulty of finding such a perfect match is why Lego is spending so much money on this long-term goal in the first place—they're not going to be satisfied with anything less durable or high-quality than what they're currently using. This article has created a lot of confusion due to being so inspecific about what is meant by "sustainable", but rest assured—Lego does not want their products to decay any more than their fans do.