Kalhiki

Ben 10 parts and a SW Constraction head. You win, sir. You win. Amazing MoC all around.

I wouldn't complain about that. Speaking of, I don't recall HF having problems with its sales. Plus, it lasted, what? Four and a half years? So why's Bionicle seemingly doing poorly? Surely its not Constraction in general. Is it the set designs? Or maybe there's just a lack of interest in Bionicle?

Hawk, Falcon, I don't care. I want it. That is super cool and adorable. I'll need to order some parts from Bricks and Pieces and build the little guy!

Ekimu's Hawk? Can't wait for pics of that. I'd love to see Ekimu with a pet bird.

You're not alone. The jaw does nothing for me. I'll stand by my initial statement and say they should've engineered a snappy mouth instead. I like the idea, but not the execution.

Yeah. It was quite a bummer. Luckily (after browsing Lego's Customer Service on the website) you can contact them for a replacement. Having discovered that, I went ahead and put together Umarak. Actually pretty cool. Looks better than I expected. Love the grabby claws and the new parts. Except maybe the lower jaw. I just find it a bit awkward looking. I really wish they had snappy jaw instead, but oh well. Also went ahead and swapped out the ankle bone for more poseability. Works wonders for him. Good thing I found that discounted PoS!

I picked up Umarak at TRU. Haven't built him yet because... He didn't come with any stickers... I'd imagine I can order a sticker sheet from Lego's Customer Service or their missing bricks page, yes? I'd rather do that than go through the hassle of going all the way back to the store and returning him...

Yup. A very cool addition. Though I wonder what he'd look like with both those horns and the Hunter's antlers. Hmmm.... I may just have to try combining the two versions of Umarak into some ultimate form.

As for Arrow, I feel it's really picked up this season with Season 3 definitely being a dud. It really felt like there was story cohesion between Seasons 1 and 2, while Season 3 felt really disjointed. And didn't really accomplish much... And then Damien Darhk happened in S4 and renewed my faith! Also yay for Constantine! They should bring him to the CW. I thought Supergirl didn't even have a Flash on her Earth? Considering she didn't know who the Flash was when Barry showed up.

Million dollar question. (That and how the heck do Time Remnants work...) Flashpoint ahead? Looks like it. I've been enjoying all the shows DC has been putting out, especially the CW continuity. Super excited to see how Arrow's season finale goes.

Don't know of any well-organized adult followings for MB like Lego has. Not saying they don't exist, but... Y'know. But I gotta be honest. MegaBloks was my childhood. I loved their Dragons line. I still have the sets... Somewhere. One of these days I'll dig them out. Though the models definitely weren't Lego quality. Maybe it was my kid hands, but I recall the models having a hard time going together and staying together. And in my kid mind, I assumed all building block brands were the same. So it was a while until I actually got into Lego bricks (I was a Bionicle fan from the start, luckily). But I digress. I think the last MB sets I got were some of the Neo-Shifters from around '06 or '07. They were pretty boss. Kinda sad that nowadays all they have are licensed properties. If they reintroduced Dragons or something similar to Neo, I'd be all over it.

Hurricane could have flapping wings. One could have snappy-jaws (assuming your not using the Beast mask). Maybe another with a tail-swipe? Or even slashy claws... Or retractable claws!

I guess I can sort of agree... I applaud that they're trying something different, and having two CCBS lines coexisting is great. Granted, we've had two CCBS lines on shelves in the past, but I view SW as being more successful since Superhero Ultrabuilds only got one wave, and the second wave of Chima never made it to the States. That being said, I can't exactly say this is the best year in terms of set design. SW figures are great, so put them aside. But I'm less than thrilled about Bionicle's current lineup. Again, I applaud them for doing something different, but the cluttered texturing is a bit jarring, and the shortness of the arms on some of the Toa and torso flatness are a bit of a design killer. And don't get me started on the Beasts which also have some questionable design choices (Quake's arm, Lava's lower legs, etc.). Though bringing that up, I really begin to wonder what I consider the peak of CCBS set design. 2011 was the start... The Savage Planet Beasts were cool in giving us animalistic designs, but the Heroes were basically clones... 2012 was fantastic if you ask me, giving us a wide variety in character designs. The Heroes were similar, but had enough differences to set them apart while still being a unified group. And the villains were creative in build (Reapa, Thornraxx), and design (Jawblade, Splitface). 2013 was a bit of a letdown. Pretty basic sets. 2014 was also pretty great. Mechs were cool, and it gave us something unique and different. 2015, again, great. First time we've seen gear functions in sets for a while. Everyone was unique. And then the summer wave happened with less-than-stellar sets. And I already went through 2016... So, personally, I wouldn't put 2016 as the best year in terms of set designs. I'd say 2012, '14, and '15 were the best we've gotten so far. But in terms of the CCBS's successfulness? Looks like it's stronger than ever.

K250 is an instabuy. I love his look. And black piston add-on, oh yes. Also, the new thigh armor looks promising. Seems to be like the shin guard, but replaces the kneecap with the connection points that regular CCBS shells have. Pretty cool. And I see the Death Trooper has a pretty nifty Shoulder armor piece that attaches at the neck. Good thing I have little interest in the Summer Bionicle wave. Looks like I'll be dropping some cash on these figures instead.

I'm terrible at explaining things, I know. :P Basically, I'm just doing your method but making it easier to access only the back. By cutting a slit into the side right above the zip, it'll separate the front and back of the bag. It'll open the pocket between where the bag is zip-locked and where it is glued together at the top. Just stick a scissor blade into that pocket and cut open the back. Granted, you'll have a small cut on the front. That's why I said to do it where it says Invasion from Below as there's no artwork there (or, at least, not as prominent). Hope that helps clear things up.

I cut into the side of the top (where it says Invasion from Below) to where I could see the front and back layers of the bag. Then I just cut the back layer to preserve the artwork on the front and get access to the zip-lock... If that makes sense. So in the end you'll just end up with a cut on the back but not the front aside from the small slit on the side.

$9? I gotta go shopping. That's a steal at those prices.

So after these past two episodes, I'm now convinced Space Patrol Luluco is the best anime this season. Kinda sucks that Panty and Stocking and Gurren Lagann are both Gainax... I guess we can still get Inferno Cop and Ninja Slayer!

Well, thanks for the pics. But it looks like I won't be getting Quake Beast. Just too much stuff that I really don't care for... Namely his whole right arm. Needs a lot more bulk, and it just kinda kills the figure for me. And the face being the only solid purple piece feels out of place. So hurray! More money saved.

These sets have to stop looking appealing. I have too much other stuff I want to get.

What? Geez... I didn't plan on finishing the collection, but if I find a deal like this, I may have to go ahead with it. That's like, stupid cheap.

I feel the upper torso could use some work, but the rest looks good. Also that face mask print is delicious. I'll have to use it for some Constraction MoCs.

Because you have to be 16 to drive, of course! So... August 1st is the release date for the BWE right? Can't come soon enough...

Great job, you guys! These all look fantastic. However, I'm not sure if I'd consider them the elemental creatures. Maybe just Okotan wildlife. I mean, they're clearly the elemental creatures, but I feel a key aspect for them is the ability to unite with the Toa. But regardless. These are wonderful. Honestly gotta say Akida's my favorite. Harkens back to the good ol' G1 Ruki.

That art is lovely. I absolutely adore the glow he puts on the characters; in this case mainly in and around the piece of unity. And even the backgrounds. Those plants are fantastic. I agree with Dorek. Can't wait for hi-res.