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MakutaDreadscythe

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Everything posted by MakutaDreadscythe

  1. MakutaDreadscythe
    I'm personally more of a fan of the technic approach with an emphasis on functionality. Granted System intergration would be more open, but I like sets that "do cool stuff". 2001 Rahi were the pinnacle of this idea IMO, though more refined. I personally hold functions in higher esteem than looks because that's how LEGO works and plays best; it's got it's own unique style. Once it tries too hard to be accurate (Star Wars) it loses it's charm and starts competing with more screen accurate figures/toys.
  2. MakutaDreadscythe
    Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if some sets were cancelled or given limited release considering the current state of constraction. We still have heard nothing of a new constraction IP with the sets generally shelf-warming wherever I go. I may be theorizing but part of my stance on why they sell poorly compared to regular LEGO is the pricing. After licensing costs, part production and whatnot we usually get sets that cost on average $30/£ (price over in the UK is outright extortionate) where an original counterpart would be sold at half the price. Looking at forum posts I tend to see a lot of "Wait for a price drop" regardless of the figure's quality. For me personally and especially when there is no LEGO charm or functionality it starts to compete with more accurate figures a la Black Series etc, where it is the same price (if not cheaper) to get a more accurate scalable figure.
  3. MakutaDreadscythe
    Now that the artbook's out I can sorta explain. More shell variety and part detail could have really worked wonders if they had the budget for it. Some concepts I liked were those 2 piece shin armours with elemental flame add-ons. The base piece is somewhat detailed but in a cool way like the Wave 1 masks, while the flame doesn't have the colour issues of dual molding like the elemental crystal add-ons. The bark shells were also cool to look at. A comparison in utility would be to compare Vastus' silly snake shoulders to the bark shell which, while definitely meant to represent wood, can still be added to many characters or even utilised in system if designed well. I'm not saying we should return to the garish detail hell of G1's later years but I feel some more immediate explicitly defined details would help differentiate it from HF or the Star Wars sets to the average consumer.
  4. MakutaDreadscythe
    It's a real shame that the level of detail and artistry in the concept art wasn't translated into the depth of the sets or the story. It looks really interesting and cool!
  5. MakutaDreadscythe
    I still think my idea of the normal masks being a blend of their normal colour and the transparent colour would work best. Might diminish the value of the gold masks but they were diminished anyway due to their poor use in the story IMO.
  6. MakutaDreadscythe
    Complete side-note, Makuta contest results delayed again, again. Wonder what's goin on behind the scenes.
  7. MakutaDreadscythe
    In any case it really serves as a bit of a disconnect in terms of who cares about what. It's clear the designers put a lot of passion into the sets and worked with what they had, giving us some interesting sets and a glorious return to functionality, even if it did sacrifice aesthetics in some places (Skull Scorpio). Marketing and general management of the theme however did not seem to share the same level of passion. A lot of what the theme boiled down to was "too little too late" in regards aesthetic changes in the uniters, basic story elements revealed after nearly a year, etc. Again I have to repeat that the DVD is absurdly made, and completely contradicts the goodwill demonstrated by the Makuta contest, used to give a final hurrah to the series. It literally looks like it was made in 15 minutes and insults the intelligence of the fanbase. It uses different parts of Bionicle stock, like assets from the Phantoka background to entire characters from the Glatorian era, as if to say they couldn't find anything else. I'm aware this is long and sounds bitter but as is constantly reiterated the timing of these incidents is awful, especially considering G2's cancellation. Even the most forgiving of fans is bound to get cheesed off at some point.
  8. MakutaDreadscythe
    Is it bad that I feel legitimately insulted because of this? I mean I know Bionicle's on the backburner for a while but in the name of all that is Mata Nui what is that? I'm not sure if it's a testament to the legacy of G1 or an analogy for the sheer lack of source material from G2. Or just laziness.
  9. MakutaDreadscythe
    Very nice use of parts on the jaw. I like the added bulk, though the bohrok eyes seem a bit OU on the lower legs IMO. If I could improve anything it would be the torso. Maybe it's just personal preference but maybe slim the waist a little bit? He sorta looks like a nuclear samosa with that shape. Just my opinion though, nice job regardless!
  10. MakutaDreadscythe
    Yeah that ending still gets me. Main issue I have is that the characters change personalities constantly (whatever little personality they have). It's a problem they've had since Hero Factory. Don't know if it's a problem with other themes, but I feel it makes it hard to get attached to the characters when it's never solid or set. Lewa, Tahu and Kopaka changed completely for instance.
  11. MakutaDreadscythe
    Maybe he makes socks? Would explain why Makuta isn't too hot on mask making.
  12. MakutaDreadscythe
    They look like swiss cheese. Really bad mouldy swiss cheese.
  13. MakutaDreadscythe
    In retrospect I do find the lack of green short-eyestalks perplexing. The beasts all use green eyes, as does Ekimu, all of which have hindered head articulation to a degree, and some of the toa lose their individuality with them all having blue eyes. This is made more perplexing when you realise the only other colour was used once in Umarak the Hunter and NOT in Umarak the Destroyer. A green eyestalk would have been used more often, potentially anyhow.
  14. MakutaDreadscythe
    This is kinda the point I was getting at. I'll be happy if Nexo Knights does get some constraction sets because constraction is a concept that I still love to this day.Thing is from a business standpoint it makes zero sense to carry on with constraction. Ever since the later years of G1 sales have been declining and missing targets. It's now incredibly difficult for LEGO to market to retailers a line of figures that shelf-warms to the degree of Transformers Energon. Yes, I know this is cynical, but what do you expect after having the plug pulled on so many attempts to revitalise constraction? In the words of JANGBRiCKS, I've been stung too many times. I have no doubt that they'll continue to utilise CCBS in SYSTEM sets, but it just doesn't sound profitable to keep making constraction IPs for the sake of a small passionate community who makes up a tiny percentage of the total profits.
  15. MakutaDreadscythe
    Personally expected Ninjago to get the constraction spotlight seeing as it's the hottest thing since beanie babies but Nexo Knights will be a pleasant surprise. Hopefully some more medieval themed pieces.
  16. MakutaDreadscythe
    Hate to beat a dead horse but the whole point of Hero Factory was to sorta dial things back a notch in terms of that stuff. Granted the neverending cliffhangers were an issue in my opinion which seem to have stemmed from LEGO's fear of any sizeable narrative since G1. Thing is Hero Factory's weakness in terms of story can also be seen as a strength where any character is canon seeing as sky's the limit.In terms of twists, something like that would just invalidate fan's purchases and foster bitterness and cynicism for future projects, kinda like another ending we know, but hey, that's that.
  17. MakutaDreadscythe
    Finally got a head built for it, quite proud of my work. Now to work on the rest of it, good thing there's another 2 weeks to go.
  18. MakutaDreadscythe
    I don't want to start something. I'm merely making a point that I don't really have much trust, and that a lot of constraction recently is clearly being downscaled. Besides the constantly diminishing waves of Hero Factory, Chima figures were Europe exclusive in their second year, Star Wars hasn't had any large figures since Grievous or Darth Vader. We may see more done with CCBS but I just don't see it in pure constraction, not for a long time.
  19. MakutaDreadscythe
    Well for a start we heard that about G2 and look what happened.Thing is the waves for constraction as a whole are constantly getting smaller, even Star Wars is cut down to just three constraction sets. Granted that could be just a Ninjago situation again but it doesn't bode well IMO given the success of basic system in recent years. To be cynical I doubt we'll see constraction again now that system's popular. Think about it the only reason they kept to Bionicle for so long was because it made money, much more as compared to system at the time, but it came at a cost of constantly bringing out new molds. With system you can sorta get away with a lack of molds because of the sheer versatility of the brick, whereas with constraction new molds are expected, with only a marginal profit to be made after factoring in mold costs and apparently disappointing sales. It's more profitable to invest in system than carry on trying to please the constraction fanbase.
  20. MakutaDreadscythe
    TBH I don't think any form of constraction is continuing next year.
  21. MakutaDreadscythe
    It is quite concerning how this is a common theme. It would appear LEGO misunderstood the drop in G1's sales and attributed it to story, at least that's how it appears. They've dropped the ball with both HF and G2, biggest problem I had with HF is that they never expanded the story. They'd build up to cliffhangers then drop the plotline by next year rendering the line meaningless.To paraphrase IDS5621 from good ol' YouTube, the Bohrok sold much better than any villain as a whole wave, despite essentially being six of the exact same set save for colour and shield differences, because the story was compelling enough to warrent it. That and they were cheap, but that's besides the point. You couldn't do that with most other sets like that, so it's not unreasonable to say it's a testament to the strength of G1's early story. Apologies if this went slightly OT, but I feel it's something important to note down given recent events and information.
  22. MakutaDreadscythe
    I third that. A parts list would be excellent to make an order from Bricks and Pieces for pieces I need. I'd prefer to not butcher most of my current stock of sets.
  23. MakutaDreadscythe
  24. MakutaDreadscythe
  25. MakutaDreadscythe
    Honestly won't be surprised if these flop. Not into them to begin with but they just look so bland and uninteresting even if it's true to the source material. They just don't pop, I can't see them standing out much on store shelves, especially considering the apparently shaky status of constraction at the moment.
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