Icesaber

About the Solar Sailor: I was eagerly anticipating the Solar Sailor. It's fascinated me ever since I saw it. But this is too squat, short, and not sleek or long enough. The speeder looks good at first sight, and that's good news (can anyone tell me why the original was blue?!). Hopefully, it will fit in the ship. I'm hoping for an interior, but that's probably shot. A sail would've been nice. Even if TLC couldn't make it go inside, just hanging it outside the ship would've been good, since it would've provided a path for MOCers to make it work. Personally, I think if they just added some more bricks to make it longer (but not skinnier), it would've been fine. The extra length might've even given it some legroom inside. The minifigs are a mixed bag. A fleshie Dooku is nice, though I do not welcome the ugly cartoon faces. The droid looks good from the top (I don't think the head is a battle droid's, though we will see), but a small, sloped brick with a clip attaching it to the top would've been better and not so generic. MagnaGuards' heads are ugly, and arms are too long and thick for the body. Otherwise, the minifigs look fine. I'll probably pick this up (for minifigs, since I have no Dooku, MagnaGuard, or droid pilot guy, and to modify it so it's better), along with the CBP (for clones), DBP (for pieces and the speeder, I don't like the minfigs because I don't like the idea of a bunch of IG-88 clones running around), Vader's TIE (it's cool), and Ahsoka's starfighter (I like it). If money permits, I would pick the AAT up as well.

I get a sinking feeling you're right. I can only remember the underwhelming feeling I got when I saw the Toa Phantoka. *hopes MN is not the guy in the poster, who looks like a Matoro Inika clone*

*claps* Ugh, Vorox has a backwards Inika chest (go ahead and sue me if this was noticed). But the tan Toa foot will be useful for a Maha...

Make another account. It's not that hard... GO ICE TRIBE lol I wouldn't mind a clear, original Hau, to represent the Spectral Hau.

Crap...I wanted to ask a set designer some questions, but now I can't remember =(. Anyone here ask any questions yet?

I'd always assumed it's just as easy to make an old piece in a new color as an old piece in an old color as long as it was one solid color (no markings or anything). Don't they make the pieces with a mold being filled with melted plastic? If so, then they could simply put dark bley melted plastic instead of dark red melted plastic in the mold. I don't see why it would cost anything more if it was done like that.

I like the new sets mostly Ahsoka's ship – Well, it's repetitive, but I want this for the new droid, the new vulture droid in dark-blue, and I want a copy of every single known Jedi starfighter. It is a little short, and the buzz droids aren't so great. And I still dislike the cartoony faces. Clone BP – I like the clones, and the walker's so-and-so. Not great but not bad either. A nice set, mostly for the clones. Droid BP – I don't like all these IG-88 clones. Though the gun arm in chrome and black is welcome, the minifigure itself repeated four times with little variation is quite boring. The speeder's pretty sweet, though. Hyena – This has grown on me, and though I still think it's a little weird, I like it now. I like the battle droids, assuming they are dark-red. Jetpacks are interesting. DV's Tie – I'm excited about this one. They've finally got it right. No blue, just black and bley. At first I thought it was simply a recolor of the blue version, but now I see it has more greeblies, including asymmetry (which is good for a ship like this) and the wing struts are roundish, unlike the blocky ones of the first version. AAT – I've always wanted an AAT, and this one fits the bill. Its shape is perfect, though I would've preferred it tan, I can live with it. Hopefully, a slightly roomy interior with controls and stuff. New gun arms seem unnecessary to me, though welcome. I prefer Yoda's old head, and I'm unsure about which torso I like better. This should've come with a captain droid as well, but can't have everything. Shuttle – This looks good, though I'm not excited over it for some reason. The new Mace face (ha, that rhymes) is horrible! The rest of him looks good, though. The guns on the shuttle look good, and another pilot is never a bad thing. The only thing that concerns me is the price. Maybe since a lot of these new clone molds and prints aren't new anymore, the sets won't be as expensive as this year's (I have yet to pick up a singe '08 SW set besides the Rebel BP. What should I get?).

The majority of the BZP populace: ewww cooties!!1 Nay, for the same reasons, plus they were more recolors.

I imagined MN as a giant, organic rock being who eventually fuses with the MU. This drawing looks too...Transformers-like. I like the fruit launchers in story, though not the set version (Zamor with holes would've been much better). My opinion of the sets have not changed much other than that I dislike the dragon guy a lot more now, I would've preferred a zamor launcher with holey zamors, I disapprove of the silver in Malum's weapon, I like Gresh's new blades, I think Strakk has transparent joints, Atakus should've had trans-red weapons to match his eyes plus they look better on him, and I like the new armor on Vorox's thighs and forearms.

I like all of the minifig-sized ones except the double-headed Vulture droid. Seems lame to me. And I think the AAT should've been tan, not blue, even if the CW depicts it blue. I also really hope that Dooku's solar sailor is made, and I hope it looks good and is a reasonable size, unlike the Sith Infiltrator. It would be nice if it uses those wing parts from the Geonosion fighter.

Now that I've had more time to look at the pics, I guess I'll post my opinions of them. Overall – They don't look bad. Some of the new parts look very nice. I was hoping for new limb pieces but I'm not mourning over the lack of them (we'll see in summer, though). I like the new hands' look, (I'm hoping they open and close, though they probably don't. More like a KKII hands redux), but I think they could've saved a mold by using the Hydraxon-style hand, which functions and has a build to it (maybe they thought it was too complicated?). I wouldn't have minded the old hand pieces either (the pre-08 ones). I like how the launchers are arm-attached on some guys, though I don't really care for a zamor launcher. I like the spiked zamor. I hope those spikes are Viking horns in holes in the zamors. And while I'm at launchers, I'm glad they have some form of non-launcher weapon. Very happy to see that. Some of their names are tolerable for me, and some are just weird (Gresh!!!). Skrall – I like his weapons. I hope the red pieces are removable. He's a little on the thin side but I don't mind (adds to his thin hunchbacked look, sort of like Smeagol). The shield's not bad (is that a sticker?). His parts do look a bit slapped on to me on some places. Gresh – First off, I hate the name. I like his shield/blade/board/whatever he's holding. I liked his original mask but I don't like the newer version. Too KKII-ish. I don't like his body gap, or the claws on the thigh. I was hoping the Nuparu Inika claws would stay, so there would be another color for it, but I'm disappointed they were taken out. Another issue is the monkey-arms thing. But on the bright side, I'm glad that this is abundant in recolors. Overall, looks like a knightish figure (perhaps too much with his new mask). Tarix – Another bad name. Other than that, I like the axes, the body could use more work, and I'm not sure how I feel about the spikes on his shoulder. The blue and gold go together here, and the arms are again too long. He/she looks pretty noble to me. Strakk – That is one sweet axe. I like the color scheme, and all those light blue/white pieces, and I like the look of that mask. Vorox – TAN!!! I also like the tail (could've used a different color than silver), though the weapon is redundant. I think I see new armor on his legs, and I'm glad they came out with a one-color three-toed Piraka foot. He looks pretty cool to me Malum – Color scheme looks good to me. I like his claw-things, except for their coloring. The Carapar armor gives it a good bulky look, but I'm afraid that it's going to be too hollow. I don't mind the feet on the shoulders, and I think this guy looks like a nice, bulky warrior. Tarduk – I'm disappointed the Kardatoran design is being reused, since it's so simple, but it doesn't look bad (apart from thinness). Tarduk looks nice, like an evil, mutant Matoran or whatever it is. Berix – This one looks good, too, with a unique mask. I like the sword, though I think the Chronicler's Staffs should be medium or bright blue, since I can't see any other gold on him/her. Also, is that bright blue? Ataku – The weapons are nice, and the mask looks exotic, but not bad. Raanu – Yeah, this one doesn't look bad either (nice shield-thing). And keetorange Mata feet! Metus – I really like the snowflake shield, and the head looks recolored, too. This guy is probably at the top of my list for these Matoran or whatever they are. Mask isn't bad, either. Zesk – I really like the Rahi-appearance, as well as the unique mask. More tan is good, of course. Not much else to say, like the other ones... Tuma – I'm indifferent to this guy. The mask I like (Nidhikimuch?), and his body looks solid from what I can see, but other parts look slapped on (the feet on the shoulders and thighs). The name doesn't help, either. Fero and Skirmix – Can't see much of the little guy, but he doesn't look bad (mostly judging from the weapon, since that and the mask is really the only difference between him and the other ones). I like the dragon's head, but the rest of him looks too skinny.

I've only followed the topic up to pg. 30. Are there any other pics besides the ones on the Flickr page?

I think Bitil has too much silver, too. I wouldn't mind just his weapons, but his wings, feet, and thigh claws (which look pretty weird) are all silver. They should be yellow! The wings should be an easy (and expensive) fix with the yellow ones from the yellow Jetrax, but the feet and claws (actually, I'd just leave the claws off and replace with something else) don't come in yellow or solid black. While I'm at it, all the Makuta Mistika are too skinny (but Krika looks okay).

#1 reason: Not enough pieces of certain colors (i.e. tan) exist for me. To use tan and old brown for example would probably require many pieces and a very complicated design that I'm not quite sure I can pull off (though I am trying with what pieces I have). #2 reason: I don't have enough pieces in the original colors. And as of now, I'm not allowed to buy LEGO sets, in store or online. As for proportions, have you seen Kopaka's arms? They hang way too low. Too far past his knees, and that's not good at all. Have you checked out the Mata? Their arms don't hang past their knees. And while their chest to waist ratio wasn't quite perfect, it was certainly better than the mahrinikas'. And of course, both suffer from large feet, and large heads (not sure about the last two, need to check).

Gunmetal is wrong because it was never on Kopaka, it's the only gunmetal so it stands out, and silver would be a better choice. The arms are the exact same length as his legs -- a big no. Makes them apelike, if that's a word. I have the Akaku Phantoka, and I think it would be a lot better if they lost the vents on the bottom (something remniscient of the great Ruru, which isn't good), switched the scope (left scope = Nuju), and replaced the lightsaber bar with a stud. Of course, I'd want more changes, like getting rid of the beard, and making the left eye shaped more like the Akaku Mata, but those are the three main priorites I want. Tahu -- Mecha jet placement = fail for Tahu. Again, fix the arms, and ditch the claws on his legs. Needs some ORANGE, and if possible, Mata red. Also, needs either painted Lhikan's Hau or original Hau Mata (NOT Nuva). Flameswords = win. Ditch the silly blaster. Onua -- Get rid of the pauldron. Doesn't work. Needs a hunch. No more red (where did TLC get that crazy idea?!). Original Mata claws or, at least Nuparu Inika claws. Needs proportionate arms and Vahki shins. Keep the black and dark bley. The Mistika jets fail on him. Gali -- Hook or spear sounds good. Jets, I think would look better on shins like Onua. Keep the Inika shins, they look good and fit on her. She needs medium blue and Mata blue. Fix arms, make body better. Just throwing out suggestions.

He needs to lose the gunmetal armor. Fix the arms. Akaku Mata (or mod that mask, but I doubt you can). Shield needs to be the Nuva version. Ice-blue eyes on a Mata head (since they don't come in Metru eyes). Those are just suggestions off the top of my head. I think that the complaints were directed at how they messed it up by making it spiky, something that doesn't fit Lewa at all.

Hmmm...That's an interesting version. Far superior to the original set. What's with the Rhotuka ripcords in the back? If those are wings, he needs bigger. I think he could use a different mask. Where did you get Metru red Toa feet? And I like that weapon better then Icarax's original, though I think it could be double-bladed. And I don't like the hollow Vahki shins for the lower arms. Maybe fill it in with a 1x3 inverted slope?

But that's different. The old one has different leg and torso printings than the new, plus the new one is flesh.

This is rather a great rendition. The interior is wonderful and the equipment is quite nice as well. And it stays very true to the shape -- something I fail to see in many MF MOCs. Just two points of criticism: 1. I don't like the bright green. I think replacing it with a more StarWarsy color like sand green or dark green would be a better alternative. 2. I've never been fond of that cockpit as a YT-freighter's cockpit. I think something like the one on the UCS version or the second TLC version would be better. Also, I do believe you've revived my fading SW interest. Good job on that...

I don't know...Maybe the body be well-armored, and the arms, but I've never thought of Ko-Koronans as bulky. I do look at some things in a weird perspective, so maybe that's it.

I thought it was only pics. I don't think links can hurt. Heck, they do it all the time on BZP, and no one's throwing a fit about it over there (not meant to be insulting or anything) :). Icarax had an old mask, too. I rather like Mazeka's vehicle. It's four-legged, which reminds me of the Vahki transport, one of my favorite Bionicle transports. It's not a flying stick like Vultraz's skyfighter or a flying box like Rockoh. It doesn't copy Axalara and Jetrax in being flying. It walks! Turntable is cool. And I love the cover made by the Kalmah foot (is that gunmetal or dark bley?) and the Pohatu weapon clamps. The zamor magazines being used in such a way is rather creative, though I'm wondering how one sphere will go in instead of the other. Maybe you have to lean it? And are those Technic beams Mata blue...? Mazeka, though is meh, really. I am rather happy we are getting a Ko-Matoran, though. But I wish they hadn't reused the Solek limbs in the same exact way as Solek (the same piece being used for both arms and legs). I would rather the thin Kardatoran limb (used on Radiak and Gavla, as well as Tanma's arms and Photok's legs) be used for his arms. They look much better for Ko-Matoran, who I've always thought have a rather slim, limber physique. I'm disappointed by his neon green eyes. I think neon green is one of the worst eye-colors to go with white. Ice blue or light blue would be far superior, seeing as he is a Ko-Matoran, not an Av-Matoran (and Av-Matoran should have yellow eyes, like Takanuva). Anyway, I think he has too many colors. White limbs, silver mask, and dark bley feet. It is possible to balance all colors well, but knowing TLC, they'll do something weird like making only his mask silver. And seeing as his body is the only piece left that I can't see, the feet will be the only dark bley, or the mask will be the only silver. That's a lot of words. More than I intended. I think the mask should be a recolored white Volitak, his arms should be the thin Kardatoran limbs, his eyes should be ice- or light-blue, and he needs white and light or dark bley. With his current body being an almost exact copy of Solek, he needs a different color scheme, and light bley would serve well. Either that or medium blue. In fact, medium blue probably would be a better choice, seeing as how his awesome walker (All-Terrain-Mazeka's Zamor Walker, or AT-MZW) is primarily blue. Anyway, I would make Mazeka's Toa Mata feet medium blue, which is new, I believe, and also his body and hands be medium blue. And I believe the Technic angle connecter at the back of the vehicle is pushed in to fire the zamors. Oh yeah, could someone post a pic of just Mazeka without his vehicle? PDFs won't load on my comp. And can you tell from the PDFs whether the Pohatu weapon clamps and Kalmah foot are gunmetal or dark bley?

Hmmm...I guess no Twilight for me. I like the HSD. I know the movie ones towered over the battle droids, but I don't remember if it was taller than this. The minifigs look like Rex, a clone, a super battle droid, commander battle droid, and a battle droid. But I'm confused. On the list of minifigs, it (the ARC) looks blue, but on the battlefield, looks red. Hope it's red. Hopefully more clones. A lot more. At least three. Twilight looks good, except the wings are too thin. They are thin in the ref pics I could find, but I think this is one case where the designers should've overridden canon material and make the wings thicker so it looks better. The minifigs look like anime Anakin, Ashoka, Rotta, and a red R2. I wish there was another colored R2 unit.

A thousand BZPers would have a heart attack if you said that to their faces :laugh: . I find the hollow shins quite annoying (wouldn't have been hard to fill with something like Roborider heads), though I really don't see the rest of your complaints, except maybe the large hands (which I don't really mind). And his upper body does seem a tad thin compared to his waist. I wish we could've gotten a Toa-sized Takanuva. I'm afraid though if that had happened we would've gotten a Kopaka rehash.

Toa Taxy and Poko T3 Wait, why is Vultraz a titan and not a vehicle? And if you compare Vultraz's foot "bracket" (the part the ball-joint goes in) with say Kirop's, Kirop has the new style (with rectangular brackets) while Vultraz has the old (rounder). Point is, they're a different piece. Why would they make a prototype piece that won't make it into any set when they can just paint a dark bley or black one (isn't that what they do for prototype pieces?)?

I have my Hydraxon box in front of me as I type, and it looks gunmetal to me. No, giving Metru arms does not mean good proportions. Better than the abomination that is being called "Pohatu"'s, but not that much better. Arms still hang past knees. Shoulders are too wide. Body is too thin. And VBBN...you're a little late if you think that's new, though I'm not sure if that's been posted yet. Oh yeah, could someone convert copy that RTF into their post or change it to Word? RTF refuses to open on my comp. :)