KMOI

Firstly, welcome to the boards! I agree with Zane. This year's sets really take everyone's comments into consideration. Now, we got pretty solid cockpits for the humans (And not the robots, because they're made tougher than humans, but more importantly, they're expendable), technic parts for arms (And not legs, because balljoints can take that much weight) and a waist joint for the Iron Condor to boot! They've definately learned alot and are truly making the most out of their lack of the light bricks. I agree with the "taking other parts from other themes" analysis of the Sky Guardian's zamor launcher. While I pass it off as an extremely lethal (But short ranged) energy grenade launcher, it's a blemish on an otherwise not-so-bad robot. Other than that, the weapons are pretty good. The return of the rifle is definately welcomed as is the sword, which looks like it can tear through anything. Really reminds me of the anti-ship sword from Gundam! I can understand why the Claw Crusher has bigger claws. See, in a theme like Exo-Force, mechs need features that really make them stand out from one another. For the Claw Crusher, it's the claws. For the Iron Condor, it's those massive wings that make it stand out! Sticker-wise, it's not too shabby. Now, we have multi-coloured stickers, as opposed to the ones we got this year. While I got to admit that the designs aren't what we've gotten in the past, it's not too bad. Aside from my personal gripes with the mechs (Such as those pelvis pieces as the Sky Guardian's forearms), they're not all that bad. It's a definate departure from this year's offerings, but it isn't for a lack of trying! If anything, LEGO's really trying hard to define a new "season" of Exo-Force, which they've definately done with these radical designs.

Doesn't Kopaka's shield count? I know it's a bit of a stretch, but he could use it by bashing people with it. Meh, in any case, you're right. I'm really liking how some of them have multiple weapons that actually integrate themselves with the set. The tadpole firing device on one side, and the other weapon thing on the other. By "integrate", I mean it looks unique and fitting, whereas the Zamor Launchers kinda stood out like a sore thumb. The tadpole weapon seems to really blend in with each of the figure, which is a definate plus. Anyways, I'm actually less impressed with the Pridak now. I don't know why LEGO is going back to using Rahkshi limbs for some of them, such as the Pridak. It really looks like an eyesore. I was king expecting him to be a more serpentish being, but I guess it isn't so. Also, the Voyatoran knives seem a bit small for him now, and Pridak looks pretty unfinished as compared to the others. Well, I can always make whatever modifications that I see fit for mine! Oh, and as for the rest, they keep on looking better and better!

Don't forget the forearms of most of the larger mechs. Those pieces are going to be pretty rampant from what it seems. It's good LEGO stayed with the Knight's Kingdom megafig legs though. Carrying that much upper body weight would render leg balljoints useless! It's always the unoticable subtleties that really impress me about this year's larger mechs. :-)

LOL, Hobbes! And I know this isn't a popular choice, considering it's not a racing car of any sort, but I'd love to see a SMART car. Ever since I saw it all those years ago, I just can't get enough of it!

We're not going to bash you, Kynok! This is EB, and opinions are encouraged! Also, topic de-railment happens on a frequent basis, but that's a good thing. :-D I'm sure it's going to be named something else like Hydromors or something along those lines. Silly naming process... And about the mystery of the Pridan/Pridak set. Maybe they removed it? Dekar didn't change any of the file names before he uploaded them, and since the ID for the Pridak image is "lego-bionicle-pridak", it matches up with the other URLs that currently exist on the site. I'm sure what Dekar did was take one of the image's URLs such as this: http://www.kaleidoshop.de/produktkatalog/p...icle-mantax.jpg And knowing the name of the missing set, renamed it to this: http://www.kaleidoshop.de/produktkatalog/p...icle-pridak.jpg And managed to get the image before that site took it down. That or Dekar works at Kaleidoshop. :-P On a side note, yes, it would make for AWESOME fan-fiction. I'm tempted to write it myself, ToM!

Time to address some points. Oh, and for the record, I'm not looking for the knock-out punch here. I'm just sharing my thoughts. Unless this is a fight, which I'm almost sure it's not, I'll reside to my original approach and share my opinions, as well as learning new things which I have missed from my 3+ years haitus from Bionicle. Such as how GregF wasn't the grand-daddy of Bionicle, and that there were other writers in the beginning. But you can't argue the possiblility of the fact that some sets have been made to go with the storyline. No matter how many times you try to fight it, it's definately within the realm of possibility that they made sets to fit things in the storyline. One example would be that creatures set they released in 2002. I would say the same for some of the Rahi sets as well, though I can't back it up with solid/conclusive evidence.

8-

Ah. I just thought GregF was in charge of Bionicle from the get go. Apparently not! My bad, everyone. Now I can actually see how the shift is actually reflective of the change in set/plot priority ratio. Nope. I may not have been clear about this in my original post, but just because there's the physical presence of the original Toa doesn't mean it's actually enough. I'll be very honest. I'm sick of this "drag some matoran we had in the past and turn them into Toa" routine. While it would be fine if the original Toa were dead, the point is that they're NOT. The Toa are perfectly alive and are getting shafted in the worse way possible. They went down like an old dog being put down. For a bunch of Toa who almost wiped out their respective villages while testing out their new powers at the end of the Bohrok saga, it's hard to believe they went down in a matter of seconds. I'm okay with them being captured, but it almost seemed the Nuva had the strength of an armed matoran. What I'm trying to get at is that it's not entirely nessesary to have to create a new set of Toa every single time we get a new chapter of the universe created. Especially not when you have a set of perfectly good Toa around, who haven't been completely developed due to their depowerment at the hands of repainted Elite Bohrok, the arrival of Taka-what'shisface and that massive flashback of Metru-Nui. There's still alot to go through, as we haven't really got a chance to know the Toa Nuva after "mastering" their Nuva powers. At this point, I really wish GregF would have just offed the original Toa. He really should put them out of their misery and therefore justify his need to create more and more Toa sets. Sure, the first few months will be filled with some fans complaning about it, but in the long run, it makes sense. I'd be perfectly okay with it, even if they died without a fight. Anyhoo, back on topic (for the millionth time), here's a photo of the new launcher ammo that's on Dekar's brickshelf. Looks kinda like Zamor spheres but fitted to the aquatic terrain. Most curious!

Agreed. I lost all respect for GregF, especially when he defended his decision to shaft the original Toa. I'm impressed by the sets right now, but if the past is any indicator, we're going to get yet another "Rap vs. pop rock music" campaign. Lord forbid, but it's almost written in stone. Anyhoo, they all look nice! Especially the Pridan. Since the editing on one of the photos had too much light, I messed around with the brightness and I got this: Seems like an Axxon-ish head with a bonelike body! Just from the looks of it, this guy is packing some major swords and firepower. He's got the miniset knives as wings and his "guns" seem to be concealed by plate-like structures. I'm really looking forwards to this!

Yep! It really seems that the robots are really aiming to do infiltration missions this time around, rather than just a brute force campaign. Guess this is a good time to send in the Devestator-class robots instead of the bronze drones! Oh, and the more and more I think about it, the Sky Guardian actually has a good design. It really seems that they're trying to make the lightest and fastest mech while dropping ALOT of armour. Well, I guess it's kinda nice to have a speed oriented mech! :-P

Whoops, sorry guys! I don't really explore the Town section that much, so I didn't know. Once again, sorry folks!

Yeah, as EXO-CHAMP said, no worries! Besides, I agree with alot that you said, dill. It's only a matter of time before Hikaru, Takeshi, Ryo or Hayato shows up on the battle field with a "plot device" and totally wrecks the robot forces. I'm really hoping they won't! But if history is the case, the humans will show up with some sort of crazy anti-matter railgun or the "Shield of Ages" and totally vaporize the Striking Venom. They're on a real good track right now, so I'd hate to see them toss it out at this point!

Actually, the "Takeshi" inside the fortress was just a minor paint error on the part of the artist. If you check out the comic now, it's been fixed! Yay for other nameless black haired dudes! Also, don't forget, in the last comic, the Grand Titan was seen flying through the air, which means Mecha-1 REALLY roughed Takeshi about. On the other hand, I really like how the Silent Strike actually has an ability that matches its name. It's also good to see one of the human formations winning, as they're actually being torn to shreds. The spider-robot hybrids are scaling the walls with great ease and have infiltrated the "Fortress" or the first wall to the human civilization. So far, the final battle is looking impressive. Though dragged out, we really get some good screen time of the spider-robots, Silent Strike and Hayato's armed hang-glider. I just really hope that "power button" doesn't play a key role in the decision of the fight between the humans and robots and that Keiken's hit was at a pressure points of the robot which severs the power temporarily rather than it being a power button. So far, so good, LEGO!

The designs aren't what I consider "crap". They're just a bit unfamiliar to me. Unfamiliar, but it still gets the job done. Afterall, the Decepticons are supposed to terrorize and all that. About my reference to Beast Wars, I was refering to the design of the robots, rather than the actual storyline itself. The only point why I brought that up was to just make it clear I never truly watched the original Transformers cartoon. Remember those "TRUKK, NOT MONKEY!" debates waaay back? That's what I'm trying to draw a link to. Really? I thought the G1 purists hated the new designs because it wasn't "their Optimus Prime" and "raped their childhood". I'm not being sarcastic here, I'm just curious. When I go to most boards, people are still up in arms about the new designs, calling it Bionicleformers and such. Anyhow, I'm sure the rationalle behind the characters being named and having the same personality as "G1" figures and personalities it to appease Geewunners, rather than to name them all differently. If they did, ALL Geewunners, radical or not, would be running around with pitchforks and actually burning stuff, whereas they're all just kinda ranting on the internet for the time being. Besides, they've made it pretty clear that they're re-writing the original Transformers with the intention of attracting a new generation of fans. As idealistic and cover-upish this may be, it does rationalize the designs and storyline. In general, when you "revive" something, you keep the names and personalities, but give them new designs, a modernized storyline and a new landscapeto tear up. That's pretty well much what they did with Armada and Galaxy Force. Anyhoo, the pre-quel toys are interesting! Starscream still makes me squirm a bit, but Optimus doesn't look half bad. I'm really tempted to paint Starscream gold and call him Mecha-1 though. :-D

I agree with hinckley completely. We got to remember that this is from AMA-we-occasionally-use-pictures-of-misbuilt-sets-as-final-product-ads-ZON. They don't always put pictures of correctly built sets up on the product pages all the time. Remember the Bohrok Va? I think we got the same situation here. If you take a look at the Blade Titan, you'll see that one side of the cockpit is raised up. Also, Ryo is leaning forwards and so is the screen. The codes are also wrong, as I'm sure "Exo code" is a stand in for the real codes that we saw on the box art. Finally, on the Iron Condor, the hinges connecting the two sets of wings aren't the ones we saw on the "leaked" box art. These are, as hinckley mentioned, spread eagle poses to just show off the overall look. I've read the reactions so far and I just say that you've got to balance the final box art and the prototype photos to really make an educated call. Though I'm not going to pick on any nitty gritty details that are most likely going to be changed by the final product, I have a few issues with parts of the sets that we know are final. The biggest shock about seeing these pics was that the quadruped is revealed to be a walking Tripod. I mean honestly, how on EARTH do they think this machine is going to be tearing up the battle when it has enough difficulty walking? Another gripe is that the human's spinning weapons are mounted on far too short, making it extremely easy for the Blade Titan to cripple itself. Also, I'm not really liking how small that 2x2 ball-joint hinge came out. It really makes everything too small, as shown by the rather stubby arms of the Iron Condor. On the bright side, it does work very well on that robot claw suit! I am rather disappointed by the forearms of the Sky Guardian though. I don't know what in the world LEGO was thinking by strapping Metru pelvis parts onto it, other than how they're going to push MOCers to get the Claw mech just to patch up the forearm. In terms of design, I'm rather impressed by the execution of some of the sets. In terms of weaponry, they really amped up the Titan and Hunter. Instead of the Grand Titan's gattling gun, we now have a gattling CANNON, which is sure to do much more damage. Now that we have a better picture, we can finally tell that the Sky Guardian has more firepower. In addition to the Zamor-launcher/energy grenade-launcher, we have the original rifle barrel, which means I won't have to buy an Uplink if I needed the piece. X-D Also, they've given us the enclosed cockpits people were screaming about, so it's not as bad as one thinks. I really do wish that instead of having the 2x2 hinges, they would have made it 2x3 piece instead. Maybe then will the Iron Condor be the menacing beast it's supposed to be. Because currently, the only thing that claw will hit is the cockpit itself. |-/ In terms of theme, it's not so bad! I can see LEGO wants to make a go for a new, "lite" look for the humans' mechs really turned out well. The robots look great too, considering they're supposed to be thin, but menacing looking skeletons, like Barbossa's cursed Pirate crew. However, I can't see how the Sky Guardian is supposed to defend ANYTHING with that weaponry. It looks like it's suited more for lightning-fast blitzes on enemy squadrons rather than holding the line against invading forces. It's like trying to counter force with force. It may work, but it'll look really akward. 8-| Anyways, I'll be sure to pick up the Sky Guardian for the pieces rather than for the set itself, but I'll be sure to post a review when I get it!

Well, it's that time of year again! Christmas is just around the corner (Okay, not really), and Shop@Home has a new offering. While it's like the standard train set redone in Christmas colours, it's pretty awesome! Check it out here: http://shop.lego.com/product.asp?p=10173

I agree with Darth Vader entirely. Sure, appealing to the fans is important, but seriously, Geewuners have have pretty well much spurned everything, good and bad, just because it doesn't look like G1. They're always complaining how everything (and absolutely everything) new is "raping their childhood". I'm a fan of the RiD era, so I've seen all the hate for anything new. I admit, I too was taken a-back by the leaked images. I understand they needed to have a new look and all, but this? I just didn't understand it. I couldn't really comprehend the fact that Bumblebee has a pacifier mouth and that Megatron looks like a new version of a terminator. I really expected the movie to feature Binaltech-like designs! I mean it's modern, yet still has some of those old elements that the purist squeeze onto. But after looking at the new designs after a while, it kind of grew on me. Yes, I'm a young, progressive fan. I started with Beast Wars and I moved from then onwards. RiD and Galaxy Force (English version and Japanese version respectively) are my favorite versions of Transformers just because I enjoyed them. I liked seeing these really advanced designs. I liked seeing combiners. I liked seeing something different. From what we've seen, this Transformers movie isn't going to be a continuation of the G1-verse. It's going to be a stand-alone, redefining the "Transformers" for a new age. And I'm perfectly okay with that. I just don't think the original designs would really appeal to the masses. You know, the boxy cardboard robots. Everyone knows of the original Optimus Prime, but I'm sure when they think about the design, they'll most likely think it's kinda old and outdated. Sure, most of you will denounce this and say that those average spectators have no appreciation for the "art" of Transformers and I'm a loser. Well, see, the thing is, when I go out to watch a movie, I like to pick movies that are entertaining, fresh and will get that ol' adrenaline running. Sure, Megatron and his crew look NOTHING like what their G1 counterparts were but, they're pretty darn scary! I mean I would hate to wake up to find Megatron's metal shard face staring at me! While it's no G1 face, it's sure to instill fear in all. Now that they've said they'll change it, I really hope it's still just as scary and unique as the body. Anyhoo, I'm most likely going to be passed off as some sort of Don Murphy fanboy. But before you make this mistake, you better know this. I really HATE the way he talks to the fans. I honestly can't stand him! Sure, he's a big part of the Transformers movie, but that give him no right to take potshots at fansites like that. I've pretty well much lost what little respect I had for him after that new post he did. You really tend to think, did he EVER learn manners? :-| I was honestly THIS close to not seeing it because of what a jerk he's been to everyone. But still, I'll see it if it looks nice. :-D EDIT Heh, now in retrospect, my real gripe about the non-leader designs is that they all look like variations of a bee's head. While I have nothing against new looks, I'm quite "bug-o-phobic" and even my brain can't process "Jazz = Bug guy with claws". I'm actually starting to feel relieved Wheeljack wasn't thrown into this! :-D

Didn't they destroy that mold, Yoda? I can't recall a set made recently with that same cover. Last one I saw was the re-release of the older airport sets, but that was about it. And yeah, I was also thinking about something along the lines of the adventurer blimp. Anyhoo, as for the helmet, I'm guessing it's going to be a clear space helmet with a clear space visor, similar to the one made for Spytron robots. Not too futuristic, and it works like a charm!

I'm thinking along the lines of the dementor minifigs. Those guys are also mono-legged, remember? X-D

Present! Although I am a Avatar expert first and formost, I am also an advid fan of Spongebob, having watched every single episode. It was a challenging task, but it was worth it! Anyhow, yes. The Flying Dutchman is a green pirate ghost who owns a ship simply known as the Flying Dutchman's ship. The Flying Dutchman was a pirate until he died. After his death, his body was used as a window display. Angered by the fact he was never buried, he haunts Bikini Bottom in his trademark giant glowing ship (Which is also glowing green). We don't really know much about him other than the fact that he has powers similar to that of Genie from Aladdin. Also, in most appearences, he's running about scaring people for sheer enjoyment. Also, it important to note that he has no crew, except for a brief bout by Spongebob and Patrick (Squidward got thrown into the Fly of Dispair), but that ended after Spongebob and Patrick failed miserably. Anyhoo, long story short: Flying Dutchman = Glowing green ghost Flying Dutchman's ship = Glowing green ghost's ship

Guess they never went for it. Besides, after Megabloks got it, it's pretty well much game over. :'-( While it would have been awesome to have those sets, I'm sure LEGO has a good reason. Perhaps the loyalties were a tad high?

Yeah, I knew it. It was too good to be true! Oh, well. Here's to praying for Avatar sets with actual accessories that match the characters! (Castle fires, boomerangs, Suki, y'know, the stuff of dreams! :-D ) Anyhow, I hate to be a downer, but it's going to be nealy impossible to make a dome. Okay, maybe not, but considering the size of the treedome in the cartoon, the dome would actually have to be larger than the standard Lego box itself. It's going to have to be the size of a ski helmet! Unless they get really imaginative with the packaging, I think they're going to take the easy route out on this one. :'-(

I've seen around here as well. They're not that big around here, but they certainly exist. I don't like them mostly because they miggitized Sparrow, Turner and Swan. And don't get me started with Narnia! Sure, they pay close attention to facial accuracy, but it makes everyone look distorted. Heck, they made Jessica Alba look ugly! Ungh! I like their ideas of sets though. THey have minifigure sets, so you can make an army of Sparrows or Davy Jones. Still, with LEGO's new Clone and Droid packs, those Megabloks products will be blown straight out of the water! While the article is old, I think it still rings true. With Lego finally heading in the right direction, I'd say these new sets will be truly mindblowing!

I'm like the exact opposite! I love Avatar, but I don't really care as much for Spongebob. However, it would be a real shame if there weren't any Spongebob sets at all. I must admit, I'm an avid viewer of Spongebob and Avatar. Even though there aren't many structures that really strike out at you, the ones that do are truly incredible. I would love to see the Sandy's Treedome set if it ever came out. The Spongebob set list on Brickset is quite likely legitimate, though not all of the listings may be true. However, I am 100% sure that the lists on Wikipedia are made up by some fangirl or fanboy. Not only is the minifigure count a tad suspicious, but it seems abnormal to me Lego would dedicate 7-8 sets to a theme, nevermind a licensed theme. The only license I can think of right now that has a massive amount of sets it Star Wars. But it's Star Wars! Though I wish so much it were true, I don't think any of those Avatar sets are real and the Spongebob listing has 2 too many in there. :'-(