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Still Raindrop

Eurobricks Knights
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Everything posted by Still Raindrop

  1. Still Raindrop
    One of the possibilities that has been suggested is a continuation set far enough in the future that the 2009-2011 stuff doesn't matter. This would be similar to a hard reboot, yes, but it would also mean that you wouldn't have to deal with the problem of setting--we were, after all, given an entire planet to explore, and it had a much less advanced sci-fi feel than the Matoran Universe. Who knows--maybe a group of Matoran/Agori found an island to live on and named it Mata Nui, keeping the Mask of Life there. The description wouldn't need to have anything more than extremely minimal backstory (if any at all, other than that the Great Spirit is housed in a mask), giving a fresh start. This isn't likely to be what we'll get, but it does show that a continuation doesn't need to mean what you think.
  2. Still Raindrop
    It's been said before, but I think the difficulty with a hard robot would be that they'd have to find a way to make it fresh, possibly even changing the setting. I mean, it doesn't seem likely that they'd reuse the "island on top of a giant robot" again--the cat is out the bag. I'm sure they could make something great, of course; I would just wonder how they would change it. But, really we have absolutely no way of knowing either way at this point, with just one leaked picture to go on. Plus, I hardly think that it's necessary for everyone in this thread to agree on what we think/hope will happen. Speculation is part of the fun at this point, I think--especially since, without speculation, we'd have nothing to talk about at all. It's not as though our agreement would have any effect on how the story actually goes, anyway.
  3. Still Raindrop
    Count me in as hoping for a shell/add-on combo. I don't want too many new parts, though; just enough to be have a distictive feel, while still being generally useful. I agree with Alton Brown--multitask tools (or shells, in this case) can go a long way. Just one or two new shells or add-ons would be very useful. Agreed on the importance of unity, but couldn't all the Toa Mata breathe underwater by the end of 2001, due to the gold masks? Gali was the best swimmer, of course, but I thought they all had the Kaukau. I don't think that changing settings means that the characters don't still have distinctions, etc.
  4. Still Raindrop
    Honestly, though, they could find that stuff either way. I doubt the reaction would be different with a reboot, especially since I doubt Lego would specifically say "this is a reboot and the stuff that happened in the previous continuity no longer counts." It may matter to some, but the information is out there either way. Anybody who's confused or disturbed about the content probably wouldn't have too clear an idea of the distinction between current and past canon.
  5. Still Raindrop
    I like the different sizes (my original qualm with Onua notwithstanding--and that only came about because I was doing some light caving and thought of how inconvenient it would be to be bulky. Still, I still like his design, on second inspection, because he doesn't appear to be too tall, as I thought he was. And he's capable of making the tunnels bigger, anyway.). I do hope they're all relatively similar in size, so that we have two classes ("defender" and Toa, not "defender," small Toa, and large Toa. At the very least, I hope the size difference between the "defenders" and the smaller Toa is noticeably greater than the size difference between the smaller Toa and the larger Toa.
  6. Still Raindrop
    Looking at him again, I think it could work. I was thinking that he was taller and bulkier, but he actually looks rather short--and short & stocky is good.
  7. Still Raindrop
    Is anyone else a bit disappointed that they chose to make Onua so bulky? I think Pohatu would have been a better choice--I always saw Onua as strong but lean, so he could navigate through tunnels.
  8. Still Raindrop
    I was thinking about the story, and if it is a reboot, I hope they do something about treespeak--either improve it or eliminate it. It was a good idea, I think, but poorly executed. It makes sense that the tribe who dealt with quick life-or-death decisions regarding flight, etc. would develop a jargon to state specialized terms and ideas quickly, but they should be able to switch out of it or make it a full-fledged pidgin with sayings that make sense--many of the words were just longer versions of the normal words, like "Toa-hero." It was meant to sound gimmicky, but there was no logic behind it. Sorry for the linguistics nerd rant. Tldr: if treespeak remains, I hope it's less like Episode III Yoda ("At an end your rule is, and not short enough it was!") and more like Episode V Yoda ("Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the Force around you").
  9. Still Raindrop
    I noticed the Mata Nui symbol. I think it could be a sign that this may be a future continuation (or just a very different reboot)--maybe Mata Nui is in danger, or they need his help, since he lives inside the Ignika. Or it could be an changed reboot, of course. As for skull spiders, I doubt that's the final name--and if it is, I doubt skull will replace mask. The names we have are a badly translated list. I still think tomorrow's reveal could be Mineceaft--the Comic Con crowd would get pretty excited about it, so a buildup makes some sense. Still, I would love for it to be Bionicle!
  10. Still Raindrop
    That gold mask looks like it has the Mata Nui symbol on it....
  11. Still Raindrop
    Well, I guess now we know for sure why they're called skull spiders (or whatever can be badly translated as such)!
  12. Still Raindrop
    Ah, that's true, Aanchir--I hadn't thought of that. The logo we saw for the new pirate ship didn't seem to indicate any sort of team-up (if it was the final logo), so that's good.
  13. Still Raindrop
    It could also be the upcoming Pirates line (though I hope it's not--even though I love Lego Pirates)
  14. Still Raindrop
    Aanchir, that's a very good idea, and it would be cool to see something like that. Moreover, as I speculated in the gender topic, something like that would be a good way to increase the line's appeal to people who are interested in portraying day-to-day life, making it more accessible/appealing to girls (according to the research). I'd rather see random masks in the Matoran sets themselves (if they are Matoran) than in separate mask packs.
  15. Still Raindrop
    If it is indeed a reboot, I could see it--gender swaps often seem kind of gimmicky to me, but far from the worst (I am really not a huge fan of alternate universes that have interactions with the main one, and Bionicle has already done that, so a reboot with an established character as a female would be fine by me.) However, I think they'd have to carefully choose which one, if they're keeping the personalities similar. I think Kopaka and Lewa are the best candidates. Onua and Pohatu already share a lot of personality traits with Gali, and making Tahu a female seems too obvious--I think it's just as bad to make a female character the exact opposite of feminine stereotypes as it is to make her the embodiment of them--both rely almost solely on gender for characterization, either playing to it or subverting it. If I had to choose, I would want to see a female Kopaka. Now, I do think there is another good idea. The testing that Lego did for Friends indicated that younger girls, in general, preferred to act out day-to-day situations, contrasting with the boys' general focus on action and such (I'm a man, but I have always liked both--I think the Mata Nui online games succeeded because they provided both action and a glimpse into how this world worked). If the "guardians" are Matoran, I think it would be smart to also sell packs with random Matoran-colored masks (and maybe shells?). This way, they could only produce six Matoran sets (maximizing shelf space), but could leave open the possibility of creating a village. I was always upset at the exclusivity of the McToran when I was a kid, because I wanted to build lots of Matoran to populate my world. If the monogender tribe thing was revoked (and I think it should be), this would open things up even more, of course. People who want day-to-day world-building could have that, as well.
  16. Still Raindrop
    Oh, man, I'm way more excited about this than I should be. I was Bionicle-obsessed from 2001-2003 (I followed 2004 a bit, and picked back up in 2009), and something about those early years always felt magical to me, and continues to influence my fiction writing to this day (though I can't say I'm a fan of lots of the later story stuff). If it is returning, I'm excited enough that I'll buy some of the sets. Especially if it's a reboot, which could be done very well (especially since Lego now knows what some of the problems were with later years, and can rectify that from the beginning). Back in the day, I was always a bit disappointed that there weren't that many Matoran sets, and what you could get was limited to a few main characters. If they release Matoran sets, there's a great way to make it easier for people to make a whole village: release Kanohi packs, as in 2001, but have one mask be color-coded for Matoran. Not only would this increase collectibility without having to make too many near-identical sets, but it could be a practical way to include more female characters. If the monogender tribe deal isn't in this canon (and I was a bit disappointed when it was placed into canon, since I liked to imagine that there were male Ga-Matoran and females of other tribes), then you have the possibility of introducing lots more female characters without switching the gender of the six Toa. Whatever happens, I'm excited. I haven't bought any Lego action figures for years, but if this rumor is true (and it seems to be), then I'll definitely buy some. Heck, I may end up buying all six and keeping them on my desk at work. I had no idea I would be this excited!
  17. Still Raindrop
    <p>Although I am disappointed, this does make me feel better about not submitting my names in time--if "The Brick Bounty" won, there's no way my ideas (the Ole Kirk, the Flying Dane) would have come close!
  18. Still Raindrop
    As a Starbucks barista, I have to say you've captured the look of the Mastrena beautifully. In my early barista days (before my disillusionment with the company set in), I tried to make one, and yours looks much better. I love the hoppers--very simple, but very effective. The detail is fantastic, and the overall build is instantly recognizable.
  19. Still Raindrop
    Hey, that comes pretty close to the unofficial Benny minifigure I made. I guess I can save my $90!
  20. Still Raindrop
    Seeing the "normal"-looking Maggie in the house set has me a bit worried that we won't see her in the CMF series. Many of the other things we're getting (short-sleeved yellow arms, for example) would be useful, but not enough for me to spend $4 on, but Maggie's body piece would be worth it to me (since I have a baby daughter, and making her in LEGO to go along with my wife and my sigfigs would be much easier with the aforementioned Maggie piece). The CMF series would be my only chance to get that piece, since I don't have $200 to spend on LEGO. Edit: OK, maybe I would be willing to spend $4 for short sleeves, provided they come in the right colors.
  21. Still Raindrop
    Some NPUs and good techniques for my Creator houses. I just hope that Maggie is one of the CMFs--I could use her (with a different head) as my own baby (whose sigfig is currently much less accurate)
  22. Still Raindrop
    AFOLs, 2003: "How many Johnny Thunders can LEGO possibly produce? I have an army of Johnny Thunders!" AFOLs, 2013: "Johnny Thunder? AWESOME!" Ok, not entirely accurate, since Orient Expedition had three different updates, but it strikes me as kind of funny (and it was a reaction that I myself had)
  23. Still Raindrop
    My mother-in-law got me the Mountain Hut for Christmas. I may try to do a full review later (although my four-month-old daughter occupies a lot of my non-working time, so I may not be able to), but I do have some preliminary thoughts. I've only built the main model so far, but I really like it. I may even like it better than my 5766 Log Cabin. It feels cozier (there are actual interior details--a small dresser with a lamp, a painting, an animal skull above the fireplace, a small table, and some firewood), and looks much more interesting--less like a simple rectangle. Although the build is fairly basic, there are a few cool techniques (for example, there are some clip pieces subtly built in to keep the building in place, either open or closed). The roof looks great; I love the combination of dark red and bright red, and the brown with green on top is nice (green 1x1 round plates!) I'm less fond of the rock/mountain bit; the scale is just so weird. It might be a good starting point for a larger rock formation, but as it is, it just looks a bit off. I will say, however, that it does a very good job of incorporating the BURPs into a natural-looking mountain--especially in comparison to something like 6584 Extreme Team Challenge. I think that a slight bit of modification could get it to look right at the current scale as a small rock formation (or, alternately, a huge amount of modification could get it to look right at a much more massive scale as an actual mountain). It may actually be a nice project for me--the aforementioned four-month-old has kept me from starting any big projects, but modifying this could be done from time to time, and wouldn't require lots of planning or mess-making. The quad is ok (nice to get those hubcaps, though), as is the minifigure. I would have preferred a more mountain-specific torso, but the face is a newer and less common one, so that's nice. The alternate models do a pretty decent job of disguising the BURPs, as well. The small lodge has a nice interior, but doesn't look as appealing as the main model. The mountaintop lookout manages to have interior details, as well. It also has a strange-looking tree with an ingenious woodpecker that attaches to the tree by its hinge plate feet. Fantastic! While I'll certainly build the alt models, I like the main hut well enough that I'll settle on that one.
  24. Still Raindrop
    Marvelous! As someone who works at a coffeehouse (Starbucks) I think you've condensed the look quite nicely. Looks like you've got an espresso machine and a bunch of brewers--awesome! Although the glass looks empty; it could do with a few pastries. Fantastic job, and brew on! Is that still a thing? I haven't been on foe a long time
  25. Still Raindrop
    Although I may still get this set as a gift, depending on how much my mother-in-law wants to carry on her tradition, I'm sadly less than impressed. Although I agree with many who say that the price doesn't seem right (I too enjoyed that the first three were cheaper than $100 but were still marvelous sets), that it lacks the focal point of previous winter sets, and that we already have an abundance of stalls and outbuildings (although that one could also be a positive--the other stalls could be added to this set), it's ultimately the minifigures that makes me want to pass on this one; they are the proverbial straw. There are no new or unique minifigure parts in this set; with the exception of the green dress design from the Kingdoms Joust, I think every torso has been featured in at least one previous winter village set--some have been featured in multiple ones! The previous sets were focused much more on buildings, with the minifigures breathing life into the scenes. With a set like this one, which is more focused on an activity rather than a building, one would think that there would be a better variety of minifigures.
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