Darkness Falls

All I got from that article is a justification of why the 2007 sets were awesome. I have no complaints with that- they were awesome. However, there are just as many cool pieces on these guys as there were on the Barraki, Mahri, etc. I think the thing Lego is really trying to emulate here is the fact that these things are robots, and they are advanced to the level that all or their armor is streamlined and polished. At least, that's what I feel. I'd really love it if this was a sequel to Bionicle. Like, it's when Spherus Magna was returned to its original state and Matoran and Toa evolved into more organic forms, resulting in the need to build Heroes to protect them. Is that just me?

New Mechs. Testing Links, wait a few minutes for the information. M.I.N.I. Long Range Unit- M.I.N.I.s were always customized before a G.I.A.N.T. because they were much more affordable and took so little time to alter. The Long Range Unit was a mech every BlackArms pilot wanted to get behind. It was not only a mech that could stay far away from a battle and still be involved, but when the mech shell was destroyed it could still be made useful. Its Power Pack had many functions- its A.I. system could detect Power Pack energy signals, which allowed the pilot to find out the position and situation of his allies and accurately snipe enemies. If the enemy came closer, the laser target on the mech's shoulder served as a way to target enemies efficiently, as it factored in the odd proportions of the gun arm. When the mech shell had fallen in battle or a diversion was necessary, the Power Pack could also be detached, along with the modified Sniper Arm, to become a long range turret and a communications system. This was one of the first M.I.N.I.s without energy burst rods, as the A.I. system allowed effective distribution of energy instead of a constant flow to all areas of the mech. The issue with these mechs is that they required a pilot with impressive skills- a special cap was to be worn when piloting the mech that transferred the A.I.'s information directly into the pilot's brain. Often, pilots became depressed after piloting a Long Range Unit for too much time, as they began to develop an unhealthy attachment to the A.I.. Pilots would have to be continuously switched from mech to mech to make sure this didn't happen. M.I.N.I. Mark II- As M.A.S.S.I.V.E.s began to appear, BlackArms struggled to begin work on a new type of mech that would match its power. As they started development of the T.I.T.A.N., they went back to the original blueprints of the M.I.N.I. and gave it an overhaul. Implementing techniques used on other mechs, such as the Long Range Unit, A.V.E.R.A.G.E., and what they had seen of the M.A.S.S.I.V.E., they created a new M.I.N.I. Mark II, an impressive update of the original. With increased articulation, the ability to carry more powerful weapons, and a new, more advanced Power Pack, the M.I.N.I. Mark II was less expensive to make than a WhiteArms M.A.S.S.I.V.E. and did not require pilots to learn more advanced controls. It may not have been as powerful as a M.A.S.S.I.V.E., but it was good enough a mech to hold WhiteArms at bay.

I feel that Technic should expand on making fantasy creatures, etc so we can have some semblance of the original complexity of Bionicle sets. The Bahrag remains one of my favorite sets ever.

And asymmetrical arms. I suppose there's no pin action because gears aren't the main focus.

Oh, that's upsetting. The entire weapon arm is a piece- no good. It's like the 2001 sets, but in a bad way. The problem is- articulation only goes so far. You need a gimmick, AKA the flash videos, MNOG, and yes, even Gears, to breathe life into the franchise. I hope this MMORPG is as unique and interesting as the original concepts introduced by Bionicle in order to make this new line stand on its own, because the sets aren't doing enough for me. They're nice, but not nice enough... I need another reason to be interested. ...Like full pictures of Baron Von Nebula.

Interestingly, I find her eyes and facial structure to be feminine, as well. That's based off of artistic principles, though.

Lego has done something quite interesting- they're made the impulse sets into the main characters- thus making the poor quality of the impulse sets more money and making them win. I look forward to the boxed figures reveal.

Maybe the target audience doesn't care because he's made such a terrible story. LET THE TOPIC-SPANNING LULZ CONTINUE.

...But... Final Fantasy VII does suck. And Greg's not the best writer.

Question that will direct us away from the Greg discussion (his writing is subpar, in my opinion. He's not the maker of great fables, but he writes well for a child's book series)- how the hell does the Vahi work? Does it actually effect the fabric of time, or does it only effect those who are a part of the Matoran Universe? I suppose Greg's answer would be "magic", but if he's explained everything else, why not tell us the root of elemental and mask powers already?

Dibs on Preston Stormer. Is this just a made up version of a new story?

I'm unsure if those limbs are unbendable- in the Furno Bike, Furno has fully extended limbs, which makes me think that's either a new piece or the limbs are bendable. I think it would be awesome if they gave us two sets of limbs- bent and straight. But that's just me. All of the impulse characters look really cool- I'm bound to pick up a few. I'm a little upset there seems to be a lack of articulation on them, though. Not gonna lie, Xplode, Thunder, and Meltdown look absolutely awesome, as does the Dropship. With the armor of these figures, I can't wait to see Van Nebula and Rotor in more detail.

Fans of EVERYTHING have at least one thing to complain about. Anyways, Bionicle is dead to me. Once Mata Nui wins his giant robot fight, which you know he will, the storyline is over. It's time to look towards new things instead of complaining about the past. Wheeeeeee.

The B.E.A.S.T. and Stonewolves have some obvious inspiration used in them- thanks to those whose designs made me interested in making some new models! A.V.E.R.A.G.E. Advanced Tactics Mech- WhiteArms was crushed by the reveal of the G.I.A.N.T. and worked quickly to even the playing field against BlackArms. Their hard work paid off when the A.V.E.R.A.G.E., the Avenging Vehicle Encompassing Riders And Gashing Enemies, debuted, catching BlackArms off-guard with its unorthodox design. While it seemed strange, the A.V.E.R.A.G.E. was far superior to any design seen so far, with an all-encompassing cockpit, completely protecting the pilot within, and a new Power Pack that was easily removable but distributed power impressively. Another interesting feature was the new joint system allowing an impressive amount of articulation for a mech of its size. The A.V.E.R.A.G.E. was a multipurpose mech, with delicate hands and a large range of movement that allowed it to perform many different tasks, and it was the first mech that was distributed to the public. On the battlefield, it relied on it's superior nimbleness as well as a basic pistol, but most importantly, the specially designed Acronym Blaster was mounted on the right shoulder- a weapon lighter, but more powerful, than the G.S.B.T.W.I.O.A.. Not bad for a mech taller than a T.I.N.Y. but shorter than a G.I.A.N.T.. The A.V.E.R.A.G.E. was a revolutionary mech whose design improvements would be implemented in the WhiteArms T.I.T.A.N., yet BlackArms continued to overwhelm WhiteArms with their G.I.A.N.T.s. BlackArms B.E.A.S.T.- In the days before M.A.S.S.I.V.E.s and G.I.A.N.T.s, both BlackArms and WhiteArms felt very evenly matched with the mechs they possessed- the M.I.N.I. had superior firepower, but the T.I.N.Y. was faster and could outlast a M.I.N.I.. Thus, both sides tried their best to develop alternate mechs that could improve upon their faults. BlackArms created the B.E.A.S.T., or the Breakneck Engagement Attack and Surveillance Tyrant. The B.E.A.S.T.s specialty was taking out T.I.N.Y.s, usually in the most vicious ways possible. The B.E.A.S.T. featured an oddity- a Mini-Power Pack that was, in many ways, inferior to the original M.I.N.I Power Pack, but utilized so effectively, it did not even hinder the success of the mech. B.E.A.S.T.s didn't need a huge Power Pack because they barely had any weaponry on them- relying more on tooth-and-claw tactics instead of using their single Gatling Gun. The frame of the mech allowed a fast, light, and adaptive model that could sneak into enemy lines, prowl the warzone for intruders, and, of course, tear apart the slower T.I.N.Y.s. B.E.A.S.T.s were often used in packs backed by several M.I.N.I.s on the battlefield and were very effective, but many casualties were suffered because of the lack of armor protecting the pilot- though that did change when A.I. units began piloting the mech. The B.E.A.S.T. was one of the most feared mechs in the BlackArms arsenal- many WhiteArms pilots feared tussling with them, many BlackArms pilots tired to get one, but only the most brutal fighters saw a long career behind their controls. WhiteArms Stonewolf- The Stonewolf was an interesting addition to the ranks of the WhiteArms mechs- of course, the Stonewolf wasn't exactly a mech. This extremely loyal robot fought alongside T.I.N.Y.s on the battlefield, throwing themselves in the way of incoming missiles and weaponfire, as well as overwhelming M.I.N.I.s in massive hordes. The Stonewolf was more than just a distraction- many pilots found the robots to be their best friends. They carried ammo and supplies to exhausted mechs, and dragged wounded pilots out of their downed mechs and back home safely. Stonewolves were even known to sniff out B.E.A.S.T.s, though it was rare that they were able to defeat the larger, fiercer mech. In some cases, packs of three or for Stonewolves were known to accomplish such a feat.

Ssssssssh! You'll crush our dreams!

Going back to something I had brought up earlier in this topic- if the human names are because these technic-based sets are robots with human pilots (which facilitates the new torsos, because they would need a torso able to hold a minifigure or core figure), then the Dropship could be a core figure or minifigure scaled ship that holds a mech that can be dropped or landed for moving out. Thoughts?

Ah, Starcraft. How I love you. Great job! Awesome detail, and the Mutalisks are a great touch. A faithful rendition of one of the most powerful ships in the series. And, to those who said the Battlecruiser was not in scale with the Mutalisks, that's incorrect- Battlecruisers are huge and have hundreds of Terran operating them- they were scaled down in the maps of the game.

Fan favorite characters eventually sell out. Wolverine, Batman, and soon, maybe even my beloved Deadpool might soon become too popular for their own good and become parodies of themselves. So, I wish the taunting of catalog blurry pictures would end we'd get actual pictures of these guys. I'm interested, Lego Gods, now stop torturing me.

...Cool story, bro? Personally, I'll take a look at the sets and decide whether or not they appeal to me. Perhaps the campy, 50's space flick movie names are done so for a reason- when I think about it, the names aren't really that bad. Rather, they help identify a character with their color scheme or, dare I say it, their element.

I wish we had some better pictures. I'm starting to think that this may, in fact, be some sort of mech-type of franchise, what with the sets looking nothing like humans yet possessing human names.

Two things- Bionicle prided itself on having strange creatures and names- eventually though, they were going to run out of names because there are only so many you can make. Having a more human approach to a line gives them more names to use. Not defending the names themselves, because they are terrible, but I can see why Lego did it. Second, in closeup pics, you can see some sets have Thornax launchers- FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

True.

Play that shit.

I don't know if I've seen enough details to pass judgment, but whatever is on page 69 looks good to me. In fact, everything that isn't in a canister is looking quite interesting... I really hope we get some better pics, though.

Maintenance guy Jad Suur No one really knows where you come from, nor how you got aboard the Gagarin, but they do appreciate the fact that you keep all kinds of things running, and always have clever solutions to everyday problems.