Dorek

Eh, Brutaka is pretty firmly on the side of good, he just had a crisis of faith (ignoring the simplistic message of "all it takes to believe in your god is proof that it exists lol"). Tuyet could come closer to the definition of anti-Hero, if she wasn't so one-dimensional in the more recent serials. ANYHOW. So because I'm in France (like I haven't already mentioned that) I was redirected to the French LEGO club website, where I discovered that their versions of the magazine are different than America's. More specific to Hero Factory, I found this image from the issue before this most recent one. This means I'm going to have to search every magazine for new things, doesn't it?

I'll be getting this eventually, but this was a fantastic review that got me even more jazzed up. Looking forward to more!

I'm occasionally in the market for older sets myself, but they tend to do pretty good business on bricklink (www.bricklink.com) and eBay, if your prices are reasonable. Bulk sets tend to do less well as the years go on, but doing things individually can also be a hassle. If you'd want to post what your collection contains, maybe include some photos, there are plenty around who will be able to give you a fair/accurate price.

11 more days, promotion starts the 15th. I'm definitely excited. I'll probably have to do S@H, since I'm on vacation (incidentally, the pack language does appear to be in French, but in a French promo catalog I picked up yesterday, they use "Cervell'Attack" as the official title, so there's definitely some dialect stuff going on that I don't understand =P), but I'm so glad that the black wasn't actually just a placeholder image. But yes, everything about this is amazing, thanks for the review.

Decidedly an interesting entry into the contest, none the least of which is the color scheme. Weirdly enough, it actually still manages to create a "Hero" presence, despite the amount of mutations. Kinda wish the Hero Core could be a bit higher, but the chest armor is super creative, so I can't fault you for that. The Kraata is very extraneous, and the Slizer foot crotch plate isn't doing it any favors either, but the proportions are solid otherwise. The arms probably could have stood to use a HF style arm and cladding, but that's probably a design choice. A very creative entry, for sure, we haven't seen too many like this.

The transformation is a bit generic, but the original is hilariously creative. You've done a good job on making Pyrox seem less ridiculous than the set, though I'm not sure if white/black complements the red and yellow so well. Also, the cane should totally have still been a weapon =P.

I'm definitely having trouble on my entry too, but part of that is vacation =P. But you're right, at that scale it's definitely hard to do. I'm kinda hoping the month gets extended, just so there's time for everybody to show off some cool things, and to get the reviews and stuff done so everybody can enjoy them.

And as I mentioned, I'm in Europe, where they obviously don't follow American timeschedules =P.

Nobody was doubting that it's in the US; that's how we all heard about it first. It's the European availability that's new information.

If not time consuming and a bit obnoxious to cashiers =P. Could have easily done two or three trips, though. Was it actually a LEGO store, or just a general store? I'm in France for an annual vacation, and there's plenty a toystore and such around that I could scout.

As always, fantastic photography. You really make the reds pop in this one. The construction of the MoC is very interesting in terms of some things you did, but I think it results in a mixed bag. The shoulders, and the way the arm comes together, is an interesting blend of Hero Factory and BIONICLE, which I think speaks to the rest of the MoC as well; the fixed shoulders, in particular, are quire reminiscent of the Toa Mata, and overall the creation is a compilation of certain styles we've seen over the years. In that sense, it makes for quite a good MoC, but it does suffer slightly from the "BIONICLEization effect" of this contest, where it doesn't necessarily scream "Hero" as a design. The "monster" bit is very well done; unlike others, there is a decidedly non-humanoid factor, which is refreshing. The custom brain slug is very cool too (points for that) but I do wish it could have been integrated into the model more; not a super huge fan of when it's slapped onto the model like that. Overall it's a very cool MoC, and there are a lot of good ideas in there, but I wish some could have been expressed more acutely.

Everybody ignores Brutaka because he was bad when we started to know him. I think that's one of BIONICLE's better example. But yeah, I think an AU evil Furno could have potential.

I like that you didn't go for the straight half and half, and kept it more subtle with slight changes all around the body. The waist is pretty thin, which stands out amongst the otherwise sold builds. It's a bit jumbled overall; the mutations don't seem to have much of a consistent theme, and neither do the Hero parts. Obviously the Ignika is pretty iconic for BIONICLE, but you made it work well with the brain slug.

I thought that was a Midak Skyblaster for a second, the way you constructed it. Interesting design. Seems pretty top-heavy; intentionally so, I imagine, but I think if you're working at that scale, you should probably focus more on building up the legs so that they look plausible enough to stand. Good color scheme (would if those helmets could be different colors... alas) but the lack of gunmetal around the legs only illustrates my original point, that the top half would look much better if you continued in that style, rather than just sticking some legs on there.

I kinda figured Europe would get the polybag down the line, since they're generally a lot more into polybags and promotions than we are. I'm just glad that America finally decides to get in on that, when it counts. So yes, polybag review plz.

Colors seem a little wonky at times, but it comes together better in the upper body, and that face is just perfect. The hammer seems unnecessary, as the design doesn't particularly match the rest of the MoC. Looks like he's doing a fine job without it, anyway; poor Tahu. It's always inspiring to see Hero Factory builds at that scale, so bravo good sir.

The head is great; I love when droid MoC's come out like that. The claws seem a bit unwieldy, and the crotch plate sticks out a bit (thought props for getting rid of the pattern on the top) but everything else is great. The colors go together very well (black and gunmetal, always good) and the weapons definitely add to the knight feel. The bit at the back is a weird, but I assume it's vital in construction.

Definitely jumbled, but there are some neat ideas in there. I quite like the Rocka helmet as a hilt for the blade. The upper body construction is kinda cool too, but it loses it as soon as you hit the waist. An admirable effort for only using two sets, but I think you're over-relying on the armor.

Aw, c'mon, now you have to =P. I wouldn't say "big", necessarily; more than likely this will be contained to future SM books, but next time BS01 has a chance to talk to Greg, it's something I plan on asking about. Haha, yeah, I just hate giving credence to people who troll by making this stuff up. Hey, if it means you're more likely to purchase books in the future, great. If not... well, we all remember Borders, don't we?

Yeah, but if the guy was part of the conspiracy, then couldn't he have just... gone there himself? The brains seem like a ridiculously overkilling means to an end. I suppose it's possible the brain maker guy (who we should call MV, since that's his only title for now) is a defector of some kind, but considering how the brains have consistently interfered with the machinations of the Galactic Conspiracy, I don't think they're one and the same organization.

Oh man, would that get trippy or would that get trippy. Not a terrible idea, but feels kind of overdone.

I love how we're actually calling things "Dark Maker" even though the name was bogus. We should probably stop doing that. But yeah, I think they'll probably save this guy for the books. I mean, as far as we know, the galactic conspiracy and the brains are two very separate groups, and are practically fighting each other as it is. Of course, I'd like to see a line of nothing but villains doing battle, but that's wishful thinking.

The blades are killer, but the gun design is a little silly. Never really been a big fan of practically one-dimensional technic pistols. I also have to agree with Aanch; the blue and black are hard to differentiate, which is a shame, because earth blue and yellow are a great color combination. I'd also have to agree with these "bunch of people". Adding in proportions, or at least breaking up constructed monotony, is not a bad thing, but on this scale that you're working at, it comes off as awkward. It's nice to see some heavy technic usage as well, but the MoC occasionally falls prey to some of the common weaknesses of doing so, that being a lot of exposed construction bits and lack of streamlined armor. It's very well-made, but in comparison to some of the other stuff you've done, it just seems rough and a bit unpolished.

There are plenty of other photosharing sites, guys =P. Flickr is easily the best I could recommend. Lots of people do MoCpages, but their interface is... pretty bad.

I'm hoping to see more vehicles (or not, I suppose =P), because that's what I'm working on. Chima definitely has some fantastic vehicle styles, which lend themselves to more technic-y builds than Ninjago did. Of course, characters would be cool too; that rhino is pretty sweet.