Zarkan

I'll come right out and say that, in my honest opinion, Stormer is the ONLY hero who actually looks slightly better in his 2.0 form. True, he doesn't have his unique ice armor anymore, but he also loses the ugly gun arm and adds a weapon that retains some similarities while not looking terrible. Plus, the new universal head-piece looks more like his old helmet than any other heroes. However, as much as I'm glad TLC is trying something new with the system, I just don't like how they've removed almost all technic-pin and axle holes. Sure, we still have some connection points, but by and large they offer fewer possibilities for MOCing, especially when combining the new molds with Bionicle parts. Worse, the new head is virtualy useless outside of it's intended position, which is a major downer even when it also comes in purple. So, overall my feelings are mixed, and in regards to the other five heroes, they are downright negative. This new line could have been great, but TLC chose to cut corners in the place that they least deserved to be cut, and as a result we've gotten six Hero 2.0's that all look almost exactly the same. So much for clone sets being a thing of the past... but then again, even the Toa Metru and Inika had unique masks.

I'm not a big transformers fan like some people here (with my main exposure to the series coming from Animated and occasional browsing of the transformers wiki), but I am interested in at least checking out the premier of this new show. So far, the reviews I've read have been mixed, with some praising it and others feeling that it's just plain average. All I know is that it's good to see ol' Bulkhead returning, as he was one of my favorite characters on Animated.

Toy Story 3, Inception, and The Dark Knight were all released in the summer. Sorry, but this generalization does not pass my personal test.

Ppppurple key? Okay, as if I wasn't already so convinced of this set's awesomeness... this is the best set of January 2011, hands down.

With the villians, I agree, but with the heroes, I couldn't disagree more. These pictures of the finalized sets have solidified my already harsh stance against these new good guys sets, which in my opinion lack an ounce of individuality or personality. The useage of similar heads with ugly silver headgear prevents them from looking different enough from one another, and the asymetricality is random and ugly. Even the color schemes seem to have taken a beating since 2010, with sets like Surge using odd mishmashes of shades. Add that to an armor system that makes the backs look way more unfinished than the Inika ever did, and you have possibly the worst good guys since the Hordika. I'm utterly disapointed with this move, and even after the 2010 heroes have really grown on me.

Wait, so there will be THREE dragon sets? If the design of the Ice dragon wasn't so bad, that would be great in my book, but as it stands I can't say I'm too excited. I'd rather they nixed that Limited Edition set and replaced it with something like a Pagota or another structure or vehicle for the Skeletons.

Eh, nope, I still don't like the heroes at all. While it's nice to be finally getting a Bionicle-style set with purple in it again, it's really only two pieces that are being made in that color. And the actual designs of the HERO 2.0's, with all the awkward asymetrcality and ugly helments, leaves a lot to be desired. The 2010 Heroes were still way better asthetically IMO, while these.... just don't cut it. On the other hand, the box villians are looking much better. Fire Lord still looks fairly lame, but Jetbug, Nitroblast, and Drilldozer all now scream awesome. It's nice to see that the finalized color schemes actually look good, and the actual designs are perfectly fine. So, I guess 3 out of 10 isn't so bad? Well, actually it is, but at least it's not 0/10.

Oh, now that's more like it! I really wonder why TLC didn't make the skeleton arms like that from the start - as much as I love the zombie skellies from fantasy Castle, they would have been even better with those arms instead of the stiff ones that were included.

Hm, so we're getting only three sets basd on the first three movies and a whopping five based on the fourth? This is rather suprising to me - I expected an even 4 classic and four new divide like with the first year of Indiana Jones. I'm also disapointed that we'll be getting neither the Black Pearl nor the Flying Dutchman in the first year - the former especially seems like a far more natural and iconic choice than a ship debuting in the fourth movie. Still, this theme does sound like it will be fantastic in the minifig department, and I can't wait to see what the playsets look like. I don't think TLC is going to keep the description of the cannibal playset though - they'll probably rename them to "island natives" or something.

Naw, actually it was pretty good IMO. I didn't want to watch it at first, but once I found out that it was not as much a Disney "princess" movie as it was a parody of Disney princess movies, I gave in and enjoyed myself. It's not grade A material, but it's not bad either. I sure wouldn't list it in a topic about "movies you can't unsee" anyway. Anyway, I'll nominate Madagascar to this list. Awful main cast that didn't have scarcely a hint of character, almost no plot, "humor" that almost entirely relied on either pop-culture references or potty jokes, and a remix of Crazy Frog that is lame but strangely addictive. Easily the worst Dreamworks movie I have ever seen, and utterly illustrates everything I dislike about the company. Fortunately, they seem to be getting better recently - How to Train Your Dragon and Megamind were both great.

Thank goodness. Otherwise, I can't see that set being added to many people's "best of lego constraction figures" lists. I still hold by my opinion that, at least in his prototype form, he ie easily the worst titan-sized set we have ever gotten out of either Bionicle or Hero Factory.

See, I've never felt that Power Miner's color scheme was bad at all. Sure, the combination of orange and lime may have seemed initially weird, but it grew on me a lot. Besides, there were so many other things to like about the theme IMO that the colors were the least of my worries.

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm starting to warm up to this theme. Looking at the finalized pictures, I'm honestly suprised at how good the skeleton sets and the ninja dojo look. That skeliie dragster in particular looks a hundred times better in that clear photo than it did in the catalog. However, I still have a few big issues with the theme - the "collectible" minifigures look like an utter rip-off, and that Ice dragon is as terrible as ever. Also, I'm confounded by the design of the new skeleton arms - while the limb looks much better, the hand is molded in a position that will make it hard to pose weapons. Don't expect to make an army formation of these guys like with the castle skeletons, anyway - I fear their weapons will just bump into each other like fish in a barrel.

IMO, it's not so much color blindless as it is color "boringness." If this turns out to be true, then it will be the third science-fiction theme in the last five years that uses some form of green in the color scheme. Seriously, can't TLC come up with some more interesting color combinations? I have no doubt that if TLC made a new space theme that combined the best designs of Space Police III with the striking color schemes of themes like Ice Planet or M-Tron, the sets would fly right off the shelves.

It wasn't the battle per say that was the problem - it was how the battle was resolved. By introducing a new method of bending out of the blue that solved Aang's problems without any consequences, the writers essentiall committed the "crime" of deus-ex-machina. Considering that all of the other problems the Gaang had faced before were solved in much less contrived ways, it was disapointing that they chose to go this route. That's not to say that the idea of energy-bending is bad - it's just that it really needed to have been introduced or at least hinted at earlier. Regardless, it doesn't matter that much in the long run, as the series as a whole was so incredibly good. I think there was exactly one episode that I didn't enjoy, and the vast majority of the episodes were stellar. I was especially impressed with how well the creators developed the world of Avatar - all the neat touches such as the animal-hybrids and the different styles of dress really helped to make it come alive, and the way they incorporated bending powers into everyday live helped make it seem more believeable. It's sometimes odd to watch shows where characters have all sorts of superpowers but don't use them in any way besides conflict - you'd think they could find practical uses for laser vision or elemental manipulation besides fighting other superpowered beings. I guess a lot of toons just opperate in a world where generally With Great Power Comes Great Insanity.

It's funny you should mention Spectacular Spiderman, because I just finished rewatching the entire second season, and I've come to the conclusion that the show still has no equal among Marvel animation. Greg Weisman is seriously one of the most underappreciated writers in America, and it's a darn shame he didn't have more time to bless the animation world with his take on Spiderman. Hopefully DC treats him better than Disney did, because if Young Justice doesn't make it past twenty-six episodes either, I will have lost all faith in the industry to give Greg his due. However, I'm still enjoying the new Avengers cartoon as well, even if it doesn't really match Spectacular Spiderman in dialogue or character development. In other news, I finally got around to watching the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender series, and... well, I can't really say much about it that hasn't already been said. Save from the admittedly contrived method of beating the main villian, the show rocked on all aspects, and I'm greatly looking foward to The Legend of Korra.

Well, this has to be a record, because The Powers That Be 3 is already up. And...

Interesting - it seems they've gone back to a curved socket type as opposed to the angular design they've used since 2008. Hopefully this means socket strength is back to pre-2008 levels, otherwise I may have totally lost faith in TLC's quality control.

Haven't made any minfig designs for a while, but I've been watching the new Marvel show based on the Avengers comic books, and I thought that the character designs would look really good as minifigures. For starters, here are Captain America and Thor: I'll probably be doing Iron Man and Hulk next, but seeing as I have a busy week ahead, it might take a little while. Anyway, comments and questions are appreicated, as always.

Well in that case, welcome back, Ikki. Actually, if it weren't for the serials, I probably wouldn't be spending much time talking about Bionicle either. Speaking of which, is anyone else enjoying seeing Kopaka and Pohatu working together again? Cause I've always found their friendship one of the most interesting character relationships in Bionicle, and this new serial is just as fun as their team-ups in 2001 and 2008.

Quick question - has the brick rotation feature changed since previous versions? Because I can't seem to rotate pieces with the arrow keys anymore.

Not quite - there was the whole "who is the traitor" mystery that was featured in 2009, but I have to admit that The Powers That Be already trumps that easily. On another note, it's nice to see you back, Ikki - you haven't posted in a long while.

So, this update seems to confirm that the minifigs in the leaked catalog were just prototypes, and that we will actually be getting some brand new mummies and heroes with personality. That's a relief, and it makes me just a wee bit more interested in the line as a whole.

I doubt it, considering that in the process of reducing the amount of detail, TLC has also engineered these new parts with far less connection points than most pieces in the Bionicle line. This was actually a problem that originated with 2010's Hero Factory sets, but it was only really present in the Heroes, and only to a certain extent. In contrast, both the good guys and bad guys of 2011 are absolutely bursting to the brim with smooth, technic-hole-less parts, which does not bode well for those who were hoping Hero Factory would feature as many useful molds as Bionicle. I'm sure people will find uses for them, but I doubt they'll find their way into as many MOCs as parts like the Toa Mata tools or the Skrall/Vorox armor. Really, it's obvious to me that TLC has gone for style over function in this new breed of constraction figures - which makes it all the more troubling that these sets also mostly fail asthetically, IMO. While I was appalled by certain aspects of the 2010 Heroes (okay, mainly just the gun-arm POOPS), I have come to admit that they are rather flashy. I also was fine with the majority of the villians and the vehicles, which while not being exactly original were well-designed and had some appealing new molds. Not so with 2011, where the villians look like Transformers rejects and the heroes all wear ugly goggles and carry Rescue Hero-esque tools. It's not that I don't aprove of them trying to differentiate Hero Factory from Bionicle - what I do disaprove of the method by which they've accomplished this. Would it really have killed them to slap a few pin-holes onto the new molds and to put more effort into making the designs look stylish? Right now, what they've got is (as I've said before) one step away from Neo-Shifters, and it saddens me that they would slap the official lego logo on such rubbish.

Actually, from the looks of it Refia, that's not really the case: