Zarkan

Yeah, I know. Personally though, I'm not really a fan of most classic town vehicles, because I like lego vehicles that are more realistically scaled. That is why the more recent 4 wide vehicles appeal to me more - they manage to still be four wide whille not looking like go-carts. Still, this is just my personal taste, and I can see the appeal of classic town vehicles - especially since the smallness factor makes them exceedingly easy to scale.

Crappy coloring? What the heck? The coloring in the comics is fine, IMO. What exactly is wrong with it, Ikki?

That is WAY old news - a long while ago this image caused a controversy big enought that TLC responded, denying any claim to the image. Ironically, this fake set image uses a picture from Brenden Powell's Brick Testament, which is based on a book that stands in complete oposition to Islam. BTW, I'm a Christian, but that image doesn't really offend me - basically because it's extremely poorly done and is made using LEGO BRICKS, of all things. There's probabaly more offensive stuff than that on brickshelf.

Oh, I agree! When new pictures come around, I'm often one of the people saying that we shouldn't judge the sets so soon. Unfortunately, it looks like I've been falling prone to that very same practice very lately - despite the fact that my confidence in TLC keeps growing.

Wow, that helicopter transport looks superb! I've been waiting for TLC to make a realistic CITY rig design for a while, and they've nailed it in this set. Plus, the helicopter is superb, and we even get a bike in a new color! I'm suprised at the reaction to the huge amount of orange in the last few years, especially considering that the color was very uncommon before that. I'd think that people would be glad that a formerly underused color is getting so much attention now. Also, I believe you are refering to whung's leaked list, as he was the one who released that huge list months ago. I'd agree with you to some extent, but this new vehicle is actually smaller than some of the vehicles from previous years - notably the green 2007 dump truck and the 2006 bridge carrier, which were both 8 wide and massive. This set is only 6 wide and doesn't seem to be nearly as long.

Well, that's all well and good, but you've got to remember that how "aesthetically pleasing" and "working with the set" a design is all depends on taste, which is variable. Some people do like what you call "goofiness," while others may not see certain designs as goofy at all. Personally, I like to think of Skrall as an "alien foot soldier type." Now, think about this - how many alien designs out there have really skinny and pointed proportions? A LOT. And Skrall really reminds me of designs like those - thin, spindily limbs with bulbous muscle-like sacks and a pointed head and arms. In fact, in some ways he reminds me of a sketch I made for my latest story on BZP: The point is that what appeals to one may not appeal to others. It's understandable if you don't get where I'm coming from, since I don't completely understand you either. Doesn't really matter though, as long as we respect other's opinions.

Thanks for the nice review, GIR. Another day, another Power Miners set that is looking great! This set may not be very big, but it has a nice rugged design, some great parts and minifigs, and an affordable price. I'm sold! However, unlike some of the other kits, I don't think this set really lives up to the Rock Raiders line as much. I think this is mainly because we've already had a set named Granite Grinder, and it was much cooler. Just look:

Thanks for the wonderful review, Erdbeereis. Honestly, my thoughts on this line are turning around very quickly. When I first saw the preliminary pictures, I thought the entire line looked horible. Now... not so much. Sure, a couple of the small sets aren't very good, and the color scheme is still fairly bizare, but the line is making up for those shortcomings with awesome parts and acessories, wonderful figures, high playability and great functions, and some very nice vehicle designs. I personally will probably be getting some of these for sure, and I can't wait until they hit stores. Only thing I'm really upset about is the price? 70 dollars?! That doesn't seem right, considering that the second largest set is only 30, and since I seem to remember hearing that this set would be 50. Erdbeereis, where exactly did you get this kit, anyway?

I've never understood why some Bionicle fans think that all the sets have to have human-like proportions. These are biomechanical beings, for crying out loud, so why do they all have to look like humans wearing colorful armor? Skrall is obviously not meant to look anything like a real person, so to me it's fine that he's super skinny. Also, I think Skrall was made to have less character than the other Glatorian, as the kit is a representative of a whole species, not individual warriors. The same goes with Vorox - he looks a lot like a generic beast because that is the storyline role for those characters.

While I don't expect this to happen anytime soon, I think by the 4th or 5th year we may very well see fantasy, as you can only do so much with semi-realistic pirates. Sure, TLC, can do Islanders, Spanish, and maybe even Chinese or other brand new factions, but they can only do it this way for so long. Also, for people that don't want fantasy pirates because they hate fantasy, realize that you are in the minority when it comes to this. Whether you like it or not, people need to realize that fantasy sells - just look at the success of the new Castle line. It probably wouldn't have done nearly as well with the kids if they had just had two human factions. The dragons and skeletons, dwarves and trolls really grab kids' eyes, and they're also appreciated by many adult fans as well. Not saying you have to like it, I'm just saying that you can't really blame TLC if they go this route eventually.

Thanks for the nice review, Dr Lucky. Despite defying all my predictions, this line is actually growing on me a lot. Sure, the color is very bright, but it actually doesn't look as bad in real life as I thought it would. The good thing is that the orange pieces are very few in number, so replacing them with different colored pieces should be fairly easy. What I'm more impressed about is that the design of the kits in general is actually looking good! For example, the Thunder Driller looks really cool, has good detail in spots, and has an awesome function that wasn't in the original Rock Raiders line. I'm sure that kids back in 1999 would have loved for the drills on the Rock Raiders vehicles to actually spin when the wheels turned. Then there's the minifigures - despite wearing blue pants and helmets, the humans actually are quite well designed and have great new faces and torsos. The Rock Monsters are also much better than the originals, as they are now poseble to some extent, come in different colors, and can actually eat crystals! Talk about a major improvement. However, the best part of these kits is undoubtedly the piece selection. There's plenty of recolors in these kits, which is good, and the new wheel and drill parts, despite being huge, will probably have a fair amount of uses. Also - dynamite and crystals in multiple new colors is win. So, overall, Power Miners is turning out far better than I thought it would, and since the prices aren't as bad as I thought they might be, I'll probably get some kits eventually. Good job TLC - you've changed my mind about yet another lego product!

Actually, considering that the impulses are almost non-existant in the first half of the year, I wouldn't be suprised if we only get one Castle impulse, which would leave room for a second special kit.

Best Bionicle video ever.

Hm, does this mean that we might have TWO Mata Nui sets, one a canister and one a titan? ... That would be so win, and would probably solve everyone's problems.

Thanks for the nice review, Brickster. This is easily one of the best World City kits, hands down. The detail is outstanding, and the figures are very nice. My only problem is that it looks a bit too futuristic, like almost all the World city kits do. Also, I personally like the rescue copters from the CITY Emergency and Coast Guard themes a bit better. However, all three of these helicopters are excellent, and there's no reason why you can't buy all of them (the real world has all sorts of different designs, so why not the minifig world?)

Great layout. However - where on earth did you get all those white lego plants? I certainly don't remember seeing them in any lego kit, and my only guesses is that they are either from a Belvile kit, are painted, or are some of those rare test mold pieces.

Great MOC! You've really captured the emotions of the minifig skaters well, and I love the trees and frozen pond.

Thanks for the nice review, Markio. The 2009 construction line continues to impress me, and this set is no exception. It's great that they are using SNOT in the vehicles, and the detail and overall design is excellent. This set seems to be a nice size - it looks like it will fit most towns fine. Oh, and the best part - the price is actually very reasonable. $13 for a 108 piece kit with some fairly big molds sounds fine to me!

Yes, the GOOD Gresh helmet is the final version! Thank you for that update, Kynok. Oh, and the teaser was okay, if a little boring. At least the backgrounds are lovely...

Well, some of you probably know right now that I've been one of the more positive members concerning the state of Bionicle as a whole, and also with all the different years. 2005 is the only year I've generally disliked, and I have found merit in every single year. That said, I must say that 2008 has been one of Bionicle's best years since 2001, and definitely the best since 2004. The biggest reason for this is the story, which I usually enjoy, and found especially excellent this year. The "final battle" may have not been so final, but it was spectacular, shocking, and had several awesome points. First, it showed the maturity of the Nuva as a whole, which I hoped would be the case now that they haved worked with each other for a while, and especially showed new sides of Takanuva which we needed to see after such a long break from his character. Second, it reintroduced the mysticism and mythology elements of earlier years to some degree, which had been largely missing from 2006 and 2007. Things like the Codrex, the keystones, the "Shattering," Tren Krom, and especially the Nuva flashbacks really helped to liven the year up. Thirdly, the year helped establish many interesting villain personalities in the form of the new Makuta, but in the end put the original Makuta back on top where he should be. Teridax, AKA The Makuta is now the universe, and he has become my favorite villian ever. Another great thing about 2008 was the serials. 2007 introduced the concept, but 2008 fleshed it out and improved it substantially. Instead of a fairly uneventful Nuva Blog and two long and drawn out battles, we got far more interesting stories about the Brotherhood's past, Takanuva's journey into several bizzare dimensions, the establishing and deepening of two of the best Matoran characters in years, and other great tales. They are just as interesting as the main storyline, if not more, and played far greater a part in 2008 then in 2007. Finally, the sets. Yes, they were certainly not perfect, but they did have some bright spots. Wile the Nuva were not all great, the Toa Phantoka and Takanuva were excellent, and looked so much like the characters they were meant to be. The Makuta were also superb, and all boaster new forms or torsos. The titans were the biggest surprise, however. For some time, rumors were floating around that we would be getting giant handheld guns made of technic pieces - and in a sense, we did. But fortunately, they came in the form of vehicles with bionicle pilots, and turned out to be some of the best builds and models in years. Sure, there were a few blemishes, most notably the Toa Mistika, Vultraz, and the simpleness of the Av-Matoran, but the sets to me were great overall. So, in conclusion, I was a huge fan of Bionicle 2008, and I can't wait to see what the new year will bring. Seriously, did you just call Teridax weak? The only times he's been defeated in the storyline were in 2003 against Takanuva and 2004 against Vakama. And those were both due to the movie portrayals, which are not true to the character and were not written by Greg. The books and serials have always protrayed The Makuta as an extremely powerful and inteligent villian, fully achieving his potential. Also, the Nuva put up an excellent fight this year, considering that they were up against beings far more powerful than themselves. Yes, they lost, but it wasn't for nothing - Mata Nui is awake, and we can be sure that he will return.

I was afraid this would happen, and I'm honestly not surprised. In all reality, the Batman license could only continue for so long the way TLC was doing it. And TLC's way of handling the line was to make it totally dependant on Batman's arensal of vehicles. Heroes, villians, locations, they all pale compared to vehicles in kids eyes, and there's only so many bat-whatevers you can make. In foresight, it may have pleased some people for TLC to focus far more on locations and characters, but modern day American kids (who TLC has been considering the target audience for years now) care far more about crazy vehicles and gadgets, which is why we will probably never see another superhero license. Spiderman failed because the webslinger doesn't go well with vehicles. Harry Potter failed because its buildings and magical creatures didn't really excite 8-11 year olds nearly as much as the X-wings and Tie fighters of Starwars. And now Batman, while not necessarily a failure, has exausted itself. I know, it's a shame, but what are you going to do when the core of Lego's current products is vehicle based?

I'd like to see a closeup on Gresh's mask, as I'm still wondering what the final design is (it keeps changing every time a new image is released!).

Thanks for the nice review, Sne. Man, until this review, I thought I was certain that this was the weakest of the 2009 construction lineup. Now that I see that the boom is made up of lots of smaller new pieces instead of one giant POOP, however, this set looks really nice! It seems to also have a fairly detailed and complex design, which is contrary to my original thoughts as well. Well, I guess I just have to give more kudos to TLC for this set, as it's the second time I've completely changed my opinion on a 2009 lego product.

If BZPower is the worst place on the internet, then what does that make this site? Seriously, extreme overstatements will do no good on a mature site, especially if you're trying to argue someone else's lack of maturity. Regardless, I really hate it when the official Bionicle topics here get distracted and go on tyrades against BZP. I seem to remember this happening at least twice before, and it's really getting old. At least you could carry it into the BZP member's topic instead of blasting them in a topic that's supposed to be about 2009 sets. Better yet though, why not blast them at all? Or at least, maybe you could not blast them in a way that sounds like flaming, which is NEVER good.

WHAT? Raanu's hands and feet ARE YELLOW? Yes, this is a cause for celebration - after looking at recent pictures, I was almost certain that they were orange and that the feet were reused from Photok. Great to see that they're actually in a new color!