Zarkan

Hm, so that means that the Ignika aparrently lives on another year, despite it's seemingly end in BL 7. I hope they make the version we saw in the Barraki music video. Now THAT would be cool. *sweet*

Um, anyone going to answer my question? :-/

Uh oh, this topic's going the way of the Toyfair 2007 topic too! Let's try to get back on topic, okay? :-P Anyway, I'm wondering, where did you guys see the Toa Ignika set? I didn't see it when I saw the 2008 set lists. How much did they list it for?

He means that even the new 2008 bionicle names don't sound as bad as the "witty" names Ravensburg posted. I agree, but I'm not that impressed with the new names, either. :-/

Wonderful review, especially considering that you have exactly FIVE posts. *y* *y* I'm still not sure on this one, however. Sure, the design is great, but the color scheme seems too randomly placed, and the red, d. red, and white pieces aren't placed in the most beautiful arangement. And the obi wan error is just sad. :-| No buy for me, I'm afraid, but it's good that a lot of people like it. ;-)

Nice pictures, Moff! I still don't really like the new version that much though. I'm not sure why, but something just seems a little strange about this incarnation of the Infiltrator. On the plus side, the speederbike is *wub* ~~END~~

That's exactly what I want in Universe too! Although, they wouldn't have to have every world when it first opened. They could start out with 3 or 4 worlds and then open a new world every 2 months or so. ;-) Another thing I want is this to be FREE! At least, the membership should be free. But TLC can make money by charging for new pieces, minifig parts, weapons, and other things, and a starting out player only would have a limited number of pieces and stuff. That would be my ideal game. *sweet* Edit: Speaking of which.... this is not my ideal topic. Isn't this supposed to be about Lego Universe? Why is everybody yabbering on about Halo, Runescape, and different kinds of newbs? |-/

Also, nobody should take into account the web promo or even the official set. Both aparrently are horibly inacurate compared to what it really looks like in the storyline. I highly doubt the head would look like a Faxon if you were really were a Toa Mahri, and no, the rahi wouldn't have airlock hatches. Once again, if you have a problem, blame the playset designers, or even TLC at that. ;-)

He meant taken down from Amazon. That was where they first showed up, and I doubt TLC or the Bionicle team even knows they reapeared on this site. They will probably be taken down eventually. ;-)

Besides, half of it's not even TLC's fault. You know why the 2001 names were so original? Because in reality, they were words from another language. Words from forgien languages often sound great in fantasy universes. Even the word "Jedi" aparrently is from a real language, since I read in the news about some buhddist temple with Jedi in the name. Then, along came the Maori, along came lawsuits and pointless hacking of BZP, and POOF, TLC has to make their own names up. After 7 years, making new ones up that don't sound like old ones gets a bit hard. Look for example, at some of the names I made up for my 2008 set ideas: Tylox Ehloh Gytax Ohlok Not very original, eh? :-/

Oh, I thought at first that was only for Mac, but when I saw the windows version in the Lugnet post, I downloaded it and sent it right to work. Thanks, Jinzo, for pointing that out. ;-) It's good that my family's computer has a lot of free space and a big hard drive, BTW, since all those photos mean a lot to me. :-) Edit: PHEW! My files are safe! Kudos to whoever designed that wonder of a program (since I'm too lazy to open the Lugnet page up for the name X-D )

Um, I really need help right now. How am I supposed to back up all my hundreds of pictures on Brickshelf, anyway? 8-|

Woah, so much new stuff! Time for detailed comments on all the new stuff yet again! :-P Technic - Hm, Beach buggy? Motocross bike? I'm liking the sound of this stuff, even though I never buy Technic. :-) Lego City - Okay, of course I'm not happy about the new police station, since I like the old one fine, but this new version will probably be on a standard baseplate, so folks who hate BURP baseplates will probably be happy. And the other sets: well, actually, I'm kind of happy! To tell you the truth, I was hoping that we'd get a new surveilence truck, and the new air police sets will help the nearly non-existant City air police force nicely. ;-) Impulse - .... Okay, not what I was expecting. Hope TLC isn't wasting a lot of money on tiny sets like these, but who knows, maybe they will turn out okay. Can you say Parts Packs? :-) Exo-force: Very cool names. I have high expetations for next year's Exo-force kits. :'-) Bionicle - Well, I guess my theory about the Toa Nuva being 2008 canister sets was right! But why only 3 Nuva? And what are the others? So many questions.... *wacko* Duplo - I wasn't going to comment on this, but when I saw that they are making a supermarket for DUPLO, well... it just got to me. :'-( WHY, TLC, WHY? Why can't City get a supermarket too? *sing* ~~END~~

Hey now, if you mean Gate Assault, I couldn't disagree with you more. Everything in that set sits well with me, including the designs. True, it's just my opinion, but if you think that lego should make kits like this: big mech Er, not gonna happen. Lego is a kid's toy, and ultra complex builds like that wouldb't sit well with the major market: KIDS. I think the reason why you hate these so much is because you've advanced far beyond the regular lineup lego has to offer. Your building techniques are very complex, and you are a perfectionist (not an insult, I am too! ;-) ). When is the last time you've actually built a lego kit from the instructions anyway? :-P What I'm trying to say is that in order to apperciate Exo-force, you have to look at it from the eyes of a kid (a normal, creative kid, not the mindless violence obsessed pre-adolescents of today.). It makes the line look a whole lot better. ;-) And even without that, most people can admit that sets like the Striking Venom, Golden Guardian, Bridge Walker, and others are at least OKAY in design. :-)

Thanks for all the comments, guys, and thank you, JoeM16 and iamded for pointing out the reason for the skeleton horse leg positioning. ;-) Well, I'll be gone on vacation until the 16, but I may pick up a set or two while down in Tenessee, so if I do, expect a review and another story when I get back! ;-)

Well, now that I have some money, a trip to ToysRUs was obviously in my future, especially since my local TRU has much of the summer 2007 lineup. When I got there, almost all the smaller Castle sets had been sold out, but there was one left: the one I am now reviewing for both Eurobricks and BZPower. ;-) The Box: Well, for starters, the Castle theme boxes are beautiful! The blended clear and stormy skies give a great �clash of the titans� effect, and the action poses help as well. ;-) The back is equally nice, featuring a photo showing kids how to use the crossbow, and the brave axe wielder taking a swipe at the skeleton (foolish soldier, that won�t work on skellies! See later on in the review to find out why). And of course, we have a small box with the link to the official Lego website, where TLC can advertise even more Lego sets! :P The Contents: After opening the box, a single bag of pieces (with a couple loose ones), the instruction manual and necessary catalog ( :-P ), and a new wider rubber band holder spilt out. The instruction manual is clear as a bell. No color trouble here, folks! Also, it�s worth mentioning the nice background with the mountain and King�s castle silhouettes. :-) Sorry that there's no picture, but I'll take one if someone wants to see it. ;-) The Pieces: For being a 5 dollar set (well, seven in my case. Darn your above average prices, TRU!), Crossbow Attack features a lot of nice pieces (as does the entire Castle lineup). Notable elements include two large brown spoked wheels, two brown modified 1x1�s, a pearl gold slope end, and SIX dark blue modified 1x1x2/3 slopes! The bulk of the pieces, however, are nothing special. I�ll let the picture do the talking for this. The accessories are by far the best parts in this kit. Two different helmets in a beautiful shiny silver are my favorite, but I also really like the scythe (looks good for MOCing) and the round shield ( *wub* ), which are both brand new parts. And can anyone not love the classic axe and crossbows? Oh, and there�s a black lightsaber too, but that�s rather boring compared to the other parts. :-P The Minifigures: Can you say, FOUR figures (including the horse)?! That has to be a record for a regular 5 dollar set, at least in the present age of limited figures per set. We�ll start out with the two Crown militia: a regular soldier and an archer. Both have old faces, but they look spiffy with the shiny helmets and the superb torsos. I�ll name the soldier Bravo the Stout and the archer Angler the Precise, for future references. Now we come to the skellie. Although some people dislike the new skeleton design, I personally prefer it to the old ones, since the arms are now poseable and the face much meaner. The only problem is that the arms hang too low, but it�s not too noticeable when they have weapons in their hands. And last, but not least, here�s the elusive skeleton horse. I for one am very happy that TLC took advantage of that awesome prototype piece and made it into an official mass-production mold. However, the horse is unfortunately one piece, but since regular Lego horses are as well, I don�t have a problem with it. I do have a problem with the pose, however. The legs are in quite an odd position, and I wonder why TLC didn�t make the front and back leg poses symmetrical. Ah well. The Finished Set: I have only two pictures here, since this set is so small. First, here�s the completed crossbow. I must say: FINALLY! No more ridiculous horse mounted catapults or crazy fire wheel launchers! Now we have realistic siege weapons, including the one included with 7090. Plus, it actually launches okay, although not the best. Here�s the other main attraction: the completed skeleton rider and horse. I think it�s rather dramatic with that pose and the dark background, don�t you think? ;-) Playability: Okay, so there�s not much in this set, but a bit of imagination brings plenty of possibilities. To show you what you can do, here�s a little story made only with this set. ;-) Overall Rating: Presentation: 9/10 Pieces: 8/10 Minifigures: 9/10 Finished model: 8/10 Playability: 8/10 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Final Score: 8.4/10 Crossbow Attack is a fine introduction into Castle, so I recommend it to any Lego fan, whether they are a castle nut or just want a cheap change of pace. TLC has a knack with making great small kits these days, and I more than ever support them in their amazing rebound from their dark ages (between 1997 and 2004). ;-)

Oh yes, the Bishops rock! And don't forget the awesome new staff pieces... *wub*

Well, since I happen to have some experience with Megabloks, I wholeheartedly disagree. True, some of the parts in Megabloks are totally useless, but many of the kits, particulary POTC, Spiderman 3, and Dragons, have many useful pieces. I even owned several Dragons kits some time ago, and I made some neat fusion MOC's with both Lego and Megabloks. True, their versiality is limited compared to Lego, but saying that you can create nothing is an overstatement, IMO. ;-) Oh, and then there's my yet to be uploaded Exo-force MOC using tons of purple Megabloks parts, that happens to be one of my favorite creations EVER. Hm, maybe I should get to work on uploading it... *sweet* And, on the other issue, Jinzo, I understand where you're coming from completely, but you may be missing a bit of info. I hear it from GregF that TLC's outlook on Bionicle is NOT to make a construction toy, but to just make a play toy (and BTW, he doesn't seem any happier with that outlook than you are!). So, considering that, we are getting a pretty good deal, IMO. We may not be getting the best of sets, but we ARE getting a wealth of good parts. Okay, I admit it: I LOVE silver weapons, and like the two colored Inika parts, but seriously, I don't see why they are so terrible. I've seen tons of MOC's that take use of those parts to the full extent (well, at least the silver weapons), and they look great. I also don't think that colored weapons are any better. They are as good, just not any better. Just my thoughts. ;-)

Sorry, but I love the new skelies! *wub* I think the face is a lot meaner than the old ones, and the arms are actually better, IMO, since you can pose them. *y* Anywho, great review, and thanks for the pic. 4J. ;-)

Most of them, yes, but the Rahkshi head, feet and legs are pretty darn useful. I've used them before well. ;-) I've been proven wrong by you, Darth Vader. My apologies. I guess it's just that I have exactly one toa mata torso, and you usually need at least 2 in the same color to do something. ;-)

I agree! In fact, the entire january line was awesome for me, especially the sets you mentioned. I'm still not sure on areo booster, but the other two summer kits rock! "Bad Guy Vehicle" (notice the quotations indicating the obviously preliminary name) is far worse than any of the other kits: even I see no hope for that big 6 legged monstrosity. I like the little yellow vehicle, as I said before, but the rest is too worthless to bother getting the set at all. |-/ On the plus side, this could be an early prototype, and I believe it probably is, due to the stand in name. I mean, look! Doesn't it say: November 2007? They must have given this image extremely early to the catalog makers! :-) Edit: Okay, it doesn't say november on THAT page, but on the Dwarf mining set has November next to it, and since these two kits are related via exclusiveness and never before seen stuff, they both share the same release date obviously. ;-)

Not even if the 2008 sets are completely amazing? Because we have no idea what they will be like, and if they are great, I predict you might take back that statement. ;-)

Actually, I MOC a lot, and in my opinion, the toa bodies aren't. That's because when I look at usefulness, I look at being able to use pieces in different ways, but as far as I have seen, toa bodies can only be used as bodies. I simply can't use them because I don't have a massive supply of parts to incorporate them with. Huh? Their parts are massive and 2001 toa bodies aren't? One more thing: If you guys think 2001 Toa bodies are so useful, then why do you at the same time scorn Piraka bodies? :-/

I really can't believe that that's the final name for this. It definitley has an actual name, IMO. I bet TLC just didn't give the toy catalog makers the final name yet. ;-) Are you kidding me? The January lineup was great, and the Golden tower is awesome! I dissagree completely. Megabloks is known for giant <insert that tiresome argument> pieces, dragons in jelly eggs, and battle pirate ships with cardboards figures to knock down. Aka, crud. Some of their kits are okay, but the majority is far worse than this. True, though, this is not the highlight of Exo-force. The large robot vehicle does admitidly look thrown together, but I really like the small yellow vehicle. ;-) And, you know, you guys say this is horible, but when you compare it to this: Well, you just can be thankful that TLC no longer is like THAT any more. ;-)

I totally agree. The Hordika not only had those ugly long arms, but they were CLONES! |-/ Ironically, that last bit of your comment is partly true to me, Ravensburg, due to my mostly loving of the Inika. ;-) Seriously, though, I don