Aanchir
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Actually, if you look at the right side of the package, you can see that there's another Skull Spider leaping at him from that direction, so his aim is spot-on. It's just blurred out so buyers don't get the idea that the set includes more than one Skull Spider. The same goes for the Protector of Fire, Protector of Ice, and Protector of Jungle — all shooting at blurred-out Skull Spiders while in-focus Skull Spiders lunge at them from another direction. Him being a tunnel-dweller is exactly why his colors being so dark bothers me. Unless you have him lit brightly, the Tr. Bright Bluish Violet tends to look almost black, blending in with his black parts and making the set look like one big blob of black. And I can't think of any reason a tunnel dweller should need to be lit brightly or set against a brightly-colored backdrop to look his best. Some more silver metallic parts, perhaps on his torso, could really have helped the set, I think. I think it works just fine as a stylized drill or cutting head, particularly of the sort seen on many types of roadheader. Anyway, I really like this set for its creativity, though I feel like in terms of color scheme it doesn't entirely live up to its potential.
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I have some reservations about doing that myself. Every time I've tried uploading high-res pics to HS01 it's resulted in some kind of error that I need an admin to go in and fix. Not too keen on having the same thing again...
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Meaning we have high-resolution images, if anybody's interested!
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Ninjago: Masters Of Spinjitsu TV Show Thread
Aanchir replied to Lance's topic in LEGO Media and Gaming
I recently saw the latest season's finale. Goodness gracious, that was epic! The last scene was wonderfully uplifting after the tear-jerking climax, and definitely left me wanting more! As did the teaser for the next season! I loved the new versions of "A Memory Switch" and "Pixal" that played during the episode. In the Cartoon Network broadcast version you didn't get this, but on the digital download version, the vocal version of "Pixal" continues to play during the end credits sequence instead of "The Weekend Whip". On that note, LEGO Ninjago has been nominated for an Annie Award for "Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production"! -
Beautiful new song with a harmonious sound and a wonderful, optimistic, uplifting message! I look forward to adding it to my music library!
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It's also possible LEGO asked people specifically not to record that video... they sometimes do make that request about the things they present at conventions.
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It's amusing to hear pets described with LEGO colors.
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Yep, all four figs are exclusive. I bought two this afternoon: one for myself and one for my younger brother. I'm mostly interested in Lloyd DX. Might keep Lavertus as well, since I have some Chima sets and figs. But I might try and trade the others for figs I'm more interested in next time I go to a LEGO convention.
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Well, I was just editing my spreadsheet of Ninjago minifigures and have a few observations: With the addition of Lloyd DX, the 2014 minifigure count now comes to 20 unique minifigures! That's as many as Ninjago had in its first year! Pretty impressive! The 2015 minifigure count is at 26. That's more than any single half-year wave of Ninjago has ever had! The year as a whole might still wind up with fewer minifigures than 2012, which had 35 minifigures total, but even in 2012 there were just around 19 minifigures in the first half of the year and 16 in the second half of the year. Certainly there have never been more than 20 new Ninjago minifigures released in a single month of sets! I'm not sure what minifigures we might still reasonably suspect in summer 2015 (often that kind of thing can be hard to predict this far in advance). But one definite possibility is Skylor in a tournament costume. Having looked at the names of the new characters, the two new Anacondrai (Kapau'rai and Chop'rai) are almost certainly transformed versions of two of the cultists (Kapau and Chope). I wonder whether we might see true Anacondrai versions of any of the other six (Eyezor, Clouse, Zugu, Chen, Krait, and Sleven)? I also watched the two latest episodes of the TV series with my younger brother. Wow... even having had some parts of them spoiled, it was an emotional roller coaster! The music definitely helped the episode resonate with me on a profound level. I can't wait to see what the 2015 story might have to offer!
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This is astonishing! I will have to order this!
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I don't know whether I prefer Okoto to Mata Nui aesthetically, but I do definitely think that it's a bit more readable than the Mata Nui map, in which it could be hard to tell where one region ended and another began. Without previously knowing the locations, it could be easy to think Mata Nui was split into four regions (a forested southern region, a dry northern region, an icy western region, and a grassy eastern region) rather than six. The radiating mountain ranges of Okoto may be a bit strange, but they do help to clearly delineate the different regions. If I had to pick my favorite region of Okoto from an aesthetic standpoint, it would have to be the Region of Water. Islands! Deltas! Fjords! I really hope there's some video game coming which lets you explore the island...
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Kopaka's is by far the least simple of the "power up" models, since it involves almost entirely rebuilding his spear. It'd take some real thinking to figure it out from the photos alone (though in fairness, maybe I could have figured it out without too much difficulty if I had the Protector of Ice, since at least I'd have a clearer sense of what parts I was working with). It doesn't help to know that SOME of the "power up" models actually contradict the images in the instructions. Specifically, the photo in Lewa's instructions omits the vines/sensor tails on his feet. So in hindsight, it could have been a bit irresponsible and hasty to claim to "review" the models based on that sort of inconclusive guesswork. It's not an either/or thing. The other sets are with other reviewers, so if those sets' reviews are not ready yet, then making this review doesn't delay them in any way, and not making this review wouldn't have made them ready any sooner. It's not for "whatever"'s sake, it's because it's something they didn't cover and couldn't cover in the original reviews of those two sets, unless they had chosen not to post the set reviews at all until the combi instructions were available. And nobody knew how long that might take until LEGO actually sent them to reviewers two weeks ago.
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Yeah, it's understandable. Maybe when the actual shop.LEGO.com product descriptions (the ones with bullet points describing the sets' features individually) go up, they'll mention it more explicitly. As it is, only Tahu's product description refers to adrenalin mode by name.
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Because we didn't have instructions when either of those reviews were posted. The LEGO Group only sent copies of the instructions to reviewers a little over two weeks ago, and those instructions weren't available to the public until last Thursday. Updating the reviews to include that info would be a little bit of a chore and a lot of people who are specifically watching for new reviews wouldn't even see them. That's one of the perils of video reviews in particular — updating them after-the-fact is both difficult and largely ineffective. All things considered, it might have made the most sense to review the "powered up" forms either all together or in two groups of three, but because the different sets were sent to different reviewers, that'd be a bit of a logistical nightmare. The Protector of Stone set has Tr. Flu. Green arms and Tr. Light Blue eyes, so it's conceivable that the eyes of an earlier version of the Pohatu set might also have had Tr. Flu. Green arms and Tr. Light Blue eyes.
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I mean, I don't know what "not counting the Ninjago movies" is supposed to mean, because there are definitely going to be sets to tie in with the movie in 2016. Otherwise, the LEGO Group would have little incentive to even RELEASE a Ninjago movie, since they are committed to remaining a toy company first and an entertainment company second. And I hardly think this seems like it's the last year for Ninjago. As far as sets are concerned, things are getting bigger, not smaller. That's hardly what tends to happen when a toy-based franchise is on its last legs. You are making a ludicrous assumption with zero basis in fact. Lord and Miller aren't the writers for the Ninjago movie. The Hageman brothers (the writers of the TV series) are; Lord and Miller are just two of the four producers. And the idea that the film would "feature a new take that diverges from the TV series" has been known since even before Lord and Miller were even attached to the project. So if anybody decided to "throw away 5 years of plot", it wasn't Lord and Miller, but rather the same two people who created those five years of plot in the first place. Why are they doing this? Well, it's not 100% clear, but one big motivation is probably that a lot of the potential audience for the theatrical movie has never seen the TV series, and expecting them to jump into the story five years in is a bit ridiculous. There's a good reason why the Transformers theatrical movies, the G.I. Joe theatrical movies, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theatrical movies, and so forth did not even make any pretense of sharing a continuity with the cartoons that preceded them. For a movie to be successful, it has to appeal to a wide audience, and it's very hard to do that when one segment of the audience has an understanding of the movie's backstory which is head-and-shoulders above a newcomer's knowledge of the movie's backstory. Besides that, this doesn't necessarily mean the Ninjago TV series will necessarily have to end permanently, any more than Iron Man: Armored Adventures had to end permanently when Iron Man 2 was released in theaters or Transformers: Animated had to end permanently when Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was released in theaters. Although, if this version of Ninjago IS able to wrap up permanently before then, I don't think it would be a huge loss. Frankly, I think it would be really impressive for the franchise to have the staying power to launch an entirely separate continuity without a sizable hiatus beforehand.
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That's not Adrenaline Mode. Adrenaline Mode is when he converts his shield into his skis (or the secondary, mobility-oriented function of any of the Toa's weapons). The "Powered Up" mode is something completely different. It annoys me a bit that this isn't mentioned in more product descriptions, because I keep seeing people confusing the meaning of that term.
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Sounds much more like Lewa than Matau. If I were to describe Matau, I wouldn't use any of those words except for "sarcastic". Otherwise, his key traits are being vain, flirty, and a thrill-seeker. Whereas Lewa's key traits have ALWAYS been his adventurous spirit and recklessness. He got into more trouble by rushing into dangerous situations than any of the other Toa. Usually trouble involving getting brainwashed.
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Interestingly, the Lord of Skull Spiders actually doesn't look too unlike the set, as it turns out. The biggest difference is the addition of some extra teeth, and the removal of the spikes from some of his legs. Though I do wish more of the Tr. Flu. Reddish Orange showed up. The legs being purely black and grey makes them feel a bit boring. I still can't get over these rich, detailed backgrounds. It really shows how something can be cartoony without feeling cheap or tacky — even with the same sharp angles as the character designs, the backdrops feel extremely lively and immersive. Some of the CGI backdrops used in certain BIONICLE ads, animations, and movies feel bland and lifeless by comparison. We already did. Axonn, anyone? Or even Mata Nui? Though to be honest, I'm actually quite glad that BIONICLE IS willing to have older characters in sets, since as an action figure franchise it would be very easy for the designers and writers to treat every character as fit and agile and constantly ready for battle. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have an older character who can hold their own! Avatar: The Last Airbender had several. It looks like the new BIONICLE will also have some, since the Protector of Fire has been portrayed as a wise elder in some videos and images but as an adventurous ally in others. But it's also nice to have a character whose wisdom makes up for their lack of fighting prowess. Anyway, that basically seems like what the Protector of Fire would actually look like if you put a cloak over him, since his shoulders are higher and further back than those of most of the other Protectors. The staff is probably a "badge of office" (like the Turaga's staffs) that he carries in place of weapons when he's not out protecting the village. So I don't really see the issue with this portrayal.
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Yeah, I feel the same. It doesn't match the other colors, but it doesn't really clash either. And you can put me in the camp of "the solid colors on the Protectors of Jungle, Water, and Fire are just fine". I think the Jungle and Water protectors' Bright Green and Dark Azur ARE close enough to their Tr. Bright Green and Tr. Light Blue elements to fit in, and Protector of Fire has the red 5M shell as you mentioned. I do wonder whether Protector of Fire might have looked cooler with Tr. Flu. Reddish-Orange in place of Tr. Yellow on his mask, though. In general, the Protector of Jungle is probably my favorite of the Protectors. His Air Elemental Flame Bow is a fantastic design that makes for all kinds of dynamic poses, he has great armor and proportions, and his color scheme is extremely dynamic.
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Really? I didn't think that had ever been changed. Certainly every time I tried to search for BIONICLE-related info on LEGO.com (even before I knew for sure it was coming back, it was sometimes fun to try and see if there were any interviews with former BIONICLE designers), I was thwarted by the fact that the term BIONICLE showed up on practically every page. Anyway, that Masks of Power video is EPIC! Great animation, great music, and a great introduction to the story.
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It wouldn't surprise me, and I can't say I'd even complain. We got three different Zane minifigures this year, after all.
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One thing that could make for a cool new chest piece would be something with a similar texture to the giant chest plate used for Hulk, Stormer XL, CHI Gorzan, and Onua, but with the size and connection points of the regular Super Heroes chest plate. It'd be smooth enough to be consistent with existing CCBS parts (and ideally, still allow for ornate printed patterns like the current ones), but it'd also have those molded vents on the sides to add detail. As a bonus, future "giant" characters could continue using the giant chest plate, and it would be even more consistent with the smaller chest plate than it had been previously! Don't know if it could entirely replace the standard Super Heroes chest plate, of course. The molded vents might look out-of-place on a more organic character. Then again, that didn't hold the LEGO Group's designers back when creating the Hulk or CHI Gorzan sets which also had that motif, so perhaps it wouldn't be considered too overtly mechanical even for themes like those.
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Giant villains are fine, but I think you can go overboard with it. A villain can be twelve inches tall if you want them to look super-duper-imposing, but they don't necessarily need to be. I think the 2003 Makuta set was a good example of how you can make a character look formidable without necessarily inflating their height to ridiculous levels. In a non-villainous example, so is Axonn — he was no taller than a Toa Inika, but still felt like a "titan" by comparison. And I think it also kind of depends on what kind of role you want the villain in question to have. Sometimes making a villain twice the height of the heroes can even be counterproductive if you want to emphasize character traits other than the villain's brute strength. Look at Marvel Comics as an example. Galactus is huge because it is integral to his character. Loki, on the other hand, is NOT huge, and it would be a bit silly if he DID constantly tower over the other characters. His key character traits are being conniving and manipulative — making him a colossus wouldn't help to emphasize any of those traits. The David vs. Goliath archetype is an extremely valuable storytelling tool, but there are consequences if you abuse it. The storyline can become repetitive. The size difference can begin to lose its dramatic impact if your heroes are regularly defeating villains three times their size — fans will no longer expect the larger villain to have the edge in a fight. And what's more, you don't want to be in a situation where fans expect all major villains to be huge, or else your hands will be tied if you ever want to introduce a major villain who isn't huge — fans will wonder why the villain looks so wimpy compared to previous threats the heroes have faced. Your Ninjago example definitely has some merit, but keep in mind that the Overlord was a bit of an exception. Most major villain characters in the series (Samukai, Pythor, Lord Garmadon, Cyrus Borg, and even the Overlord before his final metamorphosis) were only slightly larger than the heroes at most. Bringing out the big guns is generally something that should be done sparingly.
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Flesh, like other mini-dolls. Of course, nothing a dab of yellow paint won't fix, for those people looking to create custom elves for LEGO Castle displays.
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I do like larger figures from a construction standpoint, but yeah, I do have to agree, they often feel awkward from a storytelling standpoint. I wouldn't mind giant monsters like the 2001 Rahi or Bahrag, but it's good to keep in mind that despite those being larger sets, they also came two to a set. So an individual figure like the Muaka or Bahrag could easily have been sold at just $30 or $35. A figure like the Manas could have been a $45 set individually, and even less if you stripped away its specialized electronics. Even for a hypothetical new RC set, today's Power Functions parts could result in a much better building experience for a lower price. Just look at the Monster Dino from LEGO Creator, an example of a more recent RC set that used generic Power Functions elements rather than more specialized remotes and motors. Same price as the Manas, but with 332 more pieces! Some might argue, correctly, that constraction generally has a higher price per piece than System or Technic. But the fact that Lord of Skull Spiders has a Technic-intensive build (and a lower price per piece than most of the Rahi sets of 2001) means that intricate Technic-based monsters might still be on the table for later in the year. And to be honest, that kind of excites me! Even though more articulated building styles are more in tune with my personal style, I can respect that kind of mechanical intricacy, and I also feel that the Technic theme has been lacking in more fantasy-inspired creations, so Technic-based BIONICLE creatures and vehicles might help fill that void.