Aanchir
-
Posts
11,930 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Everything posted by Aanchir
-
Presumably it's something like the AFOL workshops the LEGO Group set up when developing the Power Functions train system or the various iterations of LEGO Mindstorms. There's a very good article about the former in Brickjournal Volume 2, Issue 6. There were eleven AFOLs in the largest of the three workshops, which was the final one. The insights from the workshops helped Jamie Berard to design the Emerald Night.
-
Correction: building lots of different things, taking pictures of them, and posing and arranging them in ways that look like real product images and key visuals. It's not that this is impossible. But the BIONICLE community has never had a hoax of this magnitude. The most we've ever had are people who put a blur filter and a caption on already crappy-looking MOCs and pretend a retailer let them look at and photograph them. Never a whole display designed by somebody who then crafted an elaborate story behind how they got to see the images. Does anyone legitimately think that those idiotic fake 2008 set "leaks" somebody mentioned in either this or another thread took more effort than this? Even people who create BIONICLE MOCs for LEGO Ideas or to post in BIONICLE fan communities rarely go to such lengths for posing and presentation, especially when most of the details will be blurred out anyway and only the poses and layouts will be discernable. Most MOCists use fairly neutral poses and compositions for their MOC images compared to this — not a figure lava-surfing, or a figure reaching out for a floating mask, or any of that sort of thing. Incidentally, so do most people who have deliberately tried to fool BIONICLE fans with fake "leaks". If this does turn out to be a hoax, then I anxiously look forward to the grand reveal so we can hear the story of just how this was planned and see details of the MOC photos used for the display. But frankly, I think it's unrealistic that after four years of absolute silence a group of trolls or pranksters within an already-ailing community would get organized for a hoax this elaborate. If this is a hoax, it's clear to me that several people are in on it, considering that the people allegedly responsible for spreading the image and then attempting to cover it up are known to be different from the person who initially leaked the image.
-
We already know that this series is going to use the same building system as Hero Factory. Front confirmed months ago that the CCBS is going to be sticking around. At the same time, even Hero Factory sets have used plenty of Technic in the past few years, so there should still be plenty of that in the new theme as long as the LEGO Group doesn't change their course. And yeah, Bfa, I don't want to assume it's Tahu either, though the package with that character lava surfing is pretty clearly meant to resemble him. After all, if we hadn't already known Toa Lhikan's name and first saw him through unlabeled pictures, people would probably assume he was a new Tahu as well.
-
I think the date given at Toy Fair was September, so they'll probably start showing up in August.
-
Thanks for that insight. Unless somebody went to great lengths to game the system (or our friend Exxtrooper is part of the hoax and very, very good at fooling us all), that makes these images sound pretty legitimate.
-
Current dark-skinned figs use either 192 Reddish Brown (Storm, Nick Fury, Power Man, Mace Windu, Lando Calrissian) or 312 Medium Nougat (Captain Panaka, Andrea from LEGO Friends). I assume by 'special "fleshie" brown' you mean Bricklink's Dark Flesh, which is officially called 217 Brown and was only used between 2004 and 2006. Some dark-skinned figs from the Indiana Jones theme also use 38 Dark Orange, which could still show up again in the future since it's still on The LEGO Group's color palette.
-
This is a more elaborate prank than I've ever seen in this fandom. It would require creating (or at least, finding and digitally altering beyond recognition) multiple very convincing MOCs, along with other promotional graphics. It would require the covert participation of not just one but several members of the BIONICLE community, including one who has correctly predicted previous waves of Hero Factory and thus evidently has access to genuine inside knowledge. It would require writing an incredibly detailed explanation of how these pics were discovered, as well as a lot more setup before they were eventually revealed (I am a member on the Facebook group where these pics were originally hinted at and disclosed so I know exactly how the initial reveal went down, though I won't go into detail about that). It would require people posing as the LEGO Group making copyright claims on Flickr and other sites. And beyond that, it requires careful timing. Note that we're getting very close to the time that leaks generally start showing up. This makes people more likely to believe the news, but it also runs the risk of a legitimate leak for next year's new constraction theme interfering. The ruse also would not have worked so well if there weren't legitimate evidence of a new constraction theme next year, including not only Asger Johansen's earlier statement on LinkedIn but also the LEGO Group's solicitation of aid from BIONICLE builders on sites like doublebrick.ru. Which means that planning most likely would not have begun before those discoveries were made. I'm not saying there's no chance of a hoax. But considering we haven't seen a stunt this well-orchestrated in all of BIONICLE's existence, let alone since it ended, then this starts to get to the point where the ruse itself would deserve some degree of admiration. At this point it's not like we have anything to lose by going along for the ride, even if we don't know what to expect at the other end. If it is a hoax, we are entertained for a few days or weeks as we prepare for real 2015 info to start emerging. If it isn't, we get extra time to speculate on what it might mean for the future.
-
Unless you think Asger Johansen lied on his own resume, then yes, the first we ever heard of it was clear confirmation. For the record, his resume has correctly foreshadowed other themes in the past, such as last year's LEGO Castle reboot (which he originally listed among his current projects as "a new take on a LEGO classic for 2013") And alright, Exxtrooper, thanks for the clarification. I guess if Flickr doesn't require any proof of identity from people making copyright claims then it could be an anonymous troll. Still, I'm inclined to believe the legitimacy of the post. It looks plenty believable to me, and I'm not afraid of being proven wrong.
-
Exxtrooper on Flickr claims to have taken the picture down specifically on request from LEGO, and claims that people on Tumblr have received similar requests. You know me; I'm not one to make wild assumptions.
-
I was about to point out the same thing. And since the hand is the single most recognizable part of the image I very strongly doubt it would be based on an image from BIONICLE: The Game. However, I have frequently pointed out that the character models in BIONICLE: The Game did bear very strong resemblance to the CCBS in terms of their broad, smooth armored surfaces and beefy shapes, so a coincidental similarity between new BIONICLE sets and the BIONICLE: The Game character models is entirely plausible. Just look at how much Tahu Nuva's chest in the game version has in common with a Super Heroes chest plate. It should be noted that some people have apparently been instructed by LEGO to take these images down. Either someone is impersonating the LEGO Group's legal department, the people voluntarily taking the images down are in on the hoax, or there is no hoax and the images are real. I highly doubt that LEGO's legal department has enough spare time to demand people take down new product "leaks" that they know to be fake.
-
Which windows? According to the Brickset inventory the big windows are printed. Here's the Bricklink page for the sticker sheet. Seems like it's mostly just the flags, the Overlord's walker, and the computer terminal.
-
I'm pretty sure both images are black-and-white, so it's possible that some packages are lighter in color than others but there's no way to tell anything more than that from the images. If these sets do all come in cardboard boxes as the images suggest, I for one am gonna really miss the resealable pouches. It's great to have a container that you can empty out and press flat without ruining its storage function.
-
Yeah, I believe this is real. Pics look good, especially since we know the new theme uses the CCBS. I have high hopes!
-
Post about Cartoons and Anime you like
Aanchir replied to Peppermint_M's topic in Culture & Multimedia
To be fair, it wasn't known that it would start so soon until a little over a week ago. Nickelodeon pushed the premiere date forward because some of the episodes got leaked online. I enjoyed those three episodes as well. Look forward to seeing them again with my mom now that she's home from camp! I was curious what the storyline for this season might be, with a title as broad as "Change", but I'm quite liking what I've seen so far! It seems that while family was one of the defining themes of Book Two, Book Three will be dealing with more cultural and socio-political issues. It's also going to be interesting to see what plans the new villains have. Obviously whatever they are, they'll mean trouble for Korra, but they definitely stand out from the previous villains as far as their backgrounds and motivations are concerned. -
It's this piece from this set. I've never seen one in real life! Nice find!
-
Anybody else wondering what the figure in this set will be? The LEGO Friends and LEGO City activity books like this one tend to include between 10 and 15 pieces, , so obviously I don't expect a full Mixel. Nor do I expect anything that uses exclusive decorations like the Nixel general, since these sorts of books all tend to use existing parts. But that still leaves a lot of options open. It could be a Nixel we've seen, or even one we haven't. Or it could be some type of "mini-Mixel".
-
Well, OK, as far as character association goes you have a point, but I was talking about aesthetics. It doesn't matter to me whether it's orange or red in that respect — either way, it looks a lot more exciting to me than if it were the same Bright Yellowish Green as the rest of the battle machine. It'd be cool if the seat were in more colors for variety's sake, though it doesn't bother me much as a MOCist since I can't picture a whole lot of sets or MOCs where neither Bright Orange or Bright Yellowish Green would work well with the color scheme. I guess if you wanted a grittier MOC you might want something less vibrant like Brick Yellow (tan) or Sand Yellow (Dark Tan), but for Hero Factory the bright colors work quite nicely, I think. Incidentally, are the name labels in this set white like the ones in Furno Jet Machine or silver like the ones in Surge & Rocka Combat Machine? I can't quite wrap my head around why the color is different between the two sets. I think white labels would have worked just fine for all of them.
-
Question: does this set actually come with a sticker sheet? The package shows stickers on the cockpit, but I don't see any mention of a sticker sheet/DSS in either this review or the BZPower review. I will be rather disappointed if it doesn't have one. I see what looks like one in the contents spread photo, but the brightness is so high that you can't make out the details, so I thought I'd make sure.
-
I'm pretty sure the "lopsided" armor placement in this set is because zombie-like asymmetry is one of the defining traits of the Chima villains this year. The Sir Fangar minifigure is arguably even more asymmetrical than the constraction set, since an entire arm and leg are colored differently from one another. I agree that it's not very elegant in this particular set, since it's too understated to make as big an impression as the minifigure's asymmetry. I think CHI Mungus is probably the best of the new villains when it comes to color blocking, though I don't like his torso design any more than CHI Sir Fangar's. And technically, this set DOES use a new armor shell for its torso, just as the Hero Factory Breakout and Brain Attack sets did (for that matter, even the Savage Planet sets introduced two "paw" shells, one of which CHI Sir Fangar uses). Generally, I appreciate that constraction sets have stuck with the same basic parts palette for so long, though. Why fix what isn't broken? EDIT: Speaking of CHI Mungus, I was just experimenting with how you might improve his torso so it doesn't have such a weird T shape. One quick and easy solution is to mirror the shells attached to the top of his shoulders so that he has shells attached to the top and bottom of his shoulders. The ones attached to the bottom of his shoulders help fill out his chest and back somewhat. This requires lowering his back armor two modules, but even that helps improve his look, I think. To improve the chest even further, you can flip the 4M shells on his chest around so that the pointy end points towards the CHI core, then tilt them down a bit. This fills out the torso quite brilliantly without having to fundamentally alter its structure. Now, obviously, I can see why this set didn't do this. I'm sure with the bulk it already had, duplicating the extra armor from the shoulders might very well have pushed it over budget. Nevertheless, I think this is an elegant solution for those who have this set at home.
-
And also, if you feel a single BURP in a set ruins or dumbs down the building experience, I wonder how in the world you've been able to tolerate other Friends sets that use parts like 59349 (which are even EASIER to replicate with basic bricks) in much larger quantities. The truth is, LEGO Friends sets are no more "dumbed down" than any sets from the past decade or so. Using larger parts for certain sections of the build is a matter of sturdiness and efficiency. Pretty much any competent designer would use a part like this if they had a task it happened to be perfectly suited to. They're part of a very long tradition of efficient wall panel pieces that dates back to castle sets of the 1980s — not by any means a recent development. If this sort of part were enough to ruin the value of LEGO, then I (a child of the 1990s) would not be an AFOL at all. But in truth, LEGO sets feature more detailed and complex builds today than they had at any point during my childhood.
-
Really? You think this piece is not a BURP? That, my friend, is part 6083 — the original BURP (in fact, Bricklink calls it a LURP, or "Little Ugly Rock Piece", because it's smaller than its counterpart 6082). And frankly, I consider it a much more useful piece than the smaller, more recent BURPs like 54782 because it allows for you to build on the rocky surface, and is very spacious on the inside — something that would not be possible if you built a rock wall just as detailed and sturdy out of basic bricks. Frankly, I get tired of complaints about pieces like this. It's true, you CAN build a rock wall out of basic bricks. But these pieces make it much easier to build a sturdy rock wall without having to create it layer by layer every time. Plus, as I mentioned, the interior space makes them much more versatile than a brick-built cliff face would ever be. They speed up creative building, rather than dumbing it down. I loved using these as well as other parts like castle wall panels when I built things as a kid. Using large parts does not make you a worse builder, nor does putting large parts in sets teach kids not to think creatively. It just makes the building experience a little bit less repetitive. LEGO Friends is hardly worse-off for using these parts, nor is any theme.
-
Lego and Big Parts: How necessary are they?
Aanchir replied to Dharkan's topic in General LEGO Discussion
Floating boat hulls are as big as they are specifically so that they can float. There used to be six-wide, modular floating boat hulls, but there's only so much you can build onto a six-wide boat, plus there might be issues I'm not aware of like kids not attaching them together securely and the boats breaking apart in the water. Obviously this is a piece where the size is essential for the type of model it is designed for. Pirate ship hull pieces are smaller and modular, and they cannot float, but are likewise designed for sturdiness (as has always been the case). Think of it this way — you're assembling a model as large as any LEGO building, but since it is not in fact a stationary building, it can't use a regular baseplate. Large boat hulls are essentially "baseplates" for boat models — they have to offer plenty of support both while building and playing with the model. Likewise, the large plane pieces are designed primarily with sturdiness and shapeliness in mind. Are they absolutely necessary? No — you could conceivably build a plane just as large out of smaller parts. But it would not be optimized for kids to play with, so while it would be possible, it would not be nearly as effective. -
If you flex them enough I believe the film hinge should lose some of its springiness. Try flexing them open and closed repeatedly — not so much that the hinge breaks, of course, but enough to loosen it up a bit.
-
Post about Cartoons and Anime you like
Aanchir replied to Peppermint_M's topic in Culture & Multimedia
I recently got caught up on The Legend of Korra. Very powerful finale to what was (for me, at any rate) a very enjoyable season. I have high hopes for Book 3, which premieres this Friday! -
I wouldn't be too worried about that rumor. The screenplay is being written by Dan and Kevin Hageman, so even if it is a separate continuity, it should remain faithful to the TV series' mythos and characterization.