Aanchir

Incidentally, we now have cover illustrations for the ninth and tenth Ninjago graphic novels. The ninth one DOES involve Nindroids, which I was pretty much expecting given that its synopsis on Amazon.com was so vague... generally that's a pretty good hint that they don't want to spoil things related to an upcoming product line. They are due for release in January and May, respectively. I'm pretty sure the cover illustration for the tenth one is a visual reference to something. Does anyone recognize what, specifically? I'm kind of sad that even with Ninjago coming back strong, there don't seem to be any Ninjago chapter books in the pipeline. I'm not entirely surprised, though. It was clear with the fifth one that those were being reduced in priority, since the fifth one was just TV episode adaptations instead of new original stories like the first four. But I guess that's OK. The chapter books aren't nearly as essential now that the TV series can cover a year's story pretty thoroughly and the graphic novels can provide supplementary side-stories.

I honestly don't know if Mixels qualifies as constraction. They're definitely articulated figures, but they're far from the typical definition of "action figures". It'd be good to find out, though.

Well, in the case of Galidor, it did, to an extent (that theme also had many flaws of its own which the LEGO Group is well aware of). Knights' Kingdom II, on the other hand, had a three-year run that I imagine must have been reasonably successful, or it would have surely been discontinued sooner. The 2006 Knights' Kingdom sets even "upped the ante" somewhat with metal containers instead of plastic ones for the smaller sets and new, larger sets that included both a character and a catapult. The LEGO Group is obviously going to proceed cautiously with ANY new theme no matter what, but that doesn't mean they're NEVER going to have multiple constraction themes running concurrently. In fact, they've gone ahead and expressed a goal of doing just that. In fact since Hero Factory debuted, there has only been one year — 2011 — when Hero Factory was the ONLY theme with sets in the constraction category. In 2010 we had Ben 10: Alien Force and the tail end of BIONICLE, in 2012 we had Super Heroes, and this year we had Legends of Chima. It remains to be seen if there are any non-HF constraction sets in the pipeline for 2014, since those tend to have a different sort of release schedule.

They have also often talked about how much they would like to have two constraction lines running successfully at the same time. And really, there's plenty of ways the LEGO Group could have another action figure theme that ISN'T similar to Hero Factory. For instance, there could be a theme that has non-robot action figures, like Galidor, Knights' Kingdom II, Ben 10: Alien Force, Super Heroes, and Legends of Chima have all dabbled in. Other than Ben 10: Alien Force, these were all just extensions of existing non-constraction themes, but there's nothing stopping the LEGO Group from creating an in-house, non-robot theme that exists entirely within the constraction category. Constraction sets don't even inherently have to share a building system. Galidor and Knights' Kingdom II both demonstrated that. And what do you know? In 2014 there is going to be new ball joint elements that are optimal for creating articulated models based on System building conventions rather than Technic. It's entirely possible that a full constraction theme could be based on this building system if the LEGO Group decided it was worthwhile.

This isn't a huge big deal what with all the thorough reviews showing up, but this site lists all the new HF sets including piece count. Apparently Jaw Beast has 49 pieces and Evo Walker has 51. Since the site that gave us piece counts for the others (walmart.ca) didn't have those two sets listed, this is technically new info.

I would love to work for LEGO, but I have to be honest with myself and admit it's just not feasible currently. I can't drive (don't know if I'll ever be able to), only speak English, and have little to no job experience (not even a single retail or sales job of any kind). Working for LEGO in some capacity will continue to be my dream for a long time, I think, but it's seeming more and more like a pipe dream as I realize just how underqualified I am for ANY job, let alone a job with a company that so many other people are going to be pursuing careers with. I think for right now I'm better off pursuing less prestigious jobs in my area just to prove I'm useful in SOME capacity than putting myself out there for an opening that, if I'm not qualified for it, might shatter whatever confidence I still have in my ability.

Actually, there's mounting evidence that the fading logo and broken helmet, at least, WILL show up in a set. My brother observed on Benny's character page from the LEGO Movie website, Benny appears in a CGI form that is slightly different than his proper movie appearance. Specifically, the "fading" of the print is simulated with dots, as if it were actually designed to be printed as-is on a LEGO piece (after all, LEGO torsos generally use a limited color palette). Also, his "cracked helmet" actually appears to be joined in the center as if it is a new mold with a crack incorporated as part of the original design, rather than a result of later damage. Note also that all the other characters who have their own character pages on the site appear in at least one set — the only possible exception is Batman, who has appeared in LEGO Super Heroes sets but not in any sets with the LEGO Movie branding. I was the one who found some Transparent Yellow modern canopy pieces among other new 2014 parts in the LEGO Group's parts database (which I trawl through occasionally on the off chance I might learn something new). However, it was unclear at the time what theme they might belong to. None of the ones I found are the same as the one in Benny's poster, but they might still be intended for a LEGO Movie set, since they have failed to show up in any other 2014 themes.

I mentioned in earlier post that I thought posable short legs were a bit silly and that I don't have a problem with the height of the dress slope, but one thing that WOULD certainly be useful is a dress design that is posable. I do not know exactly how this would best be achieved. The new Disney Princess mini-dolls have one, of course, but I do not know if a similar solution would be ideal for traditional minifigures, since it would have to be blockier, and without that part that trails behind I don't know how much it'd really resemble a dress or gown anyway. A textile element like the skirts from some of the Collectible Minifigures would probably limit posability, unless it were less stiff in which case it would look inconsistent with the torso and would be difficult to print. Still, castle banquet halls like in Hogwarts are extremely awkward when you can't have a proper seat for any female character in a dress, and swapping the dress for legs is an imperfect solution.

It's not like Ninjago hasn't alluded to other LEGO franchises in the past... as you mention, there WAS the Clutch Powers reference. But I think that sticker might be a mere Easter egg rather than any kind of implicit confirmation that the two brands coexist in the same universe. After all, Sentai Mountain is already split on that sticker, which would imply the Exo-Force story took place PRIOR to the current Ninjago story arc. Even if Ninjago does have pretty advanced technology (and has for a pretty long time, judging from the Golden Mech that once belonged to the first Spinjitzu master), it seems to be a very different sort than that featured in Exo-Force. I think trying to tie the continuity of the two themes together would just end up diluting both Ninjago's sense of ancient and magical traditions and Exo-Force's futuristic appeal.

Given that using traditional minifigures would be by far the cheapest option for any new theme that has any kind of minifigures, I have no doubt that the LEGO Group explored the possibility quite thoroughly. The talk Astrid Graabaek and Fenella Holden gave at Brickfair seemed to suggest that was the case, at any rate. They also talked about how some of the girls in focus testing responded to different mini-doll designs. They considered having traditional minifigure hands that could rotate, for instance, but a lot of girls thought the thick, tube-like wrists that would result looked awkward for any designs that weren't supposed to have long sleeves. It's not like the LEGO Group hadn't tried marketing the minifigure to girls, either. Some sets and themes were aimed at a more gender-neutral audience than others, particularly certain sets from City, licensed themes like Harry Potter and Spongebob Squarepants (Harry Potter has always been a "dollhouse theme" in a certain capacity), and the Collectible Minifigures. These efforts presumably made SOME difference in sales with that demographic, but not a huge difference — boys still made up an overwhelming majority of the buying audience. Mark Stafford (Nabii) also mentions <a href="http://www.bricksetforum.com/discussion/comment/35494/#Comment_35494">here</a> that there was another, smaller consideration — the notion that if girls started playing with the same minifigure as boys in huge numbers, boys might start to think of it as a doll. So a huge marketing effort to convince girls to think of the classic minifigure more favorably might have had an equal and opposite effect with boys. Regarding your daughter in particular... I have a feeling that certain kids of any gender are more likely to be bit with the "LEGO bug" than others, ESPECIALLY if they grow up with other LEGO builders in their household or peer group. Even a number of the female BIONICLE and Ninjago fans I've encountered online were introduced to these series when playing or watching TV with a male friend or sibling. Kids also vary in the amount of visual-spatial aptitude they exhibit, which plays a big role in how naturally LEGO building comes to them, and I think both nature AND nurture can influence this kind of thing. But a kid who DOESN'T play with LEGO, and whose family doesn't own any LEGO, and whose same-gender peers don't play with LEGO, is going to take a lot more convincing to invest in and identify with the LEGO brand than a kid who grew up learning from their friends and family that LEGO is a fun and meaningful toy. And that's especially true when there are lots of other types of toy trying to compete for their attention.

Trans-Black, Black. and Pearl Dark Grey would be an incredibly boring color scheme that I think would make for an incredibly boring set. I like this set's color scheme myself. There's only the slightest bit of gold visible — the majority is black with transparent bright green accents, which reminds me of the color scheme you see on the covers for the covert-ops oriented Splinter Cell video games (which tend to feature a lot of black and green, including glowing green night-vision goggles). At any rate it's a lot stealthier-looking than the Stealth Hunter, although to be fair that's inspired by stealth AIRCRAFT which are usually designed to be invisible to radar rather than the naked eye. And generally, I like when the color schemes in Hero Factory remain fairly consistent. It's a lot better than BIONICLE, although to be fair that theme would often go many years between new versions of a character, and characters' roles would often change as dramatically as their colors (the person designing the original Kongu set probably had no idea that in five years they'd be making him a Toa, let alone what changes the LEGO color palette would have undergone by that time).

I thought I had updated it with those three faces... maybe I forgot to upload the new version of the file to Brickshelf. Though I thought adding the dress slope was my most recent change, and I DEFINITELY added the version with that in it to Brickshelf. I forgot about the Mosquitoid torso! For some reason I thought that had been added in a previous update. Silly me. I'm sorry I keep missing things. I used to have a much more organized way of doing this, but it was INCREDIBLY tedious, and I thought if I just played it by ear I'd have this done a lot quicker. The file should be up-to-date now, but don't be afraid to call me out if you see something else I missed.

Here's my file of new decorations for LDD 4.3.8 (not including CMF decorations). I will update my complete decorations file soon as well. Errors: Decoration 601786 (from the torso of the Garmadon's Warrior minifigure) does not have the correct transparency. All the white space except the glimmer in the eyes and the teeth should be transparent. Also, there are some odd horizontal grid lines visible across the entire decoration when you zoom in on the piece. Decorations 99319 and 99320 (from the torso of the Zane ZX minifigure) do not have the correct transparency. All the white space should be transparent. Decorations 602737 and 602738 (from the legs of the Cragger and Crawley minifigures) do not have the correct transparency. All the white space should be transparent. Part 93071 (the head of the golden dragon) has no decoration surfaces mapped. This makes decorations 603647, 603648, and 602208 impossible to apply. EDIT: I missed a few decorations when I was first posting this. If your version does not include a dress slope (3678), go ahead and download it again to get the latest version.

The 2001 Rahi were definitely cool designs and I have a lot of respect for them. But as far as constraction themes are concerned, I'm quite happy with the shift we've seen towards models with more lifelike articulation. The Rahi were something very different from typical constraction sets... rather than being the evolution of the Slizer/Throwbots sets which had pioneered the constraction category, they were more inspired by the Competition/Cyber Slam sets which emphasized competitive and dynamic action features. It was neat to see BIONICLE bring these ideas together in its early years. And it worked with that theme's story and aesthetic. But I've just been a lot happier with constraction sets since they started to reduce the emphasis on play features like these and to instead emphasize articulation. I can't say just why. Perhaps it's in part because they've grown a lot closer to the kinds of models I like to MOC. I've never had much skill when it comes to engineering moving-parts functions like the Rahi or other Technic sets used. But I have always loved building models that simulate living things, with realistic proportions and articulation. And as constraction sets shifted their emphasis over the years, the parts became much better for building these kinds of things. This doesn't mean that action features can't enhance a model (I love this year's Dragon Bolt set, which has a tremendously fun flapping wings function). But these sorts of things don't really inspire me as a MOCist the way a well-proportioned, well-articulated figure tends to.

My entry! Katanakka Raffle Entry by Aanchir, on Flickr

Mark Stafford (Nabii) explained the answers to this and some related questions on the Brickset forums. Scroll to his comments in This thread, and don't miss this post on the second page.

I don't mind the dress piece being taller. This has always been my explanation. Though then again, that does call characters like Nute Gunray, Saruman, and Ewald into question... maybe they just want to feel pretty?

The spinners might also be gone simply because Ninjago was expected to be losing its momentum by 2013 and they wanted to keep the set lineup for that year small. Obviously, TLG severely underestimated the theme's staying power, but in the meantime it's now had about a year to ACTUALLY lose momentum, so TLG doesn't want to risk another massive line of sets. Overall, I don't really think we'll ever see the spinners again, as much as I loved them. Once a theme has been downscaled like this it's incredibly rare for it to simply bounce back to full strength. But of course, I won't discount the possibility that this might be a very different situation than previous themes. I'm avoiding spoilers for right now because I want to see the episode in its intended quality! So sorry I can't join everyone in discussing the new episodes!

True, but there's more to it than CGI models. The episode is only 22 minutes. You don't want there to be more characters than the audience can keep track of. That's part of why Nex, Breez, and Bulk were omitted from the Breakout special... and that was 44 minutes long! Of course, there IS the possibility of having Nex show up in a cameo, non-plot-essential role, but conservation of detail says that's probably not a good idea. It'd take up time and probably just raise more fan questions of "why did Nex show up at the beginning and then not show up again for the rest of the episode?" If he DOES appear, he should appear in a similar capacity to the other heroes, or in some smaller role that still manages to advance the plot. Also consider BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn. We KNOW that the creators of that had a CGI model for Malum, because they used it for the giant made from Scarabax beetles (And the little mini guide book that came with some copies of the movie had a size comparison of all the character models that even showed the Malum model with fully-rendered detail, albeit at the size of the Scarabax giant). But the actual CHARACTER couldn't really be featured because it already had a lot of characters for fans to keep track of, and some of them even had to be reduced to fairly minimal roles. That was eighty-eight minutes in length! All in all, extra characters can just end up being story clutter if they don't play an essential role in the story you set out to tell. And that's ESPECIALLY true with time constraints.

My brother and I started watching Avatar somewhat late (I can't remember if it was partway through season 2 or partway through season 3). I can't remember what it was specifically that got us to watch it, but it probably came on before or after some other program we wanted to watch like Spongebob. Anyway, watching episodes on TV was a sort of haphazard way of getting caught up, so we ended up getting the Book 1, 2, and 3 collections used from a store called F.Y.E., which I mostly see in malls. I forget what each season cost but it was a good deal compared to getting them new. Having the DVD collections is great because it makes it easy to introduce other friends and family members to the series.

I agree with some of the parts, but I can understand some of the omissions. The 1x2 jumper plate is one of the ONLY ways to get a 1/2 brick offset in just one direction, whereas to get an offset in two directions, you can just put a 1x1 round brick between four studs. The 2x2 jumper plate is still useful — just not as irreplaceable as the 1x2 variety. I also can see why "classic" Erling/headlight bricks were included but not the newer 1x2 with side stud. It's true that sometimes you might not want the recessed bit for functional or aesthetic reasons, but the headlight brick has another advantage — turn it around and it provides a square window that fits in a 1x1x1 space. I was using some of these for part of the bookcase in a MOC of my room recently. Tiles are another piece that's mainly just a cosmetic thing, and they don't have the same structural usefulness as plates. The same is true of baseplates. I can't remember the last time I used a baseplate in a model other than a modular building — regular plates are generally much more versatile since you have much more control over the shape of your building surface and can even elevate it if you so choose. These would have all been useful parts, no doubt about that. And I don't mean to suggest they wouldn't have improved the set. But I think given the choice between adding these parts and including some of the other similar parts in greater quantities, I can understand why the designers might have chosen to go with the latter.

Though of course, it's always possible that Nex will be in the sets and was just omitted from the episode to keep the cast of characters small, like how Nex, Bulk, and Breez were ALL omitted from the Breakout TV special.

Haha, I just found a hilarious little easter egg in that trailer. Check out the billboard at . It's an ad for "Revinyl Infinite Music Quiz". If that doesn't sound like the sort of thing that'd be created for Hero Factory's robot universe, that's because it's not: Revinyl is a personal project of Christian Faber's! I bet he didn't expect anyone to notice before the episode aired!You get a look at Breez's new machine from several angles in the trailer. It seems to be a three-legged walker with a three-fingered claw attached to the back. You can see it really well at from behind and at from the front (it's following behind another walker with a green cargo cylinder), and you can see it on its own being attacked by jumpers at 0:32.The blue flying machine also has two cockpits and four legs shortly after it appears at , but only one cockpit and no legs in the next scene at 0:27, which leads me to believe the set will include two machines (a flyer and a walker) that can link up. But that leads me to wonder what other hero will accompany him in that set... Stringer, maybe?

I'll have an LXF with the other new decorations soon enough. I just thought I'd make the CMFs my priority this time around. I've already started on some of the new decorated elements for themes like City and Ninjago.

I think there are legitimate reasons people might want BIONICLE back, especially if subsequent themes have failed to deliver that same sense of wonder for them. It was a VERY unique theme, and while some of its unique qualities might not have paid off with regard to toy sales, fans have as much reason to feel nostalgic for it as for any classic LEGO theme. Personally, I have a lot of faith in the LEGO Group's creative potential even outside the BIONICLE franchise. If TLG is capable of making a BIONICLE reboot that would live up to the standard BIONICLE fans expect, then they are just as capable of creating a new franchise that can deliver that same sense of depth and mystery and adventure. All they need to do is to be ready when the time is right. With that said, I've been more than happy with subsequent story-driven themes like Hero Factory and Ninjago. They don't follow the same exact formula as BIONICLE but they still are very high-quality themes that I'm not at all ashamed to enjoy. I'd even go so far as to say that they surpass BIONICLE in some ways — Hero Factory in its building system and its ability to explore different sorts of storytelling, Ninjago in its soundtrack, character development, and some other aspects of its storyline.