Hero Factory 2011

[Aanchir]

Fortunately, it looks like it's going to be easy to strip all the extra stuff off and use it to upgrade other heroes. Which is my exact plan.

Anyway, anyone else think Furno 3.0 should've used Hahli Mahri wings instead of those new blades? Then they could've given him a new weapon to offset the reuse.

Meh. I actually like the wing pieces he uses. If you look at them on Raw Jaw and Scorpio, you can see they have little jets in the back-- a very nice detail. Also, Hahli Mahri's wings are really skeletal IMO, and work way better as fins than they would as avian wings.

On a side note, if you create a chain of the hook piece on Furno 2.0 together with some Technic bits, they'd make pretty cool wings themselves. I considered doing that for my entry in the "Number Four Raffle" before deciding to just use them as four blades (thus repeating the "four" idea once again).

Actually, as far as I have been told, what you see here is finalized. The box pictures are the prelims, the sets shown at toyfair themselves are the final versions and no changes will be made to them.

There can be more than one stage of prototype. In this case, the pictures on Gizmodo are clearly preliminary. Some parts are painted rather than molded in the right color, others lack the detail of the out-of-box versions at ToyFair, and Nex 3.0 uses a Glatorian hand rather than a Hero Factory hand like his comrades. Essentially, these are the preliminary models that were photographed, while the preliminary box art is a render.

I recognize that the sets shown at ToyFair are our most finalized we've seen, but there's no guarantee that they're completely finalized. Some sets at Toy Fair, despite looking finalized, had unfinished portions. The Alien Mothership set, for instance, had loose wires and electrical components rather than a finished sound brick. And the alien minifigure in that set had dark red legs with bright yellowish green paint rather than the finished bright yellowish green legs. Even the Star Wars set with the Gungans, a set that's already been released, was a prototype, using the Gungan minifigure heads from 1999 rather than the new printed ones. So there's no way to be certain whether any more changes will occur to the Hero Factory wave 3 set designs between the Toy Fair versions and the versions that will appear on store shelves.

[Bricker]

Wow. Im hating Witch Doctor more and more by the moment . He looks just flat out ugly. The chest is plain and I hate that armor peice at the top of the chest armor. In fact, its not just witch doctor, in my eyes all the villians (Von-Nebula, Fire Lord, Witch Doctor)have been very poorlt built. It appears that LEGO is making big giants and is focusing more on making the villian big and double rods on the feet and such giving the appearance that the villian is big and scary but I think theyve lost it when it comes to design. Overall they just look absolutely hideous .

Rocka XL is OK but those spike in back of his/her head really turns the set off for me. I love spikes and stuff and I bet LEGO does too but this is the point where LEGO goes crazy with them and puts them on all sorts of places where they ruin the set. I feel that that is a stupid place to put spikes (They did the same thing with spikes on Witch Doctor). When will you learn LEGO .

All the heros look nice but Stringer isnt as great as I thought he would be.

Rocka- The white is OK and the headress is a little big. Rocka's claw or what looks a bit odd.

Bulk- Fabulous. Best of this wave.

Furno- Hese quit nice and the helmet looks nice. The blades on his upper arms turn this set off but that can easily be fixed. I suppose theyre his "wings" since he is an eagle.

Stormer- He looks quite nice. I think they sort of lost his personality in 2.0 but this brings it back a little.

Nex- He looks nice, VERY noce accually. I think he is probobly one of the best heros, if not THE best hero of this wave.

Stringer- Im not sure what about him but I expected a little more from him. I still think he is a very nice set though.

The beasts, Im not to sure about them. I know that I will not get one but they still look OK. Waspix isnt as great as I expected him to be. That green spider thing appears to be the worst set of this wave, right before Witch Doctor because he is the worst Hero Factory set I have ever seen.

Edited February 22, 2011 by Bricker

[Aanchir]

Wow. Im hating Witch Doctor more and more by the moment . He looks just flat out ugly. The chest is plain and I hate that armor peice at the top of the chest armor. In fact, its not just witch doctor, in my eyes all the villians (Von-Nebula, Fire Lord, Witch Doctor)have been very poorlt built. It appears that LEGO is making big giants and is focusing more on making the villian big and double rods on the feet and such giving the appearance that the villian is big and scary but I think theyve lost it when it comes to design. Overall they just look absolutely hideous .

Rocka XL is OK but those spike in back of his/her head really turns the set off for me. I love spikes and stuff and I bet LEGO does too but this is the point where LEGO goes crazy with them and puts them on all sorts of places where they ruin the set. I feel that that is a stupid place to put spikes (They did the same thing with spikes on Witch Doctor). When will you learn LEGO .

All the heros look nice but Stringer isnt as great as I thought he would be.

Rocka- The white is OK and the headress is a little big. Rocka's claw or what looks a bit odd.

Bulk- Fabulous. Best of this wave.

Furno- Hese quit nice and the helmet looks nice. The blades on his upper arms turn this set off but that can easily be fixed. I suppose theyre his "wings" since he is an eagle.

Stormer- He looks quite nice. I think they sort of lost his personality in 2.0 but this brings it back a little.

Nex- He looks nice, VERY noce accually. I think he is probobly one of the best heros, if not THE best hero of this wave.

Stringer- Im not sure what about him but I expected a little more from him. I still think he is a very nice set though.

The beasts, Im not to sure about them. I know that I will not get one but they still look OK. Waspix isnt as great as I expected him to be. That green spider thing appears to be the worst set of this wave, right before Witch Doctor because he is the worst Hero Factory set I have ever seen.

In my opinion the spikes on Rocka XL make sense-- since he's a lion-based character, they form a sort of "mane"-- but I agree, I don't like them either. Same with Witch Doctor-- in fact, his bone-like spikes are one of his trademarks, and his "theme" wouldn't work at all if not for that. The only problem I have with Witch Doctor is that his over-reliance on Technic ruins a lot of the streamlining that I'd come to love Hero Factory sets for. Even with spikes sticking out at all angles, he could still have had a streamlined design underneath. Fire Lord might have had a poor structure and build, but he really captured the aesthetic I think Hero Factory villain sets ought to have.

Personally, I felt Stormer 2.0 had more personality than the 3.0 version. The 3.0 version feels more like a muscular brute than a stern leader in my eyes. And that feels a lot less consistent with the character established in 2010. Furno 3.0, on the other hand, manages to maintain his personality a lot better IMO. Bulk and Stringer, too.

I definitely also hate Scorpio. If the legs matched a little better, I might give him a chance. But as it is, it's hard to tell in any way besides color and part choice that the back legs are part of the same set as the middle legs, or that the middle legs are from the same set as the front legs. As far as the animal/villain characters are concerned, Raw Jaw is my favorite, followed by Waspix.

[The Crazy One]

A little rundown on my thoughts of this summer wave:

Villains: Generally not amazing in my opinion. Scorpion dude looks terrible, especially with his stub legs. Raw Jaw is good, but his tusks look awkward. Fangz just looks strange, but I like it, and Waspix is just boring. Witch Doctor is smashing, deffinately the best of this line up.

Heros: Stormer, like Aanchir said lacks character, but looks cool nonetheless. Bulk, Stringer and Rocka just make the line in my opinion, all cracking. Nex is mediocre and Furno just looks a mess, though the mask is great.

Rocka XL is cool but not on my shopping list.

[Bfahome]

I still don't understand how a set having some small easily-removable addition makes people not want to buy it. If it was missing something, sure, I get that. But it's LEGO, so you can just take off the parts you don't like.

I don't think the extras on the back look that good either. However, they are built almost entirely out of new or useful pieces, pieces that can be taken off and used without dismantling the set. So really it's more of a reason to buy the set for me. :|

[Shine]

I still don't understand how a set having some small easily-removable addition makes people not want to buy it.

I don't like paying for things I don't want.

[Omicron Squad Leader]

I don't like paying for things I don't want.

Then sell the pieces you don't want on BrickLink, you'll have the figure and a few extra penny's. :P

[Shine]

That's not the point.

If I have to sell part of something I purchase then there's something fundamentally wrong with that product.

[The Crazy One]

That's not the point.

If I have to sell part of something I purchase then there's something fundamentally wrong with that product.

I don't think there's a major problem if there's a part in a set I don't like. I'm really not getting why thats such big deal, and why would you need to sell it anyway? Keep it, you never know when you might need it. Every part has one use, however odd. ( I'll let you imagination run wild with that one ).

[CabooseBM]

Well, it'd be the same price-point with or without those spiny pieces, so it's not like you're spending more for them.

[Shine]

I don't think there's a major problem if there's a part in a set I don't like. I'm really not getting why thats such big deal, and why would you need to sell it anyway? Keep it, you never know when you might need it. Every part has one use, however odd. ( I'll let you imagination run wild with that one ).

For those that are MOCists, yes, you're correct. (Granted I own twenty Squid Launchers, and I can't recall ever using more than eight at once.) What's the person who buys the set for display or play supposed to do with something they don't like? And honestly, I'm running out of shelf space for useless crap.

Well, it'd be the same price-point with or without those spiny pieces, so it's not like you're spending more for them.

I'm not sure what spiny pieces you're talking about. I wasn't referring to any specific part or set. However, I don't see how removing unwanted elements from a set can't theoretically improve the set. Even assuming that Lego plans what each set will cost prior to their design, the consumer is still going to feel cheated by the unwanted elements occupying a space which could have been filled by more desirable ones. Edited February 24, 2011 by Shine

[CabooseBM]

I'm not sure what spiny pieces you're talking about. I wasn't referring to any specific part or set. However, I don't see how removing unwanted elements from a set can't theoretically improve the set. Even assuming that Lego plans what each set will cost prior to their design, the consumer is still going to feel cheated by the unwanted elements occupying a space which could have been filled by more desirable ones.

Well, those were the parts that seem to be the point of contest, the spikes that are sticking out and about on Rocka and Witch Doctor.

My main point of contest is your use of "cheated". We've seen these spikes for almost the entirety of knowing about these sets, this isn't some bait and switch; nor have they taken away parts from the set for it, nor has the structural integrity been messed with for all we know. "Cheated" is the wrong word entirely.

You can not like the set, you can not like parts of the set. You can outright hate it, if you must feel the need to feel so strongly of toys.

But you cannot say you were cheated, of all things.

(And that is "you" in general terms, not you specifically.)

[vexorian]

Subjective. Squid launchers were pretty useless but the things on witch doctor's back are a more subjective issue, I am not sure if I would have preferred a more empty back, this messiness reminds me to actual witch doctors that do look like having some clothe mess.

I am still not sure about how official the images are.

Edited February 24, 2011 by vexorian

[Shine]

Okay yeah, that was a terrible choice of words.

[Umbra]

Yippiyai! 2011 Viktor Faktory sets have arrived to Finland! I saw all the Bad guys and HIROUS in the shop about hour ago. I am going to get Microsoft EVO and Fire McLord, for the parts. While I don't like Viktor Faktory much and I am almost 17 years old, I am still getting those sets for parts.

* Viktor Faktory is Finnish Bionicle forum's Bio-klaani's project to create good story for HIROU Faktory. In our story, first story was set in the 80s, and this winter's and summer's storylines are set in the 21th century. Oil baron Fire McLord begins cutting the Papua New Guinea's jungles and Witch Doctor and his pals are trying to stop him and his gang. HIROUS are just USA's peacemakers who are trying to stop the conflict in the Jungle. Oh, and Doktor Viktor Von Nebula is the ruler of the Globe, because he won the Cold War, with Moon Laser, which is set in the Moon. Viktor has fortress in the Moon and he has a space train too, which name is Mr. ChooChoo.

In general, most of Finnish Bionicle fans don't like William Furno, and we are making fun of him all the time.

[Kenta]

Yippiyai! 2011 Viktor Faktory sets have arrived to Finland! I saw all the Bad guys and HIROUS in the shop about hour ago. I am going to get Microsoft EVO and Fire McLord, for the parts. While I don't like Viktor Faktory much and I am almost 17 years old, I am still getting those sets for parts.

* Viktor Faktory is Finnish Bionicle forum's Bio-klaani's project to create good story for HIROU Faktory. In our story, first story was set in the 80s, and this winter's and summer's storylines are set in the 21th century. Oil baron Fire McLord begins cutting the Papua New Guinea's jungles and Witch Doctor and his pals are trying to stop him and his gang. HIROUS are just USA's peacemakers who are trying to stop the conflict in the Jungle. Oh, and Doktor Viktor Von Nebula is the ruler of the Globe, because he won the Cold War, with Moon Laser, which is set in the Moon. Viktor has fortress in the Moon and he has a space train too, which name is Mr. ChooChoo.

In general, most of Finnish Bionicle fans don't like William Furno, and we are making fun of him all the time.

Im sorry but in Eurobricks you must be 18 so goodbye...come back when you are 18.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Kenta

[Peppermint_M]

Im sorry but in Eurobricks you must be 18 so goodbye...come back when you are 18.

I'm sorry, Eurobricks doesn't accept mini-modding. Please stop or you'll only face future problems no matter how old you are.

Umbra, keep the aged 17 thing on the downlow, stay mature in your posting manner and in a couple of months you'll be at the right age with no problems.

[Front]

HERO FACTORY set displayed at LEGO WORLD 2011 in Copenhagen.

Check out the same photostream on flickr for pictures of HERO FACTORY designers etc.

Edited February 25, 2011 by Front

[Front]

I think I saw a pussycat at LW 2011 in Copenhagen.

[Brickthing]

Lovely photos! I'm more convinced than before that Rocka is female and wearing a lioness headdress rather than a lion helmet. As lovely as it is, I can't help but notice how similar the headdress is to Nitroblast's head.

Were the sets shown at Lego World final sets? The quality of the helmets and wings look like they are.

[Jetrax99]

On topic: I love the detail on Rocka's helmet

Off topic: Any BZP members know why the forum is down?

[Darkness Falls]

Man, Furno's helmet looks damn nice. Never noticed the blatant Hero Factory symbol on the side of it. I do like how his arms have the wing motif to them, a great way to set him apart from the others.

In fact, most of the 3.0 Heroes are very individual be nature. Something I like very much about Bulk are his longer arms, which give him a stronger physicality. Stormer and Stringer use different armor pieces to enhance their physique as well. Some very thoughtful design went into these guys in order to differentiate them from one another and from the 2.0 versions. I'm interested to see how they can keep up the individuality in later waves.

[Bfahome]

Hey Front, I know you can't talk about unreleased info, but can you tell me/us if Rocka's gold is consistent with recent gold pieces, like the Stars gold extras?

[Brickthing]

Hey Front, I know you can't talk about unreleased info, but can you tell me/us if Rocka's gold is consistent with recent gold pieces, like the Stars gold extras?

The current gold used in other themes such as Ninjago and Atlantis is the same as Stars gold, so I'm fairly sure that Rocka will use the same gold.

[Aethersprite]

Anyway, Furno and Nex are really growing on me, for some reason. The only flaw I see with Furno is his lack of armour on his thighs, but otherwise he looks pretty good. The helmet is fantastic, and his wings are starting to look better. Not sure if I'll get him though, don't really like his reuse of weapons. As for Nex... Well, I can't explain it, but I'm starting to like him.

Edited February 26, 2011 by Lockon Stratos