The Outsider

Thanks, I'll be sure to check! Wait, where is this from?

Wait, so can I get a GWP with an online purchase? Because if not, then I'm screwed; there's only one LEGO Store in my country and it's all the way in the capital. Anyway, if the leaked image is indeed the final set (there's still the chance something changes between catalog images and the final product, even if it's just one piece changing color), I'm actually pleased. Masks are a bit iffy, as expected from being brick-built at this budget, but having two of the poster boys of the franchise (and representing the two "protagonist" species, to boot), and a display of iconic lore elements like the Amaja and the Mata Nui/Makuta stones? Sign me up! Only way it could be better is if it had a character from each element, or a brick-built Toa Canister for Tahu.

Honestly, what I miss most was the story integration. I'd be happy if they, for example, used a cardboard box that could be opened and folded inside-out to become a Toa Canister or a piece of scenery. Then again, though, I'd probably prefer that on a true reboot than just a GWP. Oh thank god you can get it through the site! If it were only through physical LEGO shops, I'd be screwed. Uh, neat! I'd personally like a Bricklink-esque that could let you buy either new molds of discontinued pieces or improved substitutes of defective ones (namely the lime-green sockets from the Mahri era). Maybe a system where you'd register for a piece and, once enough people made orders for the molding to be profitable, they'd charge you and send you the pieces you requested.

Wow, this looks even better than I thought! Comparing with the original figure and the cartoon-accurate Masterpiece toys, they're pretty much alike! I do wish the Matrix had a blue center instead of being all-orange, though. I think this is a single case collaboration, so it's unlikely. Especially for Grimlock; if Optimus is this big, Grim would be huge. But yeah, I'd also like to see more of this in the future. While I know they're even more unlikely because they're less well known than, say, Bumblebee or Soundwave, I'd also love sets of Amalgamous Prime, Nexus Prime and other Shifter-esque characters. I always thought that a buildable figure would be the best way to represent a character with infinite transformations, much like Queen Watevra. Or an alien jet. But the tank seems more popular, so it's far more likely.

Actually, given LEGO's own track record with their in-house themes like Ninjago and Exo-Force, any tank form is plausible provided it's futuristic/not-realistic enough. Or they could go the Movie/Prime route and give him an alien jet mode. As someone introduced to Transformers by Beast Wars, I second that. Might be a bit tricky, though - LEGO action figures tend to be better as mechanical or at least fully armored characters.

Wow, awesome!!

Technically, Bumblebee (and therefore Rise of The Beasts) being or not a part of the previous Michael Bay films is incredibly ambiguous; most fans (myself included) prefer to interpret it as a reboot both to distance from the previous films and all their problems and because the continuity between them is so irreconciliable it doesn't work as a prequel anymore; but it was produced and marketed as part of the original series, and it still is in some current tie-in media, and so far every statement refers to it as a "new storytelling universe" and "avoiding the timeline" of the Bay films, which could mean either a straight reboot or just avoiding the timeframe and themes of the previous films. Anyway, if this is true, and that a HUGE "if", as a fan of both Transformers and LEGO, particularly LEGO constraction - and no I don't care if it's System, if it's an action figure made by LEGO it's constraction in my book - I'm really excited for this. We need more of this among entertainment and toy companies, more friendly cooperation instead of constantly trying to one-up each other. Stuff like the Marvel/DC yearly crossovers after the first one between Superman and Spider-Man, or the cartoon-fest that was Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and sets like these.

The Inika were some of my favorite Toa designs and concepts post-Mata Nui era, despite (or perhaps because) being so wildly different from previous BIONICLE fare (the fact they were fully poseable without being hindered by gear mechanisms, and the first Toa team I ever completed, certainly helped). So seeing these great and wild redesigns, capturing the feel of uniqueness of first seeing this team, really warms my heart! My only critique would be giving Kongu axes; I understand your reasoning, but it feels too similar to Hewkii's, especially when they're presented one after the other. Otherwise, great job! BTW, Nuparu's "sword" was actually a Laser Drill, so you're more accurate than you thought.

Not exactly a Pokémon fan ( Idon't really like creature battles unless it's "fate-of-the-world" stakes like Digimon and Monster Rancher), but for what it's worth it looks impressive to me. And yeah, translating a stylized design to a physical form is always going to be a pain, so I wouldn't fault you for the eyes.

Wow, cool! Even though it's clearly lacking armor, it feels very complete - you could almost expect it to be used as-is!

From what I understood, the fixed piece is because these are sets for a younger demographic where stability is more important than articulation - in fact, one of the main quality tests after several complaints regarding Exo-Force is for the figures/mechs/creatures to stand on their own without needing to fiddle with them. Should the system prove successful and be adapted to older demographics, they'll probably include more articulation; the early designs even showed the fixed limb as two pieces connected by a pin.

I honestly always found the Barraki canisters harder.

So, recently it's been announced an Iron Man Figure which is pretty much an action figure built with bricks, much like the Knights' Kingdom II of old. Meanwhile, in Ninjago, one of the developers posted his work designing a new, brick-based mech and creature building system called SCCBS, clearly inspired by CCBS both in style and name (DuckBricks goes into a deep analysis of the posts here). And in the meantime, we've had very little development regarding CCBS or constraction as a whole. Do you think this means future constraction will be brick-based? Are you for or against it? For my case, I always assumed constraction was more a case of marketing and aesthetics than building system and as such would easily count Knights' Kingdom II and Exo-Force as constraction anyway (both of which I loved for the sets and particularly the story), so I wouldn't mind at all. I only hope future SCCBS sets will feature more articulation, which given it apparently depends on the intended age group it seems likely.

So, quick question: which canisters from all of LEGO's constraction history (from Throwbots/Slizers to Roboriders to BIONICLE to Hero Factory to any I'm forgetting right now) were the best and the worst in your opinion? Myself, I can't say much before the BIONICLE era, but I can definitely point what I believe was the worst from then on: the Toa Mahri canisters. Once they were open, they were practically unusabe as storage, which defeats the very purpose of a canister, and the armature/sub configuration made very little sense as a set (where was the floor?) or in-story. The best, on the other hand, it's hard to tell, but I'd probably choose the Toa Mata's original canisters. They were simple but functional, the rotating cover revealing the different Toa and iconic marketing scenes made for great advertisement, and they could easily incorporate not only one but two in-story elements: the Toa Canisters, obviously, but also the Suva with the lid - which also made an effective subtle collecting nudge to complete it with more masks and Toa heads.

This looks really cool! Great job!