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For people who were asking for pictures of the first three I reviewed with their respective protector goodies. The fire pictures aren't cooperating with me, but at this point It will be a while before I can get to retaking the photos due to weather/time issues

Protector of Stone review is live. Next Up (I know I said I'd do LoSS in my first batch but BZP already did him so I wanted to get a few out that you haven't seen yet, plus his review is really annoying me right now because I can't get him into any decent poses so it's an extremely boring set of final set images.. but he will be in the next batch!)

Set name: Protector of Stone Set number: 70779 Pieces: 67 Price: $9.99, € Release date: 2015 Packaging and Contents Box Front Like all of the Bionicle sets in the first wave, the protectors come in smaller versions of the hexagonal shaped packaging. The image on the packaging showcases the Protector giving that skull scorpion a very bad day, and a nice desert village scene in the background. Do note that this is the European version of the packaging, so there is no parts count, and instead of a massive choking hazard logo, well look at the back... Box Back ...Where you will find the choking hazard warning in almost every language you can think of. Unhappy onion is also back here. Oh, and you can also see some of the sets features, like a firing gatling gun, launching masks, face-hugging skull scorpion, and power-up mode. huh, I guess that does sound more exciting. Instructions Instructions are the usual fare, nothing fascinating to report here. New/Interesting Parts Gatling Gun One of the more interesting parts that has made it's way into the Protectors is this new gatling gun. Unlike the Toa who feature gearboxes, these lovely little weapons offer a very awesome new choice of "bionicle launcher" that we have come to expect. The gun is made up of two parts, a dark gray barrel, and a yellow firing pin. Once put together, they do not come apart, at least not without a lot of needless work. The connection is very comparable to the Mata heads with eyestalks. As for the firing power of this new collectible, if anyone is familiar with the minifigure blasters first introduced in Star Wars this year (also seen in wave two of Hero Factory 2014), the force behind the stud is quite similar. Recolored Bits For those wondering if there are parts worth obtaining, oh there are. You get some of the 4 length shells in dark orange, a bone piece in trans neon green, a flame piece in trans neon green mixed with clear, and the smaller kaiju foot in silver. New Pieces The new head piece, new eyestalk in trans light blue, piston add-on in silver, and new spider leg which is a modified version of a hero factory claw. Standard fare, every set in the wave except for Lord of Skull Spiders and Protector of Earth will come with this same slew of pieces, though colors of course will vary. Masks Each Protector comes with two masks. First is the Protector mask itself, which is the same for all six Protectors, but each set has it in a different primary color, mixed with a different trans plastic. In this case, we get it in dark orange mixed with trans neon green. This is a very striking color scheme, one that I wasn't a fan of in original photos, but I must say it looks extremely cool in hand. I'm not sure how much I'll MOC in this color scheme which could reduce the usefulness of the mask, something I fear about all multicolored parts, but anyway. We also get the skull spider mask in dark blue, and does it ever look beautiful. Building process Action Frame The Protectors don't have very complicated builds, and are all built in relatively the same fashion with the exception of Fire and Earth. You can see the layout of the bones here, which use identical bone structures for the arms and legs, similar to Protector of Jungle. Armoring Similar to his Toa counterpart, Protector of Stone has a silver arm on one side. Unlike Pohatu, this arm does use trans neon green. Weapon Each Protector has a different way of mounting the gatling gun. In this case, it is built onto the end of a staff, and uses those really striking flame pieces. Turning the handle will fire the studs, one at a time. Finished Set Skull Scorpion While I don't give three cares if the skull spiders are accurate to real spiders or not, this one is definitely not a spider, given the desert theme we have a Skull Scorpion. The dark blue is an awesome color for the mask, and the new leg piece doesn't look half bad as a stinger. Front He uses an asymmetrical build for his arms, using spiked armor on one side and a sort of paladin shield on his silver arm. I don't know why the Stone sets are starting with this silver arm trend, but I'm interested to see where it goes. Profile The chests do stick out quite a bit on some of the Protectors, but I don't mind it so much. Back I guess somewhere along his build, something ended up using the budget for this guy, because he didn't get any back armor even though it would have been incredibly easy to give it to him in the exact same fashion as Water, Jungle, or Ice. Pose 1 I like his weapon, it's menacing, a good build, and a great way to implement the gatling gun into the end of it. And as you can already tell, I really like those electric/flame pieces in trans neon green and clear. The only thing I find slightly odd is the dark brown handle. I don't believe it exists in dark orange yet, but it is in silver and black, both of which would have made more sense here. Pose 2 Something else I like is how well he poses with it. The lack of armor on his lower arms gives them a great deal of articulation to hold onto the weapon in a bunch of difficult to achieve positions. Pose 3 The color scheme is really a love/hate thing. Some will love it, some will hate it, and boy do I love it. Some people have tried to give reason to why the trans neon green is there- I don't care much for why, but I want to see more of it. Skull Mask The Skull mask can of course also connect to his fact. Even the dark blue goes surprisingly well with the color scheme. Conclusion Overall, the Protector of Stone is one of my favorites from the Protectors. I'm really liking the color scheme although many are going to hate it, and the recolors you can get from the set are quite nice. His weapon is one of the best looking, and he poses quite well with it. If I had to give complaints, the lack of back armor is a bit disappointing, but again you have to wonder what part of the set that we got would be cut otherwise to give him that missing element.

Oh man, that is a crazy creative use of the action figure fist on the roof

There is a little bit of a bump but not much (I just added a video into that post so you can see they move pretty freely) And as you can see I did indeed use the 3length with a stud on the end, it doesn't look too bad

I tried doing them one more space apart on each side (similar to leewan's rendering) but honestly it was one of the worst looking things I've ever seen. My goal here was to show that the function is possible, without dramatically altering the overall look of the sets proportions. Making the legs wider is easier, this is to show the narrowest you can go. With that said, yeah those ball joints are strange.

Alright so since the question has been asked 1000 times, yes, it is feasible to give Pohatu geared legs without him looking completely wacko. I hooked both of his legs up to a gear, Nuva style. His arms I made static, and in this configuration that is preferred. If you wanted to also gear his arms, well, you're going to have a lot of problems (Another gear coming out of his back, and then you have to flip the gearbox and then his arms are way too far back.) This arrangement of course also uses a gearbox to give him properly scaled shoulder width. Edit: Here's a quick video to show how it looks

If you missed it, we just did round 2 of the Livestream. You can view it , I once again joined BZP to talk about the rest of the sets, powerup modes, and the wave as a whole. Aanchir also joined us (and Lyichir as his loyal servant...) Thanks! She really is a fun set to pose and just pull off a lot of poses naturally. I will say, putting her up in her mermaid-fin pose wasn't the easiest..

I've asked the rest of the contest hosts and we don't have an answer for that, I would recommend asking in the appropriate place in the LDD forum that was previously linked. I will PM you.

Yes I have taken photos of the three larger Toa powered up as well, once the respective protector reviews for them go up I will post those photos in each of the three older review threads.

Something else to consider, all of the protector masks have a different trans colored plastic on them- Fire protector already claimed trans yellow, and given that he already has trans yellow on his flame piece, giving stone the trans neon green was the most logical thing to do.

My Gali review is now live! Here's what's next...

Set name: Gali: Master of Water Set number: 70786 Pieces: 87 Price: $14.99, € Release date: 2015 Gali, the mediator and meditator. She was also the first female Toa we received in set form. I've always gravitated towards female figures, and look forward to seeing how this new Gali has turned out. Ever since roodaka, people have really begun to get more persistent in wanting female figures to actually look feminine, while still realistically being a biomechanical being. Did lego succeed? Let's find out. Packaging and Contents Box Front The front of the box displays Gali in her underwater environment, fending off a Skull Spider from stealing her gold mask. We also have the Mask of Creation at the top next to the very familiar Bionicle logo. Note that this is the European packaging, so some information like piece count and choking warnings are not on the box. Box Back The back of the box shows off some of the sets many features. Launching masks, moving arms, and of course an alternate weapon arrangement. Instructions The instructions offer the same image as the front of the box. New/Interesting parts Head, Eyestalk, Spider leg, and Add-on. You're going to see this picture a lot over the next 10 reviews, as quite a few sets offer this same slew of new pieces. You get the new eyestalk in a trans neon yellow/green, the new head in silver, the new spider leg which is a modified version of a Hero Factory claw, and the new piston add-on in silver. Gearbox The new gearbox piece is once again included with her, as it is with all six of the Toa. It's very basic in it's design, but is going to offer a lot of versatility in MOCing. Chest, Weapons, Armor You also get a new weapon piece that is used in both Gali and Lewa. In this set you get it in silver. You also get a pearl dark gray chest piece with some lovely printing (this was the 10th attempt at this photo, you'll see the chest armor much clearer in the finalized build images.) as well as the 5-length armor shell in dark azur, a new color to constraction. Masks As with the other Toa, you get three masks in the set. You receive the new Kaukau in dark azur and gold, as well as a silver version of the skull spider mask. many people weren't a fan of the new Kaukau at first, but after having it in hand, I dare say it is my favorite of all six, and quite possibly my favorite mask of the wave. Building Process Torso(1) Her gearbox utilizes a design that only has one side with a geared function. Torso(2) She is also the only Toa to utilize not two, but four of the 8-tooth gears to increase friction in her gearing mechanics. Action Frame I didn't mention it in the interesting parts section, but if you missed out on the 2014 Chima CHI sets not released in North America, you have another chance at some trans light blue bones here. Armoring Her armoring begins to give her some shape. I must say, using the brain attack torso here is a fantastic idea. As you'll come to see, it really goes a long way to giving her a feminine shape. Finished Build Gali's finished build looks incredible in my opinion. The armor is perfectly shaped, color distribution is spot on, and the mask looks fantastic. I'm not sure what the random spikes on her legs are for...aquadynamics? Profile When I first perused through the instructions, I didn't think i'd like the shoulder construction. It's basically Tahu's, but with a different armor arrangement. It's actually not bad, and really adds to her look I feel. Back As with all of the Toa, the back does leave something to be desired, but there's only so much you can do with this gearbox. I do wish the 3-length shell was in the new dark azur though. Weapon Gali's weapon this time around is a massive sea-spear. As you'll see, there is quite a lot of awesome dual uses for this weapon. Finished Set Skull Spider Like all of the sets this year, save for Lord of Skull Spiders, Gali comes with a skull spider. The water and ice sets include a silver one. While not as neat of a color as the spring yellowish green or dark blue, it's still a nice looking mask overall. Pose 1 One configuration you have is this. She can hold part of her weapon as a spear, whilst the blades of the staff become flippers for her feet, very similar to her Nuva incarnation. Pose 2 One feature that is not shown on any of the promotional artwork, is that you can actually peg the two halves together to create one solid fin, very similar to a mermaid of sorts. Once again, this really fits in with Gali's feminine design, let alone her underwater theme. Giant Spear/Staff/Axe/BFG Of course, if she isn't swimming with the fish, all of the components can be combined into this massive weapon. I will say this, the gearbox...well, it holds her arm up okay, but this thing really does not swing very well. Master of Sexiness? Oh, she poses very well. The shaping of her armor combined with the right pose can undoubtedly give her a feminine vibe without going overboard. Gold Mask The gold masks don't look nearly as good on the three smaller toa as they do on the larger ones due to the lack of gold armor, but gali pulls it off best among the three of them. It sort of goes with the keetorange components, and the small gold spear tip on her weapon. Skull Mask Gali can of course also become possessed by the skull mask. The silver color works very well with her overall color scheme, and it doesn't look half bad on there. Master and Protector Naturally, Gali is made to look great next to the Protector of her respective element. But if you want something more... Power-up Mode You can pop on the gold mask, as well as some goodies from the Protector. Of all of the power-up modes, this is my favorite. It gives Gali the underwater turbines, and while most other Toa just wield the Protector's weapons, she takes the weapon and turns it into an even larger version of itself. The spear...looks very odd attached back there, but most of these modes are somewhat questionable. Conclusion Buy Gali. And then buy her again. In fact, just skip the rest of the wave and buy 13 Gali's. She's fantastic. Her colorscheme is consistent, bright, and looks great. Her weapons are versatile, her look is feminine, and her build could hardly be any better. Do I really need to say more? I think the photos of the finished set will really give you an idea of just how awesome she is. After having build all of the sets, she is my favorite finished model- and has the best adrenaline mode to boot. Buy her.

The golden mask is definitely very cool (as if you couldn't tell I like it, well) a bit annoying that it didn't comewith some legs, but I plan to customize the legs of my spiders a bit to get some variety. BZPs review hit the nail spot on, its pretty much what I plan to say in my review. His overall look isn't that bad in hand, but all things considered, it's still pretty terrible. Personally what I feel doesn't help, is that large spiders are really boring enemies. They just don't pose off well against large bipedal toa, this seems more like a fight for the protectors than anything.

So I did my first round of photoshooting today, here's a sneak preview using my favorite set of course By the way, no, Protector of Stone does not have back armor. But he has those DELICIOUS trans neon yellow/green flame pieces.

First I should probably make it clear that LoSS's function is built using a rubber band- you can't keep his legs in a "closed" position. Second, on each side of the spider, each set of three legs is on one axle that rotates down. There is no focus on the front legs- I had assumed the function was that the front legs could pick up a mask, but that is not possible. Let me put it this way, imagine you set him on your arm, with his face looking down the length of the arm. When you squeeze the trigger, all of his legs would wrap around your arm. As for weight, he is actually pretty heavy, and actually a bit front heavy.

You're welcome for the preview pics everyone, that's what I've got the sets for. And from BZP's frontpage- Once again I'll be with some of the BZP staff who also have the sets, so if you can't wait for reviews, be sure to check out the stream!

Fun to build, and I guess the playability of the set is nice (all six legs go downward do he can grab onto something below him) But as a set it's very meh. It's not as bad looking as I thought it would be, but it has virtually no poseability, all you get is the six ball jointed legs, and even they it's a battle to keep him balanced, if you want to raise one leg you've got to position all of the rest to make sure he doesn't fall down. He is my least favorite set of the wave, but I don't know if it's a fair comparison because he is almost in a completely different league. He's much more similar to the 2001 Rahi than anything we've seen recently.

Silver, just the crap quality of the photo makes it darker. LoSS was seen crawling around my studio last night... Well you aren't wrong.

I imagine that too. (I'm using my phone camera for these random pics btw, don't complain about the graininess I know they look terrible :P ) Also, officially my favorite set of the wave I never realized that her feet could connect together to make a mermaid fin As for when reviews will begin, I have planned a selection of characters to be reviewed by Sunday night- Gali, Protector of Stone, and LoSS. The rest will come after that of course, but that's the immediate plans

You can try either Mechabricks http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=101343&hl=render or exporting to LDraw, importing to Blender using LDraw to script, then rendering https://sites.google.com/site/impiaaa/blenderldrawimporter

That was a friendly reminder, but I think we need to have a chat. A curious question indeed Oh by the way on the subject of reviews, All of mine are going to be done on a black backdrop this time around- It's way easier for editing and will be more forgiving with all of the trans colors on these sets.

And I say no. Discuss Bionicle 2015, any posts in this thread need to contribute to the thread please.

Until you bring us financial proof that the Glatorian were a failure, you may want to retract that statement Complex stories are great, but not for a 10-year long toyline. How is a 7 year old supposed to suddenly learn 10 years worth of comics, movies, books, serials, etc? Lego cannot try to cater a line to people who are getting older. Only a small percentage of people who grew up with Bionicle in the day still are going to remain serious fans to this day. Complex stories quickly alienate the news fans from the old, and from a marketing and financial standpoint, focusing the sales of sets on a younger group of buyers is the smartest and most logical decision. A complex story does not lend well to that.

I'll give you one guess :D That is a fake.