MakutaDreadscythe

I'm personally more of a fan of the technic approach with an emphasis on functionality. Granted System intergration would be more open, but I like sets that "do cool stuff". 2001 Rahi were the pinnacle of this idea IMO, though more refined. I personally hold functions in higher esteem than looks because that's how LEGO works and plays best; it's got it's own unique style. Once it tries too hard to be accurate (Star Wars) it loses it's charm and starts competing with more screen accurate figures/toys.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if some sets were cancelled or given limited release considering the current state of constraction. We still have heard nothing of a new constraction IP with the sets generally shelf-warming wherever I go. I may be theorizing but part of my stance on why they sell poorly compared to regular LEGO is the pricing. After licensing costs, part production and whatnot we usually get sets that cost on average $30/£ (price over in the UK is outright extortionate) where an original counterpart would be sold at half the price. Looking at forum posts I tend to see a lot of "Wait for a price drop" regardless of the figure's quality. For me personally and especially when there is no LEGO charm or functionality it starts to compete with more accurate figures a la Black Series etc, where it is the same price (if not cheaper) to get a more accurate scalable figure.

Now that the artbook's out I can sorta explain. More shell variety and part detail could have really worked wonders if they had the budget for it. Some concepts I liked were those 2 piece shin armours with elemental flame add-ons. The base piece is somewhat detailed but in a cool way like the Wave 1 masks, while the flame doesn't have the colour issues of dual molding like the elemental crystal add-ons. The bark shells were also cool to look at. A comparison in utility would be to compare Vastus' silly snake shoulders to the bark shell which, while definitely meant to represent wood, can still be added to many characters or even utilised in system if designed well. I'm not saying we should return to the garish detail hell of G1's later years but I feel some more immediate explicitly defined details would help differentiate it from HF or the Star Wars sets to the average consumer.

It's a real shame that the level of detail and artistry in the concept art wasn't translated into the depth of the sets or the story. It looks really interesting and cool!

I still think my idea of the normal masks being a blend of their normal colour and the transparent colour would work best. Might diminish the value of the gold masks but they were diminished anyway due to their poor use in the story IMO.

Complete side-note, Makuta contest results delayed again, again. Wonder what's goin on behind the scenes.

In any case it really serves as a bit of a disconnect in terms of who cares about what. It's clear the designers put a lot of passion into the sets and worked with what they had, giving us some interesting sets and a glorious return to functionality, even if it did sacrifice aesthetics in some places (Skull Scorpio). Marketing and general management of the theme however did not seem to share the same level of passion. A lot of what the theme boiled down to was "too little too late" in regards aesthetic changes in the uniters, basic story elements revealed after nearly a year, etc. Again I have to repeat that the DVD is absurdly made, and completely contradicts the goodwill demonstrated by the Makuta contest, used to give a final hurrah to the series. It literally looks like it was made in 15 minutes and insults the intelligence of the fanbase. It uses different parts of Bionicle stock, like assets from the Phantoka background to entire characters from the Glatorian era, as if to say they couldn't find anything else. I'm aware this is long and sounds bitter but as is constantly reiterated the timing of these incidents is awful, especially considering G2's cancellation. Even the most forgiving of fans is bound to get cheesed off at some point.

Is it bad that I feel legitimately insulted because of this? I mean I know Bionicle's on the backburner for a while but in the name of all that is Mata Nui what is that? I'm not sure if it's a testament to the legacy of G1 or an analogy for the sheer lack of source material from G2. Or just laziness.

Very nice use of parts on the jaw. I like the added bulk, though the bohrok eyes seem a bit OU on the lower legs IMO. If I could improve anything it would be the torso. Maybe it's just personal preference but maybe slim the waist a little bit? He sorta looks like a nuclear samosa with that shape. Just my opinion though, nice job regardless!

Yeah that ending still gets me. Main issue I have is that the characters change personalities constantly (whatever little personality they have). It's a problem they've had since Hero Factory. Don't know if it's a problem with other themes, but I feel it makes it hard to get attached to the characters when it's never solid or set. Lewa, Tahu and Kopaka changed completely for instance.

Maybe he makes socks? Would explain why Makuta isn't too hot on mask making.

They look like swiss cheese. Really bad mouldy swiss cheese.

In retrospect I do find the lack of green short-eyestalks perplexing. The beasts all use green eyes, as does Ekimu, all of which have hindered head articulation to a degree, and some of the toa lose their individuality with them all having blue eyes. This is made more perplexing when you realise the only other colour was used once in Umarak the Hunter and NOT in Umarak the Destroyer. A green eyestalk would have been used more often, potentially anyhow.

This is kinda the point I was getting at. I'll be happy if Nexo Knights does get some constraction sets because constraction is a concept that I still love to this day.Thing is from a business standpoint it makes zero sense to carry on with constraction. Ever since the later years of G1 sales have been declining and missing targets. It's now incredibly difficult for LEGO to market to retailers a line of figures that shelf-warms to the degree of Transformers Energon. Yes, I know this is cynical, but what do you expect after having the plug pulled on so many attempts to revitalise constraction? In the words of JANGBRiCKS, I've been stung too many times. I have no doubt that they'll continue to utilise CCBS in SYSTEM sets, but it just doesn't sound profitable to keep making constraction IPs for the sake of a small passionate community who makes up a tiny percentage of the total profits.

Personally expected Ninjago to get the constraction spotlight seeing as it's the hottest thing since beanie babies but Nexo Knights will be a pleasant surprise. Hopefully some more medieval themed pieces.