Bionicle 2015 Discussion

[Agent Fusion]

I think it's a bit early for a new building system, but I agree on the need for new shells. Something less futuristic or sophisticated (for want for a better word). I'm not sure whether this has already been discussed (this thread escalated extremely quickly), but has a possible new Big Bad been discussed? I'm thinking the Dark Hunters, but not having read the books, I'm not sure of their current status.

[EdWebhead]

They're most likely going to use what's already existent in Hero Factory sets for at least the first few waves. There's the possibility of it to evolve into using its own selection of parts different from Hero Factory, but hand in hand with the CCBS. Similar to how Hero Factory's first wave utilized Bionicle parts in most of the sets.

Edited July 8, 2014 by EZNetwork

[Voxovan]

if that's what you think, then there's a high chances you're gonna be dissappointed, because it seems that actually the most possible scenario.

I'm not really gonna be dissappointed, but in my opinion it would be much better if we got new, more Bionicle-looking shells - since we haven't got even a single new armor shell since 2011 (and torso armor doesn't count :x)

I'm not sure whether this has already been discussed (this thread escalated extremely quickly), but has a possible new Big Bad been discussed? I'm thinking the Dark Hunters, but not having read the books, I'm not sure of their current status.

I heard that The Shadowed One is creating an army on Spherus Magna, but I guess they'll just bring Makuta back to life and he will be the Big Bad for the entire series. Or they will bring up a completely new villain, who knows...

Edited July 8, 2014 by Voxovan

[Infernum]

Textured shells would be cool. I expect lots of add-on pieces for the shells. I think the sets could look so great using the Hero Factory ball joint system.

[TheGreatSpirit]

I expect lots of new molds; after all, a Bionicle reboot would be a big enough deal for it!

[SpiderSpaceman]

I dunno. I guess if there's enough hype and you have actual BIONICLE fans out looking for them we might see pictures sooner, but the constraction category as a whole has always been the red-headed stepchild of the LEGO brand as far as most AFOLs are concerned. I guess we have to wait and see.

True, I've noticed that catalog leakers have skipped the whole section in the past. All the other forums lighting up with new pictures, constraction loses out. Not because the content wasn't there, just because the leakers are maliciously omitting it (joking!)

So, nobody thinks a smidgen of this could be seen at Comic Con if it's actually happening?

[Kalhiki]

I'm holding out hope for a Comic Con announcement. Not expecting it to actually happen, but it'd be nice to get a little sneak peak or teaser of some sort.

[Shakar]

IMHO, specialized armour pieces were one of Bionicle's most annoying things and would be the downfall of CCBS. I say keep it is as it is- keep the plain shells, while introducing new two-pins add-on that have a certain personality while still being versatile enough.

[Aanchir]

True, I've noticed that catalog leakers have skipped the whole section in the past. All the other forums lighting up with new pictures, constraction loses out. Not because the content wasn't there, just because the leakers are maliciously omitting it (joking!)

So, nobody thinks a smidgen of this could be seen at Comic Con if it's actually happening?

I wouldn't be surprised if it got announced at Comic-Con, especially since it's likely going to have a strong multimedia component. But then again, I don't think other story-driven themes like Ninjago or Legends of Chima had any presence at Comic-Con before their respective release dates. I think the LEGO Group sometimes likes to keep their in-house brands close to their chest until shortly before release to prevent competitors from playing follow-the-leader.

[Timeline15]

IMHO, specialized armour pieces were one of Bionicle's most annoying things and would be the downfall of CCBS. I say keep it is as it is- keep the plain shells, while introducing new two-pins add-on that have a certain personality while still being versatile enough.

I didn't find Bionicle's armour too specialised. sure, you could tell what set it came from, but it didn't look out of place anywhere, unlike, say, some of Hf's stuff which has big H's printed on it.

But yeah, new add-ons would probably serve just fine.

[DuckBricks]

I have yet to hear of LEGO directly contacting anybody; all I have seen are people taking it down so that the leaker "doesn't get in trouble" or board officials reinforcing their usual policy of "if it is actually leaked, we don't want it here".

(which is exactly what a hoax-maker would count on)

After all, we have no real solid proof that TLG actually told the posters to take it down. They could of course be making it up as a joke or some attention-getting gimmick...

Your version looks pretty spot on, I think. I guess the new Toa just need a new torso plate, some new armour, mask and weapons- to make them, well, not look like MOCs or Heroes.

Fully agreed on the height. It's funny, when the CCBS debuted I was shocked at how short the new sets looked and I often tried (keyword being "tried" ) to make them taller. But during 2012, as the CCBS developed and I grew fonder and fonder of it, I realized the compact size is more manageable and looks better. Now, when I take a look at the 2006-2009 canister sets, they're just so huge.

A height range between Stormer 2.0 (Toa Nuva size) and Breakout Rocka (Toa Metru size, IIRC) would be ideal. Not all Toa need to be the same height- and the CCBS would pull that variety off nicely.

And this is something I thought about the other day...is the return of (new) brown and (dark) tan in sets like Ogrum/Mungus and Vardy a sign of the return of Stone sets' original colour scheme? I was REALLY surprised when Ogrum was revealed, and even more so when Mungus dropped a whole lot of new brown pieces. Personally, I never liked brown and I'd rather see orange, yellow and gold (I'm ok with tan too really), but I guess many would be happy.

From what I see in the images, Tahu and Kopaka (?? or Takanuva) are quite tall...

I never saw a Visorak. And I still don't see the Piraka people are seeing.

I agree... All I see are Tahu and what I think is Kopaka...

[Aanchir]

I didn't find Bionicle's armour too specialised. sure, you could tell what set it came from, but it didn't look out of place anywhere, unlike, say, some of Hf's stuff which has big H's printed on it.

But yeah, new add-ons would probably serve just fine.

I don't know which parts you're thinking of other than the hero core, since most other parts like helmets just have shapes that could just as easily be interpreted as an oddly-shaped bolt. And yes, I'd say that a lot of BIONICLE parts WOULD look out-of-place in lots of applications. It's hard to use Kalmah's armor shells or faceplate any place you don't want that squid-skin texture (at least, not where it will still match the aesthetic of the MOC), and there were lots and lots of single-piece weapons with extremely elaborate shapes and detail that made them hard to use, such as Skrall's shield, Toa Mahri Hahli's claw, the squid launcher, or any of the Piraka weapons. Hero Factory weapons generally tend to be made of multiple smaller parts, not huge one-piece monstrosities. Of course, the weapons of the first wave of heroes (before the new building system) included several terrible exceptions.

After all, we have no real solid proof that TLG actually told the posters to take it down. They could of course be making it up as a joke or some attention-getting gimmick...

DeeVee has already confirmed that it's near-impossible for somebody to get photos taken down from Flickr using a copyright claim without proof of ownership. So are you saying Exxtrooper is in on the hoax?

[Sir Walter Maugham]

Mm... Personally, I'd be mighty disappointed if these super smooth and simple shells from HF stay. They are the main reason I disliked the theme so much.

I think the best solution would be to introduce new textured shells. But what do you guys mean by "add on"? I can't visualize it.

[Aanchir]

Mm... Personally, I'd be mighty disappointed if these super smooth and simple shells from HF stay. They are the main reason I disliked the theme so much.

I think the best solution would be to introduce new textured shells. But what do you guys mean by "add on"? I can't visualize it.

Like this or this. Things that go on top of an ordinary shell to add detail.

[Shakar]

Yeah, that is what I was talking about. The pieces that use two small pins to connect.

[VBBN]

I don't think I'd like it if they stuck to using just those. The actual shape of the armor (for example the "fins" on the sides of a standard shell) would still be there, and I think armor pieces with shells would still look too similar.

Either way they have to do something, because I think trying to mix a Kanohi with the current aesthetic is going to look very odd. Earlier in the topic some of you posted mockups of your own tahu-hero factory blend, but they did suffer from a similar issue, the Hau didn't really seem like it was meant to be there. Of course Lego could redesign the Kanohi to look more simple to match the current armor, but that seems like a silly way out.

We saw this same issue with Chima fire sets this year, their very ornamental weapons seem a little odd when compared to their smooth armor design.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

I wouldn't completely discount the idea of new shells. I mean, we still have those weird shells that are thicker than usual (not sure how to describe them, used mostly on lower legs on wave 1 Breakout.) so I wouldn't be displeased with some variety. The shells at the moment are just longer or shorter versions of each. Maybe a shell with minifig bars on the side to clip things on?

[Voxovan]

Maybe a shell with minifig bars on the side to clip things on?

^ This.

[Hunter1]

Maybe a shell with minifig bars on the side to clip things on?

Interesting idea, this would be really useful in MOCing. I think that CCBS is good and quite universal, but we definitely need more shells. Shells in "BIONICLE style".

-H.unter

[dviddy]

I don't think I'd like it if they stuck to using just those. The actual shape of the armor (for example the "fins" on the sides of a standard shell) would still be there, and I think armor pieces with shells would still look too similar.

Either way they have to do something, because I think trying to mix a Kanohi with the current aesthetic is going to look very odd. Earlier in the topic some of you posted mockups of your own tahu-hero factory blend, but they did suffer from a similar issue, the Hau didn't really seem like it was meant to be there. Of course Lego could redesign the Kanohi to look more simple to match the current armor, but that seems like a silly way out.

We saw this same issue with Chima fire sets this year, their very ornamental weapons seem a little odd when compared to their smooth armor design.

Weirdly I think your kanohi comparison with Tahu is off-base. The original six Great masks, I feel, have a smooth, clean aesthetic that works marvelously with HF shells. The over-detailed masks of later years were never as iconic or as well-designed as that first wave, and I think the simple lines and smooth textures are the reason, and I think that lends them well to the HF system.

Of course, the molds for the original masks are gone anyway, so newly designed masks will have to happen for anything and everything but the hay if we want to see the original designs.

[TheGreatSpirit]

I would assume there would be more new shells/addons, but we can't be too certain until catalog leaks emerge, which probably won't happen until August

Unless, of course, there is a Comic-Con reveal (hopefully )

[VBBN]

Weirdly I think your kanohi comparison with Tahu is off-base. The original six Great masks, I feel, have a smooth, clean aesthetic that works marvelously with HF shells. The over-detailed masks of later years were never as iconic or as well-designed as that first wave, and I think the simple lines and smooth textures are the reason, and I think that lends them well to the HF system.

Of course, the molds for the original masks are gone anyway, so newly designed masks will have to happen for anything and everything but the hay if we want to see the original designs.

True, the Mata kanohi were some of the smoothest of mask designs. I think the older Hau could look alright, but the newer Stars Hau still seems off to me. I suppose it's smaller size just looks odd in comparison to the shell design?

Or perhaps It's just a case where I struggle to see a character with a red Hau as anyone but Tahu, so seeing him in the HF styling just seems naturally off to me.

[Leewan]

Unless, of course, there is a Comic-Con reveal (hopefully )

Yes, the Comic Con would be a perfect opportunity to announce BIONICLE's comeback. Even if it's just a logo, or a promotional image, as long as it's an official confirmation from Lego. But I wouldn't count too much on it.

[bacem]

Yes, the Comic Con would be a perfect opportunity to announce BIONICLE's comeback. Even if it's just a logo, or a promotional image, as long as it's an official confirmation from Lego. But I wouldn't count too much on it.

assuming there are many bionicle fans there, the official confirmation would cause a huge uproar.

[TheGreatSpirit]

Just beat Piraka Attack, holy crap that was my favorite Bionicle flash game back in the day. After all these years, I finally got to see the ending! I was feeling really great about myself, until I found out mere moments later that I could've skipped to the rather minuscule ending by right clicking on something

Oh well, at least I have other means to prep for Bionicle's return.