Bionicle 2015 Discussion

[Aanchir]

I was cleaning my room and found some Bionicle pens from 2001/2002. Makes me sad Bionicle probably won't get this kind of promotional treatment this time around...

I'm not sure what you mean. The LEGO Group did pens with a LOT of their themes back then. It was just one example of the way they were wildly branching out from their core business during that time period. Looking at Brickset, it seems like the last year for the buildable LEGO pens was 2011. But that doesn't mean that the LEGO Group doesn't promote current products to the same extent — they just do it in different ways, with help from licensing partners.

And don't assume we won't see promotional pushes for BIONICLE just because there wasn't a lot for Hero Factory in its later years. BIONICLE will be a new theme for all intents and purposes, so it will get a big promotional push just as Hero Factory did when it was new. We've already seen that there are 13 sets in the debut wave, which is a lot compared to what Hero Factory ever had out in a single wave other than its launch wave. So there will probably be a bigger promotional push to match.

Edited August 8, 2014 by Aanchir

[Kalhiki]

And don't assume we won't see promotional pushes for BIONICLE just because there wasn't a lot for Hero Factory in its later years. BIONICLE will be a new theme for all intents and purposes, so it will get a big promotional push just as Hero Factory did when it was new. We've already seen that there are 13 sets in the debut wave, which is a lot compared to what Hero Factory ever had out in a single wave other than its launch wave. So there will probably be a bigger promotional push to match.

"Other than its launch wave". Bionicle could still have smaller waves like HF did after its initial launch.

I don't know, it just feels like Constraction isn't as big and important compared to regular System-based Lego themes. It's just kinda there. For some reason I don't feel Lego will promote Bionicle as much as, say, Ninjago upon its launch. If I remember correctly, Bionicle had a lot of promotional material throughout its run; not just its launch (it's obviously been a while, so I could be wrong), and I just don't see it happening this time around. Not to that magnitude anyway.

I'd love to be proven wrong, though. Guess time will tell.

[TheGreatSpirit]

I wonder if there are going to be any other constraction themes running alongside Bionicle in 2015. Probably not, but some variety would be nice.

[Shakar]

HF seems like was given the axe.. Our last hope is LoC but given what happened in US they might not even bother making another wave.. Which is a real shame.

[Aanchir]

If there is another constraction theme, it'll probably be a part of an existing System theme. I can't imagine TLG launching not one but TWO new independent constraction themes in one year, especially with how many BIONICLE sets we've already seen for just the first wave!

It'd be great if Hero Factory continued, but that's starting to seem unlikely.

[Voxovan]

It'd be great if Hero Factory continued, but that's starting to seem unlikely.

It's not like somebody will cry because of that...

[Shakar]

I won't cry, but after years of the mainly fantasy BIONICLE HF gave us fantastic sci-fi sets and elements and broke the 6 sets/colours/elements scheme I was honestly sick of (and, frankly, I'm not that hot about its return). Sure the story was never stellar, and basically nonexistent after 2012.. but even during BIONICLE I followed my own storylines so that never bothered me anyway. I'm sad to see HF go.

[Agent Fusion]

I'm still fairly confident about Hero Factory becoming more System based, while Bionicle takes over constraction.

[TwistLaw]

I don't think LEGO will continue at all HF in 2015, and I personally find it had a great run in its four years, at least in the sense that four years are A LOT when a toy line is concerned.

Ninjago was supposed to end after its first years, so was BIONICLE. Hero Factory was designed for the long run, but I'm still deeply surprised to see how long it survived given its average fame.

I'll explain this in a very simple way: https://www.google.it/trends/explore#q=hero%20factory%2C%20bionicle&cmpt=q

This link shows the internet interest for BIONICLE as opposed to Hero Factory.

HF had its peak in 2012, both as a line (imho ) both as far as internet searches are concerned.

This peak corresponded to the internet interest towards BIONICLE in february 2010, three months after the announcement the line was going to be discontiuned.

Simply put, HF has never been really popular, selling "what it had to sell", according to many LEGO employers.

In conclusion, very few people will miss Hero Factory, and personally I'm astonished to see that it lived for FOUR years.

(on a side note, I've never seen as much discussion about HF as I saw it with BIONICLE, and the whole "those were different years" doesn't mean anything, see Ninjago)

[GK733]

If there are going to be more constraction sets my only bet is on Ninjago. I really don't believe HF will continue as a system based line as it could in the worst case cannibalize other themes and stuff. I wonder if there will be any closure to the Hero Factory though, propably not.

[King of Nynrah]

I wouldn't be surprised if HF had a "Make up your own ending!" ending, considering that's what they always do at the end of each wave anyway.

Also, the same thing happened with Slizers...

Edited August 8, 2014 by King of Nynrah

[Aanchir]

I wouldn't be surprised if HF had a "Make up your own ending!" ending, considering that's what they always do at the end of each wave anyway.

Also, the same thing happened with Slizers...

And, appallingly, with Exo-Force.

Frankly, though, Hero Factory doesn't really have an overarching storyline that needs to be concluded. Other than the global conspiracy storyline in the books, any real loose ends the theme has were abandoned as soon as they were established. It's not like the Exo-Force or BIONICLE storylines where there were ongoing storylines that were continually progressing until the theme came to an end.

[Lord-Vorahk]

If HF goes, I'd consider this a disappointing final year, at least story-wise. Sure, giant monsters are epic, but as the final villains? Nope. There's a reason why the Kaiju in Pacific Rim were bioweapons made by another sapient species, really.

I can kinda see that, as of 2015, the Chima constraction sets will be discontinued entirely, HF will end, and Ninjago and Bionicle will be the main two in the story-driven area.

[Loki]

And, appallingly, with Exo-Force.

Frankly, though, Hero Factory doesn't really have an overarching storyline that needs to be concluded. Other than the global conspiracy storyline in the books, any real loose ends the theme has were abandoned as soon as they were established. It's not like the Exo-Force or BIONICLE storylines where there were ongoing storylines that were continually progressing until the theme came to an end.

To be honest, I don't hold too many issues with this type of approach. It makes writing fanfiction feel a little more rewarding and fun, promotes imaginative headcanons and for fan based input that sort of fits with Lego's emphasis on creativity and imagination. It's why I still feel rather heartbroken over a lot of little details that came to light through the canon of Bionicle, most of which come in the form of canonizing a bunch of minute details that really didn't need canonizing in the first place. But, an ending is a bit more important to a story than "This obscure mask does this, period" or "Makuta's name is Teridax" or "these are the official colors of this element which is now canon" and so on, however; since it's a Lego line I feel like it would make sense for the company to have some more open endedness in some stories (like Hero Factory where there wasn't really too much of an overarching theme and plot).

Maybe less in stories where there is a clearly defined goal and theme and overall plot that connects and ties everything together, but having pieces of that story open to interpretation would be fun.

[Mandate]

And, appallingly, with Exo-Force.

Frankly, though, Hero Factory doesn't really have an overarching storyline that needs to be concluded. Other than the global conspiracy storyline in the books, any real loose ends the theme has were abandoned as soon as they were established. It's not like the Exo-Force or BIONICLE storylines where there were ongoing storylines that were continually progressing until the theme came to an end.

Well, we know that Greg Farshtey was going to be doing at least three more books, but then the line was cancelled and the books scrapped. But I agree with you, the fact that there was no comic #40 is horrible.

[Dorek]

And, appallingly, with Exo-Force.

Frankly, though, Hero Factory doesn't really have an overarching storyline that needs to be concluded. Other than the global conspiracy storyline in the books, any real loose ends the theme has were abandoned as soon as they were established. It's not like the Exo-Force or BIONICLE storylines where there were ongoing storylines that were continually progressing until the theme came to an end.

The 2012 (and to an extent, 2013) ending(s) gave the presumption of follow-up, but I think they realized that it was overly serious, so the IFB ending was much more campy and not needing in continuation.

I'd like to see HF next year too, but maybe we'll see it take a break for a new constraction line, or just one wave a year or something.

[Earth Diver]

The first wave of sets are pretty nice looking, glad to see a big color palette among the new sets. I hope this reboot tries to do new things similar to the first couple years of Bionicle. Remember the Bohrok? They didn't bear any resemblance to any creature of the real world, yes, they looked insectoid in appearance, but their unique look gave them a special feeling. I am getting tired of spider and humanoid builds, I don't hate them, but the world in which the story of Bionicle takes place has a lot of potential to offer. Hopefully they keep using colorful schemes for the sets and avoid using dull colors such as grey, black, silver and gunmetal.

[SoupOrFishOil]

I don't think LEGO will continue at all HF in 2015, and I personally find it had a great run in its four years, at least in the sense that four years are A LOT when a toy line is concerned.

Ninjago was supposed to end after its first years, so was BIONICLE. Hero Factory was designed for the long run, but I'm still deeply surprised to see how long it survived given its average fame.

I'll explain this in a very simple way: https://www.google.i...bionicle&cmpt=q

This link shows the internet interest for BIONICLE as opposed to Hero Factory.

HF had its peak in 2012, both as a line (imho ) both as far as internet searches are concerned.

This peak corresponded to the internet interest towards BIONICLE in february 2010, three months after the announcement the line was going to be discontiuned.

Simply put, HF has never been really popular, selling "what it had to sell", according to many LEGO employers.

In conclusion, very few people will miss Hero Factory, and personally I'm astonished to see that it lived for FOUR years.

(on a side note, I've never seen as much discussion about HF as I saw it with BIONICLE, and the whole "those were different years" doesn't mean anything, see Ninjago)

I didn't know you could do that with Google. Yeah, HF does pale in comparison to BIONICLE, Ninjago, and Chima's search rankings, but I decided to compare it to a few "normal" themes too (Atlantis, Galaxy Squad, Dino, Monster Fighters, and Alien Conquest) and the only one which ever reached HF's numbers was Atlantis, and even then it was only briefly (I guess because they had that special?), so I would say that Hero Factory had done a pretty good job.

[Bfahome]

Yeah, the Google thing has been brought up before (on BZP I think) as an example of why BIONICLE was better than Hero Factory, and I believe the general consensus was that Hero Factory simply has less media presence that would translate into Google searches.

Search numbers aren't sale numbers, after all.

[TwistLaw]

Yeah, the Google thing has been brought up before (on BZP I think) as an example of why BIONICLE was better than Hero Factory, and I believe the general consensus was that Hero Factory simply has less media presence that would translate into Google searches.

Search numbers aren't sale numbers, after all.

I completely agree with your last sentence, but not at all as long as you mention media presence.

Especially in its first years HF had a media precence easily comparable to the one BIONICLE had since year 1 until 2010: books, comics, website, minigames, guys dressed as characters at comics convention.

Yet it wasn't enough to create a concrete interest in the franchise (and while search numbers =/= sales, they mean a lot, trust me).

Edited August 9, 2014 by TwistLaw

[Bfahome]

BIONICLE had way more than that in its first years, though (years plural, not just at launch). There were van tours, full video games (both released and not), big sweepstakes, movies, and many other things with a larger presence in addition to comics, books, web games, etc. The fact that the search results are only recorded back to 2005 (BIONICLE's fifth year, after two movies, several PC/console games, and many other consistent media releases) leaves us unable to compare how one started to the other.

Also, Ninjago absolutely dominates both for search queries, no doubt in part because it has a popular show on a major kids' network; the kind of thing that may cause someone to turn to Google for more information rather than simply walk up to it on a shelf and buy it.

[Transparency for Effect]

I'm not sure what you mean. The LEGO Group did pens with a LOT of their themes back then. It was just one example of the way they were wildly branching out from their core business during that time period. Looking at Brickset, it seems like the last year for the buildable LEGO pens was 2011. But that doesn't mean that the LEGO Group doesn't promote current products to the same extent — they just do it in different ways, with help from licensing partners.

And don't assume we won't see promotional pushes for BIONICLE just because there wasn't a lot for Hero Factory in its later years. BIONICLE will be a new theme for all intents and purposes, so it will get a big promotional push just as Hero Factory did when it was new. We've already seen that there are 13 sets in the debut wave, which is a lot compared to what Hero Factory ever had out in a single wave other than its launch wave. So there will probably be a bigger promotional push to match.

The best part about those pens...

[Agent Fusion]

Now, if you excuse me, I need to find some of those pens.

[TwistLaw]

BIONICLE had way more than that in its first years, though (years plural, not just at launch). There were van tours, full video games (both released and not), big sweepstakes, movies, and many other things with a larger presence in addition to comics, books, web games, etc. The fact that the search results are only recorded back to 2005 (BIONICLE's fifth year, after two movies, several PC/console games, and many other consistent media releases) leaves us unable to compare how one started to the other.

Also, Ninjago absolutely dominates both for search queries, no doubt in part because it has a popular show on a major kids' network; the kind of thing that may cause someone to turn to Google for more information rather than simply walk up to it on a shelf and buy it.

But Hero Factory also had its own TV show if I recall correctly, on Cartoon Network, something BIONICLE has onle dreamt of during its run.

Also the search results begin in january 2004, that corresponds at january 2014 for Hero Factory (and note that BIONICLE was launched in decemeber 2000 while HF in summer 2010).

And while I also noted the domination on Ninjago, this leaves afurther question unanswered: why didn't HF receive so much attention?

Average sales throughout its run. At least, that's my bet.

[Mandate]

Because the HF show was decent, at the very best. NINJAGO's later episodes were brilliant, and even some of the earlier-ish episodes (that is, the "True Potential" plot and The Great Devourer episodes). Not to mention the fact that NINJAGO was, well, ninja. And it came with a spinner gimmick and collectible cards. In comparison, Chima's Speedorz were a lackluster (yet more in tune with plot and sets) with a card system that barely worked. Hero Factory hasn't even had a "collector gimmick" in any of its sets, unless you count the Brains and the whole "catch 'em and cuff 'em" thing.

Even BIONICLE itself had the Masks in the first few years, and later on it became disks, etc... NINJAGO secured its place as top dog, and the possible resurrector of BIONICLE because it combined a whole bunch of things kids loved without an insanely complicated story (BIONICLE) or a downright kiddish one (Hero Factory, although the first 5 NINJAGO episodes were a bit kiddish)

In fact, NINJAGO was rebooted before BIONICLE (as we all know), and it's entirely possible that it's because of NINJAGO's success as LEGO's first and only rebooted franchise (no, Space Police 3 does NOT count) that BIONICLE was even considered to be brought back. That's why NINJAGO's the top dog right now, it has:

1) things kids love, eg Ninjas, spinners, collectible card game

2) no convoluted storyline, yet still has depth to it

3) pop-culture demanded its return, it's LEGO's first line to be brought back from the dead due to fan request