Bionicle 2016 Sets Discussion

[Dorek]

Just got Agil from the UK mag (imported). He's super adorable! Not much in the playability department, but he looks awesome when attached to Ekimu, and their inclusion of a shield holder for Ekimu was brilliant too.

[Antak]

Toysrus has all bionicle on sale for 30% off this monday! http://www.toysrus.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=137674nov16&keywords=137674nov16&origkw=137674nov16&sr=1&ppg=96&camp=CME:TRU:EM112616C_TRUBRUCyberWeekStartsV1Reblast&csep=2999846c-6030-4362-990d-6f1f243da1e4&dtm_em=702d641b4b94548cdd7ca75698d1c7b4

If you don't have all the sets, good time to grab them. They also price match, My local TRU is trying to sell Ekimu for 25. I showed them a link to the set on SEARS website and got it for 15.

 

[Zorglorfian]

My neighbors are into Bionicle, and I'm getting them Ekimu and Umarak the Hunter for Xmas, (they have the first wave of 2015, btw) are there any others I should be getting before the line ends? Thanks!

[xboxtravis7992]

5 hours ago, Zorglorfian said:

My neighbors are into Bionicle, and I'm getting them Ekimu and Umarak the Hunter for Xmas, (they have the first wave of 2015, btw) are there any others I should be getting before the line ends? Thanks!

I think most of us here would suggest trying to get them all! :) 

However you chose a good gift sampler for that kid. Ekimu and Umarak are great sets, and a great pair of "Hero vs. Villain" figures. I would maybe recommend though buying a creature such as Uxar for Umarak to "hunt" and for Ekimu to "save." Still even if you just buy the two sets you mentioned sounds like the kid will have a lot of fun!

 

[TwistLaw]

Now that everything is over, now that they even took down the sets from the LEGO Shop, now that five months have passed since the announce of the discontinuation... I'm still heartbroken. I know it's just a toy, but it's a pretty damn important one to me.

BIONICLE made (and still makes) me dream like very few products of fiction ever did. Very few books, videogames and movies touched me as deep as BIONICLE did. Now that it's gone forever (do you really think any seller would ever want a product with such an awful run in its store, again?) I'm just that, bitter and a litte more lonely.

All the months spent arguing with people that defended LEGO and its terrible business decisions... were pointless. These very same people that advocated the horrible handling of G2 (the questionable villains, the non-existent marketing strategy, the embarrassing Netflix series) are now disapperared, and I can't even feel that last satisfaction of telling them that they were wrong all along.

God, I swore that I would never come back here but I did it again. With such a melodramatic post, even.

[LegoRomania]

They posted some concept art on their facebook page.

 

[Leewan]

Here's a link for the full-size picture (at least it's the biggest version I could find) : 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's Santahu !   And according to a comment I saw on Facebook, the text on Ekimu's cape says"Thank you". Ekimu's mask is strange, it looks like a blend of the Masks of Creation and Control. That with the Vahi... perhaps it's a preview of what 2017 could have been.

[MrHerofan]

18 hours ago, Leewan said:

Here's a link for the full-size picture (at least it's the biggest version I could find) : 

 

*snip*

It's Santahu !   And according to a comment I saw on Facebook, the text on Ekimu's cape says"Thank you". Ekimu's mask is strange, it looks like a blend of the Masks of Creation and Control. That with the Vahi... perhaps it's a preview of what 2017 could have been.

If there was one thing that I always loved about G2 was the art work. This looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait for the scans of the art book to come out.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Leewan
Removed quoted picture

[The Outsider]

On 22/12/2016 at 4:01 PM, TwistLaw said:

Now that everything is over, now that they even took down the sets from the LEGO Shop, now that five months have passed since the announce of the discontinuation... I'm still heartbroken. I know it's just a toy, but it's a pretty damn important one to me.

BIONICLE made (and still makes) me dream like very few products of fiction ever did. Very few books, videogames and movies touched me as deep as BIONICLE did. Now that it's gone forever (do you really think any seller would ever want a product with such an awful run in its store, again?) I'm just that, bitter and a litte more lonely.

All the months spent arguing with people that defended LEGO and its terrible business decisions... were pointless. These very same people that advocated the horrible handling of G2 (the questionable villains, the non-existent marketing strategy, the embarrassing Netflix series) are now disapperared, and I can't even feel that last satisfaction of telling them that they were wrong all along.

God, I swore that I would never come back here but I did it again. With such a melodramatic post, even.

I know how you feel. But, if it's any consolation, there's still a chance to turn around: another of my favorite storylines, Transformers, was also going through a rough patch during its Generation 2 era for reasons just as bad if not worse than BIONICLE G2 (a "new" cartoon series which was basically G1 with a CGI cube for scene transitions, a comic with unrealistic sales expectations - to the point the main villain is named after the expression "Gee, axe us!" - and full of the 90's grim'n'gritty ultra-violent aesthetics, toys that were really running out of ideas and were sometimes just G1 toys in neon colors, commercials full of CGI and bad rap); yet they managed to turn around during the Beast Era (the time, in fact, when I discovered and fell in love with the brand), to the point where it's now a significant part of popular culture.

Maybe that's what BIONICLE (and non-licensed constraction as a whole) need to truly succeed: to take the time to develop a world and characters we can love, and to try something new while keeping just the most importantcore roots, instead of haphazardly trying to please both nostalgic fans and potential new buyers with something so generic that it ends up satisfying neither.

And, of course, better marketing. As in, any marketing at all.

On 22/12/2016 at 11:13 PM, Leewan said:

Here's a link for the full-size picture (at least it's the biggest version I could find) :

*snip*

It's Santahu !   And according to a comment I saw on Facebook, the text on Ekimu's cape says"Thank you". Ekimu's mask is strange, it looks like a blend of the Masks of Creation and Control. That with the Vahi... perhaps it's a preview of what 2017 could have been.

I think it's just the art style and a neat Easter Egg. Still, I would like to know what they were planning for next year.

On 23/12/2016 at 2:43 AM, MrHerofan said:

If there was one thing that I always loved about G2 was the art work. This looks absolutely amazing and I can't wait for the scans of the art book to come out.

Me neither! Kinda wish the webisodes were like this, though...

[MakutaDreadscythe]

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!

[Bbrink1996]

Speaking of concept art, is that art book still coming?

[LegoRomania]

I saw on facebook that Lego is going to reveal a new theme,what do you think guys?

It could be a constraction theme? Or system?

Edited December 24, 2016 by LegoRomania

[Aanchir]

3 hours ago, MakutaDreadscythe said:

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'm not sure what it would mean to translate that style to sets. The sets we got were already pretty intricate builds in their own right, and imitating Matt Betteker's concept art style kind of feels like it would make the individual pieces less versatile.

Unless you just mean that you wish the sets had included more scenery instead of just figures. That could've been cool, I guess, even though it might've driven up the prices.

1 hour ago, LegoRomania said:

I saw on facebook that Lego is going to reveal a new theme,what do you think guys?

It could be a constraction theme? Or system?

The Facebook post says new "play experience", so there's no telling what it could be. It could just as easily be a new website or app as a new set or theme. Regardless, I don't think it really pertains to the 2016 Bionicle sets, so better to discuss that in its own topic.

[Lyichir]

3 hours ago, Bbrink1996 said:

Speaking of concept art, is that art book still coming?

BZPower just posted a picture of a box containing it earlier! Hoping I get a chance to get my hands on one of these!

 

[Kalhiki]

I will jump at every opportunity to get that art book.

 

[LegoRomania]

Someone started posting concept art and the only thing that I can say is:F@#k you Lego! I hate this company.Now I will wait to be banned.

[Lyichir]

30 minutes ago, LegoRomania said:

Someone started posting concept art and the only thing that I can say is:F@#k you Lego! I hate this company.Now I will wait to be banned.

What are you even upset about, specifically? If it's the availability of the concept art, BZPower has the full artbook available  to download in PDF form for free. But if you dislike the contents of the art, there's not much I can do for you—I think it's gorgeous. And if you do like it... well, in that case I don't see the point of insulting the company that produced it.

[LegoRomania]

30 minutes ago, Lyichir said:

What are you even upset about, specifically? If it's the availability of the concept art, BZPower has the full artbook available  to download in PDF form for free. But if you dislike the contents of the art, there's not much I can do for you—I think it's gorgeous. And if you do like it... well, in that case I don't see the point of insulting the company that produced it.

It's because this is wasted potential,Lego could've use those concepts and make a good story but no,they give us bad story and bad sets.I'm disappointed.This is Lego's fault,they didn't care enough about this reboot.

[Aanchir]

2 hours ago, LegoRomania said:

It's because this is wasted potential,Lego could've use those concepts and make a good story but no,they give us bad story and bad sets.I'm disappointed.This is Lego's fault,they didn't care enough about this reboot.

Reality check: the existence of this concept art is PROOF of how deeply they cared about the reboot. Every one of these drawings was a step towards making the sets and animations the best they could be. And this is just a fraction of the concepts that they went through while developing the reboot. Many other mask designs, animation styles, character designs, story directions, etc. would have been tested before arriving on what seemed like the best choices.

That doesn't mean that nothing could have turned out better, because LEGO is neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Sometimes what they think would be best turns out not to be. Other times what they think would be best just isn't practical for one reason or another and they have to try a different approach. But that has nothing to do with a lack of care or effort. It's just the reality of being a creator in a world that doesn't bend perfectly to your whims.

[Onepu the Protector]

On 28.12.2016 at 5:20 PM, LegoRomania said:

Now I will wait to be banned.

You're not the only one waiting, then.

I'm sorry for being so salty but this kind of entitled attitude just gets on my nerves. Sometimes potentially cool ideas have to get thrown away during development. It happens all the time to all kind of media and, as an adult (I suppose, considering EB is an AFOL-oriented website), you should be able to deal with it with at least some dignity.

Sure, I might've been thorougly dissappointed by how G2 turned out but I'm sick of the narrative that portrays Lego either as some sort of Evil Mega Corp. that doesn't care about their fans, or a bunch of hacks who, according to the critics, apparently screw things up out of spite just to get people mad.

Yeah, I know.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

On 24/12/2016 at 7:16 PM, Aanchir said:

I'm not sure what it would mean to translate that style to sets. The sets we got were already pretty intricate builds in their own right, and imitating Matt Betteker's concept art style kind of feels like it would make the individual pieces less versatile.

Unless you just mean that you wish the sets had included more scenery instead of just figures. That could've been cool, I guess, even though it might've driven up the prices.

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.

[Scarilian]

On 28/12/2016 at 8:20 PM, Aanchir said:

Reality check: the existence of this concept art is PROOF of how deeply they cared about the reboot.

Good concept art is NOT PROOF of how much they cared.

I understand why you linked the two, however you can have a concept artist get hired, have them pour their soul into doing the thing they were hired for, only for someone higher up to ignore that simply because they are not invested.  Great art doesnt automatically mean the company was invested in the product.

Some of the concept art for the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot for example was amazing, yet the studio rushed that out to maintain the rights and it was clear they didnt care as long as the movie was made in time to maintain rights.

Its not reality to go about stating that just because we saw some good artwork that Lego as a whole actually cared deeply about the product. Yes, they probably cared about Bionicle - but you cant judge that solely based on how good you feel concept art is.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Scarilian

[Shakar]

I feel I should give my two cents on the book as well. Overall I enjoyed it a lot, especially the Villains section. I'm not going to get worked up about some really great ideas not seeing the light of the day because there's nothing I can do about that. But I found all those concepts really inspiring as they've helped me get out of a creative rut and give me a newfound desire to MOC, and maybe even to give my own version of Bionicle G2.

[Silent Nomad]

I was looking at the new sets recently and I found the part used for the back of Ekimu's hammer in transparent orange in a Nexo Knights set.  Lego really needs to find an excuse to make that part in transparent purple so those of us who built a mask maker Makuta can have the right color hammer head.  I came up with a pretty good, in my opinion, way to have both spikes on the back of his hammer, but I don't have a stud shooter as the head, which I don't see as a problem, because that version of Ekimu's hammer was supposed to be a rebuild anyway.

[ZORK64]

I might have recently bought my last G2 Bionicle set, as there was a sale in my LEGO store, so I had the chance to pick up Quake Beast. It's a decent set with nice parts.