Bionicle 2016 Sets Discussion

[bacem]

I'm not moderator, so what i said probably won't matter, but isn't these "unreleased parts in a contest" convo kinda derails from the topic this post was created for?

[Leewan]

I'm not moderator

Indeed, which is why you should use the report button instead, to alert the mods if somebody is rude / insulting / OT / doesn't follow the rules.

However, you are right, this is not the place to discuss the results of a contest that took place months and months ago. The very same controversy appeared when the results were announced, and there is no need to have this debate again, and certainly not on this topic which is about the Bionicle 2016 sets.

Now, we only know there will be a Bionicle-themed contest on Rebrick this year (and I don't think we'll have to wait too long, according to Dorek's interview it will come after the Technic contest which has been launched a couple weeks ago). We don't even know what they will ask to build, and we don't know the rules. Maybe they will take the comments about the winning entry in account and forbid to use parts that are not available in sets. Maybe they will forbid huge demon-like MOCs. When we'll know that, then we will be able to disscuss the relevance of specific MOCs and parts. You can speculate about the prize, or the theme if you want, but please don't bring back an old controversy, this will not change the results of the BftGM contest, and this has nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

[GK733]

Indeed, which is why you should use the report button instead, to alert the mods if somebody is rude / insulting / OT / doesn't follow the rules.

However, you are right, this is not the place to discuss the results of a contest that took place months and months ago. The very same controversy appeared when the results were announced, and there is no need to have this debate again, and certainly not on this topic which is about the Bionicle 2016 sets.

Now, we only know there will be a Bionicle-themed contest on Rebrick this year (and I don't think we'll have to wait too long, according to Dorek's interview it will come after the Technic contest which has been launched a couple weeks ago). We don't even know what they will ask to build, and we don't know the rules. Maybe they will take the comments about the winning entry in account and forbid to use parts that are not available in sets. Maybe they will forbid huge demon-like MOCs. When we'll know that, then we will be able to disscuss the relevance of specific MOCs and parts. You can speculate about the prize, or the theme if you want, but please don't bring back an old controversy, this will not change the results of the BftGM contest, and this has nothing to do with the topic of this thread.

Indeed, what's done is done and I don't hope that is changed, just that the people's concerns are taken into account. Because last time it felt the rules were made up as the contest went, it wasn't originally stated if you were allowed to use these type of special parts. And even if they end up allowing the use of these type of pieces I'd prefer those rules to be set in stone from the beginning, not that everyone has to ask what is okay and what is not.

But I do agree with you on the fact that we don't practically know anything of the contest itself, do we even know for sure it is a building contest? Not every contest on Rebrick is.

[avatarbrickman]

Yeah, the Ninjago one on there now is a stop motion contest.

[bacem]

Indeed, which is why you should use the report button instead, to alert the mods if somebody is rude / insulting / OT / doesn't follow the rules.

Sorry about that. I forgot there's report button, since they don't appear on my phone (and on my defense, the comments that joined the convo is quite a number, to press report button on each one by one)

[VBBN]

One report alerts staff to the topic at hand, as you report you have the ability to add comments to your report to discuss what you are reporting and why.

With that said, any further discussion of the interviews or things released/discussed in interviews or relating to the contest news should be relocated to a different topic. Eurobricks will also be releasing information from interviews in due time.

[MakutaDreadscythe]

For sake of generating conversation and having given the Uniters time to settle, modify, etc I can give more complete thoughts on the group as a whole, as well as what-ifs for the line.

Firstly the Uniters feel more refined compared to the Masters in the sense that the ball joints are no longer exposed or an issue, and generally assume a sleeker appearance, for better or worse.

The masks are a mixed bag. By lower halves alone, as well as scale, I'd say the Uniter masks are superior in shape and style, and the Nuva symbols are a nice touch. The silver crystal section however is mixed, looking better on some characters than others, particularly the smaller toa. Perhaps if the crystals/spikes were fewer but more defined, but with the current moulds the easiest solution would be to replace the silver with their respective elemental colour, for example Tahu/Trans-Orange, Gali/Trans-Dark Blue, Onua/Trans-Purple, etc. This would slightly diminish the value of the gold masks, but I feel it would be a sacrifice worth making.

The weapons are a bit disappointing, mostly due to the reuse of the crystal blade piece on all of them sans-Onua. The weapons on the Masters were much more defined and helped give them a better silhouette. They sorta blend together, however I will commend the utility of the piece, used as swords, tonfas, spears, glaives, wings, etc. Pohatu's weapon IMO is somewhat underrated, using a system boulder as a flail, which goes hand-in-hand with the waist function.

The chestpiece is a big point of contention, which has me somewhat torn. The main issue for me isn't the detail, but the fact that it is only one piece, so you miss out on the colour distribution like on Lewa and Tahu Masters. It would have been really cool to have new colours for the superhero chestplates (Dark Azure and Bright Green comes to mind). At the very least it would allow for more options.

I can't go on without discussing the waist function. On the one hand it gives the toa waist articulation and allows for more shoulder/weapon options that couldn't be achieved with a regular gearbox (staffs and flails). On the other hand QA is an issue as the piece sometimes sqeaks and screeches obnoxiously, putting you off any sort of play, or being completely fine. It all depends on your luck and whether or not you get a good quality piece.

Overall I like the direction they've taken with the Uniters. They certainly aren't perfect and the Masters definitely have advantages over them, but there's a lot of potential here and I'm eager to see how they improve or change the system as time goes on.

[PicnicBasketSam]

Well, the only Uniter I have is Tahu, and I don't really like him that much... he seems more generic, and certainly a lot less streamlined, than last year's model. I wonder what he'll look like next year... hopefully a much better design. I do wish I had some of the Creatures, but no stores around me ever seem to have them in stock.

[JekPorkchops]

Just built Lewa Uniter and Uxar today. I guess I'm a little late at the party as well, since they are my first. I absolutely love them. I slightly prefer this year's aesthetic to 2015's and the torso armor looks kinda good to me (I must seem strange, but I kinda like Skull Scorpio so oh well).

My swivel waist piece has great friction and it doesn't squek so I got lucky. I love Lewa's build and how streamlined ge looks. The weapons are underrated but the shoulder articulation is definitely a problem. I was however blown away by the uniting function and the way Uxar flaps his wings. It just looks so nice. Can't wait to build the rest.

[Takanuinuva]

Got Quake Beast and Umarak the Destroyer today. Didn't bother building them as the instructions said but instead applied the mods I've been working on in LDD. Destroyer looks a lot better.

I tried so many different ideas to improve Quake Beast's function but without using the sideways gearbox. After attempts that either had no friction or were to fragile. I ended up using a very simple method that keeps the general looks Quake Beast had but removes the sideways gearbox.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Takanuinuva

[ToaDraco]

The only G2 set I have left to get is Storm Beast. So far, the Beasts, UtD and Ekimu all are great in person, pics don't do them credit. Even Quake Beast's crystal arm isn't so bad as long as you display him like in the box art with all of the crystal parts touching each other covering up any gaps. I still wish the Beasts had a jaw snapping feature instead of a mask pop-off feature that doesn't even make sense for the Beasts as I'm pretty sure those are their face even if the LEGO Shop descriptions call them masks. They look horribly awkward without masks and I have my doubts that these mutant monstrosities are supposed to have crystalline humanoid skulls as their actual faces. I felt the same way about the Skull villains.

[JekPorkchops]

So I built Uniter Gali and Akida today. They're amazing as well. I'm really impressed with 2016's winter wave. Too bad the summer wave doesn't look that promising, as it has big shoes to fill.

Gali has an amazing color scheme and her look is really great too (I love that shoulder pad). I'm not that bothered by the short lower legs because it looks alright in many poses though it starts to look weird once she bends her knees too much. I liked her build a lot and the very subtle asymmetry inside her torso went together very cleverly. The weapon is pretty good.

Akida was a pain to put together. I'm a perfectionist so lining up all of those long technic axles and bushings wasn't amusing. I like the end result and the stand is very nice. The uniting is all right. Akida's tail can't really bend straight down because Gali's butt gear is in the way.

The reason why I think the 2016 torso is pretty good is not only because I think the look is all right, but it's also because of its practicality. It fits really snugly against the torso build (though part of that is also because said builds are more filled up with technic than in previous years). I hated the fact that the standard CCBS torso connection is just one ball/socket pair. I understand why they did it (so it's more customizable because you can put these pieces on the arms and the legs as well) but it makes the torso all wobbly. It's very difficult to grab a standard CCBS figure at the torso and during play the armor pops off easily. That is not the case with the 2016 sets.

Edited June 29, 2016 by JekPorkchops

[TwistLaw]

One thing I love about 2016 are traps. They're so cute :3

LEGO did an amazing job in portraying their looks and their function. Traps are ambiguous, they can be both something that harms both something that protects and 2016 sets showed it off pretty well. And in general traps have a unique charm, thanks to their appearance that hides a crucial mechanism (as opposed to the Beasts' jaws, that can't even close...).

In short I can say without hesitation that I love traps.

[MrHerofan]

Well earlier today I purchased Ekimu 2016 and Onua 2016.

Funny story with Ekimu, my local TRU had Ekimu marked for $20 dollars, thankfully I made the lady know that that was not the actual price and she put it to retail for me.

I have to say that Ekimu 2016 is so beautiful. All the translucent blue on him combined with light makes him look so beautiful. Sure the build was pretty simple (his torso build reminded me of Kinna from 2009) but it works for him. I really can't get over how nice he looks, especially next to his protector form and some of the other toa. Makes me wish that Makuta next year has some translucent red on him. Maybe not as much as this Ekimu, but enough that the same "ghost" or "godly" appearance comes from him.

Onua is alright. I don't like him as much as I thought I would but he's still a pretty good set. I feel that his right arm should also have a ball jointed elbow. His master model to me felt more complete, and solid. This one feels a bit more loose, and open. Overall though he is a pretty good addition to my toa team.

Now I've still got to complete my 2016 collection and then I'll have all of G2.

[Bigger Fish]

I bought Storm Beast today. I absolutely love his color scheme and function. I might actually man an mod in which you use its head to manipulate its legs, that sounds like an interesting experiment. Also, what's Storm Beast's element supposed to be again? Ice, water, lightning, or all three?

[Dorek]

I bought Storm Beast today. I absolutely love his color scheme and function. I might actually man an mod in which you use its head to manipulate its legs, that sounds like an interesting experiment. Also, what's Storm Beast's element supposed to be again? Ice, water, lightning, or all three?

I don't think the mask necessarily corresponds to his element, so not ice - they just wanted to match him to the last large Toa. Water, I guess? I don't think it's really as relevant.

One thing I love about 2016 are traps. They're so cute :3

LEGO did an amazing job in portraying their looks and their function. Traps are ambiguous, they can be both something that harms both something that protects and 2016 sets showed it off pretty well. And in general traps have a unique charm, thanks to their appearance that hides a crucial mechanism (as opposed to the Beasts' jaws, that can't even close...).

In short I can say without hesitation that I love traps.

Oh, no question, the Shadow Traps are the best part of the year. They're adorable, simple, brilliant, and functional.

[Logan McOwen]

One thing I love about 2016 are traps. They're so cute :3

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I'm sorry I couldn't help myself

[DraikNova]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I'm sorry I couldn't help myself

I...don't get it. What's the joke?

Also, I'm honestly wondering what 2016 Onua would look like if I used the two kinds of tr. purple spikes they've released to armor him up. I may have to LDD this...

[Lyichir]

I bought Storm Beast today. I absolutely love his color scheme and function. I might actually man an mod in which you use its head to manipulate its legs, that sounds like an interesting experiment. Also, what's Storm Beast's element supposed to be again? Ice, water, lightning, or all three?

My guess would be Ice. While he lacks the primary color of typical Ice sets (White), he does have the secondary transparent color used for them in G2 (Trans. Light Blue), along with Earth Blue, which may have been a common color for Water characters in G1 but has only been used on one Toa set in G2—Kopaka. The Trans. Fluor. Green accents are a unifying feature on all the Beasts, so I doubt they give any insight into his element.

That said, the name Storm Beast suggests that lightning powers wouldn't be too much of a stretch of the imagination, and they wouldn't even have to be a primary element—lightning and thunder are not unheard of in winter storms.

[Kalhiki]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I'm sorry I couldn't help myself

I'm right there with ya, buddy. I'm right there with ya...

Anywho, Storm Beast doesn't need to be grouped into a single element. His element is Storm. And all that entails. He will soak you with rain, freeze you, and then strike you with lightning.

[Bigger Fish]

I'm right there with ya, buddy. I'm right there with ya...

Anywho, Storm Beast doesn't need to be grouped into a single element. His element is Storm. And all that entails. He will soak you with rain, freeze you, and then strike you with lightning.

Makes sense, and his shop description does mention him using lightning attacks heavily.

[TwistLaw]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

I'm sorry I couldn't help myself

You never disappoint me, Lowan.

I-I mean, as far as constraction figures are concerned.

By the way traps would make awesome hats, funny nobody put that in practice already.

[JekPorkchops]

I'd like to see someone using those useless lower beast jaw pieces as some kind of shoulder pad, just like UtH uses the shadow traps.

[Logan McOwen]

I'd like to see someone using those useless lower beast jaw pieces as some kind of shoulder pad, just like UtH uses the shadow traps.

It's such a basic piece that I don't see it as even remotely classifiable as useless. I for one can't wait to start experimenting with it.

[ToaDraco]

I'd like to see someone using those useless lower beast jaw pieces as some kind of shoulder pad, just like UtH uses the shadow traps.

I could also see them being used back to back for scales on the back of a dragon.