Hero Factory 2011

[Lord-Koji]

From generic rescue/combat to the same, but with fire based themes? What's next, police (assuming the Tomica Hero Police Warrior rumor holds true)?

[Wrinkledlion X]

The orange guy looks like he's wearing a disgruntled Miru.

[vexorian]

The villains are fire based but the heroes are not fire fighters (ie: you are not seeing hoses in all of the heroes...) the theme is still about generic hero stuff but the first wave of 2011 will be against this fire lord guy and his three right hands...

[Lord-Koji]

They're stopping fires, though, that would endanger many. Now, if they use fire to fight fire...

Anyway, Fire Lord and three right hands?

Literally, a fire lord (Don Kaen, Kaen meaning fire, if I recall, Don being what you'd think it would be in a mafia style) and his three commanders/right hands.

[squidman85]

Fire lord's mask looks definetly like Stringer's.

[Bfahome]

Fire lord's mask looks definetly like Stringer's.

Only because of the four-eyed effect, I think.

[80 Dollar]

Is that purple I see on EVO? :)

Awesome new pictures, thanks for sharing them.

[SpiderSpaceman]

I like the torso and limbs on all of them.

yeah i've been converted. I want them all.

[CommanderR]

Fire lord's mask looks definetly like Stringer's.

I agree. And Drilldozer looks somewhat like Bulk.

EDIT: I will probably be getting Evo 2.0 and maybe Nex 2.0 and Surge 2.0.

Also I saw around the top left corner there are names like:

MARK SURGE

SNIPER

and:

BILL DOZER

HEAVY ARTILLERY

and so on...

Edited September 29, 2010 by CommanderR

[CabooseBM]

That's certainly a unique way to connect the armor, cool.

I know I'm going to try to use that Hero Maker thing to try and make Bulk and Stringer to complete the team.

[Toa Lahka]

I'm not sure what to say about these sets...but I'm extremely saddened by them.

[Zarkan]

*Looks at Fire Lord picture* ...and ladies and gentlemen, we have a new contender for worst titan set ever! Haha, really, that looks like some "MOC" a 10 year old submitted into the Lego Club Magazine - those legs are hideous, as is the color coordination and the "weapons." I though Von Nebula was weak, his work-for hire henchmen Xplode even weaker, but this might just top them all in terms of sheer ugliness!

Oh, and the heroes still look awful to me too. All those ultra-specialized molds, horrible goggle-helmets, and shared weapons just ruin the concept. Plus, why exactly are Nex and Evo "2.0" if we never got versions of them in the first wave? I say they should have just kept Bulk and Stringer and say their armor changed colors - hey, it's not like Bionicle never used that explanation before.

Seriously, I can't see how anyone could like these abominations - they literally look like they were ripped out of a Megabloks Neo Shifters catalog page. Even the other three villians dont' have nearly as much thought put into them as 2010's bad guys, and the lack of distinct color schemes keeps them from having unique personaly. Overall, despite my dislike of Hero Factory's first wave, I thought they did do enough right that 2011's sets would be able to perfect the formula. Instead, we've gone ten steps backwards into "knock-off" teritory, and as someone who doesn't even call Megabloks or other lego clones that term often, that can't be a good sign.

[ultra hamster]

Yeah the villain armor looks megablocky, but remember these are prototypes.

The heroes on the other hand (which are probably much closer to what they will look like), while they do have a Neo machines shape to them, seem to include a much more intuitive build and the parts have this strong bold look that is only found in Lego.

I don't really like the eye pieces though, but I'm sure you can remove them.

Edited September 29, 2010 by ultra hamster

[VBBN]

Dual head masks on villains

[SpiderSpaceman]

*Looks at Fire Lord picture* ...and ladies and gentlemen, we have a new contender for worst titan set ever! Haha, really, that looks like some "MOC" a 10 year old submitted into the Lego Club Magazine - those legs are hideous, as is the color coordination and the "weapons." I though Von Nebula was weak, his work-for hire henchmen Xplode even weaker, but this might just top them all in terms of sheer ugliness!

Oh, and the heroes still look awful to me too. All those ultra-specialized molds, horrible goggle-helmets, and shared weapons just ruin the concept.

Ultra-Specialized? The way I see it, the pieces are more versatile than many, many we've had recently. as for the shared... yeah. it'd be nice to have more parts. I think it's a tradeoff: they decided to reinvent the core parts of the system, and had less of a budget for individuality. I'm happy getting that for one wave though. It's a total refresh. and the parts are definitely compatible with bionicle, technic.. heck, all other lego with a bit of adapting.

And that's what i like about fire lord too. New parts

Edited September 30, 2010 by SpiderSpaceman

[vexorian]

The heroes maybe, but there is no way the villains in those pics were finished :)

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Oh, and the heroes still look awful to me too. All those ultra-specialized molds, horrible goggle-helmets, and shared weapons just ruin the concept.

New molds are as specialized or less specialized than what we had in 2010. "Shared" weapons (or rather actually getting to build the weapon) is a great change from bionicle, in my opinion.

With 30 pieces each, regardless of the impulse tag, there is no way they are anything close like neo shitfers :)

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Plus, why exactly are Nex and Evo "2.0"

2.0 is the hero core version :)

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I say they should have just kept Bulk and Stringer and say their armor changed colors - hey, it's not like Bionicle never used that explanation before

It could be that in storyline something happens to Bulk and Stringer. Or maybe Bulk and Stringer will come in a limited edition set.

I'll give it to you that the villains look very bad, but they are all preliminary pics so I am holding some hopes. Remember 2010 how terrible Rotor seemed.

[The Crazy One]

Though this also applies to me, I think we are judging far to early. I think until the Toy Fair pics come out we don't know how these look in real life so I think we should just accept the Perkins, and if you don't like them, hope the finished models are better.

[Bfahome]

And that's what i like about fire lord too. New parts

Eh, I'm iffy on his new parts. The socket-on-one-end-ball-on-the-other- limb idea is great for short limbs, but I don't like how the really long ones look.

[squidman85]

I agree. And Drilldozer looks somewhat like Bulk.

And you look at them(villiand,except Jetbug),they have red Hero cores.And their arms look like Stringer's and Bulk's.I think all of them(except Jetbug) were "Heros".

Those villians remind me magma monsters from Power Miners.

Edited September 30, 2010 by MantaMan

[Aanchir]

And you look at them(villiand,except Jetbug),they have red Hero cores.And their arms look like Stringer's and Bulk's.I think all of them(except Jetbug) were "Heros".

Those villians remind me magma monsters from Power Miners.

I see no hero cores on any of them. Do you have a link to a picture where you can see them?

[squidman85]

Oh.I made a mistake.It's not a hero core.But it looks a bit like Hero Core:

Snip

Edited October 1, 2010 by 3D Brickthing

[The Crazy One]

Your not allowed to post confidential pictures. He asked for a link for a reason.

Another thing, if they were heros, I highly doubt they would be Bulk and Stringer. Drill Dozer is obviously a turn coat, but he isn't Bulk, and the Fire Lord is not Stringer, otherwise he'd probable still be sonic.

[Darkness Falls]

I'm impressed with the new limbs. Seeing the multiple ways the armor can connect to the limbs means they must be very simplistic- they are probably he most customizable and useful pieces that have come out of this line so far- maybe even out of the last few years of Bionicle as well. I would like to see a "naked" Hero body without all the armor, I'm sure it looks very interesting.

[Front]

.............simplistic- they are probably he most customizable and useful pieces that have come out of this line so far- maybe even out of the last few years of Bionicle as well.

If you by the last few years of Bionicle mean the last ten years, then I agree

[Aanchir]

If you by the last few years of Bionicle mean the last ten years, then I agree

You're so modest, Front. I'm glad we have a person like you as a set designer.

In all seriousness, though, I agree to an extent. Hero Factory parts are being designed with a sort of simplicity and versatility that was absent from BIONICLE. And while the details like molded pistons and accordion joints in BIONICLE sets were something I always admired, from a practical standpoint Hero Factory is becoming considerably closer to traditional LEGO in its smooth, refined aesthetic and versatile designs.