Hero Factory 2011

[Mesonak]

But why do they keep using the Thornax and the Thornax-launchers not even for the HF but also apaired in many other Bionicle (related) sets. That's what I ment by overusage.

Thornax launchers are only in three sets this wave, all $25 plus titans. I think I can forgive that.

Better than a new, clunky projectile launcher being introduced.

I eagerly anticipate the day when projectiles are no longer included.

-Mesonak

Edited February 16, 2011 by Mesonak

[Brickthing]

But why do they keep using the Thornax and the Thornax-launchers not even for the HF but also apaired in many other Bionicle (related) sets. That's what I ment by overusage.

They're the best launchers so far - functional, compact and made of multiple pieces, so that would explain why they're still being reused. However, I wouldn't mind seeing a new Thornax launcher piece, that uses the same concept and basic design, only with a different (more HF) aesthetic.

Before the Thornax launcher stops being used though, it'd be great to have it in a few more colours.

[SpiderSpaceman]

They're the best launchers so far - functional, compact and made of multiple pieces

there is just no love for rhotuka

[Bundalings]

Rhotuka were fun, but they pretty much never went where you wanted them to go.

[Brickthing]

there is just no love for rhotuka

Multiple useful pieces then.

[Bfahome]

Thornax launchers edge out Rhotuka launchers because things shot from Thornax launchers don't have a tendency to get stuck on top of tall shelves. Or roofs. Or trees.

[Front]

Just a service update from the LEGOWORLD Copenhagen 2011 thread:

I will be "working" in the Hero Factory area saturday and sunday, together with designers from USA and UK.

The building tables will feature the 2011 elements that has not been released in the Nordic countries yet.

"Secret" sets will be on display.

Come and build a cool action figure, please

LEGOWORLD 2011 thread at EB

[Jouster]

Just a service update from the LEGOWORLD Copenhagen 2011 thread:

LEGOWORLD 2011 thread at EB

This means Limited Edition sets? And (maybe, it's possible) vehicles?

[Zarkan]

there is just no love for rhotuka

It's hard to love them when they were so blatantly obtrusive compared to other launchers. The specialized torsos that were created to incorporate them were absolutely ugly and nearly useless, and you couldn't just remove them like you could remove Zamor/Midak/Cordak/etc. Add to that the fact that you couldn't really aim them, and you have an interesting experiment that ultimately only hurt the line.

~~END~~

[Kenta]

I wonder if the new villian helmets can fit on a hero head. P.s I just saw new pics of the set, Witch doctor now is connected by an armour piece rather than a hero head.

[Brickthing]

I wonder if the new villian helmets can fit on a hero head. P.s I just saw new pics of the set, Witch doctor now is connected by an armour piece rather than a hero head.

Referring to this one? Most of the villain heads connect to armour pieces, but it requires rod-pins around twice as long (as villain cores and spikes) to attach to a Hero head.

Hopefully there will be space in the masks for building alternative heads with transparent eyes, at least for the masks that still have eye-holes.

[Aethersprite]

Does Witch Doctor have a left hand, or does the entire arm assembly end with the Thornax launcher?

[Shine]

Unfortunately, he only appears to have one.

[Aanchir]

Referring to this one? Most of the villain heads connect to armour pieces, but it requires rod-pins around twice as long (as villain cores and spikes) to attach to a Hero head.

Hopefully there will be space in the masks for building alternative heads with transparent eyes, at least for the masks that still have eye-holes.

Can we please agree to stop using the term "villain core"? The armor piece people call a "villain core" seems from all appearances to be merely a detail piece of no major significance to the villains-- especially since Stormer 3.0 has one on his right arm.

While we're on the subject of helmets, I figured I might share something I've observed. You can use a 3M bar/lightsaber beam from the collectible minifigures to attach a 2.0 Hero helmet to the head piece unobstructively. It's still visible from side view or from underneath, but that's a minor thing.

Something else I noticed recently is that you could stick two cheese wedges into the sides of a Hero Factory hand piece to create a funny face (with the fingers being "teeth" and the thumb being a "nose"). Not sure how anyone might use this, since the best attachment point would then be at the top of the head (making it awkward for humanoid figures). But I'd love to see someone come up with a use for this idea. Maybe a skull-like decoration on a castle?

[Ro87n]

Rhotuka where one of my fav's and I got them on Roodaka, Umbra and a few Visorak.

I bought a bunch of rhotuka's just in case they got lost or landed at unreachable places aswell for the codes on them.

But before this post is heading to much towards a Bionicle one I would like to say this: I think it's just (for me) that I already own too many Thornax + their launchers. So in fact they are used a few times in a row and seem overused, but are not.

For me any Hero or Villain doesn't necessary have to use any launcher, just a claw or (oversizes) weapon will do. But that's just IMO.

[Aanchir]

Just wanted to share that someone on Flickr recently uploaded several lovely new Hero Factory pics from Toy Fair. Check them out here.

[Zarkan]

Okay, out of all the box sets, Fangz and Witch Doctor are definitely the best. Waspix and Raw-Jaw are both decent, but far too small to be $13. Scorpio had potential but is a bit of a mess, and as for Rocka XL... the less said about him the better.

Overall, I think this wave is an improvement over the previous one, but I think it will take at least one more before the set designers adapt to the new building system. Heck, it took TLC three tries before TLC even came up with a single sustainable constraction figure line, with Slizers and Roboriders both failing before birthing Bionicle out of their turmoil. The only real difference is that, now, constraction figures go for about twice as much.

[Bundalings]

While we're on the subject of helmets, I figured I might share something I've observed. You can use a 3M bar/lightsaber beam from the collectible minifigures to attach a 2.0 Hero helmet to the head piece unobstructively. It's still visible from side view or from underneath, but that's a minor thing.

Small minifig tools like wrenches can also be used to attach the 2.0 helmets to the heads. They wiggle a bit, because you can only have it connect in one spot (the other is obstructed by the neck ball/socket), but it works.

[Brickthing]

Can we please agree to stop using the term "villain core"? The armor piece people call a "villain core" seems from all appearances to be merely a detail piece of no major significance to the villains-- especially since Stormer 3.0 has one on his right arm.

Something else I noticed recently is that you could stick two cheese wedges into the sides of a Hero Factory hand piece to create a funny face (with the fingers being "teeth" and the thumb being a "nose"). Not sure how anyone might use this, since the best attachment point would then be at the top of the head (making it awkward for humanoid figures). But I'd love to see someone come up with a use for this idea. Maybe a skull-like decoration on a castle?

I realize it's probably not a core, but it needs to be referred to as something more specific than "Armour detail #3. (We could call it the micro battleship piece. )

Consider your idea stolen, and a quick MOC demonstrating it upcoming.

[Aanchir]

Okay, out of all the box sets, Fangz and Witch Doctor are definitely the best. Waspix and Raw-Jaw are both decent, but far too small to be $13. Scorpio had potential but is a bit of a mess, and as for Rocka XL... the less said about him the better.

Overall, I think this wave is an improvement over the previous one, but I think it will take at least one more before the set designers adapt to the new building system. Heck, it took TLC three tries before TLC even came up with a single sustainable constraction figure line, with Slizers and Roboriders both failing before birthing Bionicle out of their turmoil. The only real difference is that, now, constraction figures go for about twice as much.

I'm probably nitpicking, but the price difference in canister series isn't really that high.

Throwbots/Slizer:

• $6
  
• 33-45 pieces (37.75 pieces average)
  
• 190-210 grams (205.33 grams average)*
  
• $.13-.18 per piece ($.16 per piece average)
  
• $.03 per gram*

Roboriders:

• $6
  
• 32-46 pieces (39.83 pieces average)
  
• 145-150 grams (147.5 grams average)*
  
• $.13-.18 per piece ($.15 per piece average)
  
• $.04 per gram*

BIONICLE (Toa Mata):

• $7
  
• 30-49 pieces (36 pieces average)
  
• 155-170 grams (158 grams average)*
  
• $.14-.23 per piece ($.19 per piece average)
  
• $.04-.05 per gram ($.04 per gram average)*

Hero Factory (Heroes 2.0):

• $8
  
• 29-31 pieces (30.33 pieces average)
  
• $.25-.27 per piece ($.26 per piece average)

*Bricklink doesn't have weights listed for Granite/, Jet/Judge, Power, Dust, or Lewa. The averages and ranges concern the other members of each series. None of the Heroes 2.0 have weights listed either, and I'll be sure to keep an eye on that in the near future-- in the meantime, note that the 2.0 heroes have almost exactly the same proportions as the Toa Mata. (21.5 modules tall, 7-10 modules wide: body thickness is the only place the Toa Mata come out above Hero Factory sets).

All in all, the prices of constraction sets haven't changed very much, considering the fuss people make over that. The price per piece of the Hero Factory heroes is considerably higher than for any of the Toa Mata or previous constraction sets, but the price isn't nearly double what it used to be. Now I can't be sure LEGO isn't working some price shenanigans with these guys, keeping the price low now to try to keep them attractive and potentially spiking the price in the future, but these certainly seem about as affordable as their earlier precursors.

[Bundalings]

Looking at those pics Aanchir posted, I can see several things I didn't notice before.

Like:

Rocka XL seems to exhibit a new bone piece on the bottom of his torso, where the legs connect. Kinda looks like that unreleased bone piece we saw in the designer videos a while back.

Fangz has, like, five of those trans orange armor pieces, not just three!

I am not diggin' Julius' new color scheme. White looked so much better with orange/green than the silver does. Blah.

I'm kind of surprised to see that the piece on Witch Doctor's torso and Nex's arm is connected by socket. I kinda thought it was another pin connection piece.

Not really a fan of Will's "wings."

Stormer's helmet looks dorky to me, for whatever reason.

I see Witch Doctor has red loose balls and red 3-long bone pieces. Interesting. I hope the balls with + through do not completely replace the black ones.

Rocka XL definitely has some sort of waist articulation. I see a red ball in his torso, and some other things that point to that conclusion.

I see now how Raw Jaw is built, and I quite like it.

[vexorian]

I just wanted to say that I think the 3.0 heroes and villains are already more of a mature product than slizers, or around the 3 first years of bionicle for that matter.

[Mesonak]

Fangz has, like, five of those trans orange armor pieces, not just three!

At least two of them (the one used to connect his head piece and the one directly behind that) have white printing on them, and I see a white outline around the other two on his spine, leading me to believe they share the same printing. Shame, really, since you can't really do much with the one that Jetbug gave you.

The one underneath the main torso looks to be clear, however.

Edited February 19, 2011 by Mesonak

[Antrozek]

anyone knows when the new series air?

or when the other comics are uploaded to the page?

[Tvoretz]

Did anyone else notice that Nex 2.0 has an orange Glatorian fist? It seems odd to display a prototype for a set that's been released for a while now, but it leaves open the possibility for further improvements in the summer sets. :D