Hero Factory 2012

[Aethersprite]

Just a short question:

Did I somewhere read something about a new body piece?

Not sure about body piece, but they use the same body armour as the Superheroes.

And for the record, these are not labelled as 4.0s.

[Openmind]

I think this new wave looks phenomenal! Love the round armor and improved launchers. I was surprised to see the 1.0 helmets return.

I don’t think anyone’s pointed out yet that Evo is lacking a unique weapon. Everyone has something in addition to the basic launcher and cuffs, except for him. It seems unfair.

[Aethersprite]

I don’t think anyone’s pointed out yet that Evo is lacking a unique weapon. Everyone has something in addition to the basic launcher and cuffs, except for him. It seems unfair.[/size]

To be fair, IMO, Evo has the most complete design of them all. His armour flows very well, the rest seem a bit messy.

[Cap'n Kopaka]

So I haven't noticed anyone mention this yet, but is anybody else loving the Heroes' chest details, like Furno's flames and Surge's lightning bolts? I think it's a sweet touch to the torso design, setting them all apart from each other a little bit.

Also, just wishful thinking but if the next wave is the four remaining heroes plus a new one, I'm hoping for any shade of purple. Because that would be sweet.

[Tanma]

To be fair, IMO, Evo has the most complete design of them all. His armour flows very well, the rest seem a bit messy.

Agreed, I have nothing against his shape at all. Personally I find his lack of extra weapons cool. He not only is short, but has only a gun arm for protection, yet he is fighting a villain all by himself. Maybe he doesn't have extra weapons because he doesn't need them.

Yeah I also noticed the chest designs, but what is Evo's supposed to be? Or Breez's for that matter?

[ZORK64]

Not sure about body piece, but they use the same body armour as the Superheroes.

Ah, then I misread it. I have mixed feeling about this. On one side, it's nice to get more new pieces, on the other side, I'd prefer the 2011-body armour for the Heroes. It looks more robotic than the Superheroes armour.

[Bfahome]

I think Evo's "extra weapon" is his bug bulk of armor on his launcher arm. Looks useful for punching. Surge doesn't have nearly as much armor, instead having his little electric thing.

Yeah I also noticed the chest designs, but what is Evo's supposed to be? Or Breez's for that matter?

Breez's looks like the hexagon pattern of her shield (and Rocka's) and Evo's looks like stone or something.

[Zeon]

Hmm.. Did anyone notice this at b&n?

Overlorde - 6203 (1/1/2012)

Pre-Order Now Format BN.com

Other Format $17.95

It's on Black Phantom's number

[Omicron Squad Leader]

Hmm.. Did anyone notice this at b&n?

Overlorde - 6203 (1/1/2012)

Pre-Order Now Format BN.com

Other Format $17.95

It's on Black Phantom's number

So Black Phantom's name has been changed, or 'Overlorde' was an early-stage prototype title. I hope for the latter.

[Tanma]

I think Evo's "extra weapon" is his bug bulk of armor on his launcher arm. Looks useful for punching. Surge doesn't have nearly as much armor, instead having his little electric thing.

Breez's looks like the hexagon pattern of her shield (and Rocka's) and Evo's looks like stone or something.

Really, I saw his design as six feathers, making a pair of wings. But since he is built like a heavy hitter(his promotional 2.0 nickname was Steamroller), stone makes much more sense.

For some reason Evo reminds me of Edward from Fullmetal Alchemist. Maybe it's the yellow armor or the gunmetal arm, or the fact that Evois now "short", but something about it makes me think of the older Elric brother.

[Jouster]

Overlorde, eh? Sounds like a boring name to me. The set is pretty bad anyway, so It doesn't really matter.

[Vinyl Scratch]

Overlorde.

I dig that name.

Could it be a Special Edition set :3?

Or maybe Black Phantom was scrapped and built again from scratch.

[Zeon]

Or maybe Black Phantom was scrapped and built again from scratch.

It can't get any worse than the preliminary :)

[Vinyl Scratch]

It can't get any worse than the preliminary :)

Oh trust me it can.

But I have my hopes with LEGO.

Plus we always hate the sets when leaked pictures surface :P

Sans this time, the mayority likes these sets.

[Aanchir]

Agreed, if they have gotten rid of the purple, the least they could do is let him stay yellow. I will not accept another Orange Pohatu, I just won't do it. Not to mention how I have grown to dislike that color over the years. Toa of Stone are brown, not yellow-orange. Personal tastes aside, it might be nice to see the villian prison, I don't think it has been shown just yet.

Oh my goodness, are we still complaining about this? Toa of Stone that we had seen were brown, but some Po-Matoran had no brown in their color schemes at all. Hewkii, in particular, had brick yellow (tan) and dark orange (Pohatu's was very close, with the primary color one shade darker: earth orange a.k.a. old brown). Hafu didn't even have any brown or orange, sticking to Brick Yellow and Black. Hewkii's vibrant yellow-orange was a pretty big change, but considering most Po-Matoran in the BIONICLE movies were yellow and orange or yellow and black anyway, I didn't see it as an unprecedented one. Or an unwelcome one, since brown was a pretty dull color to begin with.

I'm almost certain Evo is still yellow; I see no reason to believe he's keetorange. If he is Keetorange, I'll be bothered a bit, just because otherwise all heroes' primary colors have remained exactly the same since the very first year, so it would be an even more radical change than changing the Hero Core colors. But look at his parts: of his yellow parts in this catalog, many are 4M shells, which have previously existed in yellow and not in Keetorange. Same for his fist. So it seems most likely that he's still the same color as he's always been.

I like the patterns on the heroes' chests now, one reason being that they're one of the places where most of the older Hero Core colors are maintained. Evo disrupts this, which doesn't look bad but still bothers me a bit as a matter of continuity. Surge also disrupts this, but since his original Hero Core color was just Transparent Yellow it's still OK by me.

Not sure how I'd feel if this new torso printing came at the expense of name badges. On one hand, name badges are extremely limited in use, since they can't be used on heroes with different names unless you deliberately ignore the names on them. But on the other hand I thought they were a cute idea, and again it'll be a shame to lose that continuity. Guess it's probably in part a consequence of non-numbered upgrades. And I'm sure I'll get used to the much-more-versatile torso printing, which has a bonus of bringing elemental powers back to the forefront.

Speaking of elemental powers, so far the effects for the weapons in the TV episodes have been very consistent with those of the elementally-themed 1.0 weapons from Rise of the Rookies. I wonder if that will be done with the launchers in the upcoming series-- and if so, what sort of effect will be given to Rocka's. Could just be a generic energy blast, of course.

[Studs Not On Top]

Speaking of elemental powers, so far the effects for the weapons in the TV episodes have been very consistent with those of the elementally-themed 1.0 weapons from Rise of the Rookies. I wonder if that will be done with the launchers in the upcoming series-- and if so, what sort of effect will be given to Rocka's. Could just be a generic energy blast, of course.

I'm getting a little tired of the generic energy blasts the HF movies have overused; I'm hoping for a legitimate projectile launcher, like Vakama's Kanoka crossbow. I'm probably wrong, though....

Actually, the more I look at these new heroes, the more they remind me of Toa wearing Adaptable Armor. I think their size and mechanical qualities add to the look. Rocka could've easily passed as a Toa back in 2008.

The only thing that bothers me with the new wave is the color of Surge's arms, as well as his leg armor. Why they are entirely lime green I have no idea. And the silver villain cores don't help at all. Since he will be cheaper though, I'll get him and repaint him to represent Eric Zeal, my self-moc. I guess I'll get Toxic Reapa to battle him, too.

[Bfahome]

I'm getting a little tired of the generic energy blasts the HF movies have overused; I'm hoping for a legitimate projectile launcher, like Vakama's Kanoka crossbow. I'm probably wrong, though....

It's easier to disregard the issue of ammo, reloading etc. when they're shooting energy, so I think most of them will stay with energy weapons.

[Mr. Gundam]

Well, the good news about B&N is they will be sold in Jan. So, will be seeing them in December

Also notice the chest design on Rocka is different on the other page. And if e are using the elemental standards of Bionicle, is it safe to assume the following:

Bulk - Iron

Stringer - Sound

Surge - Lighting

Nex - Iron or Stone

Evo - Stone

Rocka - Stone or Light

I wouldn't really know so I kinda just guess

[Aanchir]

It's easier to disregard the issue of ammo, reloading etc. when they're shooting energy, so I think most of them will stay with energy weapons.

Also, some people feel energy weapons feel less violent. While this isn't realistic, it makes sense in the context of a cartoon or television show-- it's much easier to show someone "shrugging off" an energy blast that impacted them, whereas people expect physical ammunition to do physical damage.

This is discussed here by an artist who worked on the comics and concept design LEGO Knights' Kingdom II.

The BIONICLE movies actually went surprisingly far in how much physical combat they showed, especially Tahu's combat with Lerahk in which he received a physical scratch... but then, as many people pointed out in "violence in BIONICLE" topics on BZPower, Kopaka inflicted a physical scratch on a Muaka with his sword in the MNOLG, an even bigger surprise seeing as it was a hero character doing the damage.

Well, the good news about B&N is they will be sold in Jan. So, will be seeing them in December

Also notice the chest design on Rocka is different on the other page. And if e are using the elemental standards of Bionicle, is it safe to assume the following:

Bulk - Iron

Stringer - Sound

Surge - Lighting

Nex - Iron or Stone

Evo - Stone

Rocka - Stone or Light

I wouldn't really know so I kinda just guess

I don't think it would be a good idea to use the elemental standards of BIONICLE. In fact, I was happy when Hero Factory straight-up averted them, throwing sonic, metal, and lightning heroes in the first team. Evo's concrete-looking chest print does indeed make sense for a stone-themed hero, as does his slow-but-powerful fighting style. For Nex, I'd prefer a theme not otherwise explored by existing heroes. He's so far been "the tech guy", so something that ties in with that would be cool, but I can't think of any "cyber powers" that don't seem cheesy. Light would work for Rocka, given the chest pattern he's pictured with currently (note that the pictures on the "Breakout" image seem to show earlier prototypes, with the texture on some of Rocka's parts looking unfinished, and with the "Breakout" image using photographs rather than renders as the Hero Factory theme tends to prefer in its more finalized images).

I think the best powers for Heroes are the ones that make the coolest, most unique-looking projectile or energy attacks, and the best powers for Villains are the most dangerous- or destructive-seeming ones imaginable. I loved how the first wave's villains were all based on different sorts of hazards. This upcoming wave seems to go a similar route, avoiding the villainous trend of the last two waves where the villains share a unifying theme.

[Tanma]

It's easier to disregard the issue of ammo, reloading etc. when they're shooting energy, so I think most of them will stay with energy weapons.

Well until you figure that the energy has to come from somewhere. And we know a Hero doesn't have an infinite power source, since refueling has been more than mentioned. So there are points in a fight where the hero will run out of power. Even the elemental Toa had to recharge their energies, though they did so automatically.

[Aanchir]

Well until you figure that the energy has to come from somewhere. And we know a Hero doesn't have an infinite power source, since refueling has been more than mentioned. So there are points in a fight where the hero will run out of power. Even the elemental Toa had to recharge their energies, though they did so automatically.

But the fact remains that if reloading isn't shown or mentioned, then most people besides dedicated gun nuts won't be worried about the ammo supply at all. Did you ever, when watching the Star Wars movies, worry that the characters would be running out of shots on their laser pistols? I sure didn't. Even today, there exist nuclear batteries developed for spacecraft, and sci-fi authors don't hesitate to include weapons with micro-sized nuclear batteries that never run out of power unless the plot deems it necessary (an example is Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, where all of the LEP weapons run on this kind of power source-- it's a plot point in the second book that the LEP's enemies in that book use human-made batteries with a more limited charge that only supplies around six shots apiece).

Meanwhile, how do you know the heroes' weapons don't have some way of "recharging automatically?" The only difference in Hero Factory is that it would have to be fueled by technobabble rather than nature magic.

[Tanma]

But the fact remains that if reloading isn't shown or mentioned, then most people besides dedicated gun nuts won't be worried about the ammo supply at all. Did you ever, when watching the Star Wars movies, worry that the characters would be running out of shots on their laser pistols? I sure didn't. Even today, there exist nuclear batteries developed for spacecraft, and sci-fi authors don't hesitate to include weapons with micro-sized nuclear batteries that never run out of power unless the plot deems it necessary (an example is Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, where all of the LEP weapons run on this kind of power source-- it's a plot point in the second book that the LEP's enemies in that book use human-made batteries with a more limited charge that only supplies around six shots apiece).

Meanwhile, how do you know the heroes' weapons don't have some way of "recharging automatically?" The only difference in Hero Factory is that it would have to be fueled by technobabble rather than nature magic.

If the Heroes' weapons recharged on their own, wouldn't it be a good idea for the Heroes' Cores to do so as well? I know they need Quaza, but you think by now they would have found a way to get around that, since the entire factory gets updates every six months. Heroes are the protectors, the ones fighting against evil. And although the plot makes this hard to believe, I assume they usually have great uncorruptble agents(except for Von Ness, Witch, and Stormer when he is sick). But a gun can be used by pretty much anyone and thus could be used against the factory. Sure, one could argue that their weapons have some sortt of "genetic" lock with hero "DNA", but at that point it gets silly.

I don't believe Bionicle used nature magic, it was pseudoscience at best.

Edited September 22, 2011 by Tanma

[Aethersprite]

I agree about the similarities between the 2012 sets and Bionicle. Surge can easily pass off as a Toa of Lightning, Rocka as the next Takanuva, and you have to agree that Breez's pose in that picture resembles a certain Lewa Phantoka, no?

[Omicron Squad Leader]

I agree about the similarities between the 2012 sets and Bionicle. Surge can easily pass off as a Toa of Lightning, Rocka as the next Takanuva, and you have to agree that Breez's pose in that picture resembles a certain Lewa Phantoka, no?

It also resembles Phantoka through the equal teams, the fact that they've yet again made new packaging, and that we have a villain named Black PHANTOM. (Unless his name has been changed to 'Overlorde' that is )

Edited September 22, 2011 by Omicron Squad Leader

[Bfahome]

If the Heroes' weapons recharged on their own, wouldn't it be a good idea for the Heroes' Cores to do so as well? I know they need Quaza, but you think by now they would have found a way to get around that, since the entire factory gets updates every six months.

Well we're talking weapons vs. almost living robots here. I don't think their energy needs would be quite the same.