Hero Factory 2012

[TheRedGuy]

Yay, I just got Core Hunter! All I can say is that he's badass.

[DraikNova]

I'm probably going to wait with getting the summer sets as I'm saving up for Ninjago.

[Dorek]

I have Stormer XL, and I'll probably wait for some sales for the rest of the summer sets.

Also, they added another "Omega Recon" report. I still can't figure out who/what the heck "Omega Recon" is, but at least they didn't have the horribly confusing "Alpha" bit.

[MakutaNocturn]

Today I bought Core Hunter couse I got school scholarship :D He's pretty nice! So badass! He was sold for a little bigger price than It should be. It is 52 zlotes (around 13,40$).

[DraikNova]

Where is the Omega Report actually?

[Dorek]

Inside Scoop on LEGOclub.com, but here's the link:

http://club.lego.com/en-US/insidescoop/InsideScoopDetails.aspx?id=462274

[DraikNova]

Thanks. Nice to know the bike was stolen and not actually a tool of his he recovered during the Breakout.

[Gatanui]

Thanks. Nice to know the bike was stolen and not actually a tool of his he recovered during the Breakout.

Inorite? Stealing is much better.

j/k

Thanks for the link. There is a story about Toxic Reapa as well.

-Gata

[Shakar]

Well, that's much better than "he was imprisoned together with his bike".

"Ultra-Mach Speed Cycle", eh. Flashy name, I like it

Funny how they included the Wing Blades in the bike description. Aren't they supposed to be those huge gold Ninjago katanas SD wields? How are they considered part of the bike?

[Omicron Squad Leader]

So Speeda did steal the bike after all.

[Dorek]

Oh yeah, we discussed that, didn't we? =P. It was referenced in the latest mag issue too (where it was claimed that the designs themselves were stolen, not a prototype, but I'm generally more inclined to go with the website on this one.

[Jouster]

Collision Course

Robot Rampage

[Phantoka_Chirox]

Collision Course

Robot Rampage

WHAT IS THE SECRET MISSION

AUUUUGHHHHHAAGHH

[DraikNova]

Interesting to know there are more books and I guess Omega Recon Team means Rocka.

[Dorek]

Nah, the Omega Recon guy is a different dude. He's following the Alpha 1 Team on their adventures, but whether or not it's a bunch of guys reporting for a single team or just one dude in general is something I don't know.

Also yaaaaaaaay more books.

Edited September 20, 2012 by Dorek

[TheRedGuy]

Collision Course

Robot Rampage

Core hunter? Wasn't Core Hunter already featured in the Doom Box?

[Aanchir]

Core hunter? Wasn't Core Hunter already featured in the Doom Box?

Those are the same prelim descriptions that were originally featured for both of the first two books, if I remember correctly, in which case they probably aren't even plot-relevant. We may get more accurate descriptions in time, although I'm not totally sure since the description for Legion of Darkness implies it will have a lot of modern-day heroes, while the introduction to the preview in The Doom Box suggests that the story will be entirely a prequel about the origins of Alpha 1 Team. Of course, it could be that the synopsis given in The Doom Box is the inaccurate one.

They're especially unlikely since

from all appearances, Core Hunter is destroyed at the end of The Doom Box.

Edited September 21, 2012 by Aanchir

[DraikNova]

Interesting spoiler about the Doom Box.

[TheRedGuy]

After the seeing the spoiler I need to get me some of those books.

By the way, you might want to add some of the info from the book on HEROsector.

Edited September 21, 2012 by TheRedGuy

[Aanchir]

After the seeing the spoiler I need to get me some of those books.

By the way, you might want to add some of the info from the book on HEROsector.

I'd like to do so very soon. But I've got quite a lot on my plate currently-- in addition to schoolwork, I'm in the process of writing several set reviews for The Ninjago Wiki, and I've got not one but two Ninjago graphic novels to work on articles for there. So when I do get free time when I happen to have those books available, I still have to be selective with my time.

I really should stop making excuses for not contributing to wikis, though. I haven't done any casual editing on either site in quite a while.

[Shakar]

That's a first, isn't it?

Somebody dying in HF.

How exactly does that happen, Aanchir?

[Dorek]

I really should stop making excuses for not contributing to wikis, though. I haven't done any casual editing on either site in quite a while.

I noticed :)

Back to work, slave.

But seriously, gotta learn what happens in those books, man.

[Aanchir]

That's a first, isn't it?

Somebody dying in HF.

How exactly does that happen, Aanchir?

C'mon, guys, do you want me to spoil the whole book for you? I'm reluctant to share everything in the book, but I guess I probably should since I don't know its publication status in Italy or other European countries.

Explaining how this event takes place would sound severely underwhelming without the context of the rest of the book, so be warned that major spoilers lie ahead. If you have any inclination to buy the book for yourself and don't want all the most suspenseful mysteries of the book revealed, read no further.

Core Hunter's attempt to re-assemble the Doom Box is motivated by his hope to hold the universe for ransom by threatening to activate the device. However, unbeknownst to him, he has been led to assemble the box by Arctur, an ancient robotic being who assisted in the construction of the Doom Box and was responsible for smashing it in the first place. Arctur pretends to be helping Core Hunter in his ambitions, when really he is giving Core Hunter information so that Core Hunter can drain its power and thus destroy it permanently.

This revelation is well-handled in the book, in that you are led to believe for quite some time that the cloaked figure aiding Core Hunter is in fact Deneb, another of the reptilian-robotic beings who constructed the Doom Box. Deneb was suggested to be less morally-inclined, in that he intended to use the box himself long ago, and even after learning what the box would do he was the one to create a map of where its fragments were to be hidden-- the same map Core Hunter used to find the fragments. It isn't until Core Hunter has acquired the last piece and Arctur teleports him safely from the Heroes that the hooded being reveals his identity and his true intention of destroying the Doom Box once and for all.

Once the Heroes learn this, they goad Core Hunter into activating the device (in quite a brilliant way in my opinion), and then he is forced to absorb its power so that the universe is not destroyed. Once he absorbs its power he becomes supercharged and is able to take out most of the Heroes with ease, until Surge is the last one standing. Surge takes a stand against Core Hunter. Although Core Hunter simply absorbs his lightning bolts, he continues firing until Core Hunter can no longer contain the tremendous power within him. The power surge makes him glow with energy before it compresses him into nothingness.

I'm not totally happy with this "villain-can't-contain-the-power-they-wield" ending since it is a plot device used by LEGO many times before (first to my knowledge in Galidor, then by BIONICLE for the Bohrok-Kal story arc, then for Samukai in the Ninjago pilot, and then for Black Phantom in the Breakout TV special), but I think the uniqueness of the rest of the story makes up for it in many respects.

[DraikNova]

Wow. Quite a nice ending then.

[Cirkit]

I don't like the whole

absorb and not be able to control power, leading to bearer's destruction

thing going on there, but the rest of the plot seems interesting enough.

I actually expected something more focused on Core Hunter's hobby- extracting cores and disabling Heroes. Something more focused on Core Hunter and Bulk. I know it's unlikely that LEGO would ever consider something so violent, but I would have liked to see Core Hunter disable Heroes sent to aid Bulk in his mission, then Bulk beat Core Hunter down and rip out his core! OR just shoot a hole through the Hunter. Either way, that would be bad-A. Am I right?