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LEGO BIONICLE – The Journey Begins…

by Thita (admin) on January 10, 2015

The first wave of the highly anticipated LEGO BIONICLE sets were just released a few days ago. So what is LEGO BIONICLE all about? An entire generation grew up on the original LEGO BIONICLE story, and now the saga is back! We have talked about the re-launch of LEGO BIONICLE before (see links at the end of this post), and today we will delve into it a bit deeper, thanks to the January-February issue of the LEGO Club Magazine that I received just a few days ago. If you know little about BIONICLE and would like to get yourself immersed in the saga, the LEGO Club Magazine will let you do just that. So let’s take a look! 🙂

Before we start talking about BIONICLE I would like to mention that this issue of the LEGO Club Magazine is different than previous releases. First of all the magazine came with three inserts (yeah, so much goodness!), but instead of them being glued into the main magazine like previously, now they come separately, all packed neatly into a clear plastic pouch. There is an article on the re-launch of BIONICLE in the main magazine, then there is an insert – which is the same size as the main magazine – all about BIONICLE. Then there is a smaller insert focusing on LEGO Star Wars, and if you are getting the girls subscription you also get another insert just for girls. (In my opinion the girls subscription is actually better because you get everything the boys get, plus something special for girls too.)

In the main LEGO Club Magazine there is an article titled “Bringing LEGO BIONICLE to Life!” This is a very interesting article that starts out: “When six Toa arrive on a mysterious island to battle a great evil, an epic story begins. The launch of BIONICLE is one of the biggest LEGO stories of the year, and this amazing tale comes with some of the most exciting sets, ever. We caught up with Senior Design Manager Cerim Manovi to ask him how these models came to be.” Cerim answers some very interesting questions in the article like, “How does a set concept begin? Does it spring from the story, or does the story come from the sets?” and “What are some of the challenges you face in building an action figure?” Some of Cerim’s responses are quite surprising and revealing about the design process.

Then there is the second magazine, which is an insert to the main magazine, titled, LEGO BIONICLE – The Journey Begins”. It has several articles to give you all the information to participate in this epic journey. The first article gets you familiar with the setting: “Many thousands of years ago the island of Okoto was a place of peace, where villagers lived in harmony with each other and their world. Two brothers, Ekimu and Makuta, used the natural elemental forces of the island to forge masks for the Protectors. The villagers used their masks to shape the island to suit their needs. Ekimu wore the Mask of Creation and Makuta the mask of Control. But when the villagers came to value Ekimu’s masks more, Makuta grew jealous. Defying all wisdom, he attempted to make the most powerful mask ever. When this experiment threatened the entire island, Ekimu managed to knock the mask off his brother’s face, resulting in a huge explosion. Both brothers were knocked unconscious for thousands of years and their masks scattered all over the island…”

“Now, six brightly colored comets have crashed on Okoto. From their midst come six mighty heroes, the Toa. These are beings foretold in Protector legend, who are destined to free the island from darkness. Okoto has been overrun by skull spiders, dangerous beasts that only the Toa can hope to defeat. Accompanied by the Protectors, the Toa go on a quest to find Masks of Power. These masks are the key to unlocking the Toa’s fighting potential. Even with the masks, can the Toa hope to stop not only a horde of terrible foes but their leader, the monstrous Lord of The Skull Spiders? And if they fall, what hope can be left for Okoto and its people? The first mission of this Toa team may well be its last…”

After you learn all of that, in the next article we enter the world of BIONICLE: “Join six heroes on an epic quest to collect Masks of Power and defeat the forces of darkness. Six mysterious heroes, the Toa, have crashed on the island of Okoto. Their mission: collect ancient Masks of Power and use their elemental powers to stop a great evil that threatens the island. Ultimately, they must seek out the legendary Mask of Creation before it falls into evil hands. Aided by brave and resourceful villagers called Protectors, the Toa will need all of their battle skill and elemental powers to fight and win.” There is a big map on this page showing the different regions of the island of Okoto: The Region of Stone, the Region of Earth, The Region of Fire, the Region of Ice, the Region of Water and the Region of Jungle. Each region is has very different characteristics, and is protected by a different group of villagers, as well as a Toa. All of that is explained around the map.

The next article is in the middle of the magazine is in a fold-out style and is titled, “Meet the Heroes of Okoto!” It gives detailed description on each of the six Toa; Kopaka (Master of Ice), Gali (Master of Water), Onua (Master of Earth), Tahu (Master of Fire), Pohatu (Master of Stone), and Lewa (Master of Jungle). The article talks about the Toa’s nature, their elements, their masks, their powers and their weapons. “These six Toa must use their masks, their powers, their strength and skill to conquer the forces that threaten the Protectors and the entire island”. There is also a call-to-action to visit the LEGO Club website and get instructions for an awesome Special Tahu build using pieces from Tahu Master of Fire and Protector of Fire sets. I should add here that there is actually a combo model for all six Masters and Protectors that you can get at the LEGO BIONICLE website.

And in the following article we learn about the Golden Masks. The article is titled, “Discover the Power of the Golden Masks” and it explains what is so special about these masks: “Can the Toa use their power to save Okoto? The island of Okoto and its inhabitants are threatened by an ancient evil. Inspired b a prophecy, the Protectors us the Mask of Time to summon help. Six heroes land on the island from the sky… the Toa have arrived! Each of these heroes is a master of one of the six elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Jungle, Ice and Stone. The heart of their elemental control is their mask. But legend tells of the Golden Masks, sources of even greater power, which were scattered over the island and now lie hidden. The Toa must find them if they are to save the island!” Then there is a description of each of the six masks.

LEGO Club Magazine BIONICLE Golden Masks

On the following page there is just a picture of the six Protectors. One of their main feature being that they each have one of those new rotating stud-shooters that are incredibly fun. Even if you are not into BIONICLE, I highly recommend getting one of these just because they are so entertaining. And the other weapons and accessories are cool too. You can find all the new sets at the BIONICLE section of the Online LEGO Shop.

LEGO Club Magazine LEGO BIONICLE Protectors

On one of the last pages we get introduced to the Guardian of Ancient Secrets: “The path to the ancient city isn’t an easy one, especially with this incredible beast standing guard. Lurking at the gates is the Lord of the Skull Spiders, watching for intruders with its eerie red eyes. Standing tall on six powerful legs, it can move with incredible speed and grip and crush its enemies with its claws. The biggest and baddest of the creatures on Okoto, the Lord of the Skull Spiders will stop at nothing to protect the city and keep its secrets hidden.” Then there is a notice to visit the official LEGO BIONICLE website for exclusive news, trailers, animation and much more, designed to take you deeper into the BIONICLE universe. And at the back of the magazine there is a note: “The Journey continues and new enemies will emerge in August 2015” – so yeah, BIONICLE is going to have a strong year with several waves of sets, webisodes and animations. You can check out all of the newly released LEGO BIONICLE sets at the Online LEGO Shop.

So what do you think? Are you excited about the re-launch of LEGO BIONICLE? What do you think of the story and characters so far? Are you an original BIONICLE fan? Do you like the new release? And do you get the LEGO Club Magazine? Did you notice any other interesting details I may have missed? Feel free to share and discuss in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the following related posts:

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LEGO designer tips: how to build street-lamps

by Thita (admin) on January 9, 2015

in Building Techniques

LEGO Creator designer Jamie Berard regularly shares building tips on how to improve your building skills by using more advanced techniques and create some impressive masterpieces. Today we will look at how to build LEGO street-light using a few basic parts and some clever techniques. 🙂

#10246 LEGO Detective's Office Street View

You will notice that many of the LEGO Creator and LEGO City sets include street-lights of various designs. Of course there is the standard LEGO street-light with a lamp-pole that is all one piece. Here all you have to do is ad a light on top, and maybe a bit of decorative finish. Even this light-pole actually has two versions. Although they are quite similar at first look, the decoration at their base is different; the older version has six grooves, whereas the newer one has four grooves. Also, while the newer version only comes in black and white, the older version came in black, white, light-gray, dark-gray, and some fun colors like red, turquoise, violet and pink. Then there is the really old, but very nice looking LEGO Fabuland lamp-post, that you can also see in the video below as Jamie refers to it.

The regular LEGO street-light is included in all of the LEGO Modular Buildings and LEGO Winter Village sets (you can find the old version with six grooves in the older sets, and the new version with four grooves in the newer sets), as well as in several LEGO City and other sets. And while you can certainly top them off with different lights, it is also sometimes fun – and a good challenge – to build your own LEGO light-poles from scratch.

In the video below Jamie shows you six LEGO street-light examples. It is interesting that he mentions that when LEGO designers work on a new set they often include several versions of the street-light, just to see which one would work the best. And while Jamie only shows you step-by-step instructions on how to build one of the LEGO street-lights, you can easily build the other ones if you have the right pieces, or use the examples given here as inspirations to come up with your own designs.

Many people also add real working lights to their LEGO City layouts. You can make these on your own by using thin wires and LED lights, or just buy a light-kit from one of the LEGO customizers. In fact, LEGO customizer BrickForge used to make a lamp-post that was hollow all the way through and you could split it open to easily include a wire (I’m not sure if they still make them – I couldn’t find it in their store at the time of writing this article). Also, LEGO customizer LiteUpBlocks makes an already wired version of the standard LEGO lamp-post that works with either batteries or with a USB plug. Below is a picture of all the LEGO lamp-posts I have for comparison (from left to right): LEGO Fabuland, LEGO old style with six grooves, LEGO new style with four grooves, BrickForge, LightUpBlocks with USB cable, LigthUpBlocks with battery-box.

The bottom line is that LEGO street-lights – whether they light up or not – are a fun addition to any LEGO city and can really make your creation stand out. You can make them simple, or complex, modern or old-fashioned, and there are plenty of small LEGO elements you can use to build them. Hope the examples shown here give you some inspiration to make your own!

So what do you think? Have you ever built your own street light, or you normally just use the standard one. Did you ever modify a LEGO lamp-post to add real light to it? Are there any other street-light designs you really like? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

And you might also like to check out the Building Techniques section for more tips and tricks to enhance your LEGO building skills, or select from some of these related posts:

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LEGO BIONICLE – The Journey Begins…

LEGO designer tips: how to build street-lamps

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