One question, how come you not a fan of 2009 storyline? Because of the characters, and story they ruin long ago? Because I agree to know people hate this storyline more.
A group of kids in the neighborhood played with these, so I bought Malum and became a part of it. One of those kids is still a buddy and still somewhat into bionicle. Ill never forget seeing a kid walking with Gresh outside, inviting me and me taking my malum with me to go and play. It was the best year of my life.
Despite them all being a variant of the Inika build, I loved how they returned to the vibrant colors of 2001 in this year. 2009 is vastly underrated as a whole
Despite a massive change in the story line this did feel like a shift to more classic bionicle with the brighter colours and actual canisters after some pretty dull years before. I was growing out of bionicle around the Mahri-Mistika eras but Glatorians really pulled me back in
To me it feels like a proper restart. We started off 2001 with the vibrant figures and slowly faded away. Now we are back starting over and the colors are back
I remember seeing these leaked in August 2008. This wave hit very different! Up until then, we only knew which element a character was from their tools (sometimes?) and color scheme (to an extent). This was the first wave since 2001 that actually FELT elemental, with the helmets, weapons AND armor pieces coordinated to give each character a strong, cohesive look. Gresh's thorns, Malum's flames, Strakk's ice, the dual-injected elements, etc. So naturally, they didn't have elemental powers at all. WHAT It does serve the story, and some of them are granted elemental powers by Mata Nui, but it's just funny to see this ever-widening gap between the story and the toys. Funny enough, I actually tried swapping out Malum's grey bits for keetorange and.... it looked horrendous. Just too bright and unnatural, I changed it back. The grey draws attention to the chest and claws, and surprisingly enough, feels like a bodysuit Malum's just wearing under the dark red plating. I recently made a similar mistake modifying Zane's Ice Dragon Creature, replacing some elements of the wings with white pieces because looking at pics I thought the set had "too much" gold. Turns out more white just looked more cluttered. What can I say? Lego's designers got the color blocking right the first time. They know what they're doing. There is something eerie about looking at this wave now. It promised so much, a bold new era, but it wouldn't last. It's like glimpsing an alternate timeline.
How ironic that when the colors come back the elements fade away.... Interesting notes about the color swaps you tried, glad to hear they're better off as-is! You're spot on that with Malum it draws a lot of attention to the actual elements of the build rather than the structure pieces
@@AllOutBrick And of course, I loved the diversity of this wave. Rather than a team or even a half and half split like 2008's waves, each of these characters had their own agenda. Only Gresh and Tarix could be called goody-goods. The rest were either in it for themselves or for conquest. To say nothing of their body types. Malum's stocky, dwarf-like stature alone makes him unique.
They look much better in person. The box art and advertising never made me pick these up back in the day. Vorax and the Skrall character are really nice from a design standpoint. Awesome job dissecting the sets!
Every time I see the Glatorians, I'm really impressed by how the designers managed to give them these distinct body shapes within the Inika build, even without going fully monstrous with it like the Barraki or the 2008 Makuta did. Probably my favourite canister sets in the entire franchise.
Ahhhh the nostalgia!!! I currently have Gresh and Skrall displayed with my other favorite sets rn. Back in 2009 I wanted Gresh forst, but Skrall ended up being my first Lego set ever. These guys hold a real special place in my heart, and I’m glad to see them looking good in the spotlight!
@@AllOutBrick Mine too! I have a question! What camera do you use for your videos? Looking to start making some lego city youtube videos and want a really high quality camera. Thanks!
I really felt like I gained a lot of perspective with it by going in order through the years. After 4-5 years of sets not having the color pops these were such a refreshing sight
this brings such memories of happiness, I remember getting Vorox, Gresh, Tarix and Strakk and building each one of them. This year was the only one I was able to enjoy to it's fullest, I've seen both the film and played with the toys, just... Even if I don't like them as much now, they are so nostalgic to me.
Lego recently produced a red version of the light grey technic bracket holding Skrall together, and swapping the new one in just works so well. It looks like you put Tarix's head one level too low, making him look pretty silly. And I really feel bad that you're missing out on the full Gresh experience; being able to swap between a shield and dual weapons is a lot of fun. 2009 is a great year held back by its fragile joints.
It's so bittersweet to see this series near its end. Thanks to you (amongst other factors) I've re-acquired all but 4 that I used to own again in the last years. Even Lesovikk! It's great to see Vorix here and know I own him again. Thank you for all the reviews thus far!
Oh then you must have quite the collection right now! Congrats! And thank you to the LEGO® and Bionicle community for rallying around the series, it's been a pleasure!
Tarix was my very first Bionicle as a gift from my uncle, since when I was small I had to share Lego sets with my sister and she didn't like Bionicle, and I loved it from seeing all of the media and with tarix now. Later on I'd follow hero factory religiously hoping it'd get as interesting as Bionicle and seeing these retrospectives is really interesting and motivating to try and save up and buy some sets (Legos are extremely expensive where i live sadly)
I love how versataile these sets are. every figure has its own secondary color and new moulds - not just for the masks and weapons but also for the armor sometimes
I'm overjoyed to see you back my dude! I loved these sets as a kid, and it's nice to see them getting some love. Even if the pieces were a bit lower in wuality the new molds and builds were really exciting.
Never realized Strakks ice axe was kind of trying to emulate the sublimation effect of ice. Really neat detail that was added when they decided to give the axe a gradient.
Great video as always, love to see it. Always relaxing to unwind to. I had never even seen these sets until I got back into bionicle as an adult, they all look pretty sweet
At the time, I had obtained all of these except for Malum (8979) and Vorox (8983). Gresh (8980) was my first, and for much of the first half of the year, he was my only canister-size set from 2009. Even so, Gresh has many exclusive parts, including the pointed Inika chest armor in Metru green (earth green), the Piraka knee armor in lime green and the 4x5x5 shell claws in lime green. He also marks the fifth and final appearance of the Rahkshi legs in Metru green, having first appeared in Nidhiki (8622) back in 2004. The parts on his shield and the spiked Inika feet in lime green would only appear in one more set each after this. Strakk (8982) was my second of the standard Glatorian, though I didn't obtain him until August 1 of 2009, after the Summer wave of "Glatorian Legends" was released, upon finding him in a book store. He also marks the last appearance of the Toa Metru lower arms, the rounded Inika feet and the Inika shoulder armor in white, and the redesigned double socket joints in medium blue are exclusive to him. While I didn't have Malum (8979), he has the most pieces out of the standard Glatorian, and marks the final appearance of the Toa Metru pelvis in dark stone gray, and of the Inika torso in Keet-orange (Flame yellow), which only appeared in its origin appearance on Hewkii Inika (8730) two and a half years earlier. He is also the last set to have the Vahki legs in Metru red, leaving only the black and Metru blue ones remaining after this wave. The Hordika feet recolored in Metru red are also exclusive to him. I obtained Skrall (8978) on October 30 of 2009, during a Halloween party at the same book store I obtained Strakk from three months before. Skrall is the third and final Bionicle set to have the spiked Inika feet in black, and the "Twin Cutters" recolored in black are exclusive to him. His knee armor also appeared in three "Hero Factory" sets after Bionicle's initial discontinuation in 2010. I also didn't have Vorox (8983), but nearly every tan part on him is exclusive, except for the Av-Matoran/Agori limb in that color from Zesk (8977) and the Toa Metru breast plate, which also comes in a vehicle (8995) released in June 2009. He is also the final set to have the "Aqua Warblade" from Hewkii Mahri (8912). Tarix (8981) was the fourth and final standard Glatorian I obtained, and was one of the last Bionicle sets I obtained during Christmas in 2009, along with a Titan-size set, and three from the later "Glatorian Legends" wave. Along with Strakk (8982), Tarix is the final set to have the Toa Metru lower legs in Metru blue (earth blue). The Inika shoulder armor in "warm gold" and the rounded Inika feet in Mata blue were exclusive to this set, and the clenched hands in Mata blue would appear in one other Bionicle set after this-which was a vehicle. Though not originally a Bionicle part, the tail ends in silver on Tarix's shoulders make their only appearance in a constraction-scale Bionicle set before phased out all together. In addition, after the "Glatorian Legends" wave and the vehicle sets in Summer 2009, there is still one final wave of six canister sets in early 2010...
It was really sick seeing brown make a huge comeback in the form of tan that year. Not sure how well Vorox and Zask sets sold statistically, but I bet you that it did better than what execs normally expected from the color.
Really nice review, you made a lot of great points about the designs in this wave! These have always been some of my favorite sets: great colors, new pieces, and a nice variation in the builds
I was out of business for the last 3 years, but i remember the Tv commercial and i really liked Skrall's design, and for future reference the Mata Nui set :)
I got the Skrall set early from my birthday because i slipped down my stairs and split my head(skin, not skull), and didn't really kick up a stink about it, just wanted to get it sealed and know if i needed patching, which impressed my mum. Skrall is really cool, the rest are too but the striking red and intricate runes plus saw shield okay saw shield is really cool. I think the black blades and shield are hard to moc with but when you can they're great, whereas the rest all have more generally usable, but still about as cool in their own ways. Do think the next wave really steps it up with them in most places, but I'm not huge on Mata Nui or Ackar generally aside from loving the flared shins, and Vastus' scythe is cool but an awkward shape for my usage. Love Kiina, Gelu especially, and Strontius though, plus Vastus' general appearance and parts.
A cool thing with Tarix when i had him is eith the blades of his weapons. If you arrange them in a cerrain way in just one hand, you can make a little blade shield.
I never realised how short Malum is lol. These are the only first generation bionicle I actually witnessed upon release when I was 4-5 years old when they hit the shelves in 2009 - 2010. I found them to be super neat, they felt very complete and unique, in that aspect they remind me of the Toa Mahri. I got myself Vorox a couple years ago because I found him to be the coolest one ^^
Not my favorite ones but I loved that instead of a clone fo themselves (yes, I'm looking at you, Toa Metru and Piraka) they are completely different character, Skrall from the evil hord, Vorox the savage creature like Tuskens, Malum the bulky sinister like a Hulk, Strakk the gladiator who fights dirty, Gresh the Rookie and Tarix the honorable one. Hope to see Tuma and Fero and Skirmix the dinosaur soon!!!
Omg this is such a flash back to when I got my bio Ickes. I had skrall who I called the fallen from transformers cos of the face but yes he was cool aswel as strakk. I had the other green one with the staff or hook
ive been waiting for this review!!! i used to have gresh and would have the blades in shield mode on one hand and have the blaster on the other hand, also his shoulder things i thought he was the coolest, nowadays its a toss up because they're all so cool
What is the maze at the Skralls shield? In the 2009 movie Tuma has the shield green version of it but original tuma figure doesn't have it. I've always found it very cool.
I loved this wave. imo it was one of the few waves where each one of the 6 looked incredible. Usually I only like a few from each line. Im not talking about lines like the Bohrok or Vahki as those lines were basically identical.
I prefer this wave's sets over the next Glatorian Legends wave, with a couple of exceptions. These sets invoke the elemental aspects of BIONICLE characters more than any other set wave since the Bohrok. That I can really appreciate! The vibrant colors, the build variations and the new head and fist are amazing. The game feature is a great bonus and makes for not having any gear functions present since 2005!
We'll have to see about the Glatorian Legends but these are a tough act to follow. The core of Bionicle has been refreshed with these sets and brings me back more than a lot of the previous ones have
gresh was my fav as a kid and i honestly think he might be my fav bionicle set ever (def out of childhood bias lol). as i’ve grown older i’ve def come to appreciate what they were trying to do with the story this year too, it’s too bad the bara magna story only lasted for like 2 years before they shut down the line
I wonder how many others completely rejected the story at the time but now look back and don't mind it so much. I had already moved out of Bionicle when these had released so I never had the chance to take it in as a kid, but even now it took a little bit to transition off of the old story and into this one. I wonder how things would have faired if this was the first line of G2
@@AllOutBrick that def would’ve made things a bit more interesting compared to having the story be “2001 story but slightly different,” but i don’t know if it would’ve helped the line last longer considering lego fumbled big time on marketing the line
The Glatorians were something new to Bionicle even tough it was their last year. Quite refreshing while controversial to the fans. Little did I know as a child that the whole group of Glatorians didn't consist of good guys. Malum was brutal Skralls were dangerous Strakk was a cheater and Vorox's were feral Only Gresh and Tarix were the good guys
@@AllOutBrickI wish I was old enough and mentally present enough to even know previous waves existed at the time (I was born in 1999 so I was obviously way too late to appreciate nearly anything properly)
I loved this new story too bad it ended too soon I loved seeing the Glatorian and their stories imagine how creative they would of got if they keep going with the waves
I actually just recently purchased all the Glatorian as 2009 is when I lost interest in Bionicle… The sets are awesome! They all look great tbh I don’t really have any nitpicks for any of the them, Gresh is definitely in my top 3 favourite sets of all time!
Could you put these models in cool poses for an ending camera panning shot? They don't look as good as they could, when they are just standing straight un posed
Considering we’re coming close to the end, you see hero factory maybe being apart of Mata Nui Mondays? Since they’re also constraction and were meant to fill the gap Bionicle left
I really liked the book and web series about Bara Magna. The Mad Max meets gladiatorial combat - that was awesome and the new world overall was gritty and more grounded. Also, a movie, even if childish, was a feast for eyes imo. I missed out on the toys itself, on that time I simply lost interest in Bionicle after Phantoka. And that was a mistake. Glatorians was awesome. Got myself Malum years later, my favourite. Still has him.
2009 was when i lost my interest in Bionicle. I didn't like any of the designs even though the color schemes were a massive improvement over 2008. The story felt like they didn't know what to do with the franchise anymore.
I started my lego dark ages after all of my 08 sets had cracked joints. I had most of the sets from that year and lego just made me mad and sad with their decisions so naturally I missed these 09 sets. But over the past several years I have gotten these for cheap from local bionicle lots. Now I own the armors and weapons of Tarix like 4 times.
I know I missed the '08 and on sets when they released, but those fragile joints really had an effect on the fans at the time. A shame they couldn't fix them
I really enjoyed playing with my brother with the glatorian and glatorian legends bionicles as kids we would battle with our figures with the canister and body of the figure as the target and I’d always try to ricochet off the canister and hit my brother’s figure in the back where the weapons weren’t guarding (didn’t work most of the time and I’d end up losing)
The Skrall are a favorite of mine. The average mook is actually component against main characters?! The Imperial Stormtroopers would love to learn a thing or two from them.
@@AllOutBrick Even better, the Skrall only get names after doing some great stuff. And all the Skrall they went against were average. Average, Component, and really good looking. It was good they survived.
I'm not a fan of the Glatorian, personally. My biggest gripe with them (aside from the heinous quality control) is that they're Inika builds. We've had Inika builds for the past four or five waves of canister sets, and are about to get them again. This is the 3rd year on the trot. The Inika build wasn't particularly good to begin with (in my opinion), and them recycling it for so long probably contributed to the demise of Bionicle. For comparison, imagine if we still had Mata builds by the Ignition era? There was some really dire need for some new engineering with these (and better QC). This line is a flop for me, unfortunately. I do appreciate the return to vibrant colours, at least. It's a shame too, because Bionicle could have become evergreen like Ninjago or Star Wars, but there was a severe lack of innovation in its later years.
The lack of innovation absolutely played a major role in the downfall of Bionicle. To each their own with liking the sets, glad we can both agree on the vibrant colors being a positive return! The one thing that stands out more to me about these Inika-based builds are the amount of new molds and overall changes to the look. The construction is the same but it certainly feels like they achieved a new world kickoff
@@AllOutBrick I don't know if you've seen the Metru MOCs where they swapped out the greys for bright secondary colours, but they really do look so much better for it! I'm glad they did go back to more vibrant colours, even it was a little late. On construction: While I do think the Metru head was really overused by this point, the lack of backwards compatibility with the new helmets is a real shame to me. I do love the new helmets, I just wish they found a way to keep them "in system". And to be honest, I think the moulds would have been better spent on new torso and limb engineering.
Man the irony of these sets is hilarious since in the story these guys don't have elemental powers, that was a detail specific to those of the Matoran Universe, and yet these are the most elemental lookin sets in the franchise. Yeah those elemental motifs are purely part of thier cultures rather than being tied to any specific element spiritually.
Yeah generally there's waves of listings on eBay, I just don't have the space right now to keep all of the sets. A lot of the 2009 sets will be up there soon, you'll know which ones are from here based on the photos
I liked their designs but wasn't a fan of the fist and head pieces. Also sadly pretty much every joint of the few glatorians I had broke, some of them even straight out of the cannister. Honestly that's probably one of the main reasons bionicle started to fall off for me as a kid from Mari Nui onward (I made the mistake of getting Ehlek and well we all know how those lime green connectors be). Building a bionicle you just bought from a store and some of the pieces breaking on that first assembly, straight off the bat, is really disappointing especially as a kid. Makes you feel like you wasted the little money you had too, and not wanna waste any more on something that breaks immediately.
The head pieces still feel a little bit bizarre to me. I can't help but see an Iron Man helmet every time I see them. But the helmets cover them up quite a bit so it's alright
