Man. I remember being so glad when Bionicle came back for G2 in 2015. I knew right off the bat that it won't be ***my*** Bionicle, but it would be someone else's Bionicle, that the legacy would live on. Too bad it didn't live on for long.
I wish I took on your mindset more when it first came out. I was so amped for the return of *my* Bionicle that I didn't appreciate it for what it was at the time
Yeah 2015 was actually a really good take on the originals. But everyone could see that the 2016 sets was going to be the end. I couldn't make myself go out and buy even one when I took one look at the pictures. RIP Bionicle.
The legend continues... for a little longer. Some minor corrections- Tahu's hands are intended to "grab" the swords further up, with the ends forming a sort of pommel, including that black technic bit. Kopaka's spear doubles as a ski pole, and Onua's hammer can split into a pair of shovels reminiscent of his original claws. Lewa's axe blades attach under his arms as wings, and Pohatu can ride his boomerangs like lil' Goblin gliders. AND yes, the eye stalk was also made in translucent reddish orange... but in the summer wave (personally, I think Tahu's new blue eyes compliment all his warm colors pretty nicely including the gold). And just an aside, you can still see the shape of Gali's goggles molded into the new mask, even with the eyeholes. ANYway, Having recollected these fairly recently myself, I forgot how much fun they are. With how many gimmicks they managed to squeeze in (weapons, Nuva-ish alternate modes, alternate masks, skull spiders, gears, the mask-launching trigger, AND combos with the protectors- that's like, a half a dozen gimmicks! Wild!) each Toa is essentially a playset. Pretty much everything you need to tell a whole adventure story. Equally impressive is how distinct each one is, having their own shape and style. Some are much more heavily or lightly armored than others, some are more densely detailed with more generation one-esque greebling, some are tall and lanky, some are short and stocky, etc. Even the PLACEMENT of the silver/gunmetal/gold pieces implies additional armor plating worn over a more colorful body, and the fighting or movement styles that such placement would serve. Lewa's kneepads (and gloves and boots) for instance, because his knees, hands and feet are likely the parts of his body that endure the most abuse. Even Pohatu's asymmetry, itself likely a reference to stone characters being the odd one out with reversed parts, implies a more lightly-armored arm better for throwing things, like how real ancient warriors would leave their throwing/swinging arm bare. I also love how vibrantly colored these Toa are, not just the transluscent colors but the opaque ones. Brighter greens, blues and browns, they just POP. There's just so much character AND function, still able to pose normally even with the gears that in Bionicle's past would've made the arms droop. These sets have it all, and at the time? We didn't know how good we had it. Oh, if only....
Welcome back Nick!! Thanks for the clarifications for each of the Toa 🤙 I didn't think about the placement of parts in relation to their function within the character as much as you laid out in your comment, EVERYONE SHOULD READ THROUGH IT! While I remember being underwhelmed at the time, these are some awesome remakes to kick of the new era
Any shot you would think about revisiting your 2015/16 Mega Reviews Nick? It seems like you still have a lot to say about them and (I think) it would be cool to see an updated thoughts/10 years later review. Cheers fellas, love both of your content.
I wish G2’s story and advertising was better. The sets were (for the most part) some of the best and most playable figures in all of bionicle. The translucent colors and more tribal designs make the toa really feel like forces of nature. Also, the G2 art book showed that a lot of work went into developing the line, so it’s just a shame it didn’t preform well
WE ARE SO BACK really forgot both how nostalgic I was for the G2 sets, and, honestly? Bionicle reviews on this channel. Mondays are going to be something I look forward to immensely now until the G2 well has run dry.
I'm really fond of how Pohatu's mask both looks like the original 2001 mask he wore but also has a bit of design elements from his 2008 form. The color scheme is a mix, too; I like how the Masters ended up being a version that tried to hit every part of the original BIONICLE designs, with the look of 2001, the armor of 2002. and the posing of 2008.
This makes me so nostalgic! I grew up of course with all the G1 bionicle items but these being the first ones I bought on my own and then hunting them down in store and getting some on clearance and deals was so fun and watching this made me so nostalgic! Thank you!
9:13 matoro inika had trans-medium blue "hands" and jaller inika had trans-orange ones. but the glatorian hands never came in any transparent colours. the more modern CCBS hands that are used for these sets came in trans-light blue and trans-neon orange in the chima contraction figures in the year prior to Bionicle G2
One of my biggest gripes with the 2015 versions of the Toa was the complete 180 they did on Pohatu's personality. In the original he was the most friendly laid back Toa to the point that the ice-cold Kopaka considered him his closest friend and actually showed emotion when he thought Pohatu had died. But in the reboot they made him this stubborn tough-guy loner.
It's great to see you back, man! I've missed Mata Nui Monday ever since it finished. For the bonkles themselves, I have Gali and Tahu, though I can't say I have any emotional attachment to them like I do for my childhood G1 bionicles. I was pretty amazingly hyped when I found out about G2 at the time, though, after randomly taking a look inside a Lego store on holiday. Was a pretty big shock to see Bionicle on the shelves! 😂
Finally, the goat is back, babehhhh, this is the coolest thing to come up on a Tuesday for me, much love from Malaysia ❤🔥 saw the notification first on insta, but only got around to watch it in the afternoon 😅
Hey! Really liking your new set up and live streams, lookong forward to your next stream! Nice to see you reveiwing bionicle again, tho i had a feeling you'd have done hero factory before g2 bionicle just because that was the order they came out haha. Also Jaller from the toa ignika had transparent hands! Again liking the new set up and looking forward to your next review and strem, keep up the good work!!!
Thank you! The new set up took a while to finally get ready for videos and streams but it's great to be recording in it now. Next stream will be in a week or two I know it's been a little break but work has ramped up elsewhere in the meantime
I remember the hype, when we, three 20+ year old guys rush into nearest toy store to grab some new Toa. I've got Pohatu. Build him, and rebuild him shortly after. Pulled his gearbox one stud up, close the gaps near the shoulders, gave him old grey Bionicle "boots" and a spear. Now I'm thirty. Still got him. The reboot was shallow in terms of the story and to be honest the villains was meh - too generic (undead skeleton warriors) and colourful for their own good. It felt like a knockoff. The seriousness of it all was lost. But it was a moment of "We're so back", and Kopaka get his best shape. Ah, 2015, I miss you. I was so naive and happy. And now I'm happy that you're back. Great video, as always!
I Enjoyed G2 and i still have them displayed. I got into Bionicle as a kid, I only got few from first wave and later i only had few Bohrok. Got older and forgot about lego for some time. When it arrived i felt blown away, even thought i had roboriders and slizers ,bionicle felt new, just different. Still hopefull that one day they bring back some bionicle, either CCBS or System based. I am one of those who likes both styles of figures that lego has created so i dont have an issue as long as they are awesome.
Although I own all the 2016 Toa, I only have Kopaka and Onua for 2015. I had a perfect chance to buy Pohatu when he was on sale, but for some reason passed on that. Basically, the 2015/16 sets are all pretty good, and I’d give even the worst sets a 4/10.
man i wish i collected more of G2 when it came out. only one from the masters wave I got was Tahu. but it was such a nice combo of articulation and gear function, plus honoring the 2001 mata wave.
Great review. Though I'll be honest, not showcasing tahu holding his fire swords properly with his back blades out as they're seen in a lot of media really does a disservice to how fierce he looks in "attack mode."
I love these sets, so much so that I even tried to make a boardgame with them a long time ago, and gave them and the skulls 4 abilities and a passive each. Even if I never finished it, the process of creating all that was very rewarding on it's own. I even enrichened the base lore and tried to give the skulls a kind of human (bionicle) background. Fun times.
kopaka master was my first toa and my second bionicle set (after the lord of skull spiders) and i'm glad to see other people that like him. i personally would have made the silver chest plate white instead but besides that and the fact that the thighs look supers skelltal from the back it's pretty much perfect for me.
I was so sad that I missed the G1 reviews by a couple of months, I can't wait for the rest of the G2 reviews though! (I hope your wallet doesn't try and rebel)
I found out about these guys years after G2 ended when i went on a Bionicle nostalgia trip (haven't touched em since 2010). Tbh besides the lore revamp I really enjoyed the mix of Ccbs and technic. Ended up buying both waves of g2 lololol
G2 started on a high note imho: these Toa were clearly the same we used to love, with some new flair. As many have stated, the builds perfected the balance between form and function of the Toa Metru, with great poseability and a gear function all working perfectly together. And CCBS is way sturdier than any piece we got with G1. Of all these sets, I think Gali is the real winner, it's basically a perfect character come to form. And, tbh, I even prefer this version of her mask over the original Kaukau. Onua as well was so fun to build, a great blend of Technic and CCBS. I just can't dislike any of them, even though I have some gripes with Lewa's neck, Kopaka's use of gold and Tahu feels a bit plain, armor-wise (something 2016 Tahu will greatly improve on).
Sad that gen 2 bionicle didn’t last long cause these are best looking versions possible diversely distinctive and cool looking but because of low sales kids are too picky and that ninjago was the hot LEGO ip to grasp on causing the line to die off ☹️
The Toa Masters are so brilliantly great, I love them! I wish we got more masks and colours... Speaking of, something I spotted during your review, which I never paid attention to before: the comics on the boxes seem to indicate that we should have had more colours for the skull spiders (I saw a red and a green one :o)
I'm gonna commit sacrilege and say it: I like this version of Pohatu way more than his G1 design, I don't like his T-rex shape, this version looks like a post apocalyptic traveler
I like them both. G1 Pohatu has a unique look and his slightly goofy build fits his friendly and lighthearted personality. G2 Pohatu looks tougher, I like the mask a lot, and it fits his more gruff personality in G2.
yayyy a new review, was so surprised to see them back in stores, these new interpretations of the Toa Mata are great but I agree they have some flaws and the biggest are the cheap looking golden masks
Onua is by far my favorite. You forgot to mention his hammer can be turned into shovel claws that brings him even closer to his og version. Also, I love how bulky and jacked he is. I disagree that it makes him too cartoony.
I really wish I got my hands on Kopaka when it came out. At the time when I first saw them, the price and redesign, I wasnt digging it. But looking back the designs grew on me and I grabbed Gali second hand. Overall the designs are great, they all look like upgraded versions of the og toa's. Kinda wish the Lewa mask was more inspired by the og design. I'm still holding that out hope that lego will eventually bring back Bionicle with brick builds like the big buildable Figures they have for Marvel and DC. There is massive potential to make a really nice bionicle Sets from those buildable figures.
About pohatus left arm. Nick on planet ribble had a great point that the right arm with the arm function has less armor than the left one, becase he uses tge right one to throw the bomerangs. Also with onua you missed that the hammers head could be taken of the handle and spilt up to give onua his iconic but updated diging claws
Great little review! I personally didnt collect any Gen 2 stuff as it didnt appeal to me as much as the older stuff. The builds were gettjng too simple and i like a challenge. Also are there any updates with hero factory reviews? Hope you're doing well, bud!
purely as toys, these were great and definitely better than constant inika builds. if the marketing and story team supported these designs better, i'm sure this would have been a much greater success
