My History With BIONICLE 

I wish I could pin two comments, but I’ll just throw this one out there as well - if you haven’t seen it already, I strongly recommend checking out Tammy’s video on the new GWP right here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AdHx-c3MZAc.html Fantastic video that wastes no time cutting to the heart of the matter!

Congratulations on coming out as a Bionicle fan.

We live in the bleakest timeline, a world where the number of bionicles is slowly dwindling and where R R Slugger is too afraid to admit the superiority of them.

Never did i expect to see someone pointing a gun at a slug talking about galidor, but here we are

honestly what you discuss is one of the primary reasons i left lego community some years ago. so many fans just eat up whatever lego does and if anyone dares question their decisions, they will be labeled as „toxic“ or worse. as you said, lego doesn‘t technically owe as anything, but there are a great many things they handled poorly and i do expect more in that regard, especially from a toy company that primarily markets their products to children. i‘ve also always felt that lego is unable to learn, at least in the traditional sense. often times it feels as if their successful themes were just a random stab in the dark that happened to work out and whenever something doesn’t work, they just quietly cancel their theme, shrug their shoulders and say „well, guess children hate trains/castles/pirates/spaceships“ it can be painful to watch at times, and as a kid in the mid 2000s it caused me great pain to see my favorite themes quietly disappearing from shelves with unresolved storylines (looking at you, exo force)

Hey folks! I know I speak rather dismissively of Bionicle Generation 2 in this video, but I’m actually very curious to get into that theme. I was rather shocked to see how expensive those sets from 2015 are! Any set recommendations from folks that have them for a newbie like me? 😊

Have you ever had a dream like many bionicle fans have had where you go into a toy store and see shelves full of old product, only to wake up at check out?

At this point as a long time dedicated Bionicle fan, I can confirm that we are used to disappointment. After the whimpery ending of G1, and the marketing disaster of G2, expectations were not high. The positive reception I’ve seen for these two new Tahu’s comes largely from a place of appreciating the people inside Lego who have pushed for Bionicle’s appreciation. Several set designers are vocal Bionicle fans on social media, and so it is almost assuredly thanks to them that we have these sets at all. Do we want something more dignified to celebrate this 20-year-old theme, so often the subject of jokes by Lego? Absolutely. But when the last two hands you were dealt lacked sincerity (coughcoughStarsandG2marketingcoigh) you learn to recognize when the people in charge actually care. That’s what I see with this new Tahu and Takua: the end result of designers that care doing the best they can.

Never clicked on a video this fast. I love your content, I grew up playing with Rock Raiders as a kid and have only recently discovered your channel. Your content is amazing and the attention to detail you pay to even the most minescule of facts is really something to behold. Also your rework of the Rock Raiders theme is a banger

I remember the googlie eyed Tahu being a huge meme in the Bionicle subreddit when that happened, the general reaction seemed to be "This is disappointing, but I still love it."

I personally really do believe Bionicle Pieces and Power Miners really did fit. Especially considering PM was basically just an homage to Rock Raiders, it also works to do an homage on Bionicle. Good video as always my Power Crystal sucking friend!

2004 was actually my entry point for Bionicle and Lego as a whole. My first Bionicle sets were four of the Vahki and three of the Toa Metru, Nuju, Nokama, and Whenua. I've also noticed a bit of a resurgence among moc-makers with the proliferation of 3D-printing.

5:10 CCBS actually stands for "Character and Creature Building System". It was basically LEGO's answer to the problem of Bionicle being too "unLEGO". They tried making a building system that would be the equivalent to the classic bricks, but for action figures. And in my opinion, they absolutely succeeded. I know you're probably more of a "OG" guy Slugger, but I would highly encourage you to give the CCBS sets a chance. I can guarantee you you'll find a lot to appreciate within it!

All 10 years of gen1 Bionicle were very important for my formative years. While I too agree that overall 2001 had the strongest style and sense of wonder, for me the sense of mystery never faded away from it all, it only got modified. In 2004 we were no longer in an oceanic island inhabited by robots, we were on a misty futuristic city with a glorious part but oppressive present, then in 2006 we moved back to an island but one that had more of an industrial edge, until in 2007 we dived into the ominous ocean depths followed by the contrast of harsh windy peaks and deadly ancient swamps of 2008 onto a whole new PLANET of sand and mad max style gangs. It's surreal mix, but it's original maori inspired aesthetic ties it all together seemlessly imo. I agree that they should have kept the focus on masks and that they should have also tried to do less copy-paste lines, but that honestly never stopped me from loving the base designs nonetheless. Nowadays, it's upsetting to see Lego completely give up on constraction in general and replace it with a system approximation that only partially emulates the original. However, at this point any official acknowledgement of g1 bionicle is better than nothing, so I'm not complaining too hard... yet.

I grew up with Hero Factory and the CCBS system, it's a nostalgic theme for me. I did have some exposure to Bioncle through Gen 2 and a few Bioncle books from Gen 1 only.

5:01 Bionicle Stars was petitioned by employees to give a send-off to Bionicle, but it's devisive if this was the way to go out.

I was 2 when Bionicle came out, so my cerebral cortex wasn't even developed for a small chunk of the beginning, my first conscious thought was buying Turaga Matau -- and ironically I had a far more sentimental connection with Lewa Nuva than I did with Lewa Mata Its funny because 06 and 07 were my personal favorite years, and for a while they were regarded as the best years Bionicle ever had, but its interesting to see an even older generation regard years 1-3 as the best, and kids such as myself are the "whipper snappers" in their eyes it seems. I myself travel back and forth between the Bargaining and Acceptance stages, going so far as to joke back in 2017 that Mixels would be the ultimate savior of Bionicle --and I was actually right I think you'd be interested in 2015 Bionicle, because their differences were staggering across each toa (except 3 of them were $15 and the other 3 were $20, making it way too uneven) before going back into carbon copies in 2016 that ultimately killed the franchise again

I got into Bionicle in 2007, when my mum had bought me two of the smaller sets and I instantly fell in love with the concept. I knew about the series in 2006, but turned my nose up at it because I thought the faces of the Toa Inika and Piraka all looked weird (nowadays I'm quite fond of them both, specifically BECAUSE they're weird). After that I found my way onto the internet for the first time, and naturally one of the first things i looked up was Bionicle on early youtube, and beyond the fan community, I was met by full uploads of all the CGI adverts up to that point, the Flash game cutscenes and shorts, and even the first three movies. It made it EXTREMELY easy for a kid with a lotta free time to get invested into the story, and into years of the theme I hadn't been around for. After that I basically begged my parents for everything related to Bionicle, including the Lego Magazine comics and the novels... What first drew me in about 2007 was the pretty dark and oppressive atmosphere its setting had, which carried over into the story. Looking back, 2006-2008 is still one of my favorite eras of the theme, just because of how intense the stakes were. Being able to see what used to be Matoran side-characters being put in the starring role in a teeth-gritting race against time, facing the most unfair odds any heroes had faced yet up to that point and still managing to come out on top, was extremely gripping for an edgy mid-2000s kid like me to read. What clinched it was also that all the characters, heroes and villains, were fully realized in writing and weren't something you saw in Bionicle yet up til then; the heroes weren't Power Rangers using the-power-of-friendship rays to defeat the big bad but then going back to bickering the next day, like the Toa Mata did (or the Toa Metru borderline hating eachother), these were heroes from humble origins that already knew how to function and coordinate themselves as a team, so their flaws and the troubles they faced were instead personalized, like Matoro's sense of inadequacy. I get why older fans dislike this era and later years, but I wanna say that the mystery from the early series still played a major role for me here: all these bizarre locations, artifacts, and characters, totally alien but still feeling intentional - I wanted to know more about this world, and so the reveal at the end of 2008 had me going utterly wild. Touching on the later years, I adore 2001-2003 for basically the same reasons everyone else already does, even if I roasted the Toa Mata a bit lol. However, I wanna draw a great amount of attention to 2004, as I'd say that it's definitively one of my favorite eras of the theme despite not being around for it. I find it odd that as you said, "the lack of a clear villain" made it seem less interesting to you; for me that was one of the highlights, as I loved the mystery angle from the early years and found the way they reinterpreted it for a sci-fi setting in 2004 very compelling, as well as merging it with a 1984-esque dystopian city angle (to this day, I will cite Metru Nui as one of the greatest fantasy/scifi locations ever thought up, there is nothing quite like it). Though, I particularly wanna draw attention to the main characters, Vakama namely, as I think he was the single-most character I resonated with the most as a kid and even now. Take that 1984-esque mystery scifi city setting I just mentioned, but now plop a character like him as the lead: a former meek, boot-licking nobody who just saw his one hero defeated, being forced into the protagonist's position through circumstance, all while wanting nothing to do with it due to his own perceived inadequacies and self-loathing, and being taunted by his own teammates for having schizophrenic hallucinations that he perceives as messages from God. Now you tell me, WHERE have you ever seen a protagonist like that?? Even though Bionicle was a kid's story at the end of the day, this characterization was still enough to have a deep impact on me growing up, and I honestly can't come up with any pop-culture character that tackles mental illness in the same way Vakama did, except for perhaps Marvel Comics' Moon Knight, who similarly is a hero grappling with self-worth issues due to his dissociative identity disorder. Yeah, that's all on the story side and not the sets, I know, but while I agree 2004 was a bit on the blander side when it came to the sets' variety, I really loved the Titans, with the same going for 2005. speaking of, 2005 (and the Bohrok-Kal in 2003) gets clowned on by the community a lot for being filler arcs, but I adore them personally. I think they're prime examples of Bionicle as a comedy, and find them utterly hilarious with full sincerity, not irony. Though, I've written enough already, so I'll spare you from myself delving deeper into that X] Anyways sorry for all the writing, but yeah, Bionicle as a toy and story had a deep personal effect on my formative years, so I owe a lot of respect towards it. And yeah, I get why traditional Lego fans either don't get it or don't care for all this, but as I've hopefully made clear, I see just as much worth in it as any other classic Lego theme lmao. The toys were what got me into Technic as a building theme so hard, and so it depresses me how much Lego's shunned Technic as its own building system after (and honestly, during) Bionicle's heyday. Ah, well. Here's always hoping for a better tomorrow, ay?

that toa matoro looking moc you had at the end looked great

It's not only a video about your history with bionicle. It also gave me a great overall view of the theme.

Unfortunately we were too young for the original Bionicle waves but I fondly remember The Legend Reborn movie (probably just because of nostalgia). I also want to get your opinion on Hero Factory Slugger because that's what I had to buy when they retired Bionicle.

0:06 That should've been a classic lego revolver!

I came into Bionicle around the end of 2005 when the Visorak were making room for the Piraka. While I do hold the 2006-2007 set in very high regard, even as a kid I immediately got the charm of the older sets through hand-me-downs and those Bionicle encyclopedias. I guess there's a reason I have all four 2003 Titans and just one Mistika Toa!

Bionicle was one of my favorite toys back in the day. I just loved how customizable the action figures were and BioTubers like Shadowgear6335, T1 Movies, and BioRockDude made some of the coolest MOCs.

Our Bionicle stories are pretty similar actually. I was hooked from the beginning relishing in the DC comics, Mata Nui Online Game, a handful of the McDonald's sets, and of course the Toa Mata. (By the way, to this day I still appreciate how affordable the first wave of Bionicle sets were allowing my parents to buy my brother and I all six of the Toa.) It's a shame many Bionicle fans don't care for the original Toa much anymore. What they lack in posability I think they more than made up for in their iconic designs and the subtle, but appreciated individual details that differentiated each of the heroes - something that I also felt the series never recaptured. Anyway, my fandom continued into 2002 when the Bohrok were released which I loved so much more than any of the first wave enemies in 2001 both in the fictional universe and especially as toys. I still remember bringing my Tahnok to school and brawling my friends with their favorite Bohroks at recess. However, when they unveiled the new Toa Nuva in the latter half of the year I rebelled hard. I was so upset to see my beloved Toa beaten with the ugly stick and stripped of their visual personalities that I stopped reading the comic altogether (my collection to this day still ends at issue #9) and staunchly stuck with my original Toa Mata. By 2003 my Lego dark age was starting to set in, but I wasn't done with Bionicle quite yet. While I remember thinking the Bohrok Kai were a lame joke, I gladly came back for the Rahkshi whom were pretty badass. But I checked out of the series for good after Mask of Light. Sure the movie's sets were excellent, but even back then I knew my time with Bionicle was over. Moving on, I too feel like TLG have done Bionicle dirty lately. The 90 Years of Play Tahu looks like a joke and the GWP set is downright hideous. Like you, I'm not expecting the moon here especially since the original molds are gone (at least from what I've heard). Still, is it too much to ask that one of the most important lines that helped saved the company from the brink of bankruptcy which still enjoys a passionate and dedicated fanbase to this day be given a little more respect? I don't think so.

A bit late here, but I'll throw in my history! Bionicle meant everything to me when I was little; I wasn't even in preschool when the Toa Mata were released in the US, but I was introduced to the line by an older sibling and older cousin (the latter being something of an older sibling to me too) all the way back then. My very earliest memory involves the vague colors of Lewa and Onua's canisters at the toy store while I was being held in the arms of a parent, and my earliest one after that was of playing with McToran Matoro on the floor in my (very early) childhood home's kitchen. I learned to read with Bionicle and I grew to love stories and mysteries through it too. I stuck with the line through thick and thin, only really falling off in late 2007 through STARS as the recession hit hard. I have tons of fond memories for pretty much every year up until then, and I was one of probably many kids who had a dual love of Technic and System, not ever really feeling a rivalry or sense of superiority for one or the other. They were just toys I loved and a medium for creation and play. I think Bionicle among a few other things was incredibly formative not just for how I'd later write and create works of my own but also how I'd see the world -- species, duty, gender, mysticism, even the invisible 'soul' of art that's just beyond a veil nobody can fully grasp. I feel fortunate to have grown up with it from the beginning despite my age, as it also meant I was still growing up as a mid-late teenager when G2 showed up. I picked up the sets I liked most from it, got a few later on that had gone to clearance, and was done with it. I tried the mobile game and watched the miniseries but it was about as pitiful as many have likely already said. It was a nice brief moment of remembrance for a time five years past, though, and it was part of what spurred me to get back to the few things I'd been beginning to leave behind from childhood and keep them with me, celebrating them. It was a wake-up call that stopped me from wholesale selling or throwing things away, instead taking time to contemplate what to keep and cherish yet not hoard it all and be lost in the past. I've heard many, many horror stories of people getting rid of toys and other keepsakes from childhood during their teen and young adult years, and I'm grateful I managed to avoid it. The fact that I can thank G2 for that makes it valuable in my eyes even if it was disappointing by most other measures. As for right now, I'm happy Bionicle's getting recognition again somehow but I'm sad about the state of said recognition. It's a start, but there'll likely not be any good followup. At least the memories are still there, though, as is passion. I'm currently in a team working on a Bionicle fan project, and as it's my first deeper interaction with the fanbase it's been an interesting time. I hope it goes well. Bionicle and somewhat older LEGO stuff in general is important to me even now (I grew up with the PC Rock Raiders game and other experimental LEGO games of that era, too!). I'm happy you had a wonderful experience with early Bionicle - I agree it was more or less at its best early on, but I do appreciate the characters introduced in 2004 quite a lot to the point of generally redeeming that segment of the series. The later stuff loses me about as much as it did when I was little, though. By obligation I read up on it but I don't care about it nearly as much as the first half of the series... that atypical fantasy/scifi blend of the early years is just irresistible. Sorry this was a bit long. Hope you cherish the memories of Bionicle and LEGO that you've still got -- it's lovely to reminisce when a good opportunity arises.

slugger, this video meant so much to me. i'm a lifelong lego and particularly bionicle fan and grew up alongside the theme. since getting back into lego in the past few months (thanks in no small part to discovering your channel) after my first dark age following the reboot's cancellation, i was so sad to discover that many AFOLs who prefer system really seem to dislike bionicle, maybe even more than it seemed when i was young. hearing your opinions, experience, nostalgia, and sympathies (which are actually less controversial in the fanbase than you may expect) was extremely heartening. bionicle fans have grown pretty defeatist in all honesty (especially since lego won't even throw us a bone by using technic socket pieces in new sets), but having solidarity with other fans of snubbed lego themes from the time before time really means something to folks like me

I know I share my history with Bionicle under every video where you even mention it...but I love this theme so much. For me, I absolutely loved the sets, but more than anything I was in love with the story. I used to read and REREAD the novels and comics, I would go to the library shelf and book store several times a year just hoping there would be the next installment of the books! That seems so ancient compared to the modern online book selling ecosystem, but that's where we were. I built mocs as a little kid, but later was focused on having the figures of my favorite characters and reenacting the stories or playing my own. My friends and I created our own long lasting epic narrative when we would hang out every week and set up all our Bionicles in poses, with boxes and miscellaneous toys as props in some dramatic final battle...I'd love to know the story we told. I know it involved constant debates over which mask powers could beat other villains and heroes!! Then, I cried when Glatorian was announced because I thought it meant Bionicle was over. It never felt quite the same after the epic conclusion of the main story, but I enjoyed the sets even as the story and theme petered out. I got into Hero Factory because JangBricks (then LegoJang) had cool Bionicle mocs and was making mocs out of Hero Factory sets. That prompted me to start making Hero Factory mocs and Bionicle mocs, and I have him to thank that I ever really discovered my passion for Bionicle and lego moc making in general. In that way, Bionicle has made me stay an AFOL! Then G2 happened and I was so happy, but the story and villains were completely bland and hollow, whereas they were deeply compelling in the years of Bionicle I loved (whether early Makuta's schemes or the seemingly undefeatable Piraka and Barraki). CCBS made some amazing other sets and themes, but I think they didn't sell well bc 2015-2017 toy merchandizing landscape was smothered with star wars hasbro action figures and so on: personally I think that is the ultimate reason CCBS petered out, but it's just a theory. Anybody else remember how toy ailses were just a massive wall of disney merch?! Now, I didn't really participate in the online cycles of rumors, grief, and so forth over the death of Bionicle. I don't relate to those constantly hoping tiny hints mean the return of the theme, though I share the craving for Bionicle. I have to say, it's interesting seeing how Lego is still making constructable action figures via marvel mechs and marvel figures. I don't actually believe it means Bionicle will return, but I hope kids today enjoy their lego buildable figures. Perhaps there is still room in the market. Ultimately, I can keep makings mocs, writing my own Bionicle stories, and rereading books and comics and collect all the parts I can afford. I have to admit, there are a few sets I nearly bought while I was in my lego dark age a few years ago, and now they're upwards of 500% increase in price at the worst. I've had to do some embarrassingly serious emotional work to accept that I will never have a 100% collection, a longheld dream. The time passed, and I've accepted it. If i'm lucky, I'll buy a bucket at a garage sale someday and find a pearl gold Mask of Shadows! But that dream is probably a dream, and that's ok. I did buy the GWP today, and I'll happily display it as a part of Bionicle history, though my heart will never truly accept the end. Isn't that why we still love Lego as adults? Isn't that why we make mocs? It's our hearts yearning for the things that once brought us joy and comfort, and I'm grateful to be able to still do that for myself as an adult. That said...any lego execs reading this...PLEASE MAKE BIONICLE G3!! Jokes aside, anybody who actually reads this, that's kind of you. If anything, it was nice to type this out and reflect a bit on why these old themes mean so much to so many of us.

All the fancy monsters the toa fought in the first wave were awesome. There were some weird large bull like things, one red and one yellow, as well as two rc control tank like things. So much uniqueness. It was a different time.

Bionicle is almost as old as I am so I didn’t really get into it until later in its life. Jaller and Matoro were my first sets, but I loved them and went back and got a bunch of older Bionicles from secondhand stores with lunch money. I’m not a diehard fan like some but the theme still holds a special place in my heart. My username actually comes from Nidhiki, but I didn’t know how to spell it properly as a kid

Given you mentioned dropping out of the theme around 2003, I'd recommend going to Wall Of History and reading through all the books till you get to the 2008 finale. I unironically think 2008's plot twist is the greatest twist in any piece of media. 2009 and 2010s stories aren't bad per-say, but they certainly didn't get the room to breathe and build up toward something mind blowing the way the first eight years did.

I loved the mystery and atmosphere of the first Bionicles, but I also think that the Metru Nui to Karda Nui era was also great. The first had mystery and atmosphere but the second era had impressively cohesive worldbuilding. Everything ties into a greater whole outside of the main story and even makes canonical characters out of the MOCs of fans sometimes.

Bionicle has been my favorite franchise from 2001 to this day. Mat Nui years are the best part of the theme, but other years have their good things too. I met my best friends through our country's Bionicle forums back in the day and those people are still dear me after all these years. We write stories together set in our own take of Bionicle world and have year even decade long plans for our storylines. Bionicle helped me to find my fellow nerd friends. These ancient plastic warriors from the time before time. So many pieces, so many memories, so many stories. Thats the way of BIONICLE.

I bought onua when I was 9 years old from that day forward bionicle had a huge impact on my childhood. The next year's line of the bohrok and the toa nuva sealed my captivation and I did continue to collect a few years waves after that but regrettably I no longer own any bionicle. It is still a hugely nostalgic theme for me though. Great video bud. 💯

So originally when Lego canceled Bionicle, Fall 2009 was going to be the last wave. The creators of Bionicle asked for one last wave in 2010 just to have any kind of send off to wrap up the story rather than a hard stop, that's where the stars came from. It's not a good send off, but there was good intent. Also Metru nui did have a lot of mysteries too. A lot of answers to questions lead to more questions and so on. Things really get interesting in the Ignition trilogy and personally I think the Bara Magna arc after that was underrated. I highly recommend going further into the story if you haven't yet, it's easily one of my favorite stories in general

Was just talking about the Tahu gift with purchase with some fans of the theme earlier today. Its an unfortunate situation all around. Fans are understandably desperate for some source of new parts, or at the very least some recognition from lego on the impact bionicle had. But given the cost of building new molds and the fact that most old bionicle molds have likely been destroyed post retirement i can kinda understand lego's hesitation in touching that theme. Not endorsing their choice though

I think a lot of people either forget or don't know that Bionicle Stars was a low budget internal push by employees to give Bionicle one last wave so the story could have some kind of ending, without Stars the main story would've been cut short at the summer 09 wave without a proper conclusion. I also personally love the GWP, I think it's kinda sleezy to have it as a GWP like this yea but considering the piece count the price requirement is lower than it could've been and I've been loving seeing the community build all the other characters in this "G3" style. I think it's super charming, especially Takua he's so cute.

Very well said. I appreciate your nuanced takes and genuine realistic opinions. I think that a lot of the modern Bionicle community can easy fall into an echo chamber of unrealistic expectations, so it's very refreshing to hear someone who can take a more mature, realistic look at the current state of the theme.

TBH, I still refuse to believe there wasn’t some manner of funny business going on behind the scenes in regards to that poll. I mean, haven’t there been records of AFOLs working within the company who despise Bionicle simply because it went against traditional system ideals?

As a young adult who grew up in a time past the vast majority of bionicles lifespan, who only really saw the taillend of the theme. The pieces that were ported over to system sets I enjoyed (mostly power miners, sue me) never really seemed out of place. I had no way of referencing these pieces back to specific characters, so my only thoughts seeing them were usually along the lines of: "Wow! A claw with hydraulics? Perfect mining tool!"

My brothers and I were children of the Early 2000s and bioncle was a huge part of our childhood. We didn’t get on until after the initial Bohrok wave, but the Bohrok Kal and Toa Nuva were so cool to us and the Mask of Light was huge! Metro Nui managed to be cool too, but after that it was a lot more in and out. Starting with the Visorak spider enemies we started to appreciate the enemy factions more than the slightly over complicated heroes. And after the water wave with the Barraka we hit a point where it wasn’t grabbing us and we focused on other interests. We picked up maybe a set or two from the mask of Life/gladiators wave but that was it. After a certain point we made our own heroes out of our favorite parts and came up with backstories and power to go with them.

You were spot on about our 5 stages of Grief! 2021 was the year we watched Lego dance on Bionicle's grave. I fully expect the GWP is the last thing we will ever get from lego for Bionicle.

5:46 it is my firm theory that we have GWPs in the form of Blacktron and Bionicle as a result of this poll, as runners-up from Castle.

I understand your gripes with late term bionicle and agree a lot of the magic was lost after the Mata Nui years, but the writing and story planning was insanely ambitious. I grew up largely with the story of the Metru and Ignition sagas so those were my peak interest of bionicle. I remember in 2008 when the Ignition trilogy wrapped up I thought bionicle’s story ended with Makuta outright winning and taking over the Matoran Universe/Great Spirit Robot because the next year’s Glatorians line felt outright alien to me with no connection to the past 8 years of my favorite theme. I know it was only roughly 6 months until Mata Nui was made into a character but those 6 months were agonizing as I thought the series rebooted. I know it was predicable but I made my own custom Toa Mata Nui in January of 2009 and have pictures of them somewhere and seeing that come to fruition in the summer was mind blowing for me. Long rant over but the entire run of bionicle means an immense amount to me. I do think the first 3 years are the most complete, but I definitely wouldn’t discount 2007’s releases. Easily some of the best titans and brought both traditional masks, unique builds for even canister sets, and the most color to the series since 2003 while having the articulation of the later kits. I ended up getting the GWP today because I also wanted the train station from City because it reminds me of backpacking europe last summer with my girlfriend, but I am happy with the set. Not happy a lot of bionicle fans will have to buy stuff they don’t want to acquire it, but I think it’s the best we could get with budget restrictions. I would’ve easily paid $20 for it and wish it could’ve just been a traditional 18+ release for everyone else. Anyways, long retrospect over:)

I just finished watching every single video you have uploaded. keep up the amazing work!

I found you channel through the The Piece That Could Save LEGO Life On Mars video and have been in love with it ever since, thank you for all the wonderful content

Yet another great video and take from ya! Happy to see another up-and-coming LEGO channel with a love for the series, knowing that a lot of AFOLs are either indifferent or antagonistic to BIONICLE doesn't help. There's certainly a magic and atmosphere from the Golden Years that's really enticing, it's no wonder most fan-media tends to revolve around it. I do think every era of Bionicle has a tone, story and aesthetic that are worth celebrating, part of what makes it so interesting to me is the wide range of styles that BIONICLE made use of and is capable of. It's night-limitless for creative interpretations, locations, and designs for custom characters. Honestly, I think the integration of Bionicle/Constraction pieces was a lot smoother (quite literally) when CCBS was part of their line-up, those were definitely more-in line with the rest of the flat angled bricks.. Some parts and uses of the old parts weren't as bad as others (I think the power-miners examples worked pretty well), but yeah, seeing how most builds implemented them with the subtlety of Victor Frankenstein... not ideal. It's not perfect, but as far as GWPs go I think this is a pretty decent lil' build with some good nods to the. Maybe it'll be the first of a series, with the other Toa made into characters? I doubt it, but it's nice to be able to show him off to folks and compare with my 22 year-old original.

I’m honestly really happy the galaxy explorer got remade, as it was my father’s first set (that got decimated beyond repair once me and my brother came into the picture and went the creative route.) it was really sweet to watch my father slowly build this old piece of nostalgia in its new glory.

I started with the Rahkshi, so I missed the first wave. I was probably most invested around the time the Visorak and Pirahka came out, the themes dark gritty nature at the time really made it stand out for me. It certainly helps that I was given Vezon and Renrakk, that set was so cool! Frankly, I'm just happy to see lego acknowledge the theme at all! Though I'm a little bummed that they're only willing to do it for sets I never owned X3 Probably the only bionicle set I got that felt classically designed was this Dark Green and Gold Toa (Don't know the name, but they were released during the Visorak/Spinner era cause they had one on their shield). They had that design where you could swing the arms with a gear on the back like the original Toa. Was really found of that one :3

I guess the only "Hope" I can have is that, following the pattern of our other main GWP and nostalgia lover sets(Castle and forestmen, Space and Blacktron), there is a glimmer of hope for a larger bionicle set of some form as companion to this GWP. From some similar experience in a large company developing consumer products and having faced numerous delays and postponements in my own industry I can't help but hope for the possibility that Lego at least may have had a companion retail release Bionicle theme set that either got canned for a myriad fo reasons or is "Hopefully" hiding out there in the future somewhere.

Man there was something special about Bionicle, they fit pretty in size with other action figure lines at the time, Marvel, WWE, etc. The Bionicles were your own customizable action figures, and there was something so special about setting yours on the table and realizing that this was your creation. Not to mention the Lego Knight's set that came out around the early mid 2000's, were the same scale as bionicle operating under similar design philosophies. However I can't even find anything about Lego Knights nowadays.

whatever background music you use in your videos, it's fantastic. When those synths start kicking in I always start bobbing my head instinctively.

As an autistic kid in the early 2000's, it was pretty much law that I got into Bionicle! I adored the sets, and nearly all of my memories growing up had a Toa or Vahki or something nearby. I even collected every Toa and 'Matoran' from G2... Although I wasn't impressed with any of the other sets. Two years ago, I discovered Bricklink and oh boy! I've since more than doubled my collection which I keep proudly displayed in my bedroom. I love the Mata and the Metru almost equally, and the 2007 Titans are probably the best sets Lego has ever made (not much of a System fan)!

I was a little young when Bionicle was in it's heyday. I was born the year it released. I only had maybe 3 of them by the time it ended when I was around 10. I didn't have time to get into it, and now as an adult I don't enjoy the builds on their own. It's always strange to see Bionicle stuff and clearly remembering it, but having zero attachment. I feel nostalgia for it despite never really liking it.

I came into Bionicle in 2007 and that ended up being my favorite year overall, the underwater aesthetic was top notch and it marked the end of clone sets along with return of the metru head (prototypes of the 2006 toa used the metru head, but I think they wanted to pursue glow in the dark eyes as a counterpart to the Piraka's light up eyes... which ended up not happening, and we're left in the dust with the lame heads). Definitely take a look at the Toa Hagah including the four canon contest winners: they are a Metru build team done with great individuality. CCBS worked really well with some of the Star Wars action figures, K2S0 and General Grievous especially.

I got into Bionicle in 2003, and have been a fan ever since. Not just a toy line, it was truly one of the greatest stories I've experienced, with such a distinct aesthetic in the set design as well. There has never been anything similar before or since. So as a new subscriber, thank you for making this video! Though I disagree with the idea of the line losing charm after the first 3 years, I think the rest is absolutely spot on.

I was never a huge fan of Bionicle, but I still remember Mask of Light being a HUGE event. I'm honestly kinda shocked at LEGO giving all the love to other themes when Bionicle was their saviour. I always assumed Bionicle pieces were just funky Technic pieces, though; I don't know that I've ever really seen them categorized on their own.

Would have loved a Slizer reference since those were the last sets I bought in my childhood. Still have my near complete collection!

I remember getting Bionicles for Christmas and birthdays when I was small. Good times with the imagination

Alright, you got me to comment. One of the amazing things about Bionicles is that they were perfect for stop motion animation. You could make them fight in epic battles and make the toys “come to life” and play out scenarios from your head. I myself was obsessed with this hobby and if you look on my youtube channel you can see dozens of these stop motion animations. One thing worth remembering is that the kids growing up with Bionicle were coming of age parallel to social media, and at the time there was a lot of wholesome community interaction among literal children surrounding Bionicles. I dreamt of having a huge youtube channel with lots of subscribers (in the end I got almost 250, pretty good I think!) and was familiar with many other stop motion animators on youtube by leaving friendly comments on each other’s videos. The highlight of my “career” may have been when Legomations studios used a stop motion animation I did in the introduction to his video review of Toa Mata Nui. In fact, on some of my videos I have seen comments from people telling me how nostalgic my videos are for them, which is a real head trip for me. The thing about Bionicles is that there were just so many ways you could interact with them. I have really not seen an equivalent toy line before or since. I agree that the first 2 years was definitely the best atmospherically (they also just had more SETS back then, Toa + Matoran + Turaga creates such a friendly little community for each element, sad they never went back to this) although I have to admit I was in it for the long haul. I stuck with the series even through those awful Mistika sets and even as a child was nostalgic for the island of Mata Nui, wishing the series could revert back to the mostly technic sets rather than the same “inika build” over and over. I frankly think the 2001 Rahi were the best Lego sets ever. Nonetheless, there were still many points of light. I really liked the Glatorian as they had great colors and unique builds. I felt like were a respectful send off to the series. Also, something not to be overlooked is that bionicles were CHEAP! You used to be able to buy Brutaka on store shelves for $19.99?! What?! We used to be a country!!!

There are a lot of great creators out there using the bionicle system to make really really incredible mocs.

Great video. I, too, am a Bionicle fan and have been collecting/recollecting the sets since 2015. My favourite years are 2001-2005 but I do like 2007 and 2008 as well.

I wasn't privy to the toys at the time, but the second and third Bionicle movies were compelling enough to me that I rather liked Metru Nui as a setting.

I was too young to catch most of Bionicle as a kid. I caught a few sets from the second to last wave, the ones that coincided with the Mask of Life movie, and that was about it. I did watch the movie religiously as a kid, the ads from before the movie started are etched into my brain forever.

I've remembered when my friends used to have bionicle figures, they were fun to build.

this is the most epic crossover I could imagine right now!!! When my brother and I were kids, we loved bionicles, and were buying them until the price of plastic became too high around when Voya Nui and the Piraka started. Now that you make the point about new molds and tooling, it makes sense that the Lego company would want to discourage more bionicle… what a shame, though! I’m shocked you didn’t talk about the original Rahi! Nui-Jaga, Nui-Rama, Muaka/Kane-Ra, Tarakava, Manas… those five had such intricate mechanicns and individual design that we never saw again, kind of like the Toa Mata but in a more intense way

Unity! Duty! Destiny!! Thank you for sharing your awesome story!

i am not a Bionicle fan, never have been, never went out of my way to get any of the sets, nothing but system for me... but i respect the theme immensely for what it was and what it did, and what Lego is doing to it just makes me sad. it deserves more respect from the people that created it in the first place.

i only got really deep into Bionicle in the later years, as i was only 2 when the first sets released, but my first Bionicle was Toa Metru Nuju and i immediately fell in love. i can still remember opening the canister and building it on my dining room table, that was my only bionicle for a while until i got a couple Visorak and the three titan sets from that year. but then the Piraka and Toa Inika released and i became obsessed. and sure while i do think the Toa Mahri are my favorite Bionicle sets, i always wanted the OG Toa and especially the Bohrok. then in early 2021 i finally got 5/6 of the toa along with four Bohrok in an ebay lot and they did not disappoint. they have such a charm and iconic silhouette that they instantly became some of my all time favorite lego products. i was also just happy to finally have my hands on not just a bunch of toys i've seen and wanted all my life, but also a pretty important piece of lego history. to this day i have so many cherished memories of Bionicle and it meant so much to my childhood.

3:03 I totally agree. The only change that was truly an improvement from that point on was only really just the articulation.

I followed Bionicle ever since 2001; I was a fan of system Lego before (as well as during and after) but I utterly loved Bionicle ever since a friend of mine got me one of the Toa Mata for my birthday, which led me to playing MNOG and all the online Bionicle media; I especially remember buying some Nestle cereal (even though to this day I've always hated cereal) because it had a Bionicle CD with a load of FMV's and a basic platformer. Similar to you Slugger I began to stop following the story around about 2007/2008 when I became a teenager and kind of grew out of the theme. I just found the story a bit harder to follow without the comics or books in the UK. I think my friends just really liked the sets (especially the Rahkshi for some reason? Maybe it was the knees...) and I was the only one that was really into the lore and story. So some of the sci-fi twists near the end I wasn't around for; I agree that the first few years probably were the best due to the mysterious atmosphere, the island setting, and the cooler collectables. I do like the Metru Nui arc though even though the 2005 storyline was kind of an unnecessary extra flashback year (Where the Toa Metru get mutated into edgier, more beast-like versions of themselves) so they could re-use all the Metru Nui assets. I do agree that whilst the titan sets were always really brilliant, the toa sets kind of lost their way, especially with the Ignika/Piraka builds from 2006 onwards. I bought the G2 Tahu; I liked the sets but the story was overly watered down in reaction to it getting too complicated towards the end of G1. The GWP set is one I actually like the design of (Even if it is a glorified mixel version of Tahu and Takua) but for £95, and only for none-licensed themes? I think I'll buy it by itself on bricklink maybe in a few months time for a fairer price. Same with the Blacktron GWP.

“Not as great as gallidor” is a quote only @RRSlugger could get away with saying

I love Bionicle. I only keep up with lego because of Bionicle nowadays. I wish I could've been there when sets were still on store shelves, I only have a few sets that I've bought recently, those being from used lego stores, and online stores. Bionicle isn't just the funny robot toys, it's the funny robot toys with deep lore that's stupidly inaccessible to newcomers (i had a hard time finally learning bonkle lore, although that was a few years ago and I completely forgot how I learned so much of it back then). I wish current Lego could treat Bionicle with more respect. Anyway, this was a really interesting video, congratulations on coming out, I fully support your decision in doing so.

I was born in 2000 and have never known a world without Bionicle. I started getting the sets when I was very young, maybe 2004? System was great but something about the designs and world was fascinating to me. The Bionicle Heroes video game cemented my love for the franchise. I even liked the last waves before the death of G1 (I bought every Stars set with my saved up allowance lol). The theme just had so much soul, even if G2 was fumbled. The fanbase is niche and definitely over-represented on the internet, but damn we fans deserved something better than getting milked. This GWP move comes off as a cynical ploy to move LEGO’s lower selling and non-licensed (better profit margin) themes.

For how little I knew about Bionicle in my childhood every piece of story was like a gold mine, the mister y dispersed everywhere super hard to piece together but still the clues where there, I always loved my 6 bionicles and then the story just was something else. Everything culminated in the rise of matoran universe, that was my avengers endgame

Thank you Mr.Slugger, It's always interesting to see how older folks felt about some of these sets that I had in my youth. I used to call them the rolly guys and the snake heads n' such. But 100% I agree seeing those molds get used in other systems to me always felt out of place.

Huzzah! Glad to have a heavy-hitter like you in the community.

2:32, same here! My best friend had all the Nuva and we both felt like it was a step back, that was right when we stopped having an interest in LEGO. I think you’re definitely onto something with the “plague” pieces and use of Bionicle pieces in System sets, clear culprits in my “Dark Age”. I collected all 6 original Toa, completing the collection with Tahu on my tenth or eleventh birthday, I thought he was arrogant and bossy so he had to be gifted apparently hahahaha. There were no bad guy sets out yet so my friend and I would have the Toa fight with each other and our Beast Wars, Godzilla, and Gundam toys, all around the same ballpark for size with the Toa.

I love the Gun to the head. :D I never could stand Bionicle. Although I grew up with 80's Lego so I was an adult when it launched. I love your channel by the way. And Rock Raiders is my favorite theme next to Adventurers. I love Rock Raiders so much I bought 2 HQ sets.

The new Tahu set is actually a pretty neat display piece, I would be willing to part with up to 50 dollars for it, its just really disappointing its locked behind such an intense pay wall. I rarely buy lego sets because of the price and my financial situation, I'm really hoping they decide to release a tribute that everyone has access to.

What I absolutely loved about Bionicle was connecting all the Toas connect together to form a giant Bionicle. As a kid I thought it was the coolest thing and reminded me of the Megazord from power rangers

As someone who was deep into the story aspects of Bionicle, scrounging around for the comics at my local library every chance I could and exploding every time there was actually something new, I can sort of understand being unsatisfied by the removal of the mysterious vibe the original waves had. Personally, though, that was kind of what I liked about the series: It presented you with this mystical spirituality and then slowly pulled back the layers to reveal that everything was going on was the result of highly calculated victories and tragedies, and now the characters were left to pick up the pieces of this massive war for power and see what they could do with them. That and I was a sucker for the character writing (R.I.P Matoro, never forget). When it comes to the gift with purchase, I think after considering it for a long while, my biggest problem with it is that it's a gift with purchase. The set itself looks absolutely fantastic in my eyes, not only due to all the references and love the designers put in, but also because LEGO has been putting out too many giant mechs and smaller mechs with pre-bent knees. A regular sized robot with a high level of articulation (except the ankles in Tahu's case) scratches that Bionicle itch way more than any of the other boxy bots with minifig chairs jammed in the middle. The price point they have on the store of $17 is something I would easily pay for, twice over if they made more than one Toa, but locking it behind a paywall of random unrelated stuff is borderline heartbreaking. I'm fairly lucky that I have a few friends who are into LEGO but not into Bionicle, so we were able to pool together the money so we could each get a set or two and I could skim Tahu right off the top.

the original white one was my favorite. i just loved the split sword and the scopes on the helmet.

I wish I had heard of that poll. It's really odd how LEGO treated BIONICLE seeing what it DID for them at the time.

Your videos are always amazing, best LEGO channel ive ever seen in my life

Never really got into Bionicles, but I loved Slizers! Building the bodies with all the ball joints sort of looked the same, but I couldn’t really get into the Bionicle masks after the cool printed Slizer heads. I had no idea those throwing disks eventually made their way into Bionicle too!

I personally love the later years of Bionicle though to be fair I was 11 when the series was cancelled so I was never really into the story until I went back retroactively as a teenager much later, so I imagine a lot of the atmosphere and nuance the first three years built up and subsequently disappeared with Metru Nui was lost on me. However I think the Metru Nui story line in it's own right is brilliant and equals 01-03 in atmosphere however it's apocalyptic instead of mysterious. Also if you haven't I'd highly recommend NickonPlanetRipple's "The Toa" fan comic it's a brilliant retelling of the entire 9 year saga wrapped up in the narrative of the 01 storyline.

If it's any consolation, I've been a lifelong Bionicle fan from day 1 and I pine for Galidor more than I do Bionicle on a regular basis.

Even though I got into Bionicle back in 2009, I see it as my all time favorite Lego theme. There still hasn't been anything quite like it nowadays, with the possible exception of Ninjago in my eyes.

i agree, 2001-2003 were the true peak i felt the same as a kid trying to keep up with the new releases but feeling more and more let down it was around the time lego started using that armor plate system and giving the hands fingers that i tapped out for good

Years from now kids are gonna wonder what the weird looking red guy is and become even more confused that it's lego. Then they'll stumble into a rabbit hole and never look back.

Honestly I found your channel because the algorithm recommended a video that said you were an unhinged lunatic. While I didn’t subscribe to them, I’m glad I stumbled upon your channel, super insightful and relatable

CCBS and subsequently SCCBS is probably the most Lego-like system we’ve gotten for building figures. Sad to see it dismissively glossed over.

I actually just got the Tahu GWP and it’s actually pretty good. It does help that there was already sets from the qualifying themes that I wanted, though.

I've had the entire Mask of Light movie trailer memorized for almost as long as I can remember. I've always loved puttin the boys together to be able to play with em, though I would never try to collect all of a set. Mostly i liked to get the villains or just one of the main guys. They were always some of my favorites to use in the imagination wars of my youth. It is a shame that they didnt go with more unique body types for each of the team members, I hadnt noticed that but it is a cogent point.

The Bionicle theme was before my time, although I did grow up building with Bionicle pieces, because one day I remember my Mom getting me and my brother a bin of hundreds of used Bionicle parts from dozens of different sets, likely to supplement our lego Hero Factory collection. My brother and I had fun combining the Bionicle and Hero factory pieces to build mechs. We would then have "Mech battles", in which we would slam our mechs together. Whoever's mech lasted the longest without getting their mech's head or chestplate knocked off wins. Then we would rebuild our mechs and repeat. Those were the days

I was born and raised in Perú and I vividly remember seeing Bionicle for the first time. I was immediately hooked with the OG Toa but I didn't have enough money to afford one. A few weeks later I returned to the store and the entire lineup had changed. I just pointed at Kopaka Nuva and got it. It was the most amazing toy I had ever had. Back in Perú internet wasn't really a thing so I never understood any of the story beyond the included mini comic book and in-store advertisement. We had nothing until the Mask Of Light movie arrived. I could watch it every day and be happy for weeks. I got a few other sets over the years but never got to understand the actual story until 2018 when I re-discovered the franchise. Bionicle is just very special to me and yeah. It kind of sucks we get no proper recognition but this GWP is better than nothing.

I only got into Bionicle after it had already died. I'd watch the first 2 movies on DVD and I loved them but the only toys were the glatorian ones my older brother had which I wasn't allowed to play with. So to me Bionicle was always a story. It stayed in my brain in the background as something that existed and had some good movies. Until several years later some memes about it reminded me of it causing me to dig into the series. Causing me to fall in love with every part of Bionicle. It's convoluted story and all. I think it's a sense of nostalgia for something that never was. By the time I was old enough to play with Bionicle it was already over, but I was till effected by it's aftermath. Hero factory was what I played with but that didn't have a story so once it was over my interes died along with it. So now that I'm old enough I can see what Bionicle was doing with it's story and feel like I'm experiencing something from my childhood for the first time. And while to Lego it's dead and gone the fandom makes it feel like it's still alive. So for me the magic never left bionicle. It feels all brand new Edit: also Lego killing Bionicle is why Bionicle stars even exists. So saying they were to late to stop it just feels insensitive to bionicles cancelation.

I came to the party late and only got into Bionicles back in ‘06 when I got my first Lego Magazine. I collected all six Piraka and got a bunch of other random sets from that generation (not any Toa. The “Move Along” music video wasn’t enough to get me to buy those green-faced abominations). I also read all the Voya Nui comics and played the shit out of Bionicle Heroes for the Wii (mid game looking back, but the soundtrack goes absolutely hard for no reason).

There's no way I was slowly getting into Bionicle lore this week, and you post a Bionicle video! That can't be just a coincidence! (It's probably because the GWP came out today and people were talking about it) However, despite being in the age range of people that are Bionicle fans, I never really got into them. I still have problems in understanding what they're about to this day! I've always been into City stuff, and obviously all those glorious 2000s themes that are still the best LEGO sets ever made in my opinion: Space Police, Power Miners, Agents, Pharaoh's Quest...