Hey folks, *PLEASE READ* this little blurb before leaving me a comment about the video. Obviously, the topic I'm presenting here is going to generate some disagreement, so I think it's important to remember that at the end of the day, these are just plastic toys that we all enjoy as a shared hobby. There's no need to take it personally if someone doesn't like the same toys as you, nor is there a reason to believe that your preference for one is more important that someone else's preference for another. I welcome discussion and will read even the longest novel that Bionicle fans are always so keen to write me, but I also ask that if you're going down that path, please watch through the video a second time before doing so. There's a good chance that I may have already addressed one of your points in the video or on-screen text and I think there's just too much going on in this one to catch every little detail the first time through. Thank you! 😊 While there are some objective truths that can be claimed (such as the Toa Metru objectively have more points of articulation than the Mata/Nuva), the vast majority of this debate boils down to preference, and no one's opinion on the matter is more valid than another's - not mine, not yours. Lastly, I'm also aware that there are "lore reasons" for certain things I take issue with in this video. Personally, I don't see that as a compelling stance; the lore is written retroactively to justify decisions made with the toys. Had the Toa Metru toys more accurately adhered to the individual characteristics of the Turaga they sought to emulate, the lore would have supported this decision. Had masks continued to be a play feature and the main focus of Bionicle going forward, the lore would have supported this too. In my opinion, lore arguments are totally moot. Anyways, thanks for reading and watching the video! Hopefully we can still be friends even if we don't like the same Bionicles. 😉 Next week, we return to the Orient Expedition! ~ Slugger
I love unification of Toa Metru cuz in my Childhood I saw them as elite warriors in the Big City, something llike superheroic SWAT and so they wear similar futuristic military armor as like being from one "organisation".
You made a good point about the turaga influence missing. Bionicle always felt like they wanted to make a new wave of hero’s but then gave them names of older characters. The inika and mahri were the only valid ones but the rest especially the Mistika was bad.
I wonder how they could've supported a story where they would have to collect the masks every year, feel like it would have definitely hurt the story if they did but very likely could've made those features just not story relevant.
Well, I’ll be bold and state that I don’t have skin in this game. However, I would very much like to know what the green trashcan part is at minute 4:20? Also, I love Bionicle as a whole, and I am only just now learning more about it. Don’t necessarily have one preference for one section of the theme/lore over another. I find the most interesting thing about Bionicle is neither of these things, but rather the elements that were produced in the toys. I find the various gear elements and ball-socket elements fascinating, and I like collecting them in the various colors and shapes that were available. There are so many things that can be done with them, whether for shoulders (or lack thereof), or in someone’s brilliant design for some new gearbox! I’ be done with my novel now. 😂 I still want to know about that green trashcan, if that’s alright. Thank you!
@@priestking8636which is funny in hindsight lore-wise since they were relative underdogs compared with the "original" (wait, lore wise they WERE the original iirc... no scare quotes needed? huh) toa
Real Bionicle is throwing all that stuff away years ago, because your mom got angry at the space it took up, and then discovering it was part of the story.
I commend your bravery in posting this video. This is like the Bionicle equivalent of saying Empire Strikes Back is the worst OG Star Wars film...hey, wait...
I have a special viewpoint to share with you. In my country, Bionicle became widely available with the Metru Nui release. While I already knew of the Bionicle and was fascinated with the mask part of the toy, I could not get my hands on them at all. So when I got the Toa Metru and saw that their masks didn't just loosely fit in, but where basically their heads, I was kinda confused, but realised that the previous iteration probably had some issues and that's why they changed. Seeing as how all further sets did not have an emphasis on masks, this is what Bionicle became for me. I did get the chance to get the older models as Chinese knockoffs and quickly became annoyed with their lack of opposability. As a kid all I wanted was to play with action figures that moved, not static statues. By far the best figures for that were the Rakshi. Honestly not topped to this day. The second best were the water level Toa (the one you said are unique in the video). So while the masks are a core feature of the draw of Bionicle and one which I wished I could enjoy, I did not have a chance to play with them so they attained some sort of mythical status of long gone play features instead of the defining part of the toy. I assume a lot of other fans are in similar situations. That's why the Toa Metru hold a special place in our heart. They were the first. Also the huge amount of cross promotion with video games in cereal or the movie which was way better than the first for a 10 year-olds mind. Obviously the first movie is a way better movie, but the second one has spectacle and big enemies and robots. To me that was the height of Bionicle. Sure I followed the story and played the games until the end, but this is the period I remember as the hey day of Bionicle. All your criticisms are valid, but seen through the lens of someone who got to play with the first generation. That's probably why disagreements might appear with other people.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I absolutely agree with your assessment - I think the majority of Bionicle fans today did not grow up with the original 2001 - 2003 line and have a very different idea of what a Bionicle should be compared to what I do. I don't think I could have said this all any better myself - thanks for the great comment! ❤
My main bionicle I mess with daily is a modified rahkshi. Sadly I don't have the worm for it, but I love making new weapons or add-ons or even just adding new parts. Everytime I do I add more to his story so the change makes sense too.
One thing that I do love about the metru( and I can’t really explain why) is the fact that they have angled shoulders. There was something just so cool about those back then.
Ah-ah-ah! Gali Mata has broad shoulders (still a good look in my eyes, gives her an warrior princess vibe) Funny enough, I DID give my Toa Metru secondary colors for a few years… but I eventually decided it was too loud for the shaping of the armor and just clashed too obnoxiously, switching back to the grey as a mid tone.
Whaa?! Wow, total Mandela Effect there - I could have sworn she had slender shoulders too! Good catch - I can't believe I messed that up! 🙃 Welp. Guess the whole video's debunked now.
Love it when I see Nick commenting here, you guys are definitely the most unique and soulful Lego channels in existence, BY FAR! Cheers to both of y’all
14:30 So true. The mask is literally the most important part of a build. MOCs included. Its usually the hardest thing for me to figure out when trying to make one. To find the perfect fit for the character. It ties the entire build together.
i find 2006's lore excuse for the faceless heads really funny. in-canon their unmasked faces just glow so bright it blinds everyone, and the masks are.. alive kind of??
@@RRSluggerYou won't be able to make a short video if you did. The lore is a rabbit hole few dare to jump into. Even in a summarized version its wild to say the least.
I see your point at 17:16 but raise you with the fact that their weapons actually work under water. The Mahri series really brought back after gen 4 Inika, especially with each set, both heros and villains being unique. The Mahri and the Barraki were phenomenal returns to form, but once again soured by the Phantoka.
I think the biggest set back for the toa metru for me was the standardization of the toa bodies. The Mata were unique across each toa having subtle quirks between body styles. The metru toa where basically the same body but with different masks and toa tools.
I hear a lot of people say this but I think people grossly overestimate how 'unique' the Mata builds were in comparison to later sets. Like sure there was the stud on Tahu's chest, Onua's head being mounted nearer to his chest and Pohatu's upside-down torso, but I don't find those very minor modifications between eachother make them more interesting than the Inika builds, which I still think was a better choice for the line than people give it credit for. I found the Mahri in particular much more creatively designed than the Mata, and even pre-Inika lines like the Hordika I still think are more solid than the originals. I still maintain that the Metru have the least variation of any of the waves, but I still think the sin-of-the-father mentality towards what came after them is silly sometimes
@@thePanOfPans You're definitely right about this - honestly, both perspectives have a lot of merit, I think. It's why I mention in my video here that the Toa Mahri showcase some of the best differentiation between Toa designs out there! Would that it not for the complete lack of a gear system and apathetically treating the masks like they're character faces, I'd be really interested in them! Oh well... 😔
@@RRSlugger Realistically, the masks were _always_ just faces. 2001's story was just too good for the toyline it was trying to sell and made the masks seem more important than they really were. Additionally, if we're being honest here, standardization of Toa design started with the Nuva. Tahu, Gali, Kopaka, Lewa, and Takanuva all have the same basic design. The only differences outside Masks and weapons are the arms; Gali and Takanuva share arm designs, and frankly, Kopaka should have followed Tahu and Lewa's leads.
In retrospect, I realize I was basically a Bionicle genwunner, even if I wasn't an especially vocal one. The original designs just "looked right" to me, and what came after, including the Metru which I believed I owned two of, lost more and more of that charm as they went on.
I was born in '05 and didn't have any of the sets growing up. I absolutely adore 2004-2009, and they were the first sets I got. Even though I didn't get my first Toa Mata or Toa Nuva until later, I like their design and playing with them so much more, and while I certainly wouldn't want to give up any of what we got later, I can't deny that the later canister sets never quite managed to capture that unexplainable, powerful image that the Toa Mata brought. I do like the Toa Nuva as well, and while I will at times have periods I can't stop appreciating their design, it is ultimately something that I have kinda forced myself to like.
For the longest time I was only focused on the big "titan" and combiner sets since they were, well, _actually different_ than the rest. Eventually they returned to being cool and distinct with the 2007 sets, which was nice, but it definitely still had a _very_ different feel and overall vibe than Mata Nui did. Honestly, it doesn't help that the Mata Nui Online Game (1 & 2) existed while later years got... well, the Voya Nui Online Game was cool, I guess? If completely different from the rest and non-canon?
For me, simply being Technic-built figures was enough to "be Bionicle" to me, since Technic as a building system allowed for so much creativity in the builds that I didn't get to see in any other Lego theme, during or since. Galidor or traditional action figures would never allow me to seamlessly mix and match parts from the Rahi and vehicles together with the main characters. That said, I will admit that as someone who grew up with 2006-onwards Bionicle, I always did yearn for more collectible masks, as opposed to having each mold be specialized per character - that was something that always drew me in during the fiction, and looking back at the older toys. That said, having a gear system to smack masks off, *that* always felt like a gimmick to me that I could do without, even as a kid. Being able to play with the toys with any poses I wished to get them in, and having the gimmicks all be self-contained like the disk launchers, spinners, blasters, and (my favorite) the Tridax pods, was always preferable, as it meant "the toy gimmick" wouldn't be intrusive in the build of the actual toy, plus they'd work on a narrative level as simply "being functional representations of the in-story weapons", lol. Anyways the Kanoka disks could've used more individuality, but their concept and play feature rocked, so hush you, haver-of-poor-taste. On the note of fiction though, I heavily disagree with your gripes about Metru Nui as a setting - firstly you tremendously miss the point of prequel stories in general, thinking none of it matters if you know "everyone turns out okay" - bro, we all already know the heroes are going to turn out okay in nearly every story ever made, because otherwise there wouldn't be a satisfying plot; the ending isn't the point, "it's about the journey"; and in the case of prequels, also adding extra context or new wrinkles to enhance existing stories. to this day, Metru Nui is probably still one of the most creative and compelling sci-fi settings I know of: the transport hub of Le-Metru with all its suspended water tunnels being a gigantic transport hub, Ta-Metru being a literal enormous furnace, Onu-Metru's mazelike archives, the great coliseum with its modular floor and nonsensically-tall tower, the island surrounded on all sides by liquid metal, and so much more make it feel both lively and curiosity-piquing, especially with the narrative of it being a 1984-esque police state that also somehow plays home to ungodly creatures like the Morbuzakh vines, numerous gigantic dragons that could easily level the entire city, and whatever things stalk the spiraling tunnels like the Krahka (literally Bionicle's The Thing). Knowing that all of this grande and dramatic nonsense existed in the distant/recent past of a setting as humble-yet-mysterious as Mata Nui, which itself played home to several previously-unknown terrors literally climbing out from the depths like the Bohrok and Rahkshi, only adds to the intrigue of the overall setting, if you asked me.
I certainly can't argue with your preferences here! To each their own. 👍 As I said in the video, to me the masks ARE Bionicle and I'm pretty entrenched in that perspective, for good and for bad. As you can see from some of the other sets throughout the video, I tried to get back into it again and again, but none of those later figures *felt* like Bionicle to me - not as toys and not within the fiction either. A sci-fi industrial aesthetic was not at all what I wanted to see from Bionicle; it felt like such an abrupt shift in tone to me back then and completely alienated me from engaging further. Every year from 2004 onwards would also ditch the emphasis on the masks for some kind of new launcher gimmick - it just all felt too tacky to me. 🤷♂
@@RRSluggerYeah I hear you there, nothing I can do if it's not something you vibe with besides just sharing my own perspective, lol. Besides getting into the series later, I feel part of the reason why the industrial setting was so easy for me to accept was because, well, if I'm being honest the Mata Nui era of figures were already extremely industrial-feeling to me in their designs. from 2004-onwards, increasingly less attention became given as to exactly where pistons/gears/other molded details were placed on the pieces, often placing them in pretty nonsensical/ineffectual spots, while the Toa Mata's molded details by comparison felt extremely intentional - they felt believable in that they could mechanically be constructed in real life. And that's of course putting aside the larger 2001 Rahi strongly resembling construction vehicles or even tanks, lol. What was important for me fiction-wise was whether they retained the air of mystery, which was to me incredibly integral in the early years of Bionicle; it wasn't just a sci-fantasy adventure series, it was a huge mystery story as the reader slowly uncovered the past of these characters and their world, only to be met with more questions the more they learned. For me, Metru Nui was in itself a shining example of doing just that: Sure it was a much more hard-scifi locale, but there was still so much that made utterly no sense about it if applied to conventional sense. It has a sky with a sun, yet exists beneath Mata Nui after a series of winding tunnels? What was the purpose of the great archives, where did all its creatures come from? Why was Metru Nui such a large production hub in the first place, what was it making besides masks? And how does a world like this possibly exist so close to an island seemingly so naturalistic and familiar? We learned where the Matoran and Turaga came from, but were only left with increasingly more questions about their origins, and that left child-me's mind racing, haha. I don't think Bionicle ever truly lost that air of mystique until after 2008, which makes sense, as that grande reveal was always meant to be the final ending that wrapped everything up, something that instantaneously answered nearly every question you could have about the setting. I really liked the world building in 2009/2010 regardless, but it wasn't until that particular soft reboot that I felt Bionicle had truly and completely evolved into something else. But at least, hey, that's just my views on the matter, haha.
Lol! Your falsetto is incredible! Not related to the videos topic, but combining your natural talents and creativity with your Lego interest are what keeps me patiently waiting and coming back for more. Thanks slugger!
I am a Toa Metru fan but I agree completely with all your criticisms of the sets except the colors - I totally see what you're saying about how people might just like the greys for familiarity, but I personally love the more muted and urban look because I think it fit in so well with the new city setting. That's also why I think I'm more lenient with the homogenized look, though I do wish they had some sort of variety. Personally I stayed with Bionicle during the shift to Metru Nui. It was jarring for sure, but this strange city existing underground mixed with the knowledge that there was some upcoming tragic ending to this tale? That was more than enough to keep me invested in the story. IMO the story started to fall apart around 2007 when we got too many filler fight scenes and character interactions became quips and the serials introduced a million new subplots that went nowhere. I'm also not a fan at all of the Mahri sets, and I think even lower of the 2008 sets so that's about when I lost interest in the franchise.
Fair point! I can't tell you that your love for the Metru colours is fueled by a preference of the familiar anymore than someone could tell me that my preference for the Mata is fueled by nostalgia. It doesn't stop them from doing so, mind you haha, but you're right. 👍
I think when it comes to the ‘newer’ building system that wasnt as compatible with mata era stuff is more of a futureproofing type deal especially when it comes to visual compatibility. The mata pieces are ridiculously specific and dont mesh well with other lego parts and you can see that on larger bionicle builds like makuta with all the jutting parts and exposed ball joints. The metru style of joint design could be better integrated into larger builds and maintain visual cohesion. What i think is ignored in this video about the metru year was the clearer focus on the titans and larger characters rather than large technic rahi. The system for the toa may be a little bit muddied down but these new parts made for other characters in bionicle going forward much more visually cohesive as well as allowed for better modification which is the whole appeal to lego over other toy brands. This and the masks being axles was more probably just focused on stability of play because thats something lego has focused on a lot more of as years went on. The masks were still removable as shown in lore and the movies. Its just a shame they did not make mask packs for metru era stuff. But theres probably a good monetary reason why they never went back to it from the mata era as recolours arent as cheap as youd necessarily think
"The system for the toa may be a little bit muddied down but these new parts made for other characters in bionicle going forward much more visually cohesive as well as allowed for better modification which is the whole appeal to lego over other toy brands." - this is exactly what I talk about at 11:45 of the video. If we want to make the case that the new system of design would lead to better things, then that's a different discussion - one that I'd probably agree with to an extent! Those Metru era Titan models were fantastic - honestly, some of the best toys from the Bionicle franchise, in my opinion. Their exclusion from this video was intentional, however, as they don't directly relate to the issues facing the Toa Metru themselves. I didn't want to steer the discussion too much away from the topic at hand in the video. 🙂
I can buy the the reason the mask packs going away was a cost cutting reason. Since the collectible that were a simply recolor were typically just that year’s launcher weapon
I share a lot of the feelings about Bionicle here! Very well-written video, especially with the handful of humorous visuals paired with what you were saying. It was interesting to turn on the TV today and see a new R.R. Slugger video posted "8 seconds ago"... I don't remember what I turned it on to watch now! I'm sure this was better than whatever it was, though.
Unrelated: A few minutes into the video, you just started talking about a release, and "update [some numbers] has been applied" popped up on the screen. After it didn't go away after 10 seconds, I was thinking "odd artistic choice by Slugger here!"... It was my TV.
@@CarsSimplified Haha, that's great! 😆 Thanks for checking out the video, Steve! I hope you find whatever show it was that you wanted to watch initially, haha.
Yep, and they could have just used a small part similar to 43700, 32474, or 50923 if they wanted relatively short shoulders that could be rotated with gears. And if they'd made the 2x7 double socket connector 61054 at the same time, they could control arm and leg length to allow for variations of body types.
I played the 2001 Nestlé CD-ROM so many times, but my first set was Toa Vakama. Metru Nui and its heroes have long held a tender spot in my heart for being the first of the theme I could get my hands on, and for painting a wondrous vision of a city filled with vibrant life and deadly intrigue. ..But I wouldn't say the Metru build is top of my personal list when it comes to playability. Trying to aim Vakama's disk launcher always led to his other arm flopping around, the angled shoulder connection made it difficult to get Nokama to hit that blades-out swimming pose, and any time I wanted them to do anything outside of a walking motion I had to realign the gears. Their masks bothered me, because outside of Nokama's Rau it didn't feel like there was a clear through line to the Noble Masks of their old age. And yet, I love them dearly. I even still keep Lhikan built with his delectable color scheme. The way their proportions feel "grown up" compared to their Matoran hit just right. Their drab, uniform grey gave them a sense of seriousness to a kid my age. They will always be classics to me. But thank you for sharing your own criticisms! I could feel some of them in my bones for sure
What a genuine, level-headed take from a fan of the Metru designs! Thanks for that - I enjoyed reading your insights very much. ❤ I wish I had more time to talk about the masks in the video itself, but I had to cut a bunch of stuff for time. Also, it did start to feel like I was beating a dead horse towards the end of it..! 😅 Like I said in the video, I wasn't out here to change people's minds. Those who love the Toa Metru decided that they did 20 years ago - I wasn't going to move them out of that trench, haha, nor should I try. You're allowed to like or dislike whatever toys you want, at the end of the day!
Hahaha, thank you! To be completely honest, I debated with myself on this one whether or not actually releasing it was a good idea - in the end, I thought my argumentative work was strong enough here that it would be a pity *not* to release it, so here it is! I'm really proud of this one. 😊
Yeah I loved it! I completely agree with you, and I was a bionicle fan all the way through. As an adult ive found myself most interested in the first year especially, and I think it’s clear why for so many reasons, not least of which the ones you explored. Just because it says bionicle on the box doesnt mean that’s what it is, and now I’m wondering if just because it DOESNT say bionicle on the box, does that mean it isnt a bionicle? Maybe that’s why the robo riders and the slizers have also been so interesting to me. Thanks for this, you always make the best videos!
@@Cosmalano Now there's an interesting thought! There's definitely something about those early Technic/constraction years that's so appealing. Glad to hear you enjoyed the video, thanks! 😊
Thank you! I was getting kind of sick of all the hyperbole surrounding them - "peak Bionicle" and whatnot. In my opinion, they are a very necessary yet very flawed outing for the series.
AMAZING video. A lot of these points are exactly why I, as an adult, have only really cared to collect sets from 2001-2003, despite the WHOLE Bionicle story being a large part of my childhood that I am still very fond of.
Thank you very much! The interesting part, for me at least, is that I felt this way about these toys even as a kid, though I wasn't able to put it into words back then. Returning to the subject as an adult has allowed me to better flesh out what I felt back then and reason as to why it was my perspective. Often times, I find that my opinion changes over time, but when it came to writing about the Toa Metru, I was a little surprised how similar I felt now 20 years later! 😮
Yeah me too! I can't believe I never figured my Tahu Nuva could trade off one of its swinging arm for a locking mechanism. I did double check, and yeah it is demonstrated I'm the instructions! I guess little kid me just discarded the instructions as soon as the figure was built
@@RRSluggerWell obviously Bionicle Peaked with the McToran. Were the Toa Mata ever sold in McDonalds Happy Meals? I think not. Search your feelings Darth Slugger, you know it to be true. Even if the McToran bodies are mostly made of rubber, their chibby collectible nature has no rival.
@@BoardGamesBricksHobbies They intentionally not put knees on mechs because of an internal policy that came out of playtesting, as mentioned by Niek van Slagmaat, main mech designer for Ninjago and set designer for Bionicle G2. In one of his interviews he would state kids would complain that the knees would bend and make the build fall down when they do rough play. Not sure what age group it was used, but probably young test group. This is why even if they could do mechs with knees, they dont, at least not for sets meant for younger kids. There could also be structural issues with system constraction as oppose to technic one. System sets are more compact, consisted of more pieces and heavier than Bionicle sets, so their limbs require sturdier connections, often effecting visual look. Exo Force line used the Knights Kingdom limb pieces, which worked on the Galidor hinge piece, far more sturdy design for system builds. Plus those mechs were lighter and used less pieces so they could afford bending knees. Should also factoring design philosophy changing over time, what passed 10-20 years ago might not pass in current Lego. Even if they already achieved some necessary innovations, its not a rising line when it comes to set evolution, they would sometimes dial back and do something simpler.
"When mask became faces, Bionicle ceased to be Bionicle"... It was the bravest and hottest take I've ever heard about Bionicle. And gosh, it feels almost criminally right...
@@RRSlugger I just never expect it when you bring up old internet memes. You just don't seem the type with how articulate your videos are 90% of the time, so it always makes me do a double take haha.
I really need to get into Bionicle to feel the impact this video must have within the community. This was really awesome to listen to despite my lack of knowledge!
honestly i never thought about it this hard. i just really liked all of them regardless of their features, bionicles just look cool no matter what to me.
It’s funny because, as a system fan, I never even got bionicle. So I have no dog in the fight. I’m just invested for the entertainment factor of seeing Slugger’s passionate and articulate soliloquy and what it lets me know about the apparent views in the fanbase. The song was hilarious. Another brilliant video, my guy!
Thank you very much! I'm really proud of this one; despite my error in Gali's shoulder design that some viewers caught, I think I really argued my points well across the board. 😊
I think you're right about the color schemes - the older stuff just looked so vibrant and eye-catching. Gray should be reserved for mechanical elements like gears. Same reason why old Lego space stuff is better than Star Wars.
Mr. Slugger, you make the best Lego content. Legos were my first love as a hobby, and because of your sluggy words, I am going back to that hobby! Love you big guy! ❤️
I am so extremely happy that I have survived long enough to be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted 30 year old who can find such a breadth of well-articulated videos about extremely niche hobbies that I was ridiculed for loving as a child. There's a beautiful karma to this, is all. (Also I agree with all your points, especially from a Lore and practicality standpoint--Vakama's Kanohi disc aim was always a sore point for me since I could never keep his arm straight)
My opinion on the subject is radically different, but I agree on this point: Mask Packs and Technic play features should've been a staple throughout the whole line.
didnt expect you to reference olivia rodrigo and even singing a whole blurb about it!! unironically 1sf3sb is my favorite song of hers so this was an instant watch! great work!!
I enjoy the Toa Metru because the theming for the whole wave has some amazing Y2K vibes but also bc Nuju was the first Bionicle I picked up. Certainly understand the disappointment of something you loved becoming something else though
funny, I was just talking to a friend about being kind of underwhelmed by the metru while rebuilding a box of bionicle parts I rediscovered at my parents' house. can't wait to watch this one after work!
This man is the villain of bionicle nostalgia lol Honestly we need less rose tinted glasses on bionicle in my opinion. That sentiment has prevented the community from truly accepting the reboot which if I’m honest, had better articulation and gear mechanics than we ever had.
I would agree with that, if we tore appart the G1 poster children, the Toa Mata as well. Otherwise this is just favoritism of one thing while disregarding the other, thinking that there can only be one or few things that represent Bionicle. Saw the similar sentiments made from Gen 1 Pokemon fans, Classic Sonic fans, Original Trilogy Star Wars fans, and TOS/TNG Star Trek fans. And I don't agree with that, a franchise can be more than one thing, same with build toys. The fact that Bionicle lasted for as long as it did proves that their changes were successful enough to warrant them. There is certainly a discussion to be made with where the line made bad decisions, but with less reverence to the Mata, as even they made some decisions that would plague the line in it's entirety.
The G2 reboot was honestly great as far as the sets go, once people overcome the aesthetic differences between G1 and CCBS. The Masters are legit one of my favorite Toa waves, and while the Uniters are a bit of a step back they're still more standout sets than the Inika were.
As someone who loved the Toa Mata and Nuva, and started to feel disenchanted immediately as the Metru Nui arc kicked off in 2004… thank you, soooo much. I feel so validated 😂
The Toa Metru are the closest Bionicle ever got to “good looking” proportions. They certainly look orders of magnitude better than the wierd lanky Inika proportions that basically stuck around til the end.
@@RRSlugger Well Bionicle, and to an extent Constraction, have pretty weird proportions no matter how close they get to human ones. A lot can be attributed to the massive balljoints theses sets had, while giving the much needed stability, would result in pretty exaggerated body areas. The sockets being used as hands gave them freakishly large hands as a result, which was needed in order to have the technic connections. And the heads...G1 had particularly large masks compare to G2, lots of empty space between the masks and the head while the later iteration had them nearly flush with the head. Also due to stability reasons, all of the generations had clown feet. Its sorta the charm of these weird robot dudes, and why the build systems dont translate well into the builds intended for human characters like in SW or DC/Marvel. Kinda suspend your disbelief with robots when building them with Lego, not so much humans.
Thanks for sharing your opinion @RRSlugger / I was into Bionicle since 2001, but Toa Metru still are some of my favorites. I never cared about gear functions, and the lack of the articulation of the original sets was really a big issue for me, as I was into super poseable action figures growing up, and I just couldn’t overlook the fact that you can’t even turn their heads left and right. But. I do understand your issues with Toa Metru and I honestly agree with most of them, but I still love them, just like I love 2001-2003, even thought they lack articulation.
15:36 Really leaving you wide open for anyone coming in Diogenis style, proclaiming "Behold: A Bionicle!" and presenting... idk, a mecha fly guy from Mario party 2's "Mecha marathon"?
Heck no. The grey secondary color gives them a more grounded look and it makes the armor pop out more. Theres nothing I despise more than inserting a secondary color on a toy that doesn’t need it. It often just complicates the color scheme and makes it look more kidish instead of realisitic.
Fair enough! Agree to disagree on the aesthetics. I would definitely be willing to entertain a colour scheme like you’re suggesting *if* the armour colour better matched the brighter hues of Mata Nui. As is, what we got is so drab and doesn’t really leave a visual impact, at least in my opinion. 🤷♂️
All this talk of Galidor, Slizers/Throwbots, constraction figures, and Bionicle, makes me wonder if you're ever going to tackle other non-brick building systems, like Znap. Someday, I want to make a MOC combining all the non-brick systems Lego attempted into a giant plastic Frankenstein's Monster.
I agree with your point on the reuse of parts between each other when it comes to the bohrok, vahki, etc Those are monsters meant to buy a bunch of, they aren't meant to be named characters Cannon fodder, not main villains
Very great video. As someone who grew up primarily with the 01-03 era sets, I can understand how that period feels like the "golden era" of Bionicle. That being said, I think my personal definition of a "Bionicle" would come down to the ability to customize and build new models out of their pieces. Whether that be your own custom Toa, Tohunga, Rahi, or whatever, the essence of an "action figure that you can take apart" to such a level of detail is what Bionicle is to me. That's why I've always seen Bionicle as just as true of a part of LEGO as any other classic theme. Sure, some other toys would let you swap limbs or accessories, but the very nature of the Technic system allows for a fundamentally greater level of creative expression than anything else. That's why I had no issues with the sets from Hero Factory or G2. I can get out my bins of technic and CCBS pieces and make something entirely unique, regardless if the original set had collectible masks or working gear functions. In the end, Bionicle had such a big impact on so many fans at many different time periods and in many different ways; it's logical to expect different people to have different priorities of what they consider to be "true" Bionicle. Although the Metru may have been fairly disappointing for me as a kid, the fact that a generation of kids were able to play with those sets and make their own amazing creations with them is enough for me to consider the Metru a vital part of Bionicle's history. Bravo for making a video about Bionicle that doesn't repeat the same tired points of praise we constantly hear nor does it unjustifiably insult subjective opinions with "objective fact." It's nice hearing a well-articulated discussion that remains respectful while still being fresh and unique; that's a rarity in most online communities.
Thank you very much, Luke! You're absolutely right - everyone is going to have a different definition of what truly makes a "Bionicle". I'm certainly not of the delusion that my opinion is the only opinion, of course haha. 😊
I agree a lot despite being a metru fan, especially on the shoulder joints thing, but I wanna make something very clear. Though they axed the play feature and alt colour kanohi (mostly, there are a few exceptions), kanohi were still absolutely critical to the world and lore of bionicle. the vahi used in the movie was kinda an example of a mask that can be worn over other kanohi, and was the ultimate maguffin of vakama's arc. and of course the Ignika was the most important kanohi of all time and spanned 2 whole toa runs (the same toa sure but still) and a LOT of expanded lore going forward. It was really glatorian that did away with the mask powers for the most part, since they wear 'helmets' instead of kanohi. so in a way, you're factually incorrect. The spirit of your point rings true though. However, I think they did away with the mask gimmick becuase over time, that mouth connection would get weaker and the masks would just....fall off. consider the matoran of that line, same mask system, but becuase thost masks were a lot thinner, they would fall off during normal play A LOT. Vhisola was my first bionicle, and I was forever dropping and losing her mask. Personally, I actually dislike the gear functions, even the toa mata ones. though this comes from a place of playing with them more like actions figures as a kid, and posing them as a collector later (not to mention how annoying it is to do stop motion with earlier bionicles, needing stage wire and rigs and all that- though some pieces lost their friction regardless so, eh). I agree that the toa should look mechanically unique, but they should try to use as many of the same pieces as possible. recolours are super important for MOCs. I think what seperates early bionicle enjoyers with metru onwards enjoyers is ethos. for folks like myself, the emphasis isn't on technic or play or gear functions or masks (tho recolours are nice, and nowadays we can 3D print alt colour of movie/unreleased kanohi anyway), it was about the lore. the characters, the unfolding story, the background schemes and sideplots, and of course- the villains. Makuta is cool lets be real, hes as generic and mustache twirling as they come, at least in mask of light. meanwhile theres characters like vesok, who has to grapple with the fact that he's now incomplete becuase of the ignika, or zaktan, a cunning snake who gets turned into nanomachines. in fact the piraka in general were good villains (outside of bionicle heroes- good game it may be) becuase they all wanted to betray one another. It really parallels a villain group that existed around the same time- the phyrexian preators of magic the gathering. working together for tactical advantage but ultimately they despise and plot against one another. anyway I apologise for the essay. I am a HUGE fan of your work, videos and music alike.
I appreciate your feedback here! I largely covered all of the things I wanted to in the video, however there were definitely some things I had to leave on the cutting room floor. One of the things I wish I could've discussed is the idea of the "lore" as a retroactive justification for toy design. I'm certainly aware that the *lore* still placed an emphasis on the masks being masks and not simply faces for the characters, but I don't think the same can be said for the *toys* of that era. For as interesting as the designs of the Mahri are, those "masks" are 100% just faces for the characters in question. By and large, they weren't recoloured, they weren't reused, and the Toa weren't intended to be seen without them on. In general, the lore will agree with and explain any decision that was taken with the toys, so from my perspective, it's a moot argument to turn to the lore for justification. Now, that's just one slug's opinion on the matter though - evidently, I don't hold the greater lore of Bionicle in high regard as is. 😅 I think I must have played with my Bionicles wrong or something as a kid, because I NEVER had any issues with masks falling off! Everyone tells me this was a huge problem, but it just... never happened to me! 😮 We're definitely fans of Bionicle for different reasons, no doubt there, but I'm glad we can have a quick conversation on the subject like this! Even if the result is "agree to disagree". 😉
@@RRSlugger True, but for the mahri, that was basically becuase their masks were altered by the ignika to help them survive underwater. and hahli's mask was used again for toa Lesovikk. but by and large yes, and its a gripe i have myself. recolours of the masks would have been fantastic, and in the inika era they had the oppertunity to do so for the toa metru, since they reused the same kanohi for the matoran of that wave. just...swap the colours? see, I have to agree to disagree that the lore is a moot point, as the lackluster lore was i feel a huge part of why the reboot flopped. A netflix only series, with a barebones (pun intented) plot and no nuance- but they did however make the masks relevent again, at least. I think that could have been fixed purely by not having the series on netflix but instead as an actual cartoon on cartoon network or something. But in the circles i was in at the time the talk i kept seeing was that no one liked the new series, and thus were even less interesting in collecting G2 (not that it stopped me). It's definately one of those moments. sometimes you just get lucky with the moulds being more secure?
My biggest gripe with the Toa Metru isn't even something that's their fault, but that Lego kept the dull dark colour palette for most sets until 2009. I think the dark colours fit the metru and hordika well, since they fit the tone and retro-futurist aesthetic, but losing out on the vibrant colours from 2001 most of the time is a real bummer. Now granted, this never bothered me as a child, but as an adult Bionicle MOCist now, the relative lack of vibrant Wave 1 colours really sucks to me.
I’ll give you props for the shoulder articulation and muted mono-color scheme. Everything else though is extremely subjective. Especially the masks. I’ve always thought the old masks were too flimsy when fitting on the head and the idea of collecting other masks and using them took away from the Toa’s unique identity. Additionally the Metru torso is better than the Mata torso. It has a lot more room to use for MOCs while still retaining gear functions. The Mata torso was great for gear functions but not much else. While I know this is subjective I really love the more streamlined design of the Toa Metru. It’s a form of visual storytelling to show “These Toa are a team from a different era”. While I do think some more unique pieces could’ve been used to further distinguish the Metru from one another, the overall look is great. I love the Nuva but I went out of my way to straighten Onua and Pohatu so they look more in line with the other Toa Nuva and not deformed. To be honest the video comes off as very purist by saying “All Bionicle after this era are not Bionicle”. The thing is, Bionicle is not just cool toys that are supposed to conform to a strict ruleset. It’s not the sole reason we bought them as kids. We bought them because they were cool toys coming from a cool universe. And this is going to be tangental, but I despise the “we know the narrator lives so the story is boring” critique. By that logic more than half of all stories are boring and pointless. Stories are not just interesting because of their outcomes. They’re interesting because of the characters and their struggles. How did the Turaga become Toa? What did they face? What kind of growth did they go through to become who they are? Don’t dismiss stories from the past. There’s my two cents. 0/10 my childhood is ruined and I’m shaking and crying rn.
Thanks for the reasonable response! I agree, there's obviously a lot of subjectivity in a video like this; that being said, there are a few more objective things I pointed out as well, such as the lack of build diversity in the Metru designs when compared to even the Turaga, let alone the Mata or Nuva. That part isn't my opinion - it's just numerically true! 😅 I've certainly come around on the torso, even since making this video. It really is the shoulders that are the culprit and I think I misattributed the cause to the torso, rather than the arms themselves. I can definitely understand the purist critique - maybe I am! In my defence though, I do heap praise onto the 2015/16 Bionicles as well... but I suppose that's because they emulate the 2001-03 Bionicles more? 🤔 I totally hear you on the prequel critique as well. Those types of stories have obvious appeal, but I often find myself not as engaged when I know the outcome. It's a similar reason to why folks avoid spoilers before going into a piece of fiction - if you know what happens, it can eliminate some of the suspense or punch to the story. I think there *can* be good prequel stories, but in my opinion, it's a knock against the work right out of the gate that the story must seek to recuperate from in order to achieve greatness. That's just one slug's opinion though!
I honestly never saw the metru heads as lesser, non-faces compared to the mata heads when not wearing their masks. They still felt like they wore the masks as...well...masks. The wonkier Matoran heads introduced during 2008 are a different story.
Fair enough! I can't get past their "mouth full of marbles" look they have going on, haha. I also think later Toa (such as the Metru) look far stranger without their masks than those original Mata, but all of this is completely subjective in the end. 👍
Just the fact that this discussion about the Toa Metru is being had AT ALL is already saying volumes about the engineering that went into their toy designs. If you're in an Online Bionicle Space and you see this kind of design discussion and you can guess what it's about, what started it, etc with a more consistent accuracy than a coin flip then yeah, there's something going on there.
I also prefer "Bionicle the technic subtheme" over "Bionicle the construction figures theme". And yet, I think they are both fun and that's what is important to me.
I respect the bravery of this hot take so I want to offer my own in response: When you said "Then they might as well be generic technic action figures", I would 100% prefer if that was what they were. When I was old enough to get Bionicles, hey were already in the "Hordika" phase, so I didn't really have an entry point for all this lore. Mom didn't think to pick up 3 generations worth of direct-to-dvd movies alongside the figure, the games didn't really shed much light on who the guys in my collection were, so any relevant Bionicle lore was out of my grasp. I think it's all baggage, and as an adult, knowing about the Maori appropriation and lawsuit kept me from even wanting to dive in. So yes, I'd rather have contextless robots than cyborg-skeletons with muscles you have to know you're supposed to imagine between the pieces.
That's totally a fair take! Sometimes the lore is just... not that good. 😅 Bad lore can also detract from the toys themselves! I look to LEGO DreamZzz as an example, for me personally. I'd be such a bigger fan of those sets if I hadn't seen the show. 💀
Please make more bionicle videos. You have a hot take, and I want to hear more since it’s a very unique point of view. I have SO much nostalgia for bionicle I don’t think I will ever fully agree, but I love hearing your thoughts on this. Well thought out, very fair critique!
Thank you very much! I’m glad that you’re able to see that my video also comes from a place of love for Bionicle too… just not *all* of it, haha. 😅 I’m not sure if you’ve seen my other two Bionicle focused videos already or not? (“My History With Bionicle” and “An Elderly Slug Attempts To Understand CCBS”) I might have more to say on the subject at some point in time, but this is all I have planned for the moment. 😊
I like how he intentionally lower the waist and neck level for Nokama, thinking we wouldn't notice. Also it's fairly easy to destinguish Onewa even in the gray filter, as his brown color was actually lighter than Pohatu. Had he tried that with Matau and Nokama, it would be harder due to similar shade. Vakama is still destinguished even in the gray, and Whenua and Nuju are apparent. Now if we went closer and looked at the eyestalks, they would also be a dead giveaway, as Matau/Whenua/Onewa have darker stalks, while Nuju/Vakama/Nokama have lighter stalks. All of this is ofc if you disregard the waist position and neck positions.
…yes, that’s the entire point of the example being used here. 😅 Once you remove the masks, weapons, and colours, the CONSTRUCTION of each Toa Metru is nearly identical to one another. In this video, I contrast that against the Turaga who, despite being smaller piece counts and price tags, actually have MORE differentiation under the same test conditions. Hopefully that helps clear things up!
@@Bionickpunk …I think this one might have flown over your head, judging by your comment here. Unless this was meant as parody? Genuinely, I don’t know, so please correct me if I’m misunderstanding you. 😅 The segment in question discusses the CONSTRUCTION of the Toa Metru, not their colours, masks, or weapons. I used the black and white filter as a way to show that once you remove those things, the Toa Metru are so similar that you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. The fact that you seem to think that I put Onewa and *Nokama* together in that photo, only proves my point. (Check the video description for the unaltered photos!) Again, I apologize if you meant this as a joke or something and I’m just not picking up on it. What you wrote is so off the mark, I’m just generally left confused about the intent…
@@mechadeka Sarcasm detected! Nice! 😉 Anyways, if you have anything meaningful to contribute, I'm happy to discuss, but bad faith decorum like this won't get us anywhere.
Missed opportunity to quote "traitor" at 8:08 instead, but still, hats off for giving some love to the one song that's otherwise a passing cameo in the SOUR Tour (even going out of your way to include a clip from said performance) and completely absent from the GUTS Tour.
Haha, that would have been good! I'm pretty bummed that she isn't coming to my city this tour - I'd absolutely love to see her perform one day. Her and Dan Nigro have made some great music together; it's refreshing to see young people pick up an electric guitar because of her music! 😊
Did they make Toa Metru Toothbrushes? I only remember Toa Nuva ones. I still have Tahu and Gali, both unused because I was scared of ruining them forever. 😅
Oh Mata Nui, at long last I bear witness to someone with a similar mindset! It is the very reason why I incorporate wild and outlandish gear functions in my builds. As I have a great appreciation towards the golden years of bionicle as well as G2.
For me, this has probably been the video I've been anticipating the most from this channel by far, I just as much enjoyed this video as I did the Power Miners video from months ago as well, even if I disagreed with one or two points from the video. Having now seen a comparison of the original Toa Metru sets next to modified versions with added secondary highlight colors, I can't unsee how dull the shared grey used across all the sets are, the orange highlights added to Vakama were something I never even realized I wanted especially lol
@@SuperSecretBricks Phantoka Lewa is the worst in this regard. Who thought it would be a good idea to put gray as the primary color while the lime a secondary, we will never know.
Great video! Points well made! You definitely changed my mind (not that I had very strong opinions on the Toa Metru, they released just before I grew out of Bionicle. I just remembered being impressed that the Rakshi joints had been implemented on a Toa.)
Great video! In my eyes when it comes to aesthetics they’re unbeatable clone build & all. I also enjoy the increased range of motion in the hips no Toa Mata can rotate their legs forward 360° and do the splits. For my final point Bionicles are action figures the toa metru are more similar to high end action figures like Bandai S.H. Figuarts while the Toa Mata are more similar to wind up Tin robots and, as a grown man one speaks to me more than the other. To be fair though wind up tin robots sure are iconic!!
Loved the video, Slugger! This is around the time I fell off the Bionicle wagon too, although I can't remember if it was due to genuine criticisms or being a kid with a very short attention span. Glad to see I'm not the only one. I just kept getting distracted by the fact that these are 20 years old this year. I'm only 28, dang it! I'm not supposed to feel old yet!
This video actually ended up just teaching me a lot about the different lines of Bionicle toys- I never knew much about the difference becauses I didn't know much about the lore and all of my Bionicle come from one massive yard sale lot I got when I was a kid. The rahkshi has and will always be my favorite in the entire series- I know they aren't the stars and portrayed as villain's but they were always my favorite for their articulation and cool sleak silhouette. The Bohrok would probably be a close second with their unique play features and Ability to become a ball I find them very cute- Suffice to say I was never the biggest Bionicle fan but I have always been more captivated by the designs of the villains than the heros. Edit: I know this has nothing to do with the main argument in the video but just wanted to gush about my favorite Bionicles :3 Also I totally agree with your soapbox on Masks being Bionicle- and thats coming from someone who didn't experience the launch, Didn't know the lore, and later bought Hero factory! The old faces are so Iconic and it always felt like the faces were all the same because they are all the same species but the masks being unique is what gives them personality! I WAS NOT thinking about powers and yet it still is what set Bionicle's apart from their villain's or even from later technic lines like hero factory- especially with the Slugs and rubbery bugs that could take over I always loved that feature
13:37 Eh.. I’d argue what the fact what it is a prequel what is essentially a legend told by old heroes themselves is not a bad thing simply because said heroes are alive and well p, hence they telling about their adventures. Because good stories aren’t usually good JUST because you don’t know of certain characters die or not🤷 And the Metru (+ hordika) story I’d say is fine overall. As for ”drab city” well, to each their own, I guess.. And yet for me that setting were felt much more grandiose than that of previous one. Also for the overall subject of the video, yeah, I kinda agree what the Metru builds themselves were kinda rough transition from gearbox-driven molds to more action figure molds. They kinda was super articulated in their lower half, but top halve was surprisingly stiff for some reason.. But nonetheless I am clearly not from that crowd of people who believes what ”bionicle was ruined because they strayed away from gearboxes towards fully articulated figures”, even despite the fact what i also started from Mata line. On the contrary, I believe what making them fully articulated just opened more possibilities for play & overall design’s liveliness than having some predetermined function what, while it is fun to have, but it easily could compromise the design (exactly the reason of Metru looking and feeling this wonky tbh)
Totally fair! I don't presume to speak for everyone in a video like this, of course - only for myself. At the end of the day, we're talking about plastic toys we liked 20 years ago; "agree to disagree" is an entirely reasonable conclusion to reach. 👍
Slugger, you’re my favourite Lego RUclipsr, and it’s because you have interesting and engaging videos like this one! It doesn’t matter if your opinions differ to mine, the quality of the video is always top tier and I know I’ll have a blast watching it. Now that we’ve had a video on an aspect of Bionicle you didn’t like, how about another one with something you did like? Perhaps the mask feature and what it’s become today, with inflated prices? Or the immersive storytelling through the online games? Whatever you put out next, I’ll be watching it no matter what, so thank you for your hard work!
Thank you so much! It's totally okay to disagree about little things like this - I find it fun to debate, nonetheless! I've nearly covered all of the bases I sought to cover with Bionicle at this point, but who knows - maybe a proper Generation 2 video one day? 😮
@@RRSlugger Maybe do a video on socket pieces, both Slizer and Mixel designs and how flawed they are no matter the design iteration. Out of all the Lego pieces, sockets were the easiest to crack and brake besides standard Lego clip pieces. I dunno whats with Lego and their C shaped connectors, but they always falter in some quality control aspect.
@@Bionickpunk Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I am 100% the wrong slug for the job here because I have *never* had a socket piece crack on me before! The axle holes would sometimes snap off, the ball & cup connection point has been completely without fail through the hundreds of joints I own. Maybe the 2001 - 2003 parts were made of stronger stuff? Maybe I'm just incredibly lucky? I genuinely don't know!
This was a refreshing viewpoint, and one I mostly agree with. I've always seen the problems with the Metru build (mainly the lack of shoulders) as a nessecary evil. If Bionicle had continued with the original building principles in mind, I think it would've died far sooner. The shift towards more poseability made way for more dynamic, and as such, cooler and edgier characters. A major must for anything marketing to young boys in the mid 2000's. Another contributing factor is the major size increase. I often find the Mata and Nuva style builds to be small and somewhat cute, which was most likely not the intended reaction. Probably because of their simplicity. In contrast the Metru and Inika builds are almost innately more "badass" and "cooler" because of the added real estate for more visually complex detailing. As for the question of "what is Bionicle", it's pretty obvious there isn't a cohesive vision for all. I know people who thought the Inika were the end of Bionicle and some who see the Metru as the end and some who see the actual end as the end. I personally think of Bionicle as a soft anthology series with a common theme of six heroes plopping onto a new mysterious setting and fighting some version of Makuta. I think that a lot of people have noticed the soft reboot elements of the post-MoL era and agree with your take, at least subconsiously. That's why we get so much Mata fan-content. When was the last time anyone tried to make something with Voya Nui? Or even Metru Nui for that matter? In any case, great video Slugger! Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I agree - Metru Nui was likely a necessary stepping stone on the way to Bionicle's later years, but I definitely tire of folks treating the Toa Metru specifically as some sort of apex of Bionicle design, when they are ripe with obvious issues, in my opinion. Hence, this video! Haha 😊
When it comes to the Toa Metru themselves. I agree. After years of hearing the same Metru are the best for a decade it was nice to have someone say otherwise. But it's the ending part of the video I find myself disagreeing I made a video comparing Bionicle and Xeno. But what I find most interesting is that both videos show the duality of man and bionicle. The main point I take issue with is Bionicle is the masks. Going back to the xeno well Xeno is not just the Gears in the name of Xenogears. There is a lot of depth that is lost when defining it as such. To me the core is Bionicles transhumanism philosophies. It's the idea of a pill containing little soldiers to fight an evil infection. It's a story about the body and cells. The reveal of the great spirit robot was always there. From before the first set hit the shelves. I also notice the lack of a mention of 2009 and the bara manga arc. The year that explicitly did not have masks, Besides well Both versions of Mata Nui. The year that was a new take on the biological chronicle concept. But if we are sticking to the matoran universe the masks were still a driving factor in the story, just not a collective in a similar vein of 2001. 2004 focused on the kanoka disks which are the raw material for masks. Most important of all the main disks fused together create the ultimate disk to forge the Vahi or as its also known mask of time. The ignition trilogy was all about retrieving the Ignika to save Mata Nui. To me the Ignika is just as iconic as the Hau or the Avohkii. I would also like to share a story with a phenomenal show I refuse to go further with despite my love of the original, Macross. The show was a 1983 anime classic That has become my 2nd favorite mecha anime after GaoGaiGar. After finishing the original I decided to look at the future installments to find anime idol girls singing j-pop. This is because the creator Shoji Kawamori believes the core to be a triangle of Mecha Action, Love Triangles, and Songs. While I may not want to go further, I also understand that that is the core of Macross. The musical pop aspect has arguably become the most important part and has been pushed to the forefront. While a part of the original show I don't think it was as big a deal till the movie pushed to the front. Sometimes what we may perceive as the core of something might be just a small gear in the machine. The masks are just one part of the bigger pictures. While important, I've always perceived the elemental nature as more important. To each their own, I just disagree with the last part of the video.
I'll admit, I don't think I followed your train of thought all that well here, sorry. 😅 Still, I'll try my best to offer a response! When I read phrases like the "duality of man and bionicle" and "transhumanism philosophies", it's obvious to me that we're looking for very different things from Bionicle, haha. I'm mainly looking for masks, gears, and build diversity - lore & story takes a backseat to toy design, for me. If I don't think the toy is hitting all the marks I want it to, it doesn't really matter to me what the story has to say - it doesn't make the *toy* any better. From a toy perspective, Bionicle dropped a number of these things in favour of... greater poseability? Just becoming better generic action figures? Had they replaced masks & gears with something more unique, then I think I would feel differently; as it is, however, all I see is Bionicle slowly losing what made it unique in favour of just becoming an action figure, and like I say in the video, I might as well be playing with Galidor at that point. 🤷♂️ I get your message about focusing on just a small gear in the machine, but the small gears (quite literally, haha) that I'm fixated on were removed and, in my opinion, not replaced with anything else compelling.
@@RRSlugger Maybe a better way of looking at it Bionicle is ever changing. Just like the bricks used to create the characters, its formless till us the builder gives it shape. To me what makes Bionicle stand out from other action figures is the fact they are buildable. the parts are just small enough that you can do anything with them. A quick google search shows the creativity on display An issue I have with most "Buildable Action Figures" is that Personally I can only see the parts as what they are originally intend. Its my big issue with Galidor. the parts to me are too specific. The best example from what I have seen, that is not Bionicle has been Transformers Weaponizer system that has been going strong for 6 years. Bionicle originally came off the 90s, famous for more gimmick heavy toys. The 2000s were the age of articulation, seeing the rise of more adult oriented collectibles with "Marvel Legends" and "Soul Of Chogokin". Adding more articulation was going to be a necessity going forward. Like any good toyline it evolves and adapts to its target demographic. An example not from the Lego sphere is Armada Optimus Prime. The original is the ultimate gimmick toy. But as the unicron trilogy went on, Optimus ditched the gimmicks and became more articulate. then we reach today were people were hyped to get an articulate version of Armada prime. Some going as far to say that the wish that was the toy that released in 2003. The entire modern landscape of action figures is built on giving classic characters articulation Even if your don't build the gear functions, I still find the Piraka and Inikia builds comparable to to the original Mata sets. At least compared to pre Bionicle G2 CCBS, which I found most what would be canister sets lacked depth. At least if they weren't considered titans. but wit the Inika, I do prefer their prototype masks over the masks we got, But the last 2 years with real toa went back to the 04 head. But my views on the buildable aspect could be why I was able to switch to model kits, like gunpla. But I do see a difference in how gunpla cant be taken part so easily compared to a Bionicle. Overall What makes Bionicle stand out to me is its customization, that I find is very hard to match.
@@PaleozoicBricks It seems like we both agree in a way that Bionicle lost its uniquity in order to chase the trend of better articulation. Remember, Bionicle wasn’t LEGO’s first foray into buildable action figures either, so the buildable aspect isn’t a unique factor to Bionicle’s core identity, at least not in my perspective. What separated Bionicle from Slizers? Masks, a new gear system, and story - at least, in my opinion. It’s just a shame to me that as time went on, the first two points of uniquity were dropped and Bionicle became more and more reliant on its story to support it.
I think it's really funny to say that Kopaka did ice shoes before Nuju because of the prequel setting of the metru, and of course I know you know this but I just got a kick out of that. That and using a stormtrooper while saying clone trooper, where ironically enough the clones had more personality (at least on screen) than the stormtroopers did! Not sure if that was on purpose or not lol, great vid! Love your channel
While I don't think the Metru were good Bionicle toys per se, I do think they were a necessary stepping stone in the theme's evolution. A Prototype if you will
I totally agree - necessary growing pains. 👍 What annoys me is when people treat this flawed Toa design as “peak Bionicle” when, in my opinion, it is so clearly inferior to what came before and after it, as outlined in the video.
In my eyes the Toa Metru will always be the best Toa team also when it comes to design, but looking at your video; i agree with your opinion. They share the exact secondary color scheme and non-diverse building formula/format
Hey folks, *PLEASE READ* this little blurb before leaving me a comment about the video.
Obviously, the topic I'm presenting here is going to generate some disagreement, so I think it's important to remember that at the end of the day, these are just plastic toys that we all enjoy as a shared hobby. There's no need to take it personally if someone doesn't like the same toys as you, nor is there a reason to believe that your preference for one is more important that someone else's preference for another.
I welcome discussion and will read even the longest novel that Bionicle fans are always so keen to write me, but I also ask that if you're going down that path, please watch through the video a second time before doing so. There's a good chance that I may have already addressed one of your points in the video or on-screen text and I think there's just too much going on in this one to catch every little detail the first time through. Thank you! 😊
While there are some objective truths that can be claimed (such as the Toa Metru objectively have more points of articulation than the Mata/Nuva), the vast majority of this debate boils down to preference, and no one's opinion on the matter is more valid than another's - not mine, not yours.
Lastly, I'm also aware that there are "lore reasons" for certain things I take issue with in this video. Personally, I don't see that as a compelling stance; the lore is written retroactively to justify decisions made with the toys. Had the Toa Metru toys more accurately adhered to the individual characteristics of the Turaga they sought to emulate, the lore would have supported this decision. Had masks continued to be a play feature and the main focus of Bionicle going forward, the lore would have supported this too. In my opinion, lore arguments are totally moot.
Anyways, thanks for reading and watching the video! Hopefully we can still be friends even if we don't like the same Bionicles. 😉
Next week, we return to the Orient Expedition!
~ Slugger
I love unification of Toa Metru cuz in my Childhood I saw them as elite warriors in the Big City, something llike superheroic SWAT and so they wear similar futuristic military armor as like being from one "organisation".
You made a good point about the turaga influence missing. Bionicle always felt like they wanted to make a new wave of hero’s but then gave them names of older characters. The inika and mahri were the only valid ones but the rest especially the Mistika was bad.
I wonder how they could've supported a story where they would have to collect the masks every year, feel like it would have definitely hurt the story if they did but very likely could've made those features just not story relevant.
Well, I’ll be bold and state that I don’t have skin in this game. However, I would very much like to know what the green trashcan part is at minute 4:20? Also, I love Bionicle as a whole, and I am only just now learning more about it. Don’t necessarily have one preference for one section of the theme/lore over another. I find the most interesting thing about Bionicle is neither of these things, but rather the elements that were produced in the toys. I find the various gear elements and ball-socket elements fascinating, and I like collecting them in the various colors and shapes that were available. There are so many things that can be done with them, whether for shoulders (or lack thereof), or in someone’s brilliant design for some new gearbox!
I’ be done with my novel now. 😂 I still want to know about that green trashcan, if that’s alright. Thank you!
@@priestking8636which is funny in hindsight lore-wise since they were relative underdogs compared with the "original" (wait, lore wise they WERE the original iirc... no scare quotes needed? huh) toa
Real Bionicle is when you dislocate your joints and crawl into a tube.
Mata: dislocate shoulders
Nuva: remove armor then dislocate
Metru: forget dislocating, just rip those arms appart when crawling inside the tube.
Real Bionicle is throwing all that stuff away years ago, because your mom got angry at the space it took up, and then discovering it was part of the story.
Piraka: remove head and spine like mortal kombat@@Bionickpunk
I commend your bravery in posting this video. This is like the Bionicle equivalent of saying Empire Strikes Back is the worst OG Star Wars film...hey, wait...
Oh no, *what have I done??* 😆
Of course oboe shows up here lol. Something something icy blast.
doesnt make it wrong
THIS MADE ME LOL wow wow genius comment
Glad to see you haven’t forgotten the password to your main account.
wow I didn't know olivia rodrigo was so interested in the design sensibilities of bionicle, she was a great guest-star on the video!
I'm stoked she agreed to collab! 😂
I'll have you know I did NOT read the blurb before posting! I'm a criminal!
There they are! GET 'EM! 😆
TAKE THEIR MASK
I have a special viewpoint to share with you.
In my country, Bionicle became widely available with the Metru Nui release. While I already knew of the Bionicle and was fascinated with the mask part of the toy, I could not get my hands on them at all. So when I got the Toa Metru and saw that their masks didn't just loosely fit in, but where basically their heads, I was kinda confused, but realised that the previous iteration probably had some issues and that's why they changed.
Seeing as how all further sets did not have an emphasis on masks, this is what Bionicle became for me. I did get the chance to get the older models as Chinese knockoffs and quickly became annoyed with their lack of opposability. As a kid all I wanted was to play with action figures that moved, not static statues. By far the best figures for that were the Rakshi. Honestly not topped to this day. The second best were the water level Toa (the one you said are unique in the video).
So while the masks are a core feature of the draw of Bionicle and one which I wished I could enjoy, I did not have a chance to play with them so they attained some sort of mythical status of long gone play features instead of the defining part of the toy.
I assume a lot of other fans are in similar situations. That's why the Toa Metru hold a special place in our heart. They were the first. Also the huge amount of cross promotion with video games in cereal or the movie which was way better than the first for a 10 year-olds mind. Obviously the first movie is a way better movie, but the second one has spectacle and big enemies and robots.
To me that was the height of Bionicle. Sure I followed the story and played the games until the end, but this is the period I remember as the hey day of Bionicle.
All your criticisms are valid, but seen through the lens of someone who got to play with the first generation. That's probably why disagreements might appear with other people.
Thank you for sharing your perspective! I absolutely agree with your assessment - I think the majority of Bionicle fans today did not grow up with the original 2001 - 2003 line and have a very different idea of what a Bionicle should be compared to what I do.
I don't think I could have said this all any better myself - thanks for the great comment! ❤
My main bionicle I mess with daily is a modified rahkshi. Sadly I don't have the worm for it, but I love making new weapons or add-ons or even just adding new parts. Everytime I do I add more to his story so the change makes sense too.
One thing that I do love about the metru( and I can’t really explain why) is the fact that they have angled shoulders. There was something just so cool about those back then.
It is nice! But angled shoulders *with* ball joint articulation would be even better! 😉
@@RRSlugger agreed ! And unfortunately they could have done it with parts that existed at the time
Olivia being a Bionicle fan and singing live about them is the dimension I want to live in.
Ah-ah-ah! Gali Mata has broad shoulders (still a good look in my eyes, gives her an warrior princess vibe)
Funny enough, I DID give my Toa Metru secondary colors for a few years… but I eventually decided it was too loud for the shaping of the armor and just clashed too obnoxiously, switching back to the grey as a mid tone.
Whaa?! Wow, total Mandela Effect there - I could have sworn she had slender shoulders too! Good catch - I can't believe I messed that up! 🙃
Welp. Guess the whole video's debunked now.
@@RRSlugger It’s okay. I typo’d “a warrior princess” so you can dismiss my comment. 😅
Love it when I see Nick commenting here, you guys are definitely the most unique and soulful Lego channels in existence, BY FAR! Cheers to both of y’all
@@MistahhMingus I love seeing Nick comment too! Makes me feel like I have a real LEGO channel! 😀
14:30 So true. The mask is literally the most important part of a build. MOCs included. Its usually the hardest thing for me to figure out when trying to make one. To find the perfect fit for the character. It ties the entire build together.
i find 2006's lore excuse for the faceless heads really funny. in-canon their unmasked faces just glow so bright it blinds everyone, and the masks are.. alive kind of??
Oh man, don't get me started on the Bionicle lore, haha. 🙃
@@RRSluggerYou won't be able to make a short video if you did. The lore is a rabbit hole few dare to jump into. Even in a summarized version its wild to say the least.
@@RRSlugger9hr 20min RRSlugger Bionicle lore video with 2hr 40min full series set review when?
@@theapexsurvivor9538 Haha, hopefully never! 😆 😉
@@RRSlugger Thankfully duck did make that. My god it raised a lot of questions about how that universe functioned.
I see your point at 17:16 but raise you with the fact that their weapons actually work under water. The Mahri series really brought back after gen 4 Inika, especially with each set, both heros and villains being unique.
The Mahri and the Barraki were phenomenal returns to form, but once again soured by the Phantoka.
I think the biggest set back for the toa metru for me was the standardization of the toa bodies. The Mata were unique across each toa having subtle quirks between body styles. The metru toa where basically the same body but with different masks and toa tools.
I certainly have a lot to say about that in this video, haha - couldn't agree more!
I hear a lot of people say this but I think people grossly overestimate how 'unique' the Mata builds were in comparison to later sets. Like sure there was the stud on Tahu's chest, Onua's head being mounted nearer to his chest and Pohatu's upside-down torso, but I don't find those very minor modifications between eachother make them more interesting than the Inika builds, which I still think was a better choice for the line than people give it credit for. I found the Mahri in particular much more creatively designed than the Mata, and even pre-Inika lines like the Hordika I still think are more solid than the originals. I still maintain that the Metru have the least variation of any of the waves, but I still think the sin-of-the-father mentality towards what came after them is silly sometimes
@@thePanOfPans You're definitely right about this - honestly, both perspectives have a lot of merit, I think. It's why I mention in my video here that the Toa Mahri showcase some of the best differentiation between Toa designs out there! Would that it not for the complete lack of a gear system and apathetically treating the masks like they're character faces, I'd be really interested in them! Oh well... 😔
The shoulder joints, hip joints, body orientation, head attachment, and limb diversity make the toa mata very unique individually.
@@RRSlugger Realistically, the masks were _always_ just faces. 2001's story was just too good for the toyline it was trying to sell and made the masks seem more important than they really were. Additionally, if we're being honest here, standardization of Toa design started with the Nuva. Tahu, Gali, Kopaka, Lewa, and Takanuva all have the same basic design. The only differences outside Masks and weapons are the arms; Gali and Takanuva share arm designs, and frankly, Kopaka should have followed Tahu and Lewa's leads.
I'm just happy we get to talk about Bionicles again. The masks where always my favorite part, still have some.
In retrospect, I realize I was basically a Bionicle genwunner, even if I wasn't an especially vocal one. The original designs just "looked right" to me, and what came after, including the Metru which I believed I owned two of, lost more and more of that charm as they went on.
Same here, too.
I was born in '05 and didn't have any of the sets growing up. I absolutely adore 2004-2009, and they were the first sets I got. Even though I didn't get my first Toa Mata or Toa Nuva until later, I like their design and playing with them so much more, and while I certainly wouldn't want to give up any of what we got later, I can't deny that the later canister sets never quite managed to capture that unexplainable, powerful image that the Toa Mata brought. I do like the Toa Nuva as well, and while I will at times have periods I can't stop appreciating their design, it is ultimately something that I have kinda forced myself to like.
For the longest time I was only focused on the big "titan" and combiner sets since they were, well, _actually different_ than the rest. Eventually they returned to being cool and distinct with the 2007 sets, which was nice, but it definitely still had a _very_ different feel and overall vibe than Mata Nui did.
Honestly, it doesn't help that the Mata Nui Online Game (1 & 2) existed while later years got... well, the Voya Nui Online Game was cool, I guess? If completely different from the rest and non-canon?
When it comes to sets specifically, I do find myself trending more towards the brighter tones and simpler designs of the '01 - '03 era.
For me, simply being Technic-built figures was enough to "be Bionicle" to me, since Technic as a building system allowed for so much creativity in the builds that I didn't get to see in any other Lego theme, during or since. Galidor or traditional action figures would never allow me to seamlessly mix and match parts from the Rahi and vehicles together with the main characters. That said, I will admit that as someone who grew up with 2006-onwards Bionicle, I always did yearn for more collectible masks, as opposed to having each mold be specialized per character - that was something that always drew me in during the fiction, and looking back at the older toys. That said, having a gear system to smack masks off, *that* always felt like a gimmick to me that I could do without, even as a kid. Being able to play with the toys with any poses I wished to get them in, and having the gimmicks all be self-contained like the disk launchers, spinners, blasters, and (my favorite) the Tridax pods, was always preferable, as it meant "the toy gimmick" wouldn't be intrusive in the build of the actual toy, plus they'd work on a narrative level as simply "being functional representations of the in-story weapons", lol. Anyways the Kanoka disks could've used more individuality, but their concept and play feature rocked, so hush you, haver-of-poor-taste.
On the note of fiction though, I heavily disagree with your gripes about Metru Nui as a setting - firstly you tremendously miss the point of prequel stories in general, thinking none of it matters if you know "everyone turns out okay" - bro, we all already know the heroes are going to turn out okay in nearly every story ever made, because otherwise there wouldn't be a satisfying plot; the ending isn't the point, "it's about the journey"; and in the case of prequels, also adding extra context or new wrinkles to enhance existing stories.
to this day, Metru Nui is probably still one of the most creative and compelling sci-fi settings I know of: the transport hub of Le-Metru with all its suspended water tunnels being a gigantic transport hub, Ta-Metru being a literal enormous furnace, Onu-Metru's mazelike archives, the great coliseum with its modular floor and nonsensically-tall tower, the island surrounded on all sides by liquid metal, and so much more make it feel both lively and curiosity-piquing, especially with the narrative of it being a 1984-esque police state that also somehow plays home to ungodly creatures like the Morbuzakh vines, numerous gigantic dragons that could easily level the entire city, and whatever things stalk the spiraling tunnels like the Krahka (literally Bionicle's The Thing). Knowing that all of this grande and dramatic nonsense existed in the distant/recent past of a setting as humble-yet-mysterious as Mata Nui, which itself played home to several previously-unknown terrors literally climbing out from the depths like the Bohrok and Rahkshi, only adds to the intrigue of the overall setting, if you asked me.
I certainly can't argue with your preferences here! To each their own. 👍
As I said in the video, to me the masks ARE Bionicle and I'm pretty entrenched in that perspective, for good and for bad. As you can see from some of the other sets throughout the video, I tried to get back into it again and again, but none of those later figures *felt* like Bionicle to me - not as toys and not within the fiction either. A sci-fi industrial aesthetic was not at all what I wanted to see from Bionicle; it felt like such an abrupt shift in tone to me back then and completely alienated me from engaging further. Every year from 2004 onwards would also ditch the emphasis on the masks for some kind of new launcher gimmick - it just all felt too tacky to me. 🤷♂
@@RRSluggerYeah I hear you there, nothing I can do if it's not something you vibe with besides just sharing my own perspective, lol. Besides getting into the series later, I feel part of the reason why the industrial setting was so easy for me to accept was because, well, if I'm being honest the Mata Nui era of figures were already extremely industrial-feeling to me in their designs. from 2004-onwards, increasingly less attention became given as to exactly where pistons/gears/other molded details were placed on the pieces, often placing them in pretty nonsensical/ineffectual spots, while the Toa Mata's molded details by comparison felt extremely intentional - they felt believable in that they could mechanically be constructed in real life. And that's of course putting aside the larger 2001 Rahi strongly resembling construction vehicles or even tanks, lol.
What was important for me fiction-wise was whether they retained the air of mystery, which was to me incredibly integral in the early years of Bionicle; it wasn't just a sci-fantasy adventure series, it was a huge mystery story as the reader slowly uncovered the past of these characters and their world, only to be met with more questions the more they learned. For me, Metru Nui was in itself a shining example of doing just that: Sure it was a much more hard-scifi locale, but there was still so much that made utterly no sense about it if applied to conventional sense. It has a sky with a sun, yet exists beneath Mata Nui after a series of winding tunnels? What was the purpose of the great archives, where did all its creatures come from? Why was Metru Nui such a large production hub in the first place, what was it making besides masks? And how does a world like this possibly exist so close to an island seemingly so naturalistic and familiar? We learned where the Matoran and Turaga came from, but were only left with increasingly more questions about their origins, and that left child-me's mind racing, haha.
I don't think Bionicle ever truly lost that air of mystique until after 2008, which makes sense, as that grande reveal was always meant to be the final ending that wrapped everything up, something that instantaneously answered nearly every question you could have about the setting. I really liked the world building in 2009/2010 regardless, but it wasn't until that particular soft reboot that I felt Bionicle had truly and completely evolved into something else. But at least, hey, that's just my views on the matter, haha.
8:40 DID MY BOII SLUGGER JUST CALL A STORMTROOPER A CLONE TROOPER!?
Haha, caught another one! 😉
@@RRSlugger I can forget about this mistake for a free copy of Olivias Rodrigo's Gear album
@@bigsurf77 Deal!! 😉
I was born in 1999, & my first Bionicles were Toa Hordikas (as a birthday gift), but my favourite era of Bionicle is the pre-Nuva era
Lol! Your falsetto is incredible! Not related to the videos topic, but combining your natural talents and creativity with your Lego interest are what keeps me patiently waiting and coming back for more. Thanks slugger!
Haha, thank you! I was super pitchy in places, but I guess I thought it lent better to the humour of the moment. 😅
I am a Toa Metru fan but I agree completely with all your criticisms of the sets except the colors - I totally see what you're saying about how people might just like the greys for familiarity, but I personally love the more muted and urban look because I think it fit in so well with the new city setting. That's also why I think I'm more lenient with the homogenized look, though I do wish they had some sort of variety.
Personally I stayed with Bionicle during the shift to Metru Nui. It was jarring for sure, but this strange city existing underground mixed with the knowledge that there was some upcoming tragic ending to this tale? That was more than enough to keep me invested in the story. IMO the story started to fall apart around 2007 when we got too many filler fight scenes and character interactions became quips and the serials introduced a million new subplots that went nowhere. I'm also not a fan at all of the Mahri sets, and I think even lower of the 2008 sets so that's about when I lost interest in the franchise.
Fair point! I can't tell you that your love for the Metru colours is fueled by a preference of the familiar anymore than someone could tell me that my preference for the Mata is fueled by nostalgia. It doesn't stop them from doing so, mind you haha, but you're right. 👍
Slugger and bionicle together warms my heart
I think when it comes to the ‘newer’ building system that wasnt as compatible with mata era stuff is more of a futureproofing type deal especially when it comes to visual compatibility. The mata pieces are ridiculously specific and dont mesh well with other lego parts and you can see that on larger bionicle builds like makuta with all the jutting parts and exposed ball joints. The metru style of joint design could be better integrated into larger builds and maintain visual cohesion. What i think is ignored in this video about the metru year was the clearer focus on the titans and larger characters rather than large technic rahi. The system for the toa may be a little bit muddied down but these new parts made for other characters in bionicle going forward much more visually cohesive as well as allowed for better modification which is the whole appeal to lego over other toy brands.
This and the masks being axles was more probably just focused on stability of play because thats something lego has focused on a lot more of as years went on. The masks were still removable as shown in lore and the movies. Its just a shame they did not make mask packs for metru era stuff. But theres probably a good monetary reason why they never went back to it from the mata era as recolours arent as cheap as youd necessarily think
"The system for the toa may be a little bit muddied down but these new parts made for other characters in bionicle going forward much more visually cohesive as well as allowed for better modification which is the whole appeal to lego over other toy brands." - this is exactly what I talk about at 11:45 of the video. If we want to make the case that the new system of design would lead to better things, then that's a different discussion - one that I'd probably agree with to an extent!
Those Metru era Titan models were fantastic - honestly, some of the best toys from the Bionicle franchise, in my opinion. Their exclusion from this video was intentional, however, as they don't directly relate to the issues facing the Toa Metru themselves. I didn't want to steer the discussion too much away from the topic at hand in the video. 🙂
I can buy the the reason the mask packs going away was a cost cutting reason. Since the collectible that were a simply recolor were typically just that year’s launcher weapon
I share a lot of the feelings about Bionicle here! Very well-written video, especially with the handful of humorous visuals paired with what you were saying.
It was interesting to turn on the TV today and see a new R.R. Slugger video posted "8 seconds ago"... I don't remember what I turned it on to watch now! I'm sure this was better than whatever it was, though.
Unrelated:
A few minutes into the video, you just started talking about a release, and "update [some numbers] has been applied" popped up on the screen. After it didn't go away after 10 seconds, I was thinking "odd artistic choice by Slugger here!"... It was my TV.
@@CarsSimplified Haha, that's great! 😆
Thanks for checking out the video, Steve! I hope you find whatever show it was that you wanted to watch initially, haha.
as someone that fell into the Lego dark age right before the Bionicle era, i find this history very interesting.
They used a double balljoint holder as upperarm yet they didn't use the upper balljoint. It would have solve the armlength problem and the posebility.
Yep, and they could have just used a small part similar to 43700, 32474, or 50923 if they wanted relatively short shoulders that could be rotated with gears.
And if they'd made the 2x7 double socket connector 61054 at the same time, they could control arm and leg length to allow for variations of body types.
Lol I was simultaneously listening to your music and remembering how you're one of the other few detractors of the metru earlier this morning
Haha perfect timing! 😀
Honestly kinda crazy to hear you left Bionicle after Metru Nui, that's when I got my first set and thought the later 06-07 was deep.
I played the 2001 Nestlé CD-ROM so many times, but my first set was Toa Vakama. Metru Nui and its heroes have long held a tender spot in my heart for being the first of the theme I could get my hands on, and for painting a wondrous vision of a city filled with vibrant life and deadly intrigue.
..But I wouldn't say the Metru build is top of my personal list when it comes to playability. Trying to aim Vakama's disk launcher always led to his other arm flopping around, the angled shoulder connection made it difficult to get Nokama to hit that blades-out swimming pose, and any time I wanted them to do anything outside of a walking motion I had to realign the gears.
Their masks bothered me, because outside of Nokama's Rau it didn't feel like there was a clear through line to the Noble Masks of their old age.
And yet, I love them dearly. I even still keep Lhikan built with his delectable color scheme. The way their proportions feel "grown up" compared to their Matoran hit just right. Their drab, uniform grey gave them a sense of seriousness to a kid my age.
They will always be classics to me. But thank you for sharing your own criticisms! I could feel some of them in my bones for sure
What a genuine, level-headed take from a fan of the Metru designs! Thanks for that - I enjoyed reading your insights very much. ❤
I wish I had more time to talk about the masks in the video itself, but I had to cut a bunch of stuff for time. Also, it did start to feel like I was beating a dead horse towards the end of it..! 😅
Like I said in the video, I wasn't out here to change people's minds. Those who love the Toa Metru decided that they did 20 years ago - I wasn't going to move them out of that trench, haha, nor should I try. You're allowed to like or dislike whatever toys you want, at the end of the day!
No WAAAAAY I’m so happy you actually made it I’m commenting before I even watch it!
Hahaha, thank you! To be completely honest, I debated with myself on this one whether or not actually releasing it was a good idea - in the end, I thought my argumentative work was strong enough here that it would be a pity *not* to release it, so here it is! I'm really proud of this one. 😊
Yeah I loved it! I completely agree with you, and I was a bionicle fan all the way through. As an adult ive found myself most interested in the first year especially, and I think it’s clear why for so many reasons, not least of which the ones you explored. Just because it says bionicle on the box doesnt mean that’s what it is, and now I’m wondering if just because it DOESNT say bionicle on the box, does that mean it isnt a bionicle? Maybe that’s why the robo riders and the slizers have also been so interesting to me.
Thanks for this, you always make the best videos!
@@Cosmalano Now there's an interesting thought! There's definitely something about those early Technic/constraction years that's so appealing.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the video, thanks! 😊
Honestly so refreshing to see such a levelheaded analysis of Metru. The shoulders were so limiting and less fun for play! Love your vids, Slugger.
Thank you! I was getting kind of sick of all the hyperbole surrounding them - "peak Bionicle" and whatnot. In my opinion, they are a very necessary yet very flawed outing for the series.
AMAZING video. A lot of these points are exactly why I, as an adult, have only really cared to collect sets from 2001-2003, despite the WHOLE Bionicle story being a large part of my childhood that I am still very fond of.
Thank you very much! The interesting part, for me at least, is that I felt this way about these toys even as a kid, though I wasn't able to put it into words back then. Returning to the subject as an adult has allowed me to better flesh out what I felt back then and reason as to why it was my perspective. Often times, I find that my opinion changes over time, but when it came to writing about the Toa Metru, I was a little surprised how similar I felt now 20 years later! 😮
First time learning about the gearbox bypass 😮 Definitely missed that in the instructions
Yeah me too! I can't believe I never figured my Tahu Nuva could trade off one of its swinging arm for a locking mechanism. I did double check, and yeah it is demonstrated I'm the instructions! I guess little kid me just discarded the instructions as soon as the figure was built
Apparently the Toa Metru set designers missed it too because we never saw it again! 💀
Metru was a necessary stepping stone. ELBOWS and KNEES. I'm so mad at ninjago for this right now specifically.
I can definitely agree with that sentiment.
Necessary? Absolutely.
The "peak of Bionicle" as some claim? Not a chance. 😅
@@RRSluggerWell obviously Bionicle Peaked with the McToran. Were the Toa Mata ever sold in McDonalds Happy Meals? I think not. Search your feelings Darth Slugger, you know it to be true. Even if the McToran bodies are mostly made of rubber, their chibby collectible nature has no rival.
Yeah, wild than Exo-Force came out in 2006 and Ninjago is just barely figuring out how to put knees on its large mechs.
@@BoardGamesBricksHobbies They intentionally not put knees on mechs because of an internal policy that came out of playtesting, as mentioned by Niek van Slagmaat, main mech designer for Ninjago and set designer for Bionicle G2. In one of his interviews he would state kids would complain that the knees would bend and make the build fall down when they do rough play.
Not sure what age group it was used, but probably young test group. This is why even if they could do mechs with knees, they dont, at least not for sets meant for younger kids. There could also be structural issues with system constraction as oppose to technic one. System sets are more compact, consisted of more pieces and heavier than Bionicle sets, so their limbs require sturdier connections, often effecting visual look.
Exo Force line used the Knights Kingdom limb pieces, which worked on the Galidor hinge piece, far more sturdy design for system builds. Plus those mechs were lighter and used less pieces so they could afford bending knees. Should also factoring design philosophy changing over time, what passed 10-20 years ago might not pass in current Lego. Even if they already achieved some necessary innovations, its not a rising line when it comes to set evolution, they would sometimes dial back and do something simpler.
I love that song you made near the end!
"When mask became faces, Bionicle ceased to be Bionicle"... It was the bravest and hottest take I've ever heard about Bionicle. And gosh, it feels almost criminally right...
14:18 you just articulated the weird feeling that old bionicle promotional material would give me all those years ago that I couldn't quite explain
That’s awesome! Glad to have helped! ❤️
I'm gonna be real, I wasn't expecting to be hit with a Spoony "BETRAYAL" clip. That one made me jump out my seat.
Haha, sorry! It was just too perfect for the situation! ❤
@@RRSlugger I just never expect it when you bring up old internet memes. You just don't seem the type with how articulate your videos are 90% of the time, so it always makes me do a double take haha.
I really need to get into Bionicle to feel the impact this video must have within the community. This was really awesome to listen to despite my lack of knowledge!
Promises made, promises kept
A good slug always keeps his word! 😉
honestly i never thought about it this hard. i just really liked all of them regardless of their features, bionicles just look cool no matter what to me.
It’s funny because, as a system fan, I never even got bionicle. So I have no dog in the fight. I’m just invested for the entertainment factor of seeing Slugger’s passionate and articulate soliloquy and what it lets me know about the apparent views in the fanbase. The song was hilarious. Another brilliant video, my guy!
Thank you very much! I'm really proud of this one; despite my error in Gali's shoulder design that some viewers caught, I think I really argued my points well across the board. 😊
I appreciate Bionicle content and I appreciate you Slugger! Thanks for putting in a heap of work!
P.S. you successfully fooled me into thinking Olivia Rodrigo is a Bionicle fan. I guess I'll go back to my Essenger memes...
Thank you! Yes, this one was a lot of work (and a lot of money, buying up all the other Metru/Hordika/Hagah that I needed!) 😅
8:41 "These are not clone troopers from star wars" _Shows a stormtrooper on screen_
The subtle trolling is STRONG with this one lmao
Legends SW: That checks out, I've played OG Battlefront 2.
Canon SW: After Bad Batch stuff, not sure.
Haha, why limit myself to picking on Bionicle fans when I can *also* pick on Star Wars fans! 😉
@@BionickpunkPer Rebels, the clones were the initial stormtroopers but were phased out over time as the clone program was dissolved.
I think you're right about the color schemes - the older stuff just looked so vibrant and eye-catching.
Gray should be reserved for mechanical elements like gears.
Same reason why old Lego space stuff is better than Star Wars.
I will say I think its telling that childhood me chose to build my toa metru to intentionally remove the gear function in the shoulders.
Mr. Slugger, you make the best Lego content.
Legos were my first love as a hobby, and because of your sluggy words, I am going back to that hobby!
Love you big guy! ❤️
Thank you very much, Ian! I’m glad my videos are helping to inspire you! ❤️
I am so extremely happy that I have survived long enough to be a happy, healthy, well-adjusted 30 year old who can find such a breadth of well-articulated videos about extremely niche hobbies that I was ridiculed for loving as a child.
There's a beautiful karma to this, is all.
(Also I agree with all your points, especially from a Lore and practicality standpoint--Vakama's Kanohi disc aim was always a sore point for me since I could never keep his arm straight)
Haha, thank you! My channel is nothing if not niche, so I’d say you’re right at home here. 😊
They are peak Bionicle
I stand corrected! 😉
EVERYONE COME QUICK! SLUGGER POSTED HIS VIDEO ABOUT THE TOA METRU!!!
My opinion on the subject is radically different, but I agree on this point:
Mask Packs and Technic play features should've been a staple throughout the whole line.
Toa Metru were my Bionicles growing up, I loved the aesthetic and builds, but the Mata were definitely iconic!
didnt expect you to reference olivia rodrigo and even singing a whole blurb about it!! unironically 1sf3sb is my favorite song of hers so this was an instant watch! great work!!
Haha, yeah! I love her music. 😊
I enjoy the Toa Metru because the theming for the whole wave has some amazing Y2K vibes but also bc Nuju was the first Bionicle I picked up. Certainly understand the disappointment of something you loved becoming something else though
funny, I was just talking to a friend about being kind of underwhelmed by the metru while rebuilding a box of bionicle parts I rediscovered at my parents' house. can't wait to watch this one after work!
This man is the villain of bionicle nostalgia lol
Honestly we need less rose tinted glasses on bionicle in my opinion. That sentiment has prevented the community from truly accepting the reboot which if I’m honest, had better articulation and gear mechanics than we ever had.
I think I agree on all points here, haha - even casting Slugger as the villain, in this case! 😉
I would agree with that, if we tore appart the G1 poster children, the Toa Mata as well. Otherwise this is just favoritism of one thing while disregarding the other, thinking that there can only be one or few things that represent Bionicle. Saw the similar sentiments made from Gen 1 Pokemon fans, Classic Sonic fans, Original Trilogy Star Wars fans, and TOS/TNG Star Trek fans. And I don't agree with that, a franchise can be more than one thing, same with build toys. The fact that Bionicle lasted for as long as it did proves that their changes were successful enough to warrant them. There is certainly a discussion to be made with where the line made bad decisions, but with less reverence to the Mata, as even they made some decisions that would plague the line in it's entirety.
The G2 reboot was honestly great as far as the sets go, once people overcome the aesthetic differences between G1 and CCBS. The Masters are legit one of my favorite Toa waves, and while the Uniters are a bit of a step back they're still more standout sets than the Inika were.
But nostalgia normies don't care about anything after first wave Toa Mata?
Hero Factory's first wave was good. There, I said it.
That "BETRAYAL" is very familiar! 8:08
I'm surprised it's taken me this long to find a place for it! It's iconic to "old RUclips", haha. 😊
@@RRSluggerSpoony, right?
@@docnecrotic Bingo! 🙂
@@RRSluggerI miss him, he used to be the best...
As someone who loved the Toa Mata and Nuva, and started to feel disenchanted immediately as the Metru Nui arc kicked off in 2004… thank you, soooo much. I feel so validated 😂
The Toa Metru are the closest Bionicle ever got to “good looking” proportions. They certainly look orders of magnitude better than the wierd lanky Inika proportions that basically stuck around til the end.
I don't know if I can agree with you there, sorry! To each their own, I guess! 🫣
@@RRSlugger Well Bionicle, and to an extent Constraction, have pretty weird proportions no matter how close they get to human ones. A lot can be attributed to the massive balljoints theses sets had, while giving the much needed stability, would result in pretty exaggerated body areas. The sockets being used as hands gave them freakishly large hands as a result, which was needed in order to have the technic connections. And the heads...G1 had particularly large masks compare to G2, lots of empty space between the masks and the head while the later iteration had them nearly flush with the head. Also due to stability reasons, all of the generations had clown feet. Its sorta the charm of these weird robot dudes, and why the build systems dont translate well into the builds intended for human characters like in SW or DC/Marvel. Kinda suspend your disbelief with robots when building them with Lego, not so much humans.
@@Bionickpunk Well put! 👍
Thanks for sharing your opinion @RRSlugger / I was into Bionicle since 2001, but Toa Metru still are some of my favorites. I never cared about gear functions, and the lack of the articulation of the original sets was really a big issue for me, as I was into super poseable action figures growing up, and I just couldn’t overlook the fact that you can’t even turn their heads left and right. But. I do understand your issues with Toa Metru and I honestly agree with most of them, but I still love them, just like I love 2001-2003, even thought they lack articulation.
Thank you! And hey, if you're into super poseable LEGO action figures, then you may want to give Galidor a try! 😊
@@RRSluggerI have Galidor 😅 I loved it in 2002 and still love it. I never understood why people outright hate it, it was an excellent toy line.
So much power in this video.
Thank you! ❤
15:36 Really leaving you wide open for anyone coming in Diogenis style, proclaiming "Behold: A Bionicle!" and presenting... idk, a mecha fly guy from Mario party 2's "Mecha marathon"?
I love a good Slugger rant!
Heck no. The grey secondary color gives them a more grounded look and it makes the armor pop out more. Theres nothing I despise more than inserting a secondary color on a toy that doesn’t need it. It often just complicates the color scheme and makes it look more kidish instead of realisitic.
Fair enough! Agree to disagree on the aesthetics. I would definitely be willing to entertain a colour scheme like you’re suggesting *if* the armour colour better matched the brighter hues of Mata Nui. As is, what we got is so drab and doesn’t really leave a visual impact, at least in my opinion. 🤷♂️
We love you Slugger🐌
Thank you! ❤
Youre welcome ;)
All this talk of Galidor, Slizers/Throwbots, constraction figures, and Bionicle, makes me wonder if you're ever going to tackle other non-brick building systems, like Znap. Someday, I want to make a MOC combining all the non-brick systems Lego attempted into a giant plastic Frankenstein's Monster.
Znap will definitely be a topic of discussion, one of these days! 😊
I agree with your point on the reuse of parts between each other when it comes to the bohrok, vahki, etc
Those are monsters meant to buy a bunch of, they aren't meant to be named characters
Cannon fodder, not main villains
Very great video. As someone who grew up primarily with the 01-03 era sets, I can understand how that period feels like the "golden era" of Bionicle. That being said, I think my personal definition of a "Bionicle" would come down to the ability to customize and build new models out of their pieces. Whether that be your own custom Toa, Tohunga, Rahi, or whatever, the essence of an "action figure that you can take apart" to such a level of detail is what Bionicle is to me. That's why I've always seen Bionicle as just as true of a part of LEGO as any other classic theme. Sure, some other toys would let you swap limbs or accessories, but the very nature of the Technic system allows for a fundamentally greater level of creative expression than anything else. That's why I had no issues with the sets from Hero Factory or G2. I can get out my bins of technic and CCBS pieces and make something entirely unique, regardless if the original set had collectible masks or working gear functions.
In the end, Bionicle had such a big impact on so many fans at many different time periods and in many different ways; it's logical to expect different people to have different priorities of what they consider to be "true" Bionicle. Although the Metru may have been fairly disappointing for me as a kid, the fact that a generation of kids were able to play with those sets and make their own amazing creations with them is enough for me to consider the Metru a vital part of Bionicle's history.
Bravo for making a video about Bionicle that doesn't repeat the same tired points of praise we constantly hear nor does it unjustifiably insult subjective opinions with "objective fact." It's nice hearing a well-articulated discussion that remains respectful while still being fresh and unique; that's a rarity in most online communities.
Thank you very much, Luke! You're absolutely right - everyone is going to have a different definition of what truly makes a "Bionicle". I'm certainly not of the delusion that my opinion is the only opinion, of course haha. 😊
Calling a slug dense is like calling a meter fast.
omg! it's happening!
the metru build slander has begun! XD
i kid, looking forward in seeing what your take is.
I agree a lot despite being a metru fan, especially on the shoulder joints thing, but I wanna make something very clear. Though they axed the play feature and alt colour kanohi (mostly, there are a few exceptions), kanohi were still absolutely critical to the world and lore of bionicle. the vahi used in the movie was kinda an example of a mask that can be worn over other kanohi, and was the ultimate maguffin of vakama's arc. and of course the Ignika was the most important kanohi of all time and spanned 2 whole toa runs (the same toa sure but still) and a LOT of expanded lore going forward. It was really glatorian that did away with the mask powers for the most part, since they wear 'helmets' instead of kanohi. so in a way, you're factually incorrect. The spirit of your point rings true though.
However, I think they did away with the mask gimmick becuase over time, that mouth connection would get weaker and the masks would just....fall off. consider the matoran of that line, same mask system, but becuase thost masks were a lot thinner, they would fall off during normal play A LOT. Vhisola was my first bionicle, and I was forever dropping and losing her mask.
Personally, I actually dislike the gear functions, even the toa mata ones. though this comes from a place of playing with them more like actions figures as a kid, and posing them as a collector later (not to mention how annoying it is to do stop motion with earlier bionicles, needing stage wire and rigs and all that- though some pieces lost their friction regardless so, eh).
I agree that the toa should look mechanically unique, but they should try to use as many of the same pieces as possible. recolours are super important for MOCs.
I think what seperates early bionicle enjoyers with metru onwards enjoyers is ethos. for folks like myself, the emphasis isn't on technic or play or gear functions or masks (tho recolours are nice, and nowadays we can 3D print alt colour of movie/unreleased kanohi anyway), it was about the lore. the characters, the unfolding story, the background schemes and sideplots, and of course- the villains. Makuta is cool lets be real, hes as generic and mustache twirling as they come, at least in mask of light. meanwhile theres characters like vesok, who has to grapple with the fact that he's now incomplete becuase of the ignika, or zaktan, a cunning snake who gets turned into nanomachines. in fact the piraka in general were good villains (outside of bionicle heroes- good game it may be) becuase they all wanted to betray one another. It really parallels a villain group that existed around the same time- the phyrexian preators of magic the gathering. working together for tactical advantage but ultimately they despise and plot against one another.
anyway I apologise for the essay. I am a HUGE fan of your work, videos and music alike.
I appreciate your feedback here! I largely covered all of the things I wanted to in the video, however there were definitely some things I had to leave on the cutting room floor. One of the things I wish I could've discussed is the idea of the "lore" as a retroactive justification for toy design.
I'm certainly aware that the *lore* still placed an emphasis on the masks being masks and not simply faces for the characters, but I don't think the same can be said for the *toys* of that era. For as interesting as the designs of the Mahri are, those "masks" are 100% just faces for the characters in question. By and large, they weren't recoloured, they weren't reused, and the Toa weren't intended to be seen without them on.
In general, the lore will agree with and explain any decision that was taken with the toys, so from my perspective, it's a moot argument to turn to the lore for justification. Now, that's just one slug's opinion on the matter though - evidently, I don't hold the greater lore of Bionicle in high regard as is. 😅
I think I must have played with my Bionicles wrong or something as a kid, because I NEVER had any issues with masks falling off! Everyone tells me this was a huge problem, but it just... never happened to me! 😮
We're definitely fans of Bionicle for different reasons, no doubt there, but I'm glad we can have a quick conversation on the subject like this! Even if the result is "agree to disagree". 😉
@@RRSlugger True, but for the mahri, that was basically becuase their masks were altered by the ignika to help them survive underwater. and hahli's mask was used again for toa Lesovikk. but by and large yes, and its a gripe i have myself. recolours of the masks would have been fantastic, and in the inika era they had the oppertunity to do so for the toa metru, since they reused the same kanohi for the matoran of that wave. just...swap the colours?
see, I have to agree to disagree that the lore is a moot point, as the lackluster lore was i feel a huge part of why the reboot flopped. A netflix only series, with a barebones (pun intented) plot and no nuance- but they did however make the masks relevent again, at least. I think that could have been fixed purely by not having the series on netflix but instead as an actual cartoon on cartoon network or something. But in the circles i was in at the time the talk i kept seeing was that no one liked the new series, and thus were even less interesting in collecting G2 (not that it stopped me).
It's definately one of those moments. sometimes you just get lucky with the moulds being more secure?
My biggest gripe with the Toa Metru isn't even something that's their fault, but that Lego kept the dull dark colour palette for most sets until 2009. I think the dark colours fit the metru and hordika well, since they fit the tone and retro-futurist aesthetic, but losing out on the vibrant colours from 2001 most of the time is a real bummer. Now granted, this never bothered me as a child, but as an adult Bionicle MOCist now, the relative lack of vibrant Wave 1 colours really sucks to me.
This is a good point, honestly! Those brighter colours really did help the toys pop. 👍
I’ll give you props for the shoulder articulation and muted mono-color scheme. Everything else though is extremely subjective. Especially the masks. I’ve always thought the old masks were too flimsy when fitting on the head and the idea of collecting other masks and using them took away from the Toa’s unique identity.
Additionally the Metru torso is better than the Mata torso. It has a lot more room to use for MOCs while still retaining gear functions. The Mata torso was great for gear functions but not much else.
While I know this is subjective I really love the more streamlined design of the Toa Metru. It’s a form of visual storytelling to show “These Toa are a team from a different era”. While I do think some more unique pieces could’ve been used to further distinguish the Metru from one another, the overall look is great. I love the Nuva but I went out of my way to straighten Onua and Pohatu so they look more in line with the other Toa Nuva and not deformed.
To be honest the video comes off as very purist by saying “All Bionicle after this era are not Bionicle”. The thing is, Bionicle is not just cool toys that are supposed to conform to a strict ruleset. It’s not the sole reason we bought them as kids. We bought them because they were cool toys coming from a cool universe.
And this is going to be tangental, but I despise the “we know the narrator lives so the story is boring” critique. By that logic more than half of all stories are boring and pointless. Stories are not just interesting because of their outcomes. They’re interesting because of the characters and their struggles. How did the Turaga become Toa? What did they face? What kind of growth did they go through to become who they are? Don’t dismiss stories from the past.
There’s my two cents. 0/10 my childhood is ruined and I’m shaking and crying rn.
Thanks for the reasonable response! I agree, there's obviously a lot of subjectivity in a video like this; that being said, there are a few more objective things I pointed out as well, such as the lack of build diversity in the Metru designs when compared to even the Turaga, let alone the Mata or Nuva. That part isn't my opinion - it's just numerically true! 😅
I've certainly come around on the torso, even since making this video. It really is the shoulders that are the culprit and I think I misattributed the cause to the torso, rather than the arms themselves.
I can definitely understand the purist critique - maybe I am! In my defence though, I do heap praise onto the 2015/16 Bionicles as well... but I suppose that's because they emulate the 2001-03 Bionicles more? 🤔
I totally hear you on the prequel critique as well. Those types of stories have obvious appeal, but I often find myself not as engaged when I know the outcome. It's a similar reason to why folks avoid spoilers before going into a piece of fiction - if you know what happens, it can eliminate some of the suspense or punch to the story. I think there *can* be good prequel stories, but in my opinion, it's a knock against the work right out of the gate that the story must seek to recuperate from in order to achieve greatness.
That's just one slug's opinion though!
I honestly never saw the metru heads as lesser, non-faces compared to the mata heads when not wearing their masks.
They still felt like they wore the masks as...well...masks.
The wonkier Matoran heads introduced during 2008 are a different story.
Fair enough! I can't get past their "mouth full of marbles" look they have going on, haha. I also think later Toa (such as the Metru) look far stranger without their masks than those original Mata, but all of this is completely subjective in the end. 👍
That comment about the clones not having personalities stings.
Why limit myself to taking a swing at only Bionicle fans, when I can also take a swing at Star Wars fans at the same time? 😂😉
Just the fact that this discussion about the Toa Metru is being had AT ALL is already saying volumes about the engineering that went into their toy designs. If you're in an Online Bionicle Space and you see this kind of design discussion and you can guess what it's about, what started it, etc with a more consistent accuracy than a coin flip then yeah, there's something going on there.
I dunno, i made a cool MOC with some of those parts so i feel like that destroys your argument
Love the video lol
Hahaha, get rekt slugger! 😂❤
I also prefer "Bionicle the technic subtheme" over "Bionicle the construction figures theme". And yet, I think they are both fun and that's what is important to me.
A great way to phrase it! Agreed!
I respect the bravery of this hot take so I want to offer my own in response:
When you said "Then they might as well be generic technic action figures", I would 100% prefer if that was what they were. When I was old enough to get Bionicles, hey were already in the "Hordika" phase, so I didn't really have an entry point for all this lore. Mom didn't think to pick up 3 generations worth of direct-to-dvd movies alongside the figure, the games didn't really shed much light on who the guys in my collection were, so any relevant Bionicle lore was out of my grasp.
I think it's all baggage, and as an adult, knowing about the Maori appropriation and lawsuit kept me from even wanting to dive in. So yes, I'd rather have contextless robots than cyborg-skeletons with muscles you have to know you're supposed to imagine between the pieces.
That's totally a fair take! Sometimes the lore is just... not that good. 😅
Bad lore can also detract from the toys themselves! I look to LEGO DreamZzz as an example, for me personally. I'd be such a bigger fan of those sets if I hadn't seen the show. 💀
Please make more bionicle videos. You have a hot take, and I want to hear more since it’s a very unique point of view. I have SO much nostalgia for bionicle I don’t think I will ever fully agree, but I love hearing your thoughts on this. Well thought out, very fair critique!
Thank you very much! I’m glad that you’re able to see that my video also comes from a place of love for Bionicle too… just not *all* of it, haha. 😅
I’m not sure if you’ve seen my other two Bionicle focused videos already or not? (“My History With Bionicle” and “An Elderly Slug Attempts To Understand CCBS”)
I might have more to say on the subject at some point in time, but this is all I have planned for the moment. 😊
7:08 removes everything distinct about the Toa Metru and complains about them being clones of each other
I like how he intentionally lower the waist and neck level for Nokama, thinking we wouldn't notice. Also it's fairly easy to destinguish Onewa even in the gray filter, as his brown color was actually lighter than Pohatu. Had he tried that with Matau and Nokama, it would be harder due to similar shade. Vakama is still destinguished even in the gray, and Whenua and Nuju are apparent. Now if we went closer and looked at the eyestalks, they would also be a dead giveaway, as Matau/Whenua/Onewa have darker stalks, while Nuju/Vakama/Nokama have lighter stalks. All of this is ofc if you disregard the waist position and neck positions.
…yes, that’s the entire point of the example being used here. 😅
Once you remove the masks, weapons, and colours, the CONSTRUCTION of each Toa Metru is nearly identical to one another. In this video, I contrast that against the Turaga who, despite being smaller piece counts and price tags, actually have MORE differentiation under the same test conditions.
Hopefully that helps clear things up!
@@Bionickpunk …I think this one might have flown over your head, judging by your comment here. Unless this was meant as parody? Genuinely, I don’t know, so please correct me if I’m misunderstanding you. 😅
The segment in question discusses the CONSTRUCTION of the Toa Metru, not their colours, masks, or weapons. I used the black and white filter as a way to show that once you remove those things, the Toa Metru are so similar that you would be hard pressed to tell them apart. The fact that you seem to think that I put Onewa and *Nokama* together in that photo, only proves my point. (Check the video description for the unaltered photos!)
Again, I apologize if you meant this as a joke or something and I’m just not picking up on it. What you wrote is so off the mark, I’m just generally left confused about the intent…
@RRSlugger No guys the Mata are so unique from each other because some of them have their leg pieces flipped upside down.
@@mechadeka Sarcasm detected! Nice! 😉
Anyways, if you have anything meaningful to contribute, I'm happy to discuss, but bad faith decorum like this won't get us anywhere.
Interesting thoughts right here. Great video!
Thank you! 😊
A Slugger Bionicle Video? Oh boy! I sure hope he didn't say anything rude about my hideously ugly, ugly, precious childeren :)
Missed opportunity to quote "traitor" at 8:08 instead, but still, hats off for giving some love to the one song that's otherwise a passing cameo in the SOUR Tour (even going out of your way to include a clip from said performance) and completely absent from the GUTS Tour.
Haha, that would have been good! I'm pretty bummed that she isn't coming to my city this tour - I'd absolutely love to see her perform one day. Her and Dan Nigro have made some great music together; it's refreshing to see young people pick up an electric guitar because of her music! 😊
The best thing about the toa metru were the electric toothbrush with a special piece to adapt bionicle masks to any toothbruh
You forgot the Metru Vakama shoes and backpack.
Did they make Toa Metru Toothbrushes? I only remember Toa Nuva ones. I still have Tahu and Gali, both unused because I was scared of ruining them forever. 😅
@@BoardGamesBricksHobbies In france i ended up have the red and green metru ones, dont know if they made more x)
Oh Mata Nui, at long last I bear witness to someone with a similar mindset! It is the very reason why I incorporate wild and outlandish gear functions in my builds. As I have a great appreciation towards the golden years of bionicle as well as G2.
I knew there had to be other people out there who didn’t worship at the altar of Metru Nui! You’re among friends here. ❤️
@@RRSlugger I greatly appreciate the kind words! 😁 Happy building and play well
What an insufferable opinion
We all have insufferable opinions! What's yours?
I'm happy to discuss or debate if you have some points to make, but if not, that's okay too. 🙂
For me, this has probably been the video I've been anticipating the most from this channel by far, I just as much enjoyed this video as I did the Power Miners video from months ago as well, even if I disagreed with one or two points from the video. Having now seen a comparison of the original Toa Metru sets next to modified versions with added secondary highlight colors, I can't unsee how dull the shared grey used across all the sets are, the orange highlights added to Vakama were something I never even realized I wanted especially lol
The Dark Grey plague that started in 2003 with the Rahkshi sure did take a toll on the appealness of Bionicle, at least to me
Thank you! I'm glad I was able to deliver on this one! ❤
@@SuperSecretBricks Phantoka Lewa is the worst in this regard. Who thought it would be a good idea to put gray as the primary color while the lime a secondary, we will never know.
SO TRUE BESTIE, excellent points I agree with entirely. Love seeing bionicle content from you!
Thank you! It's rare, but every now and then I find a Technic topic that makes it into a full blown script. 😊
Great video! Points well made! You definitely changed my mind (not that I had very strong opinions on the Toa Metru, they released just before I grew out of Bionicle. I just remembered being impressed that the Rakshi joints had been implemented on a Toa.)
Thank you, and thanks for approaching the video with an open mind! ❤
Great video! In my eyes when it comes to aesthetics they’re unbeatable clone build & all. I also enjoy the increased range of motion in the hips no Toa Mata can rotate their legs forward 360° and do the splits. For my final point Bionicles are action figures the toa metru are more similar to high end action figures like Bandai S.H. Figuarts while the Toa Mata are more similar to wind up Tin robots and, as a grown man one speaks to me more than the other. To be fair though wind up tin robots sure are iconic!!
Loved the video, Slugger! This is around the time I fell off the Bionicle wagon too, although I can't remember if it was due to genuine criticisms or being a kid with a very short attention span. Glad to see I'm not the only one. I just kept getting distracted by the fact that these are 20 years old this year. I'm only 28, dang it! I'm not supposed to feel old yet!
Thank you! Yeah… 2004 was a long time ago now. 💀
This video actually ended up just teaching me a lot about the different lines of Bionicle toys- I never knew much about the difference becauses I didn't know much about the lore and all of my Bionicle come from one massive yard sale lot I got when I was a kid. The rahkshi has and will always be my favorite in the entire series- I know they aren't the stars and portrayed as villain's but they were always my favorite for their articulation and cool sleak silhouette. The Bohrok would probably be a close second with their unique play features and Ability to become a ball I find them very cute- Suffice to say I was never the biggest Bionicle fan but I have always been more captivated by the designs of the villains than the heros.
Edit: I know this has nothing to do with the main argument in the video but just wanted to gush about my favorite Bionicles :3
Also I totally agree with your soapbox on Masks being Bionicle- and thats coming from someone who didn't experience the launch, Didn't know the lore, and later bought Hero factory! The old faces are so Iconic and it always felt like the faces were all the same because they are all the same species but the masks being unique is what gives them personality! I WAS NOT thinking about powers and yet it still is what set Bionicle's apart from their villain's or even from later technic lines like hero factory- especially with the Slugs and rubbery bugs that could take over I always loved that feature
>"ranted for another 5 minutes on how bad the kanoka disks were".
>looks at complete kanoka collection.
ok.
13:37 Eh.. I’d argue what the fact what it is a prequel what is essentially a legend told by old heroes themselves is not a bad thing simply because said heroes are alive and well p, hence they telling about their adventures. Because good stories aren’t usually good JUST because you don’t know of certain characters die or not🤷 And the Metru (+ hordika) story I’d say is fine overall.
As for ”drab city” well, to each their own, I guess.. And yet for me that setting were felt much more grandiose than that of previous one.
Also for the overall subject of the video, yeah, I kinda agree what the Metru builds themselves were kinda rough transition from gearbox-driven molds to more action figure molds. They kinda was super articulated in their lower half, but top halve was surprisingly stiff for some reason..
But nonetheless I am clearly not from that crowd of people who believes what ”bionicle was ruined because they strayed away from gearboxes towards fully articulated figures”, even despite the fact what i also started from Mata line.
On the contrary, I believe what making them fully articulated just opened more possibilities for play & overall design’s liveliness than having some predetermined function what, while it is fun to have, but it easily could compromise the design (exactly the reason of Metru looking and feeling this wonky tbh)
Totally fair! I don't presume to speak for everyone in a video like this, of course - only for myself. At the end of the day, we're talking about plastic toys we liked 20 years ago; "agree to disagree" is an entirely reasonable conclusion to reach. 👍
Slugger, you’re my favourite Lego RUclipsr, and it’s because you have interesting and engaging videos like this one! It doesn’t matter if your opinions differ to mine, the quality of the video is always top tier and I know I’ll have a blast watching it.
Now that we’ve had a video on an aspect of Bionicle you didn’t like, how about another one with something you did like? Perhaps the mask feature and what it’s become today, with inflated prices? Or the immersive storytelling through the online games?
Whatever you put out next, I’ll be watching it no matter what, so thank you for your hard work!
Thank you so much! It's totally okay to disagree about little things like this - I find it fun to debate, nonetheless!
I've nearly covered all of the bases I sought to cover with Bionicle at this point, but who knows - maybe a proper Generation 2 video one day? 😮
@@RRSlugger Maybe do a video on socket pieces, both Slizer and Mixel designs and how flawed they are no matter the design iteration. Out of all the Lego pieces, sockets were the easiest to crack and brake besides standard Lego clip pieces. I dunno whats with Lego and their C shaped connectors, but they always falter in some quality control aspect.
@@Bionickpunk Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I am 100% the wrong slug for the job here because I have *never* had a socket piece crack on me before! The axle holes would sometimes snap off, the ball & cup connection point has been completely without fail through the hundreds of joints I own. Maybe the 2001 - 2003 parts were made of stronger stuff? Maybe I'm just incredibly lucky? I genuinely don't know!
This was a refreshing viewpoint, and one I mostly agree with. I've always seen the problems with the Metru build (mainly the lack of shoulders) as a nessecary evil. If Bionicle had continued with the original building principles in mind, I think it would've died far sooner. The shift towards more poseability made way for more dynamic, and as such, cooler and edgier characters. A major must for anything marketing to young boys in the mid 2000's. Another contributing factor is the major size increase. I often find the Mata and Nuva style builds to be small and somewhat cute, which was most likely not the intended reaction. Probably because of their simplicity. In contrast the Metru and Inika builds are almost innately more "badass" and "cooler" because of the added real estate for more visually complex detailing.
As for the question of "what is Bionicle", it's pretty obvious there isn't a cohesive vision for all. I know people who thought the Inika were the end of Bionicle and some who see the Metru as the end and some who see the actual end as the end. I personally think of Bionicle as a soft anthology series with a common theme of six heroes plopping onto a new mysterious setting and fighting some version of Makuta. I think that a lot of people have noticed the soft reboot elements of the post-MoL era and agree with your take, at least subconsiously. That's why we get so much Mata fan-content. When was the last time anyone tried to make something with Voya Nui? Or even Metru Nui for that matter?
In any case, great video Slugger! Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I agree - Metru Nui was likely a necessary stepping stone on the way to Bionicle's later years, but I definitely tire of folks treating the Toa Metru specifically as some sort of apex of Bionicle design, when they are ripe with obvious issues, in my opinion.
Hence, this video! Haha 😊
Olivia Rodrigo and Bionicle in one video isnt something I was expecting
When it comes to the Toa Metru themselves. I agree. After years of hearing the same Metru are the best for a decade it was nice to have someone say otherwise. But it's the ending part of the video I find myself disagreeing
I made a video comparing Bionicle and Xeno. But what I find most interesting is that both videos show the duality of man and bionicle. The main point I take issue with is Bionicle is the masks. Going back to the xeno well Xeno is not just the Gears in the name of Xenogears. There is a lot of depth that is lost when defining it as such.
To me the core is Bionicles transhumanism philosophies. It's the idea of a pill containing little soldiers to fight an evil infection. It's a story about the body and cells. The reveal of the great spirit robot was always there. From before the first set hit the shelves.
I also notice the lack of a mention of 2009 and the bara manga arc. The year that explicitly did not have masks, Besides well Both versions of Mata Nui. The year that was a new take on the biological chronicle concept.
But if we are sticking to the matoran universe the masks were still a driving factor in the story, just not a collective in a similar vein of 2001. 2004 focused on the kanoka disks which are the raw material for masks. Most important of all the main disks fused together create the ultimate disk to forge the Vahi or as its also known mask of time. The ignition trilogy was all about retrieving the Ignika to save Mata Nui. To me the Ignika is just as iconic as the Hau or the Avohkii.
I would also like to share a story with a phenomenal show I refuse to go further with despite my love of the original, Macross. The show was a 1983 anime classic That has become my 2nd favorite mecha anime after GaoGaiGar. After finishing the original I decided to look at the future installments to find anime idol girls singing j-pop. This is because the creator Shoji Kawamori believes the core to be a triangle of Mecha Action, Love Triangles, and Songs. While I may not want to go further, I also understand that that is the core of Macross.
The musical pop aspect has arguably become the most important part and has been pushed to the forefront. While a part of the original show I don't think it was as big a deal till the movie pushed to the front.
Sometimes what we may perceive as the core of something might be just a small gear in the machine. The masks are just one part of the bigger pictures. While important, I've always perceived the elemental nature as more important.
To each their own, I just disagree with the last part of the video.
I'll admit, I don't think I followed your train of thought all that well here, sorry. 😅
Still, I'll try my best to offer a response!
When I read phrases like the "duality of man and bionicle" and "transhumanism philosophies", it's obvious to me that we're looking for very different things from Bionicle, haha. I'm mainly looking for masks, gears, and build diversity - lore & story takes a backseat to toy design, for me. If I don't think the toy is hitting all the marks I want it to, it doesn't really matter to me what the story has to say - it doesn't make the *toy* any better.
From a toy perspective, Bionicle dropped a number of these things in favour of... greater poseability? Just becoming better generic action figures? Had they replaced masks & gears with something more unique, then I think I would feel differently; as it is, however, all I see is Bionicle slowly losing what made it unique in favour of just becoming an action figure, and like I say in the video, I might as well be playing with Galidor at that point. 🤷♂️
I get your message about focusing on just a small gear in the machine, but the small gears (quite literally, haha) that I'm fixated on were removed and, in my opinion, not replaced with anything else compelling.
@@RRSlugger Maybe a better way of looking at it Bionicle is ever changing. Just like the bricks used to create the characters, its formless till us the builder gives it shape. To me what makes Bionicle stand out from other action figures is the fact they are buildable. the parts are just small enough that you can do anything with them. A quick google search shows the creativity on display
An issue I have with most "Buildable Action Figures" is that Personally I can only see the parts as what they are originally intend. Its my big issue with Galidor. the parts to me are too specific. The best example from what I have seen, that is not Bionicle has been Transformers Weaponizer system that has been going strong for 6 years.
Bionicle originally came off the 90s, famous for more gimmick heavy toys. The 2000s were the age of articulation, seeing the rise of more adult oriented collectibles with "Marvel Legends" and "Soul Of Chogokin". Adding more articulation was going to be a necessity going forward. Like any good toyline it evolves and adapts to its target demographic.
An example not from the Lego sphere is Armada Optimus Prime. The original is the ultimate gimmick toy. But as the unicron trilogy went on, Optimus ditched the gimmicks and became more articulate. then we reach today were people were hyped to get an articulate version of Armada prime. Some going as far to say that the wish that was the toy that released in 2003. The entire modern landscape of action figures is built on giving classic characters articulation
Even if your don't build the gear functions, I still find the Piraka and Inikia builds comparable to to the original Mata sets. At least compared to pre Bionicle G2 CCBS, which I found most what would be canister sets lacked depth. At least if they weren't considered titans. but wit the Inika, I do prefer their prototype masks over the masks we got, But the last 2 years with real toa went back to the 04 head.
But my views on the buildable aspect could be why I was able to switch to model kits, like gunpla. But I do see a difference in how gunpla cant be taken part so easily compared to a Bionicle. Overall What makes Bionicle stand out to me is its customization, that I find is very hard to match.
@@PaleozoicBricks It seems like we both agree in a way that Bionicle lost its uniquity in order to chase the trend of better articulation. Remember, Bionicle wasn’t LEGO’s first foray into buildable action figures either, so the buildable aspect isn’t a unique factor to Bionicle’s core identity, at least not in my perspective.
What separated Bionicle from Slizers? Masks, a new gear system, and story - at least, in my opinion. It’s just a shame to me that as time went on, the first two points of uniquity were dropped and Bionicle became more and more reliant on its story to support it.
I think it's really funny to say that Kopaka did ice shoes before Nuju because of the prequel setting of the metru, and of course I know you know this but I just got a kick out of that.
That and using a stormtrooper while saying clone trooper, where ironically enough the clones had more personality (at least on screen) than the stormtroopers did! Not sure if that was on purpose or not lol, great vid! Love your channel
Haha, good point! The Stormtrooper bit was definitely just to annoy Star Wars fans, my other favourite prey to tease. 😉
@@RRSlugger hello, BASED department
While I don't think the Metru were good Bionicle toys per se, I do think they were a necessary stepping stone in the theme's evolution. A Prototype if you will
I totally agree - necessary growing pains. 👍
What annoys me is when people treat this flawed Toa design as “peak Bionicle” when, in my opinion, it is so clearly inferior to what came before and after it, as outlined in the video.
In my eyes the Toa Metru will always be the best Toa team also when it comes to design, but looking at your video; i agree with your opinion. They share the exact secondary color scheme and non-diverse building formula/format