POLL: LEGO Tour Mask of Water vs Physical Art Book

Even though I like the art book more, I’ve already seen it, so I’d go with the mask.

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Exactly what I’m trying to say

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Even though the art book is more rare, what are you going to do with it? You’re going to look at it. That’s about it. You could brag about owning it, put it on a shelf, but the main functionality of a book is to look at it. There is a digital version online, of course, which you can see the same things. So, what about the mask? There is so much potential for what you could do with it. You could make an impressive moc, you could use it on an already existing set, you could display it, and because of it’s rarity, you can brag about it too. I’m looking more function over fashion, however. If you just want it for the value, then the art book is probably for you. If you want a more fun experience, then I’d say the mask is for you. I would choose the mask, but he can definitely see the other side of the argument.

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Uhh silicone mold, transparent blue resin, BOOM mask of water.

Sure that’d work, if it’s a publisher’s printer, now it’s possible you have one of those “Do it yourself publisher’s” near where you live, but those still cost money

It’s still not authentic, and the mask will probably not have the same quality. The color could be off, it could be flimsier, it could break, wrong texture, etc.

So? You’d still have it, reproducing it this way is the equivalent of printing the Art book or getting the digital copy.

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Well by your logic, either would cost money. But the only reason I was talking about printers is because and I don’t mean for this to be a rude remark at all Toa_Vladin wanted to be a special snowflake and pretty much say again, not trying to be mean “Hey, I understand that I can view the entire book online, free of cost, however, that isn’t good enough for me and I want a physical copy”.

again, didn’t mean to sound rude, I have a lot of respect for you

The way I think about it is, if you’re on this website, you can see every page of that book without charge. And if you can see every book without charge, what’s the point of having the book? Bragging rights. That’s it, in my opinion. I find it hard to say “hey, this is unique, only a handful of people have this” when you can just find all of the images, HQ, with one google search.

The mask, however, is not just a mask in my opinion. It’s a light of hope. A hope that someday bionicle will harken back to what it once was. A deep, rich, and fruitful story with diverse and thought out characters, characters you could know, characters you could morally connect with and be attached to. And while I understand It may not be that way to some people, It’s just my opinion.By this I mean that I know for a fact that the LEGO designers wanted a callback to G1 because they (maybe or maybe not) feel the same way I do

^ This is basically the second half of my argument, and probably better worded than I can make it, so thanks I guess

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On one hand you have a book that is readily available for your viewing pleasure online, with high quality pictures, but in real life you cannot do much more with it that you couldn’t online.

On the other hand you have a collectible mask that you can’t get so easily, and could have a much higher value considering the availability of the art book. It also has uses such as MOCing display, because people in general would much rathe like to see a mask than a book if they were at, say a museum.

The water mask has much more pros to it, and makes a much better candidate then the book.

@Winterstorm345 That’s not exactly a feasible option, first of all making the actual silicone mold would be almost impossible, since making the mold from a regular mask of water would make the reproductions much larger. Also Lego uses special colors and molds, so the reproduction would come out flawed and easily differentiated from an actual Inside Tour Mask. And the differentiation can’t be compared the the online copy of the art book since the art book is a high def scan of the book, while the hypothetical copy of the mask is, like I stated flawed.

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My point exactly And I had a feeling somethin’ was fishy about those silicon molds

My arguments can basically be summed up in several points, some more subjective than others. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.

The Mask of Water is ugly; it doesn’t look good. Case in point. Because of how the G2 heads were designed, transparent masks don’t really look all too aesthetically pleasing due to the eye stalk’s positioning, and that alone decreases its value for me because I’d never use this thing on a MoC. It would sit in its packaging forever because that’s where it looks the best.

Additionally, while I do give it credit for being a G1 homage, its main source of notoriety comes from how expensive it is on secondhand markets. When I think of the mask, I don’t think “Wow, this thing is really cool and I wish I had one because it’s a G1 reference!” Instead, I think “This mask is pretty interesting because scalpers and diehard collectors have elevated its price.” It is interesting because of its scarcity; nothing more, nothing less.

It’s also relatively obscure; when you factor demand into something, which is a far more abstract concept than pure monetary value, you have to take more factors into account. We know the mask exists because we’re part of the hardcore BIONICLE fandom and have seen it with our own eyes. I ask you this: how many people, overall, know of this mask’s existence or the circumstances surrounding it vs. the art book? I doubt many fans even know what the LEGO Inside Tour is, and LEGO has never mentioned this mask publically on social media as far as I can tell.

Contrast that with the art book, which EVERYBODY knows about. It was the core prize for the Makuta contest, a community topic of discussion for months, and is sought after and valued because of the circumstances surrounding G2’s ending. When all was said and done, and the dust cleared, we were left with no third year, no MOUP, no Makuta set… but we did have this art book. It’s LEGO’s final offering, it’s their “apology” for ending BIONICLE. That alone elevates its sentimental value and community relevance over the Mask of Water.

While I do agree and concede that the appeal and value of the physical art book is hampered by the presence of a digital version, I still think it ends up at a higher level of importance than the Mask of Water. It’s a phenomenal collector’s item, and also something incredibly unique for BIONICLE. There have been a large variety of masks released over the years, but only one art book. It’s something that will be remembered by the community and treasured for many years, both in terms of the digital and physical versions, whereas the mask will likely be largely forgotten about except for those fortunate to be rich enough to afford it.

Those are pretty much my thoughts. Expensive, ugly, and largely irrelevant mask vs. the final offering of G2, a unique, detailed, comprehensive, and relevant collector’s item that will stand the test of time as being a memorable occurrence from G2. I’ll take the art book any day.

-Mesonak

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These are all incredibly subjective opinions (outside of expensive) and are in no way representative facts. Anyone can say that about anything, including the artbook.

For me, it boils down to what LEGO fans are going to be more inclined to want, and that is LEGO pieces. And when it comes down to the choice between a book they can see online and a mask they may actually be able to use, I figure that most people will choose a piece over a book you can find online.

And I would’ve rather LEGO had released instructions for Makuta as opposed to this artbook. The art was great, but that’s not what should have been the focal point of this theme.

In the LEGO community, there will always be more demand for physical and exclusive pieces as opposed to a book with high quality online scans. I am astounded and perplexed that so many people would choose this book for what many would believe to be paltry reasons. I love physical editions of things, however I just see more value in an actual LEGO piece with a wide array of uses as opposed to an artbook you’d look through once and then in a shelf.

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While true, I did preface my post with:

“My arguments can basically be summed up in several points, some more subjective than others. At the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference.”

That being said, I don’t believe it’s subjective to say that the Mask of Water is more irrelevant to BIONICLE G2 than the art book. The mask is a footnote, the art book was a massive part of the theme’s ending.

In the general LEGO Community, sure, but this is the BIONICLE community. We’re a special case; heck, G2 and its progression was a unique circumstance. There really is no other situation like this to compare to for any other LEGO Themes, in order to determine whether people would value a physical piece/minifigure over this art book. The book, and the circumstances behind it, are one-of-a-kind, and play a large role in its demand.

Also regarding “a wide array of uses.” The mask basically has the same amount of uses as the book. It either sits in its packaging (or on a shelf), is actively used (using it on a MoC vs. actively reading through the book), or is sold online for massive money (like the book might be in the future).

-Mesonak

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There is a digital art book too with arguably better quality. Just look online, and you basically have the whole art book. A plastic item is a whole different beast however. To have the whole experience, you have to own the physical piece. Also going off of what @Mesonak said, I quite like the look of the mask. The color intrigues me as well, as if is kinda like a fully infected mask of water

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While that is a perfectly valid viewpoint, it’s still open to some degree of interpretation. I don’t believe that the experience of the Trans-Blue Mask of Water would be greatly enhanced, for me at least, if I payed $900 and bought it online vs. Googling a picture of it/getting one 3D printed one day once it becomes available. It’s all about how much the individual values that experience.

-Mesonak

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I don’t have a lot of trans dark blue, so I don’t see MoCing potential in that mask.

That’s entirely my opinion though.
The book looks awesome.

Personally, I already have the renditions of the mask that came with the Gali Master set, so it’s gotta be the Art Book for me, even if it only contains unused potential.

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Unused potential you can view for free online anytime you want

Actually, I’ve changed my mind

You can hit people with the art book. The mask, you could maybe choke them, but it’d be hard to do. I’ll take the Art book.

~W12~

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i’d find the mask more useful than the book-

i can use the mask as a part, to an extent. that i can’t do with a book.

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That’s fair. But IMO, you can get better quality with the mask if it was authentic vs. a homemade one. An art book printed out by you is easier to get a similar final result. To me a physical book is not as cool because the digital version already exists. But that’s my opinion, I’m sure others feel differently.

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