Chima seemed to do it pretty well, and Star Wars certainly is.
I genuinelly do not think Constraction and System can co-exist in the same theme, unless the story somehow manages to integrate them into the story. For example Chimaās constraction sets were pretty decent but they had little to no relevance and I think if Chima had gone with just CCBS it might have better been a hit or alternatively had the system sets gotten the budget and marketing funds used for constraction it couldāve been better for the line IMHO.
You want to know the funniest part about this whole Bionicle system thing to me. Back in 2016 we were all against the idea of a G3 saying it wonāt happen, now weāre all open to have a G3 as long as itās a system. It just seems like this fanbase likes to change its mood at the drop of a hat.
I feel that has more to do with G2ās untimely demise (whether folks liked it or not). Plus I think with the recent use of Mixel joints in things like Sparks and Burnzie as well as the Mech Suits and Dragons in Elves, I think there some potential there at least. Itās to me Bionicle has always been an Action Figure line and I think it works there the best, System could either hit a home run or fail abysmally worse than G2 did depending how Lego goes about itā¦
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Star Wars is the perfect example of how they can.
They basically have two different lines going right now. Thereās your basic System Star Wars sets, but then thereās the massively popular constraction line. So I donāt think they have to be integrated together to make sense, itās just another product of the same theme.
The constraction figures give you big, detailed characters. The System sets provide play and setting.
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I think thatās a fair point.Though Iād say that has more to do with the popularity of Star Wars and nigh instant recognizability of the characters. I think itād be different with an IP because unlike Star Wars which pretty much markets itself with itās movies and iconic characters that are well known by this point. Something lik Bionicle might not do so well in that regard. But thatās just my thoughts.
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Definitely wonāt disagree with you there. 
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the one thing with the part about adding system sets to Bionicle, is that if they had to add in vehicles (because just animals and location sets would probably not be enough for kids) then i would prefer if they made the vehicles a mix of both primitive and advanced technology.
Imagine Bionicle G2 having system sets, and the skull villain vehicles was kind of a more technologic version of this attack wagon:
it would some what work, one just need to find the right mix of the primitive look and the technologic look.
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Well thereās a blast from the past.
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Dang, itās been a while.
With fresh ideas comes fresh opportunity.
I think this is a perfect idea because it bring a sense of scale to the line. I mean we had scale before but not on this level before. I was looking at this one Brickonicle MOC and I came to fully understand just how huge a Nui-Rama is to an average Matoran. Before I knew they were large enough to wear Kanohi, but I never fully realized how huge it is.
Vladekās dark fortress, looks far better than the volcano lair. The volcano lair from Agents was pretty cool, though.
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When I think about it, I think it would be more awesome to combine elements from both System, Technic and Constraction to make individual sets. Thereās already epic MOCs on here that would put Hero Factory to shame.
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I donāt care for Bionicle as a System theme. When Lego revealed that their System themes have been stronger than ever in the later years, everyone jumped to the conclusion that being turned into a System theme is all Bionicle needs to be successful again, ignoring all the other factors that contributed to the success of themes such as Ninjago or Nexo Knights.
Themes like Ninjago and NK are built around simple, familiar concepts. You donāt have to explain what knights or ninjas are and even all these bizarre sci-fi elements arenāt that hard to grasp. Sure, Bionicle could be simplified to a similar level, but reducing its lore to weird elemental robots wearing tribal masks fighting evil wouldnāt change the fact itās still a theme about weird elemental robots wearing tribal masks. That brings me to another point, I have a little challenge for you: name at least one Lego System theme that had all-robotic cast of characters. Most audiences see human protagonists as more relatable and compelling. Itās the reason why most sci-fi and fantasy flicks are centered around humans, while aliens, robots, alien robots, orcs etc. usually serve the role of a comic relief or supporting characters. It also explains why most companies insisted on having a human child as the main hero of The Mask of Light.
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There is no answer to this question. There are no System themes with an all-robotic cast. There are, however, plenty of System themes with non-human characters. Mixels and Chima come to mind. Hero Factory is a massive stretch if you want to consider their versions of the minfigure design.
Also, yeah, of course most audiences find human protagonists more relatable and compelling. Cause weāre all human. Even in BIONICLE, the characters had human emotions. Because it was written by humans for humans. Iām not interested in a story about a duck or an emotionless robot.
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Didnāt Chima eventually turn out a flop, though? With that said, the animal characters still carry a certain sense of familiarity and relatability (as evidenced by their popularity in the children-oriented media), so you canāt really compare them to robots, especially as aggressive-looking as Bionicle. Sure, the Bionicle characters could be made to look cuter/goofier but is it what we really want?
Thatās because the TV show was utter garbage. The writing and acting were terrible, and the characters werenāt interesting. Ninjagoās not a work of art, either, but it at least holds itself together as a narrative.
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Bionicle was super popular, so I donāt think thatās an issue. Itās just that in these years robots arenāt as popular as before. When they become popular again, Iām sure a theme like Bionicle will work wonderfully.
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Well, it turns out it was. The movie companies approached by Lego mustāve been anxious about releasing a movie without a human protagonist for a reason, so Iād assume the early '00s werenāt that big on robots either.
[quote=āEljay, post:141, topic:32062ā]
Mixels and Chima come to mind.[/quote]
As I said, Chima featured anthropomorphic animals and theyāre a commonplace in childrenās fiction. Theyāre also a much more relatable and down-to-earth concept than alien robots. Try recommending Zootopia to someone, then try doing the same with a Bionicle movie, and see the results for yourself (sure, I know it also might be the matter of the actual quality of the writing).
Sure, there are robots whose design is cute and will probably appeal to a large number of people of any age. Like this. Or this. However, robots like this or this (which are much closer to the Bionicle visual language) either accompany the humans or are their enemies. The Bionicle movies tried to make the Matoran and the Toa look cuter and more expressive by giving them large eyes and mouths but many people I knew at the time insisted that the characters were still a bit ugly and alien-looking.
And Iām not trying to discourage anyone from doing their concept art of Bionicle as a System theme (theyāre not my cup of tea but theyāre cute and all, I guess) but the notion that some of you (not all of you, though) seem to have jumped from āG2 was a flop, donāt expect G3 anytime soonā to āG3 will do just fine, just make it a System themeā is what I find ridiculous. First, youāre setting yourself up for disappointment here. Second, as I said, you seem to ignore many important factors that contributed to the success of themes such as Ninjago or Nexo Knights.
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