BIONICLE 101 By Leviathen

What is Bionicle? As I am sure you gleaned from the excellent BZPower database, Bionicle is a toy line created by the Lego Company. It premiered in January of 2001 and TLC plans to continue it indefinitely as long as the line continues to sell well. As well as a franchise, Bionicle is a deep and complex storyline that has evolved around the sets.

What’s so Great about the Sets? Bionicle sets (like all Lego sets) are buildable, you buy a canister or box, open or tear the top and out spill a bunch of pieces. Each set comes with a detailed instruction book and you can expect to find at least one or two exclusive pieces per set. (I.e. A Kanohi, weapons, etc.) Bionicle is also Technic, so, with some imagination, all Bionicle pieces can be incorporated into a standard system set.

OK, so the Sets are Great, what about the Storyline? We’re glad you asked. Each year, a new storyline is introduced, to give the sets character and advance the ongoing plot of the overall story. Most of the time, the story comes in story-archs, that means that for a bout three years in a row, the story will follow one set of characters or a certain plot. Some times it follows a team of toa, or other times it is different people, working to the same goal. An example of both styles are the arch, this focus on the Kanohi Ignika, more then one set of people. The other style can be fount in ‘01-’03, that chronicled the Toa Mata’s adventures rather than a mask.

What Can you Do with the Sets once they are Built? Each set comes with about 13 points or articulation. Neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. Some times, waist articulation has been included. As well as massive possibility, each set of six comes with six unique colors. Although they have unique colors, most sets of six follow a general trend. The best example to date are the Barraki: underwater warlords. Each one had a unique build, but all carried the underwater and sea creature motif.

Will Bionicle End Next Year? Am I too Late?! Don’t worry, as long as the sets sell well, you can bet on more years of Bionicle. During 2007, the team had mapped out all the stuff up to Lego is generally on top of things. Even if, by some freak chance, Bionicle was ending, there are about 20 sets per year, there is still a lot of sets that have come out to acquire, via trades, eBay, Bricklink or others.

Is this puny PowerPoint my only Rescores for Information? Not by a long shot. Bzpower.com has a large reference section, and Bzpowers sister sight: Bionicle Sector 1 has a massive wiki of Bionicle information. You can find both in the links below:

Great, now what is BZPower? If you are reading this PowerPoint, then chances are you already know what BZPower is. For a basic overview BZPower is this: BZPower is currently the largest Bionicle sight on the web. They have almost daily news updates, an extensive forum (ranging from Sets-Promotios) and a massive database for the entire Bionicle story. (this includes a time-line, set database, parents guide to Bionicle, and much, much more.

Sounds Great, can I Join? Yep, BZP encourages any person with an interest in Bionicle to sign up for membership. It is free and there are no payment obligations at all. It does have a rather large system of rules and regulations, all of which can be viewed or skimmed here:

If I do Bionicle, am I a nerd? That is up to your peers to decide. However, if you like Bionicle, you always have a place on BZPower

Thanks To… The MoDs for letting me post this PowerPoint for all new members. The Staff for keeping BZPower a clean and safe community. Lego, for making Bionicle a reality. Microsoft for making PowerPoint. And all the members on BZPower who make this a great place. Thank You.