HOME | DD

Description
Well, I've finally gotten started on that "50 Llama Celebration" project, but it's become abundantly clear that it will take a while. On the other hand, my next critical Fictional Work is nearing the end, but very slowly (from now on, whenever I even say the word "soon", punch me). So, to deviate and break from those big projects, I'm going to do a quick review on some very recent acquisitions I finally got my hands on.

Ladies and gents, I give you these Bionicle Knock-Offs known as the "Masters of Disaster" (accurate in more ways than one, if you know what I mean).

So, starting with the positive, one detail that makes this bootlegged series stand above others is its slight originality. As senseless as their names are (this is Creepy Crawler and Doomsday, BTW), some of the figures built with this system of parts strike an appearance that doesn't necessarily rival but almost comes in second with early figures of G1 Bionicle. I mean, yes, anybody who knows Bionicle can take one good look at these guys and guess which Bionicle set was ripped off in seconds. However, unlike other series that blatantly replicate Bionicle sets and slap new names on them, Glopo was at least imaginative enough to mold their figures with a different look; that is assuming Glopo molded these pieces first because it turns out these figures pop under several different brand names.

Ignoring Creepy Crawler because he has a build that's just sloppy and uninspiring to look at, Doomsday sports a build that contains a combination of elements from the G1 Toa Mata, Toa Metru, and even the Rahkshi. She even has the bonus of Skrall-class armor slapped here and there for a more... you know, armored look. Her most original details are her feminine chest plate and her streamline mask.

The biggest perk that this wave of knock-offs has is it's compatibility with actual Bionicle components. While the Dream Builder's system is not directly compatible with Lego, there are some tricks that can be pulled off to work something out. One example of proof: Bionicle MOC: Giza . The most compatible, if not the only compatible, pieces are armor and weapons. The masks are tricky because they have a round stub for mounting. The heads can be integrated with technic, but it takes a few tricks; and it's good to figure out those tricks BEFORE you mount the mask because those masks practically fuse in place once attached. Also, the feet parts seen on Doomsday work surprisingly well on Lego ball bearings. Everything else, ball joints and 'technic', doesn't integrate well enough with Bionicle to be worth keeping. What makes the compatible pieces even more delightful is that their colors virtually match existing colors in Lego. Naturally, the shades aren't exactly the same, but the differences are very, VERY minor (like G1 silver vs G2 silver minor). Even if the colors don't match to one's satisfaction, there's enough armor pieces per color to act as a full set of armor for a figure.

[For a better review of these figures, check out Aleiraah's video here BIONICLE KNOCK OFFS (Dream Builders M.O.D. by Glopo Inc ) ]

Description
Well, I've finally gotten started on that "50 Llama Celebration" project, but it's become abundantly clear that it will take a while. On the other hand, my next critical Fictional Work is nearing the end, but very slowly (from now on, whenever I even say the word "soon", punch me). So, to deviate and break from those big projects, I'm going to do a quick review on some very recent acquisitions I finally got my hands on.

Ladies and gents, I give you these Bionicle Knock-Offs known as the "Masters of Disaster" (accurate in more ways than one, if you know what I mean).

So, starting with the positive, one detail that makes this bootlegged series stand above others is its slight originality. As senseless as their names are (this is Creepy Crawler and Doomsday, BTW), some of the figures built with this system of parts strike an appearance that doesn't necessarily rival but almost comes in second with early figures of G1 Bionicle. I mean, yes, anybody who knows Bionicle can take one good look at these guys and guess which Bionicle set was ripped off in seconds. However, unlike other series that blatantly replicate Bionicle sets and slap new names on them, Glopo was at least imaginative enough to mold their figures with a different look; that is assuming Glopo molded these pieces first because it turns out these figures pop under several different brand names.

Ignoring Creepy Crawler because he has a build that's just sloppy and uninspiring to look at, Doomsday sports a build that contains a combination of elements from the G1 Toa Mata, Toa Metru, and even the Rahkshi. She even has the bonus of Skrall-class armor slapped here and there for a more... you know, armored look. Her most original details are her feminine chest plate and her streamline mask.

The biggest perk that this wave of knock-offs has is it's compatibility with actual Bionicle components. While the Dream Builder's system is not directly compatible with Lego, there are some tricks that can be pulled off to work something out. One example of proof: Bionicle MOC: Giza . The most compatible, if not the only compatible, pieces are armor and weapons. The masks are tricky because they have a round stub for mounting. The heads can be integrated with technic, but it takes a few tricks; and it's good to figure out those tricks BEFORE you mount the mask because those masks practically fuse in place once attached. Also, the feet parts seen on Doomsday work surprisingly well on Lego ball bearings. Everything else, ball joints and 'technic', doesn't integrate well enough with Bionicle to be worth keeping. What makes the compatible pieces even more delightful is that their colors virtually match existing colors in Lego. Naturally, the shades aren't exactly the same, but the differences are very, VERY minor (like G1 silver vs G2 silver minor). Even if the colors don't match to one's satisfaction, there's enough armor pieces per color to act as a full set of armor for a figure.

[For a better review of these figures, check out Aleiraah's video here BIONICLE KNOCK OFFS (Dream Builders M.O.D. by Glopo Inc ) ]