Media

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Hero Factory utilizes various forms of multimedia in order to disseminate the story and promote the sets, like BIONICLE.

Digital Media

Mission: Von Nebula, the first online game

Websites

HeroFactory.com

A website was developed for the toy line, and serves as the main hub for interactive story material.

  • HeroPad - The HeroPad allows users to enter codes obtained from sets, and access rewards.
  • Animations - There is a number of animations available on the site, which either serve as introductions to the storyline or promote the various sets.
  • Online Games - Multiple online games are available to play, either as characters in the Hero Factory story, or as the player's own custom hero.
  • Hero Factory FM - A podcast in that tells about minor events in the Hero Factory story.

Hero Recon Team

The Hero Recon Team website has story information regarding the Hero Recon Team in addition to its main feature, an online application that allows users to design and purchase custom-designed sets representing Recon Team agents.

Microsites

There are multiple non-LEGO websites that advertise and contain Hero Factory content.

  • YTV Microsite - YTV, a Canadian youth television station, constructed a microsite for the Hero Factory line, featuring online versions of the comics (as well as the exclusive copy of Comic 3: The Enemy Within), games, and other activities and information about Hero Factory.
  • Toys "R" Us Hong Kong Microsite - A site hosted by Toys "R" Us, a popular toy store chain. The site displays online versions of Hero Factory comics, and advertises several links to HeroFactory.com. There is also a leaflet for the late-2011 sets.
  • Argos Microsite - Argos is a large general-goods retailer in the United Kingdom. As part of their "Kids World" section, they had a microsite for the Hero Factory line. The site featured character bios for all of the sets released in Winter of 2011, as well as stats for them, and links to various downloads, such as screensavers.
  • Cartoon Network United Kingdom Microsite - The UK site of the television channel Cartoon Network has several microsites for various shows that it airs, including Hero Factory. The site advertises the Heroes and villains of the Breakout line, featuring various wallpapers as well as the online game Breakout.
  • Nickelodeon Australia Microsite - The AU site of television channel Nickelodeon (who also broadcasts the Hero Factory TV specials in the US) has a microsite up featuring the winter wave of 2013 sets.


Websites
Official HeroFactory.com (Testimonials | Story | Hero Factory FM | HeroPad) | Hero Recon Team | Toys "R" Us Hong Kong Microsite | YTV Microsite
Fan Sites HEROsector01

LEGO Club Inside Scoops

There are four online stories that were published in the Inside Scoop section of the LEGO Club section of LEGO.com, called "Inside LEGO Club Inside Scoops", similar to the BIONICLE online stories in BIONICLEstory.com. These stories provide minor details to the Hero Factory story. One was published in 2012, Omega Recon Reports, divided in four chapters, each chapter being released on a Wednesday. The other two stories were published in 2013, and one in 2014.


LEGO Club Inside Scoops
2012 Omega Recon Reports
2013 Dangerous Dimensions | Dragon Bolt vs Jet Rocka!
2014 Mini-Robots & Massive Mechs!

Television Episodes

The title screen of Episode 1: Trials of Furno, the first television episode

The television episodes are the bulk of the story media used by Hero Factory. There are eleven episodes. The first 10 episodes have appeared on Nickelodeon networks in the United States, and on Cartoon Network in European countries, each being about 22 to 23 minutes long. The final episode, Episode 11: Invasion From Below, only aired in the Hero Factory website and the online game of the same name.

Music

The television episodes' music score has not been released.

The television episodes Episode 8: Breakout: Part 1 and Episode 9: Breakout: Part 2 featured the song Breakout by the band Cryoshell, who had previously contributed to BIONICLE music videos in 2007-2009. On December 9, 2012, the song was released as a single for digital download, with artwork designed by Christian Faber and inspired by the Hero Factory visual direction for that year.

"Canceled" Movie

In May 23, 2012, Universal Studios were in talks to create a live action Hero Factory movie. Since Hero Factory's cancellation after 2014 however, these plans seemed to fall through, but it is uncertain. No new word happened since the announcement of the movie.[The Hollywood Reporter]

Print Media

Comics

The Hero Factory story has also been presented through comics. Seven of the comics in the main series are based off the scripts for the first seven television episodes, however, other comics in general not connected to the main storyline have also been released.

Magazines

Magazines have been an important medium for promoting the Hero Factory story. Many Hero Factory features are included in the official LEGO Club Magazine and LEGO BrickMaster Magazine. Additional magazines include the Hero Factory Promotional Magazine, the Makuhero Star and also the Makuhero Times, published as bonus material for subscribers to the LEGO Club or LEGO BrickMaster magazines.

List of LEGO Club Magazines

  • May-June 2010 - Big Problems call for Big Solutions - A one-page teaser for Hero Factory where you use the Hero Factory's phone number, 1-888-4-HEROFACTORY, or visit HeroFactory.com to tell your emergency.
  • July-August 2010
    • 1-888-4-HEROFACTORY - A two-page advertisement where you use the Hero Factory phone number to tell your emergency. It was on pages 8 and 9. Page 8 has the Club Code STORMER.
    • Included the Hero Factory Promotional Magazine.
  • September-October 2010
    • Has a copy of Comic 2: Core Crisis as some of its pages. The last page of this version of the comic erroneously says "William Stormer". This was corrected in Herofactory.com, where it says "Preston Stormer".
    • Wake up with Mak in the Morning! Only on Hero Factory Radio! - Promotes Hero Factory FM. It was on page 30.
    • Crack the Code! - A letter from Akiyama Makuro. It was made in the same format as the one in the Hero Factory Promotional Magazine. It is on page 31 and has the Club Code FURNO.
    • A page that advertises the first four television episodes.
    • UK version - Makuhero Star.
    • LEGO Club Brickmaster version - Includes building instructions for Lucas Valor.
    • LEGO Club Jr. version - Includes a non-canon comic where Preston Stormer and William Furno are fighting a hostile giant robotic insect on a swamp with sticky mud.
  • November-December 2010
    • Showdown! - It is on pages 12 and 13. Page 13 has the Club Code SURGE.
    • Challenge the new "Mission: Von Nebula" online game! - It is about the online game Mission Von Nebula. It is on pages 14 and 15.
    • Enter the LEGO Hero Factory Building Challenge - It is on page 34.
    • The top half of a page advertises the DVD compilation of the four episodes, Rise of the Rookies. The bottom half tells that the episodes will be aired on November 25, 2010, on NickToons at 9:00 pm.
  • January-February 2011
  • March-April 2011
    • Time to Put Out the Fire! - A two-page sction that tells the premise of the Odreal of Fire story arc and details about the Heroes' upgrade. There is a fill-in-the-blank word game where you match the Heroes' names to their profiles.
    • LEGO Club Brickmaster - Includes building structions for a villain called Makuro X-1.
    • LEGO Club Jr. - Mission: Hero Factory Hunt - features a two-page non-canon story where the 2.0 Heroes are cleaning their headquarters. There is also a fill-in-the-blank word game on the right page when one would fill words into the empty white boxes.
  • May-June 2011 -
  • July-August 2011 -
  • September-October 2011 -
  • November-December 2011 -
  • January-February 2012
    • Includes a separate guide for four of the first levels of the online game Breakout.
    • The first half of Breakout: Issue 1 being two of the magazine's pages.
    • A one-page non-canon comic of a LEGO mini-figure character and the Magazine's mascot, Max, in his 3.0 Hero-like form, trying to be upgraded to "Max 2.0". Max ends up being a bear-like creature, much to his chagrin.
  • March-April 2012 -
  • May-June 2012 - Shows a two-page picture of a battle between a new Alpha 1 Team rookie and his foe in an underwater environment.
  • July-August 2012 - The first half of Breakout: Issue 2 being two of the magazine's pages.
  • September-October 2012 - Shows a two-page picture of a battle between Speeda Demon and Stormer XL.
  • January-February 2013 - Show a preview of the 2013 story arc, as it has Brains in tanks.
  • March-April 2013 - Shows a picture where Furno XL is studying a Brain.
  • May-June 2013 - Has a special teaser for the summer 2013 sets online
  • July-August 2013 -
  • September-October 2013
    • Shows a picture of the set combiner of Furno XL and CHI Laval from Legends of Chima.
    • Build a Brain Trap - Show a non-canon story where Mark Surge captures a Brain and fights Dragon Bolt. Featured in a different version of the issue.
  • November-December 2013
    • The first half of Double Dragon Danger!.
    • The list of five winners from the Hero Factory Brain Attack contest.
  • March-April 2014 -
    • Shows a two-page picture of a battle between the Alpha 1 Team Heroes in Battle Machines and the Jumpers in Antropolis City.
    • The next page shows a picture of the set combiner Ultra Evo XL Machine.
  • July-August 2014
  • September-October 2014 - Shows a two-page picture of the Heroes using their set combiner Battle Machine to fight the set combiner of the summer Beast sets.

2010's edition of Lego's annual The Brick magazine features a four-page spread on the making of Hero Factory. An interview with Jes Vestergaard on pages 44 through 47 reveals many bits information, among them how long Hero Factory has been in the pipeline for two years, what playtesting involves, and a tidbit where Verstergaard and his fellow designers lurked on BIONICLE fan-forums to see what BIONICLE enthusiasts liked and wanted. They then tried to tailor-make Hero Factory to please the BIONICLE fanbase. Quoth Vestergaard said in the magazine, "We found that plasma is a big hit, and the leader of the Heroes, Preston Stormer, actually has an ice‑plasma weapon."[BZPower - The Making of Heroes (March 13, 2010)][The Brick]

Club Codes

From 2010 to 2013, LEGO used digital codes called Club Codes that can be entered in the Magazine section of LEGO.com to unlock exclusive content for Hero Factory, which are promotional posters, halves of the main Breakout comics, codes for the Breakout game, instructions for two combi models, instructions for a contest, and two guides for the Breakout game. Club Codes could be found in Lego Magazines. After Hero Factory got cancelled, and the Lego website got drastically changed, some of the content is gone, but the other content has been preserved in this wiki.

Books

2010

Hero Factory: To Serve and Protect

Two activity books were released to promote the Hero Factory story in 2010. These books, translated into Polish language, were published by the AMEET publishing company. They were written by Greg Farshtey. Each one has much content, including a story by Farshtey and a comic.[BZPower - Two Hero Factory Books Inbound (November 13, 2010)] The books are:

  • Hero Factory: To Serve and Protect (also known as Hero Factory: In Service of the Galaxy)
  • Hero Factory: Galaxy's Most Wanted (also known as Hero Factory: Galactic Villains)

To Protect and Serve has two stories, Measure of Heroism and Mission: Asteroid, and possibly a comic called Stormer Investigates. Measure of Heroism is said to take place between the events of Episode 3: The Enemy Within and Episode 4: Von Nebula. It is about Preston Stormer and William fighting Meltdown, who escaped from an asteroid prison, and Corroder on the planet Aqua Gamma IV's largest city. Mission: Asteroid is a first-perspective from Furno, and said to take place before the events of Episode 1: Trials of Furno. He, Natalie Breez, and Mark Surge trying to stop a living asteroid from colliding with the Hero Factory building. The Heroes succeed in doing so.

Galaxy's Most Wanted has one story, Evil to the Core, and possibly a comic called A Narrow Escape. It is a first-person perspective from XPlode, and takes place before the events of Episode 1. He and Rotor are trying to hide their stolen loot in a bank in the sixth planet of the Taygeta system, as ordered by Von Nebula. However, Heroes Jimi Stringer and Dunkan Bulk come to stop the two villains. The villains try to use a device made by Von Nebula to draining the Heroes' Hero Cores to weaken them while pretending to be defeated by them. However, Rotor unintentionally ruins the plan, allowing the Heroes to break the device and defeat the villains. The Heroes take away the device, and the villains are arrested and put in prison. XPlode thinks about Von Nebula sending Thunder to get XPlode and Rotor out.[Translation in BioSector01]

2011

An English language activity book was made available on the LEGO Shop in 2011:

  • 853083 Hero Factory Mission Log Book
The Hero Factory Mission Log Book

2012

Starting a new series devoted to untold minor aspects of the Hero Factory story, two chapter books were released in 2012. These were written by Greg Farshtey and published by Scholastic. Each chapter book was released every two months. The two chapter books take place after the events of Episode 9: Breakout Part 2, though the second book is primarily about a mission that happened before Mission: Von Nebula happened. The books are:

Additionally, two Hero Factory DK Readers books were written by Shari Last and published by Dorling Kindersley. Both of the books have the characters from Hero Factory's 2012 story arc and summarize the plots of Episode 8: Breakout Part 1 and Episode 9. The DK Readers books are:

2013

The Secret Mission book series continued in 2013 with three other chapter books. These were also written by Greg Farshtey and published by Scholastic. The three chapter books take place after the events of Episode 10: Brain Attack. They are:

Two more Hero Factory DK Readers books that were written by Catherine Saunders and published by Dorling Kindersley were released in July. These books have the characters from the 2013 sets and tell the plot of Episode 10. The DK Readers books are:

The first (and only) sticker activity book for Hero Factory was published (and possibly written) by DK Publishing and released in July 15, 2013:

  • Ultimate Sticker Collection
The Hero Factory Ultimate Sticker Collection

The book has 96 pages and more than reusable 1000 stickers. Its reading level is ages 5 and up. Here is the description of the sticker book: "Young fans can meet all of their favorite heroes and villains of LEGO Hero Factory in this Ultimate Sticker Collection from DK. With more than 1,000 reusable stickers featuring the characters, vehicles, and more, this collection is a must-have for every LEGO fan."

The first (and only) guidebook for Hero Factory was written by Greg Farshtey and released in August 2013:

The reason why the events of the Secret Mission books are not acknowledged by most media that were released after them is unknown, but it is probably because the events are minor and secret missions. Dangerous Dimensions and Face Off: Makuro's Secret Guidebook did mention the events of the Secret Mission books, though. The Hero Factory corporation does not want to attract attention from people of the galaxy about the secret missions, as evidenced in Secret Mission 2: Legion of Darkness and the guidebook.

The Secret Mission books, DK Readers books, and the guidebook have some errors, most of them contradicting some aspects in the Hero Factory story. It is said that Kelly McKiernan, known as "Binkmeister" in BZPower and who worked on BIONICLE and Hero Factory's websites, said that the Secret Mission books are not canon, but Dangerous Dimensions and Face Off: Makuro's Secret Guidebook reference to them, which makes this fact disputable, so it can be assumed that the books are semi-canon.[Hero Factory 2014 Dissussion]


Books
Secret Mission 2012 Secret Mission 1: The Doom Box | Secret Mission 2: Legion of Darkness
2013 Secret Mission 3: Collision Course | Secret Mission 4: Robot Rampage | Secret Mission 5: Mirror World
DK Readers 2012 Meet the Heroes | Heroes in Action
2013 Brain Attack! | The Brain Wars
Guides 2010 Hero Factory Promotional Magazine
2013 Face Off: Makuro's Secret Guidebook
Promotional Newspapers 2010 Makuhero Star
2012 Makuhero Times

Fan Contributions

The Silver model

For BIONICLE fansite BZPower's 53rd BIONICLE-Based Creations contest, entrants were asked to build a robot creation, which instead of being voted upon by the members, was to be judged by LEGO. Member Varderan created the winning entry, which he called Silver. The robot later appeared in the Hero Factory television episodes as a robotic menace from Preston Stormer's past.

Contests

Lego Magazines

In Lego Magazines, there were many contests that encouraged Lego builders to build Hero Factory creations to win various prizes. These contests are:

  • November-December 2010 issue of the Lego Club Magazine - Lego Hero Factory Building Challenge - Five winners received Lego Gift Cards each worth up to $100. They were due January 15, 2011. The winners were announced in the May-June 2011 issue of the Lego Club Magazine.
  • May-June 2012 issue of the Lego Club Magazine - Lego Hero Factory Building Challenge - The challenge's full details and rules were held in LEGOclub.com, and they could only be accessed through the Club Code, FACTORY. The winners were due June 7, 2012.
  • July-August 2013 issue of the Lego Club Magazine - Lego Hero Factory Brain Attack Building Contest - Five winners received Lego Gift Cards each worth up to $100. They were due August 7, 2013. The winners were revealed in the November-December 2013 issue of the Lego Club Magazine.

Other

  • In January 14, 2010, when Hero Factory was revealed, there was a contest that was shown in ToyFare Magazine issue #151 by a publishing company called WizardWorld. The magazine said: "there’s an alternate cover featuring Lego’s top secret new line Hero Factory that’s SO top secret I’m not going to show it to you yet." In addition, WizardWorld had the contest, where they revealed set descriptions and pictures of the six Hero canister sets in 2010. WizardWorld revealed pictures of all but 7164 Preston Stormer in Twitter during the time.[BZPower January 2010 (January 14, 2010)]
  • In August 21, 2010, there was an art contest where entrants were to draw an alternate cover for a Hero Factory comic, with prizes to be awarded to the winners. This is located in an advertising page in a comic book called Superman/Batman #74.[BZPower August 2010 (August 21, 2010)][Hero Factory art contest page]
  • In April 12, 2011, LEGO donated five Hero Factor Recon gift cards to BZPower. BZPower had its first Hero Factory building contest. The challenge involved building a beast that one's Hero Factory Recon hero may encounter on Quatros with at least ten Hero Factory-exclusive parts. Winners will receive one of the five gift cards. Full details and contest rules were available in a BZPower forum.[BZPower April 2011 (April 12, 2011)] The contest ended on October 16.[BZPower October 2011 (October 15, 2011)]
  • In April 15, 2012, the LEGO Club website had an Inside Scoop about an event going on at LEGO Brand Retail Stores from April 16th to May 20th. Contestants were told to "choose Hero Factory elements to build and customize your own hero or villain ready for battle." The contestants had to be ages six to fourteen to participate, though.[BZPower - Build Your Own Hero Factory Character at LEGO Stores]

Mural

On February 17, 2011, a Hero Factory-themed attraction was opened in LEGOLAND California. Fans were told to use LEGO bricks to build a large mural of the Hero Factory logo.[LEGO Hero Factory Launch at LEGOLAND California (YouTube)] After the mural was finished, the attraction had a grand opening that featured the unveiling of the mural in May 17, 2011.[BZPower May 2011 (May 11, 2011)]

Fox Sports Crossover

In September 2012, crowdsourcing website Tongal announced a crossover project between Fox Sports and LEGO, featuring Hero Factory characters. The winner of the contest designed a three-episode web series featuring Hero Factory and the Fox NFL Sunday mascot, Cleatus, who plays football for the Hero Factory.

Lego Club Inside Scoop Pages

Pages that were made by Lego Club Inside Scoop. The pages are:

  • Build a Hero and Defeat the Evil Brains! - An event where you had to build a Hero or villain. The contest went from June 10, 2013 to July 28, 2013.[Build a Hero and Defeat the Evil Brains!]
  • INVASION FROM BELOW! WHO WINS? YOU DECIDE! - A page where you use an instruction manual called "Hero Factory Story Maker" to make your own Hero Factory comic or story. The page was released on September 21, 2014.[INVASION FROM BELOW! WHO WINS? YOU DECIDE!]

Trivia

  • In July 3, 2012, Hero Factory: Breakout won a Grand Prix Award from an annual event in United Kingdom called New Media Age Award.[BZPower - Breakout Wins New Media Age Award]
  • Hero Factory had a Facebook page. Since Hero Factory got canceled, its Facebook page was shut down. Lenny7092 (talk) remembers this.

See also

External links

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