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
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, 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! | |
Mobile Apps
Starting in 2012, The LEGO Group began publishing Hero Factory apps for mobile devices. There are four moblie apps. Three of them are versions of three of the major online games. All of the mobile apps are taken out of the iTunes after Hero Factory was canceled.
- Breakout - A extremely simplified version of the 2012 online game of the same name, which instead of featuring multiple levels, included one level and a number of timed challenges. The game featured an achievement system which unlocked codes that could be entered in the online version of the game for game points.
- Brain Attack - An app released in 2013, in which players can create a character and select a Hero as a sidekick in order to fight waves of evil brains. Also available online.
- Brainify - Another app released in 2013, which allows users to upload or take photos of people, then animate them to show that person being mutated by one of six evil brains.
- Invasion From Below - An app released in 2014, in which players can guide seven members of the Alpha 1 Team to collect parts for their Battle Machines, and then after the machines are built, the Heroes will use them to fight giant mutated Jumpers. Also available online.
Television Episodes
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 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 videos. 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.
"Cancelled" 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.
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
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. The books are:
- Hero Factory: To Serve and Protect
- Hero Factory: Galaxy's Most Wanted
An English language activity book was made available on the LEGO Shop in 2011:
- 853083 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 from 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) 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 is 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
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.
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 is playing football for the Hero Factory.
Contests
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.
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!]
