User:BobTheDoctor27

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BobTheDoctor27
User
Status
HS01 Status Active
Jobs Editor
Personal
Age 22
Favorites
Character Jimi Stringer
Set 44006 Breez


Howdy, folks.

Hero Factory History

My earliest point of intersection with Hero Factory was back in 2010. Still bitter over the cancellation of my beloved BIONICLE, it seemed a natural enough process to move on to the next constraction line and I approached the franchise with an open mind. For the most part I steered away from discussion boards and collected a few of the more appealing sets of the first wave: picking up Stringer first, then celebrating my birthday that year with Breez and Thunder. While I had no plans to really get into the toyline, I finished up the year with a complete set of Heroes and loving the general premise of the show.

When leak season rolled around and I first caught sight of the 2.0 generation, I seriously reconsidered moving on from the line and sticking to my BIONICLE origins. With goofy goggles and seemingly incompatible armor, I felt 2.0 to be a pandering over-simplification of the constraction brand. However, after watching several review videos demonstrating how adaptive and versatile the sets were, I came to give the building system a chance. In my own time I picked up Evo 2.0 and, before I knew it, I'd built my first custom Hero from an array of 2.0 parts.

As the line developed I decided to stick around, watching the animations and occasionally indulging in the expanded media. I enjoyed Stormer and his fellow Elite Heroes especially, and I always had a soft spot for Surge and Breez. I couldn't stand the punkishly rebellious character of Furno, however.

With the innovation of Savage Planet I was intrigued to see the introduction of Bulk and Stringer back into the mix, though I was sorely disappointed by the animal motif of the Heroes. Regardless, I have fond memories of picking up Nex 3.0, the only Savage Planet set on store shelves the day before my birthday that year. Additionally, I recall one especially brooding Friday evening where I managed to pick up my treasured Scorpio and a wonderfully dark Christmas morning when I got to open Witch Doctor.

Some of my fondest memories in recent years have been with Hero Factory. By the time the BREAKOUT set images leaked I felt a tangible fandom evaluating and critiquing the new line for the fist time since the end of BIONICLE and it was my pleasure to have been a part of that community back in the day. While LEGO would soon settle into a somewhat half-hearted pattern of releasing the entire year's worth of animated content in spring for the remainder of Hero Factory's run, I still remember where I was when I sat down to watch BREAKOUT parts 1 and 2 while building Black Phantom. It was a magical evening that I will remember for years to come. Of this wave, Core Hunter stood out to me the most and I was sorely disappointed to see him excluded from the television episode.

While I was initially hopeful for BRAIN ATTACK, I wound up feeling as though something was missing from the final animation, thanks in no small part to the atrocious video quality of the official episode release on LEGO's YouTube platform. Although I championed BRAIN ATTACK Breez as the best figure of the line, Evo and Surge would remain close to my heart for some time. The three of them were treasured birthday presents that I was fortunate enough to acquire from Toys 'R Us that year.

When Invasion From Below swung around, however, I was one of many fans to lose faith in Hero Factory. With many of the sets becoming over-saturated by the same silver/gold/gunmetal parts and with such a rushed, low-budget animation, I felt that LEGO had truly cut Hero Factory the short end of the stick, delving into its own brand of Hero Factory minifigures in a last-ditch attempt to keep the line afloat. When Hero Factory was eventually discontinued, I regret to admit that I was glad to see it go, caught up in the bluster and promotion of BIONICLE G2.

However, no less than a month after BIONICLE G2 was prematurely put out of its misery, I found my way back to Hero Factory. With the future of constraction ambiguous at this point, I found comfort in the sets of recent years, taking it upon myself to revamp several of the official releases and, for the first time, feeling nostalgic for Hero Factory. In the months since I have gone to great lengths to refresh my memory and research the lore of Hero Factory, pursuing a number of online ventures and contributing where I can.

Sets

Sets I Own

2010

2011

Ordeal of Fire

Savage Planet

2012

BREAKOUT

2013

BRAIN ATTACK

2014

Invasion From Below

  • Evo Walker - Dismantled
  • Jaw Beast vs Stormer - Dismantled
  • Rocka's Stealth Machine - Dismantled
  • Hero Robot Polybag - Dismantled
  • Tunneler Beast - Dismantled

Set Rankings

Favorite: