That doesn’t make the part useless, it just means you have to be smart with how you use it.
P.S. If you are wondering why I changed my avatar. Well I got tired of Hydra jokes 
I said it was useless, I just said it was incredibly difficult to use against normal pieces.
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But if everyone used normal parts than Mocs would have no flavor.
That is completely false. Let’s take these creations for example.
I know for fact, that with a set number of parts, you can build 4 of the creations displayed in these pictures, along with 4 other mecha not displayed.
Even with the same number and type of pieces, you can build a ton of different things
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Here’s the issue with Av-Matoran limb pieces; they’re too specialized. Sure, you might be able to make it the Antlers for a satyr or the ribcage of a skeleton, but besides some pretty basic functions, you can’t do much with them. This is a large part of the moccing community despises most of the Av-matoran as parts packs since they don’t really offer anything to the table besides a few masks.
No. not at all. Most of the common pieces seen in a ton of mocs (mata hands, balls with a pin hole, Metru heads, etc.) are used because of the insane amount of uses of each piece. Stuff like HF and Av-Matoran limbs and torsos and Ben 10 chest plates are much more limited in said usability.
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I feel that most people have already spoke about this eloquently enough but since I’m the source of this whole Solek fad I feel I should outline, once more, my reasons for loathing the set.
To be honest, it’s not really Solek that I have a deep hatred for; it’s the Av-Matoran build. That system represents the worst that BIONICLE ever had to offer. Huge, blocky, specialized pieces, a severe lack of articulation and poseability, limited MoCing potential, brittle joints, awkward heads, minimal parts, and they were pretty expensive to boot.
The reason why I hate Solek above the others is because he is just so… bland. Tanma and Photok had colors (lime green and mata orange) that had been gone from sets for a decent while and were only starting to return to prominence in 2007, so they were fresher in my mind. Solek just had white and grey. Since he wasn’t a Matoran of Ice, he didn’t even get the blue shades that most white-armored sets have to spice up his color scheme. He just looked incredibly boring, dull, and uninteresting. Not to mention his mask looks like his cheeks are puffed out constantly.
The Shadow Matoran were nothing special either, but they, at least, had their new feet pieces to add some modicum of originality. The Agori all had a plethora of fresh color schemes and some truly cool new recolors, and the Stars had some exclusive armor/feet/masks that helped give them some more value.
There are two sets that come close to Solek-level hate in my mind; Mazeka and Atakus. Both are similarly dull and boring. However, they have their perks. Mazeka is an even worse design than Solek due to having no weapons and a recycled Kanohi mask, but he wasn’t sold as a standalone set; he comes with a snazzy vehicle. Additionally, Atakus is similarly extremely dull, featuring a black and grey color scheme, but he has some cool glow in the dark weapons that are exclusive to him and a rarity in BIONICLE, so he has that going for him.
-Mesonak
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I always thought that his mouth area vaguely resembled a spider web
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- Lack of useful parts for mocking
That’s an invalid excuse. I’ve used both types of Av-Matoran torsos many times to save pieces. Of course you’d never know it because I add decorations over them but don’t discard the larger pieces as useless.
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Do you know how hard it will be to get that out of my head now?
7 Bucks. 20 cents a piece. Meh, I can see that being a little pricy parts wise, but then you do get those plastic parts of the box on which you can display figures, So I think it evens out…
Why is Klakk absent from this list?[quote=“Mesonak, post:87, topic:31429”]
he is just so… bland.
[/quote]
In his defense…the bright colors from that year snapped a lot more
And story wise he has the smartest color of the bunch. He blends in perfectly to the skies of Karda Nui unlike Photok and Tanma who are just screaming to be shot or targeted with an Avasa.
I…I…disagree with this. The av-Matoran toros are quite useful. They make splendid hands for big mocs. The jetpack is also pretty useful. The mask is good. It’s the limbs that you have to be creative with…
HF? HF is very usable. Av-Matoran limbs require some creativity. Although I think the reason people don’t use Ben 10 chest plates is because of that shiny Omnitrix symbol.
So they can’t be used for what they were meant to be used for…So? They have plenty of other uses like the ones you just stated at the top of your post.
True, but when you find a way to use unusual parts it gives a little more flavor to your moc. Kinda like these.
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no!
##7 bucks for 14 pieces.
##That’s 50 cents per piece.
for god’s sake, number of pieces divided by price.
where in the seven hells did you get 20 cents per part?!?
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Wow, um that’s embarrassing. I…uh…yea…I’m not going to be responding to posts right after I wake up anymore…Sorry about that…
Although you should factor in those two lids/stands.
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I never said they were useless, or at least didn’t mean to put it that way. I meant that compared to other pieces, they have far less uses.
While yes, it’s cool, but that’s because it’s integrated well. If somebody had done that but it looked horrible, it wouldn’t be praised at all. Plus, I’d say that using unusual pieces doesn’t necessarily give your moc more flavor alone. Sure, it’s impressive, but only when done correctly.
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Are you seriously trying to argue that 50 cents per part is ok because you can stand the figure on part of the packaging?
Fragility of parts is not a factor of the visual appeal of the colors.
Story is irrelevant, ultimately you can make all the plot excuses in the multiverse, but if no one likes how your character looks none of that matters.
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Well, despite being somewhat freaky looking, Klakk was pretty unique, featuring a decently inventive stature and a few new aspects to his build. He also wasn’t sold as a retail set, so he has that going for him. His failings are somewhat excusable.
I’m not saying the Av-Matoran pieces have NO MoCing potential. Anything has MoCing potential in the hands of creative builders! I once saw a MoC that turned an HF 1.0 weapon arm into a snazzy looking motorcycle. What I’m saying is the MoCing value of the Av-Matoran pieces is limited due to the fact that they are quite large, and consist of one piece rather than several, smaller pieces.
-Mesonak
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I felt that now was the time to put myself into this discussion.
IMO Solek isn’t that great of a set. He only has 14 pieces, his arms and legs don’t really move/bend, and he’s from 2008 where the joints decided to become super brittle. The only “cool” thing about him is that he could combine with Kopaka
I think that if you factor in the fact that the amount of plastic you get in this set is around the same as say Balta, I think it makes more sense. Also Lego has to make some money here. There has to be profit. I’m sure no one had there bank broke by seven dollars.
White and grey isn’t a bad choice. IMO
It looks like it is trying to stare into your soul. It is disturbing, and deserves no excuse.
To anyone but Mocers this would make them easier to build with since their parts are less complex.
He also has that mask, and IMO he doesn’t look bad…
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I don’t think the demographic for bionicle is little kids, mate.
That is a completely different argument to what you said before, and frankly has lost the plot.
You mean kids, you’re saying it’s OK because kids are stupid, I was able to build the 03 Titans by myself when I was little, not an argument.
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The targeted demographic WAS kids, most of the older fans were intrigued by the rich story and intricate builds, but Lego was more concerned with what the little kids wanted, which I can say from the experience of me and my friends, was cool looking stuff, and at the time Solek fit the bill. In fact, even noe I don’t HATE Solek or any set for that matter, they all have some bright side, and a down side. Whether a set is good 8r not is entirrly subject to what the viewer likes, and a majority does not make an opinion a fact. This entire argument just seems pointless, so can we just let it die instead of beating a dead horse?
And now, due to the nature of these boards, one of my points will br turned into a springboard for the argument to continue.
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This would be a arguement for the first bionicle sets that came out, since the line was just starting. But those sets were more complex than the Av Matoran, and we’ve had titans, vehicles, etc. since then, making that argument pretty weak.
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