Me 'n Lego

I've mentioned before that my brother was the sole reason I have an interest in Bionicle to this day. Although, this also goes the same for other LEGO lines, but I never really had the chance to buy those LEGO sets for myself. (I was born a girl, so the folks only really gave me girl stuff. Not that I had a problem with that, but I was never supplied anything "just for boys" until I was a little older.) I want to share some of the LEGO series I've dabbled in for fun, just so you guys get to know that part about me a 'lil more~

Exo-Force

I want to mention Exo-Force first because alongside getting into Bionicle, I also developed an interest in Exo-Force.

So Exo-Force came out when I believe I was 7 or 8 years old and I vaguely remember it being out. It was only until I was in high school that I developed an interest in this series due to it being, you know, anime based. A LEGO series that was anime and mechs? Sign me the eff up!

When I was on DeviantArt, I found an awesome group of people that made art for Exo-Force and created characters and story plotlines with them. It was so much fun, though I fell out of the group when I was going into college.

Still, some of the characters I created based off of this toyline I still use now. More specifically my OC named "Reed" though back then he was called "Rick." He's changed a lot since then, but one thing remains, he still is full of himself, loves machinery, and fire is his main motif. (He was much nicer of a guy back then though, he's lost some of his kindness, hah~)

Also the minifigures look absolutely adorable. They're tiny anime people with spikey hair and everything~ I wish LEGO would do something like this with minifigure hair again, but I don't mind the subtle approach that LEGO hair has these days. Same goes for the faces.

I know this isn't a line that's coming back anytime soon for LEGO, but I would totally be on board with another Exo-Force kind of series.

Rock Raiders

Rock Raiders is another set series I look back on fondly. My brother had some of the sets and comic books... well... I guess they were more so picture books. 

Ok, so, I love me some sci-fi. I also love a good sci-fi adventure. It might just be because I loved Atlantis: The Lost Empire, but there's something about digging into deep, dark caves with monsters and crystals lying around that REALLY gets me hyped up. Rock Raiders itches that scratch for me in a lot of ways. The industrial, grungy tone the series took hooked me on when I was a youngin. Especially with how the minifigures looked too, like these are some quality, detailed figures. And I'm biased with the set colors because I love turquoise.

I never got to play the game either, I remember my brother having LEGO Island and LEGO Alpha Team on his computer, but I can't remember this. Still, finding out that there is a fan game, Manic Miners, available to play it is SO amazing. I love that there are still people that love Rock Raiders and remember it fondly. Take a look at the game when you have a chance, it's a wonderful love letter to the series (and other LEGO games~)

Also, the slugs. I love the slugs.

Ninjago

Aight, so this was inevitable, but I really got into Ninjago around the time I was into Exo-Force - maybe a little after. I had given the Chima tv show a chance, even the Hero Factory tv series, but I did not have a good time watching either of those. I was holding off Ninjago because I felt like I would just hate it like Chima. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least when I actually gave it a watch. I really liked the characters and story.

So I didn't necessarily like Ninjago for the sets, I stayed for the story - kinda similar to how I'm with Bionicle. (Though I really want more Bionicle sets.) I stayed with Ninjago for a good couple of years! 

To me, the characters were endearing, the story gripped me, and I love me some good elemental heroes. Also Cole was my favorite, if any of you are wondering. I even drew a good amount of Ninjago art.

I really did enjoy this series, though I fell off after the pirate arc? I forget what it was exactly called. I wasn't really happy about how the show was handling the characters' personalities and how they flip flopped all over the place. And if you are familiar with the series, and know that my favorite is Cole, you probably have an idea of why I was displeased xD

Still, I can't stay bitter about that because I'm really impressed with Ninjago. It's stayed this strong and has surpassed Bionicle in its running time already. And they manage to keep coming up with more stuff too! I'm not into the series anymore, so I don't entirely know if fans are pleased with how it's being handled now, but I am just happy it can keep providing entertainment for folks even now. (Ok yes I'm a little jealous it's not Bionicle, but I have a soft spot for Ninjago. I hope it has plenty of success in the future!)

Ok, so I'm gonna end the ramble. LEGO was a big part of my childhood, even if it was more indirectly a part of it. I wish I had some of these sets, and maybe in the future I'll grab something similar. There are more series than these that I had an interest in too, so maybe I'll mention them later. But for now, thanks for reading!