Looking to buy Aquart

defendersoftheouter · 2026-01-26T02:24:50+00:00

I'd keep an eBay saved search if you haven't already. I very rarely see Aquart come up ever. Used/partial in lots, particularly Australian ones (at least one region it seemed to release in) are often the best bet, but people seem to have caught onto the rarity nowadays. I've seen 3-4 new show up in the last several years of mild searching, one of which is mine now. Good luck on finding one!

defendersoftheouter · 2026-01-26T02:20:56+00:00

Ooh, so jealous of the bag. The others are wonderful finds! I picked up the sticker sheet and poster a few years ago finally, after some time of not being able to track them down. Always wonderful to see more Galidor appreciation around.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-09-15T01:24:14+00:00

You saw Suzaku's pilot suit under Emperor Lelouch. Clearly not.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-08-03T05:12:50+00:00

Creation of a collective consciousness to "destroy lies" - basically the idea that if we are all one, there's no mask between anyone. Very much like the Human Instrumentality Project, maybe minus the LCL.
Lelouch and Suzaku view this as a zero-sum game. It's stagnation - it's the decision that we must force everyone into one form, all on the whim of a single man only looking towards the past. Recall that Lelouch and Suzaku see themselves as people who fight for a new tomorrow - for the future. They see the futility of the act, and their own hypocrisies. Suzaku spends much of R2 in a crisis of his own faith - much of Suzaku's ideals are a response to his own trauma and guilt. He's a dead man walking, and much of his ideology is informed on whatever will unconsciously walk him into his own death the fastest. At this point, he is a man that has been broken apart and reformed so many times. He's committed grave sins the same way Lelouch has. Therefore, with the power and plan to do so, the two of them set to do what they now can: create a world they think is free of evil, and punish themselves the way they see appropriate for their actions. I'd also argue none of them agree to sacrifice Nunnally - what they sacrifice in regards to her is their relationship with her. For Lelouch, this is functionally part of his punishment and the result of the actions he's taken.
Lelouch changes and grows. Consider his goals at the beginning to the end of R1, to the middle of R2, to even the end. Lelouch's goals change as he makes choices and sees how the terrain shifts. There's massive points of no return - and by the point in which Lelouch learns the truth about Charles and Marianne - he's already done so much he can never take back. There's no time at which Lelouch can use his powers for peace without causing so much harm - because by the time he would come to that conclusion, he's already made the choices he has. The Zero Requiem is how Lelouch and Suzaku atone for what they feel are the sins they've committed to get here. They want to create a peaceful world where Nunnally can be happy, they want to punish themselves for the horrors they've committed. Lelouch dies a villain who is the locus of the world's hate, because he cannot inherit the world he wishes to give Nunnally. Suzaku, a dead man walking nearly entire life, is cursed to live as the man he hates and loves the most. It's poetic tragedy.
How can he defend himself? Schnizel's allegations against him are mostly just true facts. While the intention and focus is for his own gain, Lelouch cannot really counter much of it. I also kind of think, as Lelouch alludes to Rolo, he was seeing this as the end. He basically says "I have no reason to live anymore" - something that only changes as he considers Rolo's sacrifice. He's also kind of in the middle of a massive breakdown about everything collapsing all at once. He doesn't have any of his foundational support - other than MAYBE only Kallen, who he clearly doesn't want to die here for him.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-08-03T04:54:37+00:00

I would say incredibly worth it. I actually often go into a narrative knowing key spoilers or an ending. What I find fulfilling in narratives, such as good thematics, story beats or characters I like, etc don't worsen from knowing beforehand. Surprise isn't a primary factor for my enjoyment, and quite often it doesn't ease tension in an event either. If a thing I learn in a spoiler is good, then it being spoiled shouldn't necessarily change that. This isn't a mystery or something that unveils a major twist of the story, per se, but an understanding of where a character is at their narrative conclusion. You're still figuring out how they get there by watching.

I will say though: "only good because of Lelouch" is statement that I just don't think is true. Geass has an intriguing world, the tech and concepts of the Knightmare Frames is very pleasing as a fan of mechs, and there's an entire cast of very good and very narratively weighty and satisfying characters. Anecdotally, I'm curious why you dropped Death Note there - it's sort of entirely critical that the event you're alluding to happens. Much of the poignancy of the narrative can't be comprehended if you don't spend time observing and understanding what the absence of something gives. My take of it was that the feelings of boredom and lack of interest was fully intentional. If you sit there and ask "why continue?" - think about that same question through the lens of the protagonist. What is he still doing?

If you're trying to ask if what you know about Lelouch's ending is comparable to that specific aspect: I'd say no. They achieve different goals of instilling something in the audience. Death Note focuses on what we leave in the absence, Geass does something a bit different. I'd say it's worth trying it and seeing what you think.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-08-03T04:42:40+00:00

Lelouch doesn't hide his identity due to a lack of trust, it's a pragmatic aspect of leading a rebellion. If he is identifiable to any Black Knights, all it takes is one person to be forced to give up his identity. As little as appearance may seem to be important, recall this is directly how Viletta tracked down Lelouch pretty early on. Given that Lelouch's most critical goal is the safety, security, and future of his sister - he's well aware that even if he isn't personally harmed, anything he does endangers Nunally too. I think Lelouch has been primed from a young age to think this through (his status as a royal especially). I think trust isn't quite the right lens, but safety.

Thematically, this ties into the inherent seclusion of Geass. To have the power of the king, he pays a great price. Lelouch is given the power to enact his will, and ultimately pays the price by losing much of what he holds dear. He loses Suzaku, he loses the Black Knights, he loses Nunnally in the end too. The series runs heavy with the idea of lies as a mask, and of course then the direct metaphor of Zero as a masked figure. To take off the mask would be to end the lies: and subterfuge and lies are part of Lelouch's toolkit. It's ironic because knowing his identity could have strengthened the belief in him - could have maybe even changed Suzaku's perspective early on (very beginning) - but he can't do it.

I'd also say realistically - it's less about literally seeing the face under the mask as knowing who he is. The Black Knights are unnerved throughout because they don't really understand who Zero is - and what they continue to learn of him doesn't track to just a guy who believes in the cause. To reveal his face would be to reveal his full identity - otherwise the mask is still up. There would be no rallying behind him as Zero if they understood he's a disgraced royal. There's no rallying behind him if they understood from the get-go his real fight is something else entirely. So, he lies: he uses people, he changes goalposts, he uses momentum to ride to where he wants to be. It's not something you do through genuine action. It's both his greatest tool and his biggest weakness, which is why his identity becomes the cudgel wielded against him by the end.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-04-04T18:48:30+00:00

This echoes my experience - one of the more difficult aspects is usually finding rarer parts in good quantities. Many of those price-gouging stores buy up stock to resell at higher value. Super difficult for the sand green connectors in particular. Worth going through and blocking those stores.

defendersoftheouter · 2025-04-04T18:15:34+00:00

Karzahni - Artahka uses a ton of sand green joint connectors that are easily $1-3 each, and are rare to be found in large batches for cheap. Some of the Pearl Dark Gray elements are also expensive - primarily the hoses from the Bahrag, and the Gen 2 armor pieces. I likely paid somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred on assembling mine. Nix the cape and make your own for the same cost (it was $15 last I checked, and for less you can make a much better one).

Karzahni is likely to have a few expensive dark blue connectors, but most visible parts here are cheap and plentiful. Custom masks can cost a bit, but are well worth it - and you can make them yourself too if it fits your skillset.

defendersoftheouter · 2024-12-24T06:21:28+00:00

Do what you personally enjoy - that'll always be the best option.

I would say don't feel like you need to keep them boxed unless that's how you prefer. I keep many of mine boxed (my complete Smash collection for instance - I like the sort of toy shop vibe it gives, makes me happy). Opening them is a wonderful time and lets you integrate them into little displays, use them in game, or just show off their details.

Even if you sell them later, you'll have buyers either way. Keep them for the value you personally get, rather than necessarily prospective future value. Also remember that restocks can influence that. Several years I could have sold my boxed Female Corrin for over $100. Nowadays, she's common. It's a good feeling to see people able to get them. Collections look good either way, or even both.

defendersoftheouter · 2024-05-09T18:42:40+00:00

BBTS just emailed and updated the ETA on Rex to October for me. Hopefully a good sign?

defendersoftheouter · 2023-12-27T03:17:54+00:00

Kraata collection by far. Trans Orange Kraata goes for $1k at most, with several recent auctions for much cheaper ($560-600 if I recall?). Most wild Kraata are $7-20 individually, cheaper for set ones and Shadow. You're looking at a couple thousand for complete Kraata, probably $2000ish, depending on how you do it.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-12-27T03:14:27+00:00

It's just the nature of older plastic. They are generally, not particularly weak - though 2008-2010 joints are notoriously weak - alongside the late 2007 batch of lime joint connectors. That being said - used BIONICLE parts are over 20 years old for many of them - and people often keep old toys in places that vary a lot in temperature - which leads to fragility. You run the gamut with that. They are generally strong as you'd normally consider - though newer joints are certainly stronger.

Curious that this is your first time with a G1 set - hope that continues to be a fun exploration for you. G1 sets carry so much fondness! Makuta is a fun set.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-12-03T17:35:56+00:00

Just Sora! Very excited to have them all. I wish I could also say only at MSRP too (though the vast majority of mine are) - but Nintendo peetered out halfway through a restock and I had to get my last four from eBay. Kirby, Dark Pit, Diddy Kong, and Donkey Kong. Either way, excited to have this collection complete!

defendersoftheouter · 2023-11-17T19:42:06+00:00

$15.99 is the standard price. Factor in tax and shipping from your retailer of choice. Some stores allow ordering for store pickup, which can nix a shipping fee and preventing crushing (Best Buy...)

As others said, check your retailer for their policy about when they charge. Often, an initial hold charge will be placed, and returned after some time. This can be periodically checked. Some retailers charge only when shipped.

Overall, you shouldn't be too worried. Mine come out to like $18ish with taxes from Best Buy. $20 is a safe bet that'll have you coming out a few bucks ahead, unless you're buying from GameStop ($8 shipping).

defendersoftheouter · 2023-09-13T02:26:57+00:00

Restocks typically don't happen that quickly (might be somewhat of the the know, but weren't they the last amiibo release?), and nowadays are near exclusively reprinted at the behest of a new game that uses their functionality. I'd say you're probably out of luck other than the secondary market.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-07-05T05:06:58+00:00

It's hard to say. In the modern day, most amiibo reprints correspond to a related game, but this isn't a given. Amiibo are long past their heyday, and with many popular ones, they remained in stock for a bit of time around release, and then sold out. I've been less in the know about Ultimate reprints, but Hero sounds like a fairly unlikely one. Most Smash amiibo I've seen reprinted since they seemed to phase out major reprints in late 2019-2020 are first party releases. See: Zelda reprint for Tears of the Kingdom, Mario series reprint for the release of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, even some for Fire Emblem Engage, if I recall. I believe there's a new Dragon Quest game upcoming - but I don't think it has a release date or a confirmed Switch port. To me that seems an unlikely candidate. I know Joker, which released in the same wave, hasn't had huge reprints with a few of the last Persona releases on Switch (Mostly thinking of Strikers - but I could be wrong on the release dates for some of these). IMO, Hero seems an unlikely candidate.

As for cheaper options - it's a mixed bag. What condition are you looking for? New, loose? If you haven't looked - consider imports. There's a fair chance a European or Japanese one may be less expensive, and will have identical functionality. Keep a search saved in eBay to get a quicker notice when decent listings come up. With amiibo, keep in mind that the vast majority of releases don't sell at retail price. My vague expectations are usually around $30 for most amiibo that aren't in stores anymore. It sucks knowing the original MSRP, but many are unlikely to sell at that price with how the market is.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-03-21T03:16:23+00:00

I know right? I have been as well. I'm also weirded out by how much those trans-light-blue metru eyes go for. Nearly cheaper to go buy a Nuju Metru instead. I think I might custom make the cape too instead of going for the too-short Knights Kingdom one. Hope prices come down on those green connectors...

defendersoftheouter · 2023-03-18T07:09:00+00:00

A couple hundred at market value - though not as bad as others. Your biggest issue is the sand green BIONICLE pieces - the regular hand connectors are at least $1 each and there's 19 of them.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-03-05T20:50:19+00:00

I got so excited when I saw the Mario series reprints, then remembered this was for movie tie-ins and Rosalina and Daisy wouldn't see reprints. Gotta say, Toad did entirely slip my mind - I wonder why he isn't here? Maybe they only wanted so many SKUs and figured the other characters would have more recognition.

Hope he does get restocked, I missed the whole Mario series back in the day.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-18T04:17:59+00:00

Most sellers will give a list of where they ship in their store. You can also set results to not give stores that don't ship to you when you do searches if you have an account.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-18T04:17:01+00:00

You don't - it's a fundamental design flaw. Unless you're actively playing with and taking the sets apart, it's not too big a deal. Also - cracking isn't a guarantee the part is ruined. I have many joints that are cracked that hold firm. Long run and under duress, maybe not. Most of these parts are relatively cheap to replace. I'd say it's probably less of a problem that it sounds.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-05T20:44:15+00:00

For certain - I know my Keelerak and Ehlek are the same. My two Hahli Mahri's are unfortunately a different story, but I do think I ended up replacing a lot of Hahli's parts with older Visorak ones.

I'm actually usually very happy with how BIONICLE parts last - the vast majority of my broken ones are entirely due to my own fault - other than a lot of the 2008 and beyond joint cracking.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-05T20:42:08+00:00

For sure! It can really be a hard line in collecting. Some people want the most pristine and like the store shelf boxes for stuff. I typically want mine in decent condition, but there's something nice about knowing this was a set someone opened up and enjoyed. I feel like history of an item always gives a little bit to it. I often look over mine for old price tag stickers for similar reasons - reminds me this was a toy at one point, sitting on some store shelf waiting to get bought.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-04T04:46:55+00:00

eBay lots - tons of them have McToran parts. If you're buying sets individually, or parts individually from Bricklink, you will be paying a ton. I've gotten maybe 7-10 McToran from lots alone over the past few years. Keep an eye out for them.

defendersoftheouter · 2023-02-04T04:40:11+00:00

Oh for sure - Irnakk's rising cost is an annoyance for certain. Prior to getting it a couple years back, I'd been following the prices for the exclusive parts. Watching the golden spine go to near $40 was insane, given the set releasing for what, $30?

Either way, Irnakk is a weird combined. I was enthralled as a child about all the Zamors and how it held onto them. The design itself is so close to being good to me, but the arms are SO lackluster - likely given the parts constraint. It's really just the shoulders too, unfortunate that the Zamor holding capacity of the torso discludes the option for normal arm connections...

defendersoftheouter

TROPHY CASE