32 replies to this topic

[Surreality]

Does anybody have any idea at which point the original plans for the two Toa Hagah sets in 2005 were "scrapped"? I mean, we've been told they were initially meant to be Toa Nidhiki and Dume, however, were the sets looking pretty much like their final versions when LEGO changed their identities (meaning prototype sets and boxes were created, similar to the way there's a Hakann box that says "Brutaka") or were those plans discarded at a considerably earlier point?

Thanks.

[~~Zarkan~~]

I have no idea, because I had never even heard until now that the sets were repurposed. Now that you mention it though, it explains why the Kiril was used to represent the Pehkui instead of a brand new mold.

[NatureDruid]

I have no idea, because I had never even heard until now that the sets were repurposed. Now that you mention it though, it explains why the Kiril was used to represent the Pehkui instead of a brand new mold.

Does make sense....

[flynn58]

Well, Nidhiki had a mask of stealth, but the quick-tele mask mold was probably originally made as the stealth mask.

[CeeCee]

Well, Nidhiki had a mask of stealth, but the quick-tele mask mold was probably originally made as the stealth mask.

I think Irunis mask looks a little like Nidihkis face IMO
EDIT: IDK how they could have fitted into the story line though.
maybe Dume, but Nidihki was dead

Edited by Alterego, Oct 14 2012 - 11:32 AM.

[Tahu Nuva 3.0]

That Dume-Norik mask connection just blew my mind XD

[Surreality]

Seriously, did none of you really know that? I'm guessing it was really underground.

[Sir Flex Nardius]

I always knew they had the same mask... I just thought they were being cheap and didn't want to make a new mold... but that totally makes a lot of sense. I wish they had made the whole team for the Hagah instead of just those two :s

Wasn't Dume not on the same team as Nidhiki though? How would that have worked.

Edited by Flex Capacitor, Oct 16 2012 - 11:26 AM.

[Surreality]

Well, it would've worked if they'd altered the story. Back then, nothing was set in stone, remember?

[~The 1st Shadow~]

Wasn't Dume not on the same team as Nidhiki though? How would that have worked.

I don't think that was decided until after the sets came out. Remember, Greg always said story follows sets.
As for the whole character-switch thing, yeah, I remember hearing that they were supposed to be Nidhiki and Norik, though why they were changed, I have no idea. I'd theorize that it was supposed to be a flashback set, showing the characters from times long past. But, I guess we may never know the reason.

[Makaru]

Don't quote me on this, but from what I remember Greg needed forms for Toa Iruini and Norik, and it didn't make sense to release Nidhiki and Dume (as they were not even Toa on the same team), so he re-purposed those sets for those characters.

[Axonn's Fury]

Seriously, did none of you really know that? I'm guessing it was really underground.

Yeah honestly after I read the OP post, I found my brain telling me this exact thing.

Seeing as Nidhiki was one of my favorite Toa-that-never-was (set wise), and Iruini and Norik were easily my favorite sets of the time, I have no idea how I missed this?

The similarities are striking. Infact, I MOCed a Toa Nidhiki using Defilaks Kanohi Kualsi... And considering Dume and Norik have the same Kanohi/Similar colors...

This is one of the biggest mind blows I've had in a while.


- Taka

[CeeCee]

Seriously, did none of you really know that? I'm guessing it was really underground.

I knew about it

[Dual Matrix]

Very logic indeed:

Norik = Fire
Dume= Fire

Nidhiki = Air
Iruini. = Air

The kanohi too , Norik's represents ha kiril remember

And Iruini's must have been the original idee of a kanohi voltiak

My idea, nothing changed to the sets, there names were just altered,and were granted rothuka shields

[Master Inika]

I imagine they changed the identities because it was easier to work in a Toa Hagah flashback than a Toa Mangai or Toa Dume one. Plus, if Toa Nidhiki would have retained the pronounced chestplate, it would have looked rather disproportionate to that of Lhikan, the team leader. But, had they released a Toa Nidhiki and Toa Dume without the extra chest armor, they would have just been Toa Metru rehashes. It makes sense for the elite Hagah to have them.

[T.B.O.C]

I remember hearing about this way back when - I guess people have gradually forgotten about it. But yeah, looking at the design for most of them, they call back to their characters, set-wise mostly.

For Instance: Iruni's Chestplate = Nidhiki's Chestplate; Kulasi = Nidhki's Head; Norik's Chestplate = Turaga Dume's body... etc.

[Turaga Norik]

This topic makes me feel old. I just assumed that this was common knowledge, but things get forgotten after a while

[Draezeth]

I was well aware of the scrapping. It was pretty intuitive just looking at them, in my opinion. I don't remember ever hearing about them being Dume or Nidhiki prior to their release, though.

[LARU 867]

Wasn't Dume not on the same team as Nidhiki though? How would that have worked.

 

No, Nidhiki was Lhikan team, the Toa Mangai. Dume gave him his power to Lhikan, and in doing so thus became Turaga.

 

Norik and Iruni were originally designed to be Dume and Nidihki, but problems arose that were not Toa in the same time, and then decided to change the characters.

 

Nidhiki had coincided with Lhikan that came the same year.

Edited by LARU 867, Dec 05 2012 - 08:55 PM.

[Manterax Prime]

I had the Toa Hagah once, and I did indeed know about this before coming here.  Reading this makes me want those sets again.  The Metru/Hordika saga was always my favorite in terms of design and aesthetic.

[ShadowBionics]

Ah, yes, I do indeed remember hearing about that long ago. For me, I always saw the resemblance and even thought like for Iruini, "This could work for Nidhiki if you reworked him a bit." The mask even resembles Nidhiki's head a bit, so you can even say his head was a mutated version of the mask. 

 

For Norik, I flat out saw he looked a lot like Turaga Dume with the same mask and even the body piece. Just color them different, take away the a few things, and he could pass as a Turaga Dume set. So I did have a feeling they were meant to perhaps be representations of Nidhiki and possibly Dume (although it doesn't make sense why they'd have them both together like that) as possible call backs to past Toa we hadn't seen in the story before, at least not as "Toa," maybe as promotional sets that maybe didn't play a part in the story... I mean since Nidhiki got turned into a mutant Dark Hunter that got "eaten" by Makuta, and Dume was a Turaga who didn't play much of a role in 2005. 

 

So with that, I'm guessing as others have pointed out, plans to make them be Nidhiki and Dume were scrapped, but the models were kept so that Greg could use them for Toa Norik and Toa Iruini for the flashback sequence detailing the origins of the Rahaga, and could easily be the reason why there are only 2 Toa Hagah and not 6. That, and I'm guess it'd be a stretch to release 6 promotional sets like that, so 2 would be safer. That's just my guess.

[Master Inika]

Yeah, six Special Edition sets wouldn't have been very special. Plus, they'd probably have costed more than they'd have generated. I do like how there were only two Toa Hagah in the comic, because it let us really see how these two characters were. Norik was easily penned down as a brave and fearless leader, willing to challenge the Brotherhood without a second thought because he cared so much for the Matoran and had faith the Great Spirit would guide him. Iruini was somewhat unconventional, believing the Hagah's power was squandered and trying to quit, but joining forces with Norik when he learned they were captured.

[GBV]

I have no idea, because I had never even heard until now that the sets were repurposed. Now that you mention it though, it explains why the Kiril was used to represent the Pehkui instead of a brand new mold.

That is why Iruni's mask looks like nhidiki's and why Norik's mask is Dumes.

[Rooster Nui]

It would be awesome if they released the other four Toa Hagah.

[Toaman25]

They were originally going to be Nidhiki and Dume but the idea was dropped in favor of them being those two characters and they were changed to Norik and Iruini.

[Predator - Jungle Hunter]

They were originally going to be Nidhiki and Dume but the idea was dropped in favor of them being those two characters and they were changed to Norik and Iruini. :/

 

Which explains pretty well why their masks are similar/the same

[The Darkest Hunter]

This has made my 2005 memories crash as the realization seeped into me

That makes absolute perfect sense; the colorschemes, the masks... I had always commented that the chest armor on Nidihki and Iruini (the bohrok claw) were the same mold, but I can't beleive I never made the connection! This certainly does explain a lot...

I'm pretty torn now about whether I wish they had left them as Nidhiki and Dume, since having them as Toa (and those particular awesome sets) would have been amazing, or if my love for the Hagah wins out over that.

[Creep Of The Deep]

Huh, I have heard of this before. But I thought it was just speculation! That makes sense set-wise, but storyline-wise, what reason could they have? Then again, back in 2005 they didn't really make sense storyline-wise either. But this is a nice piece of trivia.

[Master Inika]

Taken directly from BS01 pages for Iruini and Norik:

 

"Toa Norik started out as a set design for Dume as a Toa."

 

"Initially, the set that became Toa Iruini was going to be Nidhiki in his Toa form."

 

Also, when you think about it, it mentions Norik having his Pehkui made in the form of a past Kiril wearing hero, so it would have worked for Dume.

I wrote that.

 

And yeah, Norik's Kiril being shaped as a Pehkui is for that reason.

 

Am I the only one who also noticed that Dekar and Defilak have the Toa Hagah's masks?

[Chro]

I always wondered about that too. It made me think that they were considering using the Kualsi mold in dark green (would've worked for Nidhiki) but changed it to gold to distinguish Iruini from him... then later liked the look and used it on Defilak. Otherwise it could've been, say, red. (Or that could be a coincidence. )

[CeeCee]

I always wondered about that too. It made me think that they were considering using the Kualsi mold in dark green (would've worked for Nidhiki) but changed it to gold to distinguish Iruini from him... then later liked the look and used it on Defilak. Otherwise it could've been, say, red. (Or that could be a coincidence. )

It just annoys me they never gave Sarda a recolored mask. The darn red Huna was used in three sets.