When was Toa Lhikan released?

[Illuminatus]

It recently occurred to me that LEGO may have attempted to replicate the original trope—if it can be called that—of the 7th Toa for 2004; not in the storyline, but in set-wise. Takanuva was essentially the 7th Toa Nuva in terms of build; analogically, Lhikan was the 7th Toa Metru. Both were visibly more exclusive than the rest of their teams and came in titan sets.

 

What I'm trying to remember right now is when precisely Toa Lhikan was released in each country. What I remember from the old days was that fan sites seemed to omit the set or character entirely until after Legends of Metru Nui came out. I've had no access to any of the books, but I distinctly remember there wasn't a trace of Toa Lhikan on BIONICLE.com throughout at least the first half of 2004, nor was he present in any of the comic books, which is fairly strange, considering he was a major character from the get-go.

 

I can't seem to find a lot of information online, but this BZP news piece seems to indicate the set was released no sooner than November 2004, which confirms what I recall personally. The set was not available in Bulgaria; I cannot attest for the rest of Europe; he was in fact featured in the first (winter) LEGO catalog of 2005, so perhaps he was released in Europe then? There definitely is a European release of the box, though; I can tell from the distinct designs.

 

So what is the deal with that? Was he supposed to be a surprise set of sorts?

 

My hypothesis is basically that the "7th Toa" trope (along with the general character/creature combo titan sets) became a solid sales strategy after 2002, the Boxor with its Nuparu being the very first instance. The approach peaked in 2003, subsided in 2004, then disappeared until it started once more in 2007 and was particularly strong until 2009, the difference being that the characters were no longer "exceptional" but rather an accessory to a vessel. What's peculiar about 2003 and 2004 is that it almost looks like LEGO attempted to "seduce" fans into purchasing titan sets for the characters alone.

 

I often think that it would've been fair if characters like Takanuva, Lhikan and Dume were re-released, say, a year later as standard sets, not unlike a blockbuster takes a while to get to DVD. Everyone wants the special sets but not everyone can afford the cash grab.

[emily]

I can corroborate the memories of Lhikan coming out late, but I don't know that it was quite so late as november. Issue 20 of the comic actually advertises a release date coinciding with that of LoMN itself, on October 19 (page 18). I don't know whether that launch was held to.

 

As for the why of it, I seem to recall Greg saying the set was cooked up at the last minute to have such a key character from the film available to buy. That'd be somewhere in Planetperson's Greg archive, but goodness knows what page.

[Planetperson]

It does seem like the set was rushed out the door. From what I remember personally, the very first time BZPower or anyone else saw the Lhikan set was at Comic-Con in July 2004 (here's the story). You can see that even at this stage they only had a 3D-printed prototype to show. Before that, Lhikan had been a bit of a mystery, even as a character. He had been mentioned briefly in the novels as the one who had given the Toa stones to the Toa Metru, but he didn't really appear until the LoMN book was released (which was around August I think). He did appear in the Metru Nui guide in the middle of the summer, but the guide used a still from the movie for his picture.

 

Judging from the BZPower stories at the time, Lhikan was released in September in the US, which matches what I remember. It was an exciting set because it also included two Chronicler's staff pieces which had been a collectible up until that point.

[The 1st Shadow]

He was released in the US around September, as Planetperson said. I remember that one distinctly because as soon as I saw images of the set, I immediately begged for it as a birthday present later on that same month. I didn't get it as a gift, but was able to use my birthday money to buy it at Target in early October. I never saw him anywhere else, so I assume the set was a Target exclusive released in the fall, right around the movie's release. That story Pereki linked to suggests that it was meant to be a TRU-exclusive, but I found mine at Target.

Edited August 8, 2017 by The 1st Shadow

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

I agree with those who claim that he was rushed and they didn't bother having him in the catalogs. I distinctly remember that he was quite rare because of his late release.

Edited August 8, 2017 by necross hordika

[ToaTImeLord]

I remember getting mine by surprise because he was accidentally put on sale as a retired product even though he just came out. So $15 later I got my second titain set ever.

[Ta-metru_defender]

This reminds me how cool the Lhikan set is. Seriously one of the coolest.

[Evergrey: Toa of Music]

That story Pereki linked to suggests that it was meant to be a TRU-exclusive, but I found mine at Target.

 

I remember I went to the Lego Store with my cousin and we each got a Lihkan set from there.

 

Even if a set is exclusive to Target or Toys R Us, is it possible to still get said exclusive directly from a Lego Store/Lego's website, or is it 100% an exclusive (not just talking about the Lihkan set, but exclusives in general).

[The 1st Shadow]

 

That story Pereki linked to suggests that it was meant to be a TRU-exclusive, but I found mine at Target.

 

I remember I went to the Lego Store with my cousin and we each got a Lihkan set from there.

 

Even if a set is exclusive to Target or Toys R Us, is it possible to still get said exclusive directly from a Lego Store/Lego's website, or is it 100% an exclusive (not just talking about the Lihkan set, but exclusives in general).

 

In many cases, at least nowadays, anything like a TRU or Target exclusive are available at LEGO Brand Stores or on the website. So, not a true exclusive, but for people like me, I can't always drive an hour away to the nearest LEGO store just for one exclusive set, so having a local place like Target or TRU have it, makes it exclusive to me in terms of range. 

[Illuminatus]

Fair enough; I'm still wondering when he was released in Europe because I certainly never saw him sold anywhere, yet the box exists.

 

On a side note, how many of you would've bought Kikanalo if it was released as an exclusive titan set, while Lhikan was available separately?

 

I think I might make a poll.

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

I can't speak for the rest of Europe, but I know here in the UK he was released around late-November / December time. I think he was probably intended to catch the Christmas rush - a new set, JUST in time for kids to ask for it for the holiday! - and that's why they held onto him for longer. I do remember that a friend of mine was going to get him for Christmas, and I raced to save up enough money to buy my own one of him first... apparently I was kind of competitive on that count as a kid?

 

I'm certain he wasn't an exclusive here in the UK, though. I got mine from my local toy shop, and I'm pretty certain Woolworths also stocked him.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Darth Jaller

[Toa of Ice - 1987]

Fair enough; I'm still wondering when he was released in Europe because I certainly never saw him sold anywhere, yet the box exists.

 

On a side note, how many of you would've bought Kikanalo if it was released as an exclusive titan set, while Lhikan was available separately?

 

I think I might make a poll.

I would've bought lhikan separately. I never cared for the titans when i was younger since they were usually too expensive for my budget, while toa sets were manageable. Besides Kikanalo has a lot of gaps and never had a personality, i may sound harsh but its just a glorified rahi to make Lhikan more expensive.

[Azani]

There's a particular point here that begs a really curious question:

 

...I can corroborate the memories of Lhikan coming out late, but I don't know that it was quite so late as november. Issue 20 of the comic actually advertises a release date coinciding with that of LoMN itself, on October 19 (page 18). I don't know whether that launch was held to.

 

As for the why of it, I seem to recall Greg saying the set was cooked up at the last minute to have such a key character from the film available to buy. That'd be somewhere in Planetperson's Greg archive, but goodness knows what page.

 

It does seem like the set was rushed out the door. From what I remember personally, the very first time BZPower or anyone else saw the Lhikan set was at Comic-Con in July 2004 (here's the story). You can see that even at this stage they only had a 3D-printed prototype to show. Before that, Lhikan had been a bit of a mystery, even as a character. He had been mentioned briefly in the novels as the one who had given the Toa stones to the Toa Metru, but he didn't really appear until the LoMN book was released (which was around August I think). He did appear in the Metru Nui guide in the middle of the summer, but the guide used a still from the movie for his picture.

 

Judging from the BZPower stories at the time, Lhikan was released in September in the US, which matches what I remember. It was an exciting set because it also included two Chronicler's staff pieces which had been a collectible up until that point.

 

So, the general consensus of the community usually falls along the idea that G1 was much, much more successful than G2 was in respect to sales; that said, did G1 see a number of instances where sets were released outside of the typical bi-annual, two wave scheme? I feel like there may have been a couple of other times when this took place, such as with a few of the titan sets in 2008, but I can't say that I'm totally sure on that one.

 

As far as the release of Lhikan is concerned, I was unfortunately only five when it happened, so I might not be of much help here. :/

[AZBlue]

I got my copy in fall 2004, at a Meijer in Noblesville, Indiana. I'm actually saving it for the last of my sets to rebuild.

[Planetperson]

There's a particular point here that begs a really curious question:

 

...I can corroborate the memories of Lhikan coming out late, but I don't know that it was quite so late as november. Issue 20 of the comic actually advertises a release date coinciding with that of LoMN itself, on October 19 (page 18). I don't know whether that launch was held to.

 

As for the why of it, I seem to recall Greg saying the set was cooked up at the last minute to have such a key character from the film available to buy. That'd be somewhere in Planetperson's Greg archive, but goodness knows what page.

 

It does seem like the set was rushed out the door. From what I remember personally, the very first time BZPower or anyone else saw the Lhikan set was at Comic-Con in July 2004 (here's the story). You can see that even at this stage they only had a 3D-printed prototype to show. Before that, Lhikan had been a bit of a mystery, even as a character. He had been mentioned briefly in the novels as the one who had given the Toa stones to the Toa Metru, but he didn't really appear until the LoMN book was released (which was around August I think). He did appear in the Metru Nui guide in the middle of the summer, but the guide used a still from the movie for his picture.

 

Judging from the BZPower stories at the time, Lhikan was released in September in the US, which matches what I remember. It was an exciting set because it also included two Chronicler's staff pieces which had been a collectible up until that point.

 

So, the general consensus of the community usually falls along the idea that G1 was much, much more successful than G2 was in respect to sales; that said, did G1 see a number of instances where sets were released outside of the typical bi-annual, two wave scheme? I feel like there may have been a couple of other times when this took place, such as with a few of the titan sets in 2008, but I can't say that I'm totally sure on that one.

 

As far as the release of Lhikan is concerned, I was unfortunately only five when it happened, so I might not be of much help here. :/

 

The Toa Hagah are a good example of that. Actually, it wasn't that atypical for sets in the same wave (by wave I assume you mean winter vs. summer) to have slightly staggered releases. IIRC in winter 2006, first the Matoran were released, then the Piraka, and finally Axonn and Brutaka were available later on. 2005 was a crazy year -- in the winter, the Toa Hordika were released in America at the same time as the Visorak were released in Europe. Then each side of the pond got the other wave in the summer. Maybe it was some sort of A/B testing.

 

There were actually quite a few one-off sets that I think match your description -- the Master Builder set, Irnakk, Umbra, Lesovikk, yellow Jetrax T6, Toa Mata Nui... Visorak's Gate, Race for the Mask of Life...

 

I was randomly reading through old posts in Greg's BZP blog yesterday and came across a few entries where he mentioned the Piraka and Inika set sales. Book sales too. Here's one, for example: http://www.bzpower.com/board/blog/26/entry-594-notes-from-billund/ Might give you some insight.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if G2 were a sales disaster compared to G1. G2 suffered from a generic, shallow, uninspired storyline, told mostly through cringey animations, and I'm sure it also didn't help that the sets were an absolute mess aesthetically. They really undershot the audience's tastes.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Planetperson

[CyclonatorZ]

I wouldn't be surprised if G2 were a sales disaster compared to G1.

Is anyone seriously still questioning this? The line was meant to go on for at least three years, but they made the decision to cancel it early in the second. The sets were constantly on sale/clearance at brick and mortar stores and online, and many physical locations (Wal-Mart in particular) stopped carrying them entirely after the first year. It was clearly a colossal sales failure. It's okay though - Lego isn't some omniscient or infallible company. They make mistakes like any corporation, and Bionicle G2 was one of them. They're still in a far better position than any of their direct competitors. Megabloks, K-Nex, and Best-Lock are basically fighting over TLG's table scraps at this point.

Edited August 10, 2017 by Zarkan: Master of Storms

[Planetperson]

 

I wouldn't be surprised if G2 were a sales disaster compared to G1.

Is anyone seriously still questioning this? The line was meant to go on for at least three years, but they made the decision to cancel it early in the second. The sets were constantly on sale/clearance at brick and mortar stores and online, and many physical locations (Wal-Mart in particular) stopped carrying them entirely after the first year. It was clearly a colossal sales failure. It's okay though - Lego isn't some omniscient or infallible company. They make mistakes like any corporation, and Bionicle G2 was one of them. They're still in a far better position than any of their direct competitors. Megabloks, K-Nex, and Best-Lock are basically fighting over TLG's table scraps at this point.

 

 

I wasn't plugged in to G2 at all like I was G1, so I really didn't know. I've seen the videos on YouTube arguing why it must have been a huge failure for Lego to pull it so early.

 

I recently caught up on the 2016 novels and graphic novels. They're actually really decent when you read them back-to-back. It's just too bad that they weren't released until after the line was a sinking ship.

[Azani]

 

There's a particular point here that begs a really curious question:

 

...I can corroborate the memories of Lhikan coming out late, but I don't know that it was quite so late as november. Issue 20 of the comic actually advertises a release date coinciding with that of LoMN itself, on October 19 (page 18). I don't know whether that launch was held to.

 

As for the why of it, I seem to recall Greg saying the set was cooked up at the last minute to have such a key character from the film available to buy. That'd be somewhere in Planetperson's Greg archive, but goodness knows what page.

 

It does seem like the set was rushed out the door. From what I remember personally, the very first time BZPower or anyone else saw the Lhikan set was at Comic-Con in July 2004 (here's the story). You can see that even at this stage they only had a 3D-printed prototype to show. Before that, Lhikan had been a bit of a mystery, even as a character. He had been mentioned briefly in the novels as the one who had given the Toa stones to the Toa Metru, but he didn't really appear until the LoMN book was released (which was around August I think). He did appear in the Metru Nui guide in the middle of the summer, but the guide used a still from the movie for his picture.

 

Judging from the BZPower stories at the time, Lhikan was released in September in the US, which matches what I remember. It was an exciting set because it also included two Chronicler's staff pieces which had been a collectible up until that point.

 

So, the general consensus of the community usually falls along the idea that G1 was much, much more successful than G2 was in respect to sales; that said, did G1 see a number of instances where sets were released outside of the typical bi-annual, two wave scheme? I feel like there may have been a couple of other times when this took place, such as with a few of the titan sets in 2008, but I can't say that I'm totally sure on that one.

 

As far as the release of Lhikan is concerned, I was unfortunately only five when it happened, so I might not be of much help here. :/

 

The Toa Hagah are a good example of that. Actually, it wasn't that atypical for sets in the same wave (by wave I assume you mean winter vs. summer) to have slightly staggered releases. IIRC in winter 2006, first the Matoran were released, then the Piraka, and finally Axonn and Brutaka were available later on. 2005 was a crazy year -- in the winter, the Toa Hordika were released in America at the same time as the Visorak were released in Europe. Then each side of the pond got the other wave in the summer. Maybe it was some sort of A/B testing.

 

There were actually quite a few one-off sets that I think match your description -- the Master Builder set, Irnakk, Umbra, Lesovikk, yellow Jetrax T6, Toa Mata Nui... Visorak's Gate, Race for the Mask of Life...

 

I was randomly reading through old posts in Greg's BZP blog yesterday and came across a few entries where he mentioned the Piraka and Inika set sales. Book sales too. Here's one, for example: http://www.bzpower.com/board/blog/26/entry-594-notes-from-billund/ Might give you some insight.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if G2 were a sales disaster compared to G1. G2 suffered from a generic, shallow, uninspired storyline, told mostly through cringey animations, and I'm sure it also didn't help that the sets were an absolute mess aesthetically. They really undershot the audience's tastes.

 

 

 

I wouldn't be surprised if G2 were a sales disaster compared to G1.

Is anyone seriously still questioning this? The line was meant to go on for at least three years, but they made the decision to cancel it early in the second. The sets were constantly on sale/clearance at brick and mortar stores and online, and many physical locations (Wal-Mart in particular) stopped carrying them entirely after the first year. It was clearly a colossal sales failure. It's okay though - Lego isn't some omniscient or infallible company. They make mistakes like any corporation, and Bionicle G2 was one of them. They're still in a far better position than any of their direct competitors. Megabloks, K-Nex, and Best-Lock are basically fighting over TLG's table scraps at this point.

 

 Heck no; I really didn't spend any time doubting that personally. Just thought that I'd gauge your opinions.

 

Funny as it is, I remembered the bizarre 2006 release schedule when you mentioned it; that's one that really stuck in my mind. I guess that it just goes to illustrate how powerful G1 was when it came to securing shelf space.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Azani

[Illuminatus]

I see some very good opinions were posted. I definitely agree there were a lot of "off-wave" sets, although the majority of them seem to have been available in the US as compared to other markets. Europe usually had more streamlined set waves.

 

2005 was definitely an exception. I wonder if fall sales were weak because people had already gotten the other series of six from overseas? Perhaps not a lot of people would do that, but it's certainly something that would ruin a good deal of the hype for the next sets.

 

Here's the poll I made, by the way.