Bionicle 2015 Discussion

[Jetrax99]

I think those of us in the states can expect the $9.99-$14.99 for the Protectors and Toa respectively as we've been getting the past couple years. Nothing seen so far appears to warrant the titan price point of $24.99

[Mesonak]

I see the Defenders to be $8. Remember the initial HF wave, with the Heroes all being $6? They all had 17 pieces, and I can't see the Defenders having more pieces than that. The Defenders appear to be smaller than the 2.0 Heroes, which were $12. The Toa are likely their old prices: $12-15, and the Defenders have to be less.

I count 33 pieces on the Jungle Protector, at least. Based on nowadays prices for small sets, $10 for the Protectors seems likely to me. I don't see them reverting to the old prices without downsizing piece counts accordingly, and I doubt any of us want that. :P

I do agree with $15 Lewa, Gali, Pohatu, however.

[Jakura Nuva]

I count 33 pieces on the Jungle Protector, at least. Based on nowadays prices for small sets, $10 for the Protectors seems likely to me. I don't see them reverting to the old prices without downsizing piece counts accordingly, and I doubt any of us want that. :P

I do agree with $15 Lewa, Gali, Pohatu, however.

Well, if Lewa, Gali, and Pohatu are all $15, than the other three have to be $20

[Clone 01354 Productions]

I doubt Tahu, Onua, and Kopaka are Titan-Priced. They only look slightly bigger than the others, and most of the pieces used are larger ones. So, the piece count is still fairly low, but they are just a bit larger. And I will be furious if I have to pay $20 for them.

Luckily, Lewa will be around $15-12, and he's my favorite.

[Jakura Nuva]

I doubt Tahu, Onua, and Kopaka are Titan-Priced. They only look slightly bigger than the others, and most of the pieces used are larger ones. So, the piece count is still fairly low, but they are just a bit larger. And I will be furious if I have to pay $20 for them.

Luckily, Lewa will be around $15-12, and he's my favorite.

So if you agree that Lewa, Pohatu, and Gali are $12-15, then what else would the larger sets - Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua - be priced for? Somewhere between $15 and $20? That would be abnormal for Lego.

[Clone 01354 Productions]

In the Star Wars line, Battle on Saleucami was $16. I think that any price point is acceptable to use for Lego Products, not just intervals of $5.

But I really think that the Defenders are $8, the Toa are $12-$15 (Lewa, Pohatu, and Gali, and Tahu, Onua, and Kopaka, respectively), and Lord of Skull Spiders should be $20, maybe $25.

[Jakura Nuva]

Dude... It's pretty obvious Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua are larger sets than the other three - large enough to be different prices.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Jakura Nuva

[Shakar]

Assuming the prices that are generally accepted here (10-15-20 Euro) are correct:

The Defenders might be overpriced (8-9 Euro would be better..good thing they're the sets I'm less interested in)..but the Toa do look really big. Even the smaller 3 look about as bulky and complex as the 2013 LoC Ultrabuilds, which I still think as some of the best, more fleshed out CCBS humanoids: 15 Euro seems perfect for them, especially if you add the extra gold mask and Skull Spider. Now, I'm not sure if the 3 larger Toa are actually worth 20 Euro (especially Tahu and Kopaka), but we don't know how they're built yet.

There is no doubt now. It will be Bionicle, so let's talk about the reveal: do you think that they will showcase all of them? Or just one or two, to really kill us? And what if they reveal that they will be released within weeks, before the holiday season.....

I actually took the trouble to dig up pics of when the Superheroes Ultrabuilds were presented for the first time (BTW, did you know this topic already is the section's 7th biggest ever?). A whopping 4 out of 6 were shown on display. IMO, Tahu at the very least is going to be shown since he's pretty much BIONICLE's mascot. I hope a Defender, another Toa and the LoSS are there too, but I'd be happy even with 1-2 sets.

[Clone 01354 Productions]

Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua are larger, but I don't think $20 large. They only look slightly taller than a 2.0 Hero, which were like $10.

[TheGreatSpirit]

Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua are larger, but I don't think $20 large. They only look slightly taller than a 2.0 Hero, which were like $10.

Please tell me you're joking, the 2.0 torso armour on Tahu's lower legs already proves that he is almost twice as tall as a 2.0 hero if even more so.

Edited September 1, 2014 by TheGreatSpirit

[Clone 01354 Productions]

From the model's we've seen of people's interpretations, the legs and torso are only slightly longer. He may end up being 1 1/4 the size of a 2.0 hero, max 1 1/2.

And anyway, the image is very blurry. It may just be a piece similar to a 2.0 torso, but made smaller.

[GK733]

And anyway, the image is very blurry. It may just be a piece similar to a 2.0 torso, but made smaller.

If it would be smaller his head would be under the upper chest armor. I'm on the boat that it's not the firelord one either but something between and by the looks of it completely new model that however follows CCBS

[Chro]

I'd say that Tahu is probably less than two heroes tall, that seems a little excessive. Kopaka, however...

[TheGreatSpirit]

I'd say that Tahu is probably less than two heroes tall, that seems a little excessive. Kopaka, however...

Whoops, I meant almost.

From the model's we've seen of people's interpretations, the legs and torso are only slightly longer. He may end up being 1 1/4 the size of a 2.0 hero, max 1 1/2.

And anyway, the image is very blurry. It may just be a piece similar to a 2.0 torso, but made smaller.

Nah, it's clearly the same piece, you must not have seen the large version of the image. Regardless, even with the prelim pictures it's obvious that at least Kopaka and Tahu TOWER over 2.0 heroes. Have you even had a 2.0 hero, they are tiny.

Edited September 1, 2014 by TheGreatSpirit

[Aanchir]

http://news.toyark.com/2014/08/30/lego-2015-set-details-super-heroes-jurassic-world-star-wars-136985

Hmm. So are they called Masters now, not Toa?

That is something a lot of people have assumed. The sets call them masters of their elements, but there's no indication that "masters" will be used as a general term for them, or that Toa will not be used as a general term for them. Keep in mind that only ONE "Tahu" set in the past (the 2008 version) has ever been called "Toa Tahu" — the other three were just called "Tahu Nuva" or "Tahu", with the word Toa appearing nowhere in the set name and nowhere on the packaging.

The heroes of Ninjago have also been called "the master of fire/ice/earth/lightning" in various media, but that doesn't mean they weren't also called ninja.

You're right, of course - but cheaper than Hero Factory? No way. The Defenders, what you might call the "mini sets", are most likely slated at about $10-$15 ($13 was the original pricing for the Mistika, Glatorian, etc.), with Toa likely coming in around $20 (roughly Titan price).

That means that, if the Toa happen to be $20, that's $120 for all six. If the Defenders are $10, than that's $60. And let's not forget LOSS, who'll probably be $20, maybe more. That's a grand total of $200 for the entire collection. If the Defenders are $15, it'd be $230. If some of the larger Toa are $25, than roughly $245.

Well, there's very little chance the small sets are more than $10 unless the United States gets a random price hike. Their piece counts seem about the same as the small 2013 and 2014 sets if not smaller, and the figures themselves are also smaller than most small Hero Factory figures. So you can rest easy there. Also, keep in mind that we have every reason to believe that Tahu, Kopaka, and Onua will be larger and more expensive than the other three Toa (the recommended age ranges, NZD prices, and package sizes vary between the two groups). Based on the NZD prices we were given a few pages back, it seems likely that in the United States the small sets will be $10 each, the medium-sized Toa $15 each, and the large Toa sets $20 each. In that case, it will cost $105 for all six Toa, and around $185 or $190 for the entire collection (I'm not sure of the price for Lord of Skull Spiders, but it's probably $20 or $25).

Please tell me you're joking, the 2.0 torso armour on Tahu's lower legs already proves that he is at least twice as tall as a 2.0 hero if even more so.

You might be exaggerating things a bit. I don't think the new Tahu is any larger than CHI Fluminox, who is just about 28 modules tall — around the same height as a Toa Inika. 2.0 heroes were around 21 or 22 modules tall, around the same height as a Toa Mata. It's a big difference but not nearly as big as you're making it out to be.

[Clone 01354 Productions]

^Yeah, Kopaka seems the tallest, and Onua the shortest. And they are both in the upper price range? IF, and only IF, there are two price ranges, the groups that would make the most sense are Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua cheaper, and Tahu, Gali, and Kopaka more. That divides them into shortest and tallest. But those age ranges are throwing this all off....

[Gatanui]

Onua may be smaller but he seems to have more bulk than the others AND golden armor, so I assume he is in the larger price point along with Tahu and Kopaka.

-Gata

[Aanchir]

^Yeah, Kopaka seems the tallest, and Onua the shortest. And they are both in the upper price range? IF, and only IF, there are two price ranges, the groups that would make the most sense are Lewa, Pohatu, and Onua cheaper, and Tahu, Gali, and Kopaka more. That divides them into shortest and tallest. But those age ranges are throwing this all off....

Onua uses the bulky Hulk/Stormer XL/CHI Gorzan chestplate design, and his hammer seems to be a fairly bulky weapon. So even if he's not as tall as Tahu or Kopaka (which is hard to tell, since his pose obscures the length of his legs), I think he could VERY easily merit a similar price point.

Overall, Tahu's the only character for whom I am almost completely confident about the length of his legs, which seem to be about the same size as the legs of CHI Fluminox. And even then, I have no idea if his torso is a larger 9x11 torso beam like you normally see for $20 sets, or a smaller 9x9 torso beam. If it's a 9x9 torso beam, then he could be as short as 26 modules tall — the height of Toa Lhikan, Nokama, and Nuju. I expect Gali, Lewa, and Pohatu to be 23 or 24 modules tall, in which case that sort of height difference is negligible.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Aanchir

[Clone 01354 Productions]

Oh, in the name of Mata Nui, please let us get some more pictures!! The suspense and speculation is killing me!! I NEED TO KNOW EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!

[TwistLaw]

Also, I think people are vastly overestimating how much money this line will make as a whole anyway. Constraction always has been and always will be niche. Hero Factory shows them what they can expect sales to be like.

.

Actually we all know the story of BIONICLE being LEGO'S best selling IP.

Constraction may be big, if the line representing it is big.

HF wasn't, and the whole constraction area lost tons of ground.

[Gatanui]

Actually we all know the story of BIONICLE being LEGO'S best selling IP.

I'm pretty sure Ninjago and even Legends of Chima have sold better than BIONICLE did. It's just that BIONICLE's impact on overall sales was greater back then.

-Gata

[TwistLaw]

I'm pretty sure Ninjago and even Legends of Chima have sold better than BIONICLE did. It's just that BIONICLE's impact on overall sales was greater back then.

-Gata

While after almost four years Ninjago may have surpassed BIONICLE, I highly doubt about Legends of Chima.

It's a mystery the reason LEGO is so reluctant to make public the sales numbers of its franchises.

[SirPuddings]

I see the Defenders to be $8. Remember the initial HF wave, with the Heroes all being $6? They all had 17 pieces, and I can't see the Defenders having more pieces than that. The Defenders appear to be smaller than the 2.0 Heroes, which were $12. The Toa are likely their old prices: $12-15, and the Defenders have to be less.

I seriously doubt that, as much as I want it. The initial HF wave was made with a system that lacked a lot of articulation, aka the Bionicle Stars build system. If these sets were to use CCBS they would be far more poseable than the HF 1.0 sets, and also have a higher piece count as a result.

[davidr]

I already posted it, but I think the prices will be multiples of 4. 10,15,20 is too much, Heroes were (originally) made as small sets so they were cheap to get so more people will get them and hopefully buy more sets if they liked these. Price was low for a reason. Making sets of a "new" line considerably more expensive certainly won't help with sales and fanbase will be smaller than it could've been, which will lower profit in the long run.

All we can say about the complexity of the sets is that Tahu seems to use 2011 HF torso armor on legs and that Tahu, Kopaka and Onua have higher recommended age limit. Ignoring this we could assume that all Toa have the same price-point.

[Mesonak]

I already posted it, but I think the prices will be multiples of 4. 10,15,20 is too much, Heroes were (originally) made as small sets so they were cheap to get so more people will get them and hopefully buy more sets if they liked these. Price was low for a reason. Making sets of a "new" line considerably more expensive certainly won't help with sales and fanbase will be smaller than it could've been, which will lower profit in the long run.

Nothing is being made more expensive. $10 for smaller sets and $20 for Titans has been the standard ever since 2012. The only price "increase" we're getting is the Toa probably being priced $15, but that's not really an increase because the Legends of Chima CHI figures as well as the recent Invasion from Below sets all are priced at that point.

Such is the trade-off of a higher piece count. :P