LEGO Ninjago 2021

[Falconfan1414]

Just now, a guy from somewhere said:

really? how? it just talks about the legacy sets, unless I have the wrong press release?

2021 marks the 10 year anniversary of the NINJAGO television series, as it has been in production since the release of the first pilot episode in 2011. Originally, the NINJAGO theme was supposed to end after season 2 in 2012 and sets sales after 2013. However, the continued success led to both the show and products continuing. This milestone reflects the continued popularity of the show amongst its audience. In 2021 we will be launching season 14 which pays tribute to the voice actor Kirby Morrow, who sadly passed away recently after voicing Cole for many years.

In NINJAGO there isn’t one lead character, it’s about the team. But since the beginning, every season has had a different character focus, helping the kids to learn more about each individual character. The focus of the 2021 storyline is Nya and her elemental powers.

[turk187]

can anybody read this one? I've compared it to the alphabets in the Ninjago movie book and can't make heads or tails of it.

[Blazej_Holen]

The more I look at NCG the more ambivalent opinions I have. So many illogical things. For example:

1. how can you get from the ground floor to the Ninjago fan apartment above the food shop?

2. why is Ronin pawn shop open at the back? What is the point of those doors? 

3. why is that ladder to the tea time balcony above the bust with hat? Anyone who want to go up need to climb through that thingy.. 

4. any chance to get from old city to the street level beside using that flying scooter?

5. How can I reach that secret room where Jay's ninja costume is hidden? No doors no ladder...

6. where is that control room with computer etc. in tower? Is it that "Ninja zone"? It was advertised separately so it confuses me...

7. no boat (but thats just me...)

8. to get to the Zen garden on rooftop (Hig rise) you need to climb from that balcony between green apartment and Ninjago museum of history? Is this the only way? Very dangerous then...(for ordinary citizens obviously)...

and there is more (...)

On one side I can clearly see love and passion of the design team in the set, but at the same time its just bunch of chaotic mismatch and not logical structures mixed together... I l consider original NC as a best set and certainly better than this. Sorry...

 

[a guy from somewhere]

Just now, Blazej_Holen said:

The more I look at NCG the more ambivalent opinions I have. So many illogical things. For example:

1. how can you get from the ground floor to the Ninjago fan apartment above the food shop?

2. why is Ronin pawn shop open at the back? What is the point of those doors? 

3. why is that ladder to the tea time balcony above the bust with hat? Anyone who want to go up need to climb through that thingy.. 

4. any chance to get from old city to the street level beside using that flying scooter?

5. How can I reach that secret room where Jay's ninja costume is hidden? No doors no ladder...

6. where is that control room with computer etc. in tower? Is it that "Ninja zone"? It was advertised separately so it confuses me...

7. no boat (but thats just me...)

8. to get to the Zen garden on rooftop (Hig rise) you need to climb from that balcony between green apartment and Ninjago museum of history? Is this the only way? Very dangerous then...(for ordinary citizens obviously)...

and there is more (...)

On one side I can clearly see love and passion of the design team in the set, but at the same time its just bunch of chaotic mismatch and not logical structures mixed together... I l consider original NC as a best set and certainly better than this. Sorry...

 

I for one entirely agree with this. Ninjago City is still the best. There is no space in the top of the tower, so how can it be the 'ninja control tower' when you cant get in? There is no way to get from the old world to the street level. One thing I loved about Ninjago City is if you were the size of a minifig, you could get anywhere and everywhere. This set doesn't let you do that. Ninjago City is also a lot more vibrant, and because of the tree and all the open space, it doesn't have what Jangbricks calls 'visual weight'. The tower at the top looks cool, but as I've stated before, I feel like they have taken the parts that made up the amazing crab kitchen and hat store, and used them to build up a tower that really has no purpose apart from storing a couple of posters. One more thing to add to your list, the water doesn't line up with the water at the back of, not entirely. Ninjago City, so if you put the city next to the gardens, there's just gonna be a flat wall next to the water in the space between ronins shop and that small rock with a stone structure on it (not the pagoda island). Its worse for me, as I've built my custom city to have a large walk way at the back, then water for my boats. It looks like the boat channel is on the inside curve of the garden, closest to the paved area. The island will block the way into the waterway. It's hard to describe but imagine a custom 32x32 section, with a shop at the back, then a stone walkway 8 studs deep, the another 8 studs of water.It basically means my water ways are incompatible with the gardens. But enough complaining about this set. can we talk about the good things about it? The posters, the references, the details, and the fact were getting another expansion to this incredible line of sets? I think its time we list off all the cool and incredible things about this set! let's get a bit of positivity in here. 

[turk187]

And another

 

[BraveMax]

I'm definitely excited for this set, but agree with comments others have made: it doesn't feel as well-thought out as NC or even NCD. In addition to the access issues for minifigs, there don't seem to be any mechanisms or action features apart from the arcade cabinet and lowering ladder. Things like the crab grill and ATM were some of my favorite parts of the original set. That, and the mystifying minifig selection kinda tamp down my excitement a bit.

[Blazej_Holen]

Just now, BraveMax said:

Things like the crab grill and ATM were some of my favorite parts of the original set. That, and the mystifying minifig selection kinda tamp down my excitement a bit.

Dont forget on the runnig sushi at the top! That was brilliant! :)

[Surge]

"Marking the 10th anniversary, the LEGO Group is releasing 11 LEGACY sets throughout 2021. As an added bonus, six of the LEGACY sets comes with a limited edition collectible golden ninja minifigure." 

 

Found this quote on brickset (think its from a press release or something)

I know its know that we would be getting all the golden ninja, but it is nice to have some confirmation both that they exist and will be in separate sets. This also means that there will be 6 more legacy sets or 5 if the juniors sets count (I think they do)

Edited January 14, 2021 by Surge

[Kim-Kwang-Seok]

I guess they all have pros and cons. Dont forgett the original NC hat a not to camera friendly angle. And yes for sure it was the best.

But its like they gave us one time 5 christmas presents at once and now we complain cause they only give us 3 christmas presents. I think the set looks amazing from any angle, I could and would also pin down a few things which dont fit perfectly but its still an amazing set anyway. Whatever comes after Ninjago; I think we'd really miss this theme...

[Blazej_Holen]

14 minutes ago, Kim-Kwang-Seok said:

I guess they all have pros and cons. Dont forgett the original NC hat a not to camera friendly angle. And yes for sure it was the best.

But its like they gave us one time 5 christmas presents at once and now we complain cause they only give us 3 christmas presents. I think the set looks amazing from any angle, I could and would also pin down a few things which dont fit perfectly but its still an amazing set anyway. Whatever comes after Ninjago; I think we'd really miss this theme...

Original NC and camera unfriendly angle? U mean backside? I dont consider that as a camera unfirendly angle. But I guess that this is more subjective. 

Its not about number of presents we get (or not get) its about logic and thoughts put into a complex set like this. Imagine you are a kid/or youngster or even AFOL and buy this set. Its your first introduction to the "NC line" since you dont have previous sets and they cost all the money nowdays. This is not complete. Not at all. Thats is the problem I have. It is amazing by the look for sure. It will look nice on the shelf (u need to find a really big one), and maybe kids dont care much about ladders/stairs or other things I mentioned above, but some of them do. As a playset, its really hard to remove and put on all individual modules (and there are many of them) so its not a strictly playset. But its for reasonable price (compare to the other recent D2C sets) so maybe its not only for AFOLS or kids with rich parents :) I think that you get my point now right?

Certainly it looks beautiful, no doubt about that. But if I look close, i see those fails and design flaws, and I dont want them to be seen. But as would Sheldon say "I know about them". And thats what bothers me. To sum up - nice looking colorful set, with many design flaws and logical mistakes or omisions. As a standalone set it doesnt work. I would not recomend it as a start for NC. Original one was 1000x better. Thats me. 

 

[Gangikhan448]

The keepers village looks very well built! 

It even has an interior. I wanna see if you can place a minifigure inside of it.

[thekeeperofthereaper]

in a earlier episode of ninjago during a glimpse into the future you saw kai with an eye patch

so maybe he does turn evil for a brief while in season 15 or it could be nyas turn

wouldnt it be great if the sets were as good as lego atlantis , aqua raiders etc

 

[Nearlyheadlessbrick]

32 minutes ago, Surge said:

"Marking the 10th anniversary, the LEGO Group is releasing 11 LEGACY sets throughout 2021. As an added bonus, six of the LEGACY sets comes with a limited edition collectible golden ninja minifigure." 

 

Found this quote on brickset (think its from a press release or something)

I know its know that we would be getting all the golden ninja, but it is nice to have some confirmation both that they exist and will be in separate sets. This also means that there will be 6 more legacy sets or 5 if the juniors sets count (I think they do)

The 4 epic battle sets count in that 11 as well as the Overlord Dragon l, which leaves the 6 that contain the ninja. Brickfanatics article also says that there are two more Golden Ninja-inclusive Lgeacy sets out in June, one of them probably being the Ultra Sonic Raider. 

[Blazej_Holen]

Just now, Gangikhan448 said:

The keepers village looks very well built! 

It even has an interior. I wanna see if you can place a minifigure inside of it.

Are there pictures of it available? 

[BraveMax]

5 minutes ago, Nearlyheadlessbrick said:

The 4 epic battle sets count in that 11 as well as the Overlord Dragon l, which leaves the 6 that contain the ninja. Brickfanatics article also says that there are two more Golden Ninja-inclusive Lgeacy sets out in June, one of them probably being the Ultra Sonic Raider. 

Do we know if the 4+ sets count in there?

[Gangikhan448]

9 minutes ago, Blazej_Holen said:

Are there pictures of it available? 

Yes more pictures of all of them came out today. They been officially revealed from what I heard. 

[Lucarex]

6 hours ago, a guy from somewhere said:

https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/set/assets/bltcab58f719383dbb7/71741_Poster_V29_V39_6359202.pdf this is the poster that’s in the gardens

Well that’s massively disappointing. Wanted the 10 year timeline one.

[Cocoa]

Honestly, I believe the Gardens blows the originals out of the water when it comes to the sheer amount of details and the wide variety of colors and techniques. However, I believe there are two areas where the City is better.

The first area would be larger buildings. The buildings in the City had a huge footprint, while the Gardens' buildings are very narrow. However, some of that space goes into creating patios and walkways, something the original lacked in the back. Also, I am not a huge interior fan, so this change isn't a dealbreaker.

The second area would be access. While the City had the elevator that tied everything together, the Gardens has no access to the street level from the old world. However, the original had a sketchy way to access buildings using those cell doors, while the Gardens at least has a proper walkway to the museum and apartment.

[Blazej_Holen]

Just now, Cocoa said:

Honestly, I believe the Gardens blows the originals out of the water when it comes to the sheer amount of details and the wide variety of colors and techniques.

Considering that NC is 3 yrs old and NCG uses many new parts and molds, there aren't so many details and variety compare to the original NC... Its more airy, since the middle part is empty and there is a tree growing through the first floor, so it makes a small square in the Old world. so plenty of space for plants, and small touches such as bench, but still. Not so much in compare to the NC. Just a little bit which is understandable since its 3 yrs "newer" :)

[Nearlyheadlessbrick]

28 minutes ago, BraveMax said:

Do we know if the 4+ sets count in there?

Don't think so, and neither does the Garden as does would make the total 15.

[a guy from somewhere]

11 minutes ago, Cocoa said:

The second area would be access. While the City had the elevator that tied everything together, the Gardens has no access to the street level from the old world. However, the original had a sketchy way to access buildings using those cell doors, while the Gardens at least has a proper walkway to the museum and apartment.

I for one absolutely love the rickety girders and ladders that go around ninjago city. I’m currently making a list of mods to make to this set to fit what I want, a small elevator on the wall of the ninjago fans apartment, facing the tree, and it ends at Chen’s noodle house door. I’m gonna move the small island at the back to make a route for boats, and add a couple more girders for Easy access to the meditation room at the top. speaking of which, is there any way to get up there? I don’t think there is, and also, theres a safe with a teal 1x1 cheese slope in it just under the meditation building. Any ideas what the significance is of it?

[Lucarex]

I think it’s fair to say City is easily a more accomplished set than Gardens taking everything into consideration, not just aesthetics. Put it this way, if they were both built in a Ninjago episode of Lego Masters, you just know Jamie (but maybe not Amy) would prefer City. It’s just more well thought out and integrated with multiple play features. However, that shouldn’t be used as a stick to beat Gardens with (Docks was bludgeoned to death by comparison), it’s still a great looking set, just that bar is set very very high.

* Warning - soccer reference for US folks *

Gardens is basically the LEGO equivalent of the Europa League, nice to look at if you get to the final and win, but you’d still much rather play in the Champions League every time.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Lucarex

[Cocoa]

I think the distribution of the details and the type of details is what is better with the Gardens for me. I do think NC is an unrivaled set when you consider when it was released. However, the way things are done on the Gardens feels more "in your face" with the details, which I really enjoy. Ninjago City reminds me of a mall or resort, where the product is wowing, but the distribution is clearly calculated. The Gardens feels unhinged like an eastern Cyberpunk city, with its garish, high-contrast colors, clashing architectural styles, and incorporation of botanical nature. It's really up to you which aesthetic you enjoy more.

[lego_guyon02]

3 minutes ago, Cocoa said:

I think the distribution of the details and the type of details is what is better with the Gardens for me. I do think NC is an unrivaled set when you consider when it was released. However, the way things are done on the Gardens feels more "in your face" with the details, which I really enjoy. Ninjago City reminds me of a mall or resort, where the product is wowing, but the distribution is clearly calculated. The Gardens feels unhinged like an eastern Cyberpunk city, with its garish, high-contrast colors, clashing architectural styles, and incorporation of botanical nature. It's really up to you which aesthetic you enjoy more.

Very well said and I completely agree!

[Lucarex]

41 minutes ago, Cocoa said:

I think the distribution of the details and the type of details is what is better with the Gardens for me. I do think NC is an unrivaled set when you consider when it was released. However, the way things are done on the Gardens feels more "in your face" with the details, which I really enjoy. Ninjago City reminds me of a mall or resort, where the product is wowing, but the distribution is clearly calculated. The Gardens feels unhinged like an eastern Cyberpunk city, with its garish, high-contrast colors, clashing architectural styles, and incorporation of botanical nature. It's really up to you which aesthetic you enjoy more.

It’s an interesting argument although I don’t completely agree. The whole feeling of Gardens is one of trying a bit too hard, probably due to the pressure of having to represent the anniversary and reference various things. The “unhinged” aspect to me actually suggests it went through less development than City (as depicted in the Making of TLNM book), and used the template of the original masterpiece a bit too closely. After all the designer admits it’s an evolution of City. I also think the Pagoda island is poorly executed as a modular side build and would have been far better incorporated on the rear of the main baseplate, with water surrounding, like the 17th at Sawgrass (non-golfers should google it).

Edited January 14, 2021 by Lucarex