LEGO Ninjago 2023 Discussion

[Darth Shadowthrone]

36 minutes ago, Harren Tonderen said:

 

Lava Dragon is a scam, sorry. 55$ dragon, which whole selling point is "Transforming". What transformation we get from lego in this 50 bucks set? "Flip limbs." Manually flip legs and head, rotate them 180, and tada. Yeah they want to be "Tread Assault" so bad, yet still in my eyes this is either lazy or zero budget. No words. Dragon itself is allright though. and purple ball is my favorite so far.

Elemental Dragon is best set to me, Mech is too thin but ok. Good minifigs choice.

Temple... I mean, it's nice building, but "cores" in name yet there's only 1 and it's generic one. But there's also unique minifig? Guy looks cool, love his torso. It is also very remniscent of Airjitzu Temple design, hmm...

 

The name makes it out to be more than it is but I think the Lava dragon is pretty good value - I really like the colour scheme and there’s no weird body shape or technic wing design like other dragons. I was worried it would be £60 or £70 -  With a bit of a discount to put it at around £40 I’ll be very happy with it. 
 

Apart from the three gimmick sets how many come with balls? 

[Harren Tonderen]

10 minutes ago, Darth Shadowthrone said:

Apart from the three gimmick sets how many come with balls? 

2 Blue ones in Zane car

1 Purple in Lava Dragon

1 Gold in Temple

1 Yellow in Mech vs Dragon

[bluedog1111]

Guys Ninjago City Markets has been revealed go to #Legoleaks to see pictures. It turns out it is another straight-line section like the docks but longer, I think.

[BrickSP]

Ok now the 360 degree view of the Markets is up on Lego.com I'm worried.  I thought it might have something exciting at the back but it's just plain.  Where are all those pieces? Is it in the mechanics? the cable car and the toilet system? It's not in the architecture or agricultural aspects of it which is a shame.  

I hate to say it but yes I am disappointed - I don't think I'm going to be the only one who is

The minifigures throughout the wave are great though.  

Lego have knocked it out of the park with several other sets releasing in June Monkie Kid Palace, Friends Community Centre and Lego City Downtown - I think for this reason the markets is a bit of a letdown.

 

 

[Harren Tonderen]

I looked at videos at lego.com
More positive about some of sets now, team mechs still huge moc material, and apparently Zane's car have spin mode? Shame nobody told anything about that, kinda fun

[a guy from somewhere]

I think my biggest gripe with the set is the fact that it doesn't have much of a back. There is little to no detail around the back that is consistent to the other city sets. No waterway, no docks, and the building is pushed right to the edge. No space for boats at all. Im still on the fence about it, I really do need to see better pictures. Its cool, but I feel like the new £160 LEGO City mainstreet could be an upgrade, plus maybe some water tiles. I think its biggest flaw is its size, its just too big for the price. More parts and therefore money was needed to flesh it out. I'm tempted to remove the stone base that is behind the red bridge to connect it to the back waterway, im not sure how easy that will be though. Still, its an impressive set. I just wish it was executed better. One set will have to take the fall for "worst city set" and I think this one will be it. On the bright side, that should make whatever comes next even better. 

[bluedog1111]

5 minutes ago, a guy from somewhere said:

I think my biggest gripe with the set is the fact that it doesn't have much of a back. There is little to no detail around the back that is consistent to the other city sets. No waterway, no docks, and the building is pushed right to the edge. No space for boats at all. Im still on the fence about it, I really do need to see better pictures. Its cool, but I feel like the new £160 LEGO City mainstreet could be an upgrade, plus maybe some water tiles. I think its biggest flaw is its size, its just too big for the price. More parts and therefore money was needed to flesh it out. I'm tempted to remove the stone base that is behind the red bridge to connect it to the back waterway, im not sure how easy that will be though. Still, its an impressive set. I just wish it was executed better. One set will have to take the fall for "worst city set" and I think this one will be it. On the bright side, that should make whatever comes next even better. 

I think we can all agree this one is better than the Docks if you had choose between only owning one. I understand what you're saying about the whole price thing but at least it doesn't look as short and out of place as the Docks did.

[a guy from somewhere]

Just now, Harren Tonderen said:

I looked at videos at lego.com
More positive about some of sets now, team mechs still huge moc material, and apparently Zane's car have spin mode? Shame nobody told anything about that, kinda fun

Yes I forgot to mention that in my sets rundown here, I didn't see that. That is a fairly cool feature and makes it worth the price, but im interested in how the show will execute it. Theres also some details about the series shared from brcksbymind, apparently Sora is from the imperium or was a part of it, but disagreed with it and is now against them. The imperium is from a different realm, and theres so called "source dragons" which im assuming are part of the energy cores. The reason we haven't seen Jay Cole and Zane is due to the fact that for each season the ninja will be swapped around. Sora, Arin and im assuming Riyu will be the main cast, and there will be supporting ninja alongside them. For season 1, its Kai Lloyd and Nya, and for season 2 we will probably see Jay Cole and Zane. This is due to the world being so massive now they're basically off on side quests, however the show will check in with them at points. DR will also be like the oni trilogy, where it will be one large continuous story spanning multiple seasons, not just 1 story in one season. 

The second part to dragons rising season 1 will be coming in the fall, whislt the 1st part will be released in June. Core and Legacy are officially confirmed dead, they will no longer be returning. Kinda sad to say goodbye to core, I really enjoyed it as a theme and I'd like to see them at another point return. Also I was correct, JB speilwaren did actually ruin the whole set reveal by posting the images early. 

[Harren Tonderen]

8 minutes ago, a guy from somewhere said:

Theres also some details about the series shared from brcksbymind, apparently Sora is from the imperium or was a part of it, but disagreed with it and is now against them. The imperium is from a different realm, and theres so called "source dragons" which im assuming are part of the energy cores. The reason we haven't seen Jay Cole and Zane is due to the fact that for each season the ninja will be swapped around. Sora, Arin and im assuming Riyu will be the main cast, and there will be supporting ninja alongside them. For season 1, its Kai Lloyd and Nya, and for season 2 we will probably see Jay Cole and Zane. This is due to the world being so massive now they're basically off on side quests, however the show will check in with them at points. DR will also be like the oni trilogy, where it will be one large continuous story spanning multiple seasons, not just 1 story in one season. 

Hmm, so Imperium is new universal villain, more and more they feel like Half-Life's The Combine (Multi-Dimensional empire with desire to devouer other realms into self, and both have one-eyed elite guys). I wonder if that means this entire wave covers all DR seasons

[a guy from somewhere]

4 minutes ago, Harren Tonderen said:

Hmm, so Imperium is new universal villain, more and more they feel like Half-Life's The Combine (Multi-Dimensional empire with desire to devouer other realms into self, and both have one-eyed elite guys). I wonder if that means this entire wave covers all DR seasons

I believe it will be more Monkie kid esq- we got 5 sets at the start of the year for season 4 and then we are getting 4 sets (plus a 5th journey to the west location set) for the special. To clarify - we will get multiple waves for each season, like how sky bound shared the day of the departed wave. Sidenote, Meis dragon guardian looks way better than any dragon from this wave. These dragons look amazing, but that one... that is top tier lego design right there. 

 

(on second thoughts I think Riyu beats it out) 

Apart from the eye piece I think I can build a colour swapped version of the dragon that appears in the bounty. Im gonna try and do that now. Bounty and the hound are day 1 buys, temple and team mechs are also ones id like to get, along with the kai spinner and zane car. Time to see how much that totals up to. 

So £150 on day one, then the rest will be £200 for a spinner, the temple, the team mechs and the zane car. Holy damn im gonna be putting in the extra work hours. I will wait for a see on the team mechs, £75 for that just doesnt sit right with me, even if we do get the crazy detailed figures. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by a guy from somewhere

[Harren Tonderen]

12 minutes ago, a guy from somewhere said:

Sidenote, Meis dragon guardian looks way better than any dragon from this wave. These dragons look amazing, but that one... that is top tier lego design right there. 

Exactly why this wave feels off to me. For some reason MK feels more Ninjago than Ninjago itself?

 

13 minutes ago, a guy from somewhere said:

(on second thoughts I think Riyu beats it out) 

Facts, best lego mini animal

[THELEGOBATMAN]

Dragon Powers: I really like those, especially since they have two different Dragon Cores. The Ninjas' suits actually look good, they are a good mix of the existing suits and added powers. The builds are rather mediocre, Kai's spinner is the only one that looks good — 7/10

Bike Battle: It's a fine 4+ set. The builds aren't particularly bad, the minifigures aren't that exciting, but it's a good set for young kids — 6/10

Hunter Hound: Great set, I love the hound. The minifigures are good too — 8/10

Zane's Race Car: Another really good set with a good build, although it's not particularly for me. The minifigures are awesome tho — 7/10

Sora's Bike Racer: The build is really cool, they executed it extremely well. Rapton's aircraft is too bulky. The minifigures are excellent — 8/10

Lava Dragon: That set's absolutely incredible. The dragon is fantastic, immediately became one of my favourite Ninjago dragons. Dark red was a fantastic choice, and the upside down feature is so awesome. Ras' aircraft is also kinda bulky, but I like the claws. The set is also packed with minifigures, and it even has an exclusive one — 9/10

Team Mechs: One of the weaker sets, although it's still pretty good. Lloyd's mech is well done, while Arin's is not as good. Combined mechs look like a mess. The minifigures are cool, but not particularly exciting — 6/10

Temple of the Energy Cores: The build is fantastic, I absolutely love it. The interior is pretty much non-existent, but the facade is so well done that I don't care. The minifigure selection is also excellent. My only gripe with it is that it's called Temple of the Dragon Energy Cores, but it has a single Core. A 10€ set has four times as much — 9/10

Elemental Dragon: Truly marvellous. The dragon is one of the most impressive LEGO dragons I've ever seen. It looks like a Kaiju. The colour scheme is fantastic, and the lighting bolts look awesome, especially the ones coming out of its mouth. The wings and arms are amazing too. The only part I don't like are its feet, too blocky. The mech is also fantastic, I love the sword. The minifigure selection is perfect too — 9/10

Destiny's Bounty: Could've been better tbh. The colour scheme is fantastic, the sails and engines are particularly great too. The middle section is kinda weird with those phone pieces tho, and the front looks bad without the dragon. The dragon looks awesome tho. The minifigure selection is weak. A single villain, and Wu is a repeat from Core. Lloyd and Kai are the easiest Ninjas to get too — 7/10

Baby Dragon Battle: Really nice 4+ set with a great minifigure selection. The builds are cool too, except for the atrocious dragon's lower jaw — 7/10

Ninjago City Markets: The build is great, although somehow not as impressive as some of the previous ones. The gondola looks great. The toilet feature is hilariously weird. Minifigures are awesome, so many nice characters and their variants. It feels kinda incomplete without Jay and Cole tho — 8/10

[a guy from somewhere]

Ive just watched the review of the bounty (It is certainly my favourite set of the wave) and has anyone noticed the sails? In the marketing and official images there is this sort of pattern over the sails, but the out of box version reviews by JB shows a plain red background? I really love the sail design with the patterns, im hoping that they are in the wide released version but considering retailers have the set already (and are reviewing it) im kinda worried. 

you may be able to actually stand in the bounty as well inside the hull. The room on the top in the black roof contains space to put Riyu and some storage, although no pictures show it. I will probably mod it to put the 2 beds up there, or a hover bike to really sell the possession 2015 legacy bounty idea....

[THELEGOBATMAN]

It's truly intriguing how good the Ninja look when they use the covered face prints, yet how wonky they are with their regular faces. 

Arin doesn't have a problem like this. I wish the upper parts of the hoods weren't so separted from the shoulder part, and that they looked more like actual masks instead of helmets.

Edited May 9, 2023 by THELEGOBATMAN

[LegendaryArticuno]

The thunder dragon is my favourite of the wave, but it looks a bit skimpy. I would much rather have a more detailed and beefier dragon than 2 sidebuilds.

[Natant16]

A bit weird that Sora has a completely different hair piece in the sets vs show.

[Takanuinuva]

Was not expecting the Nya spinner set.

Guess I'll be getting that instead. Not sure if I'll get Nya and Arin's Baby Dragon Battle now. As there isn't much reason to get 2 similar minifigures when the Dragon Power has the cooler torso design. 

(It's like how I didn't get TOE Samurai X but got Possession Samurai X since they were the same design just Possession had black shoulder armor)

The spinner one is more detailed as well. So that will be the variant of Nya I get this wave.

 

Edit: Also nice to finally get the last Elemental Master Chamille. 

Edited May 9, 2023 by Takanuinuva

[Vindicare]

I love everything about it. Empty space works if it’s used right...Andy I think it’s used wisely here. When I think market I think open air. So having a spacious area for it is great. And that’s the one thing that bothers me a bit about the regular Modulars, it’s just big  building after big building all basically the same shape. I love the variation in height, width & overall shape...and the distance between buildings in this case.

The higher walkway between the two leaves a little to be desired however. Love the tori gate & flower pots & I see what they were going for with the garage pieces, but it’s just not enough going on. It just needs a little something more I feel, like the lower railings with advertisements or some different kind of barrier instead. 

[THELEGOBATMAN]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CsBLUFjJr8X/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

A look at concept printings for Lloyd, Arin, and Sora. 

[Meaf]

A few more thoughts now that I've seen more pictures (plus the Markets): in general this wave seems good, but I agree that it feels a bit bland compared to the last couple non-Core waves. The Motorcycle Mech is definitely still my favorite and the only one I am 100% getting, although I do like the Elemental Dragon and Mech quite a bit too. The sandals on Lloyd's Mech are also an excellent detail but the overall design is just okay. I really like the new villains across the board but the regular ninja suits are too-monocolor for my liking, plus their hoods just don't give the impression of being fabric at all. Sora and Arin both look great however.

As for the Markets, I definitely don't think it lives up the original City or Gardens but I can't say I don't like it. The build itself is a bit empty but for the most part I think it works, and all the structures look great. I imagine that once slotted in with the other sets it will look a good bit better, though the gap made by the left side is a bit annoying. I am 100% picking it up as soon as I have the money, though that might not be for a while unfortunately.

[Takanuinuva]

I am curious if Arin or Sora are the new elemental master of wind
As both are Synonyms or Wind. 

[Rolyat24]

I suppose I’ll throw my 2 cents into the ring. 

Dragon Power spinners: I like the l minifigures here and I’m curious to see the new spinners in action. I usually try to pick up at least one of the gimmick sets to try out before deciding if the others are worthwhile. I think I’ll start with Nya’s as she’s my favorite of the ninja and lord knows I have enough Kai and Lloyd spinners. 

4+ Sets: I have never bought a 4+ set and this wave won’t be changing that. The builds aren’t interesting enough to justify the spend. I’m glad they exist for the younger kids though!

Hound: I like it, but it isn’t something that interests me very much. I like that Ninjago continues to deliver some new ideas even 13 years in.

Zane’s Car: I do appreciate them giving Zane a car, as I don’t have anything like that for him yet. Maybe the closest we’ve seen was the Tumbler back in DotD? But I easily could have forgotten another set. It’s a sleek car and I think for maybe $5 cheaper I would consider it. 

Sora’s mech/bike: A cool transforming build, but not standing out quite enough to make my list. There are so many mechs, I have to pick and choose.

Lava dragon: I like the color scheme and I think if executed more smoothly the “transforming” aspect would be a lot cooler. Either then, or take out that function and create a more natural-looking long neck. As it is, I like it and will buy it.

Team mechs: This set feels way too expensive in the US. But even it was $30 cheaper, I still don’t see myself picking it up. Again, cool concept, but pretty mediocre execution. 

Temple: I think I’ll wait to see reviews on this one. I think it’s nice-looking but certainly feels less substantial than the Core temple, and I passed on that one.

Lightning Dragon: This is the set I’m most excited for! Again, quite expensive, but it’s a great dragon! I want to see it next to the larger Core dragons to see if it’s really worth the large price bump. (I understand the mech is also included, but I’ll mostly be buying it for the dragon). 

Bounty: Surely I sound like a broken record here, but this is just too much money. I believe this is most expensive mainline Ninjago set that we have ever seen (in the US), and it just doesn’t feel worth it. The Legacy bounty arguably looked better, had more bricks, and was still $30 cheaper! I would only consider this set because I currently own every bounty from Ninjago’s run, but this feels like a hard sell. 

The Markets: I may be in the minority here who actually likes this set! I love the cable car and think it’ll add a uniqueness to the skyline that we’re missing. I hope the negative initial response doesn’t hurt sales too much, because I’d love to see more of these in the coming years. I only have Gardens so far but I think Markets will look best between two corners. Also, can we talk about that minifigure lineup?? I mean, this is what we’ve been asking for with every new expansion! The prior three were mostly dotted with random civilians. We’re finally getting a bunch of new characters and variants that everyone has been asking for! Chamille! Gayle Gossip! Vinny! Racer 7! Cyrus Borg! Miss Demeanor! Detective Zane! Blacksmith Kai! We’re one Fugidove away from crossing most figures off of my list anyway. And I’m so happy we’ve gotten all of the elemental masters. Only took 9 years!

Overall, I agree with others that the wave leaves a lot to be desired. I think at the start of the new show, the designers wanted to go with a “bread and butter Ninjago” wave, which certainly makes sense. And so we get the usual dragons, temples, bounty, mechs, etc. It just feels a little extra overdone at this point because of the abundance of Core and Legacy sets the last few years. I will say I love the detailed minifigures. I’m not completely convinced about the new hoods yet, I think that’s something I can’t judge until I have the pieces in-hand. The antagonists are for the most part beautiful figs but the faction as a whole lacks something. I’m not sure what it is yet.

I’m willing to give this new show and characters room to breathe and develop their own more creative waves further down the line. I think we’ll continue to see some truly wacky stuff once this new show is more established. 

[Vindicare]

To make the bottom feel more lived in, I was thinking you could add Ham’s stall from Ninjago City Chase set. You’d have to put the smaller stand in the other spot & put Ham’s there as I don’t think there’s another spot for it to fit. 

[GarmadonFan]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:37 PM, GarmadonFan said:

Looks like I'll have to keep waiting for another Ninjago City expansion. 

The wait is almost over! 

[Doom2099]

I'm really liking 95% of what I see for the Market. I think it's a great way to add variety instead of just adding new squares on a square baseplate. The water at the back from the original City and the Docks seemed a bit much, so this one bulking out the middle may be a nice change of pace as we get more modulars. Sort of like how Assembly Square has more sidewalk due to the fountain, but this provides some recess from a flat street front. And the cable car is very eye catching, just like the train around the Monkie Kid City of Lanterns.

Great minifigures too. Throwing in a couple of villains every time is great, but most Lego took the chance to bulk up the civilian population we've been longing for. Gayle, Dareth, Cyrus Borg, these types of sets are the perfect place to drop in Antonia, Dr. Julien or Cole's Dad.

Most importantly after the Gardens came out, it is just great that we are getting the fourth modular, with hopefully more to follow every 2 years or so. A single baseplate with a Daily Bugle height Borg tower? A single baseplate with a tall fourth floor and a recessed Imperial Throne Room for the Emperor and Empress of Ninjago? It's great that we can mix up the tall single baseplates, corners, 1.5 baseplate straight sections, and now the first double baseplate.

Anyone who built the original Ninjago City and was blown away by it loves adding more to this line. Please keep it up Lego!