2011 NINJAGO sets

[The Crazy One]

where is the review that you said that we would get?

Hey, I have a busy life. Organising a Christmas party for the family and friends by yourself is quite tricky and time consuming. I have taken some photos, but I won't do a review. Like I said, Flickr is the place to look.

[Delta 38]

I have no idea why, but my second concern underneath getting enough ninjas is the type of katana they'll each have. Since the switch from octagonal hilts to square, I've started to think that octagonal ones are worse because they're older. The colours are also fairly scrambled, with some katanas switching between silver and dark grey. This is possibly one of the very few advantages of the expensive clear packaging, because you can see exactly what is inside.

I hope there will be a lightning dragon since I've become obsessive about those too. It could be a possibility, because we know that every DX figure is available in sets (arena, ATV, ice dragon and skeleton training sets). If the images we saw some time ago are actually real images of the next wave, then most of the DX figures have appeared twice.

The spinner arena would be tempting except that the only LEGO elements included are the sensei and the spinner, which is NOT worth $14.00. If the arena were at least lego compatable or some kind of baseplate, it would be well worth that price, but I'd rather save up a whole lot for a big set with the sensei than waste a fair amount of better spent money on a cheap bit of gimmicky plastic and a cool fig.

I really hope LEGO doesn't try this cheap crap again.

Wait... Sensei Wu's only in the dojo set, isn't he? Either way, I'll stick to getting that. But yes, the price expansion isn't good.

[Aanchir]

The spinner arena would be tempting except that the only LEGO elements included are the sensei and the spinner, which is NOT worth $14.00. If the arena were at least lego compatable or some kind of baseplate, it would be well worth that price, but I'd rather save up a whole lot for a big set with the sensei than waste a fair amount of better spent money on a cheap bit of gimmicky plastic and a cool fig.

I really hope LEGO doesn't try this cheap crap again.

It's funny that someone's blasting a Ninjago product for being "cheap" in the middle of a discussion about Ninjago products not being cheap enough.

Baseplates can significantly drive the price of a set up, I imagine-- especially if they're either a specialized burp or coated with tiles to allow for a smooth spinning surface. But the people who complain about the sets that contain spinners being too expensive and about them lacking baseplates fail to recognize that the second problem is actually the most realistic solution to the first.

Sets like the Dojo are priced how they are partly because they include large pieces: in this case, large doors, large window-frames, large window-panes, large plates, and a big chunky spinner. The fortress includes even more huge pieces than the dojo. I still don't know how thick or heavy the spinners are, but I'd imagine that being a large pre-assembled piece they'd cost a significant amount on their own. Piece size is only one complicating factor that makes price-per-piece a pretty useless way to measure whether a set is worth its price.

Also, note that the plastic spinner arena was not designed to be a main-line LEGO set. It's an extended-line product, so expecting it to be usable as a regular piece and compatible with sets is just unrealistic. It doesn't even affect anyone who chooses not to buy it, so complaining about it not being LEGO-compatible is a bit like complaining about the LEGO Universe CD, the Ninjago headband, or this sword not being LEGO-compatible. It's just a really silly thing to get upset about.

Besides, I wouldn't call it "gimmicky"-- it seems very artfully designed to make gameplay feel more sophisticated. It contains slots to hold the spinners, weapons, and cards. Certainly much cooler than the cheap plastic Beyblade arena I had during my late childhood!

[r4-g9]

Wait... Sensei Wu's only in the dojo set, isn't he? Either way, I'll stick to getting that. But yes, the price expansion isn't good.

no he is also in this set:

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=853106&cn=690&d=70

[Arigomi]

Ninjago is shaping up to be a hybrid between an action theme and an action figure theme. The traditional price per piece ratio tends to break down when you look action figure themes like Hero Factory. In action figure themes, the building experience takes a back seat to playing with the completed models.

In the end, you have to decide whether or not you want to buy Ninjago sets to play the spinner game because that is what TLG is trying to sell to kids.

[Gryphon Ink]

Anyone else disappointed in what a raw deal Nya ended up getting? She doesn't appear on the Characters Page (of course, neither do any of the big-headed mutant skellies), and her sole set appearance in the first half of the year uses her as a generic "damsel in distress". If she shows up in the Ninjago movie or in any summer sets, I hope her role is given a bit more respect.

That would be pretty typical, wouldn't it? You get one female character in the line, she only comes in one of the bigger sets, and she is used in the official stories as a damsel in distress. Gods forbid we should have a female who can actually hold her own in a fight, or appears in more than one set.

I know Lego is primarily marketed towards young boys, and supposedly they can't identify with fighting, heroic females (perfect self-fulfilling prophecy if I ever heard one), but why can't they EVER try something different? This kind of thing really irks me. I had to switch equipment on the Lion Princess from the Prison Tower Rescue set. I gave her a crossbow and a helmet, and put her hair on one of the knights so he is now a young D'Artagnan type, and she is a deadly warrior princess leading a force of knights out to rescue one of their silly young recruits from the Dragons. I was quite pleased with the switch. And wouldn't you know, my daughter switched all the accessories back to the "proper" figures when she played with my castles? I knew I should never have let her play with Barbies when she was little. I never wanted her to, but our friends kept saying "what harm can it do?"

Come on, Lego. Give us a strong female protagonist that can hold her own in the "boys' sets", not just Belville. Do it for my daughter.

[Ceroknight]

Did anyone realize that Cole is green on his card?

[robuko]

I just picked up from legokei, a couple of Ninjago adverts showing the play features. The skull tank biker weirdness is even weirder than I thought

skull tank

dojo

this guy is from the ATV, I haven't seen him before. nice. All prices now up on Amazon.jp

Edited December 23, 2010 by robuko

[Peppermint_M]

That would be pretty typical, wouldn't it? You get one female character in the line, she only comes in one of the bigger sets, and she is used in the official stories as a damsel in distress. Gods forbid we should have a female who can actually hold her own in a fight, or appears in more than one set.

I know Lego is primarily marketed towards young boys, and supposedly they can't identify with fighting, heroic females (perfect self-fulfilling prophecy if I ever heard one), but why can't they EVER try something different? This kind of thing really irks me. I had to switch equipment on the Lion Princess from the Prison Tower Rescue set. I gave her a crossbow and a helmet, and put her hair on one of the knights so he is now a young D'Artagnan type, and she is a deadly warrior princess leading a force of knights out to rescue one of their silly young recruits from the Dragons. I was quite pleased with the switch. And wouldn't you know, my daughter switched all the accessories back to the "proper" figures when she played with my castles? I knew I should never have let her play with Barbies when she was little. I never wanted her to, but our friends kept saying "what harm can it do?"

Come on, Lego. Give us a strong female protagonist that can hold her own in the "boys' sets", not just Belville. Do it for my daughter.

I know, this has been an issue for years! Alpha Team and Rock Raiders went some way to stopping this, featuring Jet, pilot of the Rock Raiders crew. Cam and Radia in Alpha Team never once were damsels in distress. These days, if it's a girl, chances are that she'll be rescued at least once...

My collection hasn't one damsel in distress, there was one MOC I made with lots of action girls in, my sister and her friend went to play... They had a tea party it was quite comical to see the femme fatale with the Lara Croft lookalike and several Samus style bounty hunters holding goblets and tea cups around a makeshift table (Lego never being my sister's strongpoint, despite my great example). Here's hoping the new year brings some more action girls!

[clouette]

Ninjago fans! There are a few more confidential sets. I saw them in the retailers' catalogue. There's a Fire Temple, quite awesome!

[vexorian]

That would be pretty typical, wouldn't it? You get one female character in the line, she only comes in one of the bigger sets, and she is used in the official stories as a damsel in distress. Gods forbid we should have a female who can actually hold her own in a fight, or appears in more than one set.

I know Lego is primarily marketed towards young boys, and supposedly they can't identify with fighting, heroic females (perfect self-fulfilling prophecy if I ever heard one), but why can't they EVER try something different?

The thing is that for TLG, trying something new translates into risks of losing millions. They did try other roles in the past. I don't remember situations in the comics in which the female figs from post-classic space were damsels in distress, and I think that the whole thing has been getting worse in the recent themes. So, one could speculate, why would TLG stop trying those new things? I think that overall the reason is that parents are still full of prejudice, with most parents not stopping to consider that LEGO would be a good toy for their daughters (thus making the sets more appealing to girls not profitable) and boys getting raised with values that make them disdain female dolls in their toys. This makes sets/themes that are intended to appeal both boys and girls become market bombs. The girls' parents don't buy them and the boy's don't want them...

[Peppermint_M]

It's how they were raised sadly, society as a whole has a hard time changing their predefined gender roles. The damsel in distress archetype is a real pain but an accepted trope for centuries. If only TLG where to put a few strategic action girls in place.

[Aanchir]

I know, this has been an issue for years! Alpha Team and Rock Raiders went some way to stopping this, featuring Jet, pilot of the Rock Raiders crew. Cam and Radia in Alpha Team never once were damsels in distress. These days, if it's a girl, chances are that she'll be rescued at least once...

My collection hasn't one damsel in distress, there was one MOC I made with lots of action girls in, my sister and her friend went to play... They had a tea party it was quite comical to see the femme fatale with the Lara Croft lookalike and several Samus style bounty hunters holding goblets and tea cups around a makeshift table (Lego never being my sister's strongpoint, despite my great example). Here's hoping the new year brings some more action girls!

Hey, no need to even look that far back! Look at Hitomi from the Exo-Force theme! Certainly she also got a pretty awful deal as far as set appearances go, only appearing in one set (and not even getting a mech of her own). But in the supplementary comics, she was made out to be as good a pilot (or better) than most male characters, and her story was clearly one of "breaking the mold". She sought to become a battle machine pilot, but her grandfather Sensei Keiken was afraid of putting her in danger. But when the time came to prove herself, she was a very effective fighter, both in and outside the battle machines.

Of course, Hitomi could be considered an experiment, and from the looks of things it didn't go well. She was the sole human character in the set she came in, and the next year (2008) she made no set appearances at all. Her role in the story was still a strong female role (she took over leadership of Exo-Force after Keiken was kidnapped), but it was regrettable not to see her live her dream of becoming a pilot. Perhaps the smaller Exo-Force lineup got in the way, or perhaps her set's sales didn't justify her remaining in the spotlight, but either way that plotline didn't really go anywhere.

LEGO kind of wobbles back and forth between having proper "action girl" characters and shallower "damsel-in-distress" roles, and hopefully they'll go back to having more competent and capable female characters in the near future. After all, we haven't seen what sets Nya might come in in the summer, so hopefully that could offer a chance at redemption for the character.

[prateek]

I got my 2011 S@H catalogue today, and you can get a free Sensei Wu Keychain with $75 purchase. Maybe this is only in Canada, but it's still nice.

[Mrlegoninja]

Ninjago fans! There are a few more confidential sets. I saw them in the retailers' catalogue. There's a Fire Temple, quite awesome!

Thats great news! Did you also see if there were any other dragons, such as earth and fire dragons?

[Darth Jar Jar]

I think this confirms the pictures off those sets are sets not MOCs which is great

I got my 2011 S@H catalogue today, and you can get a free Sensei Wu Keychain with $75 purchase. Maybe this is only in Canada, but it's still nice.

I think its world wide Grogall posted images off the UK/US versions off the january calender and it was on it

[Santhor]

Sorry if this has been said before, but where are the purple and/or orange ninjas? Did they not make them, or are they (hopefully) coming later? Also, I wish we could get bley/pearl shurikens, bley/pearl nunchucks, and a brown handle-1 shade of bley connector and blade scythe. One more thing: where would one get that nice black helmet for Chopov? Thanks!

-Santhor

[Mrlegoninja]

Sorry if this has been said before, but where are the purple and/or orange ninjas? Did they not make them, or are they (hopefully) coming later? Also, I wish we could get bley/pearl shurikens, bley/pearl nunchucks, and a brown handle-1 shade of bley connector and blade scythe. One more thing: where would one get that nice black helmet for Chopov? Thanks!

-Santhor

I think the just made ninjas for four elements-Fire, Ice, Earth, and Lightning. So the chances of seeing a purple or orange ninja is slim, unless the discover a new element.

A green ninja seems plausible, though.

[Delta 38]

no he is also in this set:

http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Product.aspx?p=853106&cn=690&d=70

Ah. My mistake, I didn't see that. I still prefer the dojo set.

I think the just made ninjas for four elements-Fire, Ice, Earth, and Lightning. So the chances of seeing a purple or orange ninja is slim, unless the discover a new element.

A green ninja seems plausible, though.

Or perhaps they wanted to make realistic colours (ironically). I still think that colours such as brown, green, grey and dark colours could be integrated easily into the lineup. They're not too flashy so elements could be introduced fairly easily; stone, air, water... Green ninjas are probably the most realistic considering the colours though, and so is brown.

And with the discussion about female minifigs, I think there should just be more in general. What role they play doesn't matter too much for me, though there is a gender inequality issue involved here.

[The Crazy One]

Sorry about my laziness with getting my pictures done. I'll try tomorrow but I haven't been at a computer all day.

[Arigomi]

Do you think it would be worthwhile for future sets to include hairpieces for the ninjas? After all, the ninjas don't wear their hoods when they aren't fighting.

[The Crazy One]

Do you think it would be worthwhile for future sets to include hairpieces for the ninjas? After all, the ninjas don't wear their hoods when they aren't fighting.

They won't do it. Just add your own on yourself. One of my pics is of Jay with the best suiting hair piece.

[r4-g9]

They won't do it. Just add your own on yourself. One of my pics is of Jay with the best suiting hair piece.

could you please post a link to your flickr page?

edit:

i just found this on bzpower:

The NINJAGO movie airs on January 23rd in Germany!

Edited December 24, 2010 by r4-g9

[Santhor]

They won't do it. Just add your own on yourself. One of my pics is of Jay with the best suiting hair piece.

Oh, I was just thinking that hair would be nice, seeing as I missed out on that black skater boy hair, and a new mold for Kai would be nice. Ah well. I'm still hoping for those bley-pearl nunchucks and shuriken!

-Santhor

Edited December 24, 2010 by Santhor

[Brickviller]

New pics of the Ninjago 2011 sets are on Smartwii's Flickr page