2011 NINJAGO sets

[Ceroknight]

Yesterday at TRU, I saw an entire box filled with black Ninjago trading card packs. I was told that each pack contains only one card and it was selling for around $3 USD. This makes the minifig+card pack look like a good deal.

I think that's the promotional I was talking about a few pages ago...

looks like they have some left over

[Delta 38]

I would expect it to be an exclusive set, just because it seems illogical that such a huge set would be kept so secret unless it were an exclusive. Unless, of course, it's a D2C set, in which case boy wouldn't the D2C contest feel redundant!

Hmm, you're probably right. It still seems a little odd, though.

That's seems to be the best dragon(he also the only one that looks like dragon) in the line.Why dragons aren't the same proportions?Ice dragon even don't have a seat.

Yeah, unfortunately the Ice dragon is visibly smaller than the others, and doesn't fit in very well. I understand the Earth dragon being completely different from the other three, but the Ice dragon seems badly thought-out.

Either way, it was the first out of the four types to be released, so it was probably more like a prototype for the more "finished" Fire and Lightning dragons.

[Anghild]

In the March/April 2011 Brickmaster magazine there was building instructions for a mini dojo you can build using parts from set 2504.

Has anyone seen this, or know where I can find scans of those pages? Would love to see the build they used.

[Ceroknight]

found this three in one on brickset:

[Lordofdragonss]

The Lighting dragon...

Ah I love how every dragon in this theme is diferent somewhat. But I still preffer Ground one. But all these spikes, barrels... Great Part pack too!

[Aanchir]

Copypasted from the Action Figures forum because it's late and I should probably be in bed:

On a side note which may upset/amuse BIONICLE fans, I was at Borders recently and checked the summary listed for the upcoming "LEGO Ninjago Official Guide". Read for yourself:

Ninjago is funny. Ninjago is action-packed. Ninjago is Lego's biggest new initiative since Bionicle!

It's a bold claim, and I'm sure BIONICLE fans will be miffed to hear a zany anime-like adventure story compared to LEGO's epic sci-fi saga, but one has to admit that with a full TV cartoon series in the works, this may not be mere grandstanding-- Ninjago is definitely experiencing the rapid growth that TLG hoped for it to experience.

Looking that up on the Borders website, I also came across this gem: a Ninjago graphic novel written by our good pal Greg Farshtey. Although Greg is often blamed for perceived problems in the later years of the BIONICLE story, people generally agree that the BIONICLE comics (which he wrote since the beginning) had some great writing behind them, so LEGO fans who find themselves in a Borders in November or December might want to check if this book is in stock and maybe flip through the pages.

For those who don't know Greg Farshtey, he's not only the writer of the BIONICLE comics and one of BIONICLE's chief writers, he's also an important writer for LEGO in general. He's the editor-in-chief for LEGO Club and LEGO Brickmaster magazines, and some people might remember his role as the Amazing Redini, a mystical minifig head who answered fan questions on the LEGO website in 2002 (and probably other years, but I remember Redini from 2002).

[Delta 38]

A comic book? I guess it was bound to happen. We've already had a video game and a movie, anyway.

On a slightly related topic, a free Ninjago app was released for the iPhone/iPod some time ago. Even though it is a free game, I think they're putting a lot of effort into merchandise and marketing this line.

[Stardusty]

Lighting Dragon is my favourite. It simply looks awesome.

NinjaGo sets are getting really attarctive.

[The_Box]

A comic book? I guess it was bound to happen. We've already had a video game and a movie, anyway.

On a slightly related topic, a free Ninjago app was released for the iPhone/iPod some time ago. Even though it is a free game, I think they're putting a lot of effort into merchandise and marketing this line.

I agree. It's like they're pushing this theme to be their best yet.

[ziljin]

How "bad" are the Ninjago Spinners? I was thinking of getting a few to get extra skeletons and their accessories (specifically the armor pieces). Or I could just stick to getting the Motorcycle, Ice Dragon and Ninja Ambush. Those come with less accessories but has more bricks, and is = or less than the 10 USD per minifig ratio of the Ninjago spinners.

It is cheapest to get mass Ninja Ambushes for more skeletons. Spinners could get me the more unique skeletons for cheaper (instead of buying them in a 30USD+ set.) But they have lower quality than set skeletons. Or I could go halfway, and get some motorcycles and Ice Dragons which gives me some variety without suffering quality issues.

[Aanchir]

How "bad" are the Ninjago Spinners? I was thinking of getting a few to get extra skeletons and their accessories (specifically the armor pieces). Or I could just stick to getting the Motorcycle, Ice Dragon and Ninja Ambush. Those come with less accessories but has more bricks, and is = or less than the 10 USD per minifig ratio of the Ninjago spinners.

It is cheapest to get mass Ninja Ambushes for more skeletons. Spinners could get me the more unique skeletons for cheaper (instead of buying them in a 30USD+ set.) But they have lower quality than set skeletons. Or I could go halfway, and get some motorcycles and Ice Dragons which gives me some variety without suffering quality issues.

First of all, since when do spinner minifigures have lower quality than those in larger sets? Only difference I've heard of is that they're produced in different places, and they have slightly different molds. Neither of those things has anything to do with quality.

I haven't heard anything about the spinner sets being "bad". Only serious problem I know about them is the ridiculously high price.

[ziljin]

First of all, since when do spinner minifigures have lower quality than those in larger sets? Only difference I've heard of is that they're produced in different places, and they have slightly different molds. Neither of those things has anything to do with quality.

I haven't heard anything about the spinner sets being "bad". Only serious problem I know about them is the ridiculously high price.

I see a people posting stuff (here and youtube) like "made of cheap Chinese plastic".

[Aanchir]

I see a people posting stuff (here and youtube) like "made of cheap Chinese plastic".

A lot of that would just be ignorant people who assume that all Chinese parts are lower-quality than parts from "respectable" European nations or Mexico. There are slight differences in the Chinese-made parts and other parts, but they're almost imperceptible and I can assure you any Chinese-made fig will fit in perfectly with other figs. If you had two, one Chinese-made and one non-Chinese-made, you may even completely forget which was which unless you specifically looked for the hallmark mold difference under the arms or the printing difference on the minifig neck.

There is only one consistent "quality" difference I've noticed in Chinese-made minifigures: a little bit of light will show through their legs if brightly backlit. However, it's not a situation that really ever comes up while building or playing with LEGO sets. It's your decision whether this is justification for the minifigures to be shunned from your collection, though.

If you really need to compare a Chinese-made minifigure with a European- or Mexican-made one, I recommend you first buy one of the $3 Collectible Minifigures. These cost a lot less than spinner packs, and if you're buying the spinner pack primarily for the minifigure you'll want to "test the waters" before making the $10 final purchase.

[ziljin]

A lot of that would just be ignorant people who assume that all Chinese parts are lower-quality than parts from "respectable" European nations or Mexico. There are slight differences in the Chinese-made parts and other parts, but they're almost imperceptible and I can assure you any Chinese-made fig will fit in perfectly with other figs. If you had two, one Chinese-made and one non-Chinese-made, you may even completely forget which was which unless you specifically looked for the hallmark mold difference under the arms or the printing difference on the minifig neck.

There is only one consistent "quality" difference I've noticed in Chinese-made minifigures: a little bit of light will show through their legs if brightly backlit. However, it's not a situation that really ever comes up while building or playing with LEGO sets. It's your decision whether this is justification for the minifigures to be shunned from your collection, though.

If you really need to compare a Chinese-made minifigure with a European- or Mexican-made one, I recommend you first buy one of the $3 Collectible Minifigures. These cost a lot less than spinner packs, and if you're buying the spinner pack primarily for the minifigure you'll want to "test the waters" before making the $10 final purchase.

I have a few of the battle packs for castle. I did not know about the quality issue before buying them. But those were around 3 USD per minifigure and had lots of shields and weapons and even capes and armor pieces so I was okay with that. But the spinners are 10 USD each and only one minfiigure! But the skeleton ones come with armor pieces and its cheaper than compared to a 30 or 50 USD set to get one. I guess I will take a hit to my wallet to provide some variety in my undead army.

Well thanks for the help. Skeletons don't have neck printing so I probably can't tell the difference anyway.

[Delta 38]

If you really need to compare a Chinese-made minifigure with a European- or Mexican-made one, I recommend you first buy one of the $3 Collectible Minifigures. These cost a lot less than spinner packs, and if you're buying the spinner pack primarily for the minifigure you'll want to "test the waters" before making the $10 final purchase.

I own a couple of Chinese minifigures, but I think there is a definite quality difference between those and the collectible minifigs. The plastic seems weaker, joints are looser, and the colour is a bit off. I don't really mind these though as it's only a select group of minifigures which have these problems, and they're pretty good in terms of uniqueness to probably justify their price tag somewhat.

I think those Toy Story minifigs (some of them) were Chinese, and I have no problem with them whatsoever. I don't have problems with other Chinese parts from sets either.

I don't know what the spinner packs are like in terms of quality as I haven't bought one and never will, but I think comparing them to collectible minifigures might be slightly imbalanced.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I love the fact that all of the dragons are different. Remember how much people complained that all of the Jedi Starfighters are identical except for their colors!

The fire dragon is obviously about 10 studs bigger than the ice, and the lightning dragon seems to be about 10 studs bigger than the fire.

Plus it will be a full European style dragon with four feet plus wings, bigger than a Wyvern or an Asian Dragon.

And the Earth Dragon looks a lot like a Quetzalcoatl, also great for a Meso-American temple.

Bravo, LEGO!

Edited May 9, 2011 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Aanchir]

I own a couple of Chinese minifigures, but I think there is a definite quality difference between those and the collectible minifigs. The plastic seems weaker, joints are looser, and the colour is a bit off. I don't really mind these though as it's only a select group of minifigures which have these problems, and they're pretty good in terms of uniqueness to probably justify their price tag somewhat.

I think those Toy Story minifigs (some of them) were Chinese, and I have no problem with them whatsoever. I don't have problems with other Chinese parts from sets either.

I don't know what the spinner packs are like in terms of quality as I haven't bought one and never will, but I think comparing them to collectible minifigures might be slightly imbalanced.

I don't see how it's imbalanced. The collectible minifigures are some of the most recent minifigures to come out of the Chinese production plant, so they're probably the best reflection of what problems that plant has yet to sort out (and by extension what problems they may have resolved). Personally, I think it seems to me that the quality of Chinese production has improved lately. We're not seeing nearly as many quality disaster stories as we were seeing in the early days of Chinese-made magnet packs and collectible minifigures.

This isn't proof that the quality of Chinese-made products has improved, as it's possible that the people who are more likely to notice these quality problems have just stopped buying sets with Chinese-made minifigures in general. But I think it's fairly strong evidence that TLG does not intend to let these quality problems continue without any response.

Since Ninjago is such a huge investment for TLG, it doesn't seem likely that they'd let quality slip back after an improvement like this. But naturally, I don't have any Ninjago figures from spinner sets so I can't attest to their quality. I only know what I've seen from reviews here on Eurobricks, which I feel I can generally trust.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

I don't see how it's imbalanced. The collectible minifigures are some of the most recent minifigures to come out of the Chinese production plant, so they're probably the best reflection of what problems that plant has yet to sort out (and by extension what problems they may have resolved). Personally, I think it seems to me that the quality of Chinese production has improved lately. We're not seeing nearly as many quality disaster stories as we were seeing in the early days of Chinese-made magnet packs and collectible minifigures.

This isn't proof that the quality of Chinese-made products has improved, as it's possible that the people who are more likely to notice these quality problems have just stopped buying sets with Chinese-made minifigures in general. But I think it's fairly strong evidence that TLG does not intend to let these quality problems continue without any response.

Since Ninjago is such a huge investment for TLG, it doesn't seem likely that they'd let quality slip back after an improvement like this. But naturally, I don't have any Ninjago figures from spinner sets so I can't attest to their quality. I only know what I've seen from reviews here on Eurobricks, which I feel I can generally trust.

Yes, I agree 100% with Aanchir on this. To do a fair test, I took two Chinese-made Ninjago ninjas, and two Non-Chinese-made Ninjago ninjas, shook them like dice to randomize them, rolled them across my desk with my eyes closed, and then I challenged myself to tell the difference...

There may have been some small quality differences last year, but now they are essentially identical if you do a fair and blind random test.

Chinese factories are perfectly capable of making any quality of plastic a company requests and chooses to pay for!

Great work LEGO, and great work China!

Indy Out

Edited May 9, 2011 by The Real Indiana Jones

[ziljin]

I read all the posts. Sounds awesome that the minifigures are getting better. I can buy future battle packs and other non official set products in bulk with that in mind.

[The Real Indiana Jones]

And I think this was mentioned, but this re-seller is saying that the Lightning Dragon Battle (2521) will be released as a Toys R Us Exclusive in "middle to end June"!

So is that accurate? Either way, I added an e-mail alert onto a "saved search" on my "My E-bay page", which frees me from the rumor mill.

But thanks for the info, in anyone knows for certain...

Edited May 9, 2011 by The Real Indiana Jones

[Delta 38]

I don't see how it's imbalanced. The collectible minifigures are some of the most recent minifigures to come out of the Chinese production plant, so they're probably the best reflection of what problems that plant has yet to sort out (and by extension what problems they may have resolved). Personally, I think it seems to me that the quality of Chinese production has improved lately. We're not seeing nearly as many quality disaster stories as we were seeing in the early days of Chinese-made magnet packs and collectible minifigures.

While that's true, I haven't noticed any major problems with my other Chinese minifigures that aren't in the collectible minifigure line. The problems that I have with my collectible minifigs aren't that much of an issue though.

I think you're right in that people naturally assume Chinese parts are of a lower quality, but I didn't even notice this for a while until people started complaining about magnet sets, which I can't buy here anyway.

Still, either way, the price of the spinner packs are enough to keep me away. I could buy a battle pack-sized set with the same amount of money.

Edited May 11, 2011 by Delta 38

[horizon]

I can't find a difference in quality between chinese lego (Ninjago/Toy Story) and my lego from the '80's.

Ah heck.

Cool theme. This NinjaGo.

[legojazzbricks]

WOW i am definitly getting one of these

[ziljin]

I ordered two spinners. Chopov was sale for 8 dollars at TRU website, and Bonezai was on sale for 8 dollars at amazon.com I will get the Chopov with other sets on tuesday so I will get to check it out then.

I was looking at the weapon list in the Garmadon's Fortress Instruction booklet, and wow so many weapons to collect. But doesn't seem like its worth buying the other spinners just to get a new colored weapon.

[ka.lego]

I love the fact that all of the dragons are different. Remember how much people complained that all of the Jedi Starfighters are identical except for their colors!

The fire dragon is obviously about 10 studs bigger than the ice, and the lightning dragon seems to be about 10 studs bigger than the fire.

Plus it will be a full European style dragon with four feet plus wings, bigger than a Wyvern or an Asian Dragon.

And the Earth Dragon looks a lot like a Quetzalcoatl, also great for a Meso-American temple.

I absolutely agree with this. Those dragons are my favorite part of this theme, and that's saying a bit because I also love the new skeleton figs, the cool ninjas, the weapons, the printed windows, and the odd vehicles (mainly the chopper). So yeah, these dragons are great. I also see the different designs of the dragons being a huge factor in making me feel the need to buy each one, unlike the Jedi starfighters. Like you've pointed out, it seems like they definitely went for different dragon styles, perhaps inspired by the ones you mentioned.

And I think this was mentioned, but this re-seller is saying that the Lightning Dragon Battle (2521) will be released as a Toys R Us Exclusive in "middle to end June"!

I hope it's that soon. My ADU minMy linkifigs need to start fighting dragons. Or better still, I want to convert it to something Cloverfield-esque.

Umm...heck yeah. Tiamat MOC anyone? Just have to use the different heads of the NinjaGo dragons. Fun.