Ninjago 2012

[ghostmind]

At the London Toy Fair today, the "LEGO Ninjago Dragon" (aka the Epic Dragon Battle) was named one of the 32 "Best New Toys" for 2012. Expecting more details later today...

[Perry the Platypus]

It's official: we are getting green ninja this summer!

[surrideo]

It's official: we are getting green ninja this summer!

Still want Pink Ninja more

[LEGOman273]

It's official: we are getting green ninja this summer!

We knew that when we saw the pic of "Epic Dragon Battle".

[Aanchir]

Tonight's episode of the Ninjago TV series, "Snakebit", was quite entertaining.

Spoilers follow!

It seems I wasn't too far off the mark when I said that the weapons transform by "the power of imagination" or something similar. Sensei Wu asks Jay to "imagine yourself taking flight" before his Nunchucks of Lightning become the Storm Fighter.

I like this because it explains the modern vehicles thing quite nicely-- the weapons become the vehicles the Ninja feel best suit them, and none of the Ninja are from nearly as traditional a background as Sensei Wu (even Kai's rural village is wired for telephone).

Naturally, Sensei Wu's command is still plenty vague and so I'm interpreting quite a bit more from it than what was explicitly said, but I expect that like a lot of the anachronism in the series, they won't go to any huge length to explain it, which leaves it open-ended for me to interpret it this way unless they do give a deeper explanation and contradict my interpretation.

The Destiny's Bounty, which takes flight near the end of the episode, is of course beautiful. I like that its interior workings are just as anachronistic as its exterior, with an electronic control room and of course an electrical outlet for the Ninja to plug in their video game system.

Rocky, Wisp, Shard, and Flame (the Ninja's four dragons) have to travel east to molt. I imagine when they return it will be in the form of Lloyd's Ultra Dragon.

The Fangpyre commander, Fangtom, has an excellent voice. I love the way the head that is speaking alternates. Also, the Fangpyre Serpentine look a lot better to me in the TV show than they do in the sets, partly because their eyes can dart back and forth, blink, etc, and thus they don't always have a seemingly sleep-deprived stare.

Jay's parents are hilarious, what with how similar they are to Jay and yet how embarrassing they are to him at the same time. I love that the ship tease between Jay and Nya is being kept in the forefront. Its absence from the book Jay: Ninja of Lightning was one of the things that most disappointed me about that book, because I think Jay's awkward flirtations are quite entertaining.

Lloyd is a wonderfully feeble villain, and I loved his scene in the graveyard. This is the first episode to really show how desperately he is seeking to fill the role his father-- and the rest of the world-- expects of him.

The snake vehicles are quite nice looking, and the mech Jay's parents build for him and the Fangpyre transform is quite nicely designed. I believe it may be the same Samurai Mech that Nya will later pilot in her role as Samurai X.

Anyone else watch the episode? What are your thoughts and observations?

Edited January 26, 2012 by Aanchir

[SpiderSpaceman]

Do we have minifigure inclusion data for the playsets yet? I know the preliminary pictures had stand ins, at least in the Samurai Mech. And I was hoping for the Generals to not be confined to the sets in which they appeared in the aforementioned pictures.

[WiseWarrior]

I finally got some of the new Ninjago sets--9445 Fangpyre Truck Ambush and 9443 Rattlecopter and am very impressed. The build, especially for the Rattlecopter was quite enjoyable and I'm loving the mini-figures. I didn't like that the snake's mouth in 9445 didn't fully open, but add a couple transparent bricks to the underside and not only can the mouth open fully, but the front wheels are barely off the ground and it's hardly noticeable. Can't wait until I can get the mech and wrecking ball. The latter looks to be one of my favorite Lego sets of all time.

[Perry the Platypus]

Tonight's episode of the Ninjago TV series, "Snakebit", was quite entertaining.

Spoilers follow!

It seems I wasn't too far off the mark when I said that the weapons transform by "the power of imagination" or something similar. Sensei Wu asks Jay to "imagine yourself taking flight" before his Nunchucks of Lightning become the Storm Fighter.

I like this because it explains the modern vehicles thing quite nicely-- the weapons become the vehicles the Ninja feel best suit them, and none of the Ninja are from nearly as traditional a background as Sensei Wu (even Kai's rural village is wired for telephone).

Naturally, Sensei Wu's command is still plenty vague and so I'm interpreting quite a bit more from it than what was explicitly said, but I expect that like a lot of the anachronism in the series, they won't go to any huge length to explain it, which leaves it open-ended for me to interpret it this way unless they do give a deeper explanation and contradict my interpretation.

The Destiny's Bounty, which takes flight near the end of the episode, is of course beautiful. I like that its interior workings are just as anachronistic as its exterior, with an electronic control room and of course an electrical outlet for the Ninja to plug in their video game system.

Rocky, Wisp, Shard, and Flame (the Ninja's four dragons) have to travel east to molt. I imagine when they return it will be in the form of Lloyd's Ultra Dragon.

The Fangpyre commander, Fangtom, has an excellent voice. I love the way the head that is speaking alternates. Also, the Fangpyre Serpentine look a lot better to me in the TV show than they do in the sets, partly because their eyes can dart back and forth, blink, etc, and thus they don't always have a seemingly sleep-deprived stare.

Jay's parents are hilarious, what with how similar they are to Jay and yet how embarrassing they are to him at the same time. I love that the ship tease between Jay and Nya is being kept in the forefront. Its absence from the book Jay: Ninja of Lightning was one of the things that most disappointed me about that book, because I think Jay's awkward flirtations are quite entertaining.

Lloyd is a wonderfully feeble villain, and I loved his scene in the graveyard. This is the first episode to really show how desperately he is seeking to fill the role his father-- and the rest of the world-- expects of him.

The snake vehicles are quite nice looking, and the mech Jay's parents build for him and the Fangpyre transform is quite nicely designed. I believe it may be the same Samurai Mech that Nya will later pilot in her role as Samurai X.

Anyone else watch this episode? What are your thoughts and observations?

Yes, I watched it. Very enjoyable. I do love the animation and design of the characters and vehicles. It especially overwhelmed me to see Lloyd call Sensei Wu his uncle ("What's that, uncle? I can't here you!").

Overall, a nice episode. My favorite so far. Wish Sensei's flute could turn into a rocket.

The cherry doesn't fall far from the blossom.

[Aanchir]

Do we have minifigure inclusion data for the playsets yet? I know the preliminary pictures had stand ins, at least in the Samurai Mech. And I was hoping for the Generals to not be confined to the sets in which they appeared in the aforementioned pictures.

From this post:

Lasha's Bite Cycle includes Lasha and Cole ZX.

Samurai Mech includes Samurai X, Snike, and Bytar.

Ultra Sonic Raider includes Kai ZX, Zane ZX, Jay ZX, Cole ZX, Pythor, and Spitta.

Epic Dragon Battle includes Lloyd ZX, Jay ZX, Sensei Wu, Lord Garmadon, Acidicus, Skalidor, and Chokun.

Overall, it will be expensive this year for anyone intending to get a full collection of figures (by my count, 35 different figs). Even getting all of the Serpentine generals requires buying the two largest summer sets (Ultra Sonic Raider and Epic Dragon Battle).

I'm personally curious if there will be any set with a fang blade or staff for the Anacondrai. None of the sets' descriptions mention one.

[surrideo]

From this post:

Ultra Sonic Raider includes Kai ZX, Zane ZX, Jay ZX, Cole ZX, Pythor, and Spitta.

Overall, it will be expensive this year for anyone intending to get a full collection of figures (by my count, 35 different figs). Even getting all of the Serpentine generals requires buying the two largest summer sets (Ultra Sonic Raider and Epic Dragon Battle).

I'm personally curious if there will be any set with a fang blade or staff for the Anacondrai. None of the sets' descriptions mention one.

Have any of the sets ever come with all four ninjas before?

The snakes sound much more interesting in the second wave, whereas the vehicles inspire me less

Edited January 26, 2012 by surrideo

[Omicron Squad Leader]

Have any of the sets ever come with all four ninjas before?

Nope! I'm just sad that they're the ZX's and not the NRG's. Perhaps the latter weren't finished in time for inclusion in the play-sets; they're set to be released a month or two later after all.

The snakes sound much more interesting in the second wave, whereas the vehicles inspire me less.

The Ultra Sonic Raider looks great in my opinion, and the Samurai Mech is sublime. Lasha's Bite Cycle will probably be pretty underwhelming however.

[Jouster]

Lasha's Bite Cycle will probably be pretty underwhelming however.

I heard that the Bite Cycle looks just like Kay's Blade Cycle. The only thing that's different are the colors and the printing.

[Aanchir]

I heard that the Bite Cycle looks just like Kay's Blade Cycle. The only thing that's different are the colors and the printing.

I wouldn't necessarily trust that description, primarily because that sounds a lot like the typical descriptions I hear of any theme or set people will happily dismiss without giving much attention. For instance, I've often heard AFOLs complain about how "all BIONICLE sets look the same" or "all Hero Factory sets look the same" without paying the slightest attention to what makes them different.

Actually, I just noticed something about Lasha's Bite Cycle. It's the first snake vehicle set to be piloted by a Venomari serpentine rather than a Fangpyre serpentine. I find that quite odd considering the Fangpyre are the ones who can create vehicles. I wonder if it will be styled similarly to the Fangpyre vehicles, or differently. I imagine it will be similarly-styled just so that the waves are consistent, though.

[SpiderSpaceman]

From this post:

Lasha's Bite Cycle includes Lasha and Cole ZX.

Samurai Mech includes Samurai X, Snike, and Bytar.

Ultra Sonic Raider includes Kai ZX, Zane ZX, Jay ZX, Cole ZX, Pythor, and Spitta.

Epic Dragon Battle includes Lloyd ZX, Jay ZX, Sensei Wu, Lord Garmadon, Acidicus, Skalidor, and Chokun.

Overall, it will be expensive this year for anyone intending to get a full collection of figures (by my count, 35 different figs). Even getting all of the Serpentine generals requires buying the two largest summer sets (Ultra Sonic Raider and Epic Dragon Battle).

I'm personally curious if there will be any set with a fang blade or staff for the Anacondrai. None of the sets' descriptions mention one.

Oh well. at least I can get the full tribes of reds and blues, and the other head molds from the boosters.

[surrideo]

I heard that the Bite Cycle looks just like Kay's Blade Cycle. The only thing that's different are the colors and the printing.

I would hope the cycle may "bite" in some way, be interesting if it were of a similar piece count to Kais though. I think I'm in the minority but I really like that set. I also hope it is the same colour scheme as the Rattlecopter, wrecking ball etc

[LEGOman273]

I would hope the cycle may "bite" in some way, be interesting if it were of a similar piece count to Kais though. I think I'm in the minority but I really like that set. I also hope it is the same colour scheme as the Rattlecopter, wrecking ball etc

It is likely that it will bite, as all of these sets have "Play Fetures".

It probably will be of similar size to Kai's and the Skull Motorbike.

It will have the same color scheme, as it is a Serpentine vehicle.

Edited January 28, 2012 by Legoman273

[Omicron Squad Leader]

It will have the same color scheme, as it is a Serpentine vehicle.

Except that isn't specific enough. It's a VENOMARI vehicle, not a Fangpyre, so the colour scheme could be different. However, since Lasha is lime green, I do expect it to be said colour.

[LEGOman273]

Except that isn't specific enough. It's a VENOMARI vehicle, not a Fangpyre, so the colour scheme could be different. However, since Lasha is lime green, I do expect it to be said colour.

I know that it is Venomari not Fangpyre. However, I think that TLG will use the same color scheme so as not to be confusing.

Note: If all of the tribes had vehicles, I could see having different color schemes. This is not the case here.

[Darth Nihilus]

For those of you who don't read the character bios on LEGO, here are the new snakes for the second wave. First, the Constrictai:

Chokun uses Fang-Suie's head, but the head piece looks much better here, I think. He comes in the Samurai X mecha set.

Skalidor, the Constrictai General, looks perfect in my opinion. Can anyone tell me which set he comes in?

Bytar, who looks pretty good. He will appear in a booster pack and the Samurai Mech.

Snike, who will also appear in the Samurai Mech.

Next, the Anacondrai:

Pythor, who will be in the Ultra Sonic Raider. Unfortunately, there is no character bio for him, so I had to use a screenshot from the show.

The Venomari:

Lizaru, who looks wonderful. Appears in a booster pack.

Spitta, who also looks great. He appears in the Ultra Sonic Raider and a spinner.

Finally, the Hypnobrai, who only get one new snake:

Mezmo, who will be in a booster pack.

[Capt. Bluebeard]

Skalidor, the Constrictai General, looks perfect in my opinion. Can anyone tell me which set he comes in?

He comes with the Epic Dragon Battle, as does Acidicus the Venomari general.

While we're on the subject of the Serpentine tribes, which one is your favourite (not counting the near-extinct Anacondrai tribe)?

For me, it's the Hypnobrai. Their crazy eyes remind me of Kaa from The Jungle Book.

Bluebeard, out-

Edited January 30, 2012 by Capt. Bluebeard

[surrideo]

He comes with the Epic Dragon Battle, as does Acidicus the Venomari general.

While we're on the subject of the Serpentine tribes, which one is your favourite (not counting the near-extinct Anacondrai tribe)?

For me, it's the Hypnobrai. Their crazy eyes remind me of Kaa from The Jungle Book.

Bluebeard, out-

That set may well just have to be purchased then. Constrictai for me

[Darth Nihilus]

He comes with the Epic Dragon Battle, as does Acidicus the Venomari general.

While we're on the subject of the Serpentine tribes, which one is your favourite (not counting the near-extinct Anacondrai tribe)?

For me, it's the Hypnobrai. Their crazy eyes remind me of Kaa from The Jungle Book.

Bluebeard, out-

Damn, the one set I was planning on not getting. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to buy it for the generals.

My favorite tribe has to be the Venomari, the overall aesthetics of that tribe are just beautiful. The blend of lime green, red, yellow, and dark green work together perfectly to create the best minifigs I have seen from this line so far.

[Capt. Bluebeard]

Damn, the one set I was planning on not getting. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to buy it for the generals.

Forgive me, but I think that's a little unwise, especially considering how much that set is gonna cost.

I'd strongly suggest using Bricklink or, alternatively, direct from LEGO (though you'll probably pay considerably more with the latter).

Bluebeard, out-

[Darth Nihilus]

Forgive me, but I think that's a little unwise, especially considering how much that set is gonna cost.

I'd strongly suggest using Bricklink or, alternatively, direct from LEGO (though you'll probably pay considerably more with the latter).

Bluebeard, out-

Perhaps, but then I would have to pay almost as much as the actual set just for the figures. My best bet, I think, would be to wait for a BOGO sale on Ninjago at a store, then buy the Epic Dragon Battle and get the Ultra Sonic Raider for free. Then, at least, I would be able to get most of the new snakes and only spend the cost of the EDB.

[Capt. Bluebeard]

Perhaps, but then I would have to pay almost as much as the actual set just for the figures.

$100+ for 2 minifigures? Exaggerate much?

Bluebeard, out-