REVIEW: #70727 Ninjago X-1 Ninja Charger

[Kai NRG]

Introduction:

The hiss of spinning blades filled the air. A hovering Nindroid scanned the countryside. Suddenly he started. “Roger, 3160.”

“Roger.”

“He’s right up ahead over the next hill. 500 yards, I’d say.”

“Zeroing in. You see the Technoblade?”

“Right there. Go get ‘em! Roger.”

The glint in 3160’s eyes showed that the last part wasn’t really necessary. “Roger.”

Kai, in his X-1 Ninja Charger, rolled lazily down the road. Before he glances behind him and picks up speed, let’s freeze the scene for a few minutes and inspect the vehicles… starting all the way back at the boxed up deal!

Product Details:

Name: X-1 Ninja Charger

Number: #70727

Theme: Ninjago

Year: 2014

Pieces: 426

Minifigures: 3

Price: USD $39.99

Sources: Brickset, LEGO Shop@Home

That Stuff that Grows on Trees (Paper Contents):

Fresh off the shelf. Mmm! This Ninjago box follows the typical LEGO box type, with lots of bright, eye-grabbing colors and a satisfyingly speedy, slashing look. The front of the box shows off the set to its best advantage, while the back demonstrates some of the neat functions we’ll be checking out.

The front of the larger instruction booklet has the same set picture but on a very different background. The back advertises some of the latest sets.

A random instruction page from this booklet shows a nice light blue background with a bit of a digital effect on the corner.

The smaller booklet has the same graphics in front, and a Win! Advertisement – this time featuring a LEGO minifigure (a Ninjago minifigure, in fact), Lloyd Garmadon.

And a random page from this booklet shows us the same design as the previous one.

The inventory is found in the back of the larger booklet.

And lastly, we have the sticker sheet, with detail that isn’t absolutely necessary, but does add a lot to the final build.

Building the Set:

After all that paper it’s nice to get to some good old ABS plastic! Bag one empties out to build the minifigures, Nindroid vehicles, and motorcycle (which ends up inside the charger), which we’ll be looking at in detail later.

Bag number two.

Those pieces get us here:

And bag number three empties out into this:

Which gets us this far:

Last but not least, bag number four:

And that completes the X-1 Charger!

The building experience was quite agreeable (barring the fact that I was building in a very hot environment). I did mess up a couple times but that very likely was because I have a tendency to skip steps, and rely on spotting the other pieces on the next step… which doesn’t always happen!

There are quite a few extra pieces including an extra mask.

The Minifigures:

Kai and two Nindroids make up the minifigure count in this set, and they muster up pretty well. Only one of the Nindroids has leg printing, which is a shame, but both of them have very detailed torsos. Kai also has a very nice torso, but the lack of leg printing really spoils the look. Nevertheless, he cuts a dashing figure with his crazy hairdo and ninja mask!

Removing the three masks gives us a nice look at the faces. Who would have thought that Nindroids had teeth?

The backs are all printed, which is a nice treat. Both Nindroids have printing on the back of their heads as well. I could see those prints coming in handy on a Sci-fi build!

Nindroid Vehicles:

What has teeth and goes round and round? A circular saw of course, and that’s what I’m guessing this Nindroid Vehicle is based off of… or perhaps I should say, based on!

It has a pretty nifty look, and while simple enough, still uses some nice pieces. The second vehicle is also an airborne one, but looks a bit more maneuverable and more of a scouting affair.

The last Nindroid vehicle drops the nin and is just a droid. It’s pretty neat, but has a perverse desire to lie down!

X-1 Charger:

You can’t catch me! I’m the gingerbread man… ahem.

I’m in an X-1 Charger, that’s all.

This vehicle has quite an eye catching color scheme, and a very sleek race car look. The curves and angles are almost perfect, and the little gold highlights set the red off to best advantage.

Kai has a neat little (stickered) control panel up front.

The Charger has several sweet functions. For one thing, there are a pair of flick-fire missiles that can be pulled out!

It also makes use of the new spring loaders:

The darts can be put in either side of the loader and click easily into place. To release them, all you have to do is push down slightly on the back end.

The entire affair is mounted on a swivel, and, besides turning around, can also be aimed up or down. In closed position (completely down), the swivel function is locked, but the dart can still shoot, so be careful! If Kai’s inside, an accidental shot will give him a wake up tap on the back of his head!

The coolest function, and the one that really sells the set, is the ejecting motorcycle hidden inside. A casual look at the X-1 Charger does seem to suggest that there’s a little more than meets the eye, but it’s not clear what, until after opening the hood (which can be done by pushing on the two black stickered levers located along the sides).

After opening the hood, all that remains to be done is to push the convenient button located on the back of the Charger.

And, voila!

You are now ready to escape! Or… not.

Conclusion:

With such a striking look and such slick functions, it probably comes as no surprise that I found this set to be quite enjoyable. Building it was a good experience that kept up plenty of variety and didn’t lose my attention. The final set was rewarding, especially with the built-in motorcycle eject function, which really adds to what would otherwise just be a cool sports car, but is now a nifty ninja vehicle! Overall, I was suitably impressed and pleasantly intrigued.

Playability: 9.5/10

Given the motorcycle function alone, this set has huge play potential. Add the fact that it has two different kinds of vehicles and three little Nindroid sections, the X-1 Charger becomes a set that will be sure to provide any youngster with hours of fun!

Design: 8/10

I’m sure fitting the motorcycle in there without incongruity was not easy, and the designers did an excellent job of that, besides using some nice pieces and techniques to liven things up.

Minifigures: 4/10

This was the only let down part of the set to me, I really would have liked some leg printing. Kai could also use a new face (or another side), but that’s a minor point in comparison with the other one.

Price: 7.5/10

Of course, we’d always like the price to be cheaper, but given the amount of pieces and the ultimate size of the build, it really is worth the money, at least to me.

Overall: 7.25/10

In summary, this set is a fun one to build and also provides a good play experience afterwards. The fact that there are three Nindroid vehicles means plenty of ‘bad guys’ to help mix things up and make the odds a bit more even for play, something I’ve often felt to be missing in other large sets. For the more (what shall we say?) reserved fan (no swooshing desired), the set is an eye-catcher. Either as a standalone build, or as part of an extensive Ninjago collection, this set will look great on display, and provide visitors with a nice ‘Wow!’ when you demonstrate the ejection function! Overall, it’s a great set at a good price point that won’t disappoint!*

So go ahead and take the X-1 Charger for a spin… but do be sure to look behind you!

*if you are reasonable in your expectations, etc., etc.

[LK901]

Good review :) I'm not sure to get this or the Ninjacopter.

Edited October 18, 2014 by LK901

[Manx]

Great review. It was nice to see it. Twice.

[Kai NRG]

Thanks guys!

...Twice.

But yes, please do not quote such a long post, especially directly beneath itself!

[LK901]

Thanks guys!

But yes, please do not quote such a long post, especially directly beneath itself!

Sorry about that

[PromocjaLego]

VERY successful review, and this set is coll.

[Cagast]

Good review :) I'm not sure to get this or the Ninjacopter.

I would buy this, but if you want good minifigures, buy Ninjacopter!

[Kai NRG]

VERY successful review, and this set is coll.

Thanks PromocjaLego!

I would buy this, but if you want good minifigures, buy Ninjacopter!

I agree, (obviously, because that's what I did!), but the Ninjacopter is really neat. In terms of coolness the Ninjacopter might be better, but it's more expensive and the functions of this set are out of the ball park.

[LK901]

I would buy this, but if you want good minifigures, buy Ninjacopter!

Ok, thanks for the tip :)

I think I'll buy this set because it is well....cheaper :P

[darthzane321]

Awesome review! 100% recommended