Review: 3050 Shanghai Surprise

[Inconspicuous]

Welcome to my review of set 3050 Shanghai Surprise. This 1999 set is the largest of three water-based sets in the Ninja theme, the others being 1185 Raft/3017 Ninpo Water Spider and 3075 Ninja Master's Boat, two tiny promotionals. It boasts two red ninjas (only appearing in five sets), a Shogun (which appears in only three sets), as well as a boatload of accessories. Join me as I revisit this unique Ninja set, and see if this small set deserves a big place in Lego history.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Shanghai Surprise

Set Number: 3050

Number of Pieces: 102

Minifigs: 3

Price: $12.00 USD (now worth about $30 USD used)

Theme: Ninja

Year Released: 1999

RESOURCES:

Brickset

Peeron

Bricklink

Flickr

(Remember, all pics are clickable if you want to see details up close!)

THE REVIEW:

INSTRUCTIONS:

Front:

Up first are the instructions, since I'd never keep the box of a $12 set. The art features an incredibly amazing and realistic sculpted river and scenery. There are some lovely touches of mist, that give the whole thing a sneaky mood. The set looks very appealing, from the scintillating jewels to the distinct color scheme.

Minifig Page:

First, the minifigs are quickly assembled and construction beings. The background is mostly orange, but fades into purple towards the top. Color distinction is perfect, and although piece call-outs are not present, they are not needed.

Back:

The back features an interesting little scene where the two red ninjas are dismantling the boat. I usually associate this with the back of early Star Wars manuals, where there are alternate models featured around minifigs taking apart a set. Here, there are no alternate models, making the picture seem strange but pleasantly mysterious.

Instructions:: Thoughts: Wonderful colors and designs are featured in this manual, as well as no extravagant advertising. I miss the old days.

PIECES:

Pieces:

Up next are our pieces, meticulously sorted for your viewing pleasure. The color scheme is a simple black, tan, and blue. Most of the pieces are simple bricks, and aren't very special, but on the other hand, there are lots of accessories. It ends up being a sturdy model, and it's definitely reflected in the piece selection. (remember, you can click the picture for a larger one!)

Pieces of interest:

The more interesting pieces of the set are mostly accessories, but there are also some cool plastic flags and boxes. I really like the black ladder and the blue decorated panel.

Pieces:: Thoughts: Lots of accessories but otherwise, they're mostly basic. It would have been nice to have some more "in-betweens".

MINIFIGS:

Front:

Next are the wonderful minifigs of the set: two red ninjas and a shogun. The red really pops at out you, perhaps not the most ninja-friendly trait, but from our perspective, a good thing. The leg printing on the shogun is nice as well. However, if I were a red ninja, I would be a little uncomfortable having a shuriken sticking down my pants.

Back:

No back printing for any of them, but you can see the lovely built-in clips at the back of the ninjas' headpieces.

Without Headgear:

Here they are with headgear and armor removed. You can see that the shogun's printing was covered by his armor, as well as each of their foreheads.

Minifigs:: Thoughts: Simple yet exotic, and very pleasing even by today's standards.

THE BUILD:

Build:

Up next is our build, which occurs in 24 steps (shown here at 6 step intervals). There are definitely no interesting techniques used, and not much covered up either. The process is very smooth and concise, and I made no errors. It look about ten minutes to build and photograph.

Build:: Thoughts: Quick, simple and sturdy! Satisfying for a $12 set.

COMPLETED PRODUCT:

The Whole Set:

And we have our completed set! The oars sticking out the sides have a cool effect, and the boat seems reasonably large. I think a Prince of Persia whip might look good in the shogun's hand.

Front:

The front of the ship features a few unnecessary decorations: the lights and the spears. These have a tendency to come off easily, and would block the shogun's view. I'm glad Lego included them, because they can be removed and are extra pieces, but I would have something else added to the ship.

Chest:

The blue wedges appear to be tightly sealed over a chest. What could be hiding in there?

Open:

It looks like some pretty jewels were! Again, this feature is quite unnecessary, when there's already a treasure chest with space in it on the other side of the boat. I would have preferred some sort of weapon holder or storage.

Middle:

In the middle of the boat, we have our red ninjas, hard at rowing. You can see that other treasure chest I mentioned.

Back Compartment:

The chest (with four coins inside) and a black rifle and stored under here. The blue tiles make the chest come out easily, so the space is used very effectively.

Platform:

Sitting in his chair and monitoring his crew is the almighty shogun. The flags are well placed and the curves coming from the back look cool.

Back:

At the very back, we have a little view into the treasure chamber. I'm glad the boat sits in the water below that hole!

Dock:

The other little but very useful piece of this set is the simple, six-piece dock. This adds a lot more playability to the set, as well as allows some very cool display options, like this one or the one on the instructions.

_______________________________________________

Totals:

Design: 8/10 There are some design wins and some design fails. The decorations at the front and the second chest are unnecessary, while the storage at the back and the shogun's chair are both well designed. I really like the boat's basic structure, but it's the little details that bug me.

Parts: 7/10 A very standard selection of regular bricks and lots of accessories. Some more specialized pieces would have been nice. This is definitely not a parts-pack.

Build: 9/10 Simple and clean, with no questions asked. It felt about right for a $12 set.

Minifigs: 10/10 Two wonderful red ninjas and an awesome shogun! This is quite an amazing selection in my opinion, and the printing on all of them is marvelous.

Playability: 8/10 There are plenty of accessories, but not quite any bad guys. However, the name "Shanghai Surprise" seems to have no relevance whatsoever, so I like to think it's implying that the red ninjas were "unexpectedly shanghaied" by the evil Shogun, making the shogun bad. With this mentality, there is plenty to reenact.

Price: 8/10 Not the greatest price, considering there aren't any large or complex pieces. I really would have liked this to be $10.

Total: 50/60 Overall, a very solid set. The basic structure of the boat is very solid, whereas the little details need to be refined. However, there are plenty of accessories and three awesome minifigs, so the little details can be destroyed in their battle. The set is quite expensive at today's price of $30. I would recommend getting it if you are attracted to it's uniqueness and minifigs, and don't mind the price tag.

Bonus:

Shogun: "Wait for me!"

Ninja 1: "Shogun!"

Ninja 2: "Darn, I wanted the front seat!"

Thanks for reading!

-Inconspicuous

[Ratshot]

Nice review, you have very clear pics I agree as far as a lack of boats in the Ninja theme, the Lego company hardly even skimmed the waters of an area that was full of lots and lots possibility's.

[samurai-turtle]

One of the three Ninja sets that I own. I feel the dock was an unnecessary add on to the set and maybe should of been used to give the ship more cargo.

[Etzel]

Thanks for doing a review of this set, Inconspicuous!

This is a set I have no real connection to, I never saw it in any catalogue back when it came out and I didn't discover that it existed until I came out of my dark ages and started searching the internet for LEGO trivia. I think some of the Ninja sets were not released in Sweden and this was probably one of them.

I like the shogun minifig very much, his torso looks very good with a nice amount of details. The red ninjas are maybe not so useful, red seems to be too bright. Maybe the head-wrap could be used as a niqāb. The boat has a nice colour scheme with black, tan and blue, but I don't like the design. I think it's too blocky and rectangular, it's doesn't really look like a boat to me. Compared to 7416 Empereror's Ship , another Asian style boat, it has a lot to improve (although to 3050's defence one can say that it's a different price range). I think the inclusion of the tiny dock is a nice thing, it adds playability to the set and consists of useful pieces.

A solid 3 for this set that I would buy if it was for sale today.

[ZO6]

Thanks for this review!

I admit that I never really paid much attention to this set - the overall look seemed kind of thrown together and underwhelming. Your review pointed out many details that I was not aware of and helped me gain appreciation for this ship.

Your final picture reminds me of a scene from a famous Japanese film - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

[blueandwhite]

There are plenty of accessories, but not quite any bad guys. However, the name "Shanghai Surprise" seems to have no relevance whatsoever, so I like to think it's implying that the red ninjas were "unexpectedly shanghaied" by the evil Shogun, making the shogun bad. With this mentality, there is plenty to reenact.

It's obvious that the real surprise is that there are two ninjas and a samurai floating around a small boat in Shanghai China. Why they are there is anybody's guess.

[Inconspicuous]

Nice review, you have very clear pics I agree as far as a lack of boats in the Ninja theme, the Lego company hardly even skimmed the waters of an area that was full of lots and lots possibility's.

Thanks! I agree that the "waters of the area were hardly skimmed".

I feel the dock was an unnecessary add on to the set and maybe should of been used to give the ship more cargo.

I feel like the dock is quite necessary. If it's supposed be some sort of attack, a landing point sure helps!

Thanks for doing a review of this set, Inconspicuous!

...

Compared to 7416 Empereror's Ship , another Asian style boat, it has a lot to improve (although to 3050's defence one can say that it's a different price range).

You're welcome! I own the Emperor's Ship as well, and it definitely was my favorite small ship I owned. But considering this set is older, as well as less expensive, I can appreciate this one.

Your final picture reminds me of a scene from a famous Japanese film - Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

Interesting... I had no idea! I just wanted an ending picture with the boat sailing into the sunset!

It's obvious that the real surprise is that there are two ninjas and a samurai floating around a small boat in Shanghai China. Why they are there is anybody's guess.

Well, that's probably something along the lines of what was originally intended, but I find the lack enemies to ambush unsettling. That's why I came up with my version- to create conflict with what you already have.

Thanks for the comments, guys!

(900th post! w00t!)

[Big Cam]

Great review inky! Build pictures in classic Inconspicuous style. I love the ninja theme and really wish LEGO would bring it back, btu for now I can live through the reviews done here.

Thanks@!

[WesternOutlaw]

Nice review Inconspicuous. While I find the whole shape of the boat rather blocky, I've always liked it. The tan, blue, and black colors go well with some of the Samurai castles, and it makes the perfect transporation method. It is funny to see Ninja rowing the boat. A few civilian figs would be better suited.

I had to build this set a few years ago after purchasing the Orient Expedition 7416 Emperor's Ship.

While the Ninja theme is classic, I must say that the Emperor's Ship, in comparison, is a much better oriental vessel - in both design and playability.

All things considered, I'd probably rate this set as a mere 'Average' based on design. I still like it though, and I'm glad I found it on clearance after the theme was retired.

Great review, and a fine ending photo.

EDIT: Oh, and it would have been nice to see another larger ship as part of the Ninja theme.

[not-in-use-anymore]

The back features an interesting little scene where the two red ninjas are dismantling the boat. I usually associate this with the back of early Star Wars manuals, where there are alternate models featured around minifigs taking apart a set.

I think they are building it, that's what Lego is for. The name is actually very easy to understand, the box shows images to help you:

Once upon a time, an evil shogun whipped two red ninjas repeatedly with a PoP whip until they agreed to be his slaves*. They rowed the boat for him, but as he was sleeping they pushed him off, tied the boat to a dock, then dismantled it into many little tiny parts and finally bury them in the sand. then they sailed off into the sunset, in their broken/buried boat and the second ninja died.

*this set should have had two sweaty and bearded shirtless guys wearing diaper things instead of two red ninjas.

Edited April 2, 2010 by indianajones

[gormadoc]

Great review;

this set actually reminds me of the dreaded knights kingdom barge , but Shanghai Surprise has a better design with better minifigs and a classic appeal

Edited April 7, 2010 by gormadoc

[Captain Bayonet]

I LOVED that set. My favorite pieces were the 3 Katanas, and the muskets .

~ Captain Bayonet

[Norro]

That's why I came up with my version- to create conflict with what you already have.

You should work for Lego they love that sort of attitude

Price: 8/10 Not the greatest price, considering there aren't any large or complex pieces. I really would have liked this to be $10.

I thought this was an interesting line as your complaint is pretty much my endorsement of the set. I guess it depends to what degree you approve of one use specialty pieces...

Great review!

God Bless,

Nathan