LEGO Ninjago 2021

[a guy from somewhere]

I agree. Glad to see the servers back up, I just received my copy today. I'm just finishing of the pagoda, and apart from the pain that is putting down all the water tiles, its an amazing build. I have built the pagoda island part first, as my friends copy is still in the mail. Its a lovely build, and incredible to see. Im only scared to place it next to the main section once that's done. The box is enormous as well. As for season 14, I'm extremely excited to see that. I love the sets!

[Nearlyheadlessbrick]

7 minutes ago, Guyon2002 said:

The NewElementary interviews are really interesting, though I'm definetely glad we didn't end up getting that version of Borg Tower. Really doesn't look good in my opinion.

Maybe we could get Ninjago City Towers with Borg Tower and the Police Station.

[JintaiZ]

Here's how the Ninjago City Gardens will look next to Spring Lantern Festival (picture from brickset). It's probably not the best combination, but I assume the result can be better if both sets were covered with trans-blue tiles...

Edited January 26, 2021 by JintaiZ

[Cocoa]

The Brickset article going over the different combos is finally here. One of the most anticipated is Ninjago Gardens with Spring Lantern Festival. If it's possible, I think this'd look better from the other side. Regardless, this combo still looks gorgeous!

Also started building my Gardens yesterday. I really appreciated the way the instructions are formatted, as it allows for a very smooth, whelming build. So far I have built the old world and street walkway. Just point out a few things I noticed.

• The base. It's very relaxing, just lots of layering and bricks. It feels extremely sturdy too. Love how much "algae" there is with the green color. The island build in the back features some great techniques, and the "jade blades" make for some stunning vegetation.
• The angled buildings are remarkably more time-consuming and complex to build than the previous, and when finished, remarkably more interesting to look at. Lots of SNOT and sideways building that feel like a jigsaw puzzle. Love the round window and pipe detailing especially.
• The pillars are significantly more detailed and interesting. The smooth, tiled look of the "snake" pillar with the trans pink is wonderful, and the detailing of the tree is just wild. The tree is bulky and feels like it can support the weight of the level above.
• The walkway is a lot simpler, making for a much more enjoyable build. While the technic base of the original City was profoundly sturdy, it threw me in for a loop and left no room for error. Make one mistake and you kinda have to peel away to even be able to fix it. This one is simply bricks and plates with a little bit of technic just to secure everything. I love the colors of the fence signage this time, with the "keetorange" and teal. Some great building techniques were deployed, but I don't want to spoil it.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Cocoa

[Myprecious]

Just received my Gardens.  Most damaged Lego box ever.  One end completely squished.  Hopefully everything is actually in there as the outer box was taped shut with 2 tiny pieces of tape that just popped right open.  Good thing I have no plans to ever resell this.  I wasn’t even going to open it, because I don’t have space for it right now, but I may have to so I can make sure nothing is missing or damaged.  Fedex sucks!

[a guy from somewhere]

 

it looks good, but I’m not sure the value is there. Seems quite empty if I’m being honest.

[zoth33]

@a guy from somewhere I think the set is a great value at $50 for over 600 pieces.  The totem pole is a really great feature and the build looking like a creature is actually pretty neat.  The figs are excellent.  So for me the value is definitely there.  Chief Mammatus just looks fantastic.  The new amulet piece looks great too.  

[Fenghuang0296]

20 minutes ago, zoth33 said:

@a guy from somewhere I think the set is a great value at $50 for over 600 pieces.  The totem pole is a really great feature and the build looking like a creature is actually pretty neat.  The figs are excellent.  So for me the value is definitely there.  Chief Mammatus just looks fantastic.  The new amulet piece looks great too.  

I’m inclined to agree, though personally from what we saw in that trailer the build doesn’t really do the snake(/crocodile/dragon?) head justice to how it looks in the show. I know that the show is designed after the sets, but still it’s not great to have that disconnect. When I get that set I might mod it and see if I can convert it into a proper sort of island temple.

[JintaiZ]

20 minutes ago, zoth33 said:

@a guy from somewhere I think the set is a great value at $50 for over 600 pieces.  The totem pole is a really great feature and the build looking like a creature is actually pretty neat.  The figs are excellent.  So for me the value is definitely there.  Chief Mammatus just looks fantastic.  The new amulet piece looks great too.  

It's great value in the United States, but £45/$62 does feel a bit steep...

[zoth33]

Just now, JintaiZ said:

It's great value in the United States, but £45/$62 does feel a bit steep...

OK but UK prices are always different.  Plus that's 50 bucks without the tax and I don't know if the UK price is with or without their taxes.  At any rate it's still a pretty nice set with new molds in it.  

 

[a guy from somewhere]

Ok before I start another war, I should probably of mentioned I was talking about the build and only the build. It just feels empty. But it’s a small wave, the figs are amazing, and I’m sure if the Lloyds quad bike polybag promo is still running come March, I think just getting that and the keepers village would be great, with 4 of the ninja, the main villain, the main ninja and a keeper. I’m still gonna pick it up, each set in the wave is pretty good (even the catamarans)

Edited January 27, 2021 by a guy from somewhere

[THELEGOBATMAN]

Nah, it's my favourite set from this wave. I mean, what more could you expect from a $50 set that has 630 pieces and 5 minfigures? It's a great deal, and the build is really fun too.

[Clone OPatra]

Personally that set was the one that stood out to me from the wave, so I'll weigh in a bit. By today's pricing standards it's easy to justify why it's a "good value" - great minifigures, lots of parts, intricate design.

On the other hand, in my opinion it's kind of over-designed with way more small parts than it needed to be just as good a location, a trend which has been going on for quite some time (I first noticed it profoundly in the first Pirates of the Carribbean wave). Ultimately it's not a very large or imposing model for $50 USD (and $80 AUD ).

I think back to sets in action themes of old, like 7418 Scorpion Palace. What a heck of a thing for $50 and with only 341 pieces at that (yeah yeah, a little inflation between then and now). Sure it didn't have tons of small details, but it looked absolutely stunning and was gigantic. The Keeper's Village has the footprint of a $20 set by those standards.

Personally I'd like to see a return to a middle ground - a tolerable amount of modern detail, but dialled back so that the size of the sets can be increased from where they've ended up now.

[THELEGOBATMAN]

47 minutes ago, Clone OPatra said:

Personally that set was the one that stood out to me from the wave, so I'll weigh in a bit. By today's pricing standards it's easy to justify why it's a "good value" - great minifigures, lots of parts, intricate design.

On the other hand, in my opinion it's kind of over-designed with way more small parts than it needed to be just as good a location, a trend which has been going on for quite some time (I first noticed it profoundly in the first Pirates of the Carribbean wave). Ultimately it's not a very large or imposing model for $50 USD (and $80 AUD ).

I think back to sets in action themes of old, like 7418 Scorpion Palace. What a heck of a thing for $50 and with only 341 pieces at that (yeah yeah, a little inflation between then and now). Sure it didn't have tons of small details, but it looked absolutely stunning and was gigantic. The Keeper's Village has the footprint of a $20 set by those standards.

Personally I'd like to see a return to a middle ground - a tolerable amount of modern detail, but dialled back so that the size of the sets can be increased from where they've ended up now.

I mean sets like that had a lot of really big pieces on the other hand.

[Lucarex]

1 hour ago, Clone OPatra said:

Personally that set was the one that stood out to me from the wave, so I'll weigh in a bit. By today's pricing standards it's easy to justify why it's a "good value" - great minifigures, lots of parts, intricate design.

On the other hand, in my opinion it's kind of over-designed with way more small parts than it needed to be just as good a location, a trend which has been going on for quite some time (I first noticed it profoundly in the first Pirates of the Carribbean wave). Ultimately it's not a very large or imposing model for $50 USD (and $80 AUD ).

I think back to sets in action themes of old, like 7418 Scorpion Palace. What a heck of a thing for $50 and with only 341 pieces at that (yeah yeah, a little inflation between then and now). Sure it didn't have tons of small details, but it looked absolutely stunning and was gigantic. The Keeper's Village has the footprint of a $20 set by those standards.

Personally I'd like to see a return to a middle ground - a tolerable amount of modern detail, but dialled back so that the size of the sets can be increased from where they've ended up now.

I completely agree with the lots of unnecessary extra landscaping small parts to add “detail”, but on the other hand, keeping the footprint small is not a bad thing these days especially when shelf space is a major consideration.

Of course, sets like Scorpion Palace were fantastic at adding scale using larger parts whilst keeping the piece count down, but this approach is rarely seen in today’s Lego designs unfortunately.

[Pirean_Grammaticul]

gonna have to agree: i like the keeper's village but it feels almost as small as last year's Journey to the Skull Dungeons and nearly the same in format. solid set and probably second best to the jungle dragon but still very underwhelming.

[CopperTablet]

If you want to connect 71741 to 80107, I would think you would connect it to the pagoda island.   However, aligning the trans-blue tiles to the sidewalk will look off, period.

Edited January 27, 2021 by CopperTablet

[Clone OPatra]

11 hours ago, THELEGOBATMAN said:

I mean sets like that had a lot of really big pieces on the other hand.

I know, and as I said I'm not advocating a total return to that style but rather something in between.

10 hours ago, Lucarex said:

I completely agree with the lots of unnecessary extra landscaping small parts to add “detail”, but on the other hand, keeping the footprint small is not a bad thing these days especially when shelf space is a major consideration.

True, and I don't think sets need to be too big, but this set for example could've had a BURP or LURP or two to give it some extra height easily and be better for it. Big parts have a purpose sometimes - if it's a big grey island lump anyway might as well use the grey rock parts.

[Aanchir]

16 hours ago, Clone OPatra said:

Personally that set was the one that stood out to me from the wave, so I'll weigh in a bit. By today's pricing standards it's easy to justify why it's a "good value" - great minifigures, lots of parts, intricate design.

On the other hand, in my opinion it's kind of over-designed with way more small parts than it needed to be just as good a location, a trend which has been going on for quite some time (I first noticed it profoundly in the first Pirates of the Carribbean wave). Ultimately it's not a very large or imposing model for $50 USD (and $80 AUD ).

I think back to sets in action themes of old, like 7418 Scorpion Palace. What a heck of a thing for $50 and with only 341 pieces at that (yeah yeah, a little inflation between then and now). Sure it didn't have tons of small details, but it looked absolutely stunning and was gigantic. The Keeper's Village has the footprint of a $20 set by those standards.

I think another big difference (besides the size of the individual pieces) is how spread out the Scorpion Palace is, with HUGE openings and heavy use of columns and arches so that it would take up a lot of space even without a whole lot of volume. And I feel like this is something I remember a lot of people criticizing about sets of the 90s and early naughts — not only were the parts large and the piece counts low, but the builds themselves often felt very gappy and insubstantial, especially without a backdrop behind them.

But for that matter, I wouldn't downplay the inflation rates between 2003 and today — I mean, $50 back then would be the equivalent of around $70 in 2020.  By comparison, Garmadon's Volcano Lair cost just $50 in 2017, but was even wider than the Scorpion Palace and nearly as tall. Enter the Serpent from 2015, Temple of Resurrection from 2018, and The Lighthouse of Darkness from last year are also all pretty substantial in their own right, while keeping to a $50 or $60 price point.

[Merlo]

2 hours ago, Aanchir said:

I remember a lot of people criticizing about sets of the 90s and early naughts — not only were the parts large and the piece counts low, but the builds themselves often felt very gappy and insubstantial, especially without a backdrop behind them.

I'm not a fan of the gappy builds but my experience is the opposite. I stopped building with Lego when the pieces became too small, requiring a lot more time and skill to achieve a pleasing result. Also in the 1990's as little as 400 pieces might have meant you can build an awesome monstrosity, while today 400 pieces will probably result in a smallish set that gains nothing important (well, not in the approach at least, it does in a lot of other unrelated things) and instead just fills the otherwise invisible interior up completely.

[Lucarex]

5 hours ago, Aanchir said:

By comparison, Garmadon's Volcano Lair cost just $50 in 2017, but was even wider than the Scorpion Palace and nearly as tall.

Good shout. One of the most underrated and best value sets from TLNM theme (overshadowed by all the Shark Army and Ninja vehicles). Still have it on display and yes, it’s corner perspective gives an awkward width which added to its height, make it almost impossible to relocate.

[Cocoa]

A bit of an update, I have finished building the city buildings and I am starting my way to the top. I am a bit sad I'm getting closer to being done, but I am so eager to build more! I'm trying not to rush the process, as I started Monday and have continued to build more throughout the week. The build just isn't very daunting for me due to the "bite-size" nature of the bags. I sorta miss the emersion I felt with the previous two, which had an almost overwhelming amount of content per series of bags. However, these smaller portions make for a much smoother, relaxing build. Also, I figured I'd note just how many small pieces and intricate techniques are included. Lots and lots of SNOT techniques.

As for the build itself, the high-contrast colors are unlike anything prior and are quite polarizing at first glance. So far, the museum's won my heart. Two of LEGO's greatest colors (IMO), "keetorange" and teal, are on full display here. The designer of the Gardens actually designed the temple fair from CNY, where this color scheme appeared for the roofing and decor of the temple. Takes up 29 studs but is only 8 wide, making it a bit cramped inside. But we are provided with a fantastic removable wall. I hope this feature is incorporated into more and more sets.

The "Ice Planet" shop is not Ice Planet themed to a huge extent. But I ADORE those graphics and facade. As for the noodle house, the cramped spacing and little bits of ornate detail feel very appropriate for a small take out restaurant. Also have to mention the shingle techniques here. Little bits like this make me feel like I'm building a MOC. Simply beautiful.

[a guy from somewhere]

I agree. I have just finished bag 15, but I’ve been having a couple of quality control issues, mainly I’ve gotten the type of brick I need, but in a different colour. A grey 1x2 instead of dark brown, a light blue 1x1 brick instead of dark blue. Luckily, I have the replacement parts lying around. However I have a much bigger problem, and it’s not with the set. After lining it up with my custom modular, the suburbs, I have found that the 2nd floor walkway on my modular is set 3 studs back! No! I’ve got to somehow pull the entire second floor forward, so I’m gonna have to mod the second floor. Overall, the gardens is an incredible set, with so many little details. Apart from the access (which I think can be forgiven) the only problem with this set is my own stupidity. Simply amazing!

Edited January 28, 2021 by a guy from somewhere

[Lyichir]

1 hour ago, Cocoa said:

The "Ice Planet" shop is not Ice Planet themed to a huge extent. But I ADORE those graphics and facade. As for the noodle house, the cramped spacing and little bits of ornate detail feel very appropriate for a small take out restaurant. Also have to mention the shingle techniques here. Little bits like this make me feel like I'm building a MOC. Simply beautiful.

The shop definitely takes some liberties with the actual aesthetics of the Ice Planet sets, which had a more limited color palette. But the design of the facade does remind me a bit of the wider range of hues and values on the Ice Planet box art (which featured both brighter and darker blues in some of the gorgeous, hand-made dioramas that sets were photographed on in that era). Beyond that I love the retro charm of the oval-shaped window with its thick, azure border, which definitely feels fitting for a callback like that even if it isn't an explicit reference to those earlier designs. A part of me hopes we might see this reference make a return in another future set somewhere down the line!

[Cocoa]

Yes, I absolutely love that round azure framing. The desserts use the colors of the original vehicles (sans neon orange), so maybe the shop itself is intentionally colored to resemble the hues of the Ice Planet box displays.

Edited January 28, 2021 by Cocoa