Sign in to follow this  
Pchan1983

REVIEW: 71741 Ninjago City Gardens

Recommended Posts

After 10 hours spent across 5 days, I finally completed the build and here is my review on 71741 Ninjago City Gardens:

THE GOOD:

  • LOOKS STUNNING!!!
  • Massive volume, for me the side temple feels like more of a bonus.
  • Lots of new ways to create awesome details in various areas. 
  • The fully working arcade is just brilliant.
  • The dragon skeleton display and the skylight are also great design.
  • 18 minifigures!!! (20 if you include the 2 decorative ones)

THE NOT SO GOOD:

  • Some of the parts (e.g. the cover sewage pipe) doesn't connect well.
  • The instruction booklet has some steps which make the build a bit more difficult than it should.
  • Some components a bit flimsy to be removed while the 2nd level path way is a bit too tight for removal.

Overall, this is another contender for set of the year.  It looks absolutely stunning. And I love all the little details they put into each components, from the tree to outdoor air con but highlight for me is definitely the minifig scale working Arcade.  I also love the minifigures selection, although I do think fans following the TV series will probably appreciate the minifigures more.  Many of the shops can easily modified to a typical Lego City store.  The temple also great even on its own, it's truly a bonus side build which I will be extremely happy already even without it. It is pricey but consider the volume (factor in it's also cheaper than the previous incarnation with more volumes), it's actually very competitive pricing too.  Can't wait to see what's LEGO is cooking up next for similar set =). While this is not perfect (there are some flimsy parts and parts doesn't connect so well), I am extremely satisfied with the end results and totally recommend this set for everyone.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

That does look like a titan. I'm not sure if I'll wind up getting it myself, since it's not cheap and there are lots of sets to get, but it's on my list. 

Two quick questions: is it on baseplates? (Bricklink's inventory hasn't gone live yet)

Would you recommend it to someone who has no familiarity at all with the lore/story of Ninjago? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Two baseplates: 32 x 32 and 32 x 16.

I have no knowledge of the TV show or movie but find the gardens, as well as city and docks sets, very appealing.  

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the review! I'm really impressed with this set, but I think another expansion set would be unlikely as getting this set was already quite a surprise.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
25 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

Thanks for the review! I'm really impressed with this set, but I think another expansion set would be unlikely as getting this set was already quite a surprise.

Agreed, great review.  I just finally put together the Docks, rebuilt the TLNM Destiny Bounty again and got the City out of storage.  This is next up on my build list and I'm super pumped.  I think another Ninjago City expansion is entirely dependent on how well this sells; I'm hoping it sells great because just going back over the docks and city and images of this there are so many options/opportunities for expansion. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
36 minutes ago, Willworkfortoys said:

Agreed, great review.  I just finally put together the Docks, rebuilt the TLNM Destiny Bounty again and got the City out of storage.  This is next up on my build list and I'm super pumped.  I think another Ninjago City expansion is entirely dependent on how well this sells; I'm hoping it sells great because just going back over the docks and city and images of this there are so many options/opportunities for expansion. 

This is definitely a cool example of theme shifting.  I was pretty sure we wouldn't see an expansion because the original theme, TLNM, was done but then they moved this into the Legacy line.  It would make just as much sense to have a new modular in a couple of years directly in the the primary Ninjago theme or even as a Creator Expert set.  Heck, even an IDEAS expansion is possible.  As long as it makes money and doesn't directly conflict with other agreements I think there is a possibility of more.    

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

At the very least another add-on should come out when the Ninjago theme hits 15 year.

Hopefully sooner of course.

Finished my set too last night. Now I can enjoy the view of them stacked.

Ninjago City sets

 

 

Edited by GeoBrick

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, GeoBrick said:

Finished my set too last night. Now I can enjoy the view of them stacked.

Where are you going to put another big Ninjagoset? :O That closet seems full!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
11 hours ago, Alexandrina said:

Two quick questions: is it on baseplates? (Bricklink's inventory hasn't gone live yet)

Would you recommend it to someone who has no familiarity at all with the lore/story of Ninjago? 

Yes it’s on base plates and I’m not familiar with the lore too and still loving it.

8 hours ago, JintaiZ said:

Thanks for the review! I'm really impressed with this set, but I think another expansion set would be unlikely as getting this set was already quite a surprise.

Thank you!  You never know, they might release another one in few years time.

 

4 hours ago, GeoBrick said:

Finished my set too last night. Now I can enjoy the view of them stacked.

Haha I like your cabinent!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, Pchan1983 said:

Haha I like your cabinent!

Interesting tidbit, it costed about as much as Ninjago City when the set was released.

19 hours ago, Lira_Bricks said:

Where are you going to put another big Ninjagoset? :O That closet seems full!

Yeah, I'll have to think hard on purchasing a normal-sized closet (with clear panels of course).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 2/1/2021 at 2:49 PM, JintaiZ said:

Thanks for the review! I'm really impressed with this set, but I think another expansion set would be unlikely as getting this set was already quite a surprise.

So you think that we dont get another add on next year? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, Blazej_Holen said:

So you think that we dont get another add on next year? 

It's a corner modular which means another add-on won't fit very well with the existing sets. Of course, Creator Expert modular buildings are a different story...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 minutes ago, JintaiZ said:

It's a corner modular which means another add-on won't fit very well with the existing sets. Of course, Creator Expert modular buildings are a different story...

So we can get a straight one right? For example Borg tower... :) I am a bit confused, with this "line". Its not official line. Started with two Ninjago movie chunks, then TLG realize that Ninjago movie wasnt as much succesfull as they possibly hoped, so they discontinued that sub-theme. And now, once the previous sets are retired and hard to find on secondary market for ridiculous money, they came up (3 yrs later) with third add on branded as Aniversary/Legendary set. 

Does it mean its only one of set, with benefit to be connected to previous ones, or can we expect another add ons, and possible regular Ninjago city line? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
40 minutes ago, Blazej_Holen said:

So we can get a straight one right? For example Borg tower... :) I am a bit confused, with this "line". Its not official line. Started with two Ninjago movie chunks, then TLG realize that Ninjago movie wasnt as much succesfull as they possibly hoped, so they discontinued that sub-theme. And now, once the previous sets are retired and hard to find on secondary market for ridiculous money, they came up (3 yrs later) with third add on branded as Aniversary/Legendary set. 

Does it mean its only one of set, with benefit to be connected to previous ones, or can we expect another add ons, and possible regular Ninjago city line? 

It's absolutely possible that we could see additional sets down the line, especially now that they've shown themselves to be open to doing those under normal Ninjago/Ninjago Legacy branding.

That said, it's too early to know when we might expect something like that. It's possible that Lego would continue to release them on a yearly basis like they do for ongoing series like the Modular Buildings or Winter Village sets, but I'm not sure that that's likely. These sets are much larger and more expensive than those other series, making them more of a commitment to purchase, and up to this point Ninjago as a theme has really only had one large "Direct to Consumer" set available at a time (Ninjago City Docks was smaller and cheaper than the original Ninjago City and released at regular retail stores). So it's entirely possible that the next Ninjago City set would only be released when this current one is at or near its retirement. Really there's no way of knowing when another set in the series comes out until it comes out—so far there's no clear "pattern" to extrapolate from.

I will say that I doubt the fact that there are two corners will prevent future additions. Whether the next installment is a straight section or a corner, I expect it to most likely be marketed primarily as attaching to the Gardens and not the other two. I think the Gardens was marketed as connecting to the earlier models primarily because there were no other recent/current additions to the series, but if you look at the Modular Building series, they usually are only photographed with and marketed as connecting to two or three of the other recent installments. A subsequent installment in the Ninjago City series would likely take the same tack, being displayed to the right of the Gardens but without the length of the other two buildings added. And anybody who does have the full series is probably resourceful enough to figure out a display solution that allows for all of them, either by displaying them on a free-standing table or by merely beginning another row of buildings across the canal from the current one.

And of course, with all that said... just because the door is open to future installments does not amount to any sort of guarantee that we'll get them, or that future Ninjago D2C sets will fit into that series. I personally think it's likely that they would, simply because that modular style has proven popular and many other subjects could be adapted to work with it, but there's nothing stopping Lego from deciding that the next Ninjago D2C would be a standalone set like the Temple of Airjitzu or something entirely different from any previous Ninjago D2Cs, like a massive vehicle or dragon.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 2/2/2021 at 2:38 PM, Blazej_Holen said:

So we can get a straight one right? For example Borg tower... :) I am a bit confused, with this "line". Its not official line. Started with two Ninjago movie chunks, then TLG realize that Ninjago movie wasnt as much succesfull as they possibly hoped, so they discontinued that sub-theme. And now, once the previous sets are retired and hard to find on secondary market for ridiculous money, they came up (3 yrs later) with third add on branded as Aniversary/Legendary set. 

Does it mean its only one of set, with benefit to be connected to previous ones, or can we expect another add ons, and possible regular Ninjago city line? 

From my understanding, the Lego Ninjago Movie sets still sold well despite their association with the underperforming film. The sets received a ton of praise from the Lego community at least, especially the larger ones like Ninjago City. They didn’t continue the Movie sub-theme because Lego Movie lines don’t last long anyway and there also just wasn’t much left to be made from the movie. I believe that Lego only wanted to do the City and Docks while the Movie was still relevant and they had a couple reasons not to release any other Ninjago City expansions, or Ninjago D2Cs in general, during 2019 or 2020:

-They didn’t want to have three $200+ Ninjago sets out at the same time since the two City sets were still available in 2019.

-They might not have wanted a new Ninjago D2C competing with their Lego Movie 2 D2C that would have been around the same size and price point in 2019, especially if they were to keep the Ninjago Movie branding.

-They didn’t want a D2C Ninjago set competing with their aesthetically similar Monkie Kid line in 2020, which were all released as D2Cs in America.

-They just figured 2021 would be the next best time to do another Ninjago D2C set since that would be the next best time to do one, seeing as how the 10 Year Anniversary gives the theme some relevancy.

I definitely wouldn’t count out the possibility of future Ninjago City expansions, in fact I’d say it’s even likely if the Gardens is successful, but I wouldn’t say that all future Ninjago D2Cs necessarily have to be part of this little subtheme. There could be other large sets like the Temple of Airjitzu someday. I don’t expect these sets to be a regular thing, but I sure wouldn’t mind if they were!

 

 

As for the Gardens in particular, I still think it looks great! I’ve recently rediscovered how fun Ninjago sets are to build with the new Legacy wave and look forward to building the largest Ninjago set yet. I was planning on waiting until June to get this set, but I don’t know how long I can wait to get this thing! Every review I read or watch makes me more eager to have it. The only thing stopping me is now not being a good time to build another large Lego set, since I’m going to have to temporarily move out my entire collection soon. I also need to install some new shelves so I can open up space for this behemoth!

Edited by The Stud

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Molded the second level of ninjago  city gardens to be structurally stable. For those not in the know: if you pick up this level on one side in the official set it will snap in half. Middle is too flimsy, fixed that here. Added some greenery to cover up the extra structure, I think the layout makes more sense this way anyways cause now the tree has an area to grow out of and its not just sticking out of a gap.

7wlGD6i.jpg

 

1OSWZMV.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 2/3/2021 at 8:39 PM, The Stud said:

I definitely wouldn’t count out the possibility of future Ninjago City expansions, in fact I’d say it’s even likely if the Gardens is successful,

Well it is out of stock in the US three months after release so hopefully that is a good sign with regards to its popularity.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, GarmadonFan said:

Well it is out of stock in the US three months after release so hopefully that is a good sign with regards to its popularity.  

I really enjoyed building the set, so I definitely wouldn’t be disappointed with more follow-ups!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/9/2021 at 1:43 PM, GarmadonFan said:

Well it is out of stock in the US three months after release so hopefully that is a good sign with regards to its popularity.  

Good, hopefully we get another installment!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/8/2021 at 8:43 PM, GarmadonFan said:

Well it is out of stock in the US three months after release so hopefully that is a good sign with regards to its popularity.  

Everything Lego goes out of stock intermittently in the US.   All this means is that it's not an enormous shelfwarmer.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, CopperTablet said:

Everything Lego goes out of stock intermittently in the US.   All this means is that it's not an enormous shelfwarmer.

I don't think that is accurate.  It is the only Ninjago set currently listed as "Out of Stock" and of the remaining 42 sets, three are listed as "Backorder".  The fact that the most expensive set from the theme is the only one that sold so quickly it is "Out of Stock" and the five "New" sets are still available suggests more than it being "not an enormous shelfwarmer".  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This took me soooooooo long to build! My favourite part is Cole's Apartment/gaming arcade

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/17/2021 at 1:40 PM, GarmadonFan said:

I don't think that is accurate.  It is the only Ninjago set currently listed as "Out of Stock" and of the remaining 42 sets, three are listed as "Backorder".  The fact that the most expensive set from the theme is the only one that sold so quickly it is "Out of Stock" and the five "New" sets are still available suggests more than it being "not an enormous shelfwarmer".  

I’m just hoping some day it comes back in stock in the US. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 4/17/2021 at 3:40 PM, GarmadonFan said:

I don't think that is accurate.  It is the only Ninjago set currently listed as "Out of Stock" and of the remaining 42 sets, three are listed as "Backorder".  The fact that the most expensive set from the theme is the only one that sold so quickly it is "Out of Stock" and the five "New" sets are still available suggests more than it being "not an enormous shelfwarmer".  

It's not an enormous shelfwarmer.    One day, this set will be worth $600 USD on Bricklink and people will be begging for it to be reissued.   Don't be that person.

Edited by CopperTablet

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.