Rolyat24

A bit off topic but I’m curious which sets from 2001-2022 you’re missing. Also, what are your favorite sets in the entire theme? I only have a few pre-2010 sets and am wondering if any of them are worth picking up alongside the newer sets.

I haven’t seen the earlier seasons in many years, but I do think there are other instances of English being used in the show and maybe the sets too. Moreover, the official “Ninjargon” language wasn’t established until the movie, after which it was integrated into the show and sets. As for race, I suppose it’s possible, but at this point it’s unlikely to be addressed in the show. Some characters just have different skin tones probably as an aesthetic choice for minifigures. I doubt these characters were conceptualized as non-human, and within humans in Ninjago there seem to be no “races” in the same way they exist in the real world.

I agree that Core/EVO was probably meant as a successor to Legacy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but does mean we’ll likely miss out on any missing Legacy material. I suppose if after this year TLG discovers that Core sold far worse than Legacy they’d have to reevaluate, but I doubt there would be much of a difference. If anything, I’d expect Core to have sold better. In any case, I think we’ll likely see another Core wave next, to follow the “final battle” vibes Crystallized is putting off. Then I’d expect a reboot (either soft reboot with same characters a la SotFS or maybe the oft-theorized next generation ninja reboot) for Summer 2023.

First Flying Lesson has been out of stock everywhere (in the US) for a few months now it seems. I wonder if its planned shelf life is almost up, and so including it in the instructions was intentional to prevent a retired set from being advertised long after its run has completed.

Is anyone else a little surprised/disappointed that this is the second time TLG has made a weapons pack for the golden weapons and they still aren’t very accurate? I understand that these are meant to interface with the “corrupted” element but I don’t think they accomplish that effect very successfully. I’m alright with the Sword of Fire looking so wrong considering we’ve had an accurate mold for it since 2011. The Scythe looks pretty good too, albeit a bit too short. I wonder if the shurikens simply can’t be molded with enough detail at this scale. As for the nunchucks, to do them justice would require a pre-assembled piece with a chain or similar in trans blue, which can’t be done in these weapons packs. Each change is perhaps justified, but still frustratingly inaccurate.

If the Harry Potter theme continues to get the same treatment in terms of molds and animals, I could see them eventually producing a new toad mold for the toad choir. They’re featured pretty heavily in the theme park and there aren’t too many magical creatures left at this point. Might be a little big for your average frog but would be more realistic than the beloved frog element.

I think at this point it’s unlikely we’ll see another returning villain. Tommy has said on Twitter that the 5 villains in the Season’s poster are the five “generals” of the crystal army, and they’re all accounted for in the sets. Of course it’s possible that a villain returns in a different role, like whatever Garmadon is doing, but at that point it’s just as likely as any other character appearing in a retailer exclusive set. The only other minifigures I think are missing from this wave are a golden variation of Lloyd (halfway between his normal garb and oni variations, like the other 4 ninja get) and perhaps PIXAL. But seeing how many minifigures we’ve already gotten, I wouldn’t hold my breath for either of them to appear in a set. Most likely we’ve seen them all at this point.

Between the number of new colors and molds and the fact that the fate of Bricks and Pieces is up in the air, this may very well end up being the top selling 4+ set of all time!

I’m sure most of you have already seen it, but a crystal armor piece has leaked on Instagram. It looks good, can’t wait to see the full minifigures!

I hope that new blade isn’t supposed to be the Sword of Fire. That would be laughable.

Colorado

I found just a few packets in my local Target (US). Crazy that they’re out and available before the official reveal! I picked two at random and got Waldorf and the Swedish Chef. Best of luck hunting!

Wow. Those minifigures in Grimmauld Place and the Ministry are phenomenal! So much better than anticipated! Plus, Madam Pince! edit: Coming soon June 19th in the states. Strange release date but I’ll take it.

Baby Fawkes is so cute!

When they first switched to the brick-built heads in 2014/early 2015 I wasn’t a fan. But I think the designs improved very quickly and I ended up liking a lot of them. I don’t mind going back to the molded heads, especially for smaller dragons. But I do miss some of the uniqueness granted by the brick-built ones. Something like the Skull Sorcerer’s Dragon couldn’t be done justice with one of the new heads, and the Water Dragon looked odd with such a small one. If we are going to continue getting molded heads, I’d love for them to bring back the style seen in 2011.

I think there’s a time and place for both molded and brick-built animals/creatures. That said, I don’t think Ninjago would have been nearly as popular if the dragons were molded. Brick-built dragons have been a huge part of Ninjago and its staying power. There have been what, like 30(?) dragons that all manage to be unique and interesting builds. 11 years of molded dragons would likely get old quickly. Not to mention it would force more focus on the builds accompanying the dragons. While other themes (namely Jurassic World) have managed to stay relevant for a long time with molded animals, they also target a different audience and have a much wider array of species to draw from. In any case, I’m sure TLG has tested both options with kids and decided on the brick-built dragons for good reason.

Moving forward, would y’all prefer we return to Legacy or stick with Core? I think Core was a breath of fresh air after a lot of uninspiring Legacy sets. Don’t get me wrong, Legacy gave us some great sets and minifigures, but also a lot of duds IMO. That said, I’m not sure how well Core would work as just a handful of sets alongside the “main” wave in the same way that Legacy often did. I’m curious to hear your thoughts.

On the back of the box, Cole is shown holding the scythe, so it very well could be the Scythe of Quakes. From the picture quality I can’t tell if it’s the Epic Battles version in gold, a brick built one, or (dare I dream) a new molded piece!

Could you post some pictures of the Friends hairpieces on minifigures? I’m curious to see how “off” they look.

I know I am very late to this, but I finally got ahold of some of last year’s sets and I just want to share how impressed I am with the NRG Nya minifigure. Imagine if we got to see each ninja as powered up as Nya is. It really makes some of the other “energy” designs look lazy. I’m hoping in future waves designers use this Nya as inspiration. Am I alone in saying this is now my favorite Ninjago minifigure yet?

The last time I called they wouldn’t let me order it, but they assured me that “it isn’t going away any time soon”. That could mean nothing but I’ll keep holding out. There aren’t any cheap ones on Bricklink in the US so it’s probably the best option.

I’m disappointed that LEGO has abandoned the spinner style of 2019-2020. With these gimmick sets, I’d much prefer a standard style of spinner that we could then get tons of variations of, like back in 2011-2012. Instead, we get new expensive parts every year that will never be reused. The figures are also pretty uninspired this time around, basically being a cross between Airjitzu and forbidden spinjitzu. I guess there’s only so many times you can do “energized ninja” and have it look unique.

If I’m remembering correctly, the time difference was explained simply as “time works differently here” or something along those lines. I don’t think they ever specifically said that time moves faster than in Ninjago. After all, the time the ninja spend in there is a lot less than Zane, and yet they return to Ninjago a day or more after they left. I think it’s safe to say there’s no math involved here, it’s just whatever the writers need it to be. So it’s definitely possible to see a return of any of those characters if the writers want them to return.

I haven’t gotten any of the 1HY wave yet, but I’ll echo your question and add, has anyone built any of the EVO sets yet? And do you find the builds/models worth it for adult Ninjago collectors?

I wonder if having the winged ninja suits means there will be two distinct variations for the winged ninja (I think everyone except Nya?) or if they will just be their regular suits with wings attached. I think I’d prefer the latter, otherwise it’ll be a lot to collect all of them. I’m very curious how they’ll handle Harumi’s return, especially after Lloyd’s brief thing with Akita.