Kai NRG

Thanks PromocjaLego! 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.

Another great Ruadh build, the style seems to be quite captivating! Nice job on the interior!

Welcome to Kali, cookiesdad!

Really good work on the interior here, the furniture is great and the inset walls add to it really nicely! The idea of hiding in the chest is brilliant as well!

Thanks guys! The connection was a nice surprise for me as well.

It's been great to see your builds get better and better, too bad to see you go. Come back if you're able!

As others have said, good job for the limited amount of bricks you have. Obviously, if you had a few more it would really help, but as it is you did a pretty good job. A few things I'd suggest keeping in mind; water is usually below the level of the surrounding landscape. So if you could boost the tan up a plate that would make the water look a bit more realistic. Also, grass is usually on top of whatever other landscape there is (dirt, sand, rocky soil), so it's best to use a different color for the base when possible! If possible it would be a good idea not to use direct flash for your photography, as that gives the bricks quite a glare. It's better if you can get good sunlight (though below shade to eliminate shadows).

Whew, that's quite a technique! Really like it's looks so far. I don't think I could manage even as much as you have, but I will try it out one I get back to my bricks!

Fantastic MOC! All the details are great, and the smoothness of the buildings really sets them off. And the moon-shooting section is very well executed!

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 But yes, please do not quote such a long post, especially directly beneath itself!

Well technically the Romans used concrete, long before the middle ages. But then yes, it was lost after the fall of the Roman empire, so I guess it's an open question whether we can use it in GoH or not? Since Kali is sometimes slightly greco-romanic in architecture, perhaps concrete is feasible?

Great little build, the irregular base is spot on and all the different plants give it a great feel!

Great build SK, the stained glass is great and so are the details along the walls! I like all the maps and such along the tables as well, The bear claw is a really good addition, though it's a touch blocky, but that probably can't be helped with the size.

Nice work! The size in particular is quite impressive! I really like the use of wedge plates to break up the regularity of the street.

Ah I see. In that case yes, you'll likely need a couple thousand, especially if you leave the green open to view. You might be able to get away with 1500, especially if you had a rock or a small boat out in the water somewhere. To be honest I really don't know how many I have, but based on how full a bag with 100 is, and how full my bag with all of them is, I'd guess I have 2000-3000 of the dk blue, and if I recall correctly I used almost all of them (not quite) on this build. That's about 16x32 and a touch deeper than it needed to be though I did have blue plates (with studs) beneath.

Really? (not sarcasm) I was figuring something like 100 1x1 rounds to every 6x6, which in my experience has been plenty (though I haven't counted, but I know 100 is a small handful). I'm assuming, too, that only the parts with blue plates are going to be covered.

Fantastic build, cesbrick, love the irregular border, and that roof is just awesome! The rundown bridge is great as well, as is the stone work on the house, and the split tree! +1 for the UoP credits!

Nice little build, like the different rolls of cloth! Good job making it look Kaliphlinian as well!

@Brick Curve, I would guess, roughly speaking ~1000, to get it really well covered (that's probably a bit high). You could probably reduce that to ~500 or less if you tiled the blue instead of using plates with studs.

Fire up the Engines! Introduction: January 2013 saw six new Ninjago sets featuring a new type of Ninja suit and the stone army! Let's check out the smallest set of the line today; Kai's Fire Mech, a fiery looking robot, all geared up and ready to go! With two minifigures (Kai and a stone army warrior), 102 pieces for $9.99, this set is an excellent introduction to the Ninjago theme! Product Details: Name: Kai's Fire Mech Number: #70500 Theme: Ninjago Year: 2013 Pieces: 102 Minifigures: 2 Price: USD $9.99 Sources: Brickset, LEGO Shop@Home Paper Contents (Instructions and Box): The box is a fair size, and has a nice background of rock and light blue sky which contrasts well with the bright green and gold of the top and bottom banner. The Mech is shown in a well posed stance, although I'm afraid it would be extremely difficult to balance the stone warrior in such a fashion! Below are the front, sides, and back of the box (showcasing the possibility of the Mech as well as the fire blade), respectively: (Click for a larger view:) The instructions feature the same graphics as the box but without as much information; just the set number: A (more or less) random page: The inventory and a picture of the completed build: On the next page and on the back we get some LEGO advertisement, geared toward the online Ninjago site, the Club magazine, and the traditional back page advertisement. And, last but not least, the Dreaded Sticker Sheet (DSS) - after the removal of all but one sticker, that is. Fortunately the sheet is not that big here, and the stickers do all add to the build. I didn't have much trouble putting them on straight but then I don't generally have problems with that. The Minifigures: As is typical with ten dollar sets, this one includes two minifigures - Kai in a new outfit which many fans have designated "Kimono" (though it seems there is no official name or at best, ZX), and a little midget stone warrior, complete with a crossbow, red quiver, and a red straw hat! Both have back printing, however since the stone warrior's is just a continuation of the front lined gray it is not pictured below. Kai (back and front): The Stone Warrior: The Build: I personally found the build fairly enjoyable (though the arms and legs were a bit repetitive) and certainly fast. I was building in the back seat of a car so that might have made a difference, but it's certainly a neat little set that uses SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques pretty well to give it both smoothness and sturdiness. Anyway, the pieces that caught my attention were the flat golden studs and the cheese slope (because I didn't have any of the former and only a very few of the latter), the fire blade - in particular the bottom telescope piece as it's in more of a metallic gold rather than warm gold - and the shorter and longer L plates. After finishing up the build, the extra pieces were a flat golden stud, golden cheese slope, black clip, red 1x1 stud, and, rather to my surprise, an extra golden Katana. The Mech itself has an appealing color scheme and is quite sturdy. The "shoulders" in particular struck me as a good piece use, and the build is very pose-able (as I will be illustrating...). The blaster does look a bit blunt, and I'm not a huge fan of the sudden jump from the body to the shoulders (I, in fact, modified that myself). Front and Back: Can a Fire Mech do a headstand? On one hand? You bet! I'm not quite sure how Kai is liking that position though... There are a couple of other neat details to the Mech that add to the experience. For one thing, the Mech bears several resemblances to the Samurai Mech - though more in color than in shape - and they complement each other well. The second nice detail is that the Mech actually attaches to Cole's Earth Driller. Admittedly not quite in such a small package as it did in the show, still it was an interesting surprise (credit goes to whoever it was that mentioned this in the Ninjago thread, I can't remember who but I didn't come up with it on my own!). Here's how it's done: Ready for the road! Conclusion: Playability: 9/10 - The Mech is sturdy, very poseable, and provides plenty of play potential! Design: 7/10 - As I mentioned the width jump from the shoulders to the body is a bit annoying, and probably the major flaw in the build for me. Other than that though, the colors complement each other well, and the SNOT works very well. Minifigures: 9/10 - I really like the way Kai looks in his new outfit, and the back printing just adds to it! Plus it's all very sharp and clear. The stone warrior also has a nice torso print. I only wish he had something better than a crossbow (or in a different color) and it's too bad LEGO doesn't do short leg printing... Price: 8.5/10 - With 102 pieces it hits the 10 piece per dollar ratio fairly on the head, and though I don't find the robotic style pieces useful for my type of MOCing (My Own Creationing), some of the others will (or have!) come in handy. Overall: 8.5/10 - All things considered, Kai's Mech is an excellent little set, with an eye-catching color scheme and an appealing couple of figures. Given that it's a Mech, a lot of poseability is expected, and the final build doesn't disappoint! The building experience is about what one would expect, and the Mech's ability to attach to Cole's driller is the icing on the cake. The Ninjago nut in me would probably have told me to get it anyways, but even just as a LEGO fan, it's a great little set! And that concludes our look at Kai's Fire Mech! Until next time,

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.

Shock the snakes with some stunning Spinjitzu! Introduction: Jay ZX is more than ready to battle, outfitted in his ZX costume, metal brackets, and Golden Double-Bladed Sword! Take on the Serpentine any time with this early 2012 Ninjago booster pack, complete with 28 pieces (including five Spinjitzu cards and three weapons)! Check out an image of the set contents (from Brickset) below: And my picture of the bag - after cutting the top off (after all, I had to get inside somehow… ) Product Details: Name: Jay ZX Number: #9553 Theme: Ninjago Year: 2012 Pieces: 28 Minifigures (included in piece count): 1 Price: USD $4.99 Source: Brickset, Peeron Non-ABS Contents (I'm pretty sure the bag is plastic, though not ABS.) As shown above, the bag front has the same Jay ZX graphics as his character card, while on either side are two yellow circles illustrating, from left to right and top to bottom, Jay ZX, the five included cards, his weapons, and the additional pieces that can be added on to the 2012 kind of spinner. On the back of the bag we have the normal legal "…components made in DENMARK, SWEDEN, HUNGARY, MEXICO and the MOON…"*er* "CZECH REPUBLIC", plus the bar code, other information, and a picture showing how Jay ZX can be "boosted" with a weapon, the pieces in his spinner, and a spinner/spinner crown (not included). Upon opening the bag and dumping it out, the contents are one plastic bag with the 23 LEGO pieces (and one extra technic pin, 3/4), the five cards (also sealed in plastic), and the "instructions" or, more accurately, play guide for the spinner game. Before opening it, we can see the same Jay ZX artwork that was on the front of the bag and also on his character card. On the back is an advertisement for Ninjago.com, and once opened this will end up right underneath the front. And directly beneath that is the Win! advertisement, which seem to be present in almost every instruction booklet… To the right is a column showing how to build the weapons, minifigure, etc. On the other half of the pamphlet are advertisements, first for the spinners, then Kendo Kai's Training set, Kai's Blade Cycle, Jay's Storm Fighter, and Cole's Tread Assault. On the back the cards are explained in enough detail to play a game, although, without a spinner, it's not possible to do so here! For a normal set, that would be about all the paper. But, since a big highlight of the Ninjago game are the cards, we have five more "printed sheets" to deal with. The back of all the cards is the same; the Ninjago "logo", a red ninja (with the standard ninja eyebrows, not Kai's, and a sword right behind each shoulder) slowly fading into black, underneath which is a Ninjago.com advertisement, "LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group," plus, in this case at least, a six digit number (110642, if you were wondering) that is the same for all five cards. Jay ZX's character card is awesome in terms of graphics, he really looks impressive in the middle of a storm of lightning! As far as SP (and if you're not interested in the game, bear with me, the cards shouldn't take that long!) he's certainly not a bad character, with 1100 total SP (the bars on the sides of battle cards, and on the bottom here), arranged in a fairly even format, 200 Fire, 400 Lightning, 200 Earth, and 300 Ice. (There's a lot more I could say about any card, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll stop there!) Fast as Lightning, the only golden card in this booster pack, and also a Build card (see the bottom left symbol-in-circle), since you are supposed to "Build the above on spinner until a player wins, then remove. Opponent spins with one hand until a player wins." Since the bottom pieces turn freely upon contact with another spinner, they don't really do much toward knocking down your opponent. And since the spikes on top stick straight up instead of out, your opponent will have to hit them with his (or her) weapon to be thrown (and even then, it doesn't always work). Besides being golden, this card also requires 300 Lightning SP. Surrender, "Remove your headgear or armor to avoid losing," is the next card (I'm going by the seven digit numbers on the bottom of the card), and a Control card. Requiring 200 Ice SP, this one can come in handy as a useful last resort when playing. Plus, the front snake on this card looks especially good. Avalanche, the third card, is actually Ice, although you would usually expect an avalanche to be Earth. However, the cards graphics make the reason clear - it's a snow avalanche, not a rock one. According to the instructions (on the card), you are to "Lay down card. Opponent loses if spinner touches it, then remove." With only 100 Ice, this is the lowest metallic Trap card that does not require a golden weapon (denoted by the golden color found on, for example, Fast as Lightning above). And, by virtue of its low SP, it is one of the best cards included with Jay ZX. Double Stars is a Force card, but also a crown card (meaning that you need a crown on to be able to play it) with 300 Lightning SP. The instructions on the card, "Throw this card and your character card during spin," leave it unclear, at least to my mind, whether or not, like a normal crown card, this remains in play until your crown is removed, or just during the one spin you played it in. And unless you're willing to ruin your card, you can't achieve enough force with this to knock anyone off their spinner. Below is a comparison of my card (which I rarely throw), and a friend's, who enjoys trying to whap you with it: And that's all the paper! Let's get on with the minifigure! Minifigure - Jay ZX: Like all the ZX figures, Jay ZX has a new style ninja hat and a shoulder bracket for added impressiveness! His blue color contrasts perfectly with the metallic color of his shoulder gear and hat decoration; I only wish his right arm was the same silver color! In general, his torso is nicely detailed, although the bottom left could use something to take away the empty blue look there. On the back of his torso he has a buckle, and his symbol printed in the middle where it will show through the round circle in his bracket. His pants also have a belt nicely printed on. Weapons and Boosting Pieces: Just like the rest of the Ninjago spinners and Booster Packs, Jay ZX includes three weapons - one golden, one sword-based, and one pole/stick-based. His golden weapon is unique to this set (the Ninjago.com Weapons Dictionary calls it a Golden Double-Bladed Sword), and uses a golden chainsaw (only occurring in one other set, or so says BrickSet) to attach the other two pieces together. The sword based weapon is, in fact, a simple Silver Katana, while his pole-based weapon is a bit more complex - a small dagger on a black light-saber hilt on the end of a pole - which is way too long of a weapon to spin with! None of them are particularly good for spinning, but Jay ZX does look impressive with his Golden Double-Bladed Sword! To help power up any spinner, Jay ZX includes two spikes and three blades which can be attached to the bottom of the newer 2012 spinners. And to raise the spinner a bit higher so the blades work better, the pack also includes a 2x2 round brick with grooves on the sides. (Note: spinner not included in booster pack! And for stability, I have removed the 2x2 round trans-blue piece at the bottom of most spinners!) Conclusion: Playability: 5/10 I hate to give it such a low score here, but the lack of a spinner or a minifigure opponent makes playing with it difficult. The weapons aren't the best either, as far as spinning goes. Design: N/A Minifigure: 9/10 Just about the only problem I find is Jay ZX's lack of a chrome arm. Otherwise, the detailing is excellent. Price: 9.5/10 A much better value than a normal spinner, although in general it's not high on parts, the weapons, minifigure and cards are fairly specific pieces that are therefore worth more. Overall: 7.8/10 It's main problem is the lack of playability, but overall I would say it's a good addition to a spinner. Jay ZX is a great character, and, apart from this set, is somewhat rare. Plus, the cards (if you like the game), are useful and Surrender just might save your hide one day!

Tough call! I think I'll go with the men's side however.

Great build mccoyed, the curve of the seats is just about perfect, and I'm really liking all the little details. Good work merging the sand and concrete!

Great work! That rockwork is well done and the texturing on the bridge is great! As others have said, the signpost is ingenious!