Still Raindrop

That confirms it-- I'm going to use my VIP rewards to get 70603 Raid(?) Zeppelin! Everything about that set is brilliant! I'll try to pick up 70604 Tiger Widow Island, too, but with a February birthday, that would be easier to do if these sets were a January release. DarthBrickus--Nya has a new outfit in Tiger Widow Island.

If they do make a Mulan minifigure, I owe it to my nine-year-old self to get at least that one. Yes, when Mulan first came out on VHS, I watched it daily for a week.

As someone who also just got into Ninjago this year, I did pretty much what Aanchir suggested (Master Wu Dragon, then the Temple of Airjitzu, and use of Netflix), and I think that's a great way to go about it.

Impressive! I have to say, my favorite detail is the phone--I know the design isn't yours, but making it an ivory and gold phone was brilliant.

Excellent--I love the way you've done the sand and rock. You've done a great job at capturing the spirit of Adventurers with a more modern build!

Thanks! I'm looking into a few options. The mountain currently has a few parts that slope upwards, holding the platform up, but it still doesn't look quite right. Thank you! While I don't have anything after this planned (although the three adventurers are displayed at my Temple of Airjitzu set), I have been planning a few unrelated Adventurers comics that I may post in the appropriate forum when I get a chance to photograph them.

For me, it's the wrestler. I never watched pro wrestling, and unlike almost every other minifig, he has no parts that I could use elsewhere.

American Indian cradleboards often were rather plain, so I'm fine with it. Plus, it makes the baby slightly more versatile.

Ah, good point--that's probably what it is.

Awesome! It looks like thicker printing than usual--I'm guessing that's either my eyes tricking me or it's a new app-friendly printing method.

That just makes me think of a sword with a cowboy hat.

That's the one. Currently it looks kind of like a big stone outcropping, but its flatness, thinness, and square shape make it look unnatural to my eyes. I was considering using brown instead so it looks more like a wooden platform.

Ninjago--both the exciting sky pirate subtheme and the rumored summer sets (whether or not they're as rumored).

Thanks, everyone. My next one will be more original, but I thought this was a good quick build. I did move the smaller rock so it would be close enough. Though now I see I should have added another rock to make it clearer that the small rock outcropping was part of a larger path. I'm also going to switch out the dark bley plates in front of the temple for some brown ones, so it looks more natural.

Not sure how I didn't comment on this the first time I saw it--wonderful remake of a great set! You've managed to capture the spirit of the original despite the more advanced building techniques used. This kind of construction can be difficult (after all, you not only have source material to follow, but you have Lego source material!), but you've done it extremely well. I particularly like how you've used the interior space. Long live Johnny Thunder, indeed!

Best New Set: It's a tie between 70751 Temple of Airjitzu and 70734 Master Wu Dragon. I wasn't a fan of Ninjago until this year, and these are the two sets that won me over. Not only are they beautiful sets, but building them was incredibly fun. Just barely behind these two sets is the 10246 Detective's Office, my first modular (but not my last!). Best New Theme: Elves Best New Minifigure: Wu from the Temple of Airjitzu. Something about his robe reminds me of Uncle Iroh when he was running his tea store. A close second goes to the three female minifigures who use this hairpiece --I've been using that hair for women for years now, and it's good to see it used that way in an official set. Square Foot is in third place, but that's mainly because I love Bigfoot. Worst New Set: Again, it's a tie--this time between 75104 Kylo Ren's Command Shuttle and 21302 The Big Bang Theory. These two exemplify some of my biggest reasons for disliking licensed themes, in that it's hard to make a good set from mediocre subject matter (especially when the price is as high as it is on these two sets--I'm much less likely to cut a set some slack if it feels expensive for what it offers). I don't think either of these sets looks that good, and The Big Bang Theory doesn't even interest me for anything other than a couple of the unique pieces, like the Chinese food box. The contrast between The Big Bang Theory and the recent modular sets is huge: while I love the interesting and innovative ways that modular designers use pieces to create interiors (especially in the Parisian Restaurant and the Detective's Office), whereas everything in The Big Bang Theory seems straightforward. Worst New Theme: I'll agree with Jurassic World here, though my least favorite new subtheme is The Force Awakens. Worst New Minifigure: The little girls from 10249 Toy Shop (a set that managed to avoid my "Worst New Set" list because, although I was disappointed with it, it's still a great set), 40122 Trick or Treat Halloween Set, and 40124 Winter Fun (and any other similar minifigures I may have missed). Seriously, I'm fine with torso prints that have breasts and curves, but using those torsos for little girls just seems wrong.

Twelve years ago, when I was fourteen years old and about a year away from entering my Dark Age, I received the set 7417: Temple of Mount Everest. I still have all the pieces, with the exception of one minifigure head, and I rebuilt the biplane over a year ago. However, since I now have a full-time Lego cave, I decided I wanted to rebuild the set. But before I started, I realized that there were things I wanted to change about it--including improving the landscaping and making the structure itself look more authentically Tibetan. I also wanted to display my Lego Movie Johnny Thunder minifigure (as well as my Dr. Kilroy and modified Pippin Reed minifigures) around my newly acquired 70751: Temple of Airjitzu. I decided to tackle both issues by making a MOC that would explain our intrepid Adventurers' arrival in the land of Ninjago and use 7417 as a template. I decided to present the aspects of my creation in loose story form (hope this is OK--if not, a mod can let me know and I'll delete most of the text). So, without further ado, I present to you my MOC/modified 7417. "My good friends," said Sherpa Sangye Dorje, "the way to the Temple of Passage is easy from here. I regret that I must part ways with you, after all he help you gave me last time you were in Tibet, but this chorten is not allowed to be passed by any of my people." The three adventurers expressed their gratitude and, after gifts were exchanged, the Sherpa headed back the way that he had come. As they watched him disappear into the blinding whiteness, Johnny shook his head. "Local superstitions." "Johnny," said Pippin, "you've stopped a magic ruby from falling into military hands. You've returned a sacred sun disk to its owner, you've discovered an island of dinosaurs, you've seen a yeti and a living stone lion--and so much more. Sometimes I wish you'd put a little more trust in local superstitions!" "Right you are, Miss Reed! But I have a feeling that this one is something special. Kilroy! Do you think you can find the way to this temple, mate?" "No doubt about it, Johnny! If this map is accurate, it shouldn't be too far away at all! And indeed, before too long at all, the three adventurers beheld the Temple of Passage. Though the rope bridge looked precarious, the adventurers began to cross it, with Johnny at the lead. All was going well, until. . . . "Stop right there, Thunder, and listen to me--or I'll cut the ropes!" It was Lord Sinister! Although it had appeared for quite some time that he had reformed, the adventurers knew he would eventually pop up again with one of his villainous schemes. "This temple is sure to be booby trapped, with the great treasure it holds! I want you to be the one to open the doors and step inside first--and then make way for me!" Johnny couldn't help but agree--after all, he might still have a chance this way, but it would be over for them all if Sinister cut the ropes. When they had crossed the bridge, Johnny removed the heavy wooden lock, opened the door, and stepped inside, only to find. . . . "It's just a monk!" shouted Sinister. "Just a monk, some candles, and a jar! Blast! There must be some mistake! Move aside, while I make this fool tell me what he's done with the treasure!" He shoved Johnny out of the way and ran in brandishing his knife, ready to do whatever he could in order to find what he sought. But as soon as he ran inside, the monk rose from his meditation pillow . . . . . . catapulting Sinister into the air and outside of the temple! He beckoned Johnny and his friends: "Come in, and do not be afraid! I know that you are supposed to be here. My messengers have already told me of your discussions with the Sherpa. Let me show you the location of what you seek." The monk pulled a small lever underneath his meditation mat. Just like that, the floor lowered. The monk lowered himself down and invited the adventurers to do the same. They were pleased to find cushions at the bottom. They also found . . . "The passage between two worlds!" Kilroy gasped. "Behold!" said the monk. "The flames are being drawn inwards. This means that you may enter the passageway. When you are ready, you may step beyond the candles and you will be pulled into another world. But beware: you will not be able to return until the passageway switches directions once again. It could take minutes . . . or it could take months. There was one stretch of time when the passage did not reverse for three years. Are you truly prepared for what you may find?" "Thank you for the warning, mate--err, lama. It's a serious undertaking, that's for sure. But there's adventure to be had and discoveries to be made on the other side of that passage, and it's calling our names!" "So be it, Johnny Thunder. I hope to see you again soon, when you are ready to return." And with that, the three friends stepped out of their world and into a new one. Here's one more shot of the temple for good measure (in case the outdoor shots were too distracting): Thanks for looking!

Great review! I just built the original, and this one has clear advantages over the original (though I wish Lego would stop putting torsos with defined breasts and curves on children). I really like pretty much every change. I won't be getting it, and I'd be lying if I said I'm not a little disappointed. For the first four years, my mother-in-law got me the new winter village set for Christmas; after the last two, which didn't really fit thematically in my display, I had hoped for a new one--particularly since my daughter is getting to be around the age where she can play with them. I mention her specifically because I've seen lots of people dismiss those who are a bit disappointed as rabid adults who don't care about kids getting cool sets, and I don't think that's fair. I may have to see how much some of the parts go for on Bricklink. The rerelease is better than the original, but not good enough that I'd want to spend $80 to get a set that's nearly identical to one I have.

So, Sir Robin has a chicken on his arms. That's clever.

Like the Holy Roman Empire, which was often said to be neither holy, not Roman, not an empire, Merlok's Library doesn't contain Merlok and it isn't much of a library. Still, good to see detail on those books.

Why are gorillas considered lame? Sure, they may not be burrowing creatures, but they're strong, intelligent, and slow to attack (but when they do, you'd better watch out). It seems like the other symbols are also animals that have little to do with the specific element, but they're stylized to look elemental. I don't see how a lion is more fiery than a gorilla is earthy. Also, this probably isn't an overlooked detail (and it's probably been discussed over and over, but I'm relatively new to the Ninjago fandom, so I hadn't seen it discussed), but I did like the clothing hint that young Lloyd was going to be the Green Ninja.

That's a fantastic idea, and I hope they go with it. I always felt like the whole process of mask-making in G1 seemed a little bizarre and unnecessarily complex (why not just use protodermis and cut out the middle step?), so this would be a good simplification.

You must not live here in Colorado! Anyway, I find the official polybag images to be pretty funny! It seems like déjà vu. I'm looking forward to official pictures and character descriptions, particularly for the samurai in the Zeppelin set.

I doubt that particular baby piece will be used for Friends. The face is definitely more minifigure-styled (lacking a nose, for example), which would make it odd. Furthermore, the piece represents a traditional American Indian cradleboard--not many modern babies are found in such carriers. They may introduce a minidoll baby at some point, but it most likely won't be that piece. Similarly, the skunk piece doesn't look that much like a Friends piece. Animals in Friends tend to be more rounded, whereas other Lego animals are more angularly stylized.

In several American Indian nations, women carried babies on their backs in cradleboards that look very similar to this one (I've heard these carriers referred to as "papoose," though as far as I'm aware, the word in its original Algonquian referred only to the child, not the carrier. I know more about the Ute and Puebloan peoples than the others, though, so I'm not a great authority). As far as the non-use of a minifigure head, I'm actually glad. Babies have smaller heads in real life, so I've always felt odd using a full-sized minifigure head on a baby.