Aanchir

Just wanted to mention for the benefit of those not reading the TV show thread that Season 3 has been announced and it will in fact be premiering as soon as next month. It's unclear what this means for the future of the theme, but since this implies Season 3 won't be covering 2013-specific material, the possibility arises that the theme might not be continued in 2013. Keep in mind that one of our main reasons for expecting the theme to continue was knowing that the TV show would be continuing for another 13-episode season. And Kevin Hinkle's clarification regarding Ninjago's end stated that sets would still be on store shelves in 2013, which says nothing about whether there will be new sets. It's a similar response to that which people got when asking about whether Kingdoms would be continuing this year. Now, the possibility remains that there might be D2C products next year, meaning either a big exclusive set (that'd be quite nice) or just minor stuff like keychains. So I don't think it would be possible to get a straight answer from any LEGO employees about the theme's future-- it would be treated the same as any question asking about future, unannounced products. I've asked Kevin Hinkle anyway and await a response, even if it's as simple as "I can't discuss that". Now, while I don't encourage skepticism, I think cautious optimism is in order. Which, to be fair, is the attitude I've had about Ninjago since early on. It's been an outstanding success, but success doesn't always equate with longevity.

I think if anything this is the proof I've been waiting for about what a successful experiment LEGO Friends has been. Other companies play follow-the-leader all the time, but for them to be mimicking such a risky business direction is a bit unusual. Granted, this isn't the first time Mega Brands has released girl-oriented licensed toys-- there were Hello Kitty Mega Bloks sets at one point. But I think it still goes without saying that this latest license acquisition is in direct response to the Friends theme. How TLG should respond in turn is a good question. On one hand, depicting scenes that diverge more from typical girls' toy fare would give them something their competition lacks, but on the other hand, it could also cause the girls who like those more stereotypically "girly" activities such as horseback riding and fashion to lose interest in the Friends theme and return to buying other girl-oriented toys instead. With that in mind I think the Friends theme will continue to have a sort of a balance between the sorts of settings and activities you see in other girl-oriented toys all the time like the beauty salon and more diverse stuff like the robot lab. There will also be things that straddle that gap, such as the seaplane set (which isn't girly in anything but color, but isn't all that out-of-the-ordinary for a girl-oriented toy, either).

You can really call them whatever you like. They're a pretty versatile piece. Fins is probably more accurate given that I don't recall any sets where they seem designed to provide lift (they're usually used more like the tail fin of an airplane), but then again, we saw how well that terminology went over with Toa Mahri Hahli.

The third season being in July does strike me as a bit early, and yes, it definitely calls into question whether there will in fact be 2013 sets. If not then it will be a real shame as I was hoping for a full two-and-a-half- or three-year run. Still, a third season should be sufficient for the story to be wrapped up, and the NRG Ninja and Lloyd are as good a place to end the sets as any other. I wonder how well a third season can continue to promote the same sets without beginning to feel stale, though. EDIT: The trailer can be viewed online here.

Very nice representation of the TIE fighter! It really makes me miss all the Technic-based Star Wars sets of 1999-2003. Those mostly tried to focus on droids, where Technic-based "action features" had the most impact and the robotic/skeletal look was simplest to achieve, but perhaps there should have been more attempts at creating starfighters! Another advantage is that licensing complications involving the Hasbro action figure license would not come up I agree with some of the other posters that the most accuracy could be achieved with a blend of Technic and System, but it's amazing how you worked around the challenge of using Technic on its own without a lot of System-based building. It's the kind of "building with constraints" challenge I love to see in the Hero Factory theme (in that case, trying to use the ball-joint-based Hero Factory building system rather than more Technic-intensive, BIONICLE-like builds), and I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't appreciate the hard work that must have gone into this model. Other people have already pointed out the flaws, like the somewhat boxy shape of the cockpit, so let me draw attention to the things I love most about this model. First, the windscreen is brilliant. Second, I like how you created the angled struts that connect the cockpit to the wings. And third, I really admire the wing textures. Since Technic-based building is usually reserved for function-intensive models, I'd love to see more articulated vehicles like the X-wing starfighter with its S-foils replicated in this style.

Neat MOC! You definitely chose some great parts for the engines and the front slope. However, there are some areas that really could use improvement. For instance, the flat section in the front isn't very flat and appears far too low relative to the engines. In the picture you provided the vertical center of the engines is about lined up with the flat section that runs along the front and sides, but in yours the engines bulge up above these areas. The solution will surely involve working with some less friendly measurements, since the overall width of this part of the speeder will be an odd number of studs, but I think the vehicle as a whole will benefit. The back section is also nice but uses a lot of slopes for parts which in pictures are smooth or mostly smooth. Simplifying this might require parts you don't have, but it will make a great improvement to the overall model if you can do so. For example, the many cheese slopes used in the back could be replaced with 1x6 slopes for a less bumpy look.

Funny that this Mickey Mouse set is numbered like a Direct to Consumer set... that's certainly not usual for Duplo. I wonder if it signifies anything, or if this will be (at least in Japan) a standard set release?

I am fairly certain that whatever the new TV series will be, it will be a new theme or a theme that has not (as of yet) had any TV specials. My reason for thinking this is that it wasn't too long after Ninjago's original TV special that the plans for a full TV series were announced. The fact that the identity of the new TV series has been kept secret suggests that it involves a new (or at least new to TV) product line.

At Bricks Cascade, a LEGO convention earlier this month in Oregon, it was confirmed by Kevin Hinkle that the Collectible Minifigures will be continuing for at least six more series, so that's probably the most up-to-date report on the theme's status.

Just a minor correction: Element IDs are the six- or seven-digit numbers which specify a particular part in a particular color. Design IDs are the four- or five-digit "part numbers" that specify only the part. LDD primarily uses Design IDs to identify parts, though you can search the parts tray by Element ID in LDD basic mode.

Nice, somewhat silly review of the Mezmo booster pack! One part I'd consider interesting which you didn't call attention to is the short chain, which only comes in black in a few spinner sets and booster packs this year. Not totally new, but as of yet this is the cheapest set it can be found in. Personally, I think those snakes for the bottoms of the spinners would look excellent dangling from a jungle canopy. They're the first snakes in a pose suitable for dangling. Incidentally, I believe this is the only set so far to have them in a non-transparent color, so they might be ideal for people who intend to use them for this purpose. Incidentally, the seven-digit number on the front of the instruction booklet is the booklet's "element ID", so to speak. Like so. Incidentally, these usually also correspond to the number the instruction booklet is listed under on the Customer Service PDF building instructions database. Again, like so.

As you say, the villain is neat, and the hero is meh. It's really a shame these aren't better since we've seen so many decent combination models on the Hero Factory website and you'd think by now they could manage better ones in the magazine. The hero here feels as mediocre as Lucas Valor, if not more so. I certainly couldn't picture taking apart the component sets just to make this, when the original designs were so cohesive. Honestly I don't know what changed regarding combination models in LEGO Magazines. Back in the Brickmaster days we'd get all kinds of great models like the Pit War Tortoise, Zyglak, and Niazesk. Even the Manutri, as silly as it was (giant heavily-armed mutant penguin!), still ended up with a unique look. And Hero Factory sets have more than enough pieces to create unique-looking figures, as the official two-set combination models on the Hero Factory website demonstrate. So why is it that TLG has so much trouble putting together a decent three-set combination model for the magazine these days? My only guess is that it's because they're working with non-ideal color combinations, but I still think they could do better.

My what now? I don't really do much in terms of large-scale MOCs, so I'm not sure what project you're thinking of unless you're confusing me with someone else... This is a neat design, and it kind of reminds me of the Toa Kaita. Of course, Fire Lord had a decent amount in common with the Toa Kaita on his own, which was somewhat fitting since the regular-size Hero sets had a fair bit in common with the Toa Mata sets in terms of proportions. I like how you've built the hips here. Even if you don't end up building this in real life, I'm sure someone with the necessary bone pieces would love to try just to see how good its balance is. So far its proportions look all right, and I'm looking forward to seeing your future progress on this!

It's not at all confirmed, but that's just one of many guesses about the 2013 LEGO TV series (which is confirmed to be in the works) that will presumably be tied to whatever theme succeeds Ninjago. While I don't see any obvious reason why they'd revive the Clutch Powers franchise (which currently includes only the main film and a shorter "4-D movie" at LEGOLAND parks), I would certainly appreciate such a theme, and I wouldn't be surprised if TLG were to replace Ninjago with something which like Clutch Powers is a bit less genre-specific. Even with its anachronistic elements, Ninjago is very decidedly Asian martial arts fantasy. I'm also hoping another show in a different genre might allow TLG to acquire a license for The Legend of Korra, though currently we don't have any reason to suspect they will since no Korra merchandise whatsoever has been spotted, and the marketability of a LEGO theme often has a correlation with how powerful the franchise is at moving merchandise in general. Either way, that doesn't give us any clues about what genre to expect for the theme tied to Ninjago's successor series. In a lot of ways, the design principles behind Ninjago were unlike many previous themes. Exo-Force perhaps comes the closest in terms of set design, in that a lot of the sets (specifically, the vehicles and dragons) had fairly unique color schemes. There were unifying color schemes for location-based or structural sets (reddish brown, black, white, and bright red for 2011; sand yellow, black, and transparent fluorescent green for 2012), for the skeleton vehicles (black, white, and medium lilac), and for the snake vehicles (bright yellowish green, earth green, and medium lilac), but the dragons and the "heroic" vehicles had unique elementally-themed color schemes. I'm not sure what this could mean for 2013 Ninjago sets, much less for whatever theme succeeds Ninjago. One thing's for sure, though-- Ninjago's color-coded vehicles and animal mounts contribute better to TV animation than vehicles from some past action themes like Alpha Team (any iteration), Atlantis, and World Racers, which in terms of set design had more in common with the faction-driven conflicts of many sci-fi and historic themes than with the character-driven adventures in the Ninjago theme. Just my random musings. It's possible that whatever theme is used for Ninjago's successor will be radically different than Ninjago in these respects. After all, it's unclear whether there are any unstated motives by TLG for ending the Ninjago theme-- while the official statements we've heard so far suggest they just want to preempt any loss in sales, it's always possible that TLG also sees opportunity in the TV/multimedia platform Ninjago uses which the Ninjago theme itself can't as easily realize. In any event I hope Ninjago's successor proves as breathtaking as Kevin Hinkle has led us to believe. And whether it is or not, I plan to follow the Ninjago theme in 2013 just as I have done since before its 2013 conclusion was foretold.

Thanks for the review! This is a very stylish set, although it does have some seriously detrimental flaws, like the lack of any interior to the cabin other than the spacious garage, as well as the lack of headlights and taillights on the hot rod. (although I guess it gives the cops something else to book the crooks for: driving infractions! ) A three-wheeled vehicle like the one in this set is usually called a "trike" (short for "tricycle", just as "bike" is short for "bicycle").

I think after his first response most people did stop acting as though he directly copied the set... however, it looks like he didn't take too kindly to the implication that he even took some inspiration from the other model without acknowledging it. And that's understandable-- after all, it might seem fairly innocuous to take inspiration from an existing model like this one, but for someone who hasn't done so-- and who is being counted upon to be forthright and honest in his work-- even implying that he isn't acknowledging his sources of inspiration becomes quite a bold suggestion Personally, I believe him that the similarities are merely a coincidence. Similarities in the windows and other features are an inescapable consequence of trying to imitate a fairly specific haunted house design at a fairly specific scale-- other solutions for many aspects certainly exist, but they might not be as efficient, and efficiency is the name of the game in set design. The simplest solution often wins out, which can be seen just as well in the differences between the official model and that NILTC model as in the similarities-- for instance, the official Haunted House set doesn't have the columns offset the way the NILTC model does. Meanwhile, it should be considered that the only reason the NILTC model was brought up in this thread was because people were speculating what a Haunted House set could end up looking like. Chances are a lot of the people in this thread didn't know about that model at all until it was posted here. So there's no reason to think a LEGO set designer who doesn't normally even specialize in this type of building would have seen the model before creating his own. Overall the designer strikes me as a quite respectable individual, so I see no reason not to take him at his word.

Good review! I really like this set, although as you mention there are some drawbacks like the telehandler/forklift's limited positions. Still, I think this was a pretty brilliant idea for a set and it was carried out quite well. The recycling bins and assorted recyclables add both realism and play value.

I didn't realize my original comment was before the review was totally finished... my bad for not paying attention! Anyway, regarding the cars, even though they're a bit generic, I think it's good that a number of vehicles were included. I don't like it when a set's play value is completely dependent on the owner having additional sets to use with it. The blue and yellow cars are nice although their proportions are a bit peculiar... they're very narrow but very long. The van is indeed awesome and shows TLG is still capable of creating unique 4-wide vehicles. I'm actually fond of the mini tow-truck. It's rare these days to see a convincing truck shape at this sort of scale. I think the cab could possibly stand to be a bit taller (perhaps using the 2x4x2 windscreen rather than the 3x4x1 1/3 windscreen), but overall it's a nice-looking build and a nice contrast from the sports cars and compact cars we had gotten used to seeing in 4-wide. I am a bit curious how the tow truck and van look next to a typical 6-wide vehicle. While I appreciate a good 4-wide vehicle, I'm also a big fan of 6-wide vehicles, especially if they can be made to accommodate a "passenger's seat" next to the driver. I'm a bit worried that a 6-wide SUV would dwarf the tow truck (although it might still be realistic; I know small tow trucks exist). For that matter, I wonder how well a 6-wide SUV-type vehicle would fit in the garage. Perhaps one could fit, but I doubt you could fit two side-by-side without making the parking deck look cramped, especially if they have mirrors. Part of my fascination with 6-wide vehicles is that my dad has a 2000 Ford Excursion, which is a behemoth of a vehicle even today. So of course if 6-wide SUVs have trouble fitting in a parking deck like this, it's not completely inaccurate-- we've had some harrowing ordeals with parking decks in the past!

Ummmm... wow. This is a pretty good review with great and thorough photographs, but you certainly are pretty hard on TLG about some things. Most of the time, especially with parts like this which are normally hidden, it's to make the build easier in two key ways: it makes it easy for kids to find the parts that are needed and it makes it easy to read in the instructions where the parts go (high contrast is a good thing). In the case of that yellow piece, it also already existed in yellow and red, but not any other colors. That means releasing it in a less vibrant color would be an extra expense for the sake of lower visibility. Since then it has been released in Medium Stone Grey (Light Bluish Gray), so if the set were released today, eliminating the yellow would be more feasible. Old or not, flick-fire missiles (the current style, not the awful ones from Mars Mission and Exo-Force) are IMO one of the best action features because they are inconspicuous, easy to incorporate into a set without huge structural changes, easy to replace with regular Technic pins in many cases, and usable for things other than launchers (this is a big one). The flick-fires in this set are a bit bizarre in that they seem to take the place of headlights rather than blasters of any sort, but it's a cheap way to add "play value" to a set without having to add features that disrupt the appearance and likewise have no basis in the source material. You call it cheap, TLG calls it cost-effective. It would be a huge waste of money for TLG to release a brand-new piece for every variety of blaster that exists in the Star Wars franchise. Now, a smaller gun would be good, but at the time this set was released (2010), the smaller "blaster pistol" piece had not yet been introduced. There probably just wasn't room in TLG's budget to have a new blaster pistol piece ready for 2010. Why do they need to think of anything else? If the characters are clones (and I'm assuming they are), then they should be mostly identical. And since neither of these is a named character, chances are they don't have any "official" depiction that varies from the Clone Trooper norm. Years ago, TLG would have just used a generic smiley face or an unprinted minifigure head for characters like this who are never seen out-of-uniform. So I don't think it's fair to act as though TLG should waste money on unique prints for these characters when they have existing prints which are as accurate as are necessary. Overall there are definitely things to gripe about in this set like the implausible positioning of the flick-fires, but sometimes you have to think about what's going to matter to the kids playing with the set. New molds, parts in new colors, and even new prints cost money, and often lots of it. There was probably already a considerable expense creating this set with the never-before-released Senate Commando figs.

Great review! I think this set is brilliant. It's sturdy-looking, aesthetically pleasing, functional, and a great addition to any LEGO City. The elevator is very nice and it's good to know it works as well as it should. Of course, it will tower over most other buildings from the City theme. Perhaps TLG needs to release some skyscrapers in the City themes. But of course AFOLs can make do with the modular buildings! As my brother has pointed out, the simplicity of this model will likely make it easy to expand if you happen to own multiples. The only addition I could think of that would greatly improve this set would be a stairwell or a smaller elevator so that people who park on the upper floors don't have to take the same elevator down as is used for the cars. I have never been in a parking deck that uses an elevator to move vehicles between floors myself, of course, so I don't know what the "convention" is.

Not sure. I'm not sure where the codes will be appearing to be honest. It could be that they'll only be in later production runs of this year's City Police sets, or it could be that it will be in next year's (hypothetical) City Police sets, since the game is due for a holiday 2012 release. Thanks for checking.

Thanks for the review! Yeah, this pick-up truck is somewhat over-the-top in size, but I do feel six studs wide is the ideal size for larger-scale SUVs. Perhaps if the wheels and tires weren't so absurdly huge, this wouldn't look so weird next to tractor-trailer trucks. Incidentally, did this set have a code anywhere for this page-- maybe on the inside of the box or instruction booklet somewhere?

The droid sitting sideways doesn't bother me much. I definitely prefer this solution to the solution used in certain sets like the Ultimate Collectors' Series Naboo Starfighter, where the droid's head will be used with no droid body. This set is large enough that it could be modded to have a front-facing droid, but I can see why TLG might have avoided this since it could have required some more complicated building techniques. IMO, this set makes great improvements on previous X-Wing Starfighter sets, so I don't consider it a disappointment at all. Like a lot of recent Star Wars sets, it shows that TLG is still coming up with new ideas about how to make Star Wars sets more accurate, even ones that they have been making new versions of for years and years.

That's actually not true-- no lies or fake articles had anything to do with the rumors of it ending. The real reason for the talk of it ending is that at the LEGO convention "Bricks Cascade" in the western United States, Kevin Hinkle (TLG's Community Coordinator for North America) actually said 2012 was Ninjago's final year. After the fact, he received a lot of e-mails and personal messages, and he clarified that he was misinformed. The response he sent out to those people who contacted him can be seen here. So yes, Ninjago will be continuing in 2013, but at the same time, there are no plans at this time to continue it any further. However, Kevin Hinkle assured Bricks Cascade attendees that the theme in the works to succeed Ninjago will be so good, it will make us wonder why Ninjago wasn't ended sooner. Of course, tastes are always bound to differ and some people may prefer Ninjago to its successor, but three years is a good run for a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, and I am grateful that we will (presumably) see the Ninjago story conclude in Season 3 of the TV series and in the 2013 sets.

These would be harder to incorporate than the other suggestions, could require somewhat heavy customization, and might require eliminating the hinge function the original parts allow, but I figure I might throw in that suggestion along with the System solutions others have recommended. Of course, chances are you want to keep the hinge function, so these probably won't work too well for your individual needs.