Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'Kai'.
Found 5 results
-
The first Episode in the tirology "Kai´s Nightmare"
-
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.
-
The terrible snakes have stolen the Golden Shurikens of Ice, and only Zane can use his spinjitzu to retrieve them! But the Constrictai aren't about to give it up without a fight! Adn they have enshrined the weapon high atop their walls! Building a tornado took me quite a while, but I actually ended up likeing the design! C&C are welcome! Edit: Knew I forgot something: More pictures on my Flickr!
-
I wanted to display all the ninjas I have collected in their elements so within a day I put together this to parade all the ninjas (except Nya as I am unsure how I can fit Nya in this display) but I am happy how this came out after only spending 2-3 hours for this very simple MOC. Haven't put the stone army Kai yet.... and once I get the 2016 wave I will update this for sure. here's the plate without the ninjas --
.thumb.png.9e4550e6d7606030f9d13d7d604b4ec6.png)
