Toy Fair 2017: Ninjago

[Hapori Tohu]

Next up on our Toy Fair 2017 coverage, based on what you asked for is going to be Ninjago. Unfortunately the pictures won't be of anything new - the only 'regular' Ninjago sets coming out this year are the ones that launched last month, and we weren't allowed to take pictures of the sets based on The LEGO Ninjago Movie. I'll show you what I can though, and then talk a bit about what I saw from the movie, so read on!

 

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[Aanchir]

Having built the Dawn of Iron Doom set, I can vouch for its quality. The fort is definitely designed to look ramshackle, but I wouldn't call it uninspired. The taller part is basically like an improvised scaffold or gantry tower for boarding the mech. And the whole fort is designed so it can be re-arranged or even joined together with the scenery from The Vermillion Attack. The Sensei Wu in this set is not so noteworthy, though, because it's the same costume as in last year's Samurai X Cave Chaos set except for the color of his hat. Even so, this is a much more affordable set than that was, and it's nice to have his hat in Brick Yellow (Tan) again after so many years of having it in Warm Gold (Pearl Gold).

 

The name of the "new bronze color" is Copper Metallic, if anybody's interested. But BrickLink just lumps it together with the four or five different colors they already call Copper, because of course they do. On another color-related note, the canoes on the Destiny's Shadow are actually Olive Green, not Sand Green.

 

Value-wise, the Destiny's Shadow, Dawn of Iron Doom, and Dragon's Forge all offer a fantastic price per piece, and the volume of pieces and the amount of play value you get with each is nothing to sneeze at, either. Dragon's Forge is the kind of set I feel comfortable recommending to people whether or not they have any interest in Ninjago, because it's got really gorgeous architecture, an awesome dragon, stylish minifigures, and an impressive degree of complexity.

 

The four-legged mech, piloted by Zane in the trailer, is a set. I could be remembering wrong, but I feel like the set was black and piloted by Cole though.

 

In the trailer I'm pretty sure that walker was piloted by Nya, not Zane. Zane pilots the larger grey-and-white tank. Nya in the LEGO Ninjago Movie is wearing Titanium Metallic as her primary color (much like in the Hands of Time sets), so it's possible that the minifigure you saw in that set that you thought was Cole was actually her? But I can't say for sure because I wasn't there and you guys were.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if some of the stuff in the trailer that wasn't shown at Toy Fair will be released as store exclusive sets. I believe the LEGO Movie and The LEGO Batman Movie each had three store exclusive sets.

 

Overall Ninjago has really impressed me this year, and I expect to be impressed by the LEGO Ninjago Movie and the sets that go with it as well! Curious when those might be officially unveiled to the public, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

[Toa Smoke Monster]

While my interest in Ninjago has gone down a bit, I still think a lot of these sets look really cool. I particularly like the Dragon's Forge and Dawn of Iron Doom sets. I also like the look of the Vermillion Invader. It just looks really cool to me. 

 

Thanks for the photos!

[Dark_Stranger]

I was afraid that the summer Ninjago sets might not be open to photograph, given the lack of coverage elsewhere. The descriptions make them sound pretty fun, though...guess I'll have to set aside a few minutes to watch the trailer sometime and see for myself.

Unreleased sets aside, the Vermillion have an excellent aesthetic to their vehicles--almost a bit steampunk-ish in places. It seems a bit odd to introduce a new color in only two pieces; I can't wait to see what other copper parts are released in the near future. Here's hoping for as much CCBS as humanly possible!

[Lyichir]

I was afraid that the summer Ninjago sets might not be open to photograph, given the lack of coverage elsewhere. The descriptions make them sound pretty fun, though...guess I'll have to set aside a few minutes to watch the trailer sometime and see for myself.

Unreleased sets aside, the Vermillion have an excellent aesthetic to their vehicles--almost a bit steampunk-ish in places. It seems a bit odd to introduce a new color in only two pieces; I can't wait to see what other copper parts are released in the near future. Here's hoping for as much CCBS as humanly possible!

Technically it's three pieces, since the "Time Blades" also each have a copper core in addition to their translucent blades. I'd love to see more parts in this color, but all new colors have to start somewhere, and given Lego's track record with colors lately I would not be surprised to see its use expanded in the near future.