CollectorSneker

This is the second combination mech in ninjago (that I can care to remember rn) so I wanted to see how it compares to the core version

For context this wave’s combination mech retailed for about $100 usd

The core combination mech retailed for about $90 usd

As you can probably tell from the photos, this wave’s mech is a lot smaller from the core mech which is a shame because it’s $10 more expensive. The core mech also has a side build included as well which this wave does not.

This wave’s mech is also not nearly as poseable as the core mech, the arms are pretty stilted in movement and are only really able to swivel around a bit. Which I feel like for a set more expensive is a downgrade.

However this set has greatly improved the balance. One of the most annoying aspects of my core set is that it’s constantly falling over because the feet are unable to support the rest of the mech. It makes setting it up a pain in the ass. Thankfully though they did fix this in the new set! I don’t know if that’s because the new set is smaller or they changed the building methods on the feet but it’s really nice!

If I had to guess, I think the minifigure selections are probably the justification lego had for why the set costs more then core because while they both have the same amount of minifigures, core had very generic and no exclusive minifigures. While this set has Pixal and Nokt two exclusive (at the time) and very wanted minifigures.

Speaking of minifigures

I don’t really have that many opinions on the over all selection. Or on the ninja at all. But I do wanna talk about the villains.

I guess this is a hot take but I think nokt is fine. I’ve seen a lot of people complain about him and I don’t really understand why? Yeah it kinda sucks he doesn’t have his cape but that could be for playability reasons or maybe he already has to much around his shoulders or maybe we’ll get a cape version later down the line. We still have the part 2 sets after all. Who knows. But it’s not a big deal for me if he has a cape or not.

I also don’t particularly care about his face. I’ve seen people go absolutely crazy that he doesn’t have “the right grin” which is already insane in itself but he is smiling if you look closely. His face is detailed and hes recognizable so I don’t see what the big issue is.

Personally I’m really mixed on the dragonian warriors. One one hand I think the masked versions of them are really cool. They have this extremely fun play feature where you can put dragons on their armor from the back and it lines up really nicely to give them wings. That’s really creative and fun!

Not the other hand. I really don’t like how this show tries to portrays other in show cultures and this is kinda an example. I feel like after the island we should have moved on from “barbaric group of people” and yet this is still happening. I get they live in the first realm and stuff but I’m getting really tired of everyone who’s not from ninjago, shintaro or the ocean being portrayed like they’re barely civilized? In a world where hundreds of different species exist then it feels vaguely racist that humans or human looking species are the only ones who are technology advanced in anyway. Idk. You can clearly have different cultures who are technology advanced in their own way. Canonically the lion tribe from Chima exists in the same universe as ninjago and that’s a good example of diverse yet not portrayed as un advanced.

Finally I do wanna talk about one more thing i don’t think anyone has mentioned yet…

Riyu!!!

I’m honeslty really surprised no one has tried to talk more about riyus inclusion in this set because I think it’s really interesting

Besides from dreamzzz (I think) Riyu is the first time in a long time that we’ve had a brick built reoccurring character in the sets and I’m really intrigued by how the set designers are going to handle it

At first I assumed that Riyu here was going to be the same as the s2 set aside from a few changes to make it work with the mech. But no! He actually looks a lot older here. He has larger wings, he’s less bulky, and he generally just looks a bit more grown up.

I’m not sure how much of that will reflect in the show but I find it really interesting!

Personally I don’t mind that they’re going to be reusing Riyu builds in the future as long as it’s incorporate in other sets like this. I don’t care if the exact Riyu s2 build is in the crossroads set because there is obviously more to this $250 set then just a $10 Riyu build.

If I had to guess, I think the inclusion of big Zane and his classification as a minifig in this set despite being fully brick built is legos dipping their toes into the water and seeing if they can get away with having a brick build Riyu be considered a minifigure in the future. Lego has had brick build minifigures before but nothing to Zane’s or riyus size. So this really does seem like a bit of an experiment for the future.