The news dropped yesterday that there were some new Ninjago related figures present in the Build a MiniStations at LEGO Stores Worldwide. (when is yesterday any more? I am currently in Scotland, this morning was in Dubai, and on Tuesday morning was in Melbourne).

This afternoon I touched down in Glasgow and made a B-Line to the Glasgow LEGO Store. While there I was able to check out the build a mini station – the new BAM elements were all present and accounted for: Lloyd Kai and Nya were there, in their ‘Core’ form, as seen in the first half year releases this year and last.

But what of Sora and Arin?

These are new and(as of today EXCLUSIVE) prints, similar enough to those seen in the sets, to be cheap for kids to buy into, and different enough to make them fun for collectors, and possibly useful for upgrading your Characters.

I remember packing Sora in my minifigure box when I left Australia. Pretty sure I had her out yesterday as well, but I cannot find her for the life of me. However we can compare the new figure with images from my previous review.

Here she is wearing a decorated singlet, rather than her race suit – far more casual, and much more relaxed than her look in Ninjago City Markets or The Transforming Mech Bike.

She has her name in Ninjago script over the upper left, and a zipped pocket on the on the upper right. Her waist is cinched in with a blue belt, which has a couple of small pouches. On the back, we find some more detail on the belt, as well as a coral image of a somewhat Grumpy Cat. Her right arm is yellow, with a blue hand, while her left arm is golden, but without the printed detail seen in other versions. She has the same hair seen in the city markets.

Sora’s face has the same golden stripes seen in other versions, but there is no reverse printing. There were no detailed leg prints, but regular dark blue pants were available.

Arin also has a new look in the BAM station: he is wearing the same type of robes as the ninja typically do, in bright yellowish orange – with a wrapped shirt visible underneath. An orange dragon motif is printed on the right hand side. Both arms are orange, and his hands are yellow. On the back, the letter ‘A’ is written in Ninjago Script.

The Printing on the torso lines up nicely with ‘regular set version’ Arin’s printed legs, which include a belt tying off his robes, and I think the mixed version is in fact superior.

Arin has the same hair element, implying a short back and sides, seen in the Ninjago City Markets, but his face appears to be a new print, with bushy eyebrows, scratches on his face, an awkward smile, and the shaven hair on either side of his face. Again, this is a single sided print.

Weapons wise, there were some katanas in red, green and azure in the station, but there was also a golden sword element. The other vaguely Ninjago accessory available on the BAM station was a teapot. so I collected those.

Building the Ultimate Arin

As he appears in the sets, Arin is wearing a literal hoodie with his ninja mask over the top/ His pants have the formal belt, and more detail. So I substituted the new torso for the standard version…

It’s all very well, but it lacks a couple of details consistent with the Core Ninja Torso: Gloves for one, and those figures tend to have arms of different shades. Fortunately, the ‘Standard Set’ version of Arin has those very features. So let’s quickly wrench his arms off, and swap them over. I present ‘Ultimate Arin’ or ‘Core Arin’ – however, I feel he needs to be around a little longer before he deserves the Core title.

And to go with this, we have Arin in a hoodie, looking a little anxious… lets put the dark blue legs on him and call him Casual Arin. Not quite as dramatic as Urban Arin in the Markets, but pretty cool, nonetheless.

I wonder if this new torso also points towards directions in the show. It has literally premiered in the last couple of days. So the future is ripe for speculation.

I am excited that exclusive Ninjago figures are appearing in BAM stations – they are a bit cheaper to put together in this fashion than buying sets: great for kids getting into the theme – And Dragons Rising provides a great point for new viewers to get in on the ground floor: there will be Easter Eggs for established fans, but prior knowledge of Ninjago will not be required to enjoy the show.

What do you think of these new figures? Heading straight to the BAM Station?I’ll have more NinjagoDragons Rising coverage coming up over the next few days, despite my leave of absence. You can keep up to date with the Rambling Brick on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr (or just sign up for our mailing list) and find some extra content on Instagram and TikTok. And feel free to share this post with your friends who might be interested… Until Next Time,

Play Well!