Review

Seal Battle Pack or Family Pack?60376 Arctic Explorer Snowmobile [Hands On Review]

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Earlier in the year, we all got terribly excited when we got our first look at the so called Otter Battle Pack: With 2 otters lurking in a stream, while a human maintains the national park on their quad bike, all at an exceptionally reasonable price.

In the second half of the year, the LEGO Group have brought another similarly priced set to the market in line with the Arctic research/Deep Sea subtheme, this time with seals.

And does this set have much to offer, and is it reasonable to call it a battle pack? Let’s take a look.

I am writing this review on a train, during the start of the European summer, so apologies if the photos are not all up to scratch. I know there will be more reviews to do when I get home, so I’d better get something done while I am travelling!

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Is Ninjago Dragons Rising Updating Designs From Classic Space?

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I’ve just finished watching the first wave of episodes of Dragons Rising, and something struck my mind: Rapton, Lord Ras, and the Imperium Claw soldiers all fly the same type of small craft- a so called Chariot – which carries one rider and deploys a flotilla of drones to aid the hunters in their hunt for Dragons. That said, in the sets related to the series, the chariots are all a bit different to each other. At the same time they seem just a little bit familiar. And then there are the droids in the Dragon Power Spinzitzu sets…

And it got me thinking. Are these sets revisiting Classic Space, with a contemporary aesthetic?

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Flip, Drift and Spin into Ninjago Dragons Rising

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Since the very beginning, Ninjago sets have involved some sort of play gimmick – be it character spinners wihin an arena, flyers or fist powered tornado spinners, and the latest wave, coinciding with the new story of Dragons Rising is no exception. With the least expensive boxed sets in the theme, and containing one each of Core ‘veteran’ ninja that feature regularly in the series, these sets have some new elements, new minifigures and interesting play potential. To say nothing of inconsistent fluorescence under UV light.

We have 3 such sets in this Dragon Power range: 71777 Kai’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Flip; 71778 Nya’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Drift; and 71779 Lloyd’s Dragon Power Spinjitzu Spin. Each set comes with a Ninja minifigure, a Droid like figure from the Imperium, Some Gates and a trap, holding a golden Dragon Elemental Orb. The orbs are perhaps the most interesting new elements included in these sets. We will come to these shortly.But first, here are the elements included in all of these sets:

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Building Outside the Box: 80047 Mei’s Guardian Dragon [Hands On Review]

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Is this one of the best LEGO Dragon Sets Ever?

Fun Fact: This year marks the 30th anniversary of the first ever LEGO Dragon being released, as part of the Dragon Knights range in 1993. This year, we have seen lots of dragons appearing in Ninjago Core, as well as the forthcoming Dragons Rising series. However, Ninjago does not have the Monopoly on LEGO Dragons.

Dragons are frequent characters in The Journey to the West, the novel which inspires the Monkie Kid range. We recently looked at the 80049 Dragon of the East Palace – and Mei is descended from the Yu Long, the White Dragon horse, 3rd son of the Dragon of the West – brother of the Dragon of the East, featured in that set. As such, it is quite reasonable for Mei to have a Guardian Dragon, probably sent by her ancestors, to provide protection in times of trouble.

This set was sent to me by the LEGO Group for review purposes, and I’ll admit, there was something intriguing about its appearance from the outset, that I couldn’t initially put my finger on. But we will get to that later.

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40647 Lotus Flower (Hands-On Review and Vase MOC)

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Another of the upcoming June Releases, 40647 Lotus Flowers looks like it offers a simple but effective floral arrangement in a relatively inexpensive package.

With 220 Pieces and is priced at $AUD19.99/USD12.99/€12.99/£10.99/CAD16.99. It belongs to the company’s ‘Iconic’ theme, and will be a LEGO-branded retail exclusive.

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Dancing Jeep to Jeep: 76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush vs 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery

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Nobody will deny that Dinosaurs are the principal non-human characters in Jurassic Park. They make the place unique and provide the narrative with a sense of drama. The humans share in their part of the heroics, but the Dinosaurs steal the show. There is, however, something else that contributes to the Character of Jurassic Park: The vehicles. They give the humans a way to travel at speeds that might be able to escape a rampaging Raptor, a terrifying Tyrannosaurus or a stationary Stegasaurus… wait- scratch that last one.

After years of waiting, the iconic Jurassic Park Jeep Wrangler – used as a utility vehicle around the park – has finally arrived in LEGO® form, in not just one, but two sets.

They are 76958 Dilophosaurus Ambush and 76960 Brachiosaurus Discovery. Priced at $USD19.99/AUD42.99 and $USD79.99/AUD139.99, respectively, they represent the entry-level and premium sets in the range. One comes with a single minifigure, while the other has 3; one has a small side build, while the other dedicates half its part count to a most delightful tree. But they both have a JEEP WRANGLER, and that is what I want to focus on today.

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Show Me the Bunny: 40643 Jade Rabbit and Half-Year LEGO® Leporine Review

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This year is the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac. As such, we have seen rabbits cropping up in all sorts of places during the year. We have seen small figures, large figures, small builds and large ones. More than I care to consider. So, when the LEGO Group sent over a copy of the 40643 Jade Rabbit for review, I thought we might take this moment to look at all those occasions that rabbits and hares have been incorporated in this year’s LEGO® sets, a leporine review, as it were.

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71792Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer: Hands On Review

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It is time to start the Ninjago reviews for 2023. Today I’d like to focus on set that only includes NEW Characters appearing in Ninjago Dragons Rising – I’ll address some of the Classic Ninja soon. Set 71792, Sora’s Mech Bike Racer, features Sora, Arin and Baby Riyu, as well as Rapton – A member of the Imperium whose role we are yet to fully understand.

The set will be released in June 2023, has 384 parts, and will cost $47.99USD/$79AUD/£42.99/€47.99.

Read on to see whether or not this is an engaging and enjoyable set. And whether it glows under UV light…

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60380 City Centre: Hands-on Review

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There are over 2000 plastic souls in the City of Bricks. Each of them has a story to tell, and some are yet to be written. Here are 14 such stories, playing out against a backdrop of colour, lights, pizza shops and a colour scheme to challenge Heartlake city for its sheer variety.

This year, we have seen some changes in LEGO® City. In the past, when we have built a city centre, we have had a variety of shop fronts, occasionally with a business upstairs, a public transport hub, and very little tying the shops together. In fact, an undisciplined builder could occupy the entire room, with individual components disconnected from each other.

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80049 Dragon of the East Palace: Cultural Context and Hands-On Review

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The Palace of the Dragon of the East Sea is a key location in both the animated series Monkie Kid, as well as in the classic novel, The Journey to the West. Set 80049 Dragon of the East Palace focuses on the original story, which tells of how the Monkey King gained his staff, while also providing references to the animated series. Let’s take a look at the set, one of the more splendid builds from the Monkie Kid range – due for release in June 2023. In fact, you might almost mistaken it for a castle set!

At the time I received this set (kind thanks to the LEGO group for sending it over for an early review: all opinions are mine), I had not spent any time reading The Journey to the West. I had watched the 1978 Japanese production of Monkey, featuring dubbed English dialogue, back when it was screened in Australia as an evening show for a few years in the 80s. But not since then. So I relished the opportunity to return to the source.

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