Review: 71805 Jay's Mech Battle Pack
Posted by CapnRex101,
NINJAGO has never been a stranger to mechs, but the new wave takes their dominance to an extreme! 71805 Jay's Mech Battle Pack includes the smallest of those mechs, although its four minifigures have undoubtedly attracted more attention than Jay's mech.
This makes sense because it is unusual to find four minifigures in a NINJAGO set costing as little as £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99, particularly when two of those minifigures are exclusive, while two others are perfect for army building.
Summary
71805 Jay's Mech Battle Pack, 78 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 11.5p/12.8c/12.8c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The minifigure selection is exceptional and Jay's mini mech is surprisingly fun too
- Outstanding selection of minifigures
- Efficient mech design
- Very affordable price
- Not ideal for army building
Minifigures
Following Wu's disappearance, Master Lloyd has taken on his uncle's role and sports a white robe similar to Wu. The intricate trim on the robe looks nice and I love the green accents, connecting this minifigure to Lloyd's more familiar green attire. Moreover, a pair of golden tags feature Lloyd's initial in Ninjargon, while his traditional dragon symbol appears on both sides of the torso.
Lloyd's hair and headband component, meanwhile, returns from The Island, albeit with a bright green headband replacing the original green. Jay also wears a unique gi, designed specifically for piloting mechs and thus featuring heavier armour than normal. The metallic gold details look superb and the appearance of layered armour is very effective, although Jay lacks the additional shoulder armour worn by most ninja in this wave because it would not fit inside his mech.
I have never liked the splashes of bright light yellow used for Jay minifigures, although the pale yellow belt matches his prior appearances. Additionally, his double-sided head returns from the summer range, but the dual-moulded head wrap is new and its textured detail is impressive. As usual, both heroes are armed with golden swords.
This season of NINJAGO introduces the Wolf Clan, supporters of Lord Ras from the previous season. Two of the clan's foot soldiers are provided here, beginning with the Wolf Mask Claw Warrior, whose mask looks fantastic. The combination of dark blue and dark azure is attractive and I love the dual-moulded teeth, as well as the strap for the mask on the back.
Dark blue shoulder armour complements the mask and the warrior's robes, which also integrate dark azure and purple highlights. Furthermore, the word 'wolf' is inscribed in Ninjargon and the accompanying Wolf Mask Guard is identically dressed from the neck down. More differences between the pair would have been ideal, although the guard's hood is distinctive.
The wolf symbol on the back of both minifigures looks splendid and their shared double-sided head is highly detailed, evoking real samurai masks. One side displays blue eyes and teeth to match the outer mask, while the other includes metallic silver teeth. As the name suggests, the Claw Warrior is armed with handheld claws and the guard wields a crossbow.
The Completed Model
LEGO has already produced some tiny mechs, but Jay's vehicle is probably as small and basic as is possible, while still accommodating a minifigure. After all, this mech measures only 8cm in height without a driver. However, the mech's small stature is not necessarily an issue and I think the model looks quite good, thanks in particular to its asymmetrical weaponry.
Also, the mech's size reduces its weight, allowing the use of small ball joints at the ankles, hips, shoulders and wrists. These provide a good range of motion and the waist rotates too, which is useful. However, the design of the head wrap prevents Jay's head from turning very far, so this can make certain poses look awkward.
The chest is constructed around a specialised piece introduced last year, which is compatible with the torso armour designed for NEXO Knights in 2017. This mech's torso therefore seems rather bulky, but there is enough room for Jay inside and the printed 2x2 round tile mounted on the front provides some detail, displaying Jay's dragon insignia.
Jay's accessories can be attached to clips on the back, but this side of the mech is otherwise quite plain. The splashes of bright light yellow on the hips and shoulders are welcome though, while the pearl gold panels protecting the shoulder joints look great. Surprisingly, these panels have never appeared in gold before.
Pearl gold and bright light yellow accents are also found on the feet, although shades of blue remain the dominant colour, appropriately. A pair of stud shooters are attached to the left arm and the right includes clips, gripping a weapon resembling a huge naginata. I would not really associate this kind of weapon with Jay, but it looks excellent and helps with dynamic posing.
Overall
The minifigures are certainly the highlight of 71805 Jay's Mech Battle Pack, which is absolutely fine in a set costing £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99. I think that represents impressive value and all four minifigures are appealing, although perhaps either Lloyd or Jay could have been swapped for another Wolf Clan member, since this is intended to be a Battle Pack.
On the other hand, building a Wolf Clan army is not necessarily as desirable as certain factions from Star Wars, for example, so the presence of named characters does not really bother me. I am also pleased with the mech, considering its modest size, so there is nothing to dislike about this set, in my opinion!
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34 comments on this article
I'd love it if we got more Ninjago battle packs! Imperium Guards and Claw Hunters would work great, although it's a bit too late for that. Maybe they could create some of the earlier armies like the Stone Army or Nindroids if they bring back Legacy. I can hope...
It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!
At least the Wolf Clan looks interesting. Finally Ninjago is doing something that isn't snakes, skeletons, or dragons.
Sweet looking figures for sure.
Good review as always! Sorry to quibble, but Wu is Lloyd's uncle not grandfather.
Am I the only one who is reminded of the "flight suits" (or whatever they were called) by the back of Jay's outfit?
"This makes sense because it is unusual to find four minifigures in a NINJAGO set costing as little as £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99, particularly when two of those minifigures is exclusive, while two others are perfect for army building."
Shouldn't that be "when two of those minifigures *are* exclusive?" (I'm not a Grammar Nazi, I'm just anti-semantic.)
I see Lego learned nothing. You cant make Battlepacks with BAD and GOOD guys in one set.
Will it sell well? YES. Would it sell better as 2 special packs? YES
reminds me of Nexo Knight battle suits.
It's interesting how well-equipped the Ninjago crew is on this wave, and how dismally equipped the baddies are.
I may be wrong, but isn't Wu actually Lloyd's uncle?
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!
At least the Wolf Clan looks interesting. Finally Ninjago is doing something that isn't snakes, skeletons, or dragons."
You're not the boss of me.
Lloyd Sqoyd, assemble.
City has a lot of good $10 sets, but I miss the $10 City sets that had four minifigs and a small vehicle. It's good to see that Lego will still do that kind of thing in Ninjago.
I like the minifigs and understand this is technically a battle pack, but god if I am not tired of those tiny clunky mechs that they put everywhere, I really want more big mechs in general. Ninjago is that kind of theme that scratches the Exo-Force / Bionicle itch for me.
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!"
Jay is expendable so your argument is invalid. It's a canon information, Kai said it himself. Look it up "It Should Be Someone Expendable…Like Jay" on YouTube, I'm not sure if it's allowed to post external links here.
@lordofdragonss said:
"You cant make Battlepacks with BAD and GOOD guys in one set. ... Would it sell better as 2 special packs? YES"
I strongly disagree. And not only because this year's Star Wars Battle Pack proves you wrong. IMO it's an amazing battle pack with a lot of play value + it's accessible for basically anyone at this price point. If I would want to build an army I wouldn't mind the additional Jays and Lloyds, just swap heads if you're that desperate.
Excellent set I got one as soon as it came out and I’m very happy with it.
Looks like someone wore his day clothes to a night fight.
Some people need to get over the idea that Battle Pack = Army Builder.
It's a battle pack because it's a whole battle in a pack: good guys & bad guys.
It's the Star Wars battle packs that are mi's-labelled.
@lordofdragonss said:
"I see Lego learned nothing. You cant make Battlepacks with BAD and GOOD guys in one set.
Will it sell well? YES. Would it sell better as 2 special packs? YES"
7949 disagrees
@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"It's a battle pack because it's a whole battle in a pack: good guys & bad guys.
It's the Star Wars battle packs that are mi's-labelled. "
LEGO uses the term 'Battle Pack' to refer to sets for army building, no matter the theme. That does not mean a Battle Pack is automatically bad if it contains named characters, for instance, but LEGO definitely uses the term to indicate army building.
@CapnRex101 said:
" @DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"It's a battle pack because it's a whole battle in a pack: good guys & bad guys.
It's the Star Wars battle packs that are mi's-labelled. "
LEGO uses the term 'Battle Pack' to refer to sets for army building, no matter the theme. That does not mean a Battle Pack is automatically bad if it contains named characters, for instance, but LEGO definitely uses the term to indicate army building."
I know, I know. Still think it's wrong ;-)
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!"
Not with that attitude!
@EnterTheSerpent said:
"I'd love it if we got more Ninjago battle packs! Imperium Guards and Claw Hunters would work great, although it's a bit too late for that. Maybe they could create some of the earlier armies like the Stone Army or Nindroids if they bring back Legacy. I can hope..."
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s too late for more Imperium content. Dragons Rising looks to be having more of an overarching, connected plot line than the previous self-contained season/set wave stories we’ve gotten in years past. And it would certainly be nice to get more Imperium Guards, given that the model they used for them in the show is based on the minifigure exclusive to 71976 . Meanwhile, the “Guard Commanders” and “Claw Generals” from several sets seem not to exist at all in the animated canon.
This definitely seems like an evolution of the minifigure packs Ninjago has done in years past, rather than the Battle Pack concept as it’s usually seen. Of course, Ninjago lacks the massive hero/ally factions of themes like Star Wars or Middle-Earth, so it’s kind of hard not to feature named characters in every set.
@560heliport said:
"Some people need to get over the idea that Battle Pack = Army Builder. "
I was gonna say something like this but yes, finally. Don’t get why all of a sudden Battle pack indirectly means army pack. To me, battle packs are small sets with a higher number of figures either dedicated to a good/bad side or a combo of both. More like a starter pack for a battle.
I’m pretty sure Ninjago collectors already have a Jay minifigure, so surely this just represents a member of the ‘blue ninja’ faction?
@AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!
At least the Wolf Clan looks interesting. Finally Ninjago is doing something that isn't snakes, skeletons, or dragons."
My clone army of La-llloyds is going to kick your ass!!
I would've liked to see a more Chima-style head for the Wolf Mask Claw Warrior, maybe having the same kind of eyeholes and head print.
pricing is really great for this set. bought it as soon as I found a shelf with it
Very nice set, and can serve as a nice starter pack, or just cheap gift, but also still as as an expansion, since those wolf figures are pretty low in number in the other sets.
Overall , the balance of ninjas and villains will probably look better once the March sets release.
@Brickmasterboy said:
" @560heliport said:
"Some people need to get over the idea that Battle Pack = Army Builder. "
I was gonna say something like this but yes, finally. Don’t get why all of a sudden Battle pack indirectly means army pack. To me, battle packs are small sets with a higher number of figures either dedicated to a good/bad side or a combo of both. More like a starter pack for a battle. "
Mostly because that's how the term started in 2007, and stayed that way excepting a brief divergence in 2012/2013. Of the 44 Star Wars battle packs, only 6 were of mixed allegiances.
The premise of battle packs as army builders remained consistent across many other themes, including Chima and Castle.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
"I'd love it if we got more Ninjago battle packs! Imperium Guards and Claw Hunters would work great, although it's a bit too late for that. Maybe they could create some of the earlier armies like the Stone Army or Nindroids if they bring back Legacy. I can hope..."
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s too late for more Imperium content. Dragons Rising looks to be having more of an overarching, connected plot line than the previous self-contained season/set wave stories we’ve gotten in years past. And it would certainly be nice to get more Imperium Guards, given that the model they used for them in the show is based on the minifigure exclusive to 71976 . Meanwhile, the “Guard Commanders” and “Claw Generals” from several sets seem not to exist at all in the animated canon.
This definitely seems like an evolution of the minifigure packs Ninjago has done in years past, rather than the Battle Pack concept as it’s usually seen. Of course, Ninjago lacks the massive hero/ally factions of themes like Star Wars or Middle-Earth, so it’s kind of hard not to feature named characters in every set."
I don't doubt we'll see more of Imperium in DR but we've never had a wave returning to previous villains like that. As much as I'd like it I don't have much hope. That is strange though about the Guard being exclusive. Maybe if it does happen it'll be a more Imperium focused wave, I'd like to see some vehicles or Imperium itself.
I see that I left something out of my previous comment. I meant that the back of Jay's outfit reminds me of the "flight suits" in Pacific Rim.
@Andrusi said:
" @AverageChimaEnjoyer said:
"It's not a battle pack because you can't army build with repeat figures!!!"
Not with that attitude!"
Any set is an army builder if you have the right attitude... and enough money.
Four minifigs and a build for € 10? Great value!
One of my favourite Ninjago sets in years. Extremely affordable price (not very often these days) and the minifigures are amazing, a sample of everything this wave has to offer)
I bought this set a few days ago with 71802 and I must say, the villain minifigures have amazing designs. The mech is a bit skinny in areas but nothing a couple spare pieces won't fix up.
Great value!
@EnterTheSerpent said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
"I'd love it if we got more Ninjago battle packs! Imperium Guards and Claw Hunters would work great, although it's a bit too late for that. Maybe they could create some of the earlier armies like the Stone Army or Nindroids if they bring back Legacy. I can hope..."
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s too late for more Imperium content. Dragons Rising looks to be having more of an overarching, connected plot line than the previous self-contained season/set wave stories we’ve gotten in years past. And it would certainly be nice to get more Imperium Guards, given that the model they used for them in the show is based on the minifigure exclusive to 71976 . Meanwhile, the “Guard Commanders” and “Claw Generals” from several sets seem not to exist at all in the animated canon.
This definitely seems like an evolution of the minifigure packs Ninjago has done in years past, rather than the Battle Pack concept as it’s usually seen. Of course, Ninjago lacks the massive hero/ally factions of themes like Star Wars or Middle-Earth, so it’s kind of hard not to feature named characters in every set."
I don't doubt we'll see more of Imperium in DR but we've never had a wave returning to previous villains like that. As much as I'd like it I don't have much hope. That is strange though about the Guard being exclusive. Maybe if it does happen it'll be a more Imperium focused wave, I'd like to see some vehicles or Imperium itself. "
Perhaps you've forgotten 2016's Day of the Departed ;)
I do hope they'll make some sort of Imperium D2C though
@Torrent_Studios said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
" @EnterTheSerpent said:
"I'd love it if we got more Ninjago battle packs! Imperium Guards and Claw Hunters would work great, although it's a bit too late for that. Maybe they could create some of the earlier armies like the Stone Army or Nindroids if they bring back Legacy. I can hope..."
I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s too late for more Imperium content. Dragons Rising looks to be having more of an overarching, connected plot line than the previous self-contained season/set wave stories we’ve gotten in years past. And it would certainly be nice to get more Imperium Guards, given that the model they used for them in the show is based on the minifigure exclusive to 71976 . Meanwhile, the “Guard Commanders” and “Claw Generals” from several sets seem not to exist at all in the animated canon.
This definitely seems like an evolution of the minifigure packs Ninjago has done in years past, rather than the Battle Pack concept as it’s usually seen. Of course, Ninjago lacks the massive hero/ally factions of themes like Star Wars or Middle-Earth, so it’s kind of hard not to feature named characters in every set."
I don't doubt we'll see more of Imperium in DR but we've never had a wave returning to previous villains like that. As much as I'd like it I don't have much hope. That is strange though about the Guard being exclusive. Maybe if it does happen it'll be a more Imperium focused wave, I'd like to see some vehicles or Imperium itself. "
Perhaps you've forgotten 2016's Day of the Departed ;)
I do hope they'll make some sort of Imperium D2C though"
I wouldn't compare DotD since they were very broad in their appearances, trying to cover nearly everyone in 6 sets. I see this as being more along the lines of, say, if we got sets with the Serpentine based on their appearances in seasons 2 and 3.
I think an Imperium D2C would be a great choice, though I'm looking forward to the Tournament Temple City. As much as I like the City sets there's so much more they could be doing!