Review: 70323 Jestro's Volcano Lair
Posted by TheBrickPal,
Nexo Knights has already provided a few dozen sets in its first two waves alone! All of them, even the smallest, have fantastic quality. The largest set of this first year of the theme, 70323 Jestro's Volcano Lair, is no exception. But what about the set particularly stands out?
Allow the Knighton News Network to help us journey into the inner sanctum of the lava monster army and find out. TheBrickPal out! Off to you, Herb...
Introduction
Here's the latest from the Knighton News Network! Corrupted court jester Jestro, his Book of Monsters, spy Lavaria and the rest of the villainous lava monsters have assembled at their dark volcano lair. In possession of captured spell books, they scheme their next nefarious plot to rule Knightonia and the rest of the kingdom. Can knights Macy Halbert, Lance Richmond and Axl use their special Nexo Powers and vehicles to stop the monsters once and for all? I'm Herb Herbertson, and this is NEXOOOOO KNIGHTS!
/BZZZZZZT/HACKING DETECTED/BZZZZZZZZZZZT/
MWAHAHAHAHAHA! It is I, Jestro, the baddest bad guy in the realm, taking over the airwaves of that stupid Knighton News Network! I hear you want to know more about my magnificent lair, hm? Why, if you say so!
Minifigures
First, I must let you in on those involved in my ultra-evil plan, to ensure you know EVERYTHING about my VEEEEEEERY evil empire, what we are trying to accomplish, and our arch enemies! What, Book of Monsters? You say that's a bad idea? WHY THANK YOU! I have a lot of very very bad ideas... the baddest ever! MWAHAHA...
Do you know who we must begin with? Myself, Jestro, of course! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA-*coughs*-ugh, sorry. ANYWAY. Who else did you think? And puh-LEEZ don't say those puny Nexo Knights. They are no match for my baaaaad glory, or my cool spikey staff!
And if you don't know about me... I was once the jester of King Halbert's royal court. I guess I still am, anyway. I never resigned. Anyway, no one liked my jokes, and I felt like a fool. I WAS, er, AM a fool, anyway, so that's not a very good simile. BUT, ALL THAT IS BEHIND ME NOW! Now I am the feared leader of an evil army! Kneel before me... I said KNEEL!
Not at my BACKSIDE, you... you... nevermind, there are children watching, I mean, reading this! Wait a second, what medium am I using to present this review, again?! TV? An online database and news site made and perused by NERDS? Whatever. I can't remember what I hacked into, or how I did it. Dumb brain. Anyway, my backside does look amazing as well! Moving on...
We continue with the Book Keeper. I THINK he's supposed to keep our books, but hey, what do I know? He's pretty cool, some might say cute... but eh, I've seen cooler monsters. And cuter - LAVARIA, AM I RIGHT?! ...Did I just say that out loud?
And speaking of Lavaria... what do you know, here she is now! What, Lavaria? No, I didn't say anything about you, absolutely nothing at all... AHEM.
*drools*
Good, she's gone. Isn't she beautiful? Everything anyone could want in a minifig! That printing... man. Wait, we're still recording this? I have got to stop rambling on.
And then there's the Ash Attackers... I don't know why I created them, to be honest. I mean, they're barely competent at their jobs! They just keep getting crushed. Those helmets are neat though, I want one!
Behold my adorable little Scurriers! They're not too helpful either, but we keep them around. I can't say I've seen that black type before...
And now we have the Nexo Knights. I won't bore you...much...with them - same pathetic armor they've used in their past battles with me.
What a wimp that Macy Halbert is! A princess as a knight? Give me a break! But that mace is cool... why do they get all the cool stuff?
That Lance Richmond's stuck-upness will be the end of him! Ooh, but that lance itself ain't half bad...
Axl! Gotta admit it bud, you're pretty dope. BUT I WILL CRUSH YOU. First I'm gonna need muscles like yours...
...WHY AM I FANBOYING OVER THEM?! MOVING ON.
The Completed Model
Mace Slammer
It's sleek... it's fast... but it won't defeat me! This Mace Slammer has just been released from the lab of the Fortrex and even has dreaded flick fire missiles and a central sphere launcher. Those flick fire missiles are SUCH a thorn in my side! No, literally, they hurt me just like thorns.
Hover Horse
These Hover Horses are pretty commonly used by those Nexo Nopes... my monsters Beast Master, Sparkks, Infernox and even Flama have all been easily defeated by these things! So it's unfortunate news that brute Axl is using one for this mission. I'll alert my monsters, they'll deal with him real nicely!... er, badly. You know what I mean!
It truly is a work of art, though. Why can't my monsters design stuff such as this? I'll need to get Whiparella working...
Nexo Powers
General Magmar has just given me the intel of what ridiculous powers the knights are going to 'try' to defeat me with this time around... it's the most so far! GULP. How that Mer-loser enjoys to torture me.
- Flash Cannon: A intense beam of light is emitted from the shield damaging and blinding all enemies in a straight line.
- Jungle Dragon: The knight leaves a trail of poisonous liquid on the ground, damaging enemies who walk on it. After an enemy gets hit three times by the poisonous liquid, vines emerge from the poison to immobilise it.
- Banana Bomb: The knight place a banana (trap) on the ground. When an enemy approach the banana, it explodes, dealing damage to the enemy and healing the knight a bit.
- Fire Tornado: The knight summons a fiery tornado that moves toward enemies.
- Whirl Wind: The knight summons a whirlwind made of axes that draws enemies to it.
- Wall Block: The knight hits the ground and a wall of stone rises from the ground in front of him.
Volcano Lair
ENOUGH OF THOSE NEXO KNIGHTS AND THEIR FANCY-SMANCY GADGETS! Now is the time to show you my volcano lair in its evil entirety! Sure, the place may look like a incoherent mess, but it all is like that for a reason... you'll see! Watch your step on that staircase to the right - I've created a spinning saw-blade mechanism to stop any unwanted trespassers from entry. MWAHAHA!
The tower on the left has been designed to provide easy access to the stolen spell books my army and I have acquired!
Of course, there's a target for that stupid Mace Slammer to blast its way in and get them back... but why would the knights want to do that? That would be very mean! I would DEFINITELY have my revenge if that were to happen!
And if anybody DARES and SUCCEEDS entering my lair's territory, no matter... a trapdoor has bin built into the bridge above!
Pull that axle (no, not the knight) to the left of the tower and oooooops; there goes a minifig plunging down into the spinning abyss! How does it spin, I hear you say? Gears, which you will see later on! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! It's genius, no?
Even higher up, we have my very own evil-looking throne! I feel like a king from up here; and an even better king than old fleabag Halbert, at that!
And my throne even has a little bonus - it can detach from my lair and I can make a quick escape! After all, I do love to retreat.
I even gave Lavaria her own little front row seat to witness the action, too, which launches Globlin discs. And that gift has absolutely nothing to do with my little crush on her... GOSH, I NEED TO CUT THAT OUT.
The interior of my lair has even more madness! I've installed a nifty jail cell behind the staircase just in case I catch any of those knights.
I just fail to understand WHY it was designed with a handle to knock down the wall... it's almost like someone behind the scenes WANTS the knights to escape!
On the other side is a little weapon holder. And hey, a spider! Right next to that, I've imprisoned a chicken to cook in the pot, and a banana for a quick snack. Mmmmm, chicken... reminds me of that Robin kid.
On the first floor of the central tower is my personal living corners, with a checkered bed that is SO cozy! Trust me, you wouldn't believe how comfortable sleeping under those tiles is at night until you've tried it yourself. And DON'T ask me why my bed is downstairs instead of upstairs... okay, I'll spill the beans - Burnzie designed the floor plan. Finally, on my bedside table I have a cup of coffee. An evil mastermind's gotta have his morning caffiene!
On the second floor is the room where we keep all our treasure and extra weaponry. I promise that all of this was obtained legally!
On the third and final floor you can also see my big, white bathtub. It's complete with a rubber ducky - wait, is that what it is? It's either that or a yellow frog... yellow frogs are gross, yuck! I better throw that out. The Book of Monsters says I'm a baby for having it, but on closer inspection I'm pretty manly for playing with a FROG of all creatures!
Verdict
The Book of Monsters is telling me that we're losing connection... coincidentally just as I finished going over everything! BUT WAIT, NO NO NO, I HAVEN'T EVEN GIVEN A VERDICT YET! Bottom line, buy my volcano lair, I mean, visit my volcano lair... I MEAN, ASSOCIATE YOURSELF with my volcano lair. Or what, you ask? Or you'll be sorry you messed with Jestro the very very bad!! YOU'LL REGRET IT, I SWEA-
/BZZZZZZT/TRANSMISSION FAILED/BZZZZZZZZZZZT/
Welp, looks like we got back our control of the review. Thank you Jestro for that... shall I say insightful look! Anyway, allow me to share my opinion of the set, since that's what you all came here for, right?
Well, I'll outright say that 70323 Jestro's Volcano Lair is spectacular. I'm usually a bit biased when LEGO makes location-based sets rather than their typical repetitive vehicles, but this is one of the best. All of the details are great, like the lava flow and masonry bricks. The color scheme is also nice and appropriate. As well, there are plenty of amazing play features and minifigures (a few being exclusive) which both allow tons of roleplaying opportunities. Combining the scene with the rest of the Nexo Knights lineup, especially the other lava monster models, is also a great idea and this would for sure make an impressive centerpiece for a display. At what I'd call a fair price of $119.99 / £99.99 for 1186 pieces, a lot of which are interesting and/or uncommon... what's not to like? You get quite the bang for your buck.
In the end, I think this is a definitely worthy purchase among the other equally superb expensive sets releasing this summer. Regardless of whether you are a fan of Nexo Knights or not, I strongly advise looking into getting this set. Strip away the high-tech vehicles and knights and it can easily pass for a fantasy-era bad guy castle set, if that's what you're into. However, the knights' vehicles in this set, especially the Hover Horse, are splendid too but I understand they're not everyone's cup of tea.
Nexo Knights has been a near-perfect theme as far as I'm concerned and this is definitely one of the greatest sets thus far. This is a surprising thing for me to say considering the rest of the theme has been so great too! A thumbs-up from me, LEGO...
Thanks to CapnRex101 for the photos. Look forward to my Mixels, Ninjago and more Nexo Knights summer set reviews next!
47 likes
58 comments on this article
Well... I don't like it. I like Jestro's Evil Mobile, but this one is too messy and has a coarsely hewn shape. If it has shape at all.
This set has a flaming Sarlacc (as it appeared before "remastering")! Neat set, but I won't be picking it up. Too many other nice sets this summer.
@thebrickpal
this is a good review about one of the best sets this year
(at least it looks like one of the best sets this year)
I like the format to the review. Will definitely get the set
@legoverslinder @James"Bucky"Barnes Thank you guys! I indeed try. :-) It's incredibly hard to predict how people will react to unusual styles of reviews such as this, so I'm glad I have at least a couple fans!
This review was hilarious! Your characterization was spot-on!
As for the set itself... I dunno. Despite having all sorts of neat features (including the kinds of homey features I usually appreciate like a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen), it just doesn't "wow" me as much as some of the other Nexo Knights sets. The set as a whole just feels less refined than sets like the Fortrex or General Magmar's Siege Machine. To compare to a similar set in a different theme, I much prefer the more orderly floor plan and better organized color scheme of Ragana's Magic Shadow Castle from the Elves theme.
Love the review nice to have a different style
I appreciate the attempt at an unusual style but as a review this is all but useless. There is very little opinion and when we finally get your views on the set they seem gushing rather than reasoned. You also seem to have missed quite a few details.
Brickset has a reputation for excellent and informative reviews so this is disappointing for me, although I'm glad that others seem to be enjoying it.
Haha, great review! I only have the Knight's Cycle polybag from the Nexo Knights range, because it came with a relative's Daily Mail, so I'm relatively new to the theme. Hope I can pick this up after I get the Spiderman bridge battle set. Love the review style by the way, I realise these types aren't for everyone but I personally love to see them when they pop up every now and then.
Great review! The in-character reviewing style is really cheesy, and you know what? I love it anyway. :P It certainly didn't prevent you from going into great detail about all the set's features!
As for the set, it's easily one of the most fantastic LEGO castles I've seen, even if it's not fully enclosed on all sides The architecture is fantastic what with the staircases wrapping around the central lava pit, though it could use a few more staircases or ladders to provide access to the interior bedroom and bathroom. The inclusion of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen sets it apart from most previous LEGO castles — only http://brickset.com/sets/41180-1/Ragana-s-Magic-Shadow-Castle feels more livable! Why can't actual LEGO Castle sets ever have this level of interior detail?
If there's one thing I'd criticize about the castle architecturally, it's that Lavaria's turret feels a bit tacked on. I'm not sure where would've been a better place to integrate it, as sticking it off the side like this does give it an impressive range of motion and avoids it blocking any of the walkways. But it still stands out as one of the weaker parts of this set's design. The wall all by itself on the left side is also a little suspect — I wouldn't mind it so much if it could fold flat against the rest of the castle for a more compact look, but instead it's just sort of… there.
The minifigure selection in this set is pretty good, IMO. As far as the knights are concerned, it's good to have another source for Macy and Axl. We didn't necessarily need another Lance (he's already in four other sets), but he's a good fit for this set as he makes an ideal "damsel in distress" to lock in the dungeon. Anything to take his ego down a peg!
As for the monsters, not sure we needed more Ash Attackers (they're in so many sets already!), but at the same time I recognize they're the most formidable-looking of the generic lava monster soldiers. This is the only set to include the Book Keeper or the non-Ultimate version of Lavaria, both of which are much appreciated additions to Jestro's army. I love Scurriers, so having more of those (including a new design) is fantastic. And of course, having the Book of Monsters and two other magic books is always nice, even if they're all ones we've seen in other sets!
It's cool that Axl gets his own horse, and it's clever how they adapted the handlebars to fit his wider shoulders. With this wave, there's a horse for each of the main knights, and while that might be a bit repetitive I think it's pretty neat. Macy's vehicle is a nice design and really embodies her "mace" motif, better even than her signature vehicle http://brickset.com/sets/70319-1/Macy-s-Thunder-Mace.
1186 parts for $120 might not hit that magic 10-cents-per-piece threshold, but it's still a pretty good value for a set this size, and those parts go to good use fleshing out the interior and exterior. I look forward to adding this set to my collection!
In my opinion, location based playsets tend to feel a bit cramped and incomplete, however this one is definitely an exception to that rule. I will probably wait for a nice discount though, since my main focus is on Star Wars sets.
@JClay84 I do not see any missed details. Also, I GAVE my full opinion. And that's actually all a review is; an opinion. I 'gushed' because I really do love this set, and I barely see much wrong with any of it so I did not mention any cons. That's my opinion. My opinion is not 'useless', as you say. You are completely allowed to have your own opinion of the set, too!
Very funny review. This is actually a very fun and detailed set, here, and I really like how it's not crammed into a small space.
Um, what's the mechanism for the lava-Sarlacc?
The review and its cheeky style kept me entertained throughout, even though "I couldn't care less" about Nexo Knights. After this showcase of the sets charms, I might pick it up on sale next year.
^^ I know I (Jestro :P) mentioned it, but you must have missed that. Anyway, it spins when the gear on the side is turned.
Great job on the review, and awesome looki set!
I really enjoyed your review! And i will definately get this set when i find it with a bit of a discount
The color scheme is simple with the black, dark grey and trans-orange pieces but I think the end result is messy. Weird review.
Though I hated the theme when I first saw the low-resolution images, but once it got cleared and seen all the sets for the first wave and now the second its having a BAD ASS-sets, I really loved each single set. This is definitely a favourite set if I had a place for it.
Oh, thanks TheBrickPal. Hey, I wonder... do any of the other sets "combine" with this one, or even just go well with it like the Doc Ock mech and the Bridge Battle?
Awesome review and set!
My only question is: where did you get it?? I can't find it on Legoshop or any other online shop, and I'm from the US and I was led to believe new stuff would be out June 1st :(
I've been waiting six months for new Nexo stuff...
This style of review is not for me. I expected a much shorter and more objective review. This type of fan fiction can stay in the LEGO forums or in the user reviews. (Everyone's a critic)
Regardless, I plan on picking this up once it hits the typical 25-30% of range.
@PicnicBasketSam: I don't know about actually connecting, but the enemy fortification in http://brickset.com/sets/70326-1/The-Black-Knight-Mech has a very similar style of architecture and is probably designed to match.
Just as I hoped, it's almost as good(or should I say evil) as Vladeks Fortress!
Thank you for such cool review!
Very fun review. I could hear Here's voice when reading the first paragraph. This set looks great! I wish I didn't have to wait until August for it to be released in the US...
I can't help but notice that the torso printing on Lavaria is different from her Ultimate version. No glowing lava lines, and the black scales are gone...
Came in to say, that even though this kind of reviewing is usually not for me, it kinda grew on me while reading this. I didn't think this set looked too exciting but your review made me actually think twice, after seeing the pictures and reading the review, I'm feeling more positive towards this set!
Not a fan at all of Nexo Knights, but this set looks pretty good. I love the castle and I love all of the lava pieces too.
@Cindipool: Yep! The Ultimate versions of the monsters are all different than the standard versions. Ultimate Beast Master has different legs than standard Beast Master (with heavier armor that matches the Globlin pattern on his torso), Ultimate Flama is predominantly yellow while standard Flama is predominantly red, and Ultimate General Magmar has much different torso and leg patterns than standard General Magmar.
Fantastic, atmospheric-looking set, with all the lava pieces! I'm not so sure about the spinning saw-blade as it seems to just hang there, but maybe it's better in motion. The Sarlac pit is awesome, and I'm surprised by how much I like all the little domestic details - to me it fits with Jestro's character (as I see it, I've only seen a couple of episodes of the show and read the first magazine), because under all the evil machinations, he's this quite timid little guy who just wants to go to bed with his cocoa and have his home comforts...
I think overall the Fortrex has a little more going for it in terms of cool features, so I'll buy that first, but this is a worthy base for the bad guys and will help to make an atmospheric world for battles...
I know those angled pieces are supposed to look like shields...but they look a lot like the "other brand"
Nicely done The Brick Pal, a review that is both fun and somewhat informative.
That is a seriously good set an I think I would want it as soon as it comes to Australia!!
This looks cool, does the Book of Evil comes with the set?
Great review! This looks like another of those " I don't buy this theme but I might have to get this one" sets. It would be interesting to have this and the Vladek set combined.
I very much appreciate this review brickpal. However, I'm not sure I like these reviews from a certain character's perspective. I would much prefer a review that tells me about the set and is straight to the point. Now don't get me wrong, I really enjoy all the reviews that the brickset team do, its just I think a review that only describes the set and gives an opinion is better.
I love it when the reviews occasionally get left-of-centre like this one.
I doubt I'll buy it (space considerations, mostly) but I love location-based sets as well, particularly actual villain bases (because it feels like we don't get many of them), and this one looks really good.
I'll be honest, though. My favourite badguy, in terms of overall visual design, is the Ash Attacker fellow. I know in the Nexo Knights storyline, he's just a general grunt troop, but I love the body design and helmet, and everything about him just screams "evil villain" to me.
I like this more now since reading you funny review, @ 1st I didn't understand that it was in interview form & I appreciated it, & enjoyed the look of the household stuff which seems a bit out of place! The mini-fig selection is good to since Axle is uncommon, however I would rather get Axle's Tower Carrier because I prefer vehicle sets. Beside my personal opinion it was a very well thought out review, & only having watched the 1st episode it really does seem like Jestro!
Hilarious review! The set itself looks okay...
Thanks for your comments about the style of this review. I think it's great that we have so many talented writers providing them for us who write in different styles. They won't be to everyone's taste all the time, but that's fine.
Really great review! Super neat to see the entire thing written in jestro's persona. Just adds that much more detail and interest. I'm very impressed.
Well, I love the review and love the set. When I first saw images of this set I knew I needed it! I ordered it on day one and I'm waiting for delivery. Super excited.
I don't understand those criticising saying that the review is too gushing! If someone loves a set, then why can't the reviewer give heaps of praise?!
Thanks and I'm looking forward to more reviews. I've just built the Magma Siege of doom. I love it!
@TheBrickPal I don't mind the style of this review so kudos there but do you actually own the set? I bought it on June 1st and you've missed out tons of details about it in this review that suggests you don't own it. You didn't take the photos either which leaves me unsure.
I actually don't like it as much as I had expected as a lot of the finishing feels quite sloppy and the functions are kind of boring. Still, I've got a complete Nexo Knights collection so far and it's mostly a very good theme.
I thought the review was fine. I would have liked a bit more details about the construction, things like that, in which case maybe a constant bickering between the reviewer and Jestro would have been better. Dialogue papers are considered a great way to really dig into a topic, and by having the reviewer highlight critical spots and pointing out building techniques, jestro could constantly interrupt to say how cool the set is, and to point out cool features. Still though, the review was fine. Kept me interested for the whole review, which is more than I can usually say about a set that I am not particularly interested in, usually I'd just check the pictures.
clever review, sub-par set :/
Sub par?
What does that mean
@James"Bucky"Barnes it means good but not great
Thanks
Whenever I read this review, I feel like I'm reading the self-demonstrating character pages on TV Tropes.
Nice gimmick used for the review. The set looks fantastic too. So many sets, so little money...
While I appreciate the effort to try something different with the style of the review, it is not for me. I prefer factual reviews over stuff like that. I also didn't find anything funny about it, but that's just my personal experience. And to be honest, the whole Nexo Knights theme doesn't appeal to me very much.
Having said that, I quite like this particular set. I look at it and imagine it's just another of the good old bad guys castle sets, and suddenly it seems to work - imho.
I just forget about the futuristic aspects and voila, fun set. I particularly like that lava flow. Might get it once it's available for a discount, possibly towards Christmas :-)
I'd rather prefer a generic style of the review. However, the set looks impressive. I agree that it could be combined with Vladek's Dark Fortress to a good result.
Oh, it's going to be one of those reviews...terrible.
It is refreshing to get a different style of review here and there. I enjoyed reading it.
To get a bathtub, a kitchen and a sleeping room in such a set seems a bit wierd to me. I had expected to see more "evil" instead of the bad guys living a "normal live" at home.
But as someone mentioned in a comment before, I would like to see more such features (living rooms, kitchens, sleeping rooms etc.) in future "real" lego castles, too!
@Straight-6: The bathtub and bedroom are especially fitting for Jestro's lair since Jestro, in the Nexo Knights story, is basically an emotionally vulnerable softie who the Book of Monsters has manipulated into becoming a villain (preying on his insecurities about not really being good at anything else). Things like the cushy bed and rubber duck/frog sort of reinforce that the "real" Jestro is still in there behind his edgy facade, and really wants nothing more than to feel happy.
Gotta be honest, while I hate to be a killjoy, I'm not a fan of this style of review.
I appreciate the effort made to write in-character (which seems to have been done very well) and to inject some humour, but I personally prefer a more typical, objective overview of a set, highlighting the box/contents, build, features, etc.
I love the look of the set, so would appreciate a bit more factual information to help make an informed decision on whether it's worth the outlay or not. For me, this review unfortunately doesn't provide that, so I'll have to look elsewhere...
Thanks for making a great review! You definitely have Jestro's character down! The set looks great, it's a mess in a good way! It definitely looks like something all the monsters would create themselves!
For the record, I didn't like this review format at all, but appreciated the effort. As for the set, it looks messy and despite being a fan of Nexo Knights, my son told me not to buy it for him.