Review: 41488 Master Wu
Posted by TheBrickPal,
The 2017 BrickHeadz assortment is rounded off by the second and final based on The LEGO NINJAGO Movie, 41488 Master Wu. The wise but wise-cracking mentor of the ninja team, Wu comes to life in all his blocky goodness alongside his nephew, 41487 Lloyd.
When pictures first emerged at the beginning of the month, Wu stood out to me as a decent BrickHead, but not one that was very interesting. Has my opinion changed? Time to review!
The Completed Model
Like the BrickHeadz before him, Master Wu comes with a black, printed base. However, instead of being 4x6 like most, it is 6x6 like Lloyd’s. The location pinpoint designates the set as a retail exclusive for Toys R Us, although this set can be purchased online and in LEGO Brand Stores as well!
When looking over the entire figure, Wu appears to be a good approximation of his character. I really appreciate the flowing beard, which is achieved with some upside-down building. The robe is also represented nicely; most of it is white, except for the multiple shades of grey as lining.
However, a few sections of the model are quite disappointing upon closer inspection. Wu is a character that has existed solely as a LEGO minifigure before now, so the addition of ears is very awkward to me. Why? Well, quite simply, minifigs don’t have any visible ears! I understand that LEGO gave the BrickHeadz based on The LEGO Batman Movie ears too, but at least those were interpreting characters who were regular humans in their original works. I suppose you could easily remove them and replace them with regular tiles... if you have those! If you don’t, and don’t like the ears either, it can be a little annoying.
I don’t think Wu’s hat was made in the best way, either. While I appreciate its construction, with the use of the actual rice hat piece that the minifig usually wears, to represent the tip of its scaled up version, some lined texture printing on the two ‘radar dishes’ would have been preferable.
I also struggle to understand why Wu lacks any eyebrows, which could have easily been printed above the eyes.
On the inside, Wu is made up of the same side-building goodness that you would expect from the other sets in the line. On top, he has some padding for his bald head, consisting of newer, curved dark red tiles! This is an unexpected detail that you wouldn’t see unless you chose to display Wu without his hat - but for MOCists, these pieces are wonderful!
Another similarity to Lloyd is a printed brick for the center of Wu’s robe - a 1x2x2 brick, instead. Marvelous details abound!
From the back, Wu’s design is a bit less busy, with mostly blank pieces barring the 1x4 printed Secret Ninja Force logo brick. It’s simple, but effective.
Finally, the Master of Creation is equipped with his traditional walking stick in a 6L brown bar, which doubles as a flute - playing the likes of Hard Knock Life and We Got The Power!
Verdict
41488 Master Wu is a decent set. He is by no means awful, but indeed a mixed bag. There are parts to him I love, and parts that are pretty bad, in my personal opinion. However, there is no doubt that Wu has charm.
I can only heavily recommend Wu if you are a LEGO NINJAGO Movie and/or BrickHeadz collector, or happen to really like him as a character. Otherwise, I think one could easily pass on this guy!
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
Thanks to my good friend MC_Survival_man for the photos.
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5 comments on this article
Cool, though I personally think Lloyd's Brickhead is better.
I honestly don’t understand the whole hating ears thing. I’ve been a Ninjago fan since the beginning and these little slopes don’t bother me a bit. It must just be a pet peeve.
^ You must really not understand if you posted it three times! :P
I understand that it’s your opinion, but it’s not a pet peeve - it’s an actual con of mine regarding the set, and something that could have easily been avoided. It’s my review, after all...
Hate all these.
Anybody know when these are available in the UK.