Review: 71792 Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer
Posted by CapnRex101,
Mechs and motorbikes are essential to NINJAGO and 71792 Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer combines the two! The resulting design appears remarkably successful on the whole, particularly given the beautiful livery of white, dark blue and coral.
In addition, only new characters are included, so the set should provide an enjoyable introduction to the new season. After all, the price of £42.99, $47.99 or €47.99 seems relatively affordable.
Summary
71792 Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer, 384 pieces.
£42.99 / $47.99 / €47.99 | 11.2p/12.5c/12.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
While slightly less impressive than I hoped, Sora's transforming mech is satisfying
- Clever and quick transformation
- Interesting vehicle design
- Excellent minifigures
- Fragile motorcycle mode
- Odd proportions
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Three characters are joining the ninja this season, all of whom are available here! The first of these is Sora, a skilled inventor and unexpected Elemental Master. This minifigure is instantly eye-catching because of its exceptional detail. The coral and pearl gold straps across her torso and legs look superb and I love Sora's headgear, reflecting her apparent affinity with cats.
Another cat symbol appears on her back, resembling the grumpy cat introduced in Friends this year! Arin is dressed in more traditional ninja garb and a dragon design wraps around his torso, reminiscent of the ninja's memorable DX robes. Arin's name appears in stylised Ninjargon letters on his back too. This character sports a unique head wrap though, incorporating dual-moulded horns on the front.
Both heroes feature asymmetrical arms, which is always something I think gives a minifigure more personality. Sora's mechanical arm seems particularly striking, intricately decorated with segmented armour. The two minifigures are armed with pairs of katana and Arin also includes a rubber grappling hook. This accessory lacks many connection points, but hooks over anything bar shaped with ease.
Dragons have always been a popular aspect of NINJAGO, but a baby dragon seems certain to be more popular than ever! Baby Riyu appears suitably adorable, featuring small wings and a stubby tail, protected by armour plates. I like the dragon's sand blue colour and scattered dark blue scales, both of which contrast against his bright green eyes.
Rapton is among the leading members of the Imperium, so wears the advanced technological armour associated with this faction. The chest armour component is new and includes superb moulded detail, complementing the metallic gold designs printed underneath. These continue across the legs, alongside dark bluish grey panels.
The same colours are shared between all Imperium characters, so I appreciate that uniformity. Rapton stands out in the crowd though, especially given his conspicuous white hair, which is a piece not available in white before. Additionally, his golden visor looks wonderfully sinister, even with an emotionless facial expression.
Alternatively, the head can display a decidedly emotional face, presenting bared teeth! Rapton carries an Imperium sword, dual-moulded with pearl dark grey and trans-orange plastics. The weapon's angular shape looks great and provides versatile attachment points on the pommel and immediately above the hilt.
The Completed Model
Rapton's transport seems underdeveloped. Known as a hover chariot, the vehicle lacks armour and its heavy armament of four stud shooters looks hopelessly imbalanced. However, I find the oversized weaponry quite charming in some respects, especially since Lord Ras pilots a similar craft in 71793 Heatwave Transforming Dragon.
A sticker is applied on the pentagonal tile at the front, featuring a jagged pattern that matches designs on Rapton's torso. The whole vessel is very angular and possesses a distinctive style, but should still have included additional armour. Also, I dislike that the minifigure must stand to grip the handlebars because they cannot reach them when seated aboard the chariot.
Sora's motorcycle measures 21cm in length, which is substantial, even by the standard of the numerous huge motorbikes created for NINJAGO. This colour scheme of white, dark blue and coral looks fantastic and corresponds with Sora's minifigure, as do the pearl gold accents. I like the general shape of the bike as well, which hides the rear wheels behind the bodywork.
However, viewing the model from either side reveals some noticeable gaps and it is obvious there is more to the motorcycle than first appears. The feet of the mech stand out awkwardly towards the back and I imagine those could have folded more tidily. On the other hand, some compromises were inevitable on a transforming vehicle.
The angle of the nose is appealing and I like the curved bodywork, which transitions smoothly into the canopy. Furthermore, the stickers applied to continue the cat iconography from Sora's minifigure look nice. The stud shooters situated on either flank look awkward though and these are not securely connected to the body, as they will transform into the arms. With only a single connection point behind the cockpit, the arms are easily dislodged.
The ball joints supporting the arms are also frustratingly exposed, as shown below. The angled bodywork underneath is interesting though, shrouding a pair of wheels in the middle. Also, the legs are attached more tightly than the arms. They do move, of course, but usually only when intended, rather than accidentally.
The mech configuration is unlike anything seen in NINJAGO before, which is remarkable, given the number of mechs released to date. The transformation is very simple, as the legs separate and swing down beneath the body, while the arms hinge outwards, followed by panels to cover the shoulders. The resulting vehicle remains me a little of D.Va's mech from Overwatch, notably because the arms seem undersized beside the bulky torso.
I find the proportions of the model slightly strange, although this departure from other mechs is welcome, as the vast majority are closer to humanoid. Moreover, the mech measures 15cm tall, excluding the flags mounted on top, which feels great for play. The articulation is reasonable too, but knee joints are absent and the feet are not as stable as I had hoped.
Fortunately, the shoulder and elbow joints provide a good range of motion. The position of the shoulder joints is unusual though, towards the very back of the mech's elongated body. I think these should have been further forwards, perhaps rotating into place beside the cockpit during the transformation between motorcycle and mech modes.
Despite their odd position, I like the angled armour protecting the shoulder joints, connected to the body via hinge plates. The flags in between are also articulated and decorated with Sora's name, written in Ninjargon. Sora sits comfortably in the cockpit, although there are no controls, which is disappointing given the ample space inside.
Proportionally, I actually find the model more attractive from behind. From this angle, the mech looks intentionally stocky, without an enormous chest. Also, the detailing is relatively consistent, interrupted only by a few Technic pieces, which are not hidden. The backs of the legs look good in particular, doubtless because they are exposed in the motorcycle configuration.
The wheel on the mech's chest is among my favourite features of this vehicle, showing the potential for transformation. Those mounted on the knees are also positioned well, but they cannot double as rollerblades, unlike the mechs depicted in the animated series. That would have been impressive, but would have required many more moving parts, including flaps to support the mech when standing on the wheels.
Overall
A vehicle which transforms between a mech and a motorcycle provides tremendous potential. 71792 Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer fulfils that potential to a degree, although I think there is potential for improvement. While I find the proportions of the mech somewhat strange, the creative design is appreciated and I love the colours associated with Sora, so I look forward to her inevitable future vehicles.
Unfortunately, there are issues in motorcycle and mech modes. For example, the arms should have been properly anchored against the body in motorcycle configuration, as they feel fragile currently. The price of £42.99, $47.99 or €47.99 feels expensive too, but I am pleased with the minifigures, so would recommend this as an introductory set for the Dragons Rising range, after a discount.
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28 comments on this article
I can't find fault here. Sure, I'd like this to be 5-10 Euros cheaper, but what you get is substantial. The colours and shaping (and the transformation) on the mech are excellent, the minifigs are great, I love the imperium sword and I even like the little side-build. You're right in that the arms do look a bit wobbly, but it shouldn't be too difficult to fix that in post.
The only real problem I have is that I can't look at Rapton and see anything other than "Cable-with-Cyclops'-visor", but I'll admit it, that's on me.
While it's actually a 'Trike' (three wheels, not two; but that's also make the Dodge Tomahawk technically a car...or an type of ATV/Quad), overall not bad; more Robotech/Macross (w/a dash of Akira) and less Exo-Force (and no, I'm not hating on E-F). Also character designs are fairly good, can't wait to se how this 'animates' (been watching the new 'DreamZzz' series; and it's really good...)
“I dislike that the minifigure must stand to grip the handlebars because they cannot reach them when seated aboard the chariot.”
I think that the standing driver is a feature of many chariots from history, including the Roman racing vehicles that were famously used in Ben-Hur.
The color scheme is perfect on this,I love it
"We have 10302 at home."
10302 at home:
I kid, I kid.
I love the detail that the grumpycat sticker design on the front is of a grumpycat sticker with one edge coming loose!
Love it! Reminds me of GoBots!
I don't love that the knees are always locked in one stance. The new part feels like a step backward.
This was the June release set I picked up first, since the cyberpunk vibes of the build and (two of) the figs seemed pretty appealing, and my feeling this review is pretty much correct. I am planning to add some controls myself, since that's not going to be very heavy on parts, and it will improve the look when Sora's at the controls. I think I'd rate the chariot slightly higher than this review did, but I definitely agree the price is a little high- if (unlike me) you have the patience for a discount, it seems worth waiting.
There are four of the new (to me, at least) 2x4 inverted tile in white, although without the stickers these parts of the legs look rather boring, which is a shame if you want them for parts reuse down the road. Maybe I'll pick up a second set if and when it's discounted- the coral parts also feel like they'll be useful.
Anyone else checking in constantly for Arctic reviews? :D
The arms not locking to the side of the bike is a feature, not a bug! In either bike or mech mode, the arms can be aimed in any direction. In bike mode, I bend the elbows just a little so the stud blasters are parallel to the ground.
I swapped out the canopy for the Trans Pink one from 71772 Crystal King.
The proportions of the mech don't bother me, as I've got a fair few Transformers with wonky proportions. Some of the movie ones in particular got really funky. If anything, I rather like the look of it.
I really want to collect these transforming mechs. They look great and I’m sure I’ll find a use for all the parts once I inevitably absorb them into my collection.
Thanks for the review Capn! Great to see some Ninjago.
Personally I don’t particularly like this set, due to how it’s portrayed in the show. Yes this is cool, but the show version is so much cooler and sleeker and I feel like we were absolutely robbed when it comes to this set. Still, cool build but a tad over priced.
Edit - after seeing the review I’ve kinda come round on it, but I still think the jump between animated and physical is way to far. Gonna need some extensive modding.
I personally think this season would be cooler if Rapton was actually Krux from hands of time as we predicted.
Regardless, this is my favourite set from this wave and I can't wait to get it! Thanks for another great review!
This is a nice standalone set, that works regardless of the rest of this Ninjago season, with getting the 2 new hero characters + baby dragon.
Especially the bike reminds me of a more refined build of 70312 : Lance's Mecha Horse (which was pretty much looking like a Technic set mostly due to the cheaper price (€20 in 2016, probably €25-30 now) the build is somewhat simpler.
The parts list and product images show the canopy as Trans-Brown, but this looks like the newer "Trans-Black" variant that is due to replace it, and honestly looks better.
@Andrusi said:
""We have 10302 at home."
10302 at home:
I kid, I kid."
"The freedom to buy more Lego is the right of all sentient beings."
@TeriXeri said:
"This is a nice standalone set, that works regardless of the rest of this Ninjago season, with getting the 2 new hero characters + baby dragon.
Especially the bike reminds me of a more refined build of 70312 : Lance's Mecha Horse (which was pretty much looking like a Technic set mostly due to the cheaper price (€20 in 2016, probably €25-30 now) the build is somewhat simpler.
The parts list and product images show the canopy as Trans-Brown, but this looks like the newer "Trans-Black" variant that is due to replace it, and honestly looks better.
"
The canopy is the old trans-brown. The new trans-black is much darker- on the Pirate Snub Fighter, you can barely see the pilot's nice gold helmet. Despite that, I do like the new color.
@560heliport said:
"
The canopy is the old trans-brown. The new trans-black is much darker- on the Pirate Snub Fighter, you can barely see the pilot's nice gold helmet. Despite that, I do like the new color."
I guess your right, the snub fighter variant does look a LOT darker.
Still, I read somewhere that that snub fighter "Trans-Black" variant could be replacing Trans-Brown eventually , probably for all sets released after 2024. (so winter 2025 sets)
It really seems to vary depending on review / lighting, as i've seen reviews of 71780 : Kai's Ninja Race Car EVO on one video it looks brownish, on other it looks more dark-blueish (like this review)
I was really excited for this set in particular when the sets were revealed, since this one came with a large section of the main cast, but the model itself looks weird and a bit lacking in places.
I think this set isn't based off of Sora's mech during her race in the first episode of Dragons Rising, rather, its transformed mode after Sora discovers her powers. Her original mech had wheels for feet, while the transformed version had the wheels as jetpacks mounted on the back. Still, the final product that we got in this set looks barely anything like Sora's actual vehicle at any point in the show, so that's disappointing.
Spoilers for the new season ahead, Sora is the elemental master of...technology? Why is that a thing? I guess I need to watch the new season soon because this sounds absurd. Hopefully they write it well.
Another review which forces me to find more space on my want list! Thank you--I think :-P
I Sense that this is just the beginning for NinjaGo!
Really great set, from what I've seen in the community it's the very fan favorite so far! While I myself consider it the highlight of the wave I still gotta agree with the price being too much and will have unfortunately have to wait for discounts. At least it's a good thing that with both DREAMZzz and Dragons Rising the only thing holding the sets back is the pricing.
@PhantomBricks said:
"Spoilers for the new season ahead, Sora is the elemental master of...technology? Why is that a thing? I guess I need to watch the new season soon because this sounds absurd. Hopefully they write it well."
SPOILERS
Yeah, Dragons Rising changes a lot of things we used to take for granted! The cast of the show throughout the episodes is very visibly confused about the character of Wyldfyre having the same powers as Kai, although the fanbase was very quick to point out that she could be the elemental master of heat - so it may be that we are getting really technical elements or the theory isn't true and we're actually getting repeats. Sora introduces elemental powers of something invented entirely by humans and people are considering the possibility of Arin being the elemental master of spinjitzu. The Merge changed up a lot of things and it will only get weirder as we're only on the first half of the first season so far and one interview mentions the possibility of even more ninja appearing in the future.
Looks nice.
Gonna buy this for parts those stickers look amazing
Colour scheme looks really nice, also works well with the stickers. Some amazing mech MOCs are going to come from this