Pre-Release Thoughts

This set was basically my top priority when it came out. The minifigures (HARUMI) really interested me, especially since some of them are rare and/or exclusive.

Build Experience + Model

I had a fun time building this set, even though the build time was quite short. I enjoyed getting the minifigures out of the bags, since they are the standout part of this set.

The throne room itself is quite small, but has a few fun play features like a wall that breaks, hidden sais, and a jail cell. The throne stands out from the rest of the set, it is the centerpiece of the build.

There is space for holding Lloyd's dao and a camera.

Minifigures

The minifigures of this set certainly stand out, especially Harumi and Skylor. Harumi looks exceptional, using a hairpiece that has never appeared in white before. Skylor is also here, and she remains exclusive to this set to this day. Lloyd and Nya are both armed with their weapons, the only difference being that Lloyd has his hairpiece while Nya has her ninja hood. PIXAL is equipped with her two golden katanas.

Value

This set goes for $20, and I feel it is worth it. The build may not provide extensive play or display value, but the incredible minfigures make up for the lack of a substantial build. The price to part ratio is fairly good, although there isn't much volume to this set.

Overall

This set is a satisfying minifigure pack and not much else. It achieves its goal of giving good minifigures for a cheap price. The exclusivity of some minifigures in this set boosts its value. I'd recommend this to any Ninjago fans looking for some cool minifigures.

- Christmaskingcool

So I’ve recently been getting into Ninjago. This set caught my attention as it looked like a really cool minifigure pack kind of set which came with a good set of important characters that I knew I needed to own. I found it at a toy store where they still had it and I got it on sale, I mainly bought this set for the figures and I didn’t expect much from the build, but it actually turned out shockingly enjoyable.

The Build

The Entryway: I think the entryway to the throne room section of the build is the weakest part of the 3. It’s not that bad though, I like the color scheme and other details they added to it. There’s a fence piece in gold and it could easily be knocked out so that your figures could break in, which was a simple but nice play feature. Next to the fence is where you could find a clip to hold a sword. The top uses some roof bricks to make the design look a little more complete which I like, also at the top is a little security camera build which I think was clever in how it’s built and I liked the part usage of the lever piece. A clip is present to the right of the design so that it could connect to the throne. Overall, it’s my least favorite part of the build, but I still like it and it ain’t bad.

The Throne: This throne feels very unique in its design and the way it looks. Part of what makes this throne pretty visually appealing is the use of 4 black sword pieces as decorations behind the seat, as well as 2 of those big blade pieces in pearl gold. Flame pieces are used here and they definitely make the design look more elegant. There’s the “reindeer horns” piece (as I like to call it) in pearl gold at the top of the throne, and when you look at a seated figure at a certain angle, it looks like the figure’s got a crown, that was a pretty subtle and clever detail. One more thing is that there are bars on both sides of the build to receive the clips from the other 2 builds. But that’s not it, because there’s a hidden compartment below the throne that contains a dark grey sai and a key in pearl gold that’s supposed to be for freeing Lloyd from his cell, THAT is a such a simple and clever feature and I love it. Overall, I love this throne, it’s easily my favorite part of the build. It’s simple yet very nice and I like the gold pieces used around the build and the good amount of space to seat the figure well.

The Jail Cell: This portion of the set feels similar to the entrance build, but a slight bit better. The color scheme remains consistent with this build which is always important. I like how there’s 2 steps leading up to the cell. The “bars” of this jail is 4 golden katanas which I thought was an interesting choice, above it is a 1 by 1 printed circular tile of a lock. The design of the bars can move up and down to jail or free Lloyd as they’re attached by clips. The actual inside space of the cell is REALLY small and can only fit one figure, which works perfectly fine. To the left of the build is where a clip could be found, also to attach to the throne. Overall, it’s another simple but nice build. The cell itself is pretty small and it’s a pretty thin build just like the entrance, but it really isn’t a huge problem.

The Minifigs

Skylor: Let’s start off with my favorite and only exclusive figure of the set. Skylor is a character that doesn’t come around often in the Ninjago line, she only came in the Condrai Copter Attack and an accessory set in different outfits and that’s it, so to get a new version in a cheap set was a great idea. The legs are the weakest part of the figure, with no printing unfortunately (weirdly, she also didn’t have any leg detailing in season 9 either) in light orange which is actually a pretty uncommon color. She comes with a utility belt piece in red which is exclusive and I liked getting a new color for that piece. Her torso looks very nicely detailed with a nice light orange robe design and silver scale armor covering the right shoulder area with a very nice shine to it that’s also continued on the back of the torso. A shoulder armor/dual scabbard piece is here in black to hold 2 black katanas. Her facial expressions include a smile and an angry face, both really good exclusive face prints. Her hair is the ponytail piece in red which only came previously in the accessory set, so to get it here was great. Finally, her accessories are 2 silver shurikens. Overall, I’m just glad I got my chance to get Skylor, she’s my favorite minifigure of the set for being the only exclusive one and being a character that we don’t get often.

Harumi: As one of my favorite characters from the show, I'm really happy with the inclusion of Harumi in such a cheap set, she is the only villain and my second favorite figure of the set. Her legs have silver buckles and a dark blue belt printed for the hip. Her torso has 3 belts and dark blue straps with some spikes on it which were all continued to the back, it's some great printing. Her face prints include a stern and angry face which were really fitting for the character, both with what seems to be red face paint across the forehead. The hair is the rubber Spooky Girl hair in white which was very nice to get. Both the faces and the hair piece only other come in the Oni Titan and Gamer’s Market set, so I kind of consider them more uncommon pieces. And finally, her accessory is a red katana with a black tassel attached to it. Overall, she’s a great minifigure with nice pieces on her. This exact version of the figure only other came in Oni Titan, so I appreciate the cheaper alternative way to get her.

Pixal/Samurai X: Pixal is my third favorite figure, she’s not exclusive as she also came in Killow vs Samurai X. Her legs have dark blue, red and white colors on it, and it’s a very nice continuation of the armor design from the torso. The torso uses those colors again for the printing of the armor on the front and back and the design looks very nice. The front of the torso also has the Samurai X symbol printed on the chest. She comes with the shoulder pad/armor piece in pearl gold. Her face is white (since it was printed on a black head, it doesn’t look perfect) with green eyes, some purple lines (or maybe wires) and silver lips that have a shine to it which I like, her alternate face has a mask that looks pretty creepy IMO. She comes with the samurai helmet in black with a white visor and a pearl gold reindeer horns attached to it. Finally, her accessories are 2 golden katanas. Overall, I really like this figure, she has the same deal as Harumi where she isn’t exclusive but a great inclusion as a cheaper alternative way to get her. I wish Lego included her hair piece, but no big deal.

Nya: Nya is my fourth favorite figure, I wouldn’t consider her exclusive since her torso and legs both come in Oni Titan. The legs have sandals printed on the feet, a very scratched up knee pad, a zipper and an overall very tattered design. Her torso has more zippers on there and dark azure lines that are continued to the back printing, it also has the Wu-Cru logo on there. Her face prints are a smirk and a scowling face, I didn’t really like them since both look very similar, especially when you put on the mask, so it doesn’t really offer a secondary face, they fixed this later with the newer Nya figures with a happy expression though. Her mask is the 2 piece ninja mask introduced with Ninjago Movie, with the lower piece being black and the upper piece in pearl dark grey with a black bandanna and her elemental symbol printed on there. Finally, her accessory is a built up spear consisting of a black tassel attached to the end of the bar, a black lightsaber hilt and a sai, all that comes together for a pretty great built up weapon. Overall, she’s another figure with great detailing and a nice variant for Nya. The uncommon pieces on her are pretty good as well, I also like the tattered look of the outfit as it really gives the feel that the ninja are in a pretty desperate/bad situation.

Lloyd: Our last figure is Lloyd, while he’s my least favorite figure, I still think he was a good inclusion, and like Nya, his legs and torso only other come in Oni Titan. His legs have sandals on the feet like Nya, and cracked knee pads which was a nice detail. The torso has a sash across it that’s also continued on the back. Scratches on his armor are also present both on the front and back of the torso with some shine to it, and like Nya, he also has a Wu-Cru logo printed on the torso. His face prints are nothing new or exclusive with the very common angry and confident smile faces used since Ninjago Movie and still being used for the character to this day. Same goes for the hair piece, the one introduced in Ninjago Movie. Finally, his accessory is a pair of handcuffs. Overall, this variant for Lloyd is another great inclusion in the set and I really like the damaged look on his armor, both the ninja’s suits give the impression that they’re indeed being “Hunted”, which is very fitting for the subtheme.

Value for Money

In many ways, this set can be compared to Ninjago City Chase in terms of value. You get 5 minifigures in a 20 dollar set which is just amazing, a similar piece count and a surprisingly substantial build(s) for the price. Look, I don’t even need to tell you that this set’s value is fantastic, 20 dollars is undeniably the perfect price. Unfortunately, this set was priced at 30 dollars for some inexplicable reason where I live, but I got it on a discount down to 20 at least and it’s still worth it for the real full price.

Overall Opinion

This set was way better than my initial expectations before I bought it. It was more than just a minifigure pack, the build is really nice even though the 2 sides of the build can feel a bit too small and thin but that’s just a nitpick honestly, the throne is perfect and so are the minifigures. But is this set better than Ninjago City Chase since I compared this set to it earlier? Yes. While I think the builds in Ninjago City Chase are better, more complete and more appealing to a wide age range, I think the build in this set is more interesting and the minifigures are WAY better in my opinion. I highly recommend this set, and it's definitely a must-have for any Ninjago fan, especially for the minifigures.

This set comes with five figures which is good value for a cheap set.

The minifigures

Lloyd: In this set, Lloyd comes without a hood. His messy blonde hair piece was invented for “The Lego Ninjago Movie” and it looks fantastic. He has the same double-sided expression as in the movie with green eyes and a frown on one side with a grin on the other. I like his torso and leg print, it has dark green and silver armour, printed on a light green body. He has a scimitar as a weapon and a pair of handcuffs.

Nya: This is definitely my favourite minifigure in this set. Nya’s hood is dual moulded with gun metal grey as the primary colour and black highlights. Her expression shows a smile on one side and a frown on the other. Her torso is also gunmetal grey with great detail in silver and light blue. This amazing print continues onto her legs. She has a “built up” spear that uses a gunmetal grey dagger as the point and it ends in a tassel.

Skylor: Skylor is my least favourite figure in this set. She has bright red hair in a ponytail and two expressions, both a frightened expression and a smile. She has a black shoulder plate that holds her two katanas. Her torso print is good with yellow armour and silver plates. She comes with the “Lego Batman Movie” style of belt which I love. The reason this figure disappoints, is that she has no leg print at all, and is the only figure in the set not to do so. As well as her black katanas, she carries silver shurikens.

Samurai X: This is the new Samurai X, not Nya. The helmet looks great, it has a white face mask and a gold crest. When you take off the helmet her first expression is white with red details. The alternate expression shows P.I.X.A.L.’s face proving that she is Samurai X. Unfortunately both expressions are printed on a black head so the print looks pigmented. She has gold shoulder pads, and the torso has a detailed print in white, red and blue which continues down the legs. She has two gold katanas.

Harumi: This is the only villain in the set. Her white hair looks striking and stands out against her black clothes. She has two expressions both with a red line over her eyes, one angry and one neutral. The torso looks great. It has dark blue highlights on a black robe with silver spikes and a belt. She has my favourite leg print of all the characters. It continues the blue highlights from the torso but also has silver buckles around her legs. She has a red katana with a black tassel.

The set

The throne room is built in three sections that can be connected together. The first section is the entry door. It is black and red, with purple details and has a security camera. The gate that blocks the door has a gold pattern on it and is attached loosely so a character can kick it down. The central section of the set is the throne, which is predominantly gold with a red seat. A small compartment hides a dagger and a key. Swords are arranged at the back of the throne which looks striking. A figure can comfortably sit on the throne and two figures can stand beside it. The third and final section is the prison. The design mirrors the doorway which frames the throne section nicely. Golden katanas are used as prison bars to good effect and a printed lock piece is attached to the bars. You can fit a single standing figure behind the bars and as there’s no back to the prison you can remove them easily. There is also space to pose a few figures around the prison.

This set definitely focuses on the figures and getting five figures for $30 aud is a great price. The build itself only adds value to the set and lets you display the figures.

Summary

I bought this set as part of my effort to collect this Ninjago theme completely, not expecting too much of it. Having built it, I was very pleasantly surprised: Five minifigures, a few scenarios to be played out, and a design that could serve as a component in a much bigger display. The build itself was also actually quite fun - more than I expected. Personally I am less of a fan of the purple elements, even though these fit well with the Son of Garmadon theme. Overall, I think this is a good set.

Build experience

The build was quite quick and easy: 30 minutes in total at an easy pace. Bonus for sticker haters: there are no stickers, a rarity in Ninjago sets. Building the throne was IMHO more interesting than I thought it would be. The build of the side-elements was not too repetitive, and there are enough small differences to keep it interesting. The build is rather easy, and I find it likely that many 4 or 5 year olds should be able to finish it.

Minifigures

This set includes 5 minifigures, of which I would guess only 1 - Skylor - is unique. I am not sure about the others, as there is no minifig tab available (yet) at the Brickset page of this set at the time of me writing this review.

Harumi has a nice print on the torso (both sides) and front of the legs. Her hair is of the soft rubbery material that is also used for some of the heads of Star Wars minifigures. Her head has two nice but evil face prints. She is armed with the red katana that seems to be the weapon of choice for many of the Sons of Garmadon villains.

I like the minifigure of Lloyd. In this set he is meant to be shackled, and his face print - or at least one of them - certainly reflects that. Likewise, he has his 'normal' hair, rather than his ninja head gear. I like the prints on the torso (both sides) and legs, which shows some damage to the ninja garb/armor. As a prisoner, he is of course unarmed.

Nya, just like Lloyd, has IMHO an excellent print on the torso and legs. Unlike many of the recent iterations, she now does not wear longer armor, and therefore does not have the cloth piece. She does wear the new style ninja head gear (two piece, lower piece in black). She has a double hear print, and is armed with a very nice spear.

Samurai-X is found in other sets, and AFAIK has the same excellent print on torso and legs, as well as head and armour. He is armed with two golden katanas.

Skylor might well be unique to this set. It is also my favourite minifig. The belt she wears is identical to the ones well known from Lego Batman Movie Batman, but red instead of yellow. I am not sure how unique her bright read hair piece is. She is heavily armed, wearing a two katanas sheathed on her back, and two throwing weapons. I like the print on her torso (front and back), which represents some kind of scale half armour, only covering her right breast/shoulder area. Unfortunately - and frankly I do not understand why - Lego has decided to NOT provide a leg print, which is a shame. The colour of her arms and hands suggests she also wears some kind of protective gear on her arms, and gloves.

The build

I truly like the job the designer has done with the throne and connecting architectural elements. The throne is IMHO excellent, and definitely reflects an Asian design. A nice detail is the hidden compartment. The two 'arches' on the side are fairly common in design, and seen in many other Ninjago sets. I like how the designer has made the difference in the details - one has been turned in a prison/cage to display Lloyd, while the other has more of a look of a balcony. I like the detail of the security camera. Personally, the colour scheme is not my favourite, but the design is good, and pieces could easily be swapped out for other colours. All the architectural elements could also be incorporated in a bigger Trone Room or Palace of one's own creation. In that respect the availability of the instructions on-line is a blessing.

Play vs display

The amount of minifigures and the size of the set make clear this is a play set. The set, for its small size offers some play features (the camera, the hidden compartment and the prinsoner's cage) but above all the many minifigures. Perhaps play value couls have been greater if one more bad guy (or bad girl) had been included, or one of the good guys (or rather girls) had been swapped for a bad guy/girl. That said, it could easily be incorporated (and modified) into a MOC for display.

The verdict

Overall this is IMHO a good set, and - after having built it - reminded me of the Ninjago City Chase set (set 70607); quite cheap, and many minifigures. The difference is that in this set you deal with a fixed structure, while in the Ninjago City Chase you have the police tuktuk - which is probably more inviting for play. The PPP is good though not excellent, but then again, the many minifigures make up for that. It is also a set that invites play, as well as a basis of inspiration for the creation of a big throne room. At first glance this looked to me like the weakest set in the Ninjago summer wave / Hunted theme. Now I am not so sure anymore; even if it is, it is not by much, and mostly due to the very high standard of the rest of the line.