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71790 Imperium Dragon Hunter Hound LEGO Review - Ninjago, 2023

TL;DR:

  • Original Price:  $19.99
  • Pieces: 198
  • Minifigure(s): Dragons Rising Lloyd, Dragons Rising Jay, Imperium Claw General
  • Sticker Sheet: Yes
  • Pros: Relatively inexpensive, lots of gold pieces
  • Cons: No exclusive figs, wolf's joints awkward, no terrain elements

 

Assembly: 

Bag #1 - Lloyd, Hound body

Bag #2 - Jay, Hound head & tail

Bag #3 - Imperium guard, Hound limbs


 Leftover Pieces


 

  • Interesting Techniques:
    • Hiding the edge of the two dark orange SNOT bricks makes it possible to have studs on the sides and back of the build without needing (as far as I know, nonexistent) SNOT bricks with studs only one one side or the other.
  • Interesting Pieces:
    • The instructions (step 5 shown here) depict one piece, but the set actually containing a slightly different piece. It doesn't affect the build itself, but is an interesting difference. It also seems to be an issue not limited to just the set I received, as the bricklink set inventory shows the same piece as the one I received.
    • The printed wolf face is an interesting inclusion (vs two slope pieces with stickers), especially since this is the only set that uses this piece, according to bricklink.
    • The dual-molded "Ninjago Imperium Sword" is super cool, and I could see it being very useful in sci-fi-flavored microbuilds. 
  • Pain Points:
    • I've noticed that a lot of the large beast builds often have inflexible spines for the sake of stability (like the Ninjago Jungle Dragon), but in this specific instance it gives the hound a hunchback and also prevents any side-to-side motion. A click-hinge ball joint might have been better, allowing flexibility with strength.
    • The limbs also have a flexibility problem. The knee/elbow joints are solid, and the hind leg is attached with a click hinge that moves in one direction only (red circle), while the foreleg has a mixel-style ball joint (green circle). This limits the poseability of the hound, which is especially detrimental given that it's the point of the whole build.

While there's some noteworthy pieces, and a lot of gold accents that could be used for other builds, this set isn't as good as it looks at first glance. None of the three figures are exclusive to this set, and the hound as the only other part of the set is a bit lackluster; if a small shrine or maybe a rocky outcropping were included, it would improve the storytelling possibilities and add a bit more play value. Also detracting from the play value is the difficulty of posing the hound, as described above

Score (out of 5 🧱):

  • Price: 🧱🧱🧱🧱
  • Process: 🧱🧱🧱
  • Presentation: 🧱🧱🧱
  • Play: 🧱🧱
  • Pieces: 🧱🧱🧱
  • Total: 🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here

 





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