30675 Tournament Training Ground LEGO Review - Ninjago, 2024

Tiny tournament training time!

TL;DR:

• Original Price:  $4.99
• Pieces: 49
• Minifigure(s): Cole, Wolf Mask Warrior
• Sticker Sheet: No
  
• Pros: Inexpensive, some new parts/prints
• Cons: Non-exclusive minifigs, simple build

Assembly: 

 Leftover Pieces

• Interesting Techniques:
• Using pearl gold cones does double-duty, which is particularly important in small sets like this: on the corners they look decorative and ornamental, but inside they fill gaps that would have required other 1x1 bricks. And since it doesn't matter what color or shape the inside ones are, it makes sense that the designer would simply use more 1x1 cones instead of adding an additional piece type to the set. This picture also shows the mechanism that pops up the floor panels, using an ingot to push against the tiles.
  

• Interesting Pieces:
• The new short katana piece, created for Ninjago Dragons Rising Season 2, is a good addition to a minifigure's armory.

• Play Features: 
  
• By pushing down on the little shrine structure at the back (perhaps in the process of taking the short katana mounted thereon) the floor panels are popped up, sending the minifigure flying.

• Overall:  In addition to being a good polybag set (with a good and bad guy to play against one another), it was also a cheap way to pick up the new short katana piece (2 total with the extra), a Wolf Mask Warrior for armybuilding, as well as Cole's dragon-scale gi. The build itself is pretty quick, and contains the two-Technic-pin connectors on either side to link up with other Ninjago sets (or Monkie Kid sets) to create larger scenes, making this feel like more than the tiny vignette it is.

If could change one thing I would like to have had a bit more color coordination: the red floor tiles tie with the red band on the shrine, but the katana is held by a white clip, the brown arch also doesn't fit with the other pieces; a tan clip and arch would have unified the feeling a bit more. If I could change two things I would have replaced the 2x4 tiles with 2x4 jumper plates: that way minifigures could be posed on them for battle or display, and would make it easier to activate the play feature without knocking them off in the process.

Score (out of 5 🧱):

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

• Total: 🧱🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here