71818 Tournament Battle Arena LEGO Review - Ninjago, 2024

This set wins the tournament!

TL;DR:

• Original Price:  $49.99
• Pieces: 659
• Minifigure(s): Kai, Cinder, Sora, Wolf Mask Warrior, Evil Jay, Tox
• Sticker Sheet: Yes
  
• Pros: great value, excellent design, good minifigs, fits the mood of the show
• Cons: a few minor qualms with specific piece arrangements

Assembly: 

Bag #1 - Kai, Cinder, main base

Bag #2 - Drum base

Bag #3 - Sora, Wolf Mask Warrior, drum (not pictured here), weapons shrine base

Bag #4 - Evil Jay, stairs

Bag #5 - Statue base

Bag #6 - Tox, statue

 Leftover Pieces

• Interesting Steps:
• 57: Toro-style lantern shrine. I've seen several different setups in various Ninjago sets, and this one definitely wins for simplicity. The pieces here are comparatively common too (vs the one in bag 3 of 71857). The only thing that would have made it look better would have been if it sat on a 2x2 jumper plate instead of a standard plate, which would have allowed the four corner cuts in the bottom of the truncated cone to look more like the lantern's feet.

• 112: Rail pieces slid into groove pieces; not what you'd call a revolutionary technique, but definitely satisfying. It's also the underpinning for the tipping stairs effect, and this straightforward construction is sturdy and effective.

• 127: Slope and curve pieces are combined to make the tippy stairs move smoothly; if double-slopes or double-curves were instead used, it wouldn't operate so cleanly, I think.

• Interesting Techniques:
• The drum is made in two directions, with stud/anti-stud grip holding one side together and a Technic axle on the other, using the quarter-round panels to fill out the middle of the body. Apart from the point where the bottoms of the two black around plates join (their paired anti-stud gaps forming larger than usual holes), this is a seamless look. The only issue is that there's no way to anchor this to the build...which is intentional (see Play Features below).

• The statue's scroll is simple but effective. I like the use of Technic pins to hold 1x1 tiles to represent the rods. I could see switching these out for 1x1 pyramids or short stacks of 1x1 round plates for different looks

• I found the statue's build to be fascinating. As you can see here, its whole really is greater than the sum of its parts. Looking at these disparate elements, one could have trouble seeing them assembled into the impressive final structure—they seem to be too few, too scanty, and too small. But somehow everything fits together to make an impressive result. I found such details as the plate between the feet (to keep them visually and physically separated) to be well considered. This is really the highlight of the entire set, and I'd be tempted to get another one just so I could have a second statue (that, or build it from the parts I already have) with different accessories.

• The statue's beard is the one weak point, I think. While it looks good from the front, and the economy of parts is laudable, from the side it's clear that it could have used a second pass. The bottom part is higher than the sloped bit; perhaps replacing the 2x3 under the whole build with a 2x2 under the upper portion would allow the half- and quarter-circle tiles to rest closer against the statue's belly, more in line with the bottom of the 2x2 slope...but either way it's a minor nitpick. 

• Interesting Pieces:
• The shamshir or short katana is a welcome addition to the Ninjago armory. I could see this being useful in other settings—for example, as a Star Wars vibroblade—without quite the "oh, that's a Japanese katana" vibe that the longer swords carry.

• This set is the fist time 3x2x2 corner convex panels have appeared in red.

• The pearl gold baby dragon with spread wings is new for this line of Ninjago, and quite evocative, a reptilian Spirit of Ecstasy. 

• Pain Points:
• In some places the printing of darker colors becomes almost unreadable. Perhaps LEGO should start lining dark brown pieces in white, the way they do with black?

• Play Features:  

• The tournament pads (bag 1) tip at the command of the two 2x2 round fluted bricks stuck to either side. The single stud on each pad makes it easy to give the minifigures dramatic poses, but also means they can get flung off with too-vigorous movements. 
• A lever on the back of the stand ejects the drum (bags 2 & 3), sending it rolling down the dual stairway.
• Any unworthy will find their approach to the statue hindered by collapsing stairs (bag 4) when the red bricks in the back are pulled.

• This set also has a certain amount of modularity, compatible with other Ninjago sets (such as 30675), and even older Monkie Kid sets (like 30656), really anywhere a 2x2 Technic brick with two holes can be added. It's not a perfect setup, however: as you can see in the image above, some arrangements just don't work (see My Modifications, below for a further analysis)
• My Modifications:  
• It can be tricky to align stickers on circular pieces, so rather than following the instructions and putting it on the piece first, I've found that putting the piece in place gives you more control and context clues (eg here, the macaroni pieces' edges form a crosshairs to line up the sticker against) so that you can be sure you're aligning the sticker properly.

• The arrangement of the weapons shrine base (bag 3, as shown in "Play Features" above) makes it effectively a dead end. Swapping the 3x6 double wedge for a 6x6 square plate means that now this unit can be used as a T-connector, allowing for more interesting and elaborate layouts.

• Overall:  The statue's design really elevates this set, making it feel like you're getting your money's worth. I also always appreciate getting scenery/location builds, places for minifigures to have their adventures in that bring the show's vibrant locations to life. The six minifigures are also a great amount and varied design, with even the generic wolf mask warrior getting an upgrade in the form of magical giant claws. This is one of the better values of recent LEGO sets, all things considered (with a notably low price-per-part of just 8¢). 

I do have to take a point away from Presentation because of the limited unit arrangements discussed in Play Features and My Modifications above, but otherwise this set is almost perfect. It looks good, it has several play features, it has a good assortment of minifigs and interesting build techniques, and there's even a useful variety of pieces should you wish to disassemble it.

Score (out of 5 🧱):

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

• Total: 🧱🧱🧱🧱🧱

Lego Instructions: here