"Overview: This set is one of my personal favorites of this pirate-themed wave of Ninjago sets. The elemental dragons are perhaps the best sets in my opinion, and I love the brick-built heads that Lego has decided to use rather than the rubbery molds of the 1st and 2nd wave of dragons.
Main build: This set is of a dragon, so we shall start with the dragon itself. The dragon of lightning has many posable joints, however some are only on one axis, such as the neck. The posable toes are a nice touch, as well as the spikes on the tail. Speaking of the tail, I find it a bit flimsy and small compared to the rest of the dragon. On the other hand (and side), the head is marvelous and very good to look at. Many fans dislike the large horns, however I think they embody traditional Asian dragon styles better than the small/not horned counterparts. Also, the beard! THE BEARD! Oh how much character that adds! The designers were particularly crafty about the bottom jaw of the dragon, using a Metalbeard's infamous beard from The Lego Movie. A smaller complaint of the dragon is the translucent blue color. A lighter blue is used in the main body and legs, while a darker and more appropriate blue is used for the wings. I would have liked to have seen a signal, dark blue color for the translucent parts of the beast. Overall, the dragon gets a 17.5/20.
Smaller Build(s): The small pirate vehicle is a very nice addition to the set, and I believe it is adequate for the size and pricing of the set. It has a auto firing six shooter when you turn the barrel, and has a supported way of attaching to the body -- at least, for what little body there is. It is indeed small, but again is absolutely great for the price of the set. 9.5/10 Minifigures: Jay: As with all the other ninja in the line, Jay's mini figure is absolutely phenomenal. His scabbard is great, and the twin golden swords look just as well. I do not watch the show, and I am still a bit confused as to where the infamous Golden Weapons from the initial 2012 release are, and I do dearly miss them. That aside, Jay's torso prints are nothing short of perfect, and have a metallic uniqueness about them. The purple outline of his.. er --logo, perhaps?-- is a nice touch, as well as the Airjitzu logo on the back. I would have liked to have seen some hair for Jay, however I understand that it is not all the way needed. Overall, he gets a 5/5.
Monkeywrench: Oh my gosh, this is perhaps my favorite Ninjago character yet! As childish as the sounds for a 16 year old such as myself, the new mold and over-sized grappling hook and sword just make him comically awesome. I'd like to imagine he would join the ninja, specifically Jay. From what I know of the characters, Jay is a pretty funny guy, and a robotic (?) pirate monkey would suit him well. As much as I love him, his appearance is still slightly odd, as everything else in the set is more dramatic, so he gets an overall score of 4/5.
Cyren: My thoughts on Cyren are as follows: A FEMALE PIRATE FACE AND THAT HAIR! THE HAIR!! All joking aside, the pirate mini figures are some of my favorite of the villains of our ninja heroes. The printing is superb and the detail is astonishing. The little hint of red metallic and silver is a nice touch. They truly look like mix-matched armor while still being uniform. Cyren is a solid 5/5 minifigure.
Pricing: Ah, finally to one of the most defining attributes of Lego; the so-called "overpricing" of sets. If you do the math, the total is about $0.085 per part, as is most Lego sets. Now if you compare that to my personal favorite value-for-money Lego sets, the Naboo Starfighter, which is roughly $0.11 per part, you get a considerable difference. For pricing, I give a +3 points to the overall score.
Final Scoring and Other Notes: The final score of this amazing set is 43.5/45. This set is therefore rating at 96%. Whether you are a fan of Lego, a builder of Lego, or want a lower-medium priced gift for a child or *imaginative* teen, then this set is perfect. Especially if you like dragons. And Lightning. And Ninja."
"I got this on my birthday from my parents. Its nice that the elemental dragons are here once again. The movement on it is great, the build is fun, and overall a great set. Awesome job, LEGO!"
