Set Review ➟ LEGO® Ninjago Dragons Rising 71857 Ninja Vehicle Treehouse Battle
In this episode of LEGO set reviews, in a zealous rage to treat unwanted algae, Acid Monster has overtreated the creek with copper sulfate turning the water smurf blue. So while our heroes are righting the wrong of a monster, local authorities are apparently turning a blind eye to the construction of a residence in an ancient living tree and the various polluting effects of a helicopter and gargantuan motorcycle. I guess villany is just a matter of perspective. On the other hand, maybe the Ninjagoans had all the necessary permits and passed local inspection.
With that out of the way, let’s continue by looking at the instructions. Three booklets and stickers are included in a paper sleeve. I think it’s nice to have instructions for the various components separated as this allows for parallel building with a companion.
Stickers while present are few.
For model features, first up is the motorcycle. I know if I were going to design a motorcycle I would make sure that had wheels taller than I, it was larger than a helicopter, and may require either a ladder or a helicopter to get me into the saddle, just like this one does!
The motorcycle mostly stands up fine on the gigantic wheels and it is able to be pushed and remain upright for a short distance before inevitably tipping onto one side. The side mounted stud shooters and the large tail fin are able to pivot up and down as they are connected by bar-and-clip assemblies. While the motorcycle is pretty much stupidly large for a motorcycle it is nice to see that this is a fresh take on the motorcycle and not simply another regurgitation of an older design. The only small disappointment with the vehicle is the absence of some clips to hold Kai’s swords.
The helicopter has a number of moving parts. The main rotor has a thumb gear at the bottom which can be used to spin the blade assembly. Of note is the pitched design of the assembly which allows for a person to hold the tail and spin the assembly by thumb without the hand being in the way.
The canopy and cones under the nose are connected with bars and clips allowing pivot. Propellers on the tail spin. Wings are attached with toothed hinges and offer just shy of 90 degrees of movement.
The helicopter design includes four clip points to hold swords. While that is great, it is missing any additional clip to hold the sword Zane may be carrying. I guess if the guys are going to pilot vehicles they just throw down their hand weapons wherever or stash them in the treehouse before mounting up.
The treehouse provides a few places for figure positioning, and each spot is extremely limited as to how placement may occur. Pretty much forget about positioning Acid Monster anywhere on the assembly as Acid Monster’s head is too tall for some spots and its body is too wide in every direction for others. The small shrine at the base of the tree is held by a single small bar and the shrine subassembly did become dislodged once during the photo process.
There are a number of fun features on the treehouse. The house itself offers a climbing rope and a log roll weapon.
As we all know, building a treehouse next to a stream begs for an elevated trick bridge to be built over the stream. The bridge has a knob for turning, and it will turn a full 360 degrees. While it does turn with ease, it is not loose and will comfortably hold position wherever you place it. The far end of the bridge has a mounted stud shooter able to pivot side-to-side, point up, and very slightly point down.
All the large leaves on the model are bar-and-clip connections so you can have some fun positioning those elements in various ways if you are so inclined.
The back side features some decorative elements in the interior of the tree. The top section’s interior has clips to hold knives and the exterior is a tiny balcony, the middle section has a teapot next to the log roll weapon, the bottom is a workshop. The far end of the bridge has a small ladder.
Minifigures
The set contains six minifigures: Dragon Form Jay, Zane, Euphrasia, Kai, Loyalist, and Acid Monster. Loyalist’s hood has droopy parts in the front that prevent the hood from being turned side-to-side (it will turn just a little) and restricts arm movement upward. Shoulder pads on Jay, Zane, and Kai limit upward positioning of arms. Acid Monster’s neck has a protrusion that prohibits turning the head side to side and the wide serpent hips restricts downward arm positioning. None of the figures has a back scabbard and neither the motorcycle nor the helicopter offer a clip for sword storage.
Left to right: Dragon Form Jay, Zane, Euphrasia, Kai, Loyalist, Acid Monster.
Dragon Form Jay and Euphrasia are exclusive to this set, at least so far.
The Randolph T. Fielding Absolutely Administrivia Section
Kai, Euphrasia, and Zane heads are 3626 with reused designs. Jay and Loyalist use 3274 heads, Jay’s head design is a repeat and Loyalist’s head design is new with this wave.
Aside from minifigure elements, there are no printed pieces in the set.
We have the first appearance of 82276 in white and transparent light blue.
The 43888 column has a hollow, not split, stud. No part number is evident on the piece but waaaay up inside we find ©LEGO along with a mold number.
Summary
The helicopter, motorcycle, and treehouse are all solid assemblies with some varied build techniques. The only potential iffy connection I came across was with the small shrine.
There is good cooperative play potential at both the build stage and after thanks to the set having various independent elements and instruction booklets. Recommended.
Disclaimer
Thanks to LEGO for kindly providing the set for review.
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