Review: 80020 White Dragon Horse Jet
Posted by Huw,This year's selection of Monkie Kid sets includes some superb-looking models, but I suspect the one that first catches most people's eye is 80020 White Dragon Horse Jet, whose titular flying craft looks spectacular with a distinctive and unusual colour scheme and organic design flourishes.
LEGO may not be inclined to produce a proper space theme nowadays, but it does at least try to squeeze some cool-looking craft into other ranges whenever it can.
Minifigures
The set provides four figures, two of Monkie Kid's gang, an antagonist, and some random civilian. It's the only Monkie Kid not to include the titular character.
Mei
Mei is from the Dragon family who are descendents of the legendary White Dragon Horse, one of the main characters in Journey To The West. She's in Monkie Kid's gang, and the main protagonist in this set.
This is the third version of her to be produced, and by far the most elaborate. Her distinctive hair piece with green highlights is shared with the version of her that appeared in 80011 Red Son's Inferno Truck last year, but her head, torso and leg print is new, and they look spectacular.
She seems to be wearing some sort of augmented reality/head-up display eye piece, which is important, as you'll see below.
Her alternative expression appears to be a cheeky wink.
Mo
Mo, a blue cat with an orange Mohican haircut, is also a protagonist. He appeared in two of last year's sets.
He might well be in Monkie Kid's team, but he doesn't look very friendly!
Si
Si appears to be some random dude whose sole reason for being is so that he can be rescued from the evil clutches of the minifigure below.
Huntsman
The four-eyed Huntsman is the set's antagonist. He's one of the spider queen's henchmen and a new figure in this year's sets and in series 2 of the cartoon.
Ancillary builds
Unfortunately, LEGO can't just sell a set containing a cool flying vehicle, they need to be padded out with ancillary builds in order to provide playability and enable kids to re-enact a story.
In this case, that's a bit of a nuisance because one of the side-builds here is quite large and parts-intensive, which undoubtedly hiked the price of the set up considerably.
That said, the vending machine is quite cool and actually works. When a 1x2 tile is inserted in the slot near the bottom, a 1x1 transparent round brick drops out. It's the first time I've encountered a working machine like this, but I'm told there's one in the Ninjago City sets.
There's a good selection of printed 1x1 round tiles on display at the front -- eggs, ladybirds, spiders, flowers and strawberries -- which are also used on the tops of the 1x1 round bricks in the machine
Mo has his own means of transportation, coloured to match his coat and collar and fitted with dual stud shooters.
The third ancillary model is a spider, dispatched by the queen to assist the huntsman carry out some nefarious deed which in this set seems to be to capture Si.
It's disappointing, then, that it's a 6-legged insect rather than an arachnid.
This right-angled part, with a 318 clip on one end and a 318 hole at the other, has been introduced this year and is used for insect/'spider' legs throughout the new Monkie Kid sets. It looks to have useful application elsewhere.
The Dragon Horse Jet
The Dragon Horse Jet is a spectacular-looking craft with a striking and very pleasing colour scheme.
Two design elements stand out when you first see it: the stripe on the nose and the pattern on the wings. The striped, stubby nose not only looks great but also shows how to achieve back-to-back building in an easy, compact and LEGO-legal way.
The sides have a 1x5 Technic plate with axle hole in the middle and an axle is used to join them together. The assembly is then clipped to the red bar visible in the first picture.
The organic, scaly-looking sections of the wings look outstanding. Three different colour pentagonal/Nexo Knights shields, framed by a hexagonal cutout, are overlapped to achieve the very attractive effect.
The wings are quite thick, and inconspicuously house rod-shooters as well as the gold-tipped weapons you can see below.
It's certainly an interesting design which somehow manages to look sleek and stubby at the same time. The wings are attached using click hinges so can be positioned in a couple of ways but look best when angled downwards.
Splashes of gold throughout the model add interesting detail and colour, while the four white 4x5x1 cockipits angled backwards at the rear of the fuselage contribute to the organic look of the craft.
The cockpit is virtually flush with the fuselage which gives the craft a very streamlined look, but I don't like it. I'll explain why below.
It's moulded in transparent bright green which was debuted in 2010. It fluoresces slightly but nowhere near as much as the old transparent flourescent green that was introduced in the 1990s and now, thankfully, rarely used.
The underside is plain with the only detail being a protrusion at the back which enables it to be placed on a flat surface with the wings angled downwards. The parts, which do nothing for the craft's aerodynamics, could be removed if you were planning to display it on a stand.
A huge great trans-green sword protrudes from the engine, presumably an exhaust wake. It helps give the model additional length and balances the design: I think it looks better with it than without.
Mei can be placed in the cockpit in a laying down position which, presumably, is why she needs that device in front of her eye because she certainly can't look out of the front of the cockpit to see where she's going.
The completed model
I think the play scenario is that while Si uses the vending machine, he gets caught up in the web spun by the 6-legged spider, then along comes Huntsman to finish him off, or to take him back to the Queen Spider.
Meanwhile, Mo and the jet arrive on the scene just in time to save the random civilian, finish off the foes, so that everyone can live happily ever after.
Modifying the cockpit
As I said above, Mei can't see out front of the cockpit, and that bothers me. Luckily it's relatively easy to address, by removing a few pieces, adding a couple more, then turning the cockpit round 180 degrees.
In doing so, not only can Mei assume a more natural sitting position, but she can also see where she's going!
It's not as sleek, but it looks far more practical.
Verdict
It's an awesome looking craft that's fun to swoosh. The colour scheme really pops and the angular, yet organic-looking design, is something special.
The side builds are somewhat superfluous and probably unwanted by most of us, but of course I appreciate that they enable kids to be able to play out a story without needing additional sets.
The price of the 560-piece set surprised me: £34.99 and 39.99€ which seems very reasonable, but the US price of $49.99 less so. It's unusual to see such disparity, but I'll not complain!
In fact, once again, I can't really complain about much at all...
I'm sure this will prove to be the most popular and fastest selling sets in the new Monkie Kid range when it goes on sale on 1st March at LEGO.com.
Thanks to LEGO for providing the set for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
I hope the images are acceptable. It's always difficult photographing white models without over-exposing them and blowing out the highlights. I've tweaked the levels a lot here to try to make the details in the bright areas of the picture easier to see.
137 likes
79 comments on this article
Yeah I’ll buy one when it released
That fried egg vending machine has given me a new business idea
Looks great.
That back-to-back technique is inspired & inspiring. It's just given me a half a dozen other great ideas for something I'm working on.
Sometimes I find it worth getting sets (or maybe download the instructions) just for the cool building techniques.
Great set, just wish it included the kid....
Dang, £35 is a great price. Gotta say that it’s now on my purchasing radar.
Personally, I think Mei's new getup looks a little weird
@Huw your modified cockpit looks much better. But where are the goats?
Those scale-infused wings looks spectacular to me, the colour scheme as well is just perfect, and really sells it for me. Another one for my wishlist!
I for one love the excellent side builds of this theme, including this one. I would never buy this set without the vending machine, and I’m fairly disappointed this wave doesn’t include buildings like the panda-shop and the noodle bar from the first wave.
They have much more character than the rather bland builds from City.
If they sold the monkey kid side builds separately on the other hand, I would be one very happy AFOL.
Is Trans Bright Green a new color introduced last year? The link shows parts starting from 2010, in the Atlantis sets. The formula probably got changed like the rest of the transparents but I don’t think that would make it a color introduced last year
@fakespacesquid said:
"Is Trans Bright Green a new color introduced last year? The link shows parts starting from 2010, in the Atlantis sets. The formula probably got changed like the rest of the transparents but I don’t think that would make it a color introduced last year"
It's definitely not new for last year. Ever since its introduction in Atlantis it's been one of my favorite transparent colors, and I actually think I prefer it for things like windscreens over Trans. Fluorescent Green, since the reduced fluorescence makes a fig inside it slightly more visible and less color distorted than Trans. Fluorescent Green does, at least in my opinion. Here, it's also a good match for the opaque Bright Green parts used on the jet, and contrasts sufficiently with the Trans. Fluorescent Green accents that are used for the spider baddies across the wave.
This appears to be the same mei who comes with the quadcopter but that one has her helmet. Does this set come with that piece? The quadcopter is not as interesting to me and much more expensive but I want this version of her.
^ Sadly not.
This could work well as a SW ship, and I like the vending machine! This might be my first MK set!
I think what’s stunning is that simply turning the canopy around not only dramatically improves minifig seating, it keeps the aesthetic quite well. There’s almost no difference between the two. Excellent!
Isn't Mo the cat the same mold as Scarfield from TLM2? If so, TLG are certainly getting their stride with reusing even the most unusual elements.
Check out that horse face in the nose of the spaceship, with those golden eyes! And that vintage 1990s control tile ....
I love how LEGO reused the apocalypse cat piece! That jet has an excellent color scheme too.
Thanks for the great review @huw, and especially for including the modification :)
Lovely build, but somehow it looks like 30$ set
Of course I am joking, but it IS overpriced. Compare this set with Ninja charger - more pieces and figs with same price
No goats?
I’m pretty sure they would’ve liked the vending machine too...
Change the colour scheme of the main vehicle to blue, grey and yellow and you'll find a bestseller...
Or a spaceship, spaceship, SPACESHIP!!
The ship is nice with lovely colouring, but I'd want this set for the vending machine and the cat and its ship.
Huw's cockpit design/orientation definitely makes for a better looking and more practical ship, but I see what the designer was going for, because the "stock" design makes it look more like an organic horse's mane. The difference between the two is quite subtle, and the Jet looks good either way!
@ huw, can we see some more pics of mo's hoverboard? im interested in building my own moc of it, but I cant figure out how they did the back!
"It fluoresces slightly but nowhere near as much as the old transparent flourescent green that was introduced in the 1990s and now, thankfully, rarely used."
^-- "Thankfully"?! You really hurt my M-Tron feelings there, Huw...
Regarding the cockpit orientation, I do kind of prefer the way it is in the set—the way it's swept back it just looks faster, somehow.
But it's neat to know how easily moddable it is for people who prefer the "realism" of the figs being able to look straight ahead from the windscreen.
One quibble: Mo is sporting a Mohawk. Mohicans are a separate tribe of Native Americans.
"It's the first time I've encountered a working machine like this, but I'm told there's one in the Ninjago City sets."
Actually, that honor goes to 8191 Lavatraz. I remember using the instructions back in the day to make my own vending machines with my brother.
@BuisnessOcelot said:
""It's the first time I've encountered a working machine like this, but I'm told there's one in the Ninjago City sets."
Actually, that honor goes to 8191 Lavatraz. I remember using the instructions back in the day to make my own vending machines with my brother."
Yup! Though that one used a slightly different sort of mechanism for dispensing the drinks than this one, resulting in more moving parts on the exterior of the machine. The mechanism for this one was lifted almost entirely from the vending maching in Ninjago City Docks, which even used the same "COOL DRINKS" logos and color scheme as the one from Lavatraz!
The color scheme here is just beautiful!
Really looking forward to getting this one.
Me: I really want that set!
My wallet: Not this time pal.
Me: Sad panda face....
Excellent review!!
The way the "scales" are built into the wings is absolutely incredible. The ship in this set genuinely looks like a MOC you'd see on Flikr rather than in an actual Lego set. That isn't intended to be a dig at the designer of the set or anything, just that typically official Lego ships just aren't as ~ aesthetic. It is an absolute triumph!
I am almost certain that the control panel in the Cockpit is the same as the Blacktron II one from the 1990's and in combination with the trans-green canopy it is clear the designer is very fond of some older space sets.
@Astrobricks said:
"One quibble: Mo is sporting a Mohawk. Mohicans are a separate tribe of Native Americans."
No, I purposefully used the correct, British English, word. https://www.google.com/search?q=Mohican
@deak_starkiller said:
"I am almost certain that the control panel in the Cockpit is the same as the Blacktron II one from the 1990's and in combination with the trans-green canopy it is clear the designer is very fond of some older space sets. "
Yes it is an old-school print and I should have mentioned it in the review,
@Eggyslav said:
"Hold up, that 2:1 tile in the cockpit, I haven't seen this since M:Tron and Blacktron II in early nineties! Is it really a part of the set?"
Yup! It was actually brought back last year for 10273. It's one of several such "retro" prints that have made a comeback in recent years, after 17101 brought back the 1x2 white tile with a yellow arrow and 75253 brought back the 2x2 white slope with printed black stripes.
Oh wow, didn't expect the hate for Trans Neon Green, so sad :(
Looks like a fun set, really liking that wing design, I'll have to look into getting this one!
this ship kinda reminds me aces from star wars resistance.
I love it !!. Could it be considered a viper?
I think I like the ship more backwards, oddly though. Similarly with the side build, the functionality and relative uniqueness justify it in a way that most such things aren't to me.
And the UK price has me thinking, hmm
Still out of my budget for a single set, but I really like it.
I'm gonna download the instructions though, fill my town with vending machines.
@thatsaltyninja said:
"Great set, just wish it included the kid...."
Plenty of other ways to get him. I find it nice that someone thought Mei could sell a set on her own. Wish the Ninjago developers had as much confidence in Nya.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @thatsaltyninja said:
"Great set, just wish it included the kid...."
Plenty of other ways to get him. I find it nice that someone thought Mei could sell a set on her own. Wish the Ninjago developers had as much confidence in Nya."
Well said! MK has been in every other set in the theme so far. And while it's been great to get as many variants of him as we have, branching out to have sets focused more exclusively on his teammates can help diversify the range more (not to mention helping to make a set like this slightly cheaper than it otherwise might have been by cutting out a minifigure that's already widely available in the other sets).
If you want an MK to go with this set, you could always pair it with 80018, which'd net you MK, another civilian, and another spider villain who isn't available in any other sets. That set and this one not having any overlapping minifigures makes the two of them go together quite well.
@MeganL said:
"The ship is nice with lovely colouring, but I'd want this set for the vending machine and the cat and its ship."
What a coincidence, I am only drawn by the Dragon Jet, care to go halfsies?
First off, this set looks real cool. Shame about the US price difference, that's probably gonna be a dealbreaker. I get how folks who've been paying UK prices in the past feel.
Second "...and enable kids to re-enact a story."
This brief, offhand comment kinda accidentally or intentionally hit the nail on the head about what's felt off about lego sets of the past decade or so. A good chunk of design philosophy has been centered around "re-enacting" a story, as opposed to encouraging kids to create their own. That isn't to say kids can't still do that, but the change in philosophy is still intriguing.
Maybe if that story wasn't constantly some iteration of "stop the bad guy", it wouldn't leave such a bad taste in my mouth.
Anyhow enough soapboxing. Set is cool, throwback console tile gave me a smile, and working vending machine is neato. Hopefully can snag this for closer to $35-40 someday.
> It fluoresces slightly but nowhere near as much as the old transparent flourescent green that was introduced in the 1990s and now, thankfully, rarely used.
Shots fired! >:-(
^ It seems as if I've hit a raw nerve! I have so much of the old colour, and the orange one too, but I've never found a good use for it.
I didn't realize the printed 1x2 title used in the cockpit was still in use! That's been around a LONG time.
Good job on the photography, @Huw! Although the overall effect is a slight dulling of the colors, I appreciate that the white pieces are quite discernible and it’s easy to see details.
$50US does seem high, $40 would have made this a Day 1 purchase.
@Huw said:
" @Astrobricks said:
"One quibble: Mo is sporting a Mohawk. Mohicans are a separate tribe of Native Americans."
No, I purposefully used the correct, British English, word. https://www.google.com/search?q=Mohican "
There is no difference between Mohawk and Mohican in the form of a hairstyle. What is Mohawk in US becomes Mohican in British English. Mohawk refers to a hairstyle that requires sides of the head to be shaved while a strip of area is left with long hair in the middle of the head.
Potato/Potato
There are two other Monkie Kid sets that don't include the titular character (three, if you count the promotional 2x4 brick that comes in its own polybag). There's polybag 40474, and Brickheadz 40381, both of which exclusively focus on the Monkey King.
@Lyichir:
Trans Bright Green looks more fluorescent to me. Under regular light, it looks more muted because the base color is darker, but under UV light it pops more than any common non-GitD color. It's fluorescent, not luminescent. Without UV light, it won't glow at all. Under daylight, the visible light will overpower what little fluorescent glow it gives off from natural UV.
@Bornin1980something:
Same design? Yes. Same mold? Maybe. I'd have to get my hands on both cats to check for mold marks.
@thatsaltyninja:
The LEGO website includes digital instructions for this set. Go to the site and scroll all the way down to the bottom. There's a collapsible section called "Support". Open that and find "Find Building Instructions". Type in the set number or name, and it should provide you with a link to a PDF of the instructions (but not until the set goes on sale in 8 days).
@Huw:
That hairstyle is worn by the Pawnee in the Dakotas. It's most closely associated with the Mohawk from the Iriquois people because of an old Hollywood movie. I have no idea how the British screwed it up differently, but it's kind of like arguing about whether it was the Chinese or the Koreans who used katanas.
@FARLANDER:
No, it would need a split nose at the very least. I think the wings would need to sweep forward as well.
Huh, turns out the set doesn't look awful, Lego just took the most unflattering photo possible for the boxart.
"LEGO may not be inclined to produce a proper space theme nowadays, but it does at least try to squeeze some cool-looking craft into other ranges whenever it can."
Completely agree--Space isn't really dead, it's just weaseled its way into other themes. Of course it'd be nice to have more... Oh, and love seeing the old M:Tron computer panel!
This very much reminds me of what a Space set might look like if done with all new pieces. It'd be interesting to see this in different colors or maybe with the addition of some actual pieces from Space sets of the '80s and '90s to see how strong that similarity would be.
The only thing I really don't like are the stud shooters and that's just because I dislike stud shooters on basically anything.
@DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"Looks great.
That back-to-back technique is inspired & inspiring. "
Is it really? I have been using normal bar-pieces for BtB building for I can't remember how long...
@BelgianBricker said:
" @DoonsterBuildsLego said:
"Looks great.
That back-to-back technique is inspired & inspiring. "
Is it really? I have been using normal bar-pieces for BtB building for I can't remember how long..."
As I've only just returned from the dark ages, there's a lot of techniques new to me, I guess. But this one has also led me to discover a number of related methods.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @thatsaltyninja said:
"Great set, just wish it included the kid...."
Plenty of other ways to get him. I find it nice that someone thought Mei could sell a set on her own. Wish the Ninjago developers had as much confidence in Nya."
Samurai X Mech in Legacy Line. But I guess that is Nya as Samurai X, Salvage Mech, & Original Samurai Mech, looks like other than these few & spinners your right
The craft really needs some simple landing gear so that it can balance with the wings still level and look like it has not just crashed. I was wondering where all the 560 pieces went but seems there are lots of tiles, cheese slopes and layered plates on the craft to provide all that detail.
The vending machine is different, guess there is a reason behind it for those who watch the cartoons? Although for fun I would have added a simple rotating mechanism to allow a soda pop to dispense, which would no doubt jam just like the real thing.
@ambr said:
"The craft really needs some simple landing gear so that it can balance with the wings still level and look like it has not just crashed. I was wondering where all the 560 pieces went but seems there are lots of tiles, cheese slopes and layered plates on the craft to provide all that detail.
The vending machine is different, guess there is a reason behind it for those who watch the cartoons? Although for fun I would have added a simple rotating mechanism to allow a soda pop to dispense, which would no doubt jam just like the real thing."
The vending machine does actually have a function where inserting the civilian fig's phone (cashless payment!) into the slot dispenses a capsule from inside (the function is copied from the very efficient one in Ninjago City Docks so I'm assuming there's no worries about jamming).
I say "capsule" because the clear 1x1 round bricks with colorful caps don't look like aluminum soda cans to me—I think instead this is meant to be a "gashapon" machine that dispenses randomized toys or knickknacks in plastic capsules.
OMG, Mei has a Scouter !
She'll look at Monkie Kid and scream:
ITS OVER 9000 !!!!!!
@Lyichir:
I think I'd rather pay cash than give them my phone...
@PurpleDave said:
" @Lyichir:
I think I'd rather pay cash than give them my phone..."
In real life something like this involves just tapping the phone to a NFC (near field communication) sensor. For this function it’s abstracted a bit into inserting the phone partway into a slot to push the capsule from the other side. Only partway, though—you can still get it out! In that sense, it’s arguably a little more realistic than the preceding vending machine to use this function (since pulling the cash back out of the machine is unfortunately not something you can do in real life!)
@milflinn said:
Samurai X Mech in Legacy Line. But I guess that is Nya as Samurai X, Salvage Mech, & Original Samurai Mech, looks like other than these few & spinners your right]]
Yeah; as of right now, Nya’s in around 53 sets, and only in a handful of them does she appear without at least one other Ninja. Add that to the fact that she’s usually the extra Ninja thrown in with one of the others’ vehicle sets, or a team vehicle, and it’s rather saddening. Most of the other Ninja have between a dozen and twenty sets in which they’re the lone Ninja. Of course Kai has 30, for no other reason that he’s the Red Ninja.
@SearchlightRG:
Red pops. That's why it's one of the most popular colors for sports cars.
@PurpleDave said:
" @SearchlightRG:
Red pops. That's why it's one of the most popular colors for sports cars."
@PurpleDave I get it, but it doesn’t explain why Nya gets so little set presence in comparison to her brother.
I was very disappointed to see my beloved White Dragon Horse (the only reason why I ever got interested in Journey To The West) reduced to a mere motorcycle in the first wave of these sets. This jet version is a much better tribute, and I'm fascinated to hear that Mei is a descendent of the original Dragon! Perhaps the reason why the jet doesn't have proper landing gear is that as it nears the ground it transforms back into horse (or dragon?) form?
I'm also very fond of the vending machine. No complaints from me about its inclusion! This set is already on my wish list. After all, Mei isn't in the Legendary Flower Fruit Mountain, and I can't do without her now I know her ancestry!
@SearchlightRG:
Compared to older themes, Ninjago is a significant improvement in terms of gender balance. Most legacy genre themes had _one_ female character, who only came in the largest set. Every theme has a different set of designers, though, so Ninjago’s design team may hew to a more old-school philosophy that says anchoring sets on female characters is risky.
Nya may also be hampered by the fact that she’s neither one of the core Ninja from the start of the story, nor the special, all-powerful Ninja who the story shifted focus to. In terms of the cartoon, she’s a fully developed character. In terms of the sets, she still very much feels like the token female. You’ve got two independent teams driving the story, though, with conflicting philosophies.
@sklamb:
Or maybe as it gets close to the ground it transforms into the motorcycle?
How bout Ninjago recruits 3 female ninjas at the same time? would make the team more like the balanced city sets (for ex. 2 male and 2 female astronauts) and comics like X-men (in the 90's series the core team had 4 guys and 4 women) and that's ok with me!
speaking of ninjago, since season 4 i always thought (or hoped) that skylor would become a ninja and join the group, she had everything to fulfill that: elemental power, a unique colour (there's no yellow ninja yet), a nice character to make the team more complete, etc. ... but she actually never really did. too bad.
And a female pink ninja (not Zane!) might attract more girls to get interested in Ninjago. Have the designers or writers never concidered that?
Six more days of waiting...
@PurpleDave perhaps my frustration is with the fact that the show team treats Nya so well, whereas the sets team has not accorded her the same respect despite having five years to do so.
@lORDoFtHEbOARD an interesting idea, though I wonder how it would affect the formula of the show and sets. Skylor would be an excellent full time member of the team, and it’d be nice if P.I.X.A.L. got more love as Samurai X. As for a pink Ninja, I feel like that would be playing into stereotypes. I can already hear the fan complaints of “it’s another girl character just for the sake of having another girl character.” I also don’t think any additional female members of the team HAVE to be Ninja; more girl characters in general would be nice. However, my biggest issue is still the fact that Ninjago’s original female main character doesn’t get a lot of respect on the set side of things.
Wait... Mei is analogous to the dragon horse, not to Tansin Monk?! Who's the monk, then? He's kind of important to the story after all as the only reason everyone is Journeying to the West?
@TheInfamousBobaFett said:
"Ladybird? You mean ladybug"
We had this same discussion when the CMF 21 figs came out, it's a UK/USA thing like colour/color
I am sooooo looking forward to this set:
I’m going to build it ‘n place it on my ‘air’ shelf next to Jay’s OB (Original Build) ‘Storm Fighter’, probably between it and the ADU’s ‘big boy’ helicopter…Mei’s getting her helmet back though…
I like the idea of a ‘civilian’/citizen “in-the-mix” because, you know: ‘stakes’.
I’d like to know how switched the cockpit around, because it 1) looks more practical, and 2) it looks more ‘realistic’…I know, that’s a ‘relative term’ here, but the canopy should open ‘nose to tail’ as…well, it helps in the ejecting process (you know, when one has to eject from a place esp. a fighter).
Incidentally; that last photo in the review reminds me of the time went to the “Museum of Flight” in Seattle, and standing on the observation level at the ‘business end’ of a M-21 (a variation of an SR-71)…and the third from last got the theme from “The Neverending Story” stuck in my head (seriously, the design reminds me of Falkor…and that’s not a bad thing).
I NEED that angled clip piece in light and dark grey.
Pretty please, LEGO?
@brick_r said:
"I am sooooo looking forward to this set:
I like the idea of a ‘civilian’/citizen “in-the-mix” because, you know: ‘stakes’."
I'm glad you mentioned this! Forgive me for springboarding off your comment to talk a little more about this sort of thing, because I really find it to be a fascinating subject.
"Civiilians" in sets like this can sometimes be divisive, since they usually use pre-existing figure parts from other themes, and fans of named characters from the story would often prefer another of those to a figure like this. Personally though, I like when the heroes have somebody to "save" from the villains, since it grounds the conflict morally compared to sets or themes where characters are fighting over resources or for no obvious reason at all, which can add an unpleasant moral grayness to the conflict. It also adds to the possible play scenarios in a given set, since with "good", "bad", and "neutral" factions the conflict scenarios become more complex, and scenery like the booby-trapped vending machine in this set can be grounded more in the "real world" beyond just heroes and villains.
And of course, even "generic" civilians like this can sometimes be preferable to named characters who are already widely available in other sets, for people who collect a decent number of them. After all, you can often get more mileage out of ordinary figures you can mix and match to populate scenes than out of duplicates of the named heroes and villains.
Sometimes civilians can even elevate whole sets or themes, at least in my opinion. The first time I remember feeling this way was with 8970, which felt that much more impressive as a chaotic B-movie-esque scene thanks to the three civilian figures that were included for the mech to terrorize. The Alien Conquest theme felt more interesting and grounded to me than the earlier UFO theme from my childhood, thanks to the inclusion of helpless farmers, reporters, and businessmen for the aliens to kidnap or mind-control. The inclusion of civilians in themes like The Lego Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie allowed the characters in sets to be more diverse and for a broader world to be depicted beyond just the main cast and their foes. And most recently, the Hidden Side theme did for horror themes what Alien Conquest did for space themes, by making civilians both the victims and hosts for the ghostly antagonists.
@SearchlightRG:
I mean, it's a legitimate complaint. But we don't have all the data. When producing a TV series, you can't directly compare the popularity of the characters against each other. If you make ten changes, and your viewership goes up or down, you can't separate out each of those changes and see which ones improved your ratings vs which ones hurt them. For LEGO sets, they do have the ability to directly compare the popularity of different characters against each other. If one character consistently sells better than the others, no matter what set he/she is in, they're likely to focus more on that one character. Likewise, if another character always sells worse, regardless of the set, that character may see more limited use, being paired up with more popular characters rather than getting a lot of solo outings. The problem with this is, if you put one character in a bunch of sets that are either badly designed, or too expensive for casual buyers, it's going to taint your data. If you then stop putting them in solo sets, and only pair them up with really popular characters or in really amazing sets, that's also going to taint your data, and make it look like the character is responsible for the bad sales, and only works in a "sidekick" role.
@Padmewan:
Not every adaptation of JitW has equivalents for every character. I watched the entire run of AMC's Into the Badlands. We never figured out who was supposed to represent Sandy, and I never even heard about the "White Dragon Horse" until we saw Monkie Kid sets that referenced it.
@brick_r:
There have been a lot of different ejection systems designed over the years. Some blow the canopy free of the plane before ejecting the seat (in this case, you're correct, as hinging it at the rear means it will catch the wind and be torn away long before your head gets that high). Some had primer cord (or something similar) fixed into the material so you could blow a section of the canopy loose. My dad, who was a USAF mechanic in the late 60's, said there was a plane where the navigator's seat ejected straight down (and that some unfortunate mechanic was sitting in that seat when he triggered the ejection mechanism, punching a hole in the concrete hanger floor...with his body). I believe another design basically ejects the entire cockpit, shedding the non-people bits after it's free of the plane. This is the method that you see in a lot of sci-fi shows, since it's easier to do with CGI if you don't have to model the person.
With the instructions now available from the LEGO website I decided to throw together a mod for the cockpit. The Studio model is free on Rebrickable for those interested: https://rebrickable.com/mocs/MOC-68545/Galaxy12_Imports/80020-two-seat-dragon-horse-jet-mod/details