Random set of the day: Ultra Sonic Raider
Posted by Huwbot,Today's random set is 9449 Ultra Sonic Raider, released during 2012. It's one of 48 Ninjago sets produced that year. It contains 622 pieces and 6 minifigs, and its retail price was US$79.99/£59.99.
It's owned by 4,228 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $213.30, or eBay.
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27 comments on this article
Peak.
Double Friends yesterday, and double Ninjago today!
I still don't really get how or why Ninja need/use loud vehicles, but I gotta say, I do quite like the show. Makes no sense and the rules change every year, but it is surprisingly good.
@Alia_of_AGL said:
"Peak."
Agreed. I own a lot of the Rise of the snakes sets, (not this one unfortunately) and they are awesome!
So, did the vehicle have seating for all of the ninja included, or did some of them have to just stand around, like Zane in 70615?
Bought this zany vehicle because it was just to crazy to pass up. A lot of the early Ninjago stuff was like that. Really helped solidify the theme and give it its voice and style.
Don't have this one, but 70595 was a lot of fun. 71739 Doesn't quite look as cool to me.
Double Ninjago today. Nice!
SEMI QUICK LORE!!!
By combining the four Elements of Creation and preforming Spinjitzu, people in the Ninjago world can preform the Tornado of Creation, a powerful vortex that can suck up things in the environment to create something the performer desires.
The Ninja did not use the Tornado of Creation often, because it required all four of them to be in sync and have a common goal. However, in the Season 1 finale the Ninja were cornered in Ed and Edna's scrapyard by The Great Devourer, a giant snake that would eat the world. The preformed a Tornado of Creation to use junk in the yard to create a four person vehicle that used the Serpentine Flute's sound to scare off snakes. This vehicle was the Ultra Sonic Raider, which could also split apart into two smaller vehicles.
The vehicle would go through sporadic use in the series, even getting a slight rework into the Ultra Stealth Raider between Seasons 6 and DotD. It was also rereleased during the Legacy line of sets but I can't remember how/if this was tied into the show or not.
Oh and the purple snake guy here is Pythor P. Chumsworth. He's the guy who released the Devourer. Funny enough, the Great Devourer ate him shortly after she emerged, so this set slightly breaks continuity!
Gonna raid an Ultra Sonic for an Ultra Burger and some Ultra fries. Sticking with the regular shake, because the Ultra Shake makes the tummy rumbly.
Got this in Florida years ago. It was the largest set I ever bought for myself. I remember really enjoying it, but whenever I would use the flyer I would ignore the ground vehicle. I think I may have switched the motif stickers between vehicles. It was a really fun set, one that I had originally attempted to win in one of those building challenges. I ended up trading it later on with a neighbor, for... something. I didn't play with my vehicles for long so many of my best sets met a similar fate.
@Miyakan said:
"Don't have this one, but 70595 was a lot of fun. 71739 Doesn't quite look as cool to me."
Nothing can beat this OG one though!
@PurpleDave: Wait...you've got an 'Ultra Sonic'??? I've heard of regular one but...
Course what sucks is, they were asked once about the possibility of 'Canadian Expansion', and they doubted it citing our 'climate'...A&W did very well as drive-ins until about the 90's (last one I saw was in the neighboring city to my own). And besides: Washington state, Idaho, Montana...pretty well most states along the 49th parallel have Sonics, why not a few 'above' the 49th...just sayin' :)
Huh…two days in a row where the Random Minifigure and the Random Set are from the same (or at least closely related) themes.
@brick_r:
Fun fact: Detroit is north of Windsor.
The plane with exhaust system sticking out, blowing flames... That's crazy. Designer must have had so much fun creating this.
Kind of looks like a lobster with the rubber bands on the claws. Not that this set isn't great. I would play with it if I had one.
@PurpleDave: That fact IS fun :)...here's another: Anchorage Alaska HAS a Sonic...figure THAT one out...oh well...I just miss Carl's Jr :|(had the second one in all of Canada...for what that's worth :D)
Also: So...this would be something Dr. Robonik/Eggman would build...or Tails?
So is it ultra sonic because it moves at supersonic speeds or is it ultra sonic because it makes a lot of noise?
Given the caterpillar tracks and apparently huge exhausts I’m going to assume the latter but you never know with Ninjago
This set is meant to be the ultimate vehicle for all four ninja... but seats two. Never understood that.
I think the name refers to those 'smokestacks' being used as sonic guns in the series, as they can play a high-powered soundfile of the sacred flute music, which was the only weakness of serpentine. It was created in the show to battle the Great Devourer with this, although it was destroyed pretty quickly.
Anyway, this is a classic as far as Ninjago is concerned. Although the formula was perfected with the Ultra Stealth Raider, this one did a lot right in providing a huge 'ultimate' hero vehicle complete with a small prison and detachable jet. And those bandoleers of sai and brown tracks just gives this one some class later renditions never bothered with.
This is also the only set with the original version of Pythor, which back in the day was the main draw of this set. Considering the aftermarket prices for the figure... understandable.
These sets just blend together in my mind. This could be from 2012 or 2022 they all look the same to me
@brick_r:
And that’s not just “more northern latitude”. That’s draw a line due north from the center of Windsor, and it will pass through the Detroit city limits. Anyways, not that we were looking for one, but I don’t remember any Sonic being there in 2017. I do remember a street vendor that sold reindeer sausage, and an upscale restaurant that served fresh snow crab legs. Then if you head north towards Talkeetna, there’s a place that serves sourdough pancakes using a starter that’s over a century old, and outside of Denali National Park is a little diner that serves fries with minced garlic on them. South of Anchorage, in a little speck of a town called Whittier (you have to drive through an active train tunnel to get there), was a place that specializes in halibut.
I got this recently in a bulk haul. I’ve collected all the pieces from the bin and filled out the missing ones from my local second-hand LEGO store. The weird thing is that—while all the elements for the actual vehicle are authentic—the minifigures were counterfeit.
Hey, look! Its SpitBrix!
Ah, I have a lot of fondness for 2012 Ninjago. These were my last hurrah with a lot of LEGO stuff before my interest dwindled during my teenage years (just not enough time or money for LEGO, other than when BIONICLE resurfaced). I was big into the then-new television show as well. I've lost most interest in Ninjago now, over 10 years later, but there's still a fondness for the sets. This was one of the big ones I ended up buying myself (I wanna say the Devourer/four headed dragon one ended up as a birthday gift, maybe?). I loved the Pythor figure, and the design of the raider itself was very cool. Didn't get much play since I was a teen then, but I recall driving it around and being intrigued by the larger wheel components on the back too. A lot of fun pieces around that time.
@PurpleDave: Thanks for that breakdown. Anchorage is one of those 'bucket list' places I have, because well, I live in B.C.. I've been in Washington (Spokane and Seattle), and Montana (barely), so yeah...though, I'd like to go back to Spokane too...oh, and the Sonic in Anchorage is recent (Google 'Street View' shows it being constructed in 2021, along a place called Huffman Rd.)
@Maxbricks14 said:
" @Miyakan said:
"Don't have this one, but 70595 was a lot of fun. 71739 Doesn't quite look as cool to me."
Nothing can beat this OG one though!"
70595 can, its an improvement in almost every way. As for the legacy one, i consider it a serious contender for worst lego set of all time.
@Billbuilds said:
" @Maxbricks14 said:
" @Miyakan said:
"Don't have this one, but 70595 was a lot of fun. 71739 Doesn't quite look as cool to me."
Nothing can beat this OG one though!"
70595 can, its an improvement in almost every way. As for the legacy one, i consider it a serious contender for worst lego set of all time."
I can' t believe you think that! Both of the newer versions were ten times worse than this one.