Review: Mixels Series 9 Nindjas
Posted by TheBrickPal,Well, this is it - the last wave of LEGO Mixels and thus the last nine ever reviewed by me. I hope you have enjoyed the ride, because I certainly have! We at Brickset still have a lot planned to get to, including the other two tribe reviews, a review of the TV series finale, three more eulogy articles, and a fun final competition. But all that shall stay under wraps for a little while longer...
Anyway, Series 9 does not look very conclusive as a wave at first glance, but all you have to do is take a closer look at the story. At this point, the Nixels invade the city of Mixopolis and the comic book super heroes known as the Nindjas come out of hiding - revealing they really do exist - to defeat them (with the aid of a young Glorp Corp named Booger, who fans of the show may remember befriending Camillot in the penultimate episode).
I was most intrigued with the Nindjas out of all the 2016 tribes when they were revealed earlier this year and their role in the end of the storyline is quite creative. So what do I think of the brick forms of these crazy martial artists now? Read on after the break to find out!
41575 Cobrax
Snake-like Cobrax is always the first one in and last one out on a mission! The shaping of the body of this cobra creature is spot-on, and I am extremely pleased to see two incredibly useful ingot pieces here - this time in orange which also appear in the recent 70592 Salvage M.E.C.
As well, the designer decided to use a red minifig-scale snake piece for the tongue; genius! In the show as well as in Cobrax's animation on the Mixels microsite, this tongue appears to be sentient.
Cobrax is the first Mixel to have only a tail and no legs or wheels. That tail is built in both jointed and hinged segments to achieve maximum poseability. The arms are also jointed, with hands carrying one sai each; a piece that originated in the Ninjago line.
A bow piece is used as the tie for Cobrax's mask, which is pretty cool, and finally, some other pieces of interest are some slopes and multiple types of teeth. My only criticism of Cobrax are the exposed studs on both sides of his hips. Other than that, he is a worthy addition to both the tribe and the line in general, ranking as my second favorite Nindja!
And as you can see, Cobrax is the Mixel of his tribe to include a no-good Nixel. The Nixels in Series 9 continue the trend of giving the Nixel the same theme as the tribe it is contained within; so this one has an awesome ninja mask print! In-story, the Nixels start a new product called the I-Cubit, which Mixopolis Mixels carelessly trade their old Cubits in for and became black-and-white and zombified. This Nixel is my favorite of the series and possibly the entire year!
So overall, this set in its entirety is a win.
41576 Spinza
Unfortunately, Spinza here is my least favorite Mixel in Series 9. Do not get me wrong, he is not bad, he just seems fairly unoriginal; even given the shuriken-inspired design. Angry-eyed Spinza can't even spin too well with the friction-filled construction of his turntable waist - his namesake itself is rendered moot!
However, I do enjoy the 1x1 plate with clip being used as the mask tie here; it's a nice touch.
If the Nindjas ARE distantly related to the Flexers (I mean, look at that color scheme), than Spinza is the most Flexery of all. His three legs definitely remind me of Balk, but the design of them is much more reminiscent of Tentro's.
Of course, any 'bad' Mixel's redeeming factor is its selection of pieces, and Spinza is no exception. From the two katanas to the three (one spare) 1x1 squinting eye tiles to the slopes, ball joints and teeth, at least nobody can say he is not a great parts pack!
41577 Mysto
Mysto is the legendary leader of the Nindjas tribe. Part sensei, part bear-like creature, part humanoid, part mighty warrior... he has so much to him and I love it all. Mysto is my favorite Mixel of the whole entire series. The color scheme, the simple staff, the hair coming out the sides of the head, and everything else is just too cool.
One thing that conveys tons of emotion in Mysto is his hat, which is ball jointed on its underside and can be fitted onto the head's socket to be oriented in any way you choose.
Mysto's construction also allows for a really neat ability that I did not see coming when we first saw him at Nuremberg Toy Fair in January - his hinged mouth can open, revealing some studded teeth! Subtle, yet effective.
Additionally, clips and specialized horn pieces create a nice, organic look for Mysto's mandatory beard.
This wise jokester also has some great parts to boot. The highlights are 1x1 eye tiles, two 1x2 tooth pieces for the hair, a giant radar dish, ball and socket joints, and the elusive 2x2 round tile piece with hole in the middle... two of them in orange!
Verdict
I am so very glad that The LEGO Group decided to make use of the ninja theme just before Mixels' demise. Kids love ninjas, as evidenced by the sheer popularity of the other big LEGO franchise Ninjago, so it was a smart decision - as you can tell by the fantastic designs shown here. Plus, they have a sweet dragon Max if I do say so myself!
My only real problem with the tribe (other than maybe my lack of interest in Spinza) is their color scheme; while attractive, it has already been used in Mixels before with the aforementioned Flexers. However there may be another reason why LEGO decided to use orange and black again - the Serpentine tribe of Constrictai from Ninjago, anyone?
What I am trying to say is, buy the Nindjas! And everyone else in Series 9 too, but you will have to wait for the rest of my reviews to see why. Catch the Newzers analyzation next week!
Thanks to Huw for the photos.
JANGBRiCKS' Video Review
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19 comments on this article
Cobrax is awesome.
OMG! I've forgotten to buy the latest (and last) series of Mixels! Doh!
(rushes to LEGO.com and discovers many are on backorder!)
I bought Mysto. Very cool looking character.
Good review! The orange ingot pieces have previously appeared in http://brickset.com/sets/70592-1/Salvage-M-E-C. I don't mind the orange ingot pieces on Cobrax's sides; I think they add a nice texture. Mysto is my favorite of these. I think the concept of a ninja tribe was well-executed with these three. The tribe themes lately have been very clever and it makes me sad that Mixels is ending, even though I never collected the sets.
Nice review.
But where have you rogue one set reviews gone
^ They're still coming!
^^ Thanks Aanch - I was questioning myself about the potential exclusivity of the orange ingots!
^thanks
Mysto is definitely the coolest.
I like mysto
Cool, I'm going to try to get two sets of these, so I can display them individually as well as the MAX.
these guys are actually my least liked of this wave because i'm just not feeling their colour scheme. black is the obvious ninja colour but i wish they could've picked something else than orange. maybe a more muted colour. i don't think they pop as nicely as the TV or garbage tribes.
can't complain about mysto's and cobrax' designs, tho. the articulated hat is particularly nice. spinza doesn't feel as classic but his throwing star legs are a neat style and his mask is very cleverly represented so i'd say he holds his own.
the ninja nixels is certainly one of the best ones because it's such a good match for their normal colour scheme.
I love these and the whole series. I think my order is: Cobrax, Mysto, then Spinza. Like them all, though. I've been pretty selective on Mixels in the past, but I plan on getting 2 of each Mixel this series (one to build and one for the archives).
I've made sure to include these with my latest order! Funny enough I've bought them mostly for their orange pieces... I tend to build Mixels once and then use them as part packs.
I wish someone would build a Max consisting of all 81 mixels
^ That would be awesome. I probably would do it, but Mixels never really grew on me. I did attempt something like that but only with the first wave. Sheesh, that thing was UGLY.
I have to say I agree on Spinza, I like the clever usage of the plate and clip being used as a mask with a tie, but besides that there really isn't much to say about it. Cobrax and Mysto rank up high on my Series 9 favorites, though.
After so many boring castle/dentist/fire department mixels, these three are adorable again. A good way to finish the line with these cool looking guys.
R.I.P. Mixels ):
The Max for this tribe is my favorite of all series and tribes. It looks like a Chibi dragon! It might be the only one that remains assembled and not split into parts after my 4yo nephew gets his hands on them.