Set #70752 Jungle Trap: Ninjago is a great Theme when it comes to the larger sets, there’s a lot to look forward to. When it comes to these smaller cheap sets I’m afraid that not all of them are worth picking up. There are some interesting elements to this set and the Minifigures are a huge draw for such a cheap set. Read on to see my opinions of this set.

Box/Instructions

Box: This small set from Ninjago is the first I’ve gotten with this particular box design. It’s a very interesting design with a red colour and ancient symbols in the background. In the upper corner is Kai’s face covered by his full mask, the image of the set on the front shows off the model and the battle to claim the collectible weapon from this wave, there’s also a lush jungle in the background with a Serpentine structure in the background on the side.

The back shows the features of the set and includes a miniature checklist for each of the four weapons from this wave, the one included in this set is Number 2.

Instructions: The manual is short and to the point, showcasing the build, which is extremely minimal due to the small number of pieces in this set, for a boxed set it only has 53 pieces, almost Polybag levels of price-per-piece. The final two pages show off the entire wave with all the Ninjago sets dedicated to the Tournament of Elements. It’s a great two-page shot for cross-promotions.

Parts

The only truly unique parts to this set are the twin blades for Kai’s specific weapon, there’s also one of the large bones, other than that most of this set can be found quite commonly as far as parts go.

Minifigures

Kai: Wearing what I believe is his Tournament of Elements outfit, Kai has an impressively detailed set of prints. His torso is double-sided with a nice sash and some letters on the front and the symbol associated with Kai on the back and he includes leg printing for his Gi or rather the belt sash and some knee protectors. He includes a lower face mask and for the first time his iconic hair piece design, with a messy head of hair in a nice brown colour.

His face is single sided, the hair piece is made out of a softer plastic, almost rubber and he carries a golden katana, since he’s trying to claim the other weapon and his Dragon Sword of Fire has been destroyed at this point in the continuity.

Krait: A member of the Serpentine Cult under Master Chen, Krait is an awesome Minifigure, the printing on his torso is double sided and features serpentine tattoos on a bare torso. His legs are printed with belts on his knees and some great chains and spiked shoes. His weapon is an axe made with a large bone and two axes, and he’s wearing the skull of a Serpentine on his head, a great new head piece from this year that really stands out.

His facial printing includes markings for the cult and some evil looking red eyes with a scar on his lip. A great looking figure.

The build

There isn’t much here honestly, it’s a rather small model and so the build is quick and easy. There are no difficult steps, in all honesty I’m not entirely sure this set is really needed unless the weapon is unique to this set. Er, but I digress, the build can be finished in under twenty minutes.

The completed model

It’s called the Jungle Trap and for a good reason, a tiny shrine sits on a raised set of stairs, hidden behind the large fronds is a pair of scimitars, apply enough pressure to the topmost stair and bam, instant Ninja shish-kebob. As far as models go it isn’t bad, but the fact that you’re asked to pay ten dollars for something that could easily be built using existing parts from your collection is a bit of a downer. Also the play feature requires a lot of pressure to actually work, you have to slam your finger, or Minifigure down pretty hard to trigger it. Could definitely stand a bit better execution.

Overall opinion

What really sells this set for me are the pair of Minifigures and the unique weapon from this sub-theme of Ninjago. It’s a cheap method of getting both, unfortunately the fact that the model only has 53 pieces is a huge hit when it comes to price-per-piece ratios. Unless you’re able to get this on clearance, as I did, I think it’s safe to skip in favor of the larger, more impressive Ninjago sets.