This is the Legacy version of the X-1 Ninja Charger set that was originally released in 2014 for the Ninjago Rebooted summer wave. At the time, it was a fairly popular set, so let's see how the new one compares.

Minifigures

The set contains five minifigures: Legacy Kai (Rebooted), Legacy Jay (Rebooted), a nindroid, Mindroid, and Golden Cole. This version of Legacy Kai and Jay are relatively common. They are intended to serve as the Rebooted/Tournament of Elements Legacy versions of the characters, but the sleeveless Gi more closely resembles that of Tournament of Elements. Although I understand that Lego wants these figures to represent both versions of these characters in the Legacy version, I would have preferred if the Rebooted versions of the figures had sleeves to better resemble the gi that we see in the show. This is, however, a minor complaint. Overall, they are nice figures, with solid printing throughout, but there's nothing too special since they have been available in several sets since 2020.

The nindroid has pretty standard printing for a nindroid as well. The torso looks nice, but I wish the legs included printing instead of just plain black legs. I like the reversible head. You can either have an eye visible on one side or a sensor that makes the nindroid look more menacing.

Mindroid is a great inclusion in this set. He was a fairly memorable character in Rebooted, and I'm glad we see him included in a Legacy set. Ultimately, he has the same printing as the nindroid in the set. The only difference is the short legs.

My favorite minifigure from the set is definitely Golden Cole. He is exclusive to this set (unless you count the employee gift from 2021). The torso printing looks great, and it's nice to get the Hero Suit headgear with gold as the base colour. I think it's cool that each of the 10-year anniversary collectible figures gets headgear from their own focus season. The leg printing looks nice, but I wish they included different printing for each of the ninja. As it is, all the golden 10-year anniversary figures have the same leg printing. That is, however, a minor gripe. The figure looks fantastic overall!

The Build

The model is pretty straightforward. There are some technic mechanisms that are hidden inside the build to create the technic mechanism. When making the build, it becomes apparent where the piece count of the set comes from. It is a very dense build, and when looking at the final product, it's hard to see how many parts go into it unless you've actually built the set. Lots of SNOT techniques are used to make sure that the car looks sleek. There are some stickers but not enough to drastically take away from the building experience. Overall, it was an enjoyable LEGO build.

The Final Product

First, the set includes a jetpack for the nindroid. The jetpack is fine, but there is nothing special about it. From a play perspective, it works well.

Looking at the X-1 itself, it is a very nice looking car for Kai. The build looks very sleek, except for a very obvious technic mechanism behind the driver seat. That mechanism opens the hood of the car and releases Kai's bike. I've found that the feature is sometimes finicky. Furthermore, the bike that pops out doesn't look too great. It was clearly built around the technic mechanism, and it shows. There are too axles sticking out the end and a square tile behind the back wheel.

There are two spring-loaded shooters mounted on a rotating cannon on the back. There isn't too much range of motion for this cannon because the ends of the projectiles block the cannon from rotating back too much. Unlike the original X-1, the shooters can't rotate from side to side, which is disappointing from a play perspective, especially with the limited range of motion it has.

Other than those two features, there isn't much more to the final build. It's a large car for Kai. It looks sleek, but the play features aren't too impressive in my opinion.

Comparison with 70727 X-1 Ninja Charger

As is the case with all Legacy sets, the question has to be asked: which is better, the new version or the original? The original X-1 Ninja Charger from 2014 had 426 pieces and retailed for $39.99 USD. The new version has 599 pieces and retails for $49.99. The new version is slightly larger but not by much. Most of the extra pieces go into the inside of the build, making it more dense than the original. However, the new version also has two extra minifigures, one of which is the exclusive Golden Cole. Ultimately, I think the original has slightly better value, simply because I think that paying $50 for an oversized car is a little excessive.

In terms of how the builds look, I personally think the front of the 2021 X-1 looks somewhat blocky. The technic mechanism for the play feature also sticks out. Aside from those two issues, it still does look very sleek though. It's a close battle, but I think I'm still going to say that the original looks slightly better.

In terms of minifigures included in the set, the original only had Kai and two nindroids. This set has five minifigures, one of which is the exclusive Golden Cole. I'm going to give the point to the new version easily.

Although you have to lift up the hood of the vehicle manually to eject the motorcycle in the 2014 X-1, I've found that the action features work better overall. The spring-loaded shooters on the back have a much greater range of motion and can rotate all the way around the car, like in the show. They can also tuck away better. I have to give the play features point to the 2014 version again.

Overall, the 2014 version is the better set, in terms of looks, play, and price.

Overall

This set costs $49.99 USD and has 599 pieces and 5 minifigures. However, I think that if you have the original X-1 Ninja Charger, there isn't much reason to purchase this one unless you really enjoy the vehicle or if you want the Golden Cole minifigure. If it is just about the minifigure, I'd recommend bricklinking it. Although the price to part ratio looks good on paper, the build is very dense. The volume of stuff that you actually get is fine, but when you compare it to other Legacy sets like 71736 Boulder Blaster and 71738 Zane's Titan Mech Battle, its value is comparatively worse. That being said, it is still a nice looking car with a solid cast of minifgures. Overall, it's a fine set, but if you have the original, I'd recommend spending your money on other sets.

Pre-Release Thoughts

Along with the rest of the Legacy wave for early 2021, I was sure to get this one because of the exclusive Golden Legacy Cole. Nothing else about the set interested me much.

Build Experience

The build experience was quite simple, although I did enjoy building the mechanism for the car. I'm sure an 8-year-old could build this set with ease.

Model

The completed model is quite short but very wide. The car is plated with unique stickers representing painted fire designs and car engines. I dislike the blockiness of the entire vehicle. Additionally, I feel that functional steering could've been included.

The main function of the set is to release a small bike from the car, so that Kai can escape. This function is activated by pressing on a yellow lever that is cleverly blended into the car. The front of the car lifts and the bike shoots out. The bike itself is sleek, but the design is lacking in detail. The back of the bike looks especially bad because it has to attach to the car. I feel the bike could've benefited from some extra parts.

The car has a few functions, like the spring-loaded shooter, which can move up and down, but this feature is disappointing due how little the cannon can move up and down and the lack of side-to-side movement.

As a whole, the car fits in as just another Kai vehicle and doesn't do much above that.

Minifigures

The minifigures are as bland as the set besides the exclusive Golden Cole. Cole isn't my favorite of the Golden Legacy figures, but he still looks splendid. He comes with his hammer, which attaches to the armor piece with a clip on the back.

Kai and Jay are both great figures, but the fact that they are easier to get in a cheap $30 from this same wave makes these figures uninteresting. I'd much prefer to get a Legacy Nya in this set or a General Cryptor figure. Still, these figures look great due to their use of different colors to accent the main red and blue.

The nindroids are just alright, although I am disappointed that they didn't give Mindroid a new torso print or any leg printing for the other nindroid. Their accessories are alright, the standout here being the taller nindroid's crazy jetpack.

Comparison to Original

*Disclaimer: I don't own the original set, so this comparison will take from pictures*

The original X-1 Charger was priced at only $40, $10 less than this one. It looked much better than this one, as it didn't use as much black and gave us an overall better product for a smaller price.

The car looks much thinner, in contrast to the blocky and thick new one. The model looks more sleek and fiery. The cannon in that set was rotatable and looked much better. The engine on the back was more detailed, while the new one uses a simple rounded brick with no cool attachments. The only problem with the look of the original is a few blue technic pieces that are visible.

Obviously the original didn't include a golden figure, but it did include a Rebooted Kai with his techno blade and two nindroids. Both of the Nindroids come with wacky weapons and amazing side builds to compete with the Charger.

In the end, the original X-1 blows the Legacy version out of the water. The new one may have better parts, but it ultimately loses because of its low play and display value.

Value

This set is sold for $50, which is a fair price. It comes with almost 600 pieces, so the price to part value is good. The car is quite large, so the value for volume is quite good.

The play value is quite low, especially for a set meant to be exclusively for play. The display value is also low, since this doesn't stand out when put with other sets. Even with good price to part and price to volume values, the set isn't worth it due to its lack of display and play value.

Pros

• Exclusive Golden Cole
• Cool play feature
• Good price to part value
• Decent volume for the price you're paying

Cons

• Very little play and display value
• Lackluster minifigures
• Fewer features than original
• Useless parts

Overall

The new X-1 has left me quite disappointed. I feel that I won't care about this set in a few months due to how little value it has in terms of play and display. The only reason I would want this set is for the Golden Cole. I wouldn't recommend this set unless you are looking forward to collecting all of the Golden Legacy figures.

- Christmaskingcool