I just picked this set up today and, being my first Ninja Turtles set, I absolutely love it! It has a good balance of heroes and villains, great vehicles, and lots of details and functions!

Box/Instructions

The box is the standard size for a set of this size, and is made of the stronger material that replaced the old type of box a few years back. The front shows the set in action with a nice sewer background. The back shows off some of the functions and features of the model, as well as a mini-comic. I found it odd that, amongst all the features shown, the cockpit interior was omitted. The instructions are fit into just one manual, and there is a pretty hefty sticker sheet. Unfortunately, the set did not include cardboard backing for the instructions and stickers, leaving both items folded in half. Luckily, my stickers were not damaged. I found no errors in the instruction booklet.

Parts

There aren't many new elements in this set, except for the fairly new 4621603, 4622338, and 6028015.

Aside from those, there are several older pieces in new colors, like all the olive green and clay bricks that help make up the turtle shell and undercarriage. Overall, there is a healthy mix of System and Technic pieces, as well as new and old colors.

Minifigures

This set includes five fantastic minifigures, two of which are the same.

First off are the two Kraang, this time in an underwater variant. The figure is the same as the highly detailed one featured in other sets such as Shellraiser Street Chase, but with an added backpack to simulate a mechanical shark fin. The blasters included for the Kraang are harpoons featured on many other sets, with trans. purple cones put over them. These minifigs are extremely detailed, with printing on both sides of the head, as well as foot and hip printing. I really appreciate the level of detail that LEGO put into such a generic character.

Next up is the mutated alligator Leatherhead, who is mostly made up of specially molded pieces. His legs are standard, however, and feature a great amount of printing that fits perfectly with his bulky body. His arms are also separate, and have colored wristbands and holes to attach studs. I feel that this figure would be better if it included an opening mouth to munch on the Kraang.

Leonardo comes next in a great new variant. This version of the turtle leader shows off some new underwater gear, including a scuba mask on his face. He has some other gadgets on the front and back of his torso, and the same shell as always. Leo also comes with his standard two katanas. I personally love this figure because it is always great to get new turtle variants.

Last, but certainly not least, is Donatello, the brains of the turtle operation. This incarnation of the tech whiz also features underwater gear, much like Leo's but in brown. He comes with his trademark bo staff, this time with a gray cone on the end. I am assuming that this is a weight to keep the staff from floating to the surface if Donnie drops it. Like Leo, it is great to see more turtle variants. The only disappointing thing about the underwater turtles is that we don't get a complete set!

Overall, the minifig selection for this set is great, and I love that LEGO chose to give us new prints for the turtles instead of reusing old ones. I really gives more of a reason to buy this set.

The build

The build of this set is split over four bags: bag 1 builds Leo, Leatherhead and one Kraang, as well as the turtle mini-speeder, the Kraang mini-speeder, and the base of the sub. bag 2 continues building the sub up, adding some interior features and the walls. Bag 3 finishes up the head and fins and gives us Donnie and the other Kraang, while bag 4 builds the roof/shell of the sub. The build is mostly System, but features some Technic to pull off the flipper feature and to make the head connection. This set will be easy for most people to build.

The completed model

The finished product is very satisfying and feels very sturdy and heavy. There is a lot of fun to be had with this set, and I feel that the good and evil is pretty well-balanced in this set. All of the functions work well and nothing falls apart, but it is a bit tricky to get the figures to let go of the handles in the sub.

Overall opinion

This set is great. There is a great selection of parts and figures, three excellent builds, and a good price per piece ratio. With such a great mix of everything, I think that everyone from new LEGO fans to hardcore turtle-lovers will find something they like about this set.

Box/Instructions

The box is purple and green, and shows the turtles and Leatherhead fight off the Kraangs. It's quite a bit smaller then I'd have thought, especially compared to last years Shellraiser Street Chase.

The sets instructions had no glaring misprints, but I did notice the construction of the Kraang stingray/boat/sub thing, the purple rod making the tail piece appeared clear. No harm in the build, no foul though.

Parts

A lot of olive green and grey, some of the orange/brown, and a few red, white and blue pieces that are mundane (small plates, 2x1 bricks, etc.). You also get wings, jets, a spring loaded missile launcher, green dish pieces (half way between the usual dark and light green), arches and small wheels. There are also 8 olive green "hood" pieces for cars or trucks, used to great effect as part of the top shell.

Minifigures

Two Kraangs are included in this set, these ones with claw pieces on their backs to look like shark fins. The figure themselves have double sided print on their heads and torsos, printing on their legs, and spear gun accessories. Nothing new from these mini figures, save the gray colour, but they're still good army building fodder for the turtles.

Donatello and Leonardo are both altered from their previous appearances. Leonardo has a darker green colour, and Donatello is a lighter green. Both are suped up from their previous figures with re-breathers and some kind of scuba outfits. It adds to the character of the set, but...aren't they turtles? They have their shell pieces printed on, but have the over the shoulder accessory for both, along with Leo's katanas and Donny's staff with a weight or something at the end, altering his usual bo staff slightly.

Leatherhead was always a favorite character of mine when I was younger. I remember him being an antagonist in previous versions, but the box art shows him captured by the Kraang and being freed by Leonardo. He is a max-figure, or character, or what ever you'd call him, and is similar to Dogpound from the Shellraiser set, in the arm attatchments and the normal sized legs that look too small. Full detail was given to his head, tail, and even his arms and legs, so in spite of his "short" legs, and I'd have put some articulation in his tail or jaw too, he is a really nifty figure.

The build

The build wasn't anything over the top. The first of four bags took you through Leo's barrel powered underwater vehicle, the Kraang's stingray, Leatherhead, Leo, one Kraang and the bottom frame. Bag two builds up the frame on the main sub and the interior. Number three gave us Donatello and the final Kraang, and added the head/control center, the fins (including an unexpected "roll-and-stroke" from the front fins), and the last bag added the top of the shell. Even as an AFOL, there was some satisfaction in finishing off the build, which took maybe an hour and a half to two hours, and the model looks great! Speaking of which...

The completed model

I love the way this model looks. Everything is rounded off in the shell/body portion of the sub. Given the size of the box, I'm surprised at the size of the sub, I thought it would be smaller to be honest. It looks great, and due to the missile launcher, smaller water craft, multiple heroes and enemies, and even that movement from the front fins give this a lot of play value for younger collectors or kids looking for something to play with. As for me, this looks fantastic with some of the weirder cross section sets on my bookshelf.

Overall opinion

It's a turtle shaped submarine. TMNT and Lego together give just enough crazy, with just little enough context to make the surreal real. I love the concept of both the vehicle, making me want to check out the new TMNT, but this is crazy enough to work as a set, and remain unique and fun. The minifigures, the smaller accessory craft, the play features, the finished model in both the aesthetics and the sturdiness of the build...it's just a classic set.

Plus, I don't think there are too many submarine water craft out there, with the Cuusoo 21100: Shinkai 6500 Submarine, which is a definite display piece over a play set, being the first one to come to mind.

There are some cons to this, as the instructions and stickers came folded in my box, as the usual cardboard protection was absent, and I guess stickers in general are a con for some. The top shell doesn't always fit on properly as well. The build was straight forward, with little in the way of new techniques as well, but also didn't lead to complications. Aside from that...that's it. That's all the negativity I can put on this set, and all of this is quibbly, personal, and based on personal preference.

It's absurd and beautiful, and so over the top, that when I saw it in my regular pilgrimage to the Lego store (shout out to Guildford), I felt the immediate desire to buy it. You won't regret buying this set.