As Obi-wan would say, “Hello There!” Today I have a review of 70617 Temple of the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon! This is a LEGO Ninjago Movie set with 1403 pieces that retails for $99.99 (U.S.), £79.99 (UK), $159.99 (Aus), and $169.99 (NZ), though in New Zealand you can get it for $149.99 RRP at the time of writing.

I have been looking forward to this set for a long time because it includes all six protagonists from the movie. Furthermore, this is an easy way to get all the ninjas’ hairpieces (though I wish they had their headwraps as well).

Our first ninja is Kai. He appears in the much cheaper 70608 Master Falls so is not exclusive or rare, but I am fine with him here as he is one of the six ninja. He has his typical nice swordholder and two silver katanas.

Our next figure is Kai’s sister Nya. I really like her hairpiece so am super happy to see it here. Her ninja outfit is nice as well, with arm printing and a metal skirt. She comes with a spear that has a black tassel on the end.

Next we have the ninja of earth, Cole. He is quite a rare ninja, and his hairpiece is pretty rare as well. I am therefore pleased to see him and his hairpiece in this set. Unlike the one in 70609 Manta Ray Bomber, this Cole has arm printing. He comes with his new signature weapon, a large hammer.

Here we have the main protagonist of the film, Lloyd Garmadon. He is also a Ninjago CMF, but I am still pleased to see him here, with his hairpiece, new sword, and a double-sided head.

Next up is my favorite ninja from the TV show, Jay. He has a brand new hairpiece which I quite like, though it is also in the Ninjago CMF series. His ninja outfit is cool too, with a mix of dark blue and black, but with some orange highlights. He has his nunchucks (not shown).

Image from Ebay, not taken by me.

The last ninja here is Zane. This is one of the few instances where Zane has his hair. His head is exclusive, and I definitely like the expression here. When his hair was first revealed, I did not like it, but now I actually really love it, especially with the crew cut printing on the back of his head. Zane has a bow and a quiver.

The antagonist in this set is none other than Jungle Garmadon. He is the same as the one from 70608 Master Falls, with his brown hat, olive pauldron, and four katanas. Sadly, his legs are not dual-molded, so it only covers the skin at the front 😳 Nevertheless, this is a good figure, though as always, my favorite Garmadon is from the Green Ninja Mech Dragon set. These figures are pretty good. I like how they included all six ninjas (with hairpieces) and Garmadon in this set. Makes it easy to get all the ninja at one go, while you can get Wu in the CMF. The minifigures may be reason enough to buy this set, but is the build itself any good?

Well, before we start on the Temple itself, we should look at the two stone lions included. These are identical and occupy one bag each. They use ball joints and so are very poseable, and even their eyebrows can be adjusted!

They can be put into a lot of different poses. One thing I like is how they use a CCBS shoulder element as their belly. It’s a very clever reuse. The temple itself is pretty majestic. It looks like it’s built on top of a mountain, with dark grey rockwork at the base. Unlike Garmadon’s pretty futuristic vehicles and soldiers, this has a pretty ancient feel to it. I love the surprisingly effective mix of light grey and dark blue, and the two large red doors are pretty ominous. The way the roof is built is really nice, with some dark blue scorpion elements used to good effect. Black window frames on the upper level look fantastic, as do the 8 dark blue stickers on either side of the door (though those were not easy to line up). A big blue flame is visible at the top, while a bone cage (which poor Jay is stuck inside) is at the side. So you push open the doors and run in. Bad move! Pressing a Technic lever on the top sends a boulder crashing down onto you. This is a very fun play feature.

Deterrents encountered: 1 Let’s try it again! You dash forward towards the crate. However, the crate suddenly slides away from you. Before you know it, a trapdoor opens beneath you, sending you plummeting down and out. You eventually find yourself underneath the steps leading to the temple.

Deterrents encountered: 2

Rushing in again, you notice a knob twisting above you. Suddenly, TNT comes falling down towards you. BOOM!

Deterrents encountered: 3

Eventually, you have to go back out. You suddenly have a brilliant idea! Pushing a well-hidden lever sends a rock face smashing out. You can now crawl into the Temple safely – that is, until you encounter some snakes. Nevertheless, you make your way in, push the grate out on the other side, and are now inside!

Deterrents encountered: 4 On the right side of the temple, you find some scrolls, which appear to be ancient writings. You stop to read them, but bad move! When a grey ball outside is pushed, a disk launcher fires a 2×2 round tile at your feet, nearly slicing them off. Alternatively, if no one is standing in front of the disk launcher, you can fire the disks into the doorway, making it another entrance deterrent.

Deterrents encountered: 5 A Vermillion statue on the bottom left story appears stoic, but when you flip its head around, it becomes terrifying and attacks you! Yikes. Because of how plain and unprinted the body and legs were, you assumed it was a regular statue. Never assume again.

Deterrents encountered: 6

Going upstairs (though there is no visible way to get up), you are looking at a golden sword. That’d make a nice weapon! Suddenly, a gear twists and a jagged sword swings violently towards you, nearly slicing you. Yikes, gotta be more careful.

Deterrents encountered: 7 Fortunately, the rest of the Temple is relatively trap-free, though some areas do not have enough depth or height for you to stand! 😦 Having enough of exploring, you decide to go for the mysterious crate. Jumping across the Technic axles, which is a pretty creative play feature, you finally leap your way over to the mysterious crate! Perhaps this contains the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon you were looking for? Well, inside you just find some golden flowers. Lame. Or is it? Warning: the following text may contain spoilers. Highlight to read >>Since it was revealed that Meowthra the real-life cat is the true antagonist of the LEGO Ninjago Movie, what if these golden flowers are actually cat food! Hence, while the Laser Pointer is the Ultimate Weapon (since it tells the cat where to attack), the Cat Food is the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon since the ninja can use it to lure the cat away! << Now that you’ve got what you came for, make a run for it! You speed out of the Temple.

THE END.

Now back to the serious part of the review. I think this is a pretty good playset, with lots of little booby traps for your ninja to encounter. That said, the interior is a bit too shallow for my liking. Two more studs deeper would’ve been a lot better, but that would’ve probably increased the price by a lot more. The Temple is still very impressive, however. It is 38 cm wide and 48 cm tall, meaning that it stands out quite a bit. This structure alone would be worth the retail price, but with the stone lions and the great minifigure selection added? The value is pretty awesome!

So, this is a very good set. The minifigure selection is good, the Temple looks magnificent, the playability is great (though slightly hampered by the shallowness of the whole thing), and the value is fantastic. Fun fact: even though I don’t like the PPP way of measuring value, with the $149.99 NZD price tag at the Warehouse, this set is one of the only sets in New Zealand to come close to a 10 cents per piece value! Wow! (Normally prices here are 20 cents per piece).

Builds: 4/5

Minifigures: 5/5

Playability: 4/5

Price: 5/5

Personal Rating: 4.5/5

TOTAL: 4.5/5

WOW! I don’t believe I’ve ever given a set such a high rating. But this deserves it. Absolutely go buy it. I love it!! 🙂

Thanks for reading! What do you think of this set? Let me know in a comment below 🙂

VaderFan2187 out! 😀