Ninjago has become one of the most popular LEGO themes of the past decade, with a range of excellent sets which generally appeal to children and adults alike. The latest and largest of these is 70751 Temple of Airjitzu, a 2028-piece set recreating the Temple on Haunted Hill which appeared in season five of the TV show.

The spectacular oriental architecture is hugely impressive and will probably be the most appealing aspect of the set for most adult fans, although the play features are also very enjoyable and there is a brilliant range of figures too. For those reasons I suspect this set will sell rather well as there is a substantial potential market for it in my opinion, despite the fact that Ninjago is typically aimed at younger buyers.

Box and Contents

The box is a little smaller than I was expecting but this works in favour of the artwork which is tightly packed with bright colours and action. The orange skyline looks absolutely fantastic and contrasts beautifully with the temple which is predominantly red and black. It’s nice to see some of the humour from the series included as well as the ever-unlucky Postman is harassed by chickens to the left of the blacksmith’s shop!

The back of the box shows some of the play features and a gallery of the twelve minifigures, as well as advertising the ‘exclusive materials’ in the instruction manual.

Those exclusive materials consist of an interview with the designer, character details and information about the expansive world of Ninjago. A few paragraphs of text are included recounting the story of the temple so far and additional appearances in future series are hinted at, so we will have to wait and see whether it pops up again. I was somewhat dubious about the inclusion of any ‘exclusive material’ but I really enjoyed reading about the design process and seeing some of the sketches done during the set’s creation.

The Build

There are a total of thirteen numbered bags in this set, plus one containing the larger elements which is not numbered.

As you can see there is a mixture between the new striped bag design and the old one. I cannot see any particular reason why some are in one style and others are in another, so presumably LEGO are simply transitioning between the two.

Most of the bags correspond to a single storey of the buildings included, beginning with the smuggler’s market. This structure is built on a 16x16 base and consists of a combination of grey and sand green bricks.

It quickly becomes apparent that this is going to be a thoroughly enjoyable build as there are some brilliant techniques used here, including the use of an inverted mining helmet as a basin. The roofs are formed using garage door elements which are cleverly attached with golden robot arms. The ability to roll back these roofs will be useful for an interesting function later.

The blacksmith’s shop comes next and begins in much the same way with a 16x16 base in dark tan. The walls of this building recreate the effect of wattle and daub with headlight bricks representing the wooden pillars and medium blue bricks representing the render. To create the right size of window a small section is built on its side, further adding interest to this section of construction. The roof consists of plates and tiles which knit together at the peak, another nice technique which yields a brilliant result.

The temple occupies the vast majority of the pieces and construction starts rather cryptically as you build turntables and oddly coloured tiled surfaces, but all becomes clear when the light brick is set into place. Surprisingly few Technic elements are used for the shadow theatre function, with a rubber band and 2x2 turntables allowing most of the elements to move instead. I think this mechanism would benefit from being a little simpler as there could be a hidden button right behind the light brick, but it’s interesting to build nevertheless.

A semi-translucent plastic sheet is used to form the screen onto which the image is projected Construction of the flights of steps on either side of the rock face is quite basic but works well, using the geometry of the A-frame pieces and 1x3 slopes to create a lovely shape.

I am impressed by how the plates tessellate on the next floor to create an attractive carpet pattern. The exterior is equally impressive with pneumatic ram sleeve elements used to create pillars which are then topped with chrome gold rings. Two rice paper doors are included on this level, represented by printed window panels intended to fit into 1x6x5 frames. They slot into the grooves on the floor and ceiling perfectly, allowing these to slide back and forth just as they do in reality.

The second level is lined with tiny windows, again formed by printed glass elements, of which there are 32 in the set. The walls are fairly similar to the ground floor from the outside with a mixture of red and brown elements but inside there is a greater level of detail. There are a pair of stickers to apply on the two upper floors which are quite difficult to apply as there is nothing to line them up with.

It is enjoyable to swap between building the larger main structures and the smaller furnishings in this section of construction and that continues onto the next level, where tooth elements are put to good use as bookends. The temple is topped with a finial which incorporates train wheels to brilliant effect, although this section of the model is more reminiscent of 1950s science fiction than Asian ornamental spire in my opinion.

Unusually, the smallest models in the set are kept for the final part of the build. The bridge is elegantly curved using flexible tubing and the addition of four Technic bush elements provides some nice texture to the sides. Putting the bridge in place nicely links the buildings together to complete the set and gives the model greater depth for display.

Minifigures

Twelve minifigures are included in this set, half of which are either familiar characters in new attire or brand new characters who have not appeared as physical minifigures before. It is worth noting that only Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane appeared at the Temple on Haunted Hill in the TV show, although I’m glad the designers chose to include lots of additional characters so you can create your own scenes. Given what was said in the designer interview, it seems likely that the temple will more closely resemble this set in future episodes.



This is the only set to include all six of the current ninja, although when the team consisted of only the original four they were all included in 9449 Ultrasonic Raider. That set was released in 2012 and since then the level detail on minifigures has improved enormously, with intricate designs on the torsos and legs of each character. They are all dressed in their Deepstone garb which is predominantly black with mere highlights of their respective colours. These outfits only appeared in sets this summer and are among my favourites of their many guises, so it’s great to see the entire team assembled in a single set.

Sensei Wu is wearing his golden gown here, a garment which first appeared in the latest season of the TV show when running his tea shop. Wu already has a full wardrobe but this is one of his most impressive outfits yet, with intricate gold detailing on the gown which is worn over a simple white tunic and trousers. Strangely the Sensei is without his staff in this set, although he does have a full tea kit and painting equipment hidden indoors.

This is Dareth’s second appearance, although the first was in a polybag which was not available worldwide. The figure has been updated since then with a grinning expression and lots of golden detail on his torso. The original minifigure had printed legs which are absent from this version unfortunately, although he is otherwise an improvement in every regard in my opinion.

I expect the Misako minifigure will be a highlight for fans of the TV show as she is an important character and this is her first appearance in physical form. Just about every detail from the animated series has been recreated here with a new face, new torso and new colour for the hair piece. The figure itself is not particularly impressive when compared with the level of detail on some of the others but it’s great to finally be able to add the character to our collections.

Jesper and Claire are the father and daughter team who run the Temple of Airjitzu as a tourist attraction, although the ghostly reputation of the temple makes their job rather difficult. As far as I know these characters have only appeared in the background so far, so perhaps we will see them take on a more significant role in future episodes. Jesper makes use of the torso and legs from 70812 Creative Ambush, a LEGO Movie set, while Claire’s torso features a new design with a green jacket and necklace. Generic minifigure elements are always welcome, particularly when based on female characters as these are somewhat uncommon.

The final minifigure is the Postman. He is constantly caught up in the ninjas’ shenanigans so his inclusion here is a perfect opportunity to create some more perilous situations for him to fall into! His head and torso feature new designs so it’s a shame that he has no alternate expression to convey terror, which would have suited the character perfectly. Otherwise this is an excellent representation of the Postman and an appealing minifigure with his impressive purple uniform.

The Completed Model

I am pleasantly surprised by the size of this set, particularly the central pagoda which really dominates the scenery. The architectural details look spectacular all over and I am pleased by the variation in colour between the buildings as shades of red, blue, green and tan all proliferate.

The shadow theatre hidden behind the rock face is by far the most interesting play feature in the set. I have found myself constantly tinkering with this as it is a lot of fun and I am sure others will enjoy it even more. It reminds me of the projector in 8635 Mobile Command Centre from the 2008 Agents theme which uses a light brick in a similar way. Outside the statue of Sensei Yang and the pool of water around it looks fantastic, as do the flights of stairs on either side.

To enter the temple the rice paper doors slide open. This room is decorated quite sparsely, with only Sensei Wu’s teapot and a bowl of herbs inside. The teapot has only appeared in one other set in this colour: 70734 Master Wu Dragon, so I’m glad to find it making another appearance here. The next level is filled with military equipment including racks of katanas and a bow, as well as a training dummy which can be knocked over and set back up.

The top floor is furnished with bookshelves, a stool and an easel. All the necessary details have been included in this area, even a pot for washing out the paint brush included. I suspect children (and adults) will enjoy setting scenes with the minifigures as I certainly have!

A box containing a camera and a hairbrush can be found in the attic. These items appear to belong to Cole, although I cannot recall them being particularly associated with the character in the TV series. Perhaps they will make an appearance in the next series as it seems unlikely that they would be selected at random.

The blacksmith’s shop consists of two floors. At ground level there is an anvil, some tools and a furnace which is cleverly constructed using small door elements angled to form the flue. This links to the chimney which runs out of the top of the building, nicely slicing through the roof which is constructed around it.

The upper room is empty which is a little strange, although the glider can be stored in here if you wish to occupy the space.

I love the stylised trees which grow on either side of the building. The orange leaves and curved trunks look superb and you can adjust their positioning by altering the direction of the curve. There are a few leaves on the roof of the shop which look rather nice too, simply adding a little bit of additional detail and providing the set with a truly Autumnal atmosphere.

On the other side of the Temple of Airjitzu is the smugglers’ market, a predominantly sand green building with an open plan design. The black roofs are very eye-catching, as are the golden pieces at their edges which contrast well with the other more muted colours. Inside there is a variety of food elements including apples, fish and baguettes.

These are stored in angled containers and there are a couple of satchels hanging on the wall which contain ninja trading cards. Unfortunately these trading cards use stickers; I was hoping they would be printed so the minifigures would be able to hold them in the hands without scratching the decoration.

Of course this would not be a smugglers’ market unless there were some secrets to be discovered so a couple of chests are concealed in the roof. These are accessible by rolling the panels back and inside there are two gold daggers and a cutlass which the owners of the market obviously don’t want anybody to find.

The last two models are a glider and a firework cart. The glider is almost identical to a design from 1999 in the original ninja range, that of 1187 Glider. Admittedly the design does seem rather dated but this is a nice reference back to Ninjago’s oldest ancestor and one which adult fans will enjoy.

The firework cart is an equally basic model but it incorporates the six stud shooter very well indeed, allowing colourful studs to be launched as it turns to create a firework-like effect. It is a shame that there is nowhere to conveniently store the cart but I am pleased that it has been included nonetheless.

Overall

As the largest Ninjago set ever released I think most people expected it to be a must-have for fans of the theme and they will not be disappointed. There are lots of references to particular moments from the show and some excellent minifigures, with the exclusive material in the instruction manual providing a nice bonus for the fans as well.

The set offers just as much to those interested in architecture as this is a superb exhibition of how oriental structures can be created. Furthermore, many of the building techniques used for both the model’s appearance and its functionality are unfamiliar, so you are likely to learn some new construction methods as the temple is assembled.

If you are interested in Ninjago or simply want an architecturally impressive display model I certainly deem this set worthy of consideration. The price is about where it should be in my opinion, with a superb minifigure selection and a reasonably sized set. However, if you are considering the model based purely on its display value as an oriental structure then you might be less satisfied as I suspect the range of minifigures has increased the cost of the set. It is difficult to overlook the incredible level of detail though, so if you choose to purchase the set, I think you will be glad that you did.

Thanks to the CEE Team for sending us a copy of the set to review and to Huw for the photos.

If you wish to buy the set it can be ordered from shop.LEGO.com now. Please use these links to place your order: UK (£169.99) | USA ($199.99) | Canada ($229.99) | Germany | France.