Review : 70618 Destiny's Bounty

LEGO fans love boats. It's like that. And when LEGO stops making sets featuring pirate and their ships, fans are content with the ships marketed in other ranges. The and 70618 Destiny's Bounty (2295 pieces, 7 minifigs, 164.99 €) therefore leaves with significant sympathy for amateurs. Almost everything has already been said about this set since the appearance of the first official visuals. It was generally well received by fans, with some even calling it "UCS with Ninjago sauce".

Don't be discouraged by the retail price of this box, this set is already available at a much lower price. at amazon: 120.73 €. At this rate, it's a great deal.

After the mechs and other vaguely Japanese-style robots, we are back in a more "traditional" Ninjago atmosphere with this big three-sail junk of more than 2000 pieces, which floats and flies.

This is not the first representation of Sensei Wu's floating apartment and two other boxes from the Ninjago range already featured this boat, on a more modest scale: 9446 Destiny's Bounty (2012) et 70738 Final Flight of Destiny's Bounty (2015)
This new interpretation is more opulent, more loaded with various and varied accessories and it is also logically more generous in space thus offering excellent playability.

While some will be content to display this imposing boat (55 cm long, 17 cm wide and 45 cm high) for the pleasure of the eyes, others will be able to find plenty of fun. The thing is also modular with elements that can be removed to access the bowels of the hull with a flat bottom.

Everything fits together perfectly and it is rather stable. The front part of the deck which can be removed to access the boat's toilets (!) Is a little more difficult to handle but with little fingers it works.

This set is therefore almost a Structure floating (which doesn't really float, don't try to launch it) with maximum detail and nods to the square centimeter and the ability to access the lower layers of the construction for maximum playability .

there is a little more room for fun here than in the set 70617 Temple of The Ultimate Ultimate Weapon. The bridge is wide and the different spaces available leave enough to place a minifig without having to force it in.

The two bow dragons that frame the landing platform have their effect. Some may see it as a tribute to the famous Chinese type junk Red Dragon very popular with pirates at the end of the 18th century and from which this Destiny's Bounty seems to be inspired. I note that LEGO designers are very fond of bananas right now, they are putting them everywhere.

A good point for the sails, the material used is a little more rigid than the soft fabric seen in particular in the set 71042 Silent Mary. Despite everything, I remain convinced that plastic sails would greatly simplify the maintenance of the set. These sails are a little undersized compared to the size of the ship and are only printed on one side, it's a shame even if we still distinguish the patterns by transparency. On the other hand, LEGO has taken care to put its legal notice clearly on each of the sails. not very discreet ...

Small regret, the sails are not identical to that of the film: We do not find on the LEGO version the characteristic slats of the rigging of traditional junks as in the model of the film. These slats are here simply indicated by a simple printing effect.

Among the features offered by LEGO, I especially retain the possibility of dropping the anchor and sliding a minifigure in the bed of the room. The system used for the bed is really ingenious. The bamboo roof that covers the junk's gangway can be rolled up to clear the space, that's fine.

The armory is well stocked, LEGO has scattered weapons all over the place in addition to those supplied with each of the minifigs. There is also reading on board with books, maps, etc ... In short, something to have a little fun by varying the scenarios with a dojo, a room (... make Seinsei Wu sleep ...) and even a bathroom (... Lloyd is seasick ...): It's up to everyone to invent the story that goes with it ...

On the minifig side, it's satisfying for anyone who wants to kill two birds with one stone: You get the six ninjas and Sensei Wu. It's enough to reproduce the action of the film.

It seems to me that the boat is used to go in search of the ultimate weapon to fight against Godzichat (the laser pointer, provided for the return trip) by the fine team who will later fall on Garmadon when they arrive at the set bridge 70608 Master Falls. We also find in this box the card seen in set 70608.

Small regret concerning the finish of the whole, the dressing of the edge of the hull at the level of the upper deck leaves some rather unsightly empty spaces at the front and at the rear. Nothing crippling.

Aesthetically, it's loaded. It's the least we can say. By purifying the thing a little, you can still get a pretty junk model less typical of Ninjago. Add tables and chairs to the deck and you have a Chinese floating restaurant. It's up to you.

In the end, I say yes. This set is both a good exhibition product, a modular floating (or almost) and a real playset with enough space to really have fun. And then it's a boat and these days, a LEGO boat, you can't refuse.

Note: We do as usual, you have until August 31, 2017 to manifest yourself in the comments.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.
Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.