Review: LEGO Ninjago 71766 Lloyd's Legendary Dragon

Today we quickly tour the contents of the LEGO Ninjago set 71766 Lloyd's Legendary Dragon, a box of 747 pieces that will be available from January 1, 2022 at the public price of € 59.99. Dragons are, along with the various and varied vehicles, regulars in the Ninjago range. Not all are successful, far from it, even if some of them sometimes manage to stand out and the one proposed in this box has some arguments to make.

With 747 pieces and almost nothing other than the dragon to build, we can legitimately hope that the creature of about fifty centimeters in length is detailed. This is generally the case, with a sufficiently large abdomen, well-dressed legs and Ball Seals or notched joints which often know how to remain discreet even if the gray kneecaps of the feet are a little too visible on arrival.

From the first sachet, we know that this dragon is not going to be yet another creature a little too rickety to convince and that's good news. The mixture of colors is a little surprising, we install the lever which will be used to vaguely move the wings of the dragon and we add in the process some very large pieces which give a little roundness to the abdomen of the dragon.

The four legs are articulated and they allow some fantasies when it comes to exhibiting this dragon on a shelf between two play sessions. The mobility offered does not, however, equal the complexity of the assemblies offered, but the level of detail of the paws is very satisfying. The designer has even integrated two car hoods on the top of the thighs of the front legs, it is well seen and the element is here really at the service of the roundness of the two members concerned.

The dragon's head is pad printed and the look of the creature seems really successful to me. I was a little dubious about choosing the dominant hues for this build, but I have to admit that blue and green work well together. Some stickers give the paws a little texture, it's always taken to get some scales here and there and these stickers are, once is not customary, about the right shade. The saddle installed on the back of the creature is removable, I find it very successful with its brown color and some golden pieces, it is favorably noticed.

The structure of the two wings is very well designed, it is designed to accommodate the two pieces of too soft fabric which should in principle transform the large lizard into a dragon while concealing a little in passing the few aesthetic approximations. I am not at all convinced by these two elements whose patterns are however successful: their texture is really too fine and this fabric sags softly on the frame of the wings. I would have preferred to get two pieces of plastic printed on one side or at a pinch more rigid elements such as those of the boats in the set 71748 Sea Battle Catamaran. The official product visuals let me imagine this last option. As it is, these two soft and too thin rags, delivered folded in eight in a small cardboard box, do not seem to me to be up to what we can expect in a product at € 60.

As I said above, the wings start to move when you manipulate the black lever placed on the creature's back. Don't expect a believable flapping of the wings, the two appendages simply move back and forth. Functionality at least has the merit of existing, it's the union minimum in a high-end construction toy. The presence of many joints also allows you to really enjoy the dragon, from the tail to the head including all four legs. As often, it is necessary to start again several times before obtaining the ideal position, and the notched joints of the hind legs lack a little ... notch. Nothing serious.

This product allows you to obtain four figurines: Lloyd, with his hair and his mask as it is also delivered in the set 71763 Lloyd's Race Car EVO, Nya with her mask but without her usual hair which is provided in the set 71767 Ninja Dojo Temple, Viper Flyer and Python Dynamite. Nothing noticeable concerning the quality of the pad printing, apart from perhaps the slightly pale blue area of ​​Nya's torso, the result is generally at the level of what one would expect in this type of toy. The two villains have a somewhat sketchy ballista, with two projectiles, which allows them to have fun aiming at the dragon. The accessory can be swiveled vertically, that's already it.

As in the other boxes of this wave of sets of the first half of 2022, LEGO provides here a nice pad printed banner to collect, it will be necessary to acquire eight different sets to obtain a complete collection, the challenge will be expensive but interesting and these elements that I find aesthetically very successful can for example be used to decorate the interior of a dojo.

To put it simply, I think this big dragon is without doubt one of the most successful of those marketed so far in the Ninjago range, thanks in particular to a sufficiently large abdomen and well-dressed paws. The built-in wing flapping feature will keep the little ones entertained, and the creature can easily take Lloyd and Nya on its back.

Too bad about the two soft fabric wings which spoil the creature's appearance a bit and which don't seem to me to be able to survive hectic play sessions for very long. The contrast between the very correct level of finish of the dragon's body and the somewhat "cheap" aspect of these two textile elements is not to the advantage of the product. We will wait until the set is sold with a significant reduction in its retail price to crack and not have the impression of paying too much for a product which is satisfied with a somewhat disappointing compromise.

Note: The set presented here, provided by LEGO, is as usual involved. Deadline fixed at December 24, 2021 next at 23pm.

Update : The winner was drawn and notified by email, his nickname is indicated below.