Buying guide for Best LEGO Ninjago sets
If you don’t know what Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu is, rest assured that your children almost certainly do. Ninjago is an alternate world created by LEGO for the purpose of playing host to a TV show, which in turn promotes its products. That being said, it’s a pretty cool concept. Ninja warriors use something called Spinjitzu to fight evil in a world of Asian landscapes and concepts alongside modern buildings and futuristic tech. Magic and science mix freely, and kids love it!
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of LEGO Ninjago building sets and minifigures, ranging from a few dozen pieces per set to sets that have nearly 2,000 pieces. Ninjago has been running continuously for many years now, so the history of the stories and characters can be confusing if you haven’t been following it from the beginning.
We’ve already done the background work to help bring you up to speed. We’ll make it as easy as possible for you to get the right Ninjago set for your children.
Key considerations
Size
LEGO Ninjago sets include dozens, hundreds, and sometimes thousands of pieces. Before you buy one for your kids, you need to know how much space it requires. Kids need room to spread out all the pieces so they can find them, as well as room for the set itself. Figuring it out is fairly easy with a calculator and a tape measure.
If a set has 900 pieces, find the square root of 900 on your calculator, which in this case is 30 (30 x 30 = 900). You need a tabletop area that is 30 x 30 inches to spread out all the pieces. But you also need room for the finished set. If the box says it is 16 x 16 inches, you’ll need an area with a grand total of 46 x 46 inches for your child to work on the set.
A smaller area can certainly work, but the pieces will be piled on top of each other and perhaps falling off the table. Building the set on the floor is an option, but inevitably some pieces will get lost under the furniture or stepped on.
Age range
All LEGO sets indicate the appropriate age level on the box. The lower age is really the only one you need to worry about. Any child over that age can play with the set. If your child is younger than the minimum age listed on the box, they could have difficulty putting it together and become frustrated, plus smaller pieces pose a choking hazard to very young children. LEGO is known for including step-by-step visual instructions with each set, so even the age range on the box may be a bit arbitrary if your child is a fast learner. Adult supervision can overcome some of the age limitation problems. If you’re willing and able to sit with your kids while they build a LEGO Ninjago set, by all means, buy them the one they like best.
Aside from an age range, there isn’t a skill level for each LEGO Ninjago set. If you see a product that references a skill level, double-check that you’re not looking at a video game version of the set. They have skill levels just like other video games.
Did you know?
The Ninjago movie is based on the TV show, but it has a separate storyline.
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Features
Pieces
LEGO Ninjago sets come with pieces numbering from fewer than 100 to over 1,000. The number is listed on the box. The difficulty increases with the number of pieces, so look at it before you buy a set for your kids.
Minifigures
A minifigure (minifig or sometimes fig) is a miniature figurine designed to be compatible with LEGO building blocks. They’re made of ABS plastic and stand 1.5 inches tall, the same height as four stacked blocks (or bricks). They can be connected to ordinary LEGO building bricks and normally consist of nine or ten parts. While the minifigures can be purchased separately, they are also included with building sets, so you could wind up with several copies of the main Ninjago characters
Characters: LEGO Ninjago follows the adventures of a core set of characters, plus a few walk-on characters. The TV show and movie have the same main characters. The cast of characters from the TV show is too long to list here, but the main characters in the movie include the following:
- Master Wu, Master of Creation
- Lloyd Garmadon, the Green Ninja
- Kai, the Red Ninja of Fire
- Nya, the Silver Ninja of Water
- Jay, the Blue Ninja of Lightning
- Cole, the Black Ninja of Earth
- Zane, the White Ninja of Ice
- Lord Garmadon, Master of Destruction, Lloyd’s father
- Misako (“Koko”), Lloyd’s mother
LEGO has countless other characters in the Ninjago universe. Each of these characters comes with its standard costume when purchased individually, but if it comes as part of a building set, it may have additional accessories, such as specialized weapons, optional clothing, and handheld instruments. Additionally, the overlap between the series and the movie means that some of the main characters, especially Lord Garmadon, look different depending on which one they’re drawn from.
Mechs
Mechs are the mechanical vehicles, robots, and beasts that have a cockpit for a “driver” to control them. There’s plenty of mech sets available from LEGO, or you can design and build your own using standard LEGO parts. Many of the building kits from the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu TV show and movie are mechs. As a general rule, mechs are large, as much as 17 inches or more tall or wide.
Themes
LEGO has sets and minifigures based on a wide variety of TV shows and movies, but within the Ninjago universe there are two basic themes: the multi-season TV series and the one-off Ninjago movie. Although the TV series and the movie include many of the same characters, the storylines are different and, in fact, contradictory.
If you’re getting Ninjago sets and minifigures for your children, make sure you know which theme they want or already have. There are many extra characters, mechs, and creatures in the series that don’t appear in the movie. Your kids will think you’re an old fuddy-duddy if you try to mix and match them. Maintain your “cool” quotient by getting the right ones.
"The year 2019 marked the eleventh season of the Ninjago TV show. "
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LEGO Ninjago set prices
Inexpensive
LEGO Ninjago sets start at less than $10. These are usually individual minifigure characters with a few accessories.
Mid-range
The Ninjago sets that cost $10 to $60 usually contain up to 600 pieces.
Expensive
Sets that cost from $60 to more than $200 can have 700 to nearly 2,000 pieces in them, with plenty of extra minifigures and accessories included.
Tips
- Mix and match. The parts of minifigures (head, body, arms, legs) can be mixed and matched with each other to produce unique characters.
- Follow the instructions. The visual instructions that accompany each building set are surprisingly complete and easy to follow. If you follow each step in order, you’ll be able to complete the assembly.
- Store the pieces in resealable bags. Once the plastic bags the pieces come in are opened, they’re no longer usable for storage. A resealable plastic bag is best.
Did you know?
Lloyd, the hero of the Ninjago movie, is the son of Garmadon, the villain of the movie.
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FAQ
Q. What is LEGO Ninjago supposed to be?
A. It’s a universe created and owned by LEGO that tells the ongoing story of a group of ninja heroes battling evil. It presents themes of loyalty, friendship, and reaching your full potential.
Q. When did Ninjago first come out?
A. It debuted in 2011 with the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu TV show. New products based on the show are released on a regular basis, referred to as “waves.”
Q. What is Spinjitzu?
A. It is a fictional martial art that exists only in the Ninjago universe.
