In this review, I take a look at one of the smaller sized sets from the most recent LEGO® NINJAGO® wave, 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet. It comprises the eponymous jet along with minifigures of Zane, Golden Dragon Cole and their foe, General Vangelis.
Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.
LEGO® NINJAGO® 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet
US$34.99/ £24.99/ 29.99€/ AU$$44.99
258 parts
1 June 2022
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New Moulds & Recolours in 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet
There is one exclusive new mould in the set, in the form of half a dragon head:
- 1 x Creature Body Part, Dragon Head with Trans-Light Blue Horns Pattern in Warm Gold/Pearl Gold (6384934 | 82276) - unique to this set
The other elements in the image are all exclusive recolours here:
- 2 x Creature Body Part, Dragon Wing 9 x 6 with Marbled Trans-Orange Pattern in Pearl Gold (6411837 | 79898) – the third colour combination of this part, previously seen in Trans-Yellow and Pearl Gold (6374080) as well as Trans-Orange and Red (6365689)
- 4 x Weapon Sword with Jagged Edges, Double Axle Hole with Marbled Trans-Light Blue Pattern in Pearl Gold (6385970 | 79895) - another dual-moulded version of the pearl gold variant reviewed by Tobias in his review of 71774 Lloyd's Ultra Golden Dragon
- 2 x Ring 4 x 4 with 2 x 2 Hole and 4 Arrow Ends (Ninjago Spinner Crown) in Medium Azure (6395527 | 98341) – a nice addition to this part’s colour options
Rare Colours
There are some interesting elements included, which have only featured in a handful of other sets:
- 1x Windscreen 8 x 4 x 2 Curved with Handle in Transparent Light Blue/Trans-Light Blue (6301841 | 35383) - previously seen in one other release, 60274 Elite Police Lighthouse Arrest (pictured here with the sticker applied)
- 2x Wedge Sloped 4 x 2 Triple Left in Pearl Gold (6394215 | 43710) and 2x Wedge Sloped 4 x 2 Triple Right in Pearl Gold (6394216 | 43711) - both only seen in Lloyd's Ultra Golden Dragon previously
- 1x Flag 5 x 6 Hexagonal with U Clips in Black (6334515 | 53913) - in just two other sets, 761991 Carnage and 76187 Venom
- 1x Weapon Sword Crystalized with Hilt and Pin in Transparent Medium Reddish Violet/Trans-Dark Pink (6376231 | 86146) - in 3 other sets, 71769 Cole's Dragon Racer, 71773 Kai's Golden Dragon Raider and 71775 Nya's Samurai X-Mech
- 1x Hat with Mask, White Pattern in Black (6301366 | 66959) - in 3 other sets, 892174 Skull Sorcerer, 71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon and 71722 Skull Sorcerer's Dungeons
- 1x Minifig Neckwear Shoulder Guards in Pearl Gold (6376220 | 86123) – comes in 3 other sets, Cole's Dragon Racer, 892291 Golden Dragon Kai and 71768 Jay's Golden Dragon Motorbike
- 4x Wedge Sloped 4 x 4 Triple with 3 Ridges on Slope in Pearl Gold (6376233 | 86148) - in 4 other 2022 Ninjago releases
Minifigures in 71170 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet
The set’s eponymous character Zane does not have a particularly remarkable minifigure, but Golden Dragon Cole shown here definitely steals the show with his fiery, transparent limbs and huge dual-moulded wings.
The set’s baddie goes by the name of General Vangelis, and his wings are considerably more puny than Cole’s, although he does have a menacing mask to make up for his wings’ deficiencies.
Let’s take a closer look at the printing on the front and back:
The noteworthy components for each figure are as follows:
Cole (Golden Dragon)
All unique to this set:
- 1x Wrap/Mask with Marbled Trans-Orange Crystals Pattern in Pearl Gold (6385943 | 79899)
- 1x Minifig Head, Needs Description in Transparent Bright Orange/ Trans-Orange (6385359 | 28621)
- 1x Torso, Yellow/Orange Chest Armour, Asian Symbol print, Trans-Orange Arms, Orange Hands in Black (6395222)
- 1x Legs and Black Hips with Black Lava Rock Print in Transparent Bright Orange/ Trans-Orange (6385361)
Zane (Golden Ninja)
All parts listed below appear in just one other set, Lloyd's Ultra Golden Dragon.
- 1x Wrap with Long Back Knot, White Band Pattern with Gold Asian Symbol print in Pearl Gold (6385362 | 40925
- 1x Torso, Orange/Yellow Straps, Dark Turquoise Heart print, Pearl Gold Arms, Black Hands in White (6395362)
- 1x Legs and Hips, Gold Knee Caps, Loins, Dark Turquoise Belt print in White (6385364)
General Vangelis
- 1x Minifig Head Vangelis, Purple Eyes, Light Bluish Grey Markings, White Teeth/Fangs Print (6385365 | 3626) - unique here
- 1x Torso, Dark Gray Armour, Pink Crystal print, Dark Purple Arms, Black Hands in Titanium Metallic/ Pearl Dark Gray (639505) - in the same sets as the legs, plus Cole's Dragon Racer
- 1x Legs and Hips, Dark Purple Belt, Armour print in Titanium Metallic/ Pearl Dark Gray (6385366) - in 2 other sets, 71772 The Crystal King and Nya's Samurai X-Mech
Zane is the only minifigure to have any on the back of his head. Collectors of elements for 'monofigures' will be excited by the new arms and legs in trans orange, although their corresponding hands and hips are still in non-transparent colours in this set.
The Build
The build was relatively straightforward, although I did not see how things would come together until it was almost complete, as I had not realised the ship was able to transform in the way it did. The wings can fold along the ship’s fuselage or expand outwards to aid in the deployment of the vicious-looking blades into a battle-ready configuration. Golden Dragon Cole and General Vengelis have their own wings, of course, but I’m not sure either of them are as cool as the ship in flight!
Caz Mockett's original build inspired by 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet: Golden Dragon Ninja Coat of Arms
Having dismantled the set, I was left with some interesting pieces and wanted to make something with all those lovely pearl gold wedges. I started fiddling around with the Medium Azure Ninjago spinner base as the centre of something, adding the stepped wedges at ninety degrees. A pearl gold cartwheel appeared from my parts collection and then I realised I had four pieces of curved rollercoaster track in medium azure as well.
The idea of some sort of shield emerged, but seeing as it wasn’t filled in all around, I eventually decided it must be a coat of arms for the Golden Dragon Ninja. Fortunately, the pearl gold weapons which are also included in the set were invaluable for adding some greebling around the edges, along with many of the curved plant stems in pearl gold (6172437), which I had picked up by the handful from a Pick A Brick wall a few months ago. Having finished it and hung it on a suitable hook to take a photograph, I realise it reminds me of a Native American Dream Catcher, minus the hanging feathers.
Conclusion
The set has some fun construction methods which create the scissor movement of the main ship in a clever and unexpected way. The three minifigures will be of interest to collectors as well as folks who just want some characters to play with, and the whole thing comes in a package which provides reasonable value for money (the outlier being the cost in the US compared to Europe and the UK). I’m sure it will delight Ninja fans and AFOLs alike, either offering some fun play opportunities or some interesting and rare parts for using in their own creations.
READ MORE: Back to 2003 to examine the many rare LEGO® Clikits colours that are no more
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Great review! I think it's nice that the dual molded dragon heads in this set and Jay's Golden Dragon Motorbike appear unprinted, since the versions of that head style in Lloyd's Golden Ultra Dragon are both printed with eye patterns. Having both options is always nice, especially if you wanted to use these dual-molded heads as lower jaws or other decorative details where eye prints would be less appealing.
ReplyDeleteThe dual-molded large blades in this set are great too, and it's great to be getting them in three different color variants this year. Between them and the large crystal blades from some of the villain sets, there's a plethora of large-scale weapons this year to appeal to a Bionicle fan like me.
The General Vangelis fig here is not my favorite of the crystal generals—his Skull Sorcerer mask (unchanged from its initial appearance) covers up the shiny pink eyes all of the generals have, and I sort of wish he still had a skirt/cloak like in his original design instead of standard legs. But the golden dragon ninja are all fantastic—it's pretty amazing that in this wave alone, all four original ninja get not one, not two, but three variants (colored suits, golden armor, and glowy golden dragon versions). And the golden dragon versions specifically might be some of the coolest "powered up" versions of the ninja we've had yet (which is saying something, considering how much I've loved the NRG/Airjitzu/similar variants in the past).
The build for this set is great—it's not the first bladed jet build in Ninjago but its shuriken-like transformation is sufficiently different from Jay's Lightning Jet or the Kai Fighter before it. And the shaping of the cockpit is quite nice, with the golden dragon head used for the nose of the fighter and the transparent windscreen flowing almost seamlessly from that.
That skull sorcerer mask comes in 4 sets, not 3. The omkited set is a foilpack fr9m ninjago magazine. And this is the cheapest way to get it brand new. https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=892174-1
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