Ninjago City (70620) - The Adventure Begins!!

We dug into the set last night and managed to finish Chapter 1 in record time - I think it took us about 1.5 hours. Since this is a new set, the instructions have a red border around each of the new pieces in each step. This made it a lot faster for mom to find the additional pieces and get them in place.

The first thing we built was one of the mini-figs - Kai Garmadon. Never having seen the Ninjago Lego movie, the name really doesn't mean much to us. We re-named the figure Daylin after my sister's fiance. The hair looks a lot like his just after he has woken up and the croissant that he has poised to shove in his mouth is quintessentially Daylin as well.

The first thing we noticed was how compact the build is. The image on the box makes it look quite large and grand but the baseplate that it sits on is no bigger than a regular city module base. From what we can tell though, this building is significantly taller than a regular city building. And in fact, this is backed up with the little history given at the beginning of the instructions. It said that due to crowding issues and lack of real estate, the building had been forced to grow vertically rather than spread horizontally. That is definitely captured well in the set.

Chapter 1 just lays the foundation of the building and there really isn't much to see. The black, dark and light green section to the left looks like it will eventually be the small canal that flow through the area. You can see the lilypads and other water greenery that dot the area.

Ninjago City (70620) - Chinatown!

With the Parisian restaurant finished, mom decided she wanted to up her game and tackle the Ninjago City set next. This was a Christmas gift from my sister and her fiance this year and it's a set that mom has been drooling over for a while. I think the Asian aspect of it particularly appeals to her, along with (of course) the color and what looks to be an amazing amount of detail in the set.

It will be our biggest build yet, coming in at almost 5,000 pieces (4867 to be exact). And I anticipate that it will take us a few months to finish. Mom has recently discovered Prison Break and has been watching that fiendishly. She hasn't even finished watching it through on the first go around and she is already talking about watching it again! I can't say I fault her, I really like the show myself and have watched it 3 times myself ...

Anyway, stay tuned and as soon as we get going on this baby, I'll be documenting it here!

Parisian Restaurant (10243) - Final Thoughts

This set was a really great building experience. Not only was it very detailed but it was colorful and authentic. It would have been nice to have a few more mini figs (the artist and occupant of the second floor apartment, and perhaps a few more customers to fill up the restaurant).

As you can see, it's a very compact build. There is a lot going on in a fairly tight amount of space. The detail is superb - from the decorations on the roofs and windows, to the odd colored bricks on the chimney stack. The restaurant looks very tasteful and elegant with the awning and menuboard, and the roped off front terrace as well as the upstairs terrace complete with potted planters.

Here is a closer shot of the upstairs dining terrace. It really shows off the detailing of the chimney stack. Not only can you see where some of the plaster has been replaced after cracking and peeling off, you also see spots where it has worn through to expose the underlying brick and hasn't been repaired yet. It's a little odd for the entrance to the apartment to be through the dining area but maybe it's the chef who lives there, so he wouldn't need to disturb diners as he made his to and from work.

 

Naturally the detail on the back of the building is not as bold and colorful - but that's the norm for any building, even the ones in real life. Even so, it's decent - instead of a completed blank wall like some real world buildings, this one is pretty ornate. Of course, there are the garbage and recycling bins out back of the restaurant but the artist studio looks particularly good. The large skylight windows along with the colorful flower planters, and even the bright yellow and white awning over the entrance. Each of the back entrances even has a lamp by it so occupants don't go rolling down the stairs when coming or going at night.

All in all, this was definitely a fun build. Hopefully it's the first of many modulars - I am still trying to convince mom that it would be fun to build a city!

Parisian Restaurant (10243) - Artist Studio Complete!

Mom really hustled over the weekend and finished off this set.

The top level was definitely the quickest and easiest floor of the building. It's a rather cramped and dark artist studio. There are a few highlights in the arched roof to provide some light but that is about it. Perhaps the darkness acts as a muse for the artist? Kind of like for software engineers?

The roof on the back side of the building folds down and out of the way so that the space can be accessed for play purposes. Also kind of neat is that there is a fireplace to the left - hard to spot in this picture because the cover is on - which has a heavy hinged door on it. Kind of makes me wonder whether it's actually a fireplace or more like a kiln for glazing pottery. It seems odd to have a heavy door on a regular fireplace.