Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Finishing off the Blacksmith Shop

This past weekend, we finished off the blacksmith shop, putting the roof and the vegetation in place.

We've got the same dried out stalks sitting at the edge of the water but at least we have some trees near this building which gives it some great contrasting color as well as shapes. I really like the curved tree trunks.

From the rear, you can see the chimney that leads from the forge all the way up through the ceiling of the upper level. The upper level seems just to be an empty storage area, although how one would access it is beyond me as there are no stairs. Then again, everything living here is a ninja so they probably just scale the trees and jump through the windows.

 It looks like the trees have dropped some flowers or buds onto the roof of the smithy.

Something I really like about the smithy is the way the roof comes apart. In addition to being able to remove the second level entirely, the roof was also designed in a clamshell manner so that it could easily be opened up for placement of minifigs and other props. The "claws" on each half of the roof are offset in order to form interlocked shingles when both sides are closed.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Starting on the Blacksmith Shop

With the market building complete, we move onto the second building, which is a blacksmith. I mean, what else would a community of ninjas need besides food? Weapons, of course!

 The smithy has everything you would expect - a large anvil, a bucket of water for cooling, a bin full of tools and a mug of refreshment for the smith.

In this view, you can see the other side of the shop, which includes a work area with lamp in the far corner, presumable for doing more detailed work like inscriptions. Nearer to us is the forge, complete with a roaring fire.

Here is a better look at the forge. Is is vented by a large chimney that extends up through the ceiling.

The outside of the smithy is quite plain, with only a hanging sign giving any signal of what lays within (assuming of course that the pounding of metal didn't give it away).

Again, you can see the stepping stones that lead away from the shop, presumably to a bridge that joins the smithy to the market place.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Finishing off the Marketplace

It's been quite a while since I updated here - not because we haven't been diligently working on the set but because I just haven't gotten around to doing the updates.

We did finish off the marketplace building a couple weeks ago. True to Ninjago fashion, there were weapons hidden in obscure places. In this case, two chests full of shurikens and swords were hidden in the archway above the main entrance to the market.

You can see how they were skillfully hidden in the architecture to appear like part of the structural design.

If you didn't know to look for them there, you would hardly notice them at all.

The roof of the marketplace is again very typical Ninjago, with the slotted roll up theme. Definitely a favorite or ours as it evokes a very Asian (specifically Japanese) feel to the set. Adding to this are the ornamental gongs that hang from the roof peaks.

I think the fishing poles are a nice touch to the scene, though I have to admit that I have never heard of crabbing with a fishing pole. Must be an ancient ninja secret technique! The stepping stones (which I think lead to a bridge) also add some realism to the scene, as do the two small statues that frame the store entrance.

I am not a huge fan of the vegetation by this building. Given that it is situation on the shore, I should think that the soil is quite wet, meaning dense shrubbery or at least some cat tails. The vegetation provided looks more at home in a desert - there are no flower, no leaves, just a couple of dried out looking stalks.

There are a couple more weapons that have been skillfully worked into the architectural design. You'll notice that it is actually a pair of naginata being used as the poles to hold up the lanterns and the store signs.