Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Back From A Long Hiatus, Putting On A Shadow Play

Yes, we are finally back!! Hard to believe the last time we touched a Lego brick was back in October of 2018! What can I say? We've had a busy couple months and got hooked on other forms of entertainment. But we finally got back into the groove and made some good progress.

Last time, we finished off the blacksmith shop, which is the 2nd of the two ancillary buildings. With those complete, we now move to the main structure - the temple itself.

The lower level of the Temple is really something to be admired from the outside only. I say this because the internals are made up almost entirely of the gear-work required for the Japanese Shadow Play production. You can see the rotating table set-up below with the micro-figurines in the center. At the bottom of the picture, you can also see the handle which turns the table. Pushing on the handle assembly while turning it also activates the light-brick, casting an orange glow that is then viewed through the semi-transparent glass to the left, thus creating the Shadow Play.

This is a view of the seating area in front of the shadow screen where viewers would congregate to enjoy the show.

And here is the same view, except experienced during the Shadow Play itself. You can see the light-brick activated towards the back of the structure, acting as a projector and casting light onto the figures on the turn-table. This, of course, then generates the shadows that are viewed on the screen. It looks like this portion of the play consists of a snake trying to sneak up on a hapless couple. I wonder what happens next???

And hear we have a shot of the back end of the Shadow Play - there are 2 circular sets of stairs leading to the 2nd level of the Temple. There is also a large plinth which will presumable be used to display a large statue. Interestingly, the entire plinth sits on a rotating base - something I have never seen in real life - in order to display the future status from different angles.