I have to say that we were most impressed with the Shadow Play - aside from it being one of a kind that I have not seen in any other set, it merges so well with Japanese culture. I like the mechanism that is used to generate the images - a push to activate the light and then the turning of the crank to rotate the figurines inside.
Our biggest complaint with the set are the protruding roof struts. These pieces jut out from each corner of the roof on all levels and while they do add a measure of detail and aesthetics to the set, they are a real pain to work around. When attaching the main roofing sections, we were forever bumping into them and knocking them off. It would have been nice for them to be held onto the set more securely - as it is, each was held in place only by a single stud, and were very easy to dislodge.
The second item that we weren't huge fans of was the open back design - and yes, we understand this is to allow play functionality vs. having to remove each level to access the interior. I think the design is really something that depends entirely on what the end goal of the set builder is. For those who intend to play with the sets considerable, having the open back deign definitely makes it easier to place mini-figures. However, as we primarily build these for display, we definitely prefer having the building entirely enclosed. Again, just a personal preference and not a negative of the set.
Given the large number of ninja mini-figs in the set, we really appreciated the number of available roof top perches for them. It made sense to us that the majority of the ninjas would be skulking around on rooftops and other hard-to-reach areas instead of doing more banal things like shopping at the market. That said, the set has enough "civilian" mini-figs that the everyday activities are still represented.
You can see below that someone is doing some crab fishing by the market, others are having a chat on the bridge and the blacksmith is out surveying the landscape in front of his shop. Look carefully and you'll see Master Wu standing in front of one of the temple entrances and enjoying some fresh air. Look even more carefully and you'll see 4 ninjas - 3 waiting to pounce on something and 1 just leaving the temple after a training session at the dojo.
Displayed from the front, this is a great looking set - lots of detail, very true to the Japanese theme and with imposing height to really make the set stand out. We added a sheet of blue paper, as the middle area of the set is supposed to be a small pond or at least wet marsh of some sort and that definitely helps to set the scene.
Here we have it sitting beside its sister set, Ninjago City, to help give perspective on the overall size.
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