Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Final Thoughts

Yet another detailed and enjoyable Ninjago set. The overall color scheme and design fits well with our existing Ninjago sets (Destiny's Bounty and Ninjago City). There were some very unique elements to this set, including the working fireworks launcher, the flying weapons backpack and of course the Shadow Play theater.

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. 

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Fireworks, Flying Weapons Platform and More!

We had a very productive weekend on this set, finishing it off and attaching each of the separate pieces to form the whole.

There were a couple of pieces that I thought were very neat and wanted to draw attention to. The first is a flying weapons backpack that one of the ninjas flies around in and carries out airborne attacks. It's quite an impressive device - with large black wings (that completely remind me of Batman) mounted on a sturdy wood frame with a series of javelins mounted on the back. The method of securing the wearer does leave something to be desired though. There is no strapping system of any sort - the Ninja simply holds on  to the 2 protruding bars that emerge from the pack. He better not let go! Great for waiting for an unsuspecting victim from the temple roof top and then pouncing.

The other really cool mini-build is the fireworks cart. This self-contained mobile cart contains a rotating cylinder that not only holds but SHOOTS the fireworks! And it propels them a very respectable height and distance! We learned that after giving it a whirl and having to hunt around for the ejected pieces! The launcher holds 6 fireworks and the set provides another 6 to reload with once the first salvo is off.

Moving back to the main structure itself, we take a final peek into each of the 3 levels, which are now complete. Starting at the 2nd floor, we see that it is indeed a gathering spot of sorts. A low table sits in the center of the room where a tea set has been provided. The table is not secured and can be moved around to fit the users and to make room for other events is required.

The 3rd floor is the dojo, which we previously saw in detail. The finishing touch added here was a sticker on the floor tile. As you can see, the sticker suggests that the floor on this level is bare wood, which is very suitable for a dojo where sweat, blood and all manner of other body fluids could end up flying.

The 4th and final floor did end up being an artist's nook as we had guessed. Final touches added here include the paint brush in a cup on the shelf - you can just see it peeking out at the left edge of the photo. There were also a number of books added to the bookshelf - against the far wall with the white clam-shell pieces. Interestingly, the attic seems to serve as a hiding place for someone named Cole. Unfortunately, the writing is not too clear in this picture but above the ceiling of the artist book, you can see a large crate sitting in the rafters with a handwritten sign on it that says "Cole's Stuff - Don't Touch). Inside is a motley collection of random objects which obviously have value to Cole if no one else.

The market and the blacksmith (which we built so very long ago) snap to the temple via the hole and stud pieces that are used to connect the City Creator buildings together. The result is a loosely held together main block. The span between the market and blacksmith is then joined by a bridge (which simply sits between the two and is not firmly connected).

The bridge is very simple in design and more utilitarian than anything else, although the 4 dragon statuettes at both ends give it a bit of artistry. It seems to be a favorite meeting place for villagers to stop and chat.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Another Level Goes Up!

The fourth level looks like it's a cozy artist's nook - there is an intricately patterned rug on the floor and an easel stand looking out on a spectacular view.

It's the perfect location for an artist as the 3rd floor has decent elevation and would offer a wide view of the surrounding area. Thanks to the plethora of windows, the artist would also have a 360 degree view of his surroundings.

This is the first set that we've built that has an open back to allow positioning of the mini-figures. I guess this is the 2nd of two methods that Lego has to allow for playability with its sets. We are used to the style employed with the Creator City series where each floor is completely enclosed and needs to have the level above it removed in order to access. In that case, the floors are very lightly attached to each other. In the case of this set, the floors are firmly secured to each other and are not meant to be detached. Instead, play function is achieved through the open rear of the set.

Personally, we prefer the enclosed design as we principally build Lego for display purposes. Having the full building looks better from all angles. With the open-back design, the set only looks good when seen from the front.

True to temple form, each successive level gets progressively smaller to give a tapering effect.

I assume at some point there will be more external features added to the buttresses that currently protrude from the bottoms of the 3rd and 4th levels.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - The Dojo!

As I suspected, there is indeed a dojo in the temple. However, it is not located on the 2nd floor but the 3rd floor.  It is equipped with all the fighting accoutrements one would expect for a ninja school - katanas on racks, a bow (which someone has not properly replaced on its rack but has simply leaned against the table - Master Wu is going to be having a stern talk with someone ....) and a well worn practice dummy. There is also a sizeable sparring area in the middle of the room.

The 2nd level remains empty at the time being - maybe it will stay that way as a multi-purpose room? The floor tiles are very artistic, suggesting a meeting and gathering space of some sort.

Here is a view of the temple from the outside - we've started filling in some of the external details. The large statue of Master Wu is now atop its plinth, staring at any and all who approach the temple. A few hanging sign-posts give direction and indication of the amenities offered within and there are now some additional pillar decorations which add to the ornateness of the temple.

Some of the roof details have started to go on as well - I refer to the 3 spars that extend out from the central structure. The dojo level also has a lot of windows - I guess the students need a lot of natural light in order to train. Then again, aren't ninjas supposed to operate best in the dark??

Also of interest is the lack of any means (thus far) to access the 3rd level - perhaps the thinking is that if you want to train as a ninja, you need to be able to scale the walls to get there?

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - The Second Floor of the Temple Goes On

With the Shadow Play complete, we move to the second floor of the Temple. As previously mentioned, the lower level is purely to house the Shadow Play mechanics and there is no play value to the inside of the structure. This is made more apparent by the fact that the second level snaps and connects to the first level (as opposed to other buildings where the levels rest on each other with minimal locating tiles just to keep it loosely in place).

The shell of the 2nd level is quite plain - there is currently nothing inside, though I expect that to change as we progress further into the build. I am going to hazard a guess and say that there will be a dojo of some sort in the Temple, whether it be on this floor or the next.

The exterior looks quite ornate, with the textured wall posts and balustrades. Of course, the entrances are composed of sliding doors, which are very popular in Japan.

 The entrance on the other side of the temple is virtually a mirror image.

And here we see the 2 levels unitized. The circular stairways lead to the sliding-door entrances to the second level. I like the stairways - the color scheme and the pieces used evoke a sense of majestic stone structures, which goes well with the overall theme of an ancient temple.

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.

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.

Temple of Airjitzu (70751) - Our Next Project!

This is always the most exciting part of starting a new build - the UNVEILING!

Next up, we return to our Ninjago sets, continuing on with the Temple of Airjitzu. This set is now retired and we were lucky enough to pick it up right before retirement at our local Lego store. It wasn't even on our radar as something we wanted to build but it caught our eye as we browsed around. It was the second last set in the store and was even on sale as it was close to retiring. Definitely a good buy!

From the box itself, you can tell that it continues with the high amounts of detail that we've come to love and expect from Ninjago series sets. There are a plethora of mini-figures (12 I believe) which is really spectacularly for a relatively small set like this one.

It didn't take long for our expectations to be met. We started off building one of the smaller buildings (the one on the right side of the temple) and immediately got a sense of the detail and the overarching Japanese theme of the set.

The building is clearly a marketplace. On one side of the shop are baskets of baked goods - a variety of baguettes in a large bread crate, a basket full of either cookies or mini-pies and another basket filled with bars of some type (maybe chocolate bars?).

 On the opposite wall is a crate of apples - both green and red - and a barrel of fish with a large sink where you can rinse off your fruit or clean your fish before heading home.

In true Asian fashion, the market also has live chickens that you can buy and take home for supper. YUM!

This all fits into a fairly compact area. The 2 anchoring studs right by the chickens leads me to believe that this building connects up to something else. What, exactly, remains to be revealed ...