Ninjago City (70620) - Introducing Sweep!

Any decent city needs some way of keeping its streets clean. And in Ninjago City, that is the job of Sweep - the robotic street cleaner!

Here he is perched on the side of the canal and ready for duty. In his right hand, he carries and extended gripper for picking up large pieces of trash - candy wrappers, soda cans, etc. In his left hand is a broom that he uses for sweeping up smaller bit of detritus that can't be picked up. A large straw hat keeps the sun and rain off his delicate electronics. Not shown in the picture is the large back basket he wears, in which he can deposit whatever trash he picks up to take to the disposal center.

When he is not out and about keeping the streets clean, he can be found recharging and carrying out self repairs in his very own maintenance shack. It's a cozy little room that is unobtrusive and fits well into the surrounding landscape.

We got to apply more of the stickers last night, including some very elaborate ones. This is the outside of the maintenance shack - as you can see, the sticker is very detailed and vibrant. It really adds a lot of color and character to the building.

The walls have started going up as well and there is a distinct Japanese feel to the construction. Aside from the very obvious Japanese vibe of the sticker, the white "glass" in the brown frames is distinctly Japanese as is the wooden slat effect of the bottom wall.

Ninjago City (70620) - We're going fishing!

Mum worked really hard on her Lego homework this weekend and finished Chapters 2 and 3. We are still very much laying the foundation for the set but a few notable things that got put in were a cute fishing sampan and the waterway for it to travel and fish along.

The sampan is pretty detailed. You can see what looks like comfortable padded cushion where the fisherman can sit as he waits for a fish to come along. It looks like he is a spear fisherman - which definitely adds more challenge to things! The one thing I couldn't quite figure out was what the portion on the back of the sampan was. Underneath the covering are some gears (which would lead one to believe that it was a motor) but from the rear, it looks much more like a hydrofoil as there is a big fan at the back.

The water detail has some real depth to it thanks to the varying colors of the layer underneath. You'll recall that the areas closed to the "shore" were a lighter shade of green while the deeper sections were either dark green or black.

There is a small bamboo dock nestled into the side of the building where the sampan can dock and the fisherman unload his catch. It can only accommodate one boat at a time so people will need to learn how to share!

Another item of interest that we started on is what I believe to be the elevator. It looks like there are some mechanical components that have been installed at the base of the shaft and the control panel has also been installed.

Something else that we were really impressed with is the sheer detail of the stickers that came with the set. Typically the stickers we see are fairly nondescript but these are super colorful and extremely detailed. We got to put the first 2 on - they look like signage for the canal.

We normally don't apply stickers because in the interests of re-playability, we want to keep the pieces as generic as possible. Often stickers also span more than one piece, which also either necessitates keeping the chunk of pieces of together or going through the messy prospect of trying to remove the stickers. However, in the case of this set, we felt that we had to use the stickers, otherwise we would be missing a lot of the detail and color that really make this set stand out.

In the picture below, you can see the two placards which presumably notify passersby of the entry to the waterway. These are not the most colorful of the stickers but you can definitely see the detail that has gone into them.

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.

Parisian Restaurant (10243) - Second Level Done!

We finally finished the second level of the building, which turns out to be a very compact, studio-style apartment. There ended up being another piece missing, which we discovered after receiving the first missing piece and continuing on with the build. Luckily, this second missing piece was just one of the clear window glass pieces, so we could continue on without having to stop and wait for it.

This apartment reminds me of something you might find in Japan or some other place where space is at a premium and things are crammed into as tight a spot as possible.

Given the confined nature of the space, I am actually really surprised at the number of doors there are. There is, of course, the main entrance to the apartment, which passes through the upstairs terrace of the restaurant. But there is also an additional door on the back side of the building that seems to lead to a private balcony. And here, I use the term balcony very loosely because the square footage of it is so small that you can't even move around on it. There is literally just enough room to stand there and look around. You can see this "balcony" in the picture below - it's the door to the right.

There is THIRD door to the apartment at the front of the unit, allowing the occupant a view onto the street. The size of this balcony is equally tiny and can only accommodate one person standing just outside the door.

Notwithstanding, the front of the apartment is quite picturesque, with large bay windows looking out onto the street and providing a lot of natural light to the apartment. There is a fully stocked planter outside each window to give more color to the scene.

The sides of the building are pretty nondescript. On the terraced side, there is a brick staircase leading up to the second story of the building.

And on the far side, it's pretty much just a brick wall.

If we take a peek inside the apartment, we can see just how cramped it is in there. There is a small kitchenette to the left. You can just make out a small stove and oven, as well as a wall mounted microwave with a tiny amount of countertop space beneath.

To the right is the "relaxation" portion of the apartment, with a very cozy looking lazy-boy chair in front of a warm fireplace.

Here is an up-close view of the fireplace. There is a reading lamp buried in the corner, along with a very small coffee table directly in front of the fireplace. You'll notice that there is absolutely no room for any other forms of entertainment aside from staring at the flickering flames. There is no TV, no computer, no shelf of books. This would be a very spartan lifestyle indeed!

 Is there even a bed? Where would this poor occupant sleep? Well, not to fear, there is indeed a bed. Of course, keeping the space restraint in mind, the bed has been designed to fold up into the wall when not in use. When it's sleep time, it can be pulled out. At this point, the kitchen table transforms itself into a bedside table!

 Another necessity of life that is missing from this picture is the bathroom. I have no idea how the occupant is expected to relieve himself. Maybe that's what the pot on the stove is for? .....