Destiny's Bounty (70618) - Building the Wheelhouse

Perhaps the most important space aboard the ship is the wheelhouse. This is where the captain navigates and sails the ship and everything he needs to do this is located here. Below, you can see a map on the navigation table. Of course, with the tight confines of the ship, every spare inch of space is used, so there are more vegetables growing in planters up here as well. These look like they might be chives - a favorite of Asian cuisine.

On the opposite side of the navigation table is a sextant.

And of course, no wheelhouse would be complete without a wheel, which sits in a prominent location in the center of the ship. A feature we really liked about the wheelhouse was that the bamboo shutters can be rolled up to allow for fresh air and natural light to permeate the space. You can see below that the shutters on the right side have been rolled up.

More lanterns adorn the vessel to provide light when sailing in darkness.  The lanterns are quite intricate and not what you would expect aboard a typical vessel. The tassel that hangs from the wheelhouse lantern gives a little frivolity to the area as it swings whenever the ship moves.

Below is a shot of the stern when all the bamboo shutters are fully deployed. They provide protection from the elements while maintaining the Asian theme of the vessel.

Along the sides of the vessel hang buoys - presumably to be used if someone goes overboard. These were mom's favorite things to build. All build long, she has been waiting to build these and she positively shrieked with delight when she got to this step.

 Here is a view of the stern of the vessel. It has more fashionable lanterns as well as a flag that flaps in the breeze (it's hard to see in this shot). It also has 2 pipes - they look like exhaust pipes but I am not sure that is the case as this ship has no engines.

 The flag the rear of the vessel is more easily seen in the below shot. It pivots freely on its support, depending on how the wind blows.

The next and final step is to put the sails on the ship and then she can head out on her maiden voyage!

Destiny's Bounty (70618) Building The Dojo

We have been hard at work over the past week or so and have pretty much finished off the upper deck. The level of detail continues to be stunning, as we have come to expect particularly with the Ninjago series.

The upper deck has a double leveled "superstructure". The bottom portion of this is a dojo where the ninjas can continue training and honing their skills as they sail the seas. The walls are adorned with weaponry. Here, we see a large crossbow mounted on the wall and a barrel full of other weapons in the corner.

In the opposite corner is a training dummy where the ninjas can practice their hand to hand combat skills.



And of course, no dojo would be complete with a set of samurai swords. These hang on the opposite wall.

 

The exterior of the dojo has a ladder which allows access to the upper level of the superstructure where the wheelhouse is located.

 

One of the most impressive and visually stunning aspects of the ship are the dual dragon heads on the prow. The detail and intricacy of these make for a spectacle - the curving flowing whiskers and horns are very Asian and the mouths articular open and closed.

On the deck,  the ninjas have some vegetables growing in planters that line the rails. Everyone knows a plant based diet is the key to longevity and health! At the cooking station to the right, there are some fresh fish waiting to be prepared. These are caught right off the deck using the 2 fishing rods that are pivot mounted by the port rail.

An interesting thing we discovered were the stern flaps that can be opened to give the captain some fresh air and a view of the wake when he is relaxing in his cabin.

Destiny's Bounty (70618) - Lower Level Complete!

We have been quite productive the past week, although we took a break over the past few days as it has been blisteringly hot. Our Lego table sits by large bay windows with no overhead fan so it's not a pleasant place to work with the sun blazing outside. We watch tv under the ceiling fan instead. :)

Notwithstanding, we made excellent progress over the weekend and during the tail end of the previous week, so there is much to showcase.

I completely underestimated the size of the Captain's cabin previously - I thought it was just the rear half of the ship on the lower level but it appears that the entire lower level comprises the Captain's quarters. Lighting is provided throughout with a series of lanterns hung at regular intervals. At the bow of the vessel, you can see a ladder which provides access to the upper deck.

The starboard side of the cabin (that's the right side for you landlubbers) is adorned with the Captain's armor and weapons collections. There are throwing stars, sais and of course a sword. The sword, oddly enough, doesn't really follow Japanese weaponry - I expected there to be a katana in the set but this sword is much too curved to be a katana and resembles a curved cutlass from pirate lore.

Snugged amidst the weapons is a large, comfortable looking bed.

Along the port side of the vessel, there is a table where the Captain has a family photo to remind him of home as well as a very odd helmet with a large bone on it. Maybe a femur taken from a vanquished foe?

There is also a tidy bathroom complete with toilet paper and sink - because sitting on the rails and going over the side is just not civilized for the Captain. Clearly no-one but the Captain is allowed into this area as there is not a lick of privacy for anyone engaging in "business".

Moving to the upper deck, we start with the construction of the anchor system. There are dual anchors on this vessel, both connected to a main wheel such that both are deployed or raised simultaneously.

Also at the front of the ship are secret weapons stashes in case Destiny's Bounty comes under attack. Hidden under the floorboards are a couple of sais and katanas.

The hidden compartments are very camouflaged into the deck planking and the trapdoors blend seamlessly into their surroundings.

At the rear of the vessel is a large telescope that can swivel in all directions. The name of the vessel is also prominently displayed both in English and Ninjago script.

Destiny's Bounty (70618) - The Next Adventure Begins!

Continuing on with our Ninjago theme, the next set we decided to build was the ship from the Ninjago series - Destiny's Bounty. Just from looking at the box, it looks like the same level of detail and accuracy to the Asian "feel" continues in this set.

This build feels simpler and quicker than Ninjago City. The piece count is less than half of Ninjago City but thus far, the intricacy of this set is not as demanding. 

After about an hour and a half last night, we had already built the keel of the vessel and had started on some of the internal supports.

At this stage, the ship does not look overly exciting but I am sure that will change as we progress and get to working on some of the external facing pieces. There are a few lanterns hanging at intervals inside the ship but that is about it right now.

It looks like we started building the captain's cabin at the stern. I say this based on the 2 tables - 1 contains a fancy looking skull helmet and the other looks like a writing desk. There is a letter and a feather topped pen on it.

Ninjago City (70620) - Final Thoughts

I can't say enough good things about this set. It was easily the set that we have had the most fun building so far. Not only did it appeal to our Asian heritage but it was completely packed with detail and play functionality.

The overall aesthetics screamed Japanese and the designers got so many of the looks and details right. There is just so much packed into this small area - not only in terms of the shops and restaurants (which have a ton of detail internally) but also in unique functional aspects like the ATM that actually dispenses cash, the crab grill that actually mimics the cooking of a raw crab and the working conveyor belt for the sushi restaurant.

The decorations add so much vibrancy and color to the set - the most obvious being the big yellow puffer fish balloon but with small details like the Chinese lanterns and the advertising boards on the side of the handrails.

We loved how many minifigures there were included - it really made it easy to tell a fun story regarding what each of them could be up to and to really make the city look alive.

We were excited to learn that there is a new set being released shortly called Ninjago City Docks. As the name suggests, it is a continuation of the Ninjago series and should fit perfectly alongside this set. We can't wait to get our hands on that.

We finish off our final thoughts with some pictures of the completed set. Long story short, this is an absolutely MUST BUY set, especially at it's cost, which is only $349.99 CAD. For a set that is this detailed and has close to 5,000 pieces, that is in absolute bargain.

Ninjago City (70620) - Time For Story Telling

As with all of our sets, we try to tell a story using the minifigs - sometimes this isn't possible but with the breadth of areas to explore in this set as well as the large number of minifigs, we had a lot of fun trying to decipher what each of the characters might have been up to.

Starting with the picturesque bridge over the canal, we have 2 sisters who are just out for a stroll. The older one is holding an ice cream. There is a police officer at the edge of the bridge directing traffic and alerting people to head in the other direction. Just coming off the bridge is an old farmer who has a basket full of crops on his back as he heads off to try and sell them at the market or to one of the restaurants.

 

The path with the telephone is empty aside from a little girl busy catching frogs at the water's edge. Hope she doesn't fall in! 

On the second level, the clerk from the comic store is taking his morning break and enjoying a croissant and some fresh air.

 

Around the back of the city, the old fisherman is just returning to shore from his fishing trip. Looks like he has a good-sized catch to show for the morning's work! The sushi restaurant is sure to be happy with the fresh produce.

Sweep, the maintenance robot, is also out and about picking up garbage and keeping the streets if Ninjago City spotlessly clean.

 

Meanwhile, tucked away into the corner,  the chef from the BBQ Crab restaurant upstairs has come down to do his shopping for the day. It looks like he has picked out a nice looking crab and is ready to complete his transaction.

  

Meanwhile, on the second floor, we see an aspiring cook peering into the kitchen window of the BBQ Crab restaurant, trying to see what is going on in there and picking up some tips that she can try out at home (this character was placed in homage to mom who LOVES to peer into kitchens to see what is happening!). 

Meanwhile, we have a hungry customer who is heading into the crab restaurant with fistfuls of cash, ready to indulge! (This character is modeled after me haha).

 

And last but not least, we have a full blown assassination attempt happening on the roof in the sushi restaurant!  

There are 2 masked ninja's who have made a surreptitious climb up to the roof. The one from the right side of the building has already made it up and is already brandishing his kusarigama (or chain-sickle) while the one on the left seems to be struggling to get over the handrail. Their target is the man in the woolknit cap who is wielding the odd-looking fish weapon. Amidst all this are 2 customers who were rudely interrupted in the middle of their meals!

Ninjago City (70620) - Tower Goes Up!

The end is in sight! The only bit left to finish was the tower and a few decorations and we took care of that over the weekend.

The bottom of the tower consists of a nice private bathroom for customers of the sushi restaurant to use. It is accessed through a sliding door and comes fully equipped with a double-facet sink and a large toilet.

There is a cherry scented air freshener and a roll of pink toilet paper (maybe also cherry scented?).

One of mom's favorite decorations was the yellow puffer fish. It made ingenious use of some very innocuous pieces to create a very unique, bright and eye-catching addition to the set. Also added was a blue fish (at least that's what we think it is) that hangs off the side of the building.