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.

Ninjago City (70620) - Sushi Anyone?

We've been busy little lego bees over the past few days and last night, we finished off the rooftop sushi bar. It's got a neat sushi conveyor and offers diners a spectacular view over the city and the surrounding areas.

The conveyor moves quite smoothly and is actuated using the translucent orange knob at the center of the conveyor assembly. It would have been cool to have this linked to a power function box so it could turn on its own. Along the bottom of the table is the prep area where the chef can prepare the sushi and sashimi offerings.

The sushi bar's only access is from the elevator, which is a bit of a pain for the occupant of the apartment just outside. Unless he is very athletic and can just vault the wall he would actually have to take the elevator up to access the restaurant.

The menu display is located right by the elevator and is the first thing diners will see.

The set is reaching an impressive height and continues to offer amazing detail in every aspect. Some of our previous sets (which seemed really great at the time) look very plain and boring beside this one.

Ninjago City (70620) - A Very Cramped Apartment

We spent a solid couple of hours legoing last night and got a start on the rooftop level. There is a tiny tiny TINY apartment crammed onto this level. I guess it's pretty typical of a Japanese apartment which tend to be very space conscious.

The small square footage, however, does not detract from the amount of detail that the Lego designers have crammed into the apartment. Virtually every inch of the place is used, whether it's the floor or the walls.

In the below shot, you can see a very compact bunk bed along the far wall. The headboard seems to have a trophy of some sort on it as well as an electronic device - hard to tell what exactly. On the shelf beside, all the occupants clothes have been neatly folded and stacked and on the top shelf are some additional display models. Looks like a humanoid model as well as a car/truck and perhaps a lava lamp?

No apartment would be complete without a TV and there is one stuffed into the corner of the combo kitchen/living room/dining room. There is a microwave mounted on the wall - no stove but then again, who needs to cook when the sushi restaurant is just outside? There is a chair and table crammed up between the bottom bunk and the kitchen counter.

From the outside, the apartment looks very picturesque. There are some Asian designs on the side wall as well as a lattice window to help cool the place down.

 The roof continues the overall Asian look of the set. And of course, there is a satellite so the occupant can enjoy the thousands of channels available!

 The apartment has an ideal location in the city. It's got a great view of the rest of the city and the Japanese Cherry Blossom tree is growing right outside the window. An additional benefit (though not yet built) is the Japanese sushi restaurant which will be located just steps from the front door. Maybe it's the sushi chef that lives here. That would be a nice short commute to work!

Ninjago City (70620) - It's a tree!!

So after a little more building, we did indeed find out what that odd-looking protrusion was from the single room on the 3rd level.

It is a lego representation of the iconic Japanese Cherry Blossom Tree! The strange looking piece that protruded out from the window of the building is actually the trunk (we initially thought maybe it was a cannon although that seemed to be pretty out of place with the rest of the set).

The tree looks quite realistic and I really like the knobby nature to it - with projecting branches jutting this way and that. And it definitely adds more color to what is already an amazingly colorful set.

The completion of the tree signals the completion of the 3rd level of the building. All that is left now is the 4th level (or roof) and the tower that sits above it.