What's today's RSotD? It's a surprise!

@MCLegoboy said:
"I see no Fuchsia Ninja here."

He's waiting for the surprise.

Where’s the Ninjanomicon?

I think the surprise is that the tattered wings of that craft are reliable enough to get him anywhere.

Given how much he seems to be wobbling on his glider, the ninja does seem pretty surprised, yes

He was successful, I am surprised.

The biggest of the ninja sets I own, sadly the theme didn't last long.
What I never understood is why the bandits and the evil ninja are fighting since they teamed up against the shogun.

You know, as a kid, I went to buy this set once and instead, I bought 6088 because it was larger and I thought it would be the better set.

You have no idea how much I've regretted that decision. Because honestly 6088 wasn't that good, and I'm really sad that I never did pick up this one.

@Binnekamp said:
"The play scenario potential is high for this one, as the black ninja isn't definitively allied with the bandits. He probably is, but there's no clear branding on the set that dictates it. So now you either have three of one faction or a 2 v 1!"

Or even 1v1v1. I initially saw it as a (bad guy?) samurai trying to steal treasure, with a (heroic?) Ninja racing to stop him.
Meanwhile a (villain aligned?) Bandit is perhaps guarding his treasure (obtained through questionable means) or possibly home from both of them. Or perhaps he is waiting for them to deal with each other before nabbing the jewel and get away.

I love the Ninja theme! Sadly, I never had any as a child, but I did gaze upon them fondly. It was the first non-Euro architecture, which I loved (and still do). The figures are fun as well. I will say, I like the newer katana holders on the back of the minifigs these days, even if they are bulkier. I always find the old clips don't hold the blades well.

I suspect I must have this, as I have the wings and my 6088 is fully built and inventoried, and I have some "spare" ninja and robber figs.

I don't mind that it's under Castle; nothing specifies medieval in the name, and it was just Euro-centric before.

This was a fantastic theme, I wish they did more for it though.

@Brickchap said:
"Ive said it before, Ill say it again. I really respect the Ninja theme as a great Lego version of the era of Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan.

Though it was weird to put it under the Castle theme given that this is around the 17th century rather than 11th-15th centuries (Middle Ages)

It would be really cool if Lego could get rid of one of the sci fi 'generic Asian' themes out of Ninjago and Monkie Kid and make one thats more grounded in the actual culture of a specific country and base it off a certain historical period.

Late 19th/early 20th century Korea and/or Manchuria is really interesting. Hence 'kimchi Westerns' which take the Western genre but apply it to early 20th century Manchuria. "

Even worse, perhaps, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended with the Bosin War (1868-1869) and the Meiji Restoration (1868) in the mid-nineteenth century.

@Brickbuilder0937 said:
"This was my first LEGO set. I rebuilt it so many times that I could build it from memory."

6780 was my first Space set (but not my first Lego set, considering I got 8832 the same birthday), and after a while, I could build it from memory. I don't think I could still build it completely from memory today, but I know I can definitely remember some parts of the build.

@PurpleDave said:
" @Brickchap said:
"Ive said it before, Ill say it again. I really respect the Ninja theme as a great Lego version of the era of Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan.

Though it was weird to put it under the Castle theme given that this is around the 17th century rather than 11th-15th centuries (Middle Ages)"

The reliance on swords and armor most resembled the Castle theme, but, yeah, the Edo period aligns more with the timeframe of the Pirates theme. Indeed, while Portugal was claiming a Japan that was newly introduced to ballistic firearms, Spain (represented by the Imperial Armada subtheme) was claiming most of the Americas (for those who don’t know what that’s about, Catholic Spain and Portugal drew a line down the globe and agreed that Portugal owned every non-Catholic land to the east, and Spain owned every non-Catholic land to the west)."

Yes, the Ninja theme seems to coincide mostly with the Edo period, but guns were also extensively used in the Sengoku period (end/later half) and the Boshin war, so it could have a very, very wide range (from the 1540s to 1869).
I like to think of it as in the Edo period (or as the Where's Waldo samurai picture!!!). I would really love a revival of this more historically-accurate theme with some more nice buildings/castles or even a rendition of Dejima (which was for trade with the Portuguese and later the Dutch. Portugal, being the ones who introduced Japan to firearms), or a cross Pirates/Imperials and samurai/Ninjas. why not?

@MisterBones said:
"Even worse, perhaps, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended with the Bosin War (1868-1869) and the Meiji Restoration (1868) in the mid-nineteenth century."

Sure, but many of the formal trappings of what we think of as samurai culture were either established or refined during Tokugawa’s lifetime. He was only Shogun from 1603-1605, and dead by 1616. This theme _could_ work as late Sengoku (Tokugawa not being the first Shogun of Japan).

@PurpleDave said:
" @MisterBones said:
"Even worse, perhaps, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended with the Bosin War (1868-1869) and the Meiji Restoration (1868) in the mid-nineteenth century."

Sure, but many of the formal trappings of what we think of as samurai culture were either established or refined during Tokugawa’s lifetime. He was only Shogun from 1603-1605, and dead by 1616. This theme _could_ work as late Sengoku (Tokugawa not being the first Shogun of Japan)."

True.

hmm, did anyone else notice that 1998 had more castle subthemes than any other?
fright knights, dragon knights, royal knights (although those three only got small sets), miscellaneous (king from the chess game), and ninja (the big theme that year).

My first Ninja set too and, in the end, my largest (by a piece or three, I think). I liked Ninja, but it had the disadvantage of going up against Adventurers in 1998--my favourite theme ever. Then, when it wasn't QUITE as new/exciting/good in 1999, it ALSO had to compete with my discovery of Star Wars and the release of Star Wars set.

Still, a great theme and this was a good set. Two named characters here: Kendo the bandit leader and Bonsai the black ninja (at least, according to the Canadian LEGO Mania Magazine). Kendo became a delusional madman in my games, with the catchphrase "*I* am the shogun!", somehow inspiring loyalty from the unnamed samurai here and others like him. The black ninjas were never really at odds with the bandits for me. In theory, Bonsai was supposed to be one of the most elusive and dangerous villains I had, but in practice he was once beaten and impersonated by a plain-faced Imperial Guard and would be best-known for stealing a soccer ball.

Huh, so the wings on 7139 were modified from this base. Neat.

@Alia_of_AGL said:
"Huh, so the wings on 7139 were modified from this base. Neat."

This was an antecedent in the chain, but that cut-out shape goes back to (and I assume starts with) the sails on the surfboards, such as in 6410.

@Formendacil said:
" @Alia_of_AGL said:
"Huh, so the wings on 7139 were modified from this base. Neat."

This was an antecedent in the chain, but that cut-out shape goes back to (and I assume starts with) the sails on the surfboards, such as in 6410."

The wings in this set (x66px1) have a smooth radius on the trailing edge that doesn't match the print of the wing. They look like they share the same cutout as the old windsurfing sails (x66px8, x66px9). The wings in the Ewok set are cut to fit the shape of the wing spars on the trailing edge, and were a new shape (54255pb01).