Review: 71827 Zane's Battle Suit Mech
Posted by CapnRex101,
71834 Zane's Ultra Combiner Mech introduces a new version of Zane, significantly larger than his usual minifigure form. Maybe his transformation takes some inspiration from 71827 Zane's Battle Suit Mech, which certainly resembles his robotic figure from the Combiner Mech.
Similar mechs have appeared before, like 71805 Jay's Mech Battle Pack, but they normally provide a strong introduction to NINJAGO and the minifigure selection is outstanding in this case, given the £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99 price.
Summary
71827 Zane's Battle Suit Mech, 92 pieces.
£8.99 / $9.99 / €9.99 | 9.8p/10.9c/10.9c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
Zane, Wyldfyre and Drix are all excellent minifigures and the mech is great too
- Surprisingly distinctive, for such a small mech
- Enjoyable articulation
- Brilliant minifigures
- Slightly odd colour choices
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
Though he is a robot, Zane normally wears robes like the other ninja, so this shirtless figure is certainly unusual! Regardless, that provides an opportunity for excellent mechanical detail and Zane's exposed heart is very intricate, as are the blue-tinted tubes running across both sides of the torso. A similar version of Zane appears in 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops and arguably makes more sense there, in a relaxed setting.
Wyldfyre received a new outfit for Dragons Rising season two and that minifigure returns here, but without her typical shoulder armour. I wish the armour was included, but Wyldfyre still looks good in this form, given her distinctive hairstyle and detailed clothes. I love the subtle pattern on her robe in particular, reminiscent of chequer pate flooring.
Unfortunately, the minifigure still uses a single-sided head. The angry design suits Wyldfyre's personality most of the time, but she does feel other emotions occasionally! Her accessory is fun though, as Wyldfyre carries one of the trans-pearl Prismatic Blades found in several 2025 sets, while Zane is armed with shuriken.
Smaller sets like this one generally contain generic villains, so having Drix, one of the sinister Forbidden Five, is a welcome change. This insect-like villain looks superb, featuring spikes on his torso and corresponding shoulder armour, which debuted in the Crystalised range, but suits Drix perfectly.
Also, I like the red and metallic gold details on Drix's robe, including a stylised Ninjargon '5' on the back, seen on all members of the Forbidden Five so far. The golden eyes on the head look fantastic as well, based on the compound eyes found on many insects.
Drix's weapons are seemingly inspired by insects too, as these claws remind me of a praying mantis. They are certainly unusual accessories and further distinguish Drix from his villainous colleagues, which is useful.
The Completed Model
LEGO produces plenty of small mechs, often designed around a body element developed for NEXO Knights or the updated piece launched in 2023. These are sometimes repetitive, given their similar proportions and structure, but I think Zane's mech looks reasonable and manages to stand out from the crowd, thanks primarily to the distinctive chest armour.
In addition, this mech avoids using the static limb elements seen elsewhere. There are still no elbow or knee joints, although I find the straight limbs more versatile and the articulated wrists are essential. Also, the arms avoid chunky shoulder armour, which affords them an exceptional range of motion.
As the Elemental Master of Ice, Zane's vehicles tend to prioritise white elements. This mech is unusual in that regard, mixing in medium azure and black. I would prefer dark blue for the legs, but the overall colour scheme certainly works and I like the the 1x1 tooth plates attached to the armour.
However, my favourite details are the trans-light blue shoulders, featuring 2x2 roof corners as shards of ice, which are new in this colour. Their shape looks fantastic and the mech's golden swords are nicely constructed as well, incorporating leaves for decoration on the hilts.
Sadly, there are no connection points to carry these blades on the mech's back, although the mechanical texture is quite effective. Clips are available on the hips and would accommodate the weapons if you wish, albeit awkwardly.
These clips are actually intended for Zane's shuriken, which look perfect mounted on the hips, resembling extra armour. The transition from dark blue to black between the hips and the legs could be better, although the trans-light blue and white accents provide some detail.
Overall
Considering its low price, 71827 Zane's Battle Suit Mech is close to faultless. The mech looks interesting and provides ample play value, with plenty of articulation, while the minifigures are impressive as well. Though none will remain completely exclusive, all three are appealing and Drix is a highlight in particular.
Maybe the colour scheme could be more consistent across the whole mech, but that is a minor criticism. Otherwise, I am quite happy with this set and would definitely recommend it for £8.99, $9.99 or €9.99.
85 likes
21 comments on this article
Excellent value which is quite rare from TLG, love mine, thanks.
This is a terrific set! My youngest son loves it and to get 3 minifigures in a $10 set is a solid value.
I would have preferred a smaller mech and 4 figure, like jay's one.
Anyway I'm glad that Lego shrinked the box, less volume, more shipping efficency.
As a small set it's a nice option for those on a budget, but personally I'm glad this version of Zane comes in the upcoming Ninjago City Workshops so I can skip this set (since bigger sets offer more interesting builds in generall)
Jeez... seen one mech, seen them all!
"These are sometimes repetitive..."
(bored yawn)
Not really feeling these 4+ reviews on BS. Leave that to the lil' YoubedyTubedies ("Hey guys!" "Wuzup studs!")
Wouldn't mind getting that review of 76435 that's been teased multiple times. ;)
The title makes it sound like the mech is going to be a lot bigger.
One more excellent little set that provides good minifigs, along with nice parts or play value, and at a fair price. I've bought the Iron Man and War machine ones for that reason, and will go on the way with this one. Thank you for your review, almost the 3rd in a row that leads me to order on Lego web store.
I really hope Kai and Cole (I won't complain about Sora and Arin either) will get one of those small Battle Mechs too. Really love this and last year's one, small sets but great value and a lot of fun!
How can this be so affordable while so many other sets…
@StyleCounselor said:
""These are sometimes repetitive..."
(bored yawn)
Not really feeling these 4+ reviews on BS. Leave that to the lil' YoubedyTubedies ("Hey guys!" "Wuzup studs!")
Wouldn't mind getting that review of 76435 that's been teased multiple times. ;)"
This set is not a 4+ set, it's 6+
I am positively surprised how much one can write about such a small set. Kudos to Capn for another great review. These reviews make me add sets like this to my wanted list!
Seeing Zane shirtless is making me feel a little strange to say the least
Are these mechs really that popular? How many mech sets do we have in various themes?
Friends mechs would be a Day One purchase.
@Yooha said:
"Are these mechs really that popular? How many mech sets do we have in various themes?"
Absolutely. I love almost all the ninjago mechs, and this ones no different. It's a solid set with great figs. I for one will continue to support them as A) theyre great value, B) mechs are awesome, and C) theyre a great entry point into the theme.
In other words, Im most AFOLs worst nightmare (because for some reason a lot of older AFOLs dislike mechs)
For those complaining about how boring and repetitive these sets are, consider how boring and repetitive seeing the same Star Wars ship or Hogwarts castle is. Minor changes here and there. A new exclusive figure. At least ninjago is still giving us some fresh (ish) new ideas. the reason ninjago has stuck for so long is its innovation. They have found these small mech sets are selling well, each ones been decently unique and so every year we get one. Can we stop complaining please?
@Goujon said:"For those complaining about how boring and repetitive these sets are, consider how boring and repetitive seeing the same Star Wars ship or Hogwarts castle is. At least ninjago is still giving us some fresh (ish) new ideas. the reason ninjago has stuck for so long is its innovation."
On the one hand, yes, Ninjago's mechs have a huge amount of variety. On the other hand, I have all the minifigure-scale Y-Wings (except for the one in 75365), so I'm not averse to a little repetition. Besides, just basing two or more sets off of the same source material doesn't necessarily mean that the later set(s) will be repetitious, as new pieces are constantly coming into production, allowing the builds to vary.
I like it. The three minifigs is quite nice and the mech works well for playability. It's not overly lanky and instead focusses on a good balance for play. Which is important. I just hope small parts won't shed off too easily.
Thanks, I didn't know about the sweet minifigure selection. I bought this set after reading the review.
Eh, only for the figures. Those skinny mechs are getting annoying. But cheap Drix figure, so don't complain.
These fugures are equal to or better than the Ninjago City Workshops. Great for this set. Yet, why is Lego diminishing the flagship?