Review: 71836 Arc Dragon of Focus
Posted by CapnRex101,
71836 Arc Dragon of Focus represents good in the world of NINJAGO, contrasting with the evil 71832 Thunderfang Dragon of Chaos, based on what we know of these dragons so far. The pair should therefore serve as perfect counterparts, for play and display.
On the other hand, there are certain aspects of the dragon that seem dated, especially its limited articulation, which stands in stark contrast with Thunderfang. There are advantages though, as this model instead focuses on functions and comes with a great selection of minifigures.
Summary
71836 Arc Dragon of Focus, 869 pieces.
£89.99 / $99.99 / €99.99 | 10.4p/11.5c/11.5c per piece.
Buy at LEGO.com »
The idea of 71836 Arc Dragon of Focus is more interesting than its execution
- Striking colours and concept
- Some satisfying functions
- Excellent minifigures
- Poor articulation
- Two-tone effect could be stronger
- Lots of exposed Technic elements
- Lacks personality, relative to other dragons
The set was provided for review by LEGO. All opinions expressed are those of the author.
Minifigures
The ninja don Storm Suits for Dragons Rising season three, featuring golden breastplates and unusually mechanical armour. Lloyd is dressed in green, as ever, but I find this combination of green shades a little too busy. While dark green and bright green look perfect together, the lime green highlights are one colour too many, in my opinion.
Cole, by contrast, looks excellent in black and orange, with dark bluish grey straps. I think the armoured aesthetic suits Cole better than his fellow ninja and I appreciate the clear visibility of the mechanical straps, whereas they blend in more on the other characters. Moreover, the gold Ninjargon initials on their torsos are a nice detail, integrated beside the chest armour.
The characters' Elemental Powers are subtly represented. The symbol on the back of Kai, for example, features a flame motif, while Cole's emblem incorporates rocks. All three minifigures are outfitted with shoulder armour and scabbards for their katana, while Lloyd also includes his golden dao.
Unlike the ninja, Wyldfyre continues to wear her dark red robe designed for the Tournament of Sources. I like this minifigure, but Wyldfyre occupies a unique role among the heroes, so I think her clothing could be more varied between sets. After all, while the ninja typically sport matching attire, Wyldfyre can wear basically anything!
P.I.X.A.L. was once a fairly uncommon character, but already appears in three sets this year. Her new white armour with purple and lavender accents looks excellent, partnered with pearl silver arms and a matching hair piece. However, while P.I.X.A.L.'s attire has evolved over time, her green eyes and the circuitry details on her head remain.
The minifigure wields a pearl silver katana and includes a mask on the other side of her head, ready for battle. Wyldfyre, meanwhile, includes a pair of trans-orange power blast elements to denote her heat-based Elemental Power.
Two members of the Forbidden Five are provided, beginning with the insect-like Drix. I love the combination of black and red across this evil character and his spiky shoulder armour, originally created for Crystalised, complements the spikes on his torso brilliantly. Furthermore, the metallic gold compound eyes look superb, really emphasising Drix's insect origins.
However, the standout minifigure here is Zarkt, who was exclusive when the set was launched in March, but appears in two more sets this summer. Regardless, the minifigure looks fantastic, dressed in dark green robes with an ethereal purple design on the front. The golden chains are stunning too, clearly distinguishing Zarkt from other members of the Forbidden Five.
Of course, his hat does much the same, inspired by the classic roningasa commonly worn by ronin in feudal Japan. The moulded texture looks brilliant and I like the stud on top, giving this element potential for other uses. Zarkt wields a flail for battle, while Drix is equipped with a pair of sickle-shaped blades.
A lone Dragonian Warrior accompanies the villains. Similar minifigures are available in many NINJAGO sets this year, although this one lacks a smaller dragon placed on its back. Even so, the pearl dark grey shoulder and neck armour complements the helmet and the printed armour looks great as well, covered with battle damage.
The head is double-sided and features a fiery design on the reverse, as though the warrior is about to breathe fire! Dragonians wield various weapons across the range and this minifigure carries an axe, which looks fine, though I wish the hilt was pearl silver.
The Completed Model
Based on Spinjitzu, Shatterspin is a powerful combat technique created by the Forbidden Five and represented by spinners in several sets this year. Unlike those in found the dedicated play sets, this launcher features some rocky texture to blend into an environment. I think the reddish brown 2x2 plate with two studs under the spinner is intended to be a basic throne.
The spinner works surprisingly well, running for at least fifteen seconds, based on my limited testing. There is room to place a character inside, although the spinner is not compatible with Zarkt's robe element, unfortunately. Perhaps a standard pair of legs to match his robes should have been supplied.
Dragons Rising season three opens with the Forbidden Five's mission to gather the Prismatic Blades, intending to release the dragon Thunderfang. One such blade is displayed here, on a small shrine. While the design is very simple, I like the red, purple and black colours mirroring the dragon and a series of reddish brown ingots form effective steps.
Dragons with multiple heads have appeared in NINJAGO before, but the Arc Dragon of Focus takes an innovative approach to the idea, with two heads and colours divided down the middle. The purple and tan colours create a strong contrast on either side, though I think the distinction could be more dramatic, with differences beyond colour between one side and the other.
I mentioned limited articulation in the introduction and this is a significant issue. The moveable hips and ankles on the forward legs provide some opportunity for dynamic posing, but the hind legs are static, apart from the ankles. Similarly, there are no knee joints and even the heads are unable to bend downwards or forwards very far, thanks to how the chest is constructed.
71832 Thunderfang Dragon of Chaos, by contrast, offers incredibly expressive posing, so the Arc Dragon of Focus is underwhelming in comparison. However, the dragons' sizes are nicely matched for display together and the Arc Dragon's neutral stance looks reasonable, despite my desire for greater articulation.
This dragon looks excellent from the front, where its divided colours are most obvious. Purple and tan is an interesting combination and works reasonably well alongside pearl gold accents, although I think those highlights muddy the contrast in places, particularly on the legs.
Between the pearl gold elements and other colours visible around the joints or inside the front legs, there are not as many purple or tan pieces as I would like. Even so, the effect is certainly good enough from a distance and the vinyl details are a nice addition, if rather untidily attached via ball joints.
The dragon features an amulet on its chest in the animated series, which seemingly helps to project the 'focus' energy. I like the trans-light blue missile representing the energy projection and activated using a switch on the dragon's back, although I wish the missile was set back a little further.
I love the different features between the dragon's two heads, taking advantage of the various specialised dragon head elements to give them unique shapes. Their horns look splendid too, oriented very differently, but using the same colours and parts to ensure they appear cohesive.
However, I am not sure about such extensive use of pearl gold across both heads. The printed eyes and scales look great, as do the trans-light blue accents, but I feel like this contrast would be much improved if one head was almost completely tan and the other purple, especially given their distinctive shapes, as mentioned.
Also, there is no detail inside the dragon's mouths, which is frustrating because that is where much of the 'focus' energy originates from onscreen. The twin saddles and stickered banners behind the heads look good though, thanks in particular to the saddles' poseability, so you can easily adjust them to suit however the dragon's heads are positioned.
Another saddle is placed on the dragon's back, again represented by a dark orange 2x2 plate with two studs. I can understand their simplicity behind the heads, but this saddle seems plain, considering the ample space available. On the other hand, providing seats for three minifigures is a nice idea.
Unfortunately, the area around this saddle is finished very poorly, with lots of exposed Technic pieces. Sliding the saddle back and forth causes both wings to move and I recognise the need for a Technic mechanism to facilitate this function, but they could have been better hidden. I am slightly confused by the wing motion too, only moving forward and back, rather than flapping.
The dragon's body is identically constructed on either side, which is fine, but also feels like a missed opportunity to me. I can easily envisage another rendition of the Arc Dragon of Focus, perhaps featuring rougher scales on the tan side and smooth curves on the other, which could give a stronger impression of contrast than colours alone.
I am not terribly impressed with the vinyl wings either. One includes a purple structure and the other gold, but the difference is not immediately obvious because the lighter blue energy looks so much more vivid. In addition, the wings are not supported as firmly as I would hope, as their Technic frames are restricted to the leading edges.
The divided colours continue all the way to the tail, which is notable short for a dragon of such massive size. Its ability to swing back and forth is welcome though and I like the dual-moulded storm blade as the tip, which corresponds with 71832 Thunderfang Dragon of Chaos.
Overall
As you may have detected, I think 71836 Arc Dragon of Focus has many problems. Some are small, but those only reinforce greater issues, such as the lack of articulation and the exposed Technic pieces around the wings. Honestly, it reminds me of 70725 Nindroid MechDragon from 2014, which is particularly damaging because this is supposed to be an organic dragon!
Of course, the set is not without strengths. I love the idea of a dragon divided down the middle and the missile launcher in its chest is well integrated, while the minifigures are impressive too. However, with so many LEGO dragons available, this example is completely overshadowed by others, which is a shame.
79 likes
30 comments on this article
Your review points are correct, and well appreciated. For a long time collector and fan, there have been a lot of dragons that may compare to be more detailed or better examples, but this will be a year of firsts for some builders. It doesn't really rise to the top of the ever growing list of new sets with high prices. It's not in my top 20 even.
Wow. Two hours since this review was posted and just one comment not including mine. I wonder if that's a record or if maybe Ninjago is losing steam?
Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal) 78 are tagged dragons, (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons). That's over 20% of them.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Wow. Two hours since this review was posted and just one comment not including mine. I wonder if that's a record or if maybe Ninjago is losing steam?"
We can't keep up. Too many news, articles, and reviews about Lego. It used to be easy to stay updated with Brickset, but now it feels tiring and stressful. I appreciate the effort and work of Brickset for trying to stay current, but it's impossible to dedicate daily time to read all the articles and all the comments. There is simply not enough time. This hobby has turned into a job.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Wow. Two hours since this review was posted and just one comment not including mine. I wonder if that's a record or if maybe Ninjago is losing steam?"
Time of day the review was posted, perhaps? Don’t know what it translates to in other time zones but it was posted at 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday from my point of view, not exactly what I’d think of as a high traffic period
@Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal) 78 are tagged dragons, (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons). That's over 20% of them.
"
Many of those sets include dragons as a side build, and some none at all.
@Murdoch17 said:
"Wow. Two hours since this review was posted and just one comment not including mine. I wonder if that's a record or if maybe Ninjago is losing steam?"
I suspect it comes down to a combination of what @Huw mentioned about it being a dragon and it being a set from March, when most people will be thinking about the new sets.
That said, dragons can be of great interest to people, they just need to be interesting designs. This is not one, sadly.
Well, it’s Sunday. Sunday’s are often slow days on the internet.
Thunderfang and the Source Dragon of Motion are the only interesting dragons to have been released within the last few years of Ninjago.
@Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal ) 78 are tagged dragons, ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons ). That's over 20% of them.
"
No Bricklink Designer Program 5 reviews? Has Brickset dropped out of the top-tier LAN members?
It's a decent set for those lacking enough dragons. The figs are pretty great. It's still kinda skimpy for $100.
However, I believe the 'focus' of most Lego fans is elsewhere.
So…is the lack of personality thing just based on the exposed Technic and lack of poseability?
I’m glad to see Pixal making multiple appearances in sets, given that we’ve been waiting so long for her return.
Does anyone else ever wonder if Ninjago will ever give us a three-headed dragon? We’ve seen three sets with four heads, and Arc Dragon of Focus is our second two-headed one.
Honestly I wish Ninjago would get back to creative vehicles - jets, helicopters, tanks, cars, motorcycles. The mechs and dragons have been very same-same-same, with a few mech exceptions that have advanced joint techniques here and there.
I think we set a record for highest percentage of comments unrelated to the set being reviewed, lol.
I, for one, just finished building my first set in 6+ months (I know, it makes me sad) and really enjoyed the experience and final product: 10355 Blacktron Renegade. I can’t recall the last time I saw a mechanism like the one that drops the vehicle. It’s not a button or a click but one that kind of purposefully bends the build, allowing for release.
I hadn’t even built 10497 Galaxy Explorer yet but this one called to me. Hopefully, I’m on an upswing as I really want to start 910034 Brick Cross Train Station.
Tuesday is going to be a big day. An expensive day.
I miss the Forum but admit that supervising it had become a strain on me.
/stream of consciousness :o)
@StyleCounselor said:
" @Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal ) 78 are tagged dragons, ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons ). That's over 20% of them.
"
No Bricklink Designer Program 5 reviews? Has Brickset dropped out of the top-tier LAN members?
It's a decent set for those lacking enough dragons. The figs are pretty great. It's still kinda skimpy for $100.
However, I believe the 'focus' of most Lego fans is elsewhere. "
I am currently embarking on an Adventure in Transylvania!
It is a fantastic model so far, as expected. There are one or two areas where it is perhaps over-engineered, but of the BrickLink Designer Program sets I have built to date, this seems more like an official set than any other.
@SearchlightRG said:
"So…is the lack of personality thing just based on the exposed Technic and lack of poseability?"
I think the poor poseability and just a dearth of character. Some LEGO creature models have a real sense of personality, but this one is a bit bland for me.
"The characters' Elemental Powers are subtly represented. The symbol on the back of Kai, for example, features a flame motif, while Cole's emblem incorporates rocks." And Luh-loyd's symbol incorporates green, of course.
Color scheme goes really well with 2017 Jestro, and it's even Lightning themed as well.
https://brickset.com/minifigs/nex087
@CapnRex101 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal ) 78 are tagged dragons, ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons ). That's over 20% of them.
"
No Bricklink Designer Program 5 reviews? Has Brickset dropped out of the top-tier LAN members?
It's a decent set for those lacking enough dragons. The figs are pretty great. It's still kinda skimpy for $100.
However, I believe the 'focus' of most Lego fans is elsewhere. "
I am currently embarking on an Adventure in Transylvania!
It is a fantastic model so far, as expected. There are one or two areas where it is perhaps over-engineered, but of the BrickLink Designer Program sets I have built to date, this seems more like an official set than any other."
Ok, now I’m somehow more excited for Tuesday. :o)
@Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal) 78 are tagged dragons, (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons). That's over 20% of them.
"
Wait until you learn how many City sets have cars, or how many Pirates sets have ships/boats. It's almost like themes tend to heavily focus on their main subject matter, and in Ninjago's case dragons have been one of the main subjects since year one.
@yellowcastle said:
" @CapnRex101 said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal ) 78 are tagged dragons, ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons ). That's over 20% of them.
"
No Bricklink Designer Program 5 reviews? Has Brickset dropped out of the top-tier LAN members?
It's a decent set for those lacking enough dragons. The figs are pretty great. It's still kinda skimpy for $100.
However, I believe the 'focus' of most Lego fans is elsewhere. "
I am currently embarking on an Adventure in Transylvania!
It is a fantastic model so far, as expected. There are one or two areas where it is perhaps over-engineered, but of the BrickLink Designer Program sets I have built to date, this seems more like an official set than any other."
Ok, now I’m somehow more excited for Tuesday. :o)"
I don't think that's possible, for me. BLDP has already eclipsed all other themes, except perhaps, LOTR.
Transylvania is the zenith of all that has come before. I just don't see how I can justify only one. I need to build it, and I want one for those who come after me.
I await the Review of Reviews with baited breath. Thanks Cap'n! ;)
We lucked out in which set they provided Brickset this round.
@yellowcastle said:
"We lucked out in which set they provided Brickset this round."
Too true.
I'm a little frightened that Lego will scoop-up the designer into their corporate embrace (as some commentators have suggested). I like him right where he is- designing these fantastic BL sets.
@Lyichir said:
" @Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal ) 78 are tagged dragons, ( https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons ). That's over 20% of them.
"
Wait until you learn how many City sets have cars, or how many Pirates sets have ships/boats. It's almost like themes tend to heavily focus on their main subject matter, and in Ninjago's case dragons have been one of the main subjects since year one."
Or how many Starfighters there are in Star Wars: https://brickset.com/sets/tag-Starfighter/theme-Star-Wars/category-Normal
I wasn't particularly enthralled with this one in the first place because A) it's a big set and B) it's another dragon. And to be clear, Thunderfang does interest me because that's an evil and unusually shaped one. Something new.
Learning that C) this is another one of those pre-posed figures and D) that the colors are split evenly is disappointing though.
I hadn't taken a good look at it yet and thought it would be a whirl twisting around the set, like the fire/water dragon from 70627 Dragon's Forge. An even split makes sense for 'focus' I guess. But combined with the things mentioned I see where the 'lack of personality' further lowers it.
On the bright side, it at least still 'looks' good. Just could be better.
I’m such a big (and loud) fan of dragons that some friends setting up a charity bench at a convention added a decorative sleeping dragon to represent me, but nonetheless I can only own so many dragons before there is no longer room for anything else, and I can’t say this one feels top tier to me. I think it needed a bit more chonk to give it enough presence to make up for the low poseability (yes, I know it’s Lego and I can Add Chonk if I so desire, but it’s better if it comes Pre-Chonked to perfection).
Still, if it randomly showed up at my house I wouldn’t say no, either.
@SearchlightRG said:
"So…is the lack of personality thing just based on the exposed Technic and lack of poseability?"
He just stands there at parties, smirking, not really interacting with anyone, hardly laughing, and not even being interesting or nice.
@StyleCounselor said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
"So…is the lack of personality thing just based on the exposed Technic and lack of poseability?"
He just stands there at parties, smirking, not really interacting with anyone, hardly laughing, and not even being interesting or nice."
He's mostly static except for those times where he like to "expose" his technic to folks.
@yellowcastle said:
" @StyleCounselor said:
" @SearchlightRG said:
"So…is the lack of personality thing just based on the exposed Technic and lack of poseability?"
He just stands there at parties, smirking, not really interacting with anyone, hardly laughing, and not even being interesting or nice."
He's mostly static except for those times where he like to "expose" his technic to folks."
What focus!!
@Huw said:
"Yawn, not another dragon... was most people's response, I suspect.
Of 377 'normal' Ninjago sets (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal) 78 are tagged dragons, (https://brickset.com/sets/theme-Ninjago/category-Normal/tag-dragons). That's over 20% of them."
I heard "Radioactive" on the Muzak at Taco Bell earlier today, and it occurred to me that the people in charge of Ninjago must love Imagine Dragons. They do it all the time!
One of worst Ninjago dragons in my eyes.
Build is unnecesarly complicated. Necks range of motion is laughable. The integration of wing mechanism is very clunky and simpy ugly.
The worst part though is lack of tan mouth piece.
Ninjago dragons still need to learn lots from Elves.
Ninjago dragons often need improving but aren’t irredeemable. I kitbashed two of the same Ninjago dragon together to create one that was more to my liking: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/forums/topic/203105-mod-green-forest-dragon-two-sets-of-71829-combined/