Random figure of the day: njo0049
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random figure is njo0049 Fangtom - General, a NINJAGO figure that came in one set, 9445 Fangpyre Truck Ambush, released during 2012.
Our members collectively own a total of 4,264 of them. If you'd like to buy one you should find it for sale at Brick Owl or BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $95.80.
Image and data courtesy of BrickLink.com
60 likes
14 comments on this article
Whoever took the photo put on Fangdam's head instead.
Edit: Wait, the white one was Fangtom instead of Fangdam all along? Surely there must be a distribution mistake with the figures, Fangtom has the black lower body details his brother lacks, Fangdamnit! Quite the Mandela effect.
@Norikins said:
"Whoever took the photo put on Fangdam's head instead."
How can you tell? I mean, looking at the two minifig entries, one shows black marks on the back, while the other shows white ones. But the problem is, none of the set images show either character from behind, so I can't see which one _should_ have black vs white markings.
"Well if it isn't the Fangpyre! Of all the cold-blooded to sneak up on usss, I'm glad it was a friend!" - Skales, Fangtom's "oldest chum"
@PurpleDave said:
" @Norikins said:
"Whoever took the photo put on Fangdam's head instead."
How can you tell? I mean, looking at the two minifig entries, one shows black marks on the back, while the other shows white ones. But the problem is, none of the set images show either character from behind, so I can't see which one _should_ have black vs white markings."
In the designer video,* it looks like Fangdam has the white markings on his head; you can just about see it in one shot. That doesn't mean it's correct, however. LEGO is notorious (in my mind) for building its own sets incorrectly. TBH the best source would be to go check the show (Season 1 Episode 3, probably).
*Side note, that designer video is cool. I didn't know they had designers play out scenes with the sets back then. Back when LEGO felt like a more friendly, personable company....
As a kid, while I knew that this was a two-headed snake, my brain always defaulted to seeing it as some creature with two eyes on stalks, with the mouth being the print on the neck!
Probably that perception would have been dissolved if I ever saw one in person, but I don't think any of my friends or I ever had one of these guys, so I was just going off catalogue pictures
@BLProductions said:
"In the designer video,* it looks like Fangdam has the white markings on his head; you can just about see it in one shot. That doesn't mean it's correct, however. LEGO is notorious (in my mind) for building its own sets incorrectly. TBH the best source would be to go check the show (Season 1 Episode 3, probably)."
I think I answered my own question. Fangtom only comes in 9445. Fandom also comes in 9571 and 9457, so you’d only get one head print in each of those sets. And as long as they clearly identify the characters by name, you can generally assume repetition of certain parts.
Apparently the show mixed up this guy’s torso print with that of his brother Fangdam. Fangtom bit himself and thus grew a second head, whereas Fangdam was bitten by another Fangpyre and grew a second head. Fangtom was also buddies with the Hypnobrai warrior Skales back in the Serpentine War era, so when he found out Skales was now his tribe’s general it immediately put an end to any idea of the two tribes fighting each other after Lloyd released them both.
The Fangpyre kind of feel like the forgotten Serpentine tribe at this point. Pythor’s always returning to represent the Anacondrai, the Hypnobrai and Venomari got Legacy appearances, and Frak and the Serpentine from the Core sets gave off pretty strong Constrictai vibes. It’s also been quite a while since any but Frak, his dad, Pythor and the Hypnobrai were featured in any animation.
Still the best Ninjago villains.
He has a huge fandom (I hope, poor guy rarely is mentioned anymore these days) but not that huge of two sets of fangs. He's not a major tom either, but a general tom!
Not to be confused with his legged second-in-command, who's possibly into gundam with fangs instead. Two-headedness in snakes is also just plain interesting as it sometimes happens with real snakes.
Anyway, I like the guy's character in the show. The heavy stereotypical vampire accent is fun for a guy who turns things and people into snakes by biting them. And it was fun to give the guy whose bite is important two heads.
That said, the minifig feels a but bland, mostly because the mouths are closed so it doesn't look as menacing is it should.
@SearchlightRG said:
"Fangtom bit himself and thus grew a second head, whereas Fangdam was bitten by another Fangpyre and grew a second head."
Are his heads being disproportionately tiny also a result of the bite or was the one head he originally had that small too?
$95.80??
@LukeSkywalker said:
"$95.80??"
That's gotta be a typo surely - My thoughts seeing that and clicking back to double check
"it would be... ...our pleasure"
@VaultDweller_197 said:
" @LukeSkywalker said:
"$95.80??"
That's gotta be a typo surely - My thoughts seeing that and clicking back to double check"
A figure that came in only one set all the way back in 2012?
Sounds about right for the Lego aftermarket to me, unfortunately.
@SearchlightRG said:
" @VaultDweller_197 said:
" @LukeSkywalker said:
"$95.80??"
That's gotta be a typo surely - My thoughts seeing that and clicking back to double check"
A figure that came in only one set all the way back in 2012?
Sounds about right for the Lego aftermarket to me, unfortunately."
New on BL, five lots listed, one minifig per lot. $88.23, $98, $98.50, $99, and $314.27.