Review: 70588 Titanium Ninja Tumbler
Posted by CapnRex101,
The NINJAGO range is divided between the Skybound and Rise of the Villains subthemes this summer. 70588 Titanium Ninja Tumbler is part of the latter and is one of the smallest sets in the range, priced at £24.99 or $29.99, so my expectations were modest in relation to some of the larger sets which seem to include more exciting minifigures and models.
However, NINJAGO has frequently been known to surprise me before so hopefully this set will prove to be more impressive than anticipated.
Minifigures
Zane appears in his Titanium Ninja guise in this set, wearing a white robe but exposing some of his metallic skin. The hair piece is new in this pearl silver colour and only appears in one other set while the white bandana has not been seen since 2014 so is fairly rare.
His alternate face shows a blue visor. Unfortunately a bit of this printing extends below his hair piece and is therefore visible at all times so perhaps it would have been nice to include the full head wrap too. The torso printing is new and appears to combine features of the original ninja garb with some from the DX attire, resulting in the inclusion of Zane's elemental symbol and some faux sheaths on the back. Zane is equipped with a pair of golden shuriken and a spare set is included as well.
The Nindroids were seemingly vanquished back in 2014 but have returned in this wave along with some of the other villains. A pair of identical droids are included and they are very similar to the original versions from a couple of years ago. However, the printing on their heads has changed very slightly to include some purple decoration and exposed mechanical elements on the torsos are also slightly different.
I like the ragged effect of their robes and the purple and red lining which is visible adds some extra colour to the otherwise muted shades of their uniform. One Nindroid comes with a neck bracket and can be attached to a jetpack, shown below, while the other is armed with a trans-neon green Techno Blade.
The Completed Model
The vehicle is immediately reminiscent of its namesake from the Dark Knight film trilogy, albeit with a white colour scheme and a slightly different shape. It looks very tough and the durability of the build reflects this as you can easily crash or roll the model without fear of significant breakage. Moreover, the bodywork is exceptionally detailed and presents an attractive surface when viewed from almost any angle.
The cockpit is constructed quite unusually as the entire canopy flips forward to reveal the seat inside, taking a control console and some of the armour plating with it. I really like how the cockpit has been set right at the front of the vehicle as this is very unusual and accents its stout appearance nicely.
A 2x2 tile is decorated with a sticker showing P.I.X.A.L. on a monitor in front of the driver and there are several more stickered details on the exterior, as you can see in the image above. I wonder whether the numbers 16.07 on the console refer to the 16th of July, the birthday of a designer involved in the production of this set.
It is worth noting that a couple of useful pieces appear in new colours here. The pentagonal tile which debuted at the start of this year is included in white for the first time and the 6x6x2 cockpit element appears in both white and trans-clear. Five trans-fluorescent blue 1x1 round plates are also included which is particularly useful as this is my favourite translucent colour! A couple of 1x2 plates of the same shade are used just beneath the windscreen and the colour diffuses through the trans-clear plastic a little, just tinting the canopy.
The balloon wheels are scaled perfectly with the rest of the model and I appreciate their flexibility for traversing rough terrain. Each one is capped with a pearl silver conical hat with a golden hub underneath. These colours complement that of the bodywork and I like how the armour on the sides seem to hug the tyres fairly closely at both the front and back.
Perhaps my favourite aspect of the model relates to the tesselation of the panels, which is almost perfect. A selection of different hinges and wedge elements have been used to make the joints as subtle as possible, giving the impression of angled armour which would would traditionally be seen on a tank. The pearl gold 1x1 round tiles which adorn these panels are also a nice touch, giving the illusion of large bolts. You can also see that a couple of stud shooters are mounted on top and these are integrated with the bodywork quite tidily.
Most of the functions are located towards the rear of the vehicle. A section of the armour can be detached to become a glider and this is almost invisible when attached to the main model which is impressive. Unusually, the pilot must lie on top of the glider to hold onto the adjustable handlebars while the wings can also be moved up and down on hinges. Please note that the 1x2x5 pillar used to support the glider in the image below is not included in the set.
A prison cell is hidden under the glider and this is decorated with a sticker on the outside which indicates that it freezes the prisoner as well as simply containing them. There is room to place a minifigure inside and this is easily accessible thanks to the hinged cover on top. With both the glider and prison cell removed the back of the model looks very exposed but I see no way this could have been avoided.
The most significant play feature is activated by pushing on the white plunger at the back. This drives two yellow Technic liftarms apart which are connected to a pair of srpingmissile pods, each of which is fitted with a spring loaded shooter. The long tails of the missiles do not interfere with the wheels when retracted and the entire feature is very well hidden, except for the plunger. Perhaps a small dial could have been used instead and this might also have secured the missile pods slightly more effectively as they tend to move around a little in its current state.
Overall
This set is a surprising delight! Smaller ninja vehicles are often the least interesting NINJAGO sets in my opinion but the Titanium Ninja Tumbler is remarkably detailed for a set containing just 342 pieces and the shaping of the armour looks fantastic.
Furthermore, there are some lovely play features included. The extending side pods are particularly impressive and I like the removable prison cell and glider which are found at the back. The minifigures are probably my least favourite part of the set, although this is due in part to the fact that I am not very keen on the Nindroids as opposed to some of the other villains.
More NINJAGO reviews will be published shortly.
JANGBRiCKS' video review
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24 comments on this article
Another excellent review by CapnRex101, this looks like a must buy for me!!
Great Reveiw!! Still up in this set and whether I accually need if for my collection . It's cool, but I'Ll get Zane fron the Ultra Sonic Raider and his Hair for the Kryptorium Prison Escape, and I have a ton NinDroids already...even though the printing is different.
This set is just begging for a Space Police I or Futuron mod! Great review!
Good review! This is a very cool set even though I'm not 100% certain yet about whether I'll be getting it. I agree that it seems like a good value — the only reason I'm waffling a bit is because it only includes minion enemies rather than major foes, and because I'll already be getting both Zane and a higher-ranking Nindroid from http://brickset.com/sets/70595-1/Ultra-Stealth-Raider and http://brickset.com/sets/70596-1/Samurai-X-Cave-Chaos , which are very definitely on my wish list!
It's great to have Zane's hair in Silver Metallic! 2014 did a great thing by finally giving us hair pieces for all the ninja in sets, but then in 2015 Zane's hair color changed with his "Titanium Ninja" upgrade. Now it's finally possible to have all six ninja without their hoods once more. The ninja's new costumes look great, taking cues from their original and ZX costumes. I think they look better with the full hoods, but getting the partial mask in this set is nice since it means more than one source for Zane's hair.
The Nindroids are fairly simple, but so were the previous ones in 2014, and I'm glad they have new prints so they both feel new and add greater variety to the current selection of Nindroid minifigures. The Nindroid jetpack is simple but creative, and looks quite nice. I'm curious what the significance of the Tr. Flu. Green weapons of this year's baddies will be, other than just "things to collect".
The vehicle itself is great, with a great balance of brick-built and stickered detail. The pop-out missiles, containment pod, and glider are neat play features. It's awesome to see P.I.X.A.L. on the console. Even if she doesn't have a physical body anymore I'm glad she's remained a presence in the story, since her relationship with Zane is super cute and she's generally a fun character.
It'd be nice to get shurikens in a new color at some point. In the show, gold ones have only been used for the magical Shurikens of Ice, and other more generic shurikens have been other colors like black or silver. So it's kind of frustrating that after six years and even a redesign of the shuriken mold, they still only come in sets in Warm Gold! It would also be nice if at some point we get a recolor for Zane's Falcon, which in the show got a similar "titanium" upgrade to the Ninja of Ice himself. But neither of these things really detracts from the set.
Great review, and I hope to see more Ninjago reviews here on Brickset in the future! :D
I'm not a fan of ninjago at all... but this might be worth buying simply for the vehical!
Ninjago has really grown in my book. In the beginning it seemed to fall in line with past sets, but as it's developed it's almost a testing zone for lego designers to try things out and then incorporate them in other themes if they do well.
My 6 year old has recently become obsessed with Ninjago.....and I have to say that after never giving the theme a second glance it's become one of my favorites! Consistently high quality sets, interesting minifigs, the show is actually pretty good as well. My only issue now is hiding my dragon sets from him while he plays with "his" sets.
Great review, will definitely pick this up.
Those extending side panels remind me of the fold out flick missle launchers from one of the Lego movie sets.
This set is even cooler than I thought it was--I was already going to buy it, but now I see the functions. That's kind of amazing how they fit so much into a relatively small vehicle.
I am amazed that I want it.
I will build it in red though!
This thing is awesome. I haven't bought a Ninjago set since Zane's Ice Dragon thingy (in 2012?) but this is tempting.
My first thought on seeing the first photos of this set way back when was, "Isn't it a bit late for a new Galaxy Squad vehicle?" :D
This sucker is great and is indeed begging for a Space Police 3 or Galaxy Squad make-over. :)
Meh, I wouldn't consider this a 'small' set, retailing for $40 in Canada, and the piece count is considerably high...
Love the shape of this vehicle. This may be the first Ninjago set I ever pick up. I'm always very impressed by the builds LEGO designers come up with for original IPs.
This looks like a great set, good to see LEGO making such sets.
Wow, what a set. Easily one of the most beautifully crafted of this year so far.
I'm pretty sure I could transform this into a winter tumbler for one of my many batmen.
I hope they get this at my local TRU soon. P.s. I just figured out that TRU stands for toys r us all this time I thought it was a European Franchise of stores called TRU and pronounced true. :/
I got my one and only Ninjago set, the temple of Airjitzu, just recently. Previously, I didn't take notice of the Ninjago line, but it has been grabbing my attention as of late due to the great part selection, playability and low cost compared to licensed sets (I'm looking at you Star Wars). I may just pick this one up. :)
^ That's too funny!
B&M means 'brick and mortar', aka (also known as) in person stores and not online. :)
I love this set, it looks like Mars Mission and Galaxy Squad all in one. :)
This would definitely make for a good Galaxy Squad vehicle! Add a splash of colour depending on the pilot, and wowee.
That car is some hot fire!!!!!
When I first saw a picture of this set, I thought it would be a rare one that draws me away from Star Wars and Superheroes. After reading your review, I will definitely be buying this.
Nice Review. Really nailed. It. Would like to see reviews this good. BTW, how do you make a review anyways?