Review: 30608 Kendo Lloyd
Posted by TheBrickPal,
The LEGO NINJAGO Movie is now in theaters across the world and The LEGO NINJAGO Movie Video Game released the same day - Friday, September 22nd. If you enjoyed the movie you may have a lot of fun with the game, as well as appreciate its subtle references to the TV series which includes unlockable characters.
Those who preordered from GameStop will have received the 30608 Kendo Lloyd polybag, which includes a standard Lloyd minifigure in armor. It is always nice to get a free set, but how does this one stack up? Read on to see...
Minifigure
Lloyd appears especially ready for Spinjitzu training in his black armor and blonde hairpiece included, which recalls Kai Kendo from the Collectable Minifigure series. The Green Ninja looks splendid, except for a few minor details.
Taking off the armor piece reveals the traditional combat fatigues of Lloyd Garmadon in the film universe. The shinobi shozoku is wonderful, with black and green contrasting nicely with some gold highlights. The detail continues onto the legs with some ties.
On the back is the symbol of the Secret Ninja Force, which appears across the whole team (including Wu) in some way. Across the whole entire torso and legs are some black embroidery that only appears in certain lighting situations.
The minifig with the kendo helmet on looks even more superb. It does not have any green border like the red border on Kendo Kai, leaving it a rather generic helmet - fortunately, as this means you can use it across the entire ninja team!
The entire ensemble is extremely reminiscent of the kendo ninja in 2012, which Lloyd did not receive a variant of, due to being a villainous child back then!
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the minifigure is the arms. Unlike all the other ninja Lloyd minifigures for the movie, they are unprinted - which is a shame, as the green cuffs and black embroidery which are normally quite prominent are completely absent.
As is evident from the photos, both minifigs are quite similar besides the mask, lack of arm printing and additional armor in this set. Even the faces are identical! One is angry, while the other is confident.
Overall, I prefer Kai out of the two kendo ninja released for The LEGO NINJAGO Movie so far. He comes with one more training stick, and the helmet is unique - though that does limit its reusability for other minifigs, so Lloyd does get a leg up there.
Verdict
Overall, 30608 Kendo Lloyd is a perfectly average polybag. You can get a much better Lloyd, with both regular mask and hairpiece, in the CMF series - including arm printing and more desirable accessories. This minifigure is less desirable, too, as the ninja never equip kendo gear at any point in the film itself.
Again, lack of arm printing is definitely a huge con, but if you are already getting the video game you shouldn’t say no to an extra minifigure in your collection! In the end, I wouldn't go out of my way to hunt this one down. Instead, go for the more appealing exclusive minifig polybag in 30609 Lloyd!
I hope you have found this review informative. Let us know by liking this article and share your thoughts on the set in the comments below.
Thanks to my good friend MC_Survival_man for the photos.
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6 comments on this article
So, er... why's he holding the shinai by the blade instead of the handle?
Yeah, Kai is definitely more interesting to me. He's also easier to get.
The Video Game doesn't come out in the UK until 6th October.
@blowing...chunks
Practicing his Mordhau technique of course! I hope...
It’s not a bad minifigure but suffers in comparison to the CMF and Green Dragon Mech versions. Agreed...I would not spend much to get one. I got the game for my son so we have one. He’s thrilled with the kendo gear that comes with it and if he’s happy then that’s alright.
I think that kendo Lloyd is slightly lacking in some areas, however, if you get it free with the game, why not? (nice review)