Review: 71718 Wu's Battle Dragon
Posted by CapnRex101,
70734 Master Wu Dragon was released during 2015 and remains exceptionally popular. 71718 Wu's Battle Dragon also seems impressive and shares numerous similarities with the previous creature, despite the considerable reduction in size and the modern fabric wings.
However, the brilliant tendrils which decorated the earlier model have been excluded which is somewhat disappointing, given their unusual design. Nevertheless, I think the Battle Dragon looks magnificent and the exclusive Hero Wu minifigure seems particularly appealing, wearing heavier armour than many Wu minifigures.
Minifigures
Hero Wu represents an interesting departure from other Wu minifigures, focusing more upon combat and therefore featuring armour. 70677 Land Bounty introduced the conical hat in dark tan and I am pleased to see it again here, complementing Wu's dark tan arms. In addition, the head returns from 2019 and includes braided hair on the reverse which looks excellent.
Wu's chest armour is completely new though, protecting both sides of the torso. The wooden texture seems relatively realistic and looks perfect beside the reddish brown shoulder armour. Unfortunately, these printed legs appear out of place in my opinion. They were created for the Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu subtheme so suited the 2019 Wu minifigure but I think they conflict with his torso on this occasion.
The malevolent Skull Sorcerer has rallied various interesting creatures to his cause, including Gleck. This lavender character wears ragged clothing, combining reddish brown, dark tan and dark brown across the torso. The metallic silver buckle stands out and I like the slingshot which appears on the reverse, slotted into the villain's belt.
Dark brown legs correspond with the torso and Gleck's hat seems similarly complimentary. His expression appears somewhat mischievous and the alternative face looks excellent, conveying appropriate terror as Wu's dragon approaches! The minifigure wields a stud-shooting crossbow which is reasonable, although I think a slingshot would have been more fun since this character seems more troublesome than deadly.
The Completed Model
NINJAGO frequently features collectable accessories and two such weapons appear in the latest range. The dual-moulded Ivory Blade of Deliverance looks excellent, including brilliant texture around the hilt and a pommel that is shaped like a skull. A minifigure skull might have been more appropriate but this element is great and I like the sword holder as well, especially since the trans-bright green flames are new.
71718 Wu's Battle Dragon is undoubtedly among the smaller dragons inhabiting NINJAGO, although its limited size has not affected the impressive detailing. White and gold pieces are combined to lovely effect, corresponding with the earlier 70734 Master Wu Dragon. However, this model also incorporates black elements which form a pleasing accent colour, most visibly across the belly and the wings.
The head looks absolutely outstanding and is probably my favourite aspect of this creature. Despite its modest size, the designer has created a beautiful shape and integrated two white horns which form eyebrows. Moreover, the medium azure 1x2 jumper plate that represents the eyes looks marvellous, strongly contrasting against the surrounding pieces.
Pearl gold 2x2 jumper plates and white 1x1 slopes are situated along the back of the dragon, beginning behind the head and continuing to the tail. This consistent design feature is superb and I like the saddle, although it may be removed easily if you prefer. Golden chains form the reins and clips are also provided for storing Wu's staff which is useful.
Flexible plastic sheets form each wing, corresponding with other recent dragons. The printed designs appear particularly unusual though, exhibiting a feathered texture that differs from the scales which are traditionally associated with these mythical animals. I think the layers of black, gold and white feathers look splendid and both wings are fixed using hinges to enable reasonable movement.
The colour saturation on the wings could definitely have been improved though, particularly for the white around the trailing edges. Furthermore, the pin holes where the wings are connected have been distributed inaccurately as the two which are nearest the body are slightly too close together, thereby deforming the flexible plastic between them.
While the wings leave potential for refinement, the legs look absolutely perfect. The white and pearl gold colour scheme continues here and each leg offers adequate articulation to achieve realistic poses. White droid bodies that connect the lower forelegs and the upper sections do restrict movement to some extent, although these are needed to strengthen the dragon and I think the result looks wonderful.
The tail is constructed similarly to numerous past dragons, comprising several ball joints that connect articulated segments. I like the continuation of pearl gold and white highlights and the extensive range of motion is great. The tip of the tail could have included more detail though as this simple 1x2 curved slope appears rather bland. Perhaps some pearl gold spikes would have been appropriate instead.
Overall
Majestic dragons have become increasingly associated with NINJAGO since 2011 and 71718 Wu's Battle Dragon encapsulates many of the ingenious techniques which have enabled their continued improvement. This model appears exceptionally elegant and incorporates fantastic articulation, taking full advantage of its comparatively lightweight design.
My only significant issue with this model relates to its wings, which appear rudimentary beside the detailed body. I think brick-built wings would have been more appropriate in this context as they could have been fairly small. Nevertheless, the price of £17.99 or $19.99 represents good value in my opinion and this is an appealing addition to the outstanding collection of NINJAGO dragons.
This set was provided for review by The LEGO Group but the review represents an expression of my own opinions.
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19 comments on this article
Yeah I'll probably pick this up (I mean 20$ is a steal)
I actually really like the little goblin dudes.
my kids and I have been collecting every dragon, including the creator ones, for a couple years now and it's cool to see the techniques improve with every set.
I really like it, especially for £18. My brother actually has Master Wu Dragon mentioned in the review. I think that this set (dragon to dragon) is better than 70734, other than the use of white croissants. I’m probably going to get this. Almost definitely.
Also, we see a few dragons, particularly in the First Realm, that have no wings. I believe that we’re waiting on one of these in the NINJAGO range. That set, with a couple of Dragon Hunters would be extremely welcome, especially in the same piece and price range.
I much prefer brick built wings, that's put me off this year's dragons a bit
While it isn't a bad dragon by any means, it does feel rather bland. It's nowhere near as impressive as Wu's old dragon from the Possession wave, and it's launching at the same time as the Skull Sorcerer's Dragon which also uses a white colors scheme but looks much cooler.
The LEGO Legacy videogame has a dragon that shows up whenever Wu uses his ultimate attack, and it seems to have less pieces than this but look far more impressive. I don't believe it's had a set release yet (unlike most Legacy builds.) I'd love to see a little box set for it, or maybe a Creator dragons pack with it as an option.
Great value model
@GSR_MataNui said:
"While it isn't a bad dragon by any means, it does feel rather bland. It's nowhere near as impressive as Wu's old dragon from the Possession wave... "
Do you mean 70734 ( https://brickset.com/sets/70734-1/Master-Wu-Dragon )? If so, I completely agree! Then again, the new dragon is much smaller and less expensive (£18 vs £35 RRP) so a difference in how impressive it is is to be expected.
As an aside, I’m a founding member of GAS, the Gleck Appreciation Society :~)
Strange review with no mentioning of the number of pieces in the set.
I prefer the Empire Dragon for around the same number of pieces and price seems more substantial, and don't need to worry about the plastic wings getting damaged during play.
I prefer the Empire Dragon 71713 for around the same number of pieces seems more substantial, and don't need to worry about the plastic wings getting damaged during play.
I think the wing pattern is based off of the dragon master version of the younger version of wu, the flyers plastic membrane had a similar pattern.
Man, why did it take small Ninjago dragons so long to get this good? Cole’s Earth Dragon and Kai’s Fire Dragon look like McDonald’s toys compared to this guy. And not GOOD McDonald’s toys.
This is such a great value set. Even in Australia its under 10c per piece. And I mean how often do we get to *praise* the pricing of a Lego set these days.
Set looks good. Though I disagree on the eyes. I'm no fan of stickers, but just an azure colored block that sticks out of the sides of the head is a bit to bland for me.
....can someone put googly eyes on this thing for me? I need a laugh. :)
"Wu's Battle Dragon also seems impressive and shares numerous similarities with the previous creature, despite the considerable reduction in size and the modern fabric wings"
I agree. I'm glad they're using the fabric wings on smaller dragons, in combination with brick built heads, I think it looks great in my opinion. Reminds me of the 70593 NRG Dragon, but now we can get one for only 20. Nice!
I hope TLG makes one for each one of the Ninjas. Great review, thanks for that.
What wave of 2019 did Wu get hair? I'm thinking Legacy but not sure.
Regardless, amazing set. This and the Mino Creature are must-buys, and the 30$ dungeon set looks good as a background piece and a good parts pack.
I haven't bought any Ninjago since 'Hunted' (in 2018). Simply wasn't interested enough in what followed. But these dragons here look great! I'm surely getting those, and possibly the (big) dungeons set.
Dragons are always the highlight of Ninjago, no matter how small they are. I do own the older Wu dragon, probably one of my favorite sets and while I feel like the older one is a better set and dragon, I still need to say this is one fine dragon, especially for the price of 20€. Great review, but would have loved to see some poses, I bet it looks great in flying pose : ) (at least that's how I like dragons best)