Review: 71760 Jay's Thunder Dragon EVO

Thanks for reviewing the set. I wasn't sure how many of this year's Ninjago sets I wanted but the characters are very endearing, the dragons reminiscent of How To Train Your Dragon, and the Temple is phenomenal. The colors are a bit different and perhaps a little odd sometimes in combination, but like anything new I soon got used to it and even welcome the alternatives.

I wonder if i can make a halo with those wing pieces....

Honestly, I think this set looks way better with the centre section removed and the wings moved to below the saddle. Looks great, I do need to do something with the wings though.

Using multiple shades of a signature color (In this case blue) on the minifig is a bold choice. I’m not sure if it succeeds, but I respect the effort. Lloyd’s 71766 is a better example of multiple shades.

I actually think I am more fond of this dragon after seeing the photos in this review than I was before. That said, it still has a number of drawbacks in my eyes.

For one thing, the bricks used to connect the body segments together attach the head interrupt the color blocking a lot more than I'd like — I wish that there had been either some larger SNOTted tiles or brackets to help create a little more continuity there and cover those large patches of black and grey.

By comparison, I don't mind the grey "mixel joints" nearly as much due to the smaller surface visible from either side. But the change in proportions between the thicker and thinner tail segments is much too abrupt for my tastes. If some Cool Yellow plates like the ones from the feet had been added to the underside of the thinner tail segments and some Dark Azur tiles or Tr. Yellow cheese slopes had been added to the top, it would've been a big improvement.

While I was very pleased with the Ninjago theme switching from the molded heads of its first few years to brick-built ones in subsequent years, I am pretty impressed that LEGO has managed to wring so much variety out of the system of jaw molds used for this year's and last year's dragons. The fact that the same molds can be used as either upper or lower jaws depending on the desired aesthetic is certainly a big plus, as are their versatile connection points.

The dual-molded upper jaw in this set is a neat new addition to that range, and given the rumors of that this year's summer sets will heavily feature both dragon and crystal motifs, I expect we'll see even more use of this particular mold as the year progresses!

I'm not nearly as fond of these wing molds. I don't totally mind specialized wing molds in general — after all, molded dragon wings were used to great effect in LEGO Elves (one of my all-time favorite themes, which I still miss dearly). But the specific size and shape of these ones feels a bit limiting, even with the ability to double them up like in 71762. Again, though, they may get more varied use in the summer wave, which might help sell me on them a little better than the straightforward way they're used in these two sets.

The feature of these EVO dragons that I'm most fond of is their evolution from "companion" to "battle ready" (plus an intermediate "Flight Ready" stage for Kai's dragon). My love for LEGO dragons is always strongest when they are presented as characters and companions in their own right, rather than as beasts or mounts without any narrative agency of their own.

And while I neglected to mention this in response to the earlier EVO reviews, the "power up" feature is made all the more appealing by the charming little illustrations that appear throughout the instruction manuals! That's especially true with these dragons, since the illustrations really help showcase that they are characters with their own personalities and feelings, and true friends and allies of their respective ninja.

In general, while these first few 6+ "core" sets have been less than perfect, I think the line shows a lot of promise, and hope they become an ongoing line like the Legacy sets were so they can explore that potential further.

I'd love to see Cole and Zane get some new dragons in this style — maybe a wyvern-styled one for Zane and a beefier, more heavily armored one for Cole, kind of like their original dragons from 2011.

The stiff back of this dragon reminded me of myself as a cat person picking up a dog for the first time. They don't bend quite as much. :P

I wanted to like this one - the dragons are still the highlight of any Ninjago theme - but I just don't like the design. It's juniorised, but it isn't, it's for older kids, but it isn't. It just seems very oddly designed. The tail is very strange, but even the body just looks so odd.

There’s something appealing about these EVO color schemes. They remind me of something but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Ah, well.

I think it's cute. While it is super simple it looks quite good for what it is. Kai's dragon on the other hand: hideous.

This and Kai's dragon are probably one of the most underrated lego sets I have ever come across. The 2 EVO Dragons are gaining so much hate when they are actually not that bad

I'm not a fan of these new dragon heads. I'd much prefer the brick built one which seems more interesting and looks good for a LEGO dragon like in 70653 and 71721.

I personally love the color combination of light yellow and sand blue! For some reason, this being Jay, it is reminiscent of Jayko from Knights' Kingdom II who wore medium blue armor.

I've been on the fence about this one, but I think this review is enough to convince me that it's worth getting.

I actually like Jay's colors, they're different, but look cool in my opinion. I'll probably get this set because I don't have a dragon for Jay yet.

Don't like this build. Absolutely loveless design, in my opinion. Looks very unfinished ...