Destiny’s Bounty (71705) Review

Having grown up with LEGO® Pirates, I am a fan of brick-built ships. I am also a fan of Ninjago. Therefore, Destiny’s Bounty (71705) quickly made my wish list. I have the previous iteration of the ship from the Ninjago Movie already (70618). However, I wanted this one as well and was curious to see how the two models compare. So, anchors away and let us take a closer look.

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DESTINY’S BOUNTY SUMMARY

• NAME: Destiny’s Bounty
• SET #: 71705
• THEME: Ninjago
• COST: $159.99 CAD
• BRICK COUNT: 1781
• MINIFIGURES: 7
• RELEASE DATE: August 24, 2020

DESTINY’S BOUNTY QUICK REVIEW

• VALUE: 97% (Provides way more build time than anticipated at a great value-per-brick.)
• BUILD: 85% (Most of the ship’s hold is inaccessible and the cabin design needs reinforcement.)
• MINIFIGURES: 80% (Well detailed minifigs, but not very many of them compared to the kit size.)
• ENTERTAINMENT: 87% (More kid friendly than the last Bounty, but still a nice ship.)
• OVERALL SCORE: 87%

DESTINY’S BOUNTY (71705) REVIEW

VALUE: 97%

Destiny’s Bounty costs $159.99 in Canada. Additionally, the kit contains 1781 bricks. As such, the cost-per-brick is $0.09. Comparatively, my average cost-per-brick across all themes is $0.14. Therefore, you get a lot of bricks for your buck with this set. It earns a score of 97%. If we compare the Bounty solely to other Ninjago sets, the value remains awesome. My average cost-per-brick for the Ninjago theme rests at $0.113. In this case, it earns 92%. Therefore, the overall value-per-brick is 95%.

Destiny’s Bounty provides a lot of build time. I spent six hours and 32 minutes (392 minutes) on it. That is on par with some of the large modular buildings that have double the brick count. Interestingly, it is also identical to the last version of Destiny’s Bounty, which has 514 more bricks. Consequently, the cost-per-minute of build time is $0.41. By comparison, my average for all themes is $0.83/minute and for Ninjago it is $0.66/minute. Bounty clocks in well below both of those averages. In the case of the former, it earns 100%. In the latter, it earns 98%. Consequently, the overall value-per-minute is 99%. Taken with the value-per-brick score, the final value grade for this set is 97%.

BUILD: 85%

Destiny’s Bounty is a well-designed ship that remains true to the source material. The ship closely resembles its TV counterpart. However, the cabin on the aft section is only one level and there is less interior space. These modifications are understandable though. The ship would be considerably larger and more expensive otherwise. Additionally, the vessel has play features that are also true to the show. Turning the aft wings downwards causes a pair of forward engines to emerge on either side of the hull. Additionally, pushing a lever on the mast raises the sails. I do wish the sails raised more like the sails on an actual ship though. However, the design on this model is true to the show, so I will not deduct marks for that. The feature is neat and works well. Finally, rotating a knob on the forward deck raises and lowers the anchors.

Engines deploy by rotating the rear wings of the ship down.

In terms of play space, the deck of the ship is fully accessible. It has a stud-shooting canon. Additionally, you can remove the central section of the deck to access the hold. However, the fore and aft sections of the ship’s interior are not accessible. The cabin on the quarterdeck is removable in modular fashion. The interior of the cabin houses the ship’s controls and computers. Once removed, the roof of the cabin comes off and the walls swing open to reveal a dojo play scene. Additionally, the roof section has an attic with a hidden weapons chest inside. The design of the cabin is neat and something you can easily replicate to make buildings in your custom Ninjago cities. However, I do find the roof design a little flimsy. It looks good but could be more structurally sound.

Sails deploy upwards using a lever.

This version of Destiny’s Bounty is nice. Do I like it as much as the Ninjago Movie version? No, it is not as detailed. However, I will delve into that in another post. For those who missed out on the last Bounty, this is still a nice ship. I wish the design provided more access to the interior below decks. Additionally, the cabin needs to be sturdier. A redesign of the aft section of the ship, making the whole cabin modular would fix the issues. I rate this build at 8.5/10 (85%).

MINIFIGURES: 80%

Destiny’s Bounty comes with seven Minifigures. Since the set is based on season one of the series, Lloyd is a stumpy kid with unbending legs. However, all the other characters come with standard parts. Additionally, all have front and back torso printing. All except Wu have double-sided faces, and all except Lloyd have leg printing. These are detail packed Minifigures. They also come with a complete arsenal of Ninja weaponry. I will not go through every piece, suffice to say there are more katanas, shuriken, and general weapons than you need. Together, the designs and accessories easily earn a score of 100% in this category. Despite that, I wish the set included alternate hairpieces for the characters. That is especially true for Nya.

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Seven Minifigures might seem like a lot. However, Destiny’s Bounty is a large kit. It contains 1781 pieces. As such, the brick-to-fig ratio is not particularly good. It works out to 254:1. Comparatively, my average ratio across all themes is 144:1. For Ninjago alone it is 152:1. For the piece count, a set like this needs 11 or 12 Minifigures. However, you would have difficulty fitting that many characters on board this ship. Normally, I would rate this brick-to-fig ratio at 59%. However, since the ship cannot really accommodate more characters, I will bump that up to a passing grade of 60%. Averaging this score with the design score gives an overall Minifigure grade of 80%.

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ENTERTAINMENT: 87%

Do I like this set? Absolutely. Will I keep it on display? Yes. However, if I start running out of display space, I will keep the previous Destiny’s Bounty on display over this one. This version is a nice set, but not as detailed as the Ninjago Movie iteration. If you have a harbor in your Ninjago city, the two ships will look nice side by side though. The ship also has value beyond simply being a Ninjago set. Fans of ships or pirates might enjoy the build and display potential as well. Therefore, while it is a niche interest set, the niche is broader than just Ninjago fans. I rate the AFOL score at 85%.

Destiny’s Bounty is a fun play set. KFOL Ninjago fans will surely enjoy it. I am not sure how relevant pirates and ships are to modern youngsters though. I am a little out of touch with what is cool these days. However, I do not see a lot of pirate related toys on the market. Therefore, I think Destiny’s Bounty only appeals to Ninjago fans in this category. With that said, this ship is a bit sturdier overall than its predecessor with fewer decorative add-ons. Consequently, it is more amenable to rough play. As such, I rate the KFOL score at 90%. Averaged with the AFOL score, this version of Destiny’s Bounty earns an entertainment rating of 87%.

OVERALL SCORE: 87%

Ultimately, this version of Destiny’s Bounty (71705) is a good set, especially if you missed the last one. It comes at a great value with some nicely detailed Minifigures. However, for a kit this size, there are not very many characters included. Additionally, the set lacks the detailing of its predecessor. However, the lack of small embellishments also means less stuff to fall off an lose. Consequently, the set is more play friendly for smaller kids. Overall, I like this set and I recommend it. However, if you are budgeting and wondering if you need a second Destiny’s Bounty, the Ninjago Movie version is the clear winner. What are your thoughts? Feel free to comment below or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

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What do others think?

Brick Insights is an awesome site that aggregates LEGO® set review scores from around the web. Based on their statistics, you can see what other reviewers think of the Destiny’s Bounty (71705) below.

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