This might be an unpopular opinion… But I don’t like the new Ninjago City Workshops. I have not seen the set in person, but I am underwhelmed by the photos. When the LEGO® Group announced the first Ninjago City set and released the photos, I was blown away. I’ve now taken the time to carefully look over the promotional material for Ninjago City Workshops, and it is a hard pass for me. I think Ninjago City is going downhill with each successive model. The praise I’m seeing online for this set seems really unwarranted. In this Thursday Thoughts piece, I’m going to explain why.
The Ninjago City sets…
©2017 The LEGO® Group.
$349.99 CAD
4867 bricks
18 minifigs
Released 2017
Review
©2018 The LEGO® Group.
$269.99 CAD
3553 bricks
14 minifigs
Released 2018
Review
©2021 The LEGO® Group.
$449.99 CAD
5685 bricks
22 minifigs
Released 2021
Review
©2023 The LEGO® Group.
$479.99 CAD
6163 bricks
21 minifigs
Released 2023
$329.99 CAD
3242 bricks
10 minifigs
Released 2025
Value…
If we look at the Ninjago City sets from a cost/brick perspective, they have remained fairly consistent… until now. Generally speaking, the sets hovered somewhere in the $0.07 – $0.08/brick range. Ninjago City Workshops just shot up to $0.10/brick. While that is still better than the average LEGO® set ($0.14/brick in my experience), it is still more pricey than we are used to for the series.
The Minifigures…
The LEGO® Group slashed the Minifigure count by more than half compared to the last two entries in the series. Additionally, these characters are boring. There’s a lot of chatter online about four characters from the show that have never been included in a set thus far. Perhaps hardcore fans of the show will appreciate them. But, I don’t see any characters or parts I am dying to have.
The builds…
I was blown away by the original Ninjago City. I liked Ninjago City Docks, but I already felt it was not as good as Ninjago City. Then came Ninjago City Gardens. Again, I liked it, but not as much as the original. It lacked finesse and it was not sturdy. I was beginning to worry already that Ninjago City was going downhill. Consequently, I did not even buy Ninjago City Markets. I remember looking at in the LEGO® Store with a sense of disappointment, but also FOMO. The internal debate to buy or not to buy was real. I owned all the other sets in the series… perhaps Markets was a dud? Perhaps the collection would return to form on the next one?
Ninjago City Markets looks good in the promotional material. However, the set was photographed at an ideal angle that makes it look full. When I looked at it top down in store, it occurred to me that Ninjago City Markets is mostly empty, poorly used space. The area under the gondola should be bustling with market stalls and merchants. Instead, it is a slab of grey brick. My hopes that the set was a dud proved misplaced. From what I can tell in the promotional images, Ninjago City Workshops is more of the same… empty space angled in the photo to look good.
Empty space in a strategically taken photo is still empty space…
Workshops is an inverted corner, which is an interesting direction to take. I do appreciate that it appears as if it is meant to back other sets. Creating a 360-degree city display is the dream of many city builders. With that said, the back of Markets is completely bland as a result. It needs the other sets, or else you can only display it from one side. The original Ninjago City was also meant to be displayed primarily from one side. However, it also had a lot going on behind it that gave the build the feel of city and a sense of grandeur.
Then there’s the front of Ninjago City Workshops… With the buildings along the back two edges, that front space will once again look empty up close. In fairness, the space has a purpose. It houses the mech that comes with the set… But, did we really need a mech? And an ugly, lack-lustre one at that? As a theme, Ninjago already has way too many mechs. In fact, every LEGO® theme seems inundated with mechs these days… what does Superman need a mech for? And Darth Vader? Many of those other mechs are FAR nicer than this one too. Fans buy Ninjago City sets to expand their cities… not for more mechs.
I saw the mech in this set and my eyes inadvertently rolled.
One thing I will say for Ninjago City Markets is that I like the room designs. Many spaces in previous Ninjago City sets were too small to really access. While these new spaces remain small, the rear box art shows that the rooms slide in and out. That allows you to position Minifigures inside, and even build your own room models to replace the ones in the set if you want.
Workshops proves to me that Markets was not a one-off dud. Ninjago City is going downhill. Since my first glimpse of Markets, I have often revisited buying the set in order to own the entire collection. However, I have always abstained. Now, upon seeing the images of Workshops, I am even happier that I did not buy it. I think my days of collecting Ninjago City sets are behind me. Maybe I’ll like Workshops when I see it in the store display, who knows? But, I doubt it. What do you think of Ninjago City Workshops? Do you think Ninjago City is going downhill? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
Want to support True North Bricks?
If you like the content at True North Bricks, please follow on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or TikTok for regular content. Additionally, you can support True North Bricks by making your LEGO® (and other) purchases using the links in the margin to your right. As an affiliate of those retailers, we earn from qualifying purchases. These earnings come at no extra cost to you but help to keep the content at True North Bricks free.
7 responses to “Ninjago City is going downhill… a Thursday Thought.”
Sorry but I have to disagree with some of your critiques to the workshops. I do agree with some, for example the value per brick ration … but that might not be a LEGO problem it could just be the economy we live in these days. Another thing I agree with is that Markets was definitely a dud and a far cry from the previous sets, I also passed on that one ( I own and built City, docsk and gardens), however I WILL eventually buy Workshop because although I agree with you that is not as good as the first sets, it is still better than MArkets, and by a large margin. Let me explain:
You say that workshops suffers the same problem as Markets: empty unused space. This I agree 100% when it comes to Markets, but you are partially wrong about this with Workshops , because actually, that space is there to store the disassembled pieces of the mech that comes with it!!! If you look at review videos/promo materials, that space will stop looking empty once you fill it with mech parts… which is perfect because as you say, the mech that comes with is FUGLY af. Maybe the set designers purposely included such an ugly mech just for it to be displayed as disassembled in those empty spaces? I dunno, but whatever the case, it works out perfectly for me because i plan to fill those empty spaces with the parts of the fugly mech and then mod the platform for it to hold one of the bigger, nicer Ninjago Titan mechs!
Which leads me to another problem that I see with your review. You write: ” Fans buy Ninjago City sets to expand their cities… not for more mechs.” Sorry but you are incorrect in this statement, because if you know anything about Ninjago , you7ll know that Mechs are an INTEGRAL part of the Ninajago World. Many Ninjago City set fans are also fans of some of the Ninjago Mechs, amnay of them are absolutely worthy to be displayed in a Ninjago City (e.g. Kai’s Ninjago Movie Fire Mech, and Lloyd’s, Zane’s , Jay’s and Coles Titan Mechs). So far , Lego has given us some really good Ninjago Mechs but no way to integrate them/display them in our city … until now. As of now I made my on Mechbay to store the Mechs in my Ninjago City, but this Workshop set finally gives me a non custom (mostly non custom, cuz I7ll have to mode the platform) to integrate Mechs in my city. That alone is complete worth my money to me.
For last but not least , the last reason why Workshop is superior to Markets and a worthy entry to the series: it is a set that does/showcases EXACTLY what it s supposed to be : a Ninjago Mech Workshop. City set the theme of the series, inspired by Hong Kong and other bustling busy cramped asian city architecture. Docks is exactly that, docks. Gardens has … wait for it …. GardenS. Workshop has Mech a Workshop. MarketS has a …… single market stand????? If you are gonna call a set “MarketS”, and on top of that inspired in bustling asian city architecture theme set by the first set, then it has to have a BUSY are of MANY market stalls. But oh no, it has a single market stand …..very unlike the plethora of market stands you will usually find in any place that is called “MarketS” in any of the asian cities the theme is inspired by. Oh, and don’t even get me started on that stupid cable car gimmick. Can someone please explain me what is the point of putting a gondolat to literally go from floor 1 to 2 ??? Huh? Which architect in their right mind will put an effing gondola in a place that is better served by an elevator????. Cable cars are only viable if it is going to take you to a place that cannot otherwise be served by an elevator, which is not case in that set. So that cable car in that set is exactly that, a completely useless, theme breaking gimmick that serves no other purpose for buyers to see it and see ” Oh, and it has a cable car!!!”. But you see, Workshop doesn’t have that problem. As subpar as it may be in comparison to the other sets, it at least sets out to do what is supposed to do in an effective manner, in a way that is both sensible and not theme breaking.
So here are my two final thought for you to mull on:
– I wouldn’t be surprised that this set is a reflection of the current economy. Maybe Lego knows that making another set that is comparable to Ninjago City might end up pricing out of the segment most buyers that like this theme. Also, Markets was pretty expensive for what it is, in fact it is the priciest of all the sets on the theme, so I think it was a sensible move to design a lower priced set, hence the empty spaces 8which again, have a purpose to be empty) and the ugly mech 8 which again, it has a purpose).
– There is a chance that this set is a calculated move in regard to what Lego designers have in mind as the NEXT set after this one. I am 99% sure that at Lego there must be someone already in the mid-late stages of designing the set that will come after this one, so it is possible that for them to release that one they needed this specific one out first. For example, imagine if the next set would be a Shipyard! Can you imagine??? A two baseplate set with a Destiny’s Bounty being built? Next to the Mech Workshops??? OMFG Lego just shut up and take my money already. Think about it. So maybe their strategy is for some new customers of the theme to get enticed by the Workshops at a “cheap” price ( cheap in relation to the price of the other sets of the theme) just so two years later they can entice them with a 500 USD Shipyard that they will wanna buy because they already have the Workshop , and just out of FOMO Lego will have their money. Food for thought.
You certainly have presented food for thought… but your opinion does not make mine “wrong”. It just means we don’t agree on certain aspects of the set, and that is fine. I totally respect and appreciate your feelings about Workshops and the other sets in the series. This was not a review of Workshops because I don’t have the set and I have not built it. It was just my initial thoughts on the reveal and first official pictures. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, they were insightful and I appreciate that you took the time to write such a thorough response. I would certainly be intrigued to see a shipyard. But, I still feel the same way about Workshops.
I discovered Ninjago just as the 10th anniversary was beginning. Bought city gardens and it is probably my favourite set – loads of minifigs, lots of rooms with easter eggs from the show, great colours and looks fantastic on it’s own. Having missed out on the first 2 ninjago city sets I often contemplated splurging for them on the aftermarket…. but $800+ was too steep for me.
Consequently when city markets came out I jumped on it for the same reasons. Yes, it seems “market shy” underneath the tram, but I filled it with minifigs. Could probably replicate a few more of the market stalls from spare parts too.
Now… the workshops…you nailed it – mech vomit is real! I understand what they were going for – trying to tie into the “mech race” from the new series. However choosing a character and mech from the show would have been a better choice. 10 minifigures is also a bit sparse…especially when half of them are generic civilians vs key characters. I guess it’s a cost savings to reduce minifigs vs piece count? Everything suffers with inflation so price per piece is understandable too….thankfully not at the marvel/starwars/harrypotter IP cost. I still consider 10 cents CAD good value.
Interior corner design will be interesting to see, as well the multi coloured build should match the last two city entries. I will likely buy it but at 2x insiders points or for a good gwp. I’ll send you a pic when they are all combined.
Thanks for the post! Good content to mull over.
I think 10 cents per piece is good as well… Just not compared to the previous Ninjago City sets. Have you thought about parting out the older sets and ordering individual pieces? Might come out less than $800, though it’ll be more work.
Considered it…but the only thing worse than Lego costs are Canada post costs.
I completely agree. Save your money. RIP Ninjago city.
LOL – I wish I’d thought of RIP Ninjago City as the title for the article.