Kids Toys and Games

Lego dad with a new Ninjago set for the little ones. The line came out last year and was quite a hit with the wee Lego fans (well at least in my house!). So 2012 brings with it a new cartoon on TV and a new run of toys! I'm coming to you from the parent perspective on this one (I buy for both my son and myself as an adult fan of Lego) as this was purchased for my 6 year old. I paid 15$ retail for this and was well satisfied for what was included at that price point.

Pros: A new version of the Red Ninja! This one comes with an improved helmet (the ninja's can finally look left and right) with some shoulder armor that can hold 2 swords on his back. The set also comes with one of the new snake men villains and a golden cobra staff. The toy itself is a lot of fun to build, as it combines some of the more technical Lego aspects with the Ninja theme. It took me about 25 minutes to completely assemble this so that my son could play. And according to him this set is "the most... Read more

I'm not a huge fan of Lego's Ninjago line (it reminds me of the Power Rangers), but my 6-year old son LOVES it (probably because it reminds him of the Power Rangers), so we recently bought him the Kai's Blade Cycle set. It's a giant red motorcycle with four "arms" that extend at the press of a button. The set also includes two minifigures - Kai ZX (my son assures me this is different from the plain old Kai, but is vague on exactly how) and a bad guy called Rattla. There's also a little platform that holds a staff with a unique hypnotic-style piece.

Complexity: The set has 188 pieces, and once I saw that most of them were Technic elements, I knew I'd be assembling this one for my son. The instructions are clear as always, but the more complex Technic pieces tend to be more difficult for younger builders. It took me 30 minutes to assemble the bike.

Playability: It's a ninja riding a giant red motorcycle! Yeah, this one is getting played with a lot. I love that it... Read more

I'm an unashamed adult collector of LEGO toys. While the Ninjago theme didn't particularly appeal to me, I do enjoy a few of the models and some of the unique elements of the sets as well as the minifigures from the previous years Ninjago theme.

I picked this set up on whim and I'm slightly disappointed with it. A tiny ninja on a more than oversized motorcycle looks a bit ridiculous when paired together. The transforming feature wasn't all that interesting (the blades on the sides of the motorcycle move a few centimeters outwards) and the new costume design for the ninja looks too much like the power rangers.

All that being said, I know I'm clearly not the target client for this series so I won't dock down stars. This set has everything younger male LEGO fans will love. Big wheels, a random assortment of weapons, accessories, a treasure/shrine and a hero and a bad guy. If you don't follow the show, this is enough in this set for a creative young mind to have a... Read more