LEGO NINJAGO Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech 71796 Building Toy Set, Features a Dragon, Mech, Ninja Flyer and 6 Minifigures, Gift for Boys and Girls Ages 9+ Who Love Ninja Warriors

I’ve recently begun collecting a lot of LEGO Dragons. For a while, my favorite had been Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon for its design and personality. However, I am pleased to say that I have a new favorite. The Elemental Dragon in this set is, bar-none, the best dragon I’ve ever built. The articulation is fantastic for a large creature like this, which is really impressive considering how intricate the build is. It makes for good play and a stellar display item. The ability to modify its appearance with the micro-jet is also a great touch, really amplifies the dragon’s presence in your collection. If I had to pick a downside for the build, I do prefer how Lloyd’s Legendary Dragon’s head wad made, but it isn’t as bad here as say the Water Dragon. The price is also a bit egregious, but for a dragon nut it’s worth it. The mech is also pretty good. Makes for a great side build with nice articulation, but it wasn’t my priority. Overall, I recommend the set. Stellar dragon, cool mech, meh price.

I bought this set for my dragon obsessed daughter and helped her build it. The Dragon has good articulation and brilliant shaping. It is sturdier and more stable than most large character builds, however the light yellow curved slope tiles on the spine are easy to knock off and repeated play can cause the spine section on the hips to separate. I am incredibly biased due to the obvious source of inspiration for the mech but this is hands down my favourite small-to-mid sized mech from any theme to date. The dragon's design, parts usage and powering up functionality make it feel like the ultimate EVO dragon, showing that system living up to its potential.