Eight sets, prices from $19.99 to $139.99, all built around one storyline: the ninja getting golden dragon powers to take on the Crystal King. I’ve gone through the whole wave. Here’s what’s actually worth your money, and what you’re only buying for the minifigs.
The wave at a glance
| Set | Price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 71768 Jay’s Golden Dragon Motorbike | $19.99 | Small vehicle, entry-level minifig |
| 71770 Zane’s Golden Dragon Jet | $29.99 | Transforming jet, Skull Sorcerer villain |
| 71769 Cole’s Dragon Cruiser | $44.99 | Ground vehicle, General Aspheera villain |
| 71772 The Crystal King | $69.99 | Mech, the wave’s main villain |
| 71771 Crystal King Temple | $79.99 | The flagship playset |
| 71773 Kai’s Golden Dragon Raider | $89.99 | Larger vehicle, more figures |
| 71775 Nya’s Samurai X Mech | $119.99 | Largest set, 8 total minifigs |
| 71774 Lloyd’s Golden Ultra Dragon | $139.99 | The most expensive set in the wave |
What ties it together
Four of the six ninja (Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole) get golden dragon suits across the small and mid-size vehicles, each with new transparent-colored armor and dragon-themed helmets. Lloyd gets his own flagship, the Ultra Dragon, and Nya gets a mech instead of a dragon suit entirely. Every set includes a piece of the “golden weapons” collection, so even the cheapest set in the wave (the $19.99 motorbike) comes with a full bag of them.
The villains follow a shared design language: half-crystal, half-Vengestone, in various roles the sets call warriors, brutes, or guards, essentially interchangeable grunt figures. The named generals (Aspheera, the Skull Sorcerer) are the more interesting pulls, especially the Skull Sorcerer, a fan-favorite character from earlier Ninjago seasons getting a proper minifig here.
What’s actually worth buying
Crystal King Temple (71771), $79.99, is the standout. It’s a genuine playset with hidden compartments and building techniques that go beyond the usual vehicle formula, and it’s the one I’d point to first if you only buy one set from this wave.
Nya’s Samurai X Mech (71775), $119.99, backs up its price with scale: it’s the largest set in the wave and comes with eight total minifigs, six of them exclusive to this set. For anyone collecting the full character lineup, this is the most efficient way to do it.
Lloyd’s Golden Ultra Dragon (71774), $139.99, is the most expensive set and the most divisive. Some sections of the build are genuinely impressive, others feel like padding to justify the price. Buy it if you want the flagship dragon, not because it’s clearly the best value in the wave.
The three smallest sets (the motorbike, the jet, the cruiser) are fine builds, but their real purpose is delivering one exclusive minifig each. If you’re not chasing every character, they’re easy to skip.
The Reseller’s Take
- Combined wave: $19.99 to $139.99 across 8 sets. Released 2022. Mid-tier Ninjago theme, not a licensed IP.
- Ninjago as a category doesn’t carry the same resale ceiling as Star Wars or Icons. It’s a LEGO-owned theme with a loyal but smaller collector base, and most of the value in a wave like this sits in exclusive minifigs, not the models themselves.
My call: buy for the characters you want, not for appreciation. If there’s a specific set here you or your kids will actually enjoy, buy it and don’t overthink the resale math. If you’re buying purely as an investment, this wave isn’t where I’d put my money. The Crystal King Temple and the Samurai X Mech are the two with the most long-term collector interest, since they’re the largest builds with the most exclusive figures, but neither is going to outperform a good Star Wars or Icons pick.
Invest score: 4.5/10 wave average. Fine sets, thin resale case.
Bottom line
A solid, well-designed wave if you’re into Ninjago, with the Crystal King Temple as the one genuine must-have. Just don’t buy into this one expecting it to fund your next set. Buy it because you like the story and the characters, and let that be enough.
Prices from public sources (LEGO). Resale figures for this theme are limited compared to licensed lines; treat any ROI estimate here as directional, not a guarantee.