Review: LEGO NINJAGO Arc Dragon of Focus 71836

LEGO NINJAGO Arc Dragon of Focus 71836 - March 2025

“Double your dragons, double your fun!”

With LEGO NINJAGO being the leading expert in filling out the compendium of dragons, it was inevitable that another one was coming. Or another two, should I rather say. With LEGO’s long list of dragons made, you may be surprised to hear that this is their second dual-headed dragon. With this one the larger of the two and a unique dragon colour palette, how does it hold up?

Dragon of Focus

The LEGO NINJAGO Arc Dragon of Focus is the apparent leader of the Arc Dragons, two-heads-are-better-than-one and all that. Across the build we get a distinct split line through the middle – one side purple and the other tan. With both sides of the model essentially the same, the only difference is the heads.

I’m really glad LEGO decided to make two different head designs in the one set. It would have been just as easy to replicate the same head and colour swap it, but they didn’t. We get instead a mix of horns up and down, different snout shapes and even jaw shapes. The eyes for the dragon are also really unique too, as we have purple with gold details and the gold head with purple.

The body actually carries this motif, swapping colours in spots of details and allowing the theming to carry all the way across.

Now, if you’re like me and were excited with the prospect of making a purple dragon, I have to disappoint you. The dragon wings on the model are uniquely printed on each side; one purple wing and one tan wing. We won’t get the chance to see these printed the other ways around, so this dragon is officially a duo for life.

I am quite a fan of this build, but I do wish that we got a tail with a forked end instead of the one element we got. This shows an ever-so-slight imbalance between the two halves.

The Spinner and Launcher

As part of the 2025 LEGO NINJAGO wave, we are treated to the newest spinners. This design has an easier-to-use launch function but keeps the charm of old launchers. I’m glad that there aren’t super sized specialised elements to pull this off, and we get something more subtle.

Minifigures

Our figures for the set are Kai, Wyldfyre, Cole, Pixal, Lloyd, Drix, Zarkt and a Dragonian Warrior.

The Ninjas for this wave, as I’ve said previously, don’t feel right to me. They are very tech-y with new helmets more akin to racing bikes, but their outfits don’t clearly convey what they are. Cole’s outfit is probably the most re-useable, but even then it’s not clear. Pixal’s outfit is entirely new but feels respectful to her previous origins. Her outfit has clear denotations that make it feel like a tech suit akin to Iron Man, but I’m lost of the heroes.

As far as villains go, it’s quite clear that someone is supposed to be locked up and away. Zarkt is the Elemental Master of Misfortune and one of the overarching villains of the show. They sport a unique headpiece that really shows little for the sake of ‘containing’ them. Allied with them is Drix, a bug-looking warrior with unique shoulder pads and a Dragonian Warrior, much the same like others this wave. The enemies of this set feel really unique as foes, and still having a generic enemy helps too.

Verdict

The LEGO NINJAGO Arc Dragon of Focus is a set that grew on me.

I was initially a bit mixed when I was looking at the colour palette, but seeing the set close up makes me like it more. There’s a lot of fun that went into its design and concept, and I know the designers had a lot of fun too. I do like our unique villain of the set, but the hero cast isn’t just what I’m a fan of this year. But if you like dragons, I recommend picking this one up.