A draconic pose that would scare anyone over 30
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 tall stature, large vibrant wings and a pose that’s unique to this dragon amongst all else, let’s talk about the Thunderfang Dragon of Chaos and how it holds up as a set.
Thunderfang Dragon of Chaos
The LEGO NINJAGO Thunderfang Dragon is clearly the focus of the set, giving us a bright red and purple intermixed colour palette that we haven’t seen before. The colours are definitively on the side of chaotic and erratic, shown greatly with the swirls amongst the wings. The dragon carries weight with it’s form too, as it looks like it is constantly being pulled down by the weight of the mantle around it’s neck.
Speaking of, there are different neck mantles and wrist chains across the build that give a real ‘enslaved’ vibe to the model. The back bend that would make a 30-year-old fear they slip a disc looks forced, with a creature fighting for its life.
Now I know that’s not how it would be in the show, but it’s a cool effect done with the shaping of such a beast.
The dragon also has large mighty claws that seem perfect for smashing and grasping the heroes. Meanwhile, the other side feels a little smaller, as the tail looks maybe a little thin. It’s not a huge criticism, but I wish there was something more pointed to the ground and snake-like.
The wings here are perfect though. I am challenged by the thought of how to reuse them somewhere.
Minifigures
Our figures for this set are Nokt, Tyr (Leader of the Dragonians), Sora, Nya, Lloyd and Arin.
Nokt is probably the most unique figure in the set – with a sharp dark colour pattern and screaming faces on the robe. He is one of the bigger villains this series, and is a good fit for this set.
On the other hand, Tyr is almost completely indistinguishable from his fellow men. The only real difference here is the horns on the head; being much longer than the others. It’s good we get them with armour, helmet and wings as a combo here, but he’s weirdly generic. An unique face print wouldn’t go amiss here I would think.
The ninja this wave all have a mix of futuristic motifs to them across the wave. Sora remains essentially the same as her previous incarnations, whereas Arin has a gunmetal tone to him now. Nya and Lloyd’s outfits to me are a bit too noisy, and make it hard for me to figure out exactly what I’m looking at at times. I like their new helmets and how tech-y they feel, but I just feel like something is off.
Verdict
LEGO Ninjago dragons are always a big thing for the theme, and this isn’t an exception.
It isn’t near my highest ranked NINJAGO dragons of all time, but for the unique-ness this dragon provides makes it stand out on any shelf. I like that LEGO pushed the boundaries a little bit here and gave us an uncommon mix of colours – and I implore them to keep doing this. Getting unique dragons like this is what I love about the theme.
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