Today we have an interesting review - LEGO and DK provided us with a couple copies of the LEGO Ninjago Character Encyclopedia, one to review and another to give away. Here's the review portion of that, so read on to see if this book should be added to your personal library!

Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

There's no doubt that this is the LEGO Ninjago Character Encyclopedia, as the title is clearly emblazoned across the front along with some of the characters themselves (go figure!). Also you can see the cutout for the exclusive minifigure - Green Ninja ZX. The back has a short blurb of what you can expect from this book as well as an action scene between a Ninja and Skulkin.

Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

When you pop open the cutout, you're presented with a pile of parts for the exclusive minifig. This is the only building aspect of the book. If you can't figure that out then perhaps you shouldn't be a FOL.

Set Design
Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.

The Ninjago Character Encyclopedia is certainly a comprehensive volume. Its 176 pages covers all of the Ninjago characters and their variants, a majority of the sets, and the weapons they use to fight.

It's a beautiful book - full color with crisp, detailed pictures of the minifigures and sets. They definitely pop off the page and act as a great reference for collectors.

The text is equally in-depth. While the writing is definitely targeted at a younger audience, it's still informative and occasionally funny. For fans and collectors, there's a lot of neat little tidbits. Not being a huge fan of Ninjago, I learned a lot about the storyline that I wasn't aware of previously. I would almost consider myself an expert after reading this.

The book also comes with an exclusive Green Ninja ZX minifigure, which adds to its collectibility (and also makes it a good deal thicker as a side effect). Lloyd (oops, is that still a spoiler?) looks great in his ZX garb, which has some very nice printing. His two-sided head seems a bit out of place though - ninjas shouldn't be afraid of anything!

The pieces themselves aren't anything new, but a bunch of the colors and printing are exclusive to this fig.

Playability
The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

I wouldn't say a book is something you can play with, so to speak. The minifigure doesn't provide much play value unless you combine it with your other Ninjago sets.

Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

Pros What's to like? Exclusive minifigure Comprehensive content on all the Ninjago characters and weapons Beautiful color photos and illustrations Cons What's not to like? Very much a niche product Overly thick thanks to the minifig Doesn't contain 2013 info, so not completely comprehensive

For LEGO collectors and hardcore Ninjago fans, I would definitely recommend this book. It could also be a good way for younger kids who aren't big on reading to get interested in it if they like the LEGO Ninjago toy line. Aside from that though, it's not breaking any ground or providing an interesting narrative experience.

Thanks again to LEGO and DK for providing us with this book. If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask them in the Talkback topic. We'll be sure to post on the front page when the contest for the other copy starts, so keep checking back, right here on BZPower!

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