Set Review: 70726 Destructoid
Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 at 9:53pm by Andrew, BZPower News Manager [Source: Sisen]
Ninjago Month is slowly winding down, but we still have more information to share! Today Forum Assistant Sisen takes a look at 70726 Destructoid, General Cryptor's command vehicle. Will it slice and dice its way into your heart (right through the ribcage?!) or will it sit unused next to your Slap Chop? More importantly, will you win a copy of this set yourself? Read and watch our review to find out!
Presentation
From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.
Greetings denizens of BZPower. This is your cool Ninjago bro, Zane, here. This week on Ninjago Month we are taking a look at the awesome, yet terrifyingly nefarious Nindroid cyber-contraption Destructoid. As you can see there are enough blades on this deadly machine to prepare enough sushi for an army.
The front and back of the box display your common information, and show how wicked cool our staged combat looks. Mindroid is almost the size of half a figure, isn't it adorbs.
Building
Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?
Building the Destructoid did not take much time under the hands of General Cryptor and his Mindroid(ion). However, I suppose if you are not a menacing robot force bent on conquer, it might take you about twenty minutes to build. Most of the building process can be seen in super sped up Ninja action footage above.
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.
There are two exclusive figures in this set: Mindroid and Zane. General Cryptor has been featured in other Ninjago sets such as the Kai Fighter and Nindroid MechDragon.
The design of the Destructoid is a robust mix of interactive functionality coupled with a primary purpose to search and destroy. With a tank like appearance, the moving death contraption also has the feel of a chariot. This chariot just happens to have tank treads and is powered by a desire to chop things up into itty bitty pieces. Overall the color scheme of the set works well with a nice mix of black, trans-red, silver, and even some PURPLE.
The bulk of the pieces within this set are not entirely new. Some of the interesting blocks included are the 4x4 faceted black bricks that have only been in one other set back in 2013, and the inverted 6x6 black radar dish. There are also the black and trans-red round plates with the inner 2x2 hole. There are some pearl dark gray wings that are not featured in a lot of sets either. Plus there is the large flat silver shuriken shaped piece that adorns the front of Desctructoid. It looks pretty cool and could merge well with some MOCing. Two of the pieces not pictured above are the flat silver propeller blades. Those have only been utilized for sets this year and once last year. Typically the blades are found easily as pearl gold, but it is a nice set to obtain the silver ones from.
Last but not least, we have the purple pieces that are within the set! There are six of the 1x3 plates, four 2x2 plates with axle hole, six single slopes, two 1x6 tiles, two mudguards, and one 10x10 octagon plate with a hole. There is not a lot of purple in the set; however it does work well to accent the build structure.
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?
Personally playing with something that can chop me up in numerous ways is not my first thought of action. However, Ninjagotta do, what a Ninjagotta do. General Cryptor is clearly a mad designer. The blades on the front of the Destructoid chop as it rolls. Chop. As. It. Rolls. Not to mention the giant sword on one robotic arm or the giant buzz-saw arm. Coming from a cool robot ninja like myself, that is some terrifyingly mad design.
Oh, did I fail to mention that it has a disc shooter? My buzz cut is extra fresh and a tad shorter than when first encountering the Desctructoid.
Final Thoughts
Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?
Pros
What's to like?
- Two exclusive figures
- Purple
- Offers a lot of playability
- Good design overall
Cons
What's not to like?
- What's not to like?
- Disc launcher works so-so
- No vehicle for Zane?
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All together the Desctructoid and figures are a great combination. There is a lot of fun to be had with the set, even though it does seem like an unfair fight. Suuuuuure I'm part robot myself and could take these two with a hand behind my back, it would have been cool to have a ship of some sort. Comparatively, the Thunder Raider set contained both Cole and Jay with a whopping 334 pieces for $29.99 USD, whereas Desctructoid only has 253 pieces for $34.99. It would have been cool for a little bit more to be included in the set. Overall it is a good buy regardless, and offers up some fun times.
Big thanks to Sisen for taking the time to put this review together, and thanks of course to LEGO for providing us with copies of the set. Hopefully you found it informative - be sure to leave your questions and comments in the Talkback! Stay tuned to BZPower for more Ninjago news and reviews during our Ninjago Month, and LEGO news all year round!
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