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Set Review: 70739-70740-70741-70743 Ninjago Airjitzu Fliers
 Wednesday, August 12th, 2015 at 4:14pm by Jason, BZPower ReporterToday's set review is a little different from usual. Instead of one set, BZPower Reporter Xccj takes a closer look at four of the new Ninjago Airjitzu Fliers: 70739 Airjitzu Kai Flyer, 70740 Airjitzu Jay Flyer, 70741 Airjitzu Cole Flyer, and 70743 Airjitzu Morro Flyer. Are these sets going to take off or crash into the water? Read on or watch the video review to see for yourself.
Presentation
The packages for this wave are an unusual hexagonal shape, most likely made to fit the large spinner piece. The slopes are a little longer than the kind seen on the Bionicle sets, but it's the same basic idea. These Airjitzu sets can also be hung while on display at stores, as per the clip on the top. The front of the various packages shows off the spinner in action, a close up of the minifigure, and the various weapons included in the set. Also of interest is the Ninja face behind the logo on the top changes for each package, to better represent the Ninja inside. I like it anyway! The back of the package shows off a kid firing off the Airjitzu spinner, and he looks like he's having a blast. There's a brief tutorial on how you build and launch the spinner, more views of the fig and weapons, as well as images of the full line of Airjitzu sets. I'm reviewing four here, but you could also get 70742 Airjitzu Zane Flyer and 70744 Airjitzu Wrayth Flyer. Building
The build isn't much, but it's still well ahead of the previous Spinjitzu and Speedorz sets. You're primarily building the handle, where you used the wedge pieces and brackets to hold it together. Although there is some variety in the colors and weapons, the handle build is the same for all the Airjitzu Flyer sets. Set DesignNow that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here.
All the sets contain some new pieces that go into building your Airjitzu Flyer. The most obvious one is the large spinner piece, which is about 13 studs in diameter. It certainly overshadows the old Rhotuka in size. You also get a black handle piece, the black base with the gear in it, a black ripcord, and a clear cover. While most of these pieces have limited usage, the clear dome is intriguing, and I see plenty of potential for this to be used elsewhere. First up, Kai comes with 46 pieces, including a red spinner and red wedges for the handle. The standout piece here is the Dragon Firesword; this mold was from the first wave of Ninjago sets, but it remains fairly rare and has such an awesome design that it's still very welcomed here. You also get the trans fire sword from the third year of Ninjago, which is more common but still nice. He also comes with a pair of Shuriken, which come attached together, so I suspect it's a new mold. (All the Airjitzu Flyer sets come with Shuriken, because that's the only weapon they can hold while in the spinners.) There's also a nice printed round tile with Kai's Chinese symbol printed on it. (It's the same one that appeared on Kai's headgear in the winter wave.) Also included in a brown fez hat, which is currently exclusive to this set. Next up is Jay, who comes with 45 pieces, which include a blue spinner and wedges. He comes with a variety of golden weapons, include more Shuriken, as well as an electricity piece. Also included is a round title with Jay's Chinese symbol printed on it. Another less common piece is the blue boat tile. Then we come to Cole, who has 47 pieces, including a gold spinner and brown wedges. Among Cole's weapons are the Shuriken, two sausages (Cole is the Ninja who always likes to eat), and a Uruk-hai sword from the Lord of the Rings line. He also has a gold round tile with his Chinese symbol on it. Finally, we get to Morro. He has 46 pieces, including a green spinner and dark green wedges. What's notable is that he includes a few elements in the relatively new Pale Green / Spring Yellow Green color. This color has previously appeared on Uni-Kitty, and is relatively rare, but it's making a breakout in Ninjago this year. Morro includes in this color a stud, a round tile, a printed tile with Lloyd's possessed symbol, and two katanas. He also includes a sand green telescope utensil (previously only available in the Statue of Liberty fig), a sand green unicorn horn (previously only available in Queasy Kitty from the expensive Sea Cow), more Shuriken, and some Wolverine claws.
The minifigures are all excellent designs. The three Ninja here are exclusive to their sets, and remind me of the NRG Ninjas from 2012, who were supposed to be the embodiment of their elements. They have primarily black outfits, with some elemental printing on the front and back. They also have their Chinese symbol printed on the front and their elemental symbol printed on their backs. Their heads are also new prints, with Kai having a red design and Jay having a blue one. Cole uses an orange head, which is quite vibrant off his usual black. Morro is a bit different from the Ninjas. In the story, Morro is a ghost who has taken over Lloyd's body, and is the first to learn Airjitzu. This Morro isn't exclusive; the same one appears, with a cape, in 70738 Final Flight of Destiny's Bounty. Still, that's an expensive set, so this is the cheapest way to pick up any iteration of Morro. His possessed torso still includes Lloyd's elemental symbol, but Morro also includes trans neon green legs, a black mouth cover, and long black hair. His head is also trans neon green, but the hair blocks any light so it appears much darker than his legs. Quite an interesting fig.
One nice thing about these sets is that they include a variety of new weapons for the minifigures to use. Kai starts with a big fire sword built around a SNOT / Travis brick. He also has a torch, his Dragon Firesword, and the Shuriken. Jay's weapons include a neat electric staff, a giant gold axe, a spear, and the Shuriken. Cole's weapons consist of the large axe / hammer, the Uruk-hai blade, sausages (really?), and the Shuriken. Morro comes with a long sword / spear hybrid that's adorned with the sand green unicorn horns, as well as the vine staff, some Wolverine claws, a trans neon green spider, and his pair of Shuriken. Playability
The major play feature involves spinning the Airjistzu flyer. It's not a new idea; we've seen it in the Rhotuka before with Bionicle in 2005, and a similar ripcord design was utilized in the Speedorz sets from Legends of Chima. But the Airjitzu Flyers are much larger and are meant to hold minifigures, so it's definitely a step up from previous versions. The minifigure fits inside the base piece rather easily. However, there's no solid connection, so they stand in there loosely. They are held down when the dome is placed over them. It's odd that the base doesn't have a stud connection for the fig legs, as I can't think of an obvious reason why this would be beneficial in the long run, but there must be one. One detractor is that the dome doesn't leave any room for the minifigures to hold any of their weapons besides the Shuriken, and the Wolverine claws if held at the right angle. However, the minifigure is clearly seen through the dome, so it's nice that it doesn't block the view of the fig at all, making it seem like the ninjas really are flying on top of their spinners! The base and dome can then be placed into the spinner, where they can be rotated to lock in. If they aren't locked in, then when they're launched they'll fly apart, increasing the likelihood of losing pieces. The spinner bit can now be fitted into the handle. Next, the ripcord can be inserted. (The spinner has to go in first; it won't fit in if the ripcord is already in place.) Then you grip the handle and pull the ripcord, and with an adequate amount of force, you'll send the spinner flying up. It's large enough that it won't go too far, and when it lands it won't get lose easily. (This is compared to the elusive Rhotuka from 2005, which always seemed to find a way to fly into the hardest to reach places.) The weight also seems to be spread out enough that it doesn't come crashing down with too much force. And if it still has some torque left, it'll continue to spin (like on the table.) Your experience will probably vary depending on your location, but it seems like it's a fun function that's quite reusable.
I'm sure there are plenty of games you could play if you and your friends have an Airjitzu Flyer. You could go for distance, accuracy, or a duel in midair. There's lots of potential, and your fig will be well protected inside the dome. Final Thoughts
Each set comes with a cool fig, some nice weapons, and a fair amount of good pieces to build the handle. For a parts pack, you could definitely do worse. But the spinner feature is also great, and offers plenty of play value. I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting all six because the designs are really repetitive, but any Ninjago fan should pick up one or two and have fun with them. I do think these Airjitzu sets are a step up from the Spinjitzu and Speedorz sets of the past couple of years. And, of course, there's the appeal of getting one of the exclusive Ninjas for just $9.99 USD. Thanks again for reading another BZPower set review. Make sure to like and subscribe to the BZPower Youtube Channel, and keep an eye out for more reviews from us, including more Ninjago!
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