#Destiny&039;s Bounty

[kristicainbooks]

FEAST WELL

[truenorthbricks]

The LEGO® Ninjago Movie has spurred some really epic sets. From Ninjago City (click here to read my review), to the Ninjago City Docks, and Destiny’s Bounty, this theme has really gone all out on detail. The latter set, Destiny’s Bounty, is the subject of this week’s review. While I was enthralled by the design of this set when it was first announced in 2017, my original plan was not to buy it. I didn’t think it would fit well with my growing, modern city. But, the idea of this epic ship stayed at the back of my mind until finally, I gave in. I bought it in late June 2018, almost a year after its release, in conjunction with a double VIP points event at the LEGO® Store. Since then, I have built it and had time to marvel at all its brick-built glory. Is it as amazing as it looks in the pictures? Absolutely, and now we’ll take a look at why.

Destiny’s Bounty box art.

SET SUMMARY

NAME: Destiny’s Bounty SET #: 70618 THEME: The LEGO® Ninjago Movie COST: $199.99 CAD BRICK COUNT: 2295 MINIFIGURES: 7 RELEASE DATE: August 1, 2017

Destiny’s Bounty front view.

SUMMARY REVIEW: 97%

VALUE: 100% (Excellent value at $0.09 per brick.) BUILD: 99% (This ship is near perfect, with only a tiny amount of unused space.) MINIFIGURES: 89% (Excellent Minifigures, loads of accessories, but bad brick:fig.) ENTERTAINMENT: 100% (Great build time, and a childhood dream come true.)

Destiny’s Bounty rear view.

REVIEW

VALUE: 100% Destiny’s Bounty costs $199.99 in Canada. After a year on store shelves, you are able to find it on sale occasionally, the best I have seen being 20% off. I bought mine at full price from the LEGO® Store in order to get double VIP points and a beach tote. There are 2295 parts in this kit, meaning that each brick will cost you $0.09. As with most large sets, you are essentially buying bricks in bulk with this purchase. So, you are looking at a really good value (the average cost per brick that I calculated for the last LEGO® catalog I got in the mail was $0.12, while the average for all of last year’s catalogs was $0.13). I give Destiny’s Bounty a full 5/5 (100%) in this department.

The stern of the ship is adorned with ornate dragon heads.

BUILD: 99% I can’t think of anything that I don’t like about this set. Destiny’s Bounty is intricately detailed straight from the bottom of the hull, right up to the tip of the highest mast. Below decks, you have Master Wu’s sleeping quarters and a bathroom. There is a little bit of unused space at the front, behind the ladder leading to the main deck. Given the anchor assembly right above it, I can see how it would have been challenging to make that space accessible. But, if I had to nit-pick, that would be where I took off points. The rest of the below-decks area is accessible by removing portions of the main deck, in modular style.

On deck aboard Destiny’s Bounty.

Moving to the main deck, you have some potted plants (growing tea, I am assuming, since the ship is supposed to appear as a tea barge to the common folk). Entering the cabin, you find a training dojo for the Secret Ninja Force. It is loaded with weapons, floored with tatami, and even has a training dummy. There is a small observation deck behind it with a telescope. Towards the bow of the ship, there are some hidden compartments for weapons storage, and a functional anchor mechanism. The anchors are attached by chains, and can be lowered by turning the mechanism. The deck is decorated with numerous lanterns, and ornate dragon heads on the stern.

Destiny’s Bounty dojo.

A ladder beside the dojo leads up to the quarter deck, where the helmsman’s post is located, and behind it is a covered poop deck with some cartography tools. The roof here is composed of garage door elements usually seen in City theme police and fire stations. The lower edges of these elements are not fastened on Destiny’s Bounty, allowing you to roll them back and access the cabin inside. This whole segment of the ship is also built in modular fashion to sit on top of the dojo.

Quarter deck and poop deck aboard Destiny’s Bounty.

The exterior of Destiny’s Bounty just looks amazing. It employs a clever use of hinged parts to achieve some really nice curves. There are what I assume to be bumpers hanging off of the side, as well as the anchors. The sails are adorned with a dragon motif. Like I said before, there is nothing I don’t like about this set. But again, if I nit-pick, there is some unused space in the stern. I give Destiny’s Bounty 99% for build.

Side detailing on Destiny’s Bounty.

MINIFIGURES: 89% This is the only set in the Ninjago Movie theme to come with all of the ninjas in full ninja regalia. They can all be acquired in the Temple of the Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon, but without their cowls. You also get Master Wu in this set. Each Minifigure comes with a double-sided face, except for Wu. They all have front and back printed torsos, and front leg printing as well. Wu and Nya also sport cloth extensions to their robes/armor. All characters come with their signature weapons, each ninja has a two-piece cowl, and Wu has a beard and his trademark hat. Each character is nicely designed. Based on these points alone, and using my rating scale, I would give the Minifigures of Destiny’s Bounty a design score of 101/105 (96%). However, you also have loads of accessories stowed around the ship which more than make up for the missing four marks. I won’t list them all, but I count 33 extras. So, for design, I give these characters 100%.

Cole at the helm of Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Cole from Destiny’s Bounty.

As with many large LEGO® sets, this one appears to come with a large number of characters on first inspection. But, when you break down the brick-to-Minifigure ratio, you are actually only looking at 328 bricks per Minifig. It is not the worst I have seen, but it is not very good either. I give Destiny’s Bounty a ratio score of 2.5/5 (50%). Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure score of 75%. I feel that is a bit of a bum rap for this set though… so if I add a point for each of the 33 accessories to the design score (I normally do this, but only up to 100%), you would get 134/105 (128%). That would average these Minifigs out at 89%.

Master Wu aboard Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Master Wu from Destiny’s Bounty.

ENTERTAINMENT: 100% Destiny’s Bounty took me six hours and 32 minutes to build (392 minutes). At $199.99, each minute of build times costs $0.51. That is really good, and earns a full 5/5 (100%). As for how much I like it, I think I have already established that I love it. I will not be changing a thing about it. I am going to try to make a nice harbor for it in my city eventually, but until then, it is sitting on my shelf. My wife has even said it looks really nice there. For her to allow a LEGO® set on her nice living room shelf says something about the set (or perhaps how much she loves me…. or both…)

Front view of Nya from Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Nya from Destiny’s Bounty.

Destiny’s Bounty is crazy amounts of fun. As an adult, I am in awe of it. As a kid, I would have died for a ship like this. Pirates and castles were my favorite themes. The original Ninja theme came out just as I was entering my LEGO® dark age, so I never had any, but I remember wanting them. This is like a ninja pirate ship. I can easily imagine how this ship would have fit into my LEGO® world of the time, and the intricate story lines my sister and I came up with. I had two pirate ships in my youth, but both were smaller scale ships, not the really big ones. Destiny’s Bounty is like the big ship I never had. I give this set 100% for my enjoyment of it. This means that the entertainment rating for Destiny’s Bounty is also 100%.

Front view of Lloyd from Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Lloyd from Destiny’s Bounty.

OVERALL: 97%

Destiny’s Bounty is easily one of my favorite LEGO® sets. Personally, it is a childhood dream realized. Pirates is no longer and active theme, and I missed out on the original Ninjas theme. While there has been a resurgence of Pirates during my AFOL years, I didn’t collect it for budget reasons. This one was not on my buy-list either, but I can make a stretch and still include it in my city. Ninjago City does have a more traditional lower level, after all. You are also getting a great value in terms of the cost per brick, as well as the build time. You can collect the ninjas in other sets, but here you get them all in one shot, and they are nice. There are tons of accessories too. This set is fun for adults and kids alike.

What are your thoughts about Destiny’s Bounty? I would love to hear them in the comments below. Until next time,

-Tom

Zane atop a mast on Destiny’s Bounty.

Training in the dojo aboard Destiny’s Bounty.

Bedroom below decks on Destiny’s Bounty.

Bathroom below decks aboard Destiny’s Bounty.

Front view of Jay from Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Jay from Destiny’s Bounty.

Front view of Zane from Destiny’s Bounty.

Rear view of Zane from Destiny’s Bounty.

Front view of Kai from Destiny’s Bounty atop the poop deck roof.

Rear view of Kai from Destiny’s Bounty atop the poop deck roof.

Review – Destiny’s Bounty [70618] The LEGO® Ninjago Movie has spurred some really epic sets. From Ninjago City (click here…