LEGO Reviews Elves41175

Fire Dragon's Lava Cave

Name: LEGO Fire Dragon's Lava Cave 41175
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 41175
Rating: 4.6 (280 reviews)

76 · RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: BBB2016441 pcsHigh agreement · 92%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

280

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 76.3 and perfect owner buy rates, Fire Dragon's Lava Cave is a well-earned Recommended set: Zonya is the most impressive dragon in the 2016 Elves wave, the $0.091 price per piece is hard to argue with, and the story-driven play features kept young builders and their parents equally engaged."

Fire Dragon's Lava Cave earns a clear Recommended verdict from reviewers, anchored by Zonya the Fire Dragon's impressive size and articulation within the 2016 Elves wave. Brickset praised the value at $39.99 for 441 pieces, the story-integrated play features including the shadow fountain and sliding lava fall, and the sparse use of stickers. JANG offered a mixed take, calling the lava cave structure shallow and the tail tips fiddly, but still appreciated the dragon's posability and the set's unusual parts. Owner ratings are uniformly enthusiastic at 4.6 across all three retailers with 100% of LEGO buyers saying they would recommend it.

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LOVED (8)

01Zonya is the largest dragon in the 2016 wave with impressive scale and proportions
02Good articulation: posable head, neck, legs, wings, and tail for walking, running, and flying poses
03Shadow fountain with color-changing water feature (blue to green poison) tied into the Elves story narrative
04Sliding lava fall mechanism integrated seamlessly into the layout
05Excellent value at $39.99 for 441 pieces ($0.091/piece)
06Minimal reliance on stickers and stickers match surrounding brick colors
07Distinctive orange and translucent magenta wing color scheme
08Numerous cool special parts (trans bright green tiles, crystal elements, flame pieces, black round plates)

CRITICIZED (6)

01Lava cave structure is quite shallow, more facade than full enclosure
02Zonya's wings only hinge up and down with limited range compared to Merina the Water Dragon
03Tail tip pieces detach too easily during play
04Lavender parts appear more magenta in instruction booklets, causing confusion during the build
05Azari lacks a printed elemental power indicator unlike other elves in the wave
06Head side-to-side motion is limited

What reviewers are saying

"Who doesn't love dragons? This wave of Elves sets gives us three. Zonya the Fire Dragon is the largest of the three - is bigger better, or is she just blowing smoke?"

Brickset Reviews

"So, here is the lava cave that gives the set its very name. It's pretty nicely shaped, but it's actually relatively shallow."

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Ecosystem

41174 Merina the Water Dragon (Waterfall Adventure) — Zonya is larger and better proportioned. The reviewer notes that Merina's body was a little on the short side compared to Zonya. However, Merina's wings have a much larger range of motion and posability than Zonya's, which only hinge up and down. Merina's head is also a great molded piece, and Merina used stickers for tail details while Zonya does not. Overall, the reviewer seems to prefer Zonya's larger size and proportions.

41171 Emily Jones and the Baby Wind Dragon — Emily appears in the same outfit as in this baby dragon set, with the signature red tennis shoes that the reviewer loves.

ElvesTier 2Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"Who doesn't love dragons? This wave of Elves sets gives us three. Zonya the Fire Dragon is the largest of the three - is bigger better, or is she just blowing smoke?"

Key Pros

✓Zonya the Fire Dragon is terrific and impressive
✓Great use of pieces with studs on two sides for the seating area
✓Strategic sticker application with minimal reliance on stickers overall

Key Cons

✕Zonya's wings only hinge up and down with limited range of motion compared to Merina the Water Dragon
✕Azari does not have a printed piece indicating her elemental power like other elves, which seems inconsistent

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JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

"So, here is the lava cave that gives the set its very name. It's pretty nicely shaped, but it's actually relatively shallow."

Key Pros

✓Nice looking dragon
✓Good articulation for posing
✓Lots of cool special parts

Key Cons

✕Limited head side-to-side motion
✕Limited leg articulation (wants more)

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Dimensional Analysis

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Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (2)

Emily Jones

Azari Firedancer

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Two new flame pieces
Used to embellish the end of the dragon's tail with jewels used for the other portions
Floral piece in the campfire
Creative use of existing piece to represent fire in the campfire feature
Tall translucent pieces in bright orange
Used for the sliding lava fall mechanism; the reviewer notes the box art doesn't convey how impressive these pieces are
Three studs flat pieces with points
Used for detailing on the dragon's legs
Clear 1x1 round pieces
Applied to the front legs for detail
Grey ball joint pieces
Used for posability; reviewer notes it's time for LEGO to make these in other colors as they're so useful

What Owners Say · summarized from 15 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners consistently praise the Fire Dragon's impressive size, beautiful design, and engaging moving parts, though some find it pricey and note limited head mobility compared to other dragon sets.

COMMON PRAISE

+Beautiful dragon design with impressive size
+Extensive moving parts (head, neck, feet, legs, wings, tail)
+Well-designed cave with interactive features (sliding lava wall, water-to-poison well)
+Appeals to both children and adults for storytelling and play

COMMON COMPLAINTS

−High price point
−Dragon head movement more limited than Water Dragon variant
−Somewhat complicated to assemble
−Mixed aesthetics preference compared to Water Dragon design

Dragon articulation and play valueSet design and aestheticsPrice-to-value considerationAccessibility for young buildersCharacter and environment details

Buyer Ratings

Amazon4.6

265 reviews

78%

13%