Manta Ray Bomber

"The Manta Ray Bomber earns its Skip It verdict at a BrickScore of 59.6: a visually convincing manta ray shell let down by a bomber with no working bomb mechanism, a wobbly tail, and a clashing dinghy, making it the one set in this wave where enthusiast reviewers and expert scores diverge substantially from the general buyer crowd."

The 70609 Manta Ray Bomber is the weakest set in the Ninjago Movie wave by expert consensus, earning a BrickScore of 59.6 and a Skip It verdict. Brickset rated it just 42 out of 100 and called it "a disappointing set," citing a bomber with no functional bomb-dropping mechanism and structural wobble at the tail. JANG was more measured at 65, praising the manta ray aesthetic and spring-loaded shooter integration while flagging unnecessary complexity and poor parts-to-price ratio. The owner signal diverges sharply: 310 ratings average 4.79 out of 5 with 91% recommending it, driven largely by younger fans who loved the bad-guy vehicle regardless of technical shortcomings.

Where they split: The split between expert reviewers and owners is the most pronounced in this batch. Brickset gave it 42 and called it disappointing; JANG rated it 65 as mixed. Yet 310 Amazon and LEGO.com owners averaged 4.79 out of 5 with 91% recommending it. Younger buyers and Ninjago fans appeared satisfied by the visual appeal and minifigures alone, while expert critics focused on the functional failures.