LEGO Reviews The LEGO Ninjago Movie70631

Garmadon's Volcano Lair

Name: LEGO Garmadon's Volcano Lair 70631
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 70631
Rating: 4.68 (328 reviews)

80 · HIGHLY RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2017521 pcsHigh agreement · 98%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

328

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Highly Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"With a BrickScore of 80 and owner ratings averaging 4.68 out of 5 across 328 reviews, Garmadon's Volcano Lair is a Highly Recommended set that punches well above its $50 price point, offering exclusive minifigures, multiple play features, and impressive scale for the money."

Garmadon's Volcano Lair (70631) earns a Highly Recommended verdict with a BrickScore of 80, built on near-unanimous praise for its exclusive minifigure lineup, multi-zone play features, and exceptional price-to-size ratio. Expert reviewers from Brickset and JANG both rate it positively, calling it potentially the largest structure set LEGO had ever offered at the $50 price point. Owners back this up strongly: 328 ratings average 4.68 out of 5, with a notably high value-for-money signal of 4.75 out of 5 and 86% recommending it.

Where to Buy

No retailer offers available right now.

Max Profit Opinion PREMIUM

Is this a smart buy? BrickPicker's data-grounded investment verdict.

Unlock the Max Profit Opinion: our stance (buy / accumulate / hold / pass), the reasoning, the exact data behind it (eBay + BrickLink comps, CAGR vs MSRP, our retirement model), and whether the reviewer community agrees.

Unlock with Collector or Reseller

LOVED (8)

01Outstanding value for money at $49.99 for a large-scale villain lair structure
02Minifigure selection featuring multiple exclusives: Engineer Steve, Shark Army General (charred and uncharred variants), and Four Eyes
03Multiple distinct play zones across one set (office, laboratory, throne room, dock, defense turret)
04Satisfying erupting crater/catapult launcher feature that fires generals roughly a foot in the air
05Functional crane with ball-joint articulation
06Charming film reference: a tiny built model of the Piranha Mech from 70629 appears in the lab
07Impressive carved villain face design on the rock face
08Large pieces that greatly expand the perceived volume and physical presence of the set

CRITICIZED (7)

01Rear of the set is flat and unfinished, with exposed Technic beams and no attachment points for expansion
02Only one ninja (Zane) included, limiting hero-vs-villain play from this set alone
03Throne room is too small to seat multiple figures as shown in the film
04Base feels sparse without additional Shark Army soldiers
05Could benefit from more trans-orange elements to reinforce the volcanic aesthetic
06Garmadon minifigure is not exclusive to this set; some buyers wanted a more distinctive version
07A small number of owners found the build unstable and fragile during assembly

What reviewers are saying

"70631 Garmadon's Volcano Lair definitely fits the bill in that regard, featuring deadly sharks, streams of molten lava and the villain's frightening visage carved into the rock!"

Brickset Reviews

"I believe this is the largest set that Lego has ever made largest structure set at the roughly 50 2017 us do price point ever in their history"

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Ecosystem

8637 Volcano Base — 8637 Volcano Base remains the reviewer's favourite model of this kind, but 70631 Garmadon's Volcano Lair has undoubtedly exceeded expectations and rivals it as a strong volcano lair set.

70629 Piranha Chase — The tiny model of the piranha mech from 70629 is included as a charming reference in the laboratory and is instantly recognisable.

LEGO Star Wars Battle on Takodana structure set — Garmadon's Volcano Lair uses significantly more large pieces relative to part count; while both have ~400-520 pieces, Garmadon set offers much greater physical volume and structural complexity despite similar piece counts; offers more varied functionality and display space

The LEGO Ninjago MovieTier 2Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

Brickset Reviews

Editorial Source

BUY

"70631 Garmadon's Volcano Lair definitely fits the bill in that regard, featuring deadly sharks, streams of molten lava and the villain's frightening visage carved into the rock!"

Key Pros

✓Excellent minifigure selection with detailed and unique printed designs
✓Multiple play features (erupting crater, opening walls, moving gears)
✓Good balance between display space and playability

Key Cons

✕Rear exposed with Technic beams and supports looks awkward
✕Could benefit from more trans-orange to convey volcanic environment

READ FULL REVIEW

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

BUY

"I believe this is the largest set that Lego has ever made largest structure set at the roughly 50 2017 us do price point ever in their history"

Key Pros

✓Unusual number of large pieces expands perceived value and volume
✓Multiple functional action features (crane, flick-fire missile, wall-break mechanism, catapult)
✓Good figure-display space with multiple stations for posing figures

Key Cons

✕Only one ninja included (Zane) limits play value from this set alone
✕Garmadon is not a special/exclusive version (has appeared in many sets before)

JUMP TO REVIEW

Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (1)Wait for sale (0)

Value drivers

Brickset Reviews: Steve minifigure appears to be the standout figure with unique printing and expressions

Exclusivity

Brickset Reviews: The set appears to be a standard retail release from The LEGO Ninjago Movie theme

Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (10)

Lord Garmadon

$15

Lord Garmadon - The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Armor

$13

Four Eyes

Steve

Four Eyes

Steve

General #1

Standout parts (per reviewers)

2x2 inverted curved slope
New element to match existing 2x1 curved slope for the carved face design
Garmadon's staff top
Decorative component that only appears elsewhere in the Collectable Minifigures series
Bushy hair piece in reddish brown
Steve's hair has not appeared in reddish brown before; previously used for Cavemen and recent 5004936 Iconic Cave set
6x1x5 slope elements
Used at peak of volcano; initially concerned they would look out of place but actually fit quite nicely among irregular rock shapes
Clam shell pieces in sand blue color
First time getting these clam shell pieces of this size in sand blue color
Staff head piece for Garmadon
Relatively new and rare piece used for the head of the staff

What Owners Say · summarized from 12 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

Owners overwhelmingly praise the set's excellent value for price and impressive play features, though some struggle with structural stability during building and find the back design lacking.

COMMON PRAISE