LEGO Reviews Ninjago70723

Thunder Raider

Name: LEGO Thunder Raider 70723
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 70723
Rating: 4.58 (39 reviews)

78 · RECOMMENDEDINVESTMENT GRADE: A2013334 pcsHigh agreement · 98%

Expert reviews

2analyzed

Owner ratings

Consensus

BUY

BrickScore

Recommended

Owners

Synthesized Verdict

"Thunder Raider is a Recommended Ninjago set with a BrickScore of 77.6, delivering two well-designed vehicles with a clever combination mechanic, three solid minifigures, and play value that owners across 39 ratings back with a 4.58 average and 88% recommendation rate."

The 2013 Ninjago Thunder Raider lands a Recommended verdict with a BrickScore of 77.6, backed by high agreement between Jay's Brick Blog and an enthusiastic LEGO.com owner pool. Jay's Brick Blog (verdict 80) praised the set's two-vehicle variety, the poseable Earth Mech, and the satisfying vehicle-combination mechanic, while LEGO.com owners were almost uniformly glowing. The 39 owner ratings average 4.58 out of 5, with 88% recommending the set, and value ratings are strong at 4.38 out of 5.

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LOVED (9)

01Two distinct and complementary vehicle builds (Thunder Raider tank and Earth Mech) in one set
02Satisfying vehicle-combination feature that locks the mech onto the raider
03Highly poseable Earth Mech with ball-and-joint connections
04Missile/gun deployment mechanic on the Thunder Raider (cockpit-push attack mode)
05Well-detailed minifigures for Cole and Jay with good back printing
06Nindroid figure praised for its robotic torso and ninja hood
07Good value at $29.99 for 334 pieces and three minifigures
08Minimal and effective sticker use
09Manual praised for clear illustrations of both builds

CRITICIZED (6)

01Cole and Jay minifigures lack leg printing
02Laser turret is fragile with laser beams that constantly dislodge
03Cole's Techno-Blade not included (found in another set in the wave)
04Cole's mech seating is loose and the figure can fall with shaking
05Mech looks more like an add-on than an integrated vehicle when combined
06Jay's hair piece noted as ordinary-looking compared to Cole's

What reviewers are saying

"If you're a huge fan of Ninjago, you'll be very pleased with this set. If you have a young son or relative, he's going to be ecstatic with this set."

Jay's Brick Blog

"it's jacked up so far in the back and it's so has so much weird ground clearance out of nowhere in the middle"

JANG's LEGO Reviews

Ecosystem

Lex's Power Armour — Cole's exoskeleton mech is described as very similar to Lex's Power Armour

NinjagoTier 3Investment Grade

By Reviewer · 2

Avg score

Consensus

BUY

Jay's Brick Blog

Editorial Source

BUY

"If you're a huge fan of Ninjago, you'll be very pleased with this set. If you have a young son or relative, he's going to be ecstatic with this set."

Key Pros

✓Manual improvements with clear illustrations of both builds
✓Highly poseable and flexible exoskeleton mech
✓Satisfying missile deployment mechanic on Thunder Raider

Key Cons

✕Cole and Jay minifigs lack leg printing (possible cost-saving measure)
✕Jay's ginger hair and ordinary appearance compared to Cole

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JANG's LEGO Reviews

Expert Video Source

BUY

"it's jacked up so far in the back and it's so has so much weird ground clearance out of nowhere in the middle"

Key Pros

✓Excellent transforming features that improve proportions
✓Good handle for kids to hold and play
✓Interesting clip-and-ratchet building technique

Key Cons

✕Funky initial design with strange proportions and ground clearance
✕Tires don't seem to be in the same scale as the tracks

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Dimensional Analysis

Investment Layer

Buy now (0)Wait for sale (1)

Value drivers

JANG's LEGO Reviews: Cole's new torso print could be a draw for collectors interested in unique minifigure printing.

Exclusivity

Jay's Brick Blog: Not exclusive to any retailer

Minifigures & Standout Parts

In this set (6)

Jay

$10

Nindroid Warrior

Cole

Nindroid Warrior

Jay (Techno Robe) - Rebooted

Cole (Techno Robe) - Rebooted

Standout parts (per reviewers)

Scarf/mouth mask piece on Cole minifigValue
New piece (at least to the reviewer) not seen in previous Ninjago sets, gives more ninja-like appearance.
Transparent stickers/decals on Cole's mechValue
Used effectively to give character to the build; described as seamlessly blending in due to transparency.
Printed tile on laser turret
Another pleasant surprise; printed tiles are noted as always being nice to have.
Transparent red laser tubes on turret
Look pretty cool but are loosely attached and constantly dislodge.
Ratcheted clip pieces that snap together
Jang notes this as a possible new technique where clip pieces combine with ratcheted pieces and snap together - interesting for MOC builds.
Piece with bar on the back
Jang states he has not seen these pieces before and may be new to the set.

What Owners Say · summarized from 32 written reviews (LEGO, Amazon, Walmart)

LEGO 70723 Thunder Raider is overwhelmingly praised by Ninjago fans for excellent value, detailed minifigures with new hair pieces, and two fun vehicles with playable modes, though some report durability issues with the Thunder Raider vehicle design and loose pieces.

COMMON PRAISE