The Old Town

"The Old Town earns a BrickScore of 79.9 and a well-deserved Recommended verdict: 96% of owners would recommend it and 4.85 out of 5 across 162 ratings confirm that this 4,851-piece Ninjago 15th Anniversary set, with its 23 minifigures and dense show lore, is the definitive celebration for fans of the franchise."

The Old Town (71861) is a 4,851-piece Ninjago 15th Anniversary landmark set that earns near-universal praise from the franchise's fan base, scoring 79.9 BrickScore and landing in the Recommended tier. Owners rate it 4.85 out of 5 across 162 ratings with a 96% would-recommend rate, and the value-for-money signal from LEGO.com buyers hits 4.62 out of 5, strong for a $299.99 set. Reviewers consistently describe it as a love letter to 15 seasons of Ninjago, packed with Easter eggs, lore references, and 23 minifigures including several long-requested characters. The one recurring reservation is structural: the modular layout creates display challenges, the sticker count is high, and a small number of reviewers found the plate-heavy build repetitive over its 10-plus-hour assembly.

Where they split: Feedback is almost entirely positive, with divergence concentrated around build experience and minifigure execution. A small number of experienced adult builders found the plate-heavy construction repetitive and less satisfying than prior large Ninjago sets, while the majority of fan-base reviewers rated the build as their best LEGO experience. Minor disagreement also exists around whether specific minifigures (Dr. Julien, Time Twins) were executed to their full potential.