Ninjago

Cole's Earth Driller

The drill that actually drills, and a stone giant to fight it.

Brick Rated Score

4.1/5

Set 70669 · 2019

Pieces587

Minifigs4

Year2019

Set number70669

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This is the Ninjago Legacy remake that finally does the Earth Driller justice, and the moment that got me was pushing it across the table and watching both halves of the drill spin in opposite directions on their own.

It packs four minifigures and a big brick-built Stone Warrior into a set that felt genuinely fair at its original price. The play function is the whole point here, so if you want something to display and forget, this is not it. But for a kid who loves a working machine, or an adult who grew up on the show, it is an easy yes.

Best for: Ninjago fans who want a working vehicle with real play, not a shelf piece

The full review

What it is

Cole's Earth Driller is a 2019 Ninjago Legacy set, part of the wave that reworked older fan-favourite vehicles from the Masters of Spinjitzu run. This one is a remake of the little 70502 driller from 2013, except LEGO threw more than three times the pieces at it, and you can feel every one of them. The finished machine is long and low and mean-looking, with a chunky twin drill up front and an opening cockpit that now seats two. The first time I gave it a shove and both drill sections started grinding away in opposite directions, I laughed out loud. It is one of those functions that sounds simple on paper and feels like magic in your hands.

The catch

I will be straight with you about where it costs you a bit of patience. There are still a handful of stickers on the hull, and lining them up neatly on curved and angled panels takes a steady hand, which is worth knowing if you are building this with a younger kid who wants it done five minutes ago. The set also retired back in December 2019, so you are no longer paying the old fifty-dollar shelf price. Sealed copies have climbed to around a hundred, and even used ones hover near the original cost. That is not outrageous for what you get, but it does move this out of impulse-buy territory and into something you plan for.

Who it's for

So who should get this. If you or the kid you are building with loves a machine that does something, a vehicle with a real mechanical trick built in, this is a genuinely satisfying afternoon. Ninjago fans get Cole and Kai in their Legacy looks plus two Stone Army baddies and that big buildable Stone Warrior to fight them, which is a proper little battle in a box. If you are strictly a display collector who wants a clean shelf model with no moving parts and no stickers, this is not the set that will win you over, and that is completely fair.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this is mostly about the gearbox hiding under the shell. A lot of the middle third of the build is the drive train that links the rear wheels to the two drill heads, and it is a satisfying stretch because you get to test the function as it comes together rather than waiting until the very end. Around that you are laying down long angled panels and Technic connections to give the body its sloped, aggressive shape. The brick-built Giant Stone Warrior is a separate treat, a posable figure with ball joints at the limbs and two oversized katanas, and it is a nice change of pace from the vehicle work.

The standout piece for me is the printed cylindrical drill face, because LEGO chose to print the part that matters most instead of leaving it to a sticker, so the front never looks tired. You also get the Scythe of Quakes, Cole's golden signature weapon, which is a lovely collectible in the box. For 587 pieces at its original price this counted as strong value, with a working gear function, four minifigures, and that large figure all fighting for space. Even at today's after-market prices you are getting real substance per part rather than filler.

Fun facts

01The Giant Stone Warrior in this set was the first large brick-built figure LEGO made for the Ninjago theme.
02It is a remake of the 2013 set 70502, which packed under 200 pieces and seated only a single minifigure in its cockpit.
03The set was part of the Ninjago Legacy line, which reissued reimagined versions of older vehicles to mark the show's tenth anniversary era.
04It arrived in January 2019 and retired by December that same year, giving it a shelf life of under a year.