Ninjago

Firstbourne

The mother of all Ninjago dragons, and the first with real plastic wings.

Brick Rated Score

4.2/5

Set 70653 · 2018

Pieces892

Minifigs6

Year2018

Set number70653

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The verdict

The wings are what got me.

After years of Ninjago dragons flapping around on fabric cape material, Firstbourne finally spreads a proper set of decorated foil wings, and it changes the whole feeling of the thing. She is huge, posable in every joint that matters, and comes with six minifigures and a helicopter to chase her. If you loved the Hunted season or you just want the biggest, meanest dragon LEGO made for this theme, she is worth tracking down. If you want a display piece with delicate detailing, this is a chunky action toy at heart, so go in knowing that.

Best for: Ninjago fans who want the definitive winged dragon centerpiece

The full review

What it is

Firstbourne is the dragon at the heart of Ninjago's Hunted season, the ancient mother of all dragons, and she arrived in 2018 as an 892 piece set built around one very big lizard. The first time I got her wings unfolded and locked open, I actually sat back and grinned. For years the Ninjago dragons flew on the same fabric LEGO uses for minifigure capes, which always looked a little floppy to me. Firstbourne breaks that pattern with proper rigid wings, decorated with a foil finish, and the difference in presence is real. She is over 20 inches nose to tail with a wingspan wider still, and she dominates whatever surface you put her on.

The catch

I will be honest about what she is and is not. This is an action toy first and a display model second. The build is fun and moves quickly for its size, but it leans on big specialized elements rather than clever technique, so if you build for the engineering puzzle you may find her a touch straightforward. She also demands space in a way photos undersell. That 20 inch length plus the wingspan means she is not slotting neatly onto a crowded shelf. The included HunterCopter is the weakest part of the box for me, a small stud shooting chopper with a chain to dangle a cooked turkey as dragon bait, which is charming but slight next to the star of the show.

Who it's for

Get Firstbourne if you followed the Hunted story, if you collect Ninjago dragons, or if you simply want the largest winged beast the theme ever produced sitting on your shelf with menace. The six minifigures, especially the full crew of Dragon Hunters, sweeten the deal nicely. I would steer away if your budget is tight, because she retired at the end of 2019 and secondhand prices have climbed hard past her original 69.99 RRP, or if you want a fine detailed adult display build rather than a poseable playtime centerpiece.

The parts story

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

Building Firstbourne is a satisfying afternoon rather than a marathon. The body comes together in big confident sections, torso, neck, legs and that long swishing tail, and because so much of her structure relies on large molded pieces you get quick visible progress, which is lovely when the payoff is a dragon this size. The joints are the good part: nearly everything articulates, so posing her afterward is half the fun. It is not a technical brain teaser of a build, and younger fans can absolutely tackle her, but watching the silhouette grow keeps you hooked.

The headline pieces are the wings. These are the first rigid, decorated wings on a Ninjago dragon, printed with a foil sheen, and they are the reason to own the set. Beyond those you get the two collectible Dragon Armor elements, the Dragon Helmet and Dragon Chestplate, displayed on a little pedestal, plus the Dragonbone Blade. At around eight cents per piece it was decent value at retail for what you got, and the minifigure lineup carries real weight too, with two exclusive figures among the six and a combined aftermarket figure value that alone accounts for a good chunk of what she now costs.

Fun facts

01Firstbourne is the first Ninjago dragon to use rigid plastic wings; the two earlier winged dragons, the Morro Dragon and the Green NRG Dragon, both used the same fabric LEGO makes minifigure capes from.
02In the show she is the ancient mother of all dragons, which is exactly why the set is the biggest dragon the Ninjago line ever produced.
03She retired at the end of 2019 and her value has grown more than 80 percent since, pushing a set that cost 69.99 dollars new to around 140 dollars on the secondary market.
04The set hides a cooked turkey element, dangled from the HunterCopter's chain as dragon bait to lure Firstbourne in.