Ninjago

Lloyd's Pull-Back Race Car

A quick, satisfying build with a real pull back and go motor, sized for a rainy afternoon.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 71828 · 2025

Pieces181

Minifigs1

Year2025

Set number71828

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The verdict

I like this set for exactly what it is, a small, fast, physically fun Ninjago car that a kid can build in one sitting and then actually race across the kitchen floor.

The pull back motor is the whole point here, and when it works it gets a genuine laugh out of whoever is holding it. I would not walk in expecting a detailed Technic style vehicle or a pile of clever building techniques, because at 181 pieces this is built for speed of assembly, not complexity. Get it for a young Ninjago fan who wants something to build and immediately play with, and skip it if you are shopping for a display piece or a challenging build for an older kid.

Best for: younger Ninjago fans who want a fast build they can race the same day

The full review

What it is

This is one of a wave of small Ninjago pull back racers LEGO put out built around a simple idea, one ninja, one car, one motor you wind up by rolling it backward and letting go. Lloyd gets the honors here, and the car itself is a low, sleek little racer dressed in his green and gold colors. There is something genuinely charming about a set this size that still delivers a real payoff, you finish building, you pull it back, and it actually zips.

The catch

I will be straight about where this set sits. It is not trying to be a showpiece, and it will not hold an experienced builder's attention for long at under 200 pieces. The pull back mechanism is a specific mechanical part, and like any spring driven gearbox, it is going to be the piece that takes the most wear if a kid runs the car back and forth a hundred times a day. That is normal for this category of set, not a defect, but it is worth knowing going in.

Who it's for

Get this one for the Ninjago kid who wants to build something quickly and then play with it immediately, especially if they gravitate toward Lloyd. It also works well as a stocking stuffer or a small reward build alongside a bigger Ninjago set. Skip it if you are buying for a collector who wants shelf detail, or for an older builder who wants a real building challenge, because this set answers a different question than that one.

The parts story

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

The build itself moves fast. You are stacking the pull back chassis together first, since that is the mechanical heart of the whole model, then wrapping the body panels around it to shape the car's low nose and rear spoiler. There is not much branching complexity here, it is a fairly linear build, which is exactly right for the audience this set is aimed at.

The real standout piece is the pull back motor unit itself, the geared brick that stores energy when you roll the car backward and releases it as forward motion. It is the reason this set exists, and it is a satisfying piece of engineering to feel working in your hands even though you never see the gears turn. Lloyd's minifig brings his familiar green ninja gi, and the small parts count means almost nothing here feels like filler, most of what you build directly shapes the car you end up racing.

Fun facts

0171828 is part of a 2025 Ninjago lineup of small pull back racer sets, each one built around a single ninja and painted in that character's signature color.
02The pull back motor mechanism stores energy from rolling the model backward and releases it as forward drive when let go, the same basic principle LEGO has used in pull back sets across several themes.
03At 181 pieces, this is one of the more compact sets in the modern Ninjago lineup, positioned as a quick build rather than a display model.
04Lloyd, the Green Ninja, is one of the original six Ninjago characters and has anchored the theme since its 2011 debut, making him a natural pick for this small format spotlight.