Brickheadz

Ninjago 10

Three chunky Ninjago icons, and one of them is built entirely gold.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 40490 · 2021

Pieces406

Minifigsn/a

Year2021

Set number40490

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The verdict

I built the golden Lloyd first and I'll admit it, I sat there turning him around in the light longer than I probably needed to.

LEGO didn't add a single new gold recolor to pull that off, they just used clever brick placement and studs-not-on-top tricks to fake a solid gold minifigure at triple scale, and it works better than it has any right to. Nya's Samurai X build and the little Firstbourne dragon round out the trio nicely, and if you grew up watching the show hit its tenth year, there's real warmth here. Just know going in that this was a store exclusive tied to a purchase threshold, so tracking one down secondhand is now the only way in.

Best for: Ninjago fans who want the tenth anniversary trio on a shelf, not new BrickHeadz collectors starting cold

The full review

What it is

This one celebrates Ninjago's tenth birthday with three BrickHeadz: Golden Lloyd, Nya as Samurai X, and Firstbourne the dragon standing in as the third figure instead of the usual second human character. I went in expecting a straightforward BrickHeadz box and came out impressed by the Lloyd build specifically. LEGO wanted him entirely gold, head to toe, and instead of tooling new gold parts they solved it with stacking and hidden connection tricks that read as solid gold from every angle once it's built.

The catch

I'll be straight with you about the rest, though. Brickset's reviewers pointed out this set has no real parts budget to speak of, no new prints, no new recolors beyond what the Lloyd trick required. It's a set built almost entirely from existing pieces doing double duty, which keeps cost down but means there isn't much here for a piece collector to get excited about beyond that one clever figure. And the original release was awkward: it was a purchase with purchase exclusive for ten dollars if you spent 85 on other Ninjago sets in June 2021, then it moved to general shelves at 29.99 in July. That in-store-only window means a chunk of buyers never got the cheap version.

Who it's for

Get this if you love the show and want the tenth anniversary trio together, or if the gold Lloyd trick sounds like the kind of design puzzle that delights you. Skip it if you're new to BrickHeadz and want a set with fresh molds or printed detail, this isn't that. It's retired now too, so you're shopping secondhand at close to the original price rather than finding a deal.

The parts story

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

Building this is quick, as BrickHeadz always are, but the order matters here. Start with Lloyd and you'll notice the designers leaned hard on hidden studs and layered plates to keep every visible surface gold without a single new gold element in the box. Nya's Samurai X build gets some nice brick-built detailing on her armor and headgear that reads clearly as the character despite the blocky proportions, and Firstbourne, small as it is, has a surprisingly expressive little dragon face.

Don't expect rare prints or exclusive recolors though, this is a set that spends its part budget on clever assembly rather than new tooling. At around ten cents per piece it undercuts LEGO's average cost per brick, so the value math works out fine even if the parts themselves are nothing special on their own.

Fun facts

01It was sold exclusively in LEGO brand stores in June 2021 as a purchase with purchase requiring an 85 dollar Ninjago spend, before moving to general retail at full price on July 1st
02Firstbourne the dragon stands in for BrickHeadz' usual second human figure, making this a three-figure set with an unconventional lineup
03Golden Lloyd is built entirely gold using existing parts and clever stacking rather than any newly molded gold pieces
04The set retired in March 2022 after roughly eight months on shelves and has held its value closely to the original 29.99 retail price