Ninjago

NINJAGO City Gardens

The biggest NINJAGO City yet, stuffed with detail and dozens of Easter eggs.

4.6/5

Set 71741 · 2021

Pieces5,710

Minifigs19

Year2021

Set number71741

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The verdict

If you love dense, story-packed cityscapes, this is one of the best sets NINJAGO has ever put out, and it earns its 4.6 community rating.

It is a full five-tier tower with real rooms inside, 19 minifigs, and over 100 references hidden in the walls. It is not cheap and it is huge, so know what you are getting into. But for the money it packs in a genuinely absurd amount of building.

Best for: Adult builders and NINJAGO fans who want a big display centerpiece

The full review

What it is

Let me tell you about the one everyone points to when they talk about NINJAGO going big. NINJAGO City Gardens is the third entry in that gorgeous cyberpunk-modular city line, and at the time it was the biggest NINJAGO LEGO® set ever made. Instead of a single storefront, you are building a five-tier tower with actual rooms tucked inside: an ice cream shop, Chen's Noodle House, a NINJAGO Museum of History, a ninja control room, and gardens climbing up the sides. It is the kind of set you keep spotting new things in weeks after you finish it. The community clearly agrees, parking it at a 4.6 out of 5, and reviewers like Brick Architect handed it a full five-star must-have.

The catch

Now the honest part, because that is what mates are for. This is a large, expensive set. It launched around 300 to 350 dollars depending on your region, so it is a real commitment, and once built it takes up proper shelf real estate. A couple of reviewers noted the structure can feel a little loose in places, with small greebly bits popping off when you move it around, so it is not the sturdiest big build going. It also leans hard on stickers rather than printed pieces, which some folks find fiddly and others just accept as part of the NINJAGO City look. And while most people adore it, a slice of longtime fans felt the very first NINJAGO City still edges it out on sheer wow factor. None of that is a dealbreaker, but it is worth knowing before you commit.

Who it's for

So who should grab it? If you are an adult builder chasing a proper display centerpiece, or a NINJAGO fan who wants the definitive version of the show's home turf, this is an easy yes. The detail density and the parts value make it one of the most recommendable big sets around. If you want something you will pick up and swoosh around, or you are tight on cash and space, this probably is not your set. It also officially retired at the end of 2024, so it is aftermarket only now and prices tend to climb once these leave shelves. If it is on your list and you find it near retail, that is a good day.

The parts story

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

The build is a long one, and it is best tackled a tier at a time rather than in a single sitting. It is a team-build favorite for a reason. You work bottom to top, layering plates and tiles into that signature NINJAGO City patchwork of colors and angles, then furnishing each little room before you cap it and move up. The pacing shifts nicely as you go, from the busy ground-floor shopfronts into the gardens and the more open upper levels, so it rarely feels like pure repetition even across 5,710 pieces. Expect plenty of detail work, lots of sideways SNOT building to get facades facing different directions, and satisfying little vignettes that reward you for slowing down.

On the parts front, the headline figure is the pearl gold Wu Legacy minifig, made to mark NINJAGO's 10th anniversary and a genuine collectible in its own right. You get 19 minifigs total, including young Lloyd from season one, the core ninja in street clothes, plus civilians like Misako, Ronin and a batch of townsfolk, and most are exclusive to this set. Beyond the figures it is a fantastic parts pack: heaps of plates, tiles, foliage and detail elements in a wide color spread, plus fun repurposing like black cleaver pieces standing in as roof tiles on the Ice Planet ice cream shop. For the piece count the value is strong, which is a big part of why builders rate it so highly.

Fun facts

01At launch it was the biggest NINJAGO set LEGO had ever produced, and the third model in the NINJAGO City modular line after NINJAGO City and NINJAGO City Docks.
02It was built to celebrate the 10th anniversary of NINJAGO, and includes a collectible pearl gold Wu Legacy minifigure made just for the occasion.
03Fans have counted over 100 Easter eggs across the set, referencing old LEGO themes like Ice Planet, Rock Raiders, Adventurers, Space Police and even Znap.
04The little museum inside is the NINJAGO Museum of History, packed with microscale nods to the Temple of Airjitzu and Destiny's Bounty plus artifacts like the Realm Crystal.