LEGO NINJAGO City Gardens (71741)

Name: LEGO NINJAGO City Gardens
Brand: LEGO
SKU: 71741

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

Brick Rated Score

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 that 4.6 community rating.

It's a full five-tier tower with real rooms inside, 19 minifigs, and over 100 references hidden in the walls. It isn't cheap and it's huge, so know what you're getting into. But for the money it packs in a genuinely absurd amount of building, and I mean that as the highest praise.

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

The full review

What it is

NINJAGO City Gardens is the one everyone points to when they talk about NINJAGO going big. It's the third entry in that gorgeous cyberpunk-modular city line, and at the time it was the biggest NINJAGO LEGO(R) set ever made. Instead of a single storefront, you're 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's 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

I'll be honest with you, because that matters. This is a large, expensive set. It launched around 300 to 350 dollars depending on your region, so it's 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's 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's worth knowing before you commit.

Who it's for

If you're 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'll pick up and swoosh around, or you're tight on cash and space, this probably isn't your set. It also officially retired at the end of 2024, so it's aftermarket only now and prices tend to climb once these leave shelves. If it's on your list and you find it near retail, that's 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's best tackled a tier at a time rather than in a single sitting. It's a team-build favorite for good 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's 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.