Ninjago

The Crystal King Temple

The set where Ninjago finally learned to make things float on nothing but chains.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 71771 · 2022

Pieces710

Minifigs6

Year2022

Set number71771

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The verdict

I did not expect a mid-size Ninjago playset to be the one that taught me a genuine building trick, but here we are.

The floating crystal prison uses tensegrity, held up by three little chains so it looks like it is defying gravity, and the first time it stood on its own I actually laughed out loud. The six figures are all exclusive to this box, which is the real reason to reach for it. If you want a clever centerpiece for a shelf you will be happy, though anyone hunting pure play value or bargain part counts should know its limits going in.

Best for: Ninjago fans and builders who want that floating-prison party trick for their shelf

The full review

What it is

The Crystal King Temple pulls straight from the Ninjago Crystalized series, and it is built around one showpiece: a crystal prison pod that hangs in mid-air. LEGO managed that with tensegrity, the technique where tension in a few chains does the work you assume a solid beam is doing. I have seen tensegrity in the standalone display kits, but watching it turn up inside a proper action playset, holding a prisoner aloft over the Crystal King's throne, is the thing that got me. Around that centerpiece you get the temple structure itself, a small dragon, a throne, and a handful of traps, all washed in that unmistakable translucent dark-pink crystal look. It photographs beautifully and it holds a room's attention on a shelf.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the parts of this that are only okay. For around eighty dollars at retail you got roughly 710 pieces, which lands near eleven cents a piece. That is not a bad ratio, but it is not the kind of number that makes you feel like you stole something either. The build is pitched at ages eight and up, and it plays exactly that way: pleasant, quick, with one or two little Technic moments that might teach a younger builder something, but nothing that will slow down anyone who has assembled a few big sets. And I have to pass along a complaint that came up more than once from reviewers, which is that for all its good looks the temple is not the most engaging thing to actually play battles with. It leans display piece more than playset, whatever the box art promises.

Who it's for

So here is who I would point toward it. If you love Ninjago, or you are chasing those six exclusive figures, this is an easy yes, because every one of those outfits lives only in this box and the four-armed Crystal King is a proper centerpiece villain. If you just want a striking crystal build for a shelf and you like the idea of that floating prison drawing questions from anyone who walks past, you will get your money's worth in charm. The people I would gently steer elsewhere are hardcore value hunters and anyone who mainly wants a solid play experience, because on both of those fronts this set is merely fine. Now that it has retired and secondary prices have crept above its original tag, the figures and that novelty become the whole argument, and for the right person that argument holds up.

The parts story

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

Building this is a relaxed evening, not a marathon. The manual runs a tidy 132 pages and the structure comes together without any fiddly stretches, which suits the 8+ badge it wears. The one section worth slowing down for is the tensegrity prison. Instead of clamping the cell to a beam, three chains hold it in an inverted but rock-steady vertical hang, and getting your head around how tension alone keeps it up is the small delight of the whole box. It is the kind of trick you will want to show someone the moment it clicks.

The standout material here is color. This set is drenched in transparent dark-pink crystal elements, and having that many of them in one place is a real draw for parts collectors who want to build glowing crystal formations of their own. A couple of pieces are unique to this set in their given color, including a 1x15 Technic liftarm and a rocky wall element, so it carries a little scarcity value beyond the figures. The rest of the inventory is mostly common bricks, which keeps it grounded, but that pink glass and those exclusive-color parts are what make the box feel special rather than ordinary.

Fun facts

01This is the first Ninjago set ever to use tensegrity, the floating-structure technique LEGO debuted in its standalone display kits.
02The Crystal King minifigure has four arms, and all six figures wear outfits found only in this set.
03It launched in most countries on June 1, 2022, but did not reach the United States and Canada until August 1, 2022.
04Now retired, it originally sold for 79.99 dollars and has climbed to roughly 100 dollars sealed on the secondary market.