Ninjago

The Ultra Dragon

Four dragon heads, one very swooshable beast, and a Ninjago icon done properly the second time around.

Brick Rated Score

4.0/5

Set 70679 · 2019

Pieces952

Minifigs6

Year2019

Set number70679

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The verdict

This is the four-headed Ultra Dragon rebuilt for the Legacy line, and the thing that got me is how much presence it has once those wings unfold.

At nearly two feet long it is a genuine centrepiece, and the six-figure lineup (Lloyd, Wu, four-armed Garmadon, and three Serpentine) gives it real playability. It is not the most sophisticated build LEGO has ever done and the legs do not move, but as a swooshable dragon that a kid can actually play with, it delivers. Best enjoyed by Ninjago fans who remember the 2012 original and want the grown-up version.

Best for: Ninjago fans who want a big, playable dragon with a full villain roster

The full review

What it is

I have a soft spot for the Ultra Dragon because it is one of those Ninjago creatures that looks completely over the top in the best way. This is the 2019 Legacy version, a reworking of 2012's Epic Dragon Battle, and it represents the moment when the ninja's four elemental pets (Shard, Flame, Rocky and Wisp) merged into one four-headed monster. The first time I had it fully assembled with the wings spread, I actually laughed, because it is huge and ridiculous and I loved it. It measures roughly 20cm high, 55cm long and 44cm wide, so it is not something you tuck onto a shelf and forget. It commands the room. Each of the four heads has snapping jaws and its own elemental stud shooter, there is a dual cockpit with a little throne for Lloyd, a whipping tail, and a handle underneath so you can genuinely fly it around like the six-year-old you secretly still are.

The catch

I will be straight with you about where it wobbles. The legs do not articulate at all, and that is a deliberate compromise, because the legs need to sit in a fixed position for the whole thing to balance and hold that flying pose. Once you know why, it bothers you less, but it does mean the dragon is locked into one stance. The bigger honest note is the middle of the build. You construct four heads and four necks that are broadly the same, and there is a stretch where you are repeating the same steps and colours over and over. It is not a difficult or clever build in the way a Technic model is, and adult builders looking for engineering will find it fairly straightforward. And at 84.99 dollars when it was new, the parts count did not quite scream value the way some Ninjago sets do.

Who it's for

Who is this for? Honestly, it is for the Ninjago fan first and the master builder second. If you or the child in your life loves the show, remembers the original Ultra Dragon, and wants a big playable creature with a full cast of goodies and baddies, this is a joy and the six figures alone carry a lot of the fun. If you live for intricate mechanisms and fresh building techniques, this one will feel a bit simple and a bit repetitive, and you might be happier elsewhere. It has also now retired, so the calm shelf pricing is gone, which changes the maths a fair bit.

The parts story

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

Building this is a swooshy, forgiving experience rather than a technical puzzle. The body goes together in clear sections and the four necks are essentially a set of variations on one theme, so once you have cracked the first head the other three fall into place quickly. The wing structure is the most satisfying part to assemble, and the folding mechanism feels solid rather than fiddly. It is very much a set aimed at the 9-plus box age, and it plays exactly that way: quick wins, big visual payoff, nothing that will trip up a confident younger builder or bore an adult who just wants a relaxing evening.

The standout here is the heads. Where the 2012 version leaned on large rubber-moulded dragon heads, this one builds all four out of standard bricks, which is both a nicer challenge and much more customisable if you like to tinker afterwards. The figure selection is where the parts value really sits: four-armed Lord Garmadon with his four silver katanas is a fantastic get, and Pythor, Spitta and Lasha round out a proper Serpentine trio, alongside Lloyd and a robed Wu. If you are a parts buyer, the pearl and metallic elements across the heads and the printed Serpentine figures are the things worth having, and the stud shooters give you four extra weapons to raid.

Fun facts

01The Ultra Dragon exists in Ninjago lore because the four ninjas' individual elemental dragons (fire, earth, ice and lightning) merged into one four-headed beast while molting into adulthood.
02This 2019 set is a Legacy-line reimagining of 2012's 9450 Epic Dragon Battle, swapping the old rubber-moulded heads for fully brick-built ones.
03It packs a four-armed Lord Garmadon, who comes armed with four separate silver katanas, one for each hand.
04Released in January 2019 at 84.99 dollars, it retired in November 2020 and sealed copies have since climbed to well over triple the original price.