Ninjago

Thunder Raider

A four-armed Overlord and a mech that pops off the back of a buggy, all in one box.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 71699 · 2020

Pieces576

Minifigs5

Year2020

Set number71699

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The verdict

This is one of those Ninjago Legacy sets that quietly punches above its size once you see who is inside the box.

The Overlord with four arms is the piece that got me, because he almost never turns up anywhere else, and the two-in-one build genuinely works instead of being a marketing line. The building itself is simple and fast, so if you want an engineering challenge you will breeze through it in an afternoon. Best for Ninjago fans who care about the minifigure lineup as much as the model.

Best for: Ninjago collectors chasing the four-armed Overlord figure

The full review

What it is

The Thunder Raider is a 2020 Ninjago Legacy reissue, which is LEGO's way of bringing back a fan-loved concept from the earlier Rebooted era with fresh figures and updated colours. What you get is a bulked-up lightning buggy that hides a full ninja mech on its back, and the moment you detach that mech and stand it up, the whole thing suddenly makes sense. I love a set that has a trick built into it, and this one delivers the trick honestly rather than pretending. The mech has a spring-shooter in each arm, the buggy rolls, and the two halves can be handed to two different kids so nobody fights over one toy. For 576 pieces it feels satisfying to have on the shelf.

The catch

I will be straight with you about where it falls short. The build is fast and forgiving, aimed squarely at the 8-plus age bracket on the box, so if you are an adult builder hoping for clever techniques you will finish this in a single sitting and want more. The off-roader, once the mech has climbed off its back, looks a bit bare and unfinished, which is the usual trade-off with these combiner designs. And there is the money side. It launched at 49.99, retired in December 2020, and has climbed steeply since, so a sealed copy now runs well above what you would have paid at the shop. That appreciation is lovely if you own one already and frustrating if you are only now trying to find it.

Who it's for

So who should actually track this one down? If you are a Ninjago collector, the answer is easy, because the four-armed Legacy Overlord is a properly hard figure to get any other way and he alone carries a real chunk of the set's value. Parents buying for a kid who loves the show will get a playable, sturdy action toy with a fun gimmick and five characters to stage battles with. If you are an adult after a meaty display build or an engineering puzzle, though, I would gently steer you elsewhere, because the fun here is in the figures and the play feature, not the construction.

The parts story

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

Building the Thunder Raider is a breezy, momentum-heavy experience. You spend the early bags on the low-slung buggy chassis, then you assemble the Earth Mech separately before clicking it onto the rear, and that final connection is the satisfying beat of the whole set. Nothing here will trip you up or ask for patience, which is exactly right for the age it targets, and it means you can hand it to a younger builder without hovering. It is the kind of build that feels good precisely because it moves.

The real treasure is the minifigure roster rather than any exotic brick. The four-armed Legacy Overlord is the standout, a menacing printed figure that shows up in almost nothing else and does most of the heavy lifting on the aftermarket value. Alongside him you get the Legacy sleeveless redesigns of Jay, Cole and Lloyd plus a Nindroid Warrior, so five figures for a set this size is generous. Add Lloyd's silver katana, the Overlord's chainsaw and the two spring-shooter missiles, and the accessory count is strong. At its old 49.99 price the part-count value was fair, and the figures are what make it hold up today.

Fun facts

01The Overlord in this set has four arms and is a Legacy-exclusive figure, which is a big reason the set's resale price has climbed so sharply since retirement.
02The Thunder Raider retired in December 2020 after only about a year on shelves, and its value has since risen well over 100 percent above its original 49.99 RRP.
03It is a two-in-one design: the lightning off-roader and the Earth Mech are built separately and combine, so two children can each play with one half.
04This 2020 release is a Legacy reissue that revives the Thunder Raider concept from the earlier Ninjago Rebooted era with updated minifigures and colours.