Ninjago

X-1 Ninja Charger

A sleeker remake of a season 3 classic, sold on the strength of one gold minifigure.

Brick Rated Score

3.8/5

Set 71737 · 2021

Pieces599

Minifigs5

Year2021

Set number71737

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The verdict

The thing that actually pulled me in here was the hidden motorcycle that shoots out of the front of the car at the press of a button.

It's a genuinely fun bit of engineering and it lands better than you expect. I'll be straight with you though, most of the reason this set gets talked about is the Golden Cole tucked inside, a 10th anniversary Legacy collectible that alone carries a big chunk of the value. If you came for that figure or you love the old Ninjago rides, you'll be happy. If you want a big meaty build, this is a fairly quick one.

Best for: Ninjago fans chasing the Golden Cole anniversary figure

The full review

What it is

The X-1 Ninja Charger is a modern remake of the ride from season 3 of the Ninjago show, and LEGO clearly wanted it to look faster than the 2015 version it replaces. They pushed the cockpit forward and pulled the wheels back, and the result is a lower, sleeker car that reads as speedy the moment you set it down. The headline play feature is the reason to own it: a full ninja motorcycle sits hidden inside the body, and at the press of a button it launches straight out the front to chase down the bad guys. The first time it popped out on my table I actually laughed. It's the kind of trick a kid will do forty times in a row.

The catch

Now for the honest bit about what you're paying for. This is a 599 piece set that originally sold for around fifty dollars, and a good slice of that price is really the minifigures, not the vehicle. Four of the five figures are repeats you could pull from other sets in the same 2021 wave, so the exclusivity argument rests almost entirely on Golden Cole. The build itself is quick, an hour or so, and the back end of the car is its weakest angle, with engine bodywork that looks a little bare compared to how clean the front is. It's a good toy, but it isn't a set you buy for a long absorbing evening at the table.

Who it's for

Who should get this? Anyone chasing that Golden Cole figure, because he was made to celebrate ten years of Ninjago and he only comes here, and any younger builder who wants a car with a proper action gimmick they can play with hard. Collectors watching the aftermarket will note it retired at the end of 2022 and climbed well past its original price, so a sealed one has done nicely. If you already have plenty of ninja vehicles and Cole doesn't move you, though, this one is easy to skip without losing sleep.

The parts story

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

Building this is a breezy, satisfying afternoon rather than a challenge. Most of your time goes into the two halves of the car body and the clever internal channel that holds the motorcycle and its spring mechanism, which is the one part of the assembly that made me slow down and pay attention to how it all clicks together. There are two spring-loaded shooters worked into the design as well, so between those and the launching bike there's a lot of mechanical play packed into a fairly small parts count. Nothing here will stump an experienced builder, but the motorcycle-launch section is a neat little bit of design to work through.

On parts, the real prize is Golden Cole in pearl gold with metallic torso and leg printing, a neck bracket and a large pauldron, plus his own printed display sign. He's the collectible centerpiece of the whole set. Kai and Jay bring nicely printed double-sided heads and their tournament outfits with golden katanas and gold-chained nunchucks, and the Nindroid Warrior and Mindroid round out the villain side. The vehicle leans on curved slopes and angled panels in black and gold to get that sleek look, so if you build custom ninja vehicles there are useful bodywork and printed accent pieces to harvest, but the figures are where the value genuinely lives.

Fun facts

01The set is a Legacy remake of the 2015 X-1 Ninja Charger (70727) from season 3 of the Ninjago TV series, redesigned with a lower, sleeker profile.
02Golden Cole was created specifically to celebrate the 10th anniversary of LEGO Ninjago and comes with his own printed display stand.
03According to BrickEconomy, the pearl gold Cole figure alone accounts for roughly 30 percent of the set's value.
04Released on January 2, 2021, the set retired in December 2022 after about 23 months and has since climbed to well over double its original 49.99 dollar price on the secondary market.