Ninjago

Zane's Ice Dragon Creature

A gorgeous six-legged ice beast that rewards a gentle touch, not rough play.

Brick Rated Score

3.9/5

Set 71786 · 2023

Pieces984

Minifigs5

Year2023

Set number71786

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The verdict

This is one of those Ninjago dragons that looks far more expensive than it is, all that light aqua, gold, and trans-blue crystal wing catching the light.

It builds as a six-legged ice creature and then rebuilds into a two-legged dragon warrior, so you really do get two models out of one box. The trade-off is fragility, because pose it too hard and pieces will scatter, and honestly six legs is a couple more than this thing needed. If you love dragons and a big display piece more than sturdy swooshing, you'll adore it.

Best for: Ninjago fans and dragon lovers who want a big, colorful display build

The full review

What it is

Some sets win you over on the box art and some win you over halfway through the bag, and this LEGO® set is firmly the second kind. On paper it's another Ninjago dragon, and there have been a lot of Ninjago dragons. But the color work is what got me. That light aqua paired with pearl gold and the big trans-light-blue wings reads like actual ice, and it saves the whole thing from being another wall of plain white. Zane's Ice Dragon Creature (71786) is a 2-in-1 at heart. You build a long, six-legged ice beast with a horned head, a sweeping tail, and gold blade wings, and then you can pull it apart and rebuild the same parts into a two-legged dragon warrior holding an enormous golden sword. For 984 pieces at its old ninety-nine-dollar price, that's a lot of dragon for the money.

The catch

There are a few honest caveats worth naming, though. The dragon looks fantastic on a shelf and a good deal less fantastic when a child grabs it and starts flying it around the living room. It's fragile. Several reviewers noted the same thing, that a firm pose or an enthusiastic swoosh can pop multiple pieces off at once, and that's frustrating for the age group this is aimed at. Then there are the legs. Six of them sounds cool, and it does look striking, but posing all six so the creature stands convincingly is fiddlier than it should be, and plenty of builders felt four would have done the job with less fuss. The other small letdown is that the alternate warrior build reuses so much of the dragon that the two models end up looking like cousins rather than genuinely different creatures. You're not really getting two distinct things, more like the same idea standing up.

Who it's for

So who's going to love this one. If you're a dragon person, or a Ninjago fan who wants a big, colorful centerpiece to display, this is an easy yes, especially now that it's retired and the sealed price has climbed past retail. The build is fun, the palette is a real high point, and five minifigs including the Bone King crew give you a proper little battle scene. If you want something a kid can bash around all afternoon without it shedding parts, or you were hoping the second model would feel like a totally new set, temper that a bit. Think of it as a display piece that happens to transform, keep your posing gentle, and it's a genuinely rewarding build. Rough-and-tumble play is where it struggles.

The parts story

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

The build runs through familiar Ninjago dragon territory, and that's not a bad thing. You work in sub-assemblies, one body segment at a time, with a lot of sideways building to get the sculpted slopes sitting at the right angles along the spine. The head comes together around a chunky new molded piece, the six legs each build up as their own little units, and the tail tapers off in sections so it can curl. It's a comfortable, satisfying pace rather than a technical puzzle, and the alternate warrior build only asks for around 15 percent of the parts to be moved, so if you've already done the dragon the second model is a quick, low-effort swap.

For parts fans there's real treasure here. The set debuted a brand new dragon head mold, roughly seven and a half studs long with sculpted teeth, and a genuinely huge sword blade (about 14 studs long) that was described at launch as the biggest LEGO sword blade ever made, appearing in both trans-light-blue and pearl gold. There are new horn pieces with angled axle holes, a fun underbite jaw accessory in yellowish green, and a spread of white curved and angled slopes plus pearl gold Technic connectors that were fresh recolors at the time. Add the trans-light-blue wing elements and you've got a parts pack that's as interesting to a MOC builder as the finished dragon is to a display collector.

Fun facts

01The giant golden sword in this set was billed at launch as the largest LEGO sword blade ever produced, roughly 14 studs long.
02It introduced a brand new dragon head mold about seven and a half studs long, complete with individually sculpted teeth.
03The set is a true 2-in-1: the same parts build either a six-legged ice creature or a two-legged dragon warrior wielding that oversized blade.
04Released in Ninjago's 2023 Core wave, it retired in late 2024 and sealed copies now trade above the original 99.99 dollar retail.