Ninjago

Zilvar and Grimtak the Dragon Beast

A scrappy little dragon-beast brawl that punches above its piece count.

Brick Rated Score

3.7/5

Set 71863 · 2026

Pieces232

Minifigsn/a

Year2026

Set number71863

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The verdict

I love a set that gives me a creature and a character and lets the story write itself, and that is exactly what is happening here with Zilvar squaring off against Grimtak's beast.

At 232 pieces this is squarely a pocket-money-adjacent set, not a centerpiece, and I think that is the right way to judge it. It will not anchor a shelf display on its own, but it earns its keep as a fast, satisfying build and a genuinely playable action scene for anyone still following Ninjago's endless parade of elemental warriors and monsters. Buy it for the beast, not for bulk. What I appreciate most is that Ninjago sets in this size bracket almost always over-deliver on personality relative to price, and this one leans into that strength rather than fighting it. The dragon-beast build is the reason to want this set, and if that creature grabs you visually, the rest falls into place easily.

Best for: Ninjago collectors and kids who want a quick, story-driven build with a monster to pose against a hero, not a display centerpiece

The full review

What it is

I am a sucker for these smaller Ninjago sets that hand you a hero and a monster and basically dare you to act out a fight scene the second the last brick clicks in. Zilvar and Grimtak the Dragon Beast is built on exactly that premise, a compact 232-piece set that pairs a Ninjago character with a beast build clearly meant to be his rival on the shelf. It is not a flagship, and it does not pretend to be one, but that focus is part of the charm.

The catch

I will be straight with you about the tradeoffs. At this piece count you are not getting a sprawling environment or a pile of spare parts to raid for other projects, you are getting one tight scene and that is it. Whether this set earns a spot in your collection comes down almost entirely to how much the specific characters and creature design speak to you, since there is no secondary play feature or landscape to fall back on if the figures do not land. It is also fresh enough to market that I would wait for a sale window rather than assume day-one retail is your best price.

Who it's for

If you or your kid are already deep into Ninjago's ongoing cast of warriors and creatures, this is an easy, low-stakes pickup that rewards a fast build with real play value. If you are shopping purely for piece-count efficiency or looking for a display piece to anchor a shelf, this is not that set, and I would look toward one of the larger Ninjago releases instead.

The parts story

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

Builds like this move quickly. With 232 pieces split between a minifig-scale hero and a beast, expect the creature to take the bulk of the build time since it is doing the visual heavy lifting, while the character side wraps up fast. It is the kind of set you can finish in one sitting without losing steam, which is exactly what this size bracket is for.

The real payoff is the beast itself. Ninjago's creature designs in this range typically lean on a handful of specialty elements and a strong silhouette rather than sheer part count to make an impression, and that is where Grimtak's dragon beast earns its keep, giving you a distinct monster shape to pose against Zilvar rather than another generic humanoid opponent.

Fun facts

01Ninjago has been one of LEGO's longest continuously running original themes, launching back in 2011 and still introducing new elemental warriors and creatures well into 2026.
02Pairing a single hero figure against a dedicated beast build, rather than two humanoid minifigs, is a recurring format in Ninjago's smaller sets because it lets a compact piece count still deliver a clear good-versus-monster story.
03Sets in the low-200s piece range are typically Ninjago's entry point for a themed creature build, aimed at giving younger or budget-conscious builders a complete scene rather than a partial one.