Review: LEGO Ninjago 71747 The Keeper’s Village

February 16, 2021 | 0

Fans of LEGO Ninjago are eagerly awaiting Season 14 of the show – The Island (check out the trailer), and with it a whole new range of sets.

The Ninja’s find themselves exploring a whole new location, the Island as they seek to rescue Misako, Master Wu, and Clutch Powers who have gone missing. Expect a world of storms, monsters, doom, and much much more!

There are four new sets from Season 14: The Island (releasing 1 March 2021 worldwide) which borrows heavily from Polynesian and Pacific Islander influences to create a rich tropical setting that’s unlike anything we’ve seen so far.

For my first review from the Ninjago The Island sets, I’m delighted to bring you an in-depth look at 71747 The Keeper’s Village, the second largest set from the theme.

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set for review

71747 The Keeper’s Village Set Details

Name: The Keeper’s Village
Set Number: 71747
Pieces: 632
Price: AU$79.99 | US$49.99 | £44.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [AUS] [USA] [UK]
Exclusive to: N/A
Theme: Ninjago Season 14: The Island
Release Date: 1 March 2021

Here’s a look at the sticker sheet included – nothing too outrageous, however there are ones that you have to apply on a curved panel, which isn’t the easiest thing to do.

For a US$49.99, you get a very respectable number of minifigs – with 2 villains, and 3 main characters – Kai, Jay and Cole.

Here are a look at the 3 main characters, Kai, Cole and Jay who all have their hair set free, with their headbands fused to them.

I do prefer the traditional Ninja look, but given they’re exploring a hot and humid tropical island, I can see why they’d opt for a bit more airflow.

To cut through the dense island jungle, the Ninjas are equipped with pearl gold machettes, in addition to their katanas.

Kai is dual-wielding, Cole has some sort of halberd, and Jay has his machette attached to a pair of nunchuks – can’t see that hurting anyone.

Here’s a look at their serious faces, sans masks. I really like Cole’s and Jay’s torso designs, which look very military-inspired, with kneecaps, straps and plated armour – very cool, utilitarian and militaristic.

And here’s a look their cheery alternate faces, and back printing.

Ninjago has always done villain design incredibly well, and Season 14’s foes are no exception. This set comes with Chief Mammatus, the leader of the Keepers of the Amulet with the snazzy crown, and a Thunder Keeper Tribe member.

Mammatus is also named after a type of cloud, which ties in nicely with the lightning powers that the Keepers are able to wield.

They’re both based on Islander/Polynesian designs, with ornate headgear and terrifying painted wooden masks.

I love their lavender skin-tones and incredibly detailed printing on their body and legs.

Here’s a look at their back prints – I love the pale white markings on Thunder Keeper’s head, as well as the white thunderbolts painted on his wooden armour.

The design of Thunder Keeper’s Mask and Chief Mammatus’ crown are sublime, and I especially love the circular amulet on Mammatus’ crown, and the use of teal against pearl gold.

Note: In some of my photos, I realised that Chief Mammatus’ horns on the side of his crown have popped off, sorry!

Chief Mammatus and Thunder Keeper’s designs are also a nod to the famous King Kahuka from the short-lived Islanders theme, and also Series 11’s Island Warrior.

If you want to watch a speed build of The Keeper’s Village, be sure to check out and subscribe to my Youtube channel.

The build was fun with plenty of fun techniques sprinkled throughout. I have a soft spot for LEGO sets that are based on locations, and this Jungle Lair is filled with some really great details, and acts as an awesome playset as well.

In many ways, the island design brought back fond memories of 2016’s 70604 Tiger Widow Island, which I thoroughly enjoyed – the rocky sections coupled with lush foliage, and similar size makes for an obvious connection.

It’s rare that a medium-sized set is able to distil the look and feel of the entire subtheme, but The Keeper’s Village does so easily, with this jungle section which sports a beach, and plenty of tropical vegetation.

There are great details hidden throughout the palm fronds, such as this warning sign.

Some spiky traps are easy to avoid, but others like this coconut tree trap…

Aren’t as easily avoided, especially by poor Jay who wasn’t paying attention.

The Ninjas machettes come in handy here, hacking their way through the thick overgrowth.

On the other side of the Jungle Lair lies a dragon’s head, seemingly carved out of rock, and a cave in the middle with a large pot of soup that’s boiling over a fire.

The dragon skull is visually impressive, with its maw wide open and leaking lava. I love the tiny details such as the trans=orange teeth and eyes, and how well the rock elements are sculpted for the dragon’s features.

This little section here with lava oozing out the side is incredible and filled me with joy when building it.

The shield also hints at a greater threat that could be lurking on the Island.

Inside the dragon’s skull is a jail cell.

As the Ninjas climb a short windy staircase to the upper level, they prepare for combat against Chief Mammatus who is attempting to guard his throne and the Storm Amulet.

Chief Mammatus puts up a brave defence against the marauding Ninjas, wielding his lightning staff.

Atop the jungle lair lies a white throne, which looks like it’s made of bone, a campfire for sacrifices and this carved stone totem pole with terrifying faces printed on it.

As Ninjago’s Season 14 draws heavily from Polynesian and Maori mythology and history, my guess is that the totem pole was inspired by Tiki, which are humanoid carvings fashioned into poles.

The stone pillar is enchanted, and comes alive, ready to face off against the Ninjas. Atop the stone pillar lies the fabled Storm Amulet, which the Ninjas are trying to secure to search for their friends.

Here’s a better look at the amulet.

Each section of the stone pillar has its own face, and tiny arms that wield weapons!

These different sections can split up, to fight each Ninja! They look like whirly bits of death.

What I liked:

• Lots of value packed into this set
• Very fairly priced, with 5 minifigures
• Chief Mammatus and Thunder Keeper are brillintly designed
• Island makes for a great playset or display piece

What I didn’t like: 

• Island feels a little static – more moving parts or play features would be cool

Final Thoughts:

For Ninjago fans, it doesn’t get much better than this. 71747 The Keeper’s Village is packed with value and is a great centerpiece to Season 14 – The Island.

I have a soft spot for location, or structure-based Ninjago builds, so The Keeper’s Village strikes that itch in the best of ways.

The jungle lair sets the scene and provides a rich backdrop that works really well as a small playset and display piece.

Combined with a very generous helping of 5 minifigures, there’s a ton of value and playability built into the set, especially the stone pillar which works remarkably well as a “big enemy” for the Ninjas to deal with – it very much gives off a “mini-boss in a video game vibe”.

The highlights for me would be Chief Mammatus and Thunder Keeper’s designs. As a big fan of the Islanders theme, I love that LEGO could callback to those designs in a fresh new way, utilising the tech and innovation that’s now possible through minifigure design.

Whether you’re an adult fan looking for a set that’s a bit more kiddy, outlandish and fun, or you’re planning to buy this for a young child who wants an engaging playset, I can highly recommend 71747 The Keeper’s Village.

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Build [4] – The build was varied, with fun foliage sections, and building the dragon’s lair was really fulfilling.
Real Value [5] – For a US$50 set, it comes with 5 minifigures, and a decent-sized build. It feels like it should cost a lot more
Innovation [2] – Nothing too groundbreaking here, but I liked the design of the stone pillar and techniques used for the dragon
Coolness [4] – It’s a jungle-themed Ninjago set with 2 very awesome villains.
Keepability [3] – As much as I like Chief Mammatus and Thunder Keeper, it’s likely not going to be a build I keep on display permanently, but would make a great display piece alongside other Ninjago builds

Thanks for reading my review of 71747 The Keeper’s Village! I have a few more Ninjago Season 14 The Island sets to review in the coming days and weeks, so keep an eye out for them soon!

Ninjago Season 14: The Island sets will be released on 1 March 2021, and will be available from LEGO.com or your local toy retailer.

I’d love to know what you think of the new Ninjago villains and settings!

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Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set for review.