Review: LEGO 71792 Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer

Two staples of of LEGO Ninjago are vehicles and mechs, and 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer is what happens when you combine both into an incredibly fun symphony that ranks as one of my favourite LEGO Mechs that I’ve ever built.

Ninjago Dragons Rising, the latest season of LEGO Ninjago promises to shake things up, introducing two new characters to the team of Ninjas, Sora and Arin, and to back the new season up, fans can also look forward to 12 new Ninjago sets coming in June 2023.

I’ll be reviewing several of the Ninjago sets across the next few weeks, and I’ve decided to start my Summer 2023 LEGO Ninjago reviews with 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer, which I think is one of the best sets of the wave, and won’t necessarily burn a hole to through your pocket as its on the lower end of the price spectrum of this wave.

Strap in, and let’s jump into this review of 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer ahead of its release on 1 June 2023!

Who is this set for? LEGO Ninjago and Mech fans who want a really fun, cool and incredibly well-designed futuristic bike that transforms into a mech.

Special thanks to LEGO for sending this set over for this review.

71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer Set Details

Set number: 71792
Set name: Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer
Pieces: 384
Retail Price: US$47.99 / AU$72.99 / £42.99 / €47.99 / CAD$59.99
Theme: Ninjago Dragons Rising
Release Date: 1 June 2023

71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer Minifigures

Let’s start with the minifigures, which I think are a fairly big draw to the set as you get both the new ninjas, Sora and Arin, included, as well as a villain, Rapton, and Riyu the Baby Dragon.

Rapton is described as a Dragon Hunter, and looks to be hunting down Baby Riyu, when in steps the Ninjas to protect him.

Here’s a look at Sora and Arin, two new Ninjas that join the squad as key characters. They both have very different outfits, with Sora’s cat-ear hood, and Arin’s ninja mask, which has horns protruding from the forehead.

Arin has a new weapon, a rubbery whip that serves as a grappling hook.

Here’s a look at the Ninjas without their masks and armour to give you a better look at their torsos and faces – Sora’s coral-eyes and patterns on her face are really cool, and she just looks so bad-ass. Arin has a more youthful appearance, with some scratches, and a well-meaning smile.

Sora’s minifigure design is simply sublime, and I really love the details on her torso, complete with cat-shaped keychains on one of her straps. It really seems like the designers were inspired by Overwatch’s D.Va.

Here’s a look at Sora and Arin’s back printing and Sora’s alternate face, which has an angry expression. The angry cat printed on her back is quite hilarious.

Sora also looks to have an armoured or cybernetic golden arm, with printing on it. Very Winter Soldier-esque!

With the new season called Dragons Rising, you can bet that there’ll be plenty to do with dragons, and here’s a look at Riyu, a baby dragon that joins the Ninjas on their adventures. It’s a incredibly cool mould, and a great little LEGO critter.

Here’s a look at Baby Riyu from the back – I can already predict that this element will be popular with Ninjago fans, but also those who collect LEGO creatures as it’s just so well-designed.

The set comes with one villain, Rapton the Dragon Hunter. He looks like an old man who means business, and I like his Cyclops-inspired eyewear and absolutely massive sword.

No hyperbole – this sword, which is made out of trans-orange elements injected into the hilt is so incredibly cool and menacing. The Ice Planet faction must be seething with jealousy at the weapons that modern LEGO minifigures get to play with.

And here’s a look at Rapton’s back printing and alternate face.

71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer Model

Here’s a look at the sticker sheet included in the set. The decorations on Sora’s Mech Bike Racer rely heavily on stickers, but this should be very familiar to Ninjago fans.

Here’s a look at the completed model – you get Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer as the primary model, as well as a small Glider for Rapton.

Rapton’s Glider isn’t particularly interesting, but serves as a nice small vehicle for the villain in the set. It’s well designed, with a unique aerodynamic shape, and heavily armed with 4 stud shoots mounted just above the engine.

It does serve as a means for Rapton to hunt Baby Riyu, and for Sora’s Mech Bike to step in to defeat it.

Here’s a look at Sora’s Transforming Racer, in Bike mode. It has a sleek, futuristic look to it that’s very Akira-esque in ways, and absolutely nails the Ninjago aesthetic.

Here’s how the bike looks from the side. The bike matches Sora’s colour scheme, and I must say, the dark blues, whites and pops of coral go so well together, making this a feast for the eyes from all aspects.

And here’s a look at some of the finer details, and how the bike looks from the back.

While the bike looks cool, it really comes into its own when you transform it.

The transformation sequence is really simple, you pretty much swivel the legs outwards for it to stand on, and flip the arms out!

And here’s Sora’s Racer in mech mode! Befitting the set’s price, it’s quite a compact-sized mech, which I really like, but despite the piece-count and price, the designers have managed to make the mech mode look really cool.

I love LEGO Mechs, and collect as many as I can, and I love this set. The transformation function itself is worthy of praise, especially when you consider that the model looks sensational in both Bike and Mech mode.

There’s limited articulation in the legs (thanks fixed Ninjago joints), but the arms have a lot more flexibility with functioning elbows too.

Most of all, the Racer’s aerodynamic silhouette carries over quite nicely into Mech mode, and the colour-blocking combine to make one of my favourite mechs at this size and scale.

And here’s a look at the Mech from the back, as well as a closer look at the arms, which can dual-wield swords, as well as fire out studs.

Comparing 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer with other mechs

For a sub-US$50 set, you’re getting a small and pretty squat set, and here’s a side by side comparison with a Lloyd’s Titan Mech, my favourite Ninjago mech of all time.

It’s in a size and class that’s closer to D.Va’s mech or the smaller play-scale Hulkbuster, which I think is perfectly fine for these mechs. Compact mechs are cool too, and when done well, in the case of 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer is equally as satisfying, especially when it’s not a super expensive set that might be out of reach for a lot of younger fans.

What I liked:

New Sora and Arin minifigures are a great addition to Ninjago
Rapton’s sword
Transforming function is super fluid
Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer looks great both in bike and mech mode

What I didn’t like:

Inflation and LEGO’s increased set pricing is really apparent here

Final Thoughts

Transforming LEGO mechs always run the risk of being fiddly, or have the transformation sequence be too complicated, but 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer‘s great triumph is the ease and simplicity of how Sora’s Racer seamlessly goes from bike to mech mode.

As a LEGO Mech, this is already one of my favourites, mostly because it’s at a nice compact size and the sub-US$50 pricetag means that it’s not deep in expensive territory, but at full price, it does feel a little overprice – something that I constantly feel about most LEGO sets these days, thanks to the inflationary times we live in.

The minifigure selection is rock solid, with the 2 new Ninjas, Arin and Sora making an appearance here, as well as Rapton (and his sword) and Baby Riyu rounding out the ensemble.

At its core, this is a really fun set that’s suitable for younger kids who want a transforming mech bike, but also for adult collectors and LEGO Mech fans who want a really well-designed mech that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics.

The set and the mech reminds me a lot of 75973 D.Va & Reinhardt, given the many similarities between the Overwatch hero, and similar size of the mechs, but the 5-year gap really demonstrates just how drastic LEGO shrinkflation has become.

It’s still a very good model, and probably one of the best in terms of value in the Summer 2023 LEGO Ninjago wave, but as always, it might be best to wait for a sale, Double VIP or at the very least, a really compelling GWP before you jump on 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer, especially if you’re on a tight budget.

If you love LEGO Ninjago and/or Mechs – you’ll love this set.

Build [4] – A really brisk, but fun and engaging build that blends the best of mech and bike-building
Real Value [3] – Decent value considering the design and minifigures, but a little on the pricey side at full price
Innovation [5] – The transformation works so well, and the fact that the model looks great in bike and mech mode is a triumph of LEGO design at this price-point
Coolness [4] – One of the coolest LEGO mechs, accentuated by a terrific and aesthetically-pleasing colour scheme
Keepability [5] – I have a display cabinet of LEGO Mechs, and this set is headed straight there to join my other LEGO Mechs. Helps that it also doesn’t take up much space

Rating and score: 4/5 ★★★★✰

Thanks for reading this review of 71792 Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer! The set and the rest of the Summer 2023 Ninjago wave will go on sale on 1 June 2023, and will be available from LEGO.com or from most toy retailers!

What do you think of Sora’s Transforming Mech Bike Racer? Let me know in the comments!

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