Review: LEGO 71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH

May 15, 2022 | 7

A new season of Ninjago (Season 15: Crystalized) is coming up, and with it, a massive wave of sets coming in Summer 2022. The release dates of Ninjago Crystalized are split up, with the UK and Europe getting the sets in June 2022, and the US, Canada and Australia getting the sets 2 month later in August.

I’ll be reviewing some sets from the Season 15 wave in the next few weeks (along with other Summer 2022 releases!, and to kick off Ninjago review season, let’s take a look at 71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH!

I’m a huge fan of LEGO Mechs, and thought it’d be a great follow-up to my other giant robot review (10302 Optimus Prime), so let’s see how this new Mech stacks up!

Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set and the rest of the Ninjago Summer 2022 wave for review.

71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH Set Details

Name: Nya’s Samurai X MECH
Set Number: 71775
Pieces: 1,003
Price: AU$179.99 | US$119.99 | £99.99 – Buy from LEGO.com [US] [AUS] [UK] [Amazon]
Minifigures: 8
Exclusive to: N/A
Theme: Ninjago Crystalised (Season 15)
Set Designer: TBD
Release Date: 1 June 2022 [UK & Europe] 1 August 2022 [USA, Australia, Canada]

Firstly, some surprises – it seems like LEGO have revamped the design of manuals of sets coming out from June 2022 onwards, with this new beige colour scheme, with white borders on the top and bottom.

It’s a far cry from the usual instruction manual design, which is normally quite vibrant and reflective of the box art.

Instead… this looks like an unfinished render, with barely any shadows, inconsistent lighting and it just looking incredible uninspiring. It doesn’t help that the LEGO Ninjago logo, and the large QR code look so out of place.

Not sure what’s happening here, but I’m not a fan.

Here’s a look at the sticker sheet included.

And it’s always nice to see perforated plastic bags in sets – this time to hold a big cache of golden weapons and accessories. Very old school and nostalgic.

First, let’s take a look at the massive line-up of minifigures. 71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH comes with a staggering EIGHT minifigures.

It’s a massive boon for Ninjago fans to get so many great named characters in this set – Samurai X Nya, Golden Jay, Master Wu, Oni Garmadon, Lil’ Nelson, General Pythor, The Mechanic and Vengestone Warrior.

Exclusive to this set are Master Wu, Samurai X Nya, Oni Garmadon, Nelson, The Mechanic, and General Pythor.

Here’s a look at the Golden Jay and Samurai X Nya. As you can tell from the graphics on the Box Art, golden (and crystal pink) are the dominant colours of this season, and both main Ninjas have plenty of gold in their minifigure design.

Jay’s Ninja outfit has nice golden armour-plated accents, but the main drawcard of this set is Nya in her Samurai X armour. Unlike previous outings where her Samurai X suit is predominantly red and black, Nya’s new Samurai X armour blends blue, gold and a splash of maroon.

On Jay’s ninja hood is the Ninjargon (Ninjago alphabet) symbol for the letter R.

Here’s a look at their alternate faces, and back printing – really impressed with Nya’s Samurai X armour – the printing on her minifigure is excellent, and Ninjago fans will be delighted to see her return in such glorious form!

Here is Lil Nelson, the honourary Purple Ninja and Master Wu. Nelson, the purple ninja was last seen in Ninjago City Docks, and features the hoodie/cap combination headpiece first seen in Hidden Side.

Nelson’s purple colour scheme is punctuated by pops of Dark Azur, and he has a matching set of Dark Azur katanas on his back as well.

Master Wu is armoured up, with his dragon armour, and his trademark Sakkat/Conical hat, and white robes.

They both carry standards with the Ninjago letter “R” on them!

Here’s a look at Nelson’s and Wu’s back printing. It’s not a new addition, but I do like Wu’s ponytail on the back.

And here’s a better look at Master Wu’s face, and torso and leg prints, which I believe are brand new!

The good guys get completely overshadowed by the awesome line-up of bad guys, which sees some old favourites make a return, with some slight modifications – true to the season’s name, they’re “crystallized”

Here’s a look at The Mechanic, which first made an appearance in Ninjago City Gardens, a Vengestone Warrior (a new baddie introduced) and the triumphant introduction of Oni Garmadon. For those unfamiliar with the lore, “Oni” are demonic beings, and these Oni Masks were heavily featured in 2018’s Sons of Garmadon subtheme.

Here’s a look at the new Vengestone Warrior – a really awesome new basic soldier introduced that’s under the service of the Crystal King, the big bad of Season 15.

The design is seriously cool, with the pink crystals being integrated into its dragon-like head, a trans-pink arm and even a printed trans-pink leg. The new “crystal blade” is also a new introduction, and I’m really impressed by just how detailed the printing of his torso is, with half the warrior’s body being crystallized.

Here’ a better look at The Mechanic – he sports the new crystal shoulder armour, and also really detailed torso and leg prints. The Mechanic’s weapon is some sort of pink lightning zapper.

Fans will be delighted to add Oni Garmadon into their collection, and the primary antagonist of the Ninjago franchise does not disappoint in his demon-mask outfit.

Here’s a look at Garmadon’s face beneath his Oni Mask. These Oni Masks are some of the best Ninjago accessories ever created, and I’m stoked to see them make a return.

Last but not least is General Pythor aka Pythor P. Chumsworth (yup, that’s his actual name), who makes a return in his white form (he was originally purple, but got bleached after being digested), that we haven’t seen since 2016.

Pythor comes with a really elaborate staff, which blends several elements together, with a new crystal sword piece holding it together. The crystal sword element is really cool – one of the more awesome LEGO weapons introduced, mostly because its trans-pink.

Here’s a better look at Pythor’s torso, which is the same as The Mechanic’s – he also comes with the crystal shoulderpieces, and I love the printing down his snake belly.

Here’s Pythor from the back.

And here’s a comparison with the 2015 Pythor from 70750 Ninja DB-X. Some interesting and subtle changes – the new 2022 Pythor has pink eyes, and the gem on his head is now purple/pink instead of blue – possibly because of him being “crystallized”.

The Build & Final Model

The first model is this Crystal Beast – it’s shaped like a frog, and utilises the new dragon jaw piece for its head, which has those pink crystal fused to the head.

I’m a big fan of the head design, which is completely eyeless, and the trans-elements really contrast nicely against the dark grey.

It’s a really simple, but effective build, with two large crystal fins erupting from its front legs, really making a statement.

Here’s a snapshot of all the pretty pink transparent elements included in the set for you element geeks to get excited about.

On to the mech!

For seasoned mech builders, the build was fairly straight forward, starting with the head and upper body, followed by the legs, and the arms to finish it off.

But with new mech from LEGO, it’s always interesting to see new techniques and what the designers introduce to mechs. The most exciting innovation in this mech – fully articulated and working knees!

Here’s the finished model, and Nya’s Samurai X MECH (no idea why the all-caps – no need to shout, Nya) does not disappoint. This is an excellent mech, and a superb addition to your mech collection, especially if you’re extra fond of Ninjago mechs.

It’s quite tall, measuring about 32cm in height, and the vibrant colours make it one of the most visually striking mechs in all the right ways. The red “X” in the middle of the body contrasts nicely against the blue, and the golden accents on black really pop.

The Samurai X Mech is dual-wielding 2 golden swords to slice and dice her way through crystal beasts.

Apart from 2 massive swords, there are 2 spring-loaded missile launches, hidden in her shoulderpads, which can swivel forwards to engage in “shoot mode”.

Nya’s Samurai X mech, as the name suggests, is fashioned after a heavily-armoured Samurai, and it delivers in spades, thanks to the generous armour plating across the body, especially around the shoulders, and legs, taking inspiration from Samurai armour.

In proper mech style, Nya’s exo suit chest and head can open up, to reveal a generously-sized cockpit that has enough space for her elaborate Samurai helmet.

There are 2 stickered control panels on the inside, and I especially love that there’s a handdrawn kiddie illustration of the original Samurai X mech, and even the main Ninjas – never forget where you came from!

One of the Nya’s Samurai X’s MECH best features is the sheer level of articulation – achieved by so many joints, from the shoulders, to the elbows, hands, and of course the knees which we’ll get to shortly.

That said, I’m not a fan of the gaps between the mech’s forearms and upper arms – I do wish they were covered up better, but to achieve the articulation, which includes the forearms being able to rotate 360°, it’s almost unavoidable.

I’m not sure if my set was a dud, but when posing Nya’s Samurai X Mech, I also found the forearms popping out of their sockets often, which was quite annoying as they didn’t seem securely attached, as they’re only connected to the upper arms via a singular point of connection.

Here’s a look at the hands, and fingers.

Nya’s Samurai X Mech’s most notable innovation is just how well the knees work. Using triple joints, the knees are among the sturdiest yet for a LEGO mech, and provide really strong support, allowing you to strike more dramatic action poses with the mech.

The thighs are also aesthetically, the most interesting part of the mech – with these opaque cockpit windscreens being used to great effect to give it some heft, but the curved angle also makes it look more organic and natural.

Interestingly, and I’m not sure if this is a new wedge element, but I really loved the shimmery sheen on this new element, that’s a lot more vibrant and sparkly than regular pearl gold.

Here’s a look at the mech’s feet.

For added stability, we get more of these orange Technic rubber nubs that we also saw on Optimus Prime’s feet, for extra grip.

The level of articulation allows a lot of fun, action poses to be possible with Nya’s Mech.

It’s also quite large, and the Crystal Beast is tiny, almost like a regular person and a small dog, which looks like a really uneven fight. The lack of a worthy-sized opponent really makes the set feel incomplete, but it’s quite clear that LEGO really want you to pair with 71772 The Crystal King.

Oh and for a size comparison, here’s Nya’s Samurai X MECH alongside 71738 Zane’s Titan Mech Battle. It’s a lot larger, and has more presence, and as you can see, the vibrant colour scheme works incredibly well to make it stand out.

What I liked:

• Generous helping of minifigures, with fan favourites making a return
• Trans-pink elements and so much gold give this wave a visually distinctive identity
• Knees and articulation makes this mech one of the best to play/pose
• So great to see Nya’s Samurai X Mech return with a bright paint job

What I didn’t like: 

• This really feels overpriced and expensive
• Gaps on arms, and forearms kept falling out
• I wish the Crystal Beast and “foe” was larger

FINAL THOUGHTS:

71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH is a really tough set to recommend. First and foremost, it’s a fantastic mech, with an attractive and visually distinct colour scheme – the colours work really well here, and it looks both comic-booky and cool at the same time, thanks to the mix of blues, reds and black and gold.

The minifigure selection, all 8 minifigures are also one of the strong features with so many classic Ninjago villains like Pythor, and Oni Garmadon making an appearance, as well as side characters like The Mechanic and Nelson rounding out the very strong lineup.

Lots of minifigures also make this very playable, especially for younger fans who want plenty of bad guys for the good guys to go toe to toe against.

The Samurai X Mech itself is a lot of fun – the articulation, especially the knees are very impressive, and allows it to be posed and displayed in a myriad of ways, which again, adds to the playability and displayability, but the lack of a similarly-sized foe makes it feel too imposing.

I do wish the Crystal Beast was slightly larger, as it’s comically overpowered when you see both of them together.

The price is where the set unravels. Do note that this is releasing in June/August 2022, and the world is currently going through inflation spikes, with the cost of everything going up, so LEGO price rises were absolutely to be expected.

Unfortunately, at AU$179.99 / US$119.99 / £99.99, it feels like too much to ask for, as you can pick up Zane’s Titan Mech for US$48 on Amazon. Even when you compare it against 71765 Ninja Ultra Combo Mech, which at full price is US$89.99, makes this feel like poor value.

I really cannot recommend buying this set at full price, especially when there are so many great alternatives from early 2022, and late 2021, that are still available, however, if you can get this setat a small discount, it becomes slightly less painful on the wallet, even if the set comes with 8 minifigures, of which 7 are named characters.

Rating and score: 3/5 ★★★✰✰

Build [3] – Very fun build for someone like me that enjoys mechs, and to see all the new techniques on show.
Real Value [2] – A very, very expensive set, even with 8 minifigs.
Innovation [3] – the knees are executed greatly, and add so much to mech techniques.
Coolness [4] – Great to see Samurai X Mech make a return, as well as so many popular villains. A Ninjago fan’s dream
Keepability [3] – As a Ninjago Mech, this is absolutely one to collect, especially with the great minifig lineup

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this early review of 71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH!

71775 Nya’s Samurai X MECH will be released in UK and Europe on 1 June 2022, and in North America, and Australia on 1 August 2022.

Check out the rest of the Summer 2022 Ninjago lineup, and stay tuned for more reviews from this wave in the coming days and weeks!

What do you think of Nya’s Samurai X Mech? Will this appeal to mech fans, and do you think it’s worth US$120?

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Special thanks to the LEGO Group for providing this set and the rest of the Ninjago Summer 2022 wave for review.