Last year’s LEGO Ninjago Movie (the third installment of the LEGO Movie franchise) has led to the release of the largest modular city set in the entire expert line, 70620 Ninjago City, and the announced 70657 Ninjago City Docks. The modular nature of these sets is the inspiration for our latest collaborative display at BrickCon 2018 this October in Seattle. We were even able to do a test display recently at Emerald City Comic Con (ECCC) in March.
This year’s collaboration will be open to any of our TBB readers who are planning to attend the BrickCon private convention (unfortunately, we can’t accept drop-offs during the public hours). The display at ECCC was well-received by both builders and the general public, and there was a lot of discussions during the event about how to make the display even bigger and better for BrickCon.
The Plan
With your help, We will display our own version of the iconic setting of Ninjago City, based on the official set, with three baseplate templates for contributors to choose from, and adapt to create city “blocks” on 32×32 baseplates. More details concerning exact specifications, height requirements, etc. will be posted later this month.
The “look”
The visual style of Ninjago City, as portrayed in the official sets and the movie, is of a vertically stacked city that’s an eclectic blend of traditional and modern architecture. The lower levels of the city are a bit run-down, or simply older, wood construction. Earth tones and simple, de-saturated colors, worn sidewalks, and plenty of vegetation set the scene. As we work our way up to the second level (there are generally two floors or stories for each level) the city is cleaner and newer, with brighter colors and plenty of shops and advertising. The third level, which not every block needs to have, can continue the aesthetic of the second level, or start to shift towards a more futuristic vibe.
Block templates
How to get involved
We have set up a Flickr group for anybody who plans to attend this year’s convention in October, so we can share detailed specs, provide work in progress photos and inspire each other.
Ooh, this is so tempting…
Oh, man. If only I didn’t live in Australia . . can’t wait to see the end results!
Hmmm. This is tempting. Was planning to go this year and this might give me something to work on over the summer.
I am very interested by this idea. I had thought about trying to expand on Ninjago City myself and if I have time I would be very interested in trying to build something for this collaborative project. There does not seem to be a way to join the Flickr group however.
Kevin, there should be a button next to the group title that says “Join Group”. If you don’t see this, send me a Flickr mail (Koffy kat alpha) and I will invite you.
Temporalsword: You totally should do it. We had so much fun putting this together at ECCC.
This is such a cool idea. I live in the U.S. and think the Bros. are in the U.K., nonetheless, am looking to be inspired to “add” my own Ninjago City block. Great summer LEGO project!
@Timmay: BrickCon is in Seattle in October — it’s TBB’s “home” convention (and a good portion of the team is based in Seattle, not the UK). Maybe you can join us there and bring your addition to the city!