Hey gang, Brickbot Studio here with an oversized review of LEGO Ninjago 71861 The Old Town 15th Anniversary, a massive addition to the Ninjago Legacy line. This sprawling 4,851-piece set is packed with easter eggs, fun play features, cool details, and a whopping twenty-three minifigures that take you right back to where Ninjago began 15 years ago. Old Town is one of the most iconic locations in Ninjago lore, a place rich with history, quiet corners, rambunctious villains, and the sort of architectural charm that feels like the foundation of everything that came later. It is a living museum of LEGO’s long-running series, packed with nostalgia, but not without its faults. So let’s dive right in with our review.
LEGO Ninjago 71861 The Old Town 15th Anniversary | 4,851Pieces | Available January 1, 2026 |US $299.99 | CAN $399.99 | UK £269.99
The LEGO Group provided The Brothers Brick with an early copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.
Part 1: The Box, Instructions & oh so many stickers…
First off, let me just say that this box very nearly defeated my lightbox with its shear enormity, but holy cow its a beautiful presentation… The exterior displays this massive set very well, showing off its elaborate classic architecture and massive grandeur.
The Old Town has 4,851 pieces, making it the fourth-largest Ninjago set so far! While it’s large, it does not link up with the Ninjago City sets, as it is its own modular city that can be assembled in multiple configurations – in a loop, as seen on the front of the box, or in a line as seen on the back.
Because of its size, the set includes four construction manuals, each one tied to its own major segment of the modular design.
I hope you like stickers, because this beast comes with three large sticker sheets. They look great once applied, although anyone who dreads sticker application will have a moment of quiet reflection before committing.
Part 2: The Build
The modular build is split across 4 instruction books. We’ll take a look at each section in turn and the highlights of those builds.
Section 1
Booklet 1 features the main gate of the old town, Mystake’s tea cart, a statue of the first Master of Spinjitsu as well as Chuck the Carpenter’s workshop.
The Tea cart is a delightful little build with a teapot and multiple teacups for the Oni-in-disguise to serve to the residents of old town.
The statue of the first Spinjitsu master features a stone base section atop which the statue rests, nestled between four burning torches. These little sections can each be removed and used within the city build, should you choose to include the statue as a part of the city’s layout.
The Carpenter’s shop features some ornate carvings as well as a removeable roof so that you can access the interior with ease, a handy play feature for sure.
The main gate is beautifully designed and has a lot of fun angles and interesting building techniques throughout the build. The Old Town also brings us a brand new color of frog! That’s right all you frog loving weirdos, we’ve got BLACK FROGS now! Hooray!
There’s a ton of fun little easter eggs thrown in throughout this build including some hidden little posters and tablets hidden away within the main gate.
Section 2
Booklet 2 focuses on the post office and Faith’s workshop located on the second floor.
The post office is delightful build with a very detailed interior. With post boxes, stacks of posters, water cooler and a writing desk its has so much detail in every aspect of this build.
Meanwhile, upstairs in Faith’s workshop we see she’s been working on repairing some engines with an array of tools at hand. Its great to see so many callbacks to earlier Ninjago eras as the dragon hunters were always one of my favorites with their post apocalypse, pseudo mad-max designs.
Faith’s workshop also features a lovely little hooked crane and pully which we can use to deliver a barrel full of cookies to the former second in command of the dragon hunters.
Section 3
Booklet 3 walks us through building a stilted watchtower built around a rocky exterior complete with a tiny waterfall!
I absolutely adore the use of odd angles when it comes to building out the rock wall and waterfall area, so many clever techniques are packed into the shaping of the rocks to looks beautiful and natural.
The Watchtower sits atop a series of wooden stilts and looks lovely with its striking red railings and pitched roof, it even comes with a tiny telescope and crossbow for a proper lookout!
Section 4
Booklet 4, arguably the thickest and most intimidating of the instructions focuses on the massive tower structure as well as a section of rocky terrain marked by a beautiful cherry blossom tree with another small pond and waterfall.
The Rocky base structure is home to a hidden cavern, the entrance to which can be revealed by rolling away a stone door.
The wall of the cavern conveniently hinges out of the way for easy access for play to reveal a dark ritual space buried within the rock. No doubt the hideout of the nefarious Loyalists. Given the ominous summoning circle and framed portrait of Empress Beatrix, we can assume Dr. LaRow and her lackies aren’t just hanging out down there…
Perched atop the rocky facade and its carved stone stairs is a massive pagoda-like tower containing offices that are accessible via removeable window and wall sections.
This section of the build is simply amazing, with brilliant uses of angled brackets and wedge plates to create architectural variety.
Part 3: The Minifigures
Old Town contains a staggering twenty three minifigures, including classic heroes, returning villains, and several characters who are making their long awaited minifigure debut. This set is the single most concentrated burst of Ninjago nostalgia we have had in years.
The Ninja
Lloyd
Lloyd wears his classic green ninja ZX apparel with golden shoulder pauldrons and gold highlights replacing the classic silver on his mask.
His head features a cheeky grin as well as a scowl. Strangely, no alternative hairpiece is offered with Lloyd. Lloyd is equipped with a golden sword.
Jay
Like Lloyd, Jay is also clad in the ZX suit, although once again his silver highlights have been replaced with gold. Jay also sports a fancy flying apparatus with posable wings and an alternative flight helmet.
Jay’s head features a grimace as well as a smile and carries a pair of nunchucks into battle. These nunchucks make great use of the new chain component once again in pearl gold.
Kai
Kai wears his ZX suit as well but lacks his hood, instead sporting a wildly spikey hairdo with a red bandana. Kai’s face features a scowl as well as a more pleasant grin. Kai comes equipped with a golden Dragon Katana.
Nya
Nya’s sleeveless suit is crisp and clean, with bold printing and a silhouette that reflects her transition from Samurai X to Water Ninja. Her head features both a smug closed smile as well as a more friendly grin. Nya is equipped with twin blades.
Cole
Cole wears his classic Black ZX suit with golden armor. He also lacks his hood, instead featuring a messy head of hair. His head features a friendly smile as well as a grumpy frown. Cole’s long golden scythe is a classic callback to his signature weapon in earlier seasons.
Zane
Everyone’s favorite robot boy is clad in his white ZX suit and hood. Like the others, gold has replaced the classic silver highlights. He is equipped with a pair of ninja stars in pearl gold.
Zane’s head is probably my favorites of the Ninja as it sports classic black eyes rather than the overt glowing blue from the Ninjago Movie. His alternate expression is a full on, terminator-equsque, half-revealed endoskeleton with a glowing blue eye. It’s a shame that LEGO opted not to include alternate hairpieces for many of the Ninja as it’s hard to appreciate the excellent head prints from beneath the hoods. Oh well, at this point most fans will have a spare hairpiece floating around…
Master Wu
Master Wu appears as he most often is depicted, with his classic white robes, straw hat and staff. His face, while covered mostly by his long white beard is printed with a mustache and short beard and a studious frown.
Villains: Wrathful & Redeemed
Quite a few villains appear in The Old Town, with a few making a return after many years of absence.
Garmadon
That’s right, no classic Ninjago set would be complete without everyone’s favorite evil overlord, Garmadon. Garmadon looks fantastic with a classic bare chested torso, purple sash and black helmet. His head features an expression of anger as well as a wide evil grin. Garmadon’s role as both villain and eventual complex father figure makes him central to the mythos, and his inclusion here reinforces the idea that Old Town represents a return to Ninjago’s foundational era.
Harumi
Princess Harumi is clad in black and sports a distinctly sinister profile with her silver katana. She is one of the few characters included in this set to have alternate headwear included in the form of a black hood. Her standard appearance is immediately recognizable with her long white hair and cropped bangs. Her face features a smear of red warpaint over her eyes and forehead and has a fairly friendly grin. Her head’s alternate masked face is a nice touch for fans who followed her arc across the Oni Trilogy.
The Time Twins: Acronix & Krux
Acronix and Krux make their triumphant return to LEGO Ninjago with their classic young appearances. Both wear black and red suits and look fantastic. Acronix’s head features a smiling expression as well as an angry scowl, most likely peeved that he was sent into the future without his brother.
Speaking of his brother, Krux sports an angry scowl on one side of his head and a kindly older expression of Dr. Saunders on the other side, eluding to his escape from the temporal vortex and subsequent aging. Their time-based antics and timeline-distorting schemes left major marks on Ninjago, so having both of them physically represented in a nostalgic set is a big treat for long-time fans.
Also included in the set is Krux’s alias as museum curator, Dr. Sander Saunders himself. Dr. Saunders wears his dark red museum curator’s coat over red robes and carries not one but two pocket watches. His figure uses the same head as his younger self.
Faith
Even though Faith has technically appeared in sets previously as her alter ego “Heavy Metal” as the Iron Baron’s second in command, this is the first time we get a figure of her as she is seen unmasked in the show. Her bone white skin is highlighted by orange scars and her single slightly oversized red eye looks fantastic. She is clad in her dragon hunters garb, complete with rusty chains, spikes and stitches leathers. Her head also features two expressions, one with a kindly smile and the other with a frightening grimace. She is equipped with a hammer and wrench.
The Loyalists
Dr. LaRow A.K.A The Loyalist Leader
That’s right folks, the former Imperium scientist is back with a shiny new cult! Dr. LaRow is clad in black and red robes with gold accents making them reminiscent of those worn in the Imperium. Her head features two expressions, one of Dr. LaRow with her green, cyberpunk-esque glasses and a smug smile, while the alternate expression is her visage of the Loyalist Leader, a horrifying golden mask of with emerald eyes and distinctly draconic features. She wields an ornate horned staff with the symbol of the Loyalists upon it.
Dr. LaRow is joined by one of her Loyalist followers, a warrior clad in the same hooded black, red and gold robes as well as a frightening white mask. This loyalist soldier wields a sword that makes great use of the darksaber blade. Both of the Loyalist figures look great in my opinion, their robes and masks especially standing out.
Citizens of Old Town
Joining our collection of Heroes and Villains, a few more new faces join the ranks of official Minifigures for the first time.
First we have Dr. Julien, the enigmatic tinkerer finally appears in a set! As Zane’s father/Creator and inventor of the nindroids, Dr. Julien looks the part in his scientist lab coat. His head features two expressions, one of manic joy and the other nervous, perhaps an experiment isn’t going the way he wanted it to… Dr. Julien comes equipped with the robotic Falcon who unfortunately uses the classic LEGO parrot piece in black rather than the specialized falcon mold we saw in the 71037-5 – Falconer CMF figure. I would have loved to see the falcon include some form of printing to make it stand out a bit more… Oh well…
Mystake
This elderly woman, who may or may not be an Oni in disguise resides in the Old Town as one of its many residents, selling tea to passers by via her tea cart. Mystake wears a knit grey sweater and wide brimmed straw hat and looks great.
Chuck (The Carpenter)
Chuck appears as a craftsman complete with leather work apron, hammer and chisel. His head has a single expression, a cheeky grin with a scuff across one cheek. While his torso print is not unique, it works just fine in this instance.
The Postman
After many years of appearing on the show, we finally get a Postman Minifigure. Wearing his classic purple garb and backpack, the Postman looks great. I would have loved to have seen a new hairpiece/hat that more closely matches the one seen on the show, but we’ll take what we can get!
Administration Agent
Also included is a representative of the enigmatic, bureaucratic “Administration.” Clad in a tan coat, this agent adds subtle worldbuilding by reminding us that even in a world of dragons and sorcerers, someone still has to file paperwork while wearing sunglasses indoors.
15 Year Anniversary Figures
It’s hard to believe that a theme as successful and resolute as Ninjago has been over the years has reached its 15 year anniversary! As such, LEGO has included 3 special 15 year anniversary figures with The Old Town.
The First Spinjitsu Master
For the very first time we get a minifig of the Original Spinjitsu Master, father of Garmadon and Wu. This kindly looking old man wears black and gold robes and wears a hat identical to the one that Wu himself would wear later in life.
While he does not have an alternate expression, he does have a lock of braided hair printed on the back of his head. The great master wields a golden staff.
Young Wu
Wu looks ever so young and sprightly in his robes and short sandy blonde hair. Wu has two expressions, a fierce grimace and a kindly smile.
Young Garmadon
The elder brother of Wu and eventual master villain of the Ninjago series appears as a young man in black and purple robes. His head features two expressions, one of smug confidence and the other of pure rage and glowing red eyes.
I love how these three came out and I have no doubt that these three will be the highlight of the minifigure selection for many.
The Completed Build: Play or Display
The four main modular sections of the build can be linked together via technic pins in various configurations, including the standard shown on the front of the box. All together The Old Town looks simply fantastic all set up together. It has a lot of fun play features including a zip line that runs from the top of the pagoda to the tiny watchtower.
The build can also be connected end to end to make a massive 109cm (43″) long display piece. While I’m sure some folks may be disappointed that this build does not link up with the other Ninjago city sets, I think this set has a lot to offer when it comes to play features rather than a simple static display piece.
This set is purpose built to be played with as well as displayed which I think puts it a step above some of the other sets of a similar caliber that we’ve seen before. As a display piece, this build is spectacular, with interesting building techniques, beautiful architecture and awesome scenery that evokes everything Ninjago.
From a play perspective, each modular building can be removed from the model and played with separately without worrying about damaging the larger model, which for someone who has always loved the larger sprawling playsets of my LEGO youth, this set would have knocked my socks off as a kid.
Final thoughts, considerations and critiques
The Old Town is a very large, very impressive set for sure, but its not without a few nitpicks that I feel are too important to gloss over. First of all, while the minifigure selection in this set is impressive, it feels a bit static.
Most of the titular characters of the series lack alternate hairpieces, which feels like a very avoidable issue, given that LEGO has often offered such things in the past. I would have loved to see some arm printing on these figures as well, or at least dual molded legs, but given that this set seems to be geared slightly more towards play than display, I guess I understand. What I do not understand is dearth of printed components, for almost everything in this set, you’ll be applying stickers, stickers and more stickers which can be frustrating especially if you were hoping for new prints upon seeing a set of this size.
The Old Town gets top ranks for aesthetics and play features, although I would have loved to see a more faithful rendition of the Ninja outfits, as I pointed out earlier. With all that set, $300 seems like a pretty fair price for such a large and impressive set. I’m sure for many fans of the show, this set will be a must have when it debuts on January 1st to ring in the year of the Ninja.
