LEGO NINJAGO Empire Temple of Madness Review Set 71712 Age 9+ (Sent for review)

Over the years one of my children has collected several LEGO NINJAGO dragons, so the LEGO NINJAGO Empire Temple of Madness set 71712 took his eye immediately. We were sent this set for review, and no surprises, the 12 year old was on it like a shot... 

This is an 810 piece set, which is recommended for builders aged 9 and over, and we agree with that assessment. My 12 year old had no problem building independently, and was not at all disappointed with either the build or the final model. 

Inside the box are the instruction booklet (not too daunting for a solo younger builder), sticker sheet, and 6 numbered bags. The set includes 6 minifigures - NINJAGO Digi Jay, Digi Lloyd and Digi Cole, and the evil ruler of Prime, Empire Unagami, along with 'henchmen' Sushimi and Red Visor. 

The build was so quick that the main body of the temple was together within an hour. And you can begin to see the design. The premise is that the characters are in a computer game, with games within the game. 

There are some amazing details around the temple - which is very unlike other Ninjago temples, because it incorporates Ninja challenges, obstacles and games within it's design. 

There are some really clever uses of various elements. The Batarang in yellow makes an excellent Ninja weapon, either thrown or on the top of a staff. The tiny controllers though, they are awesome. 

The 'digital' characters are really nicely done, each with their 'remaining lives' above their heads, like a proper video game. There are lots of different weapons in the set, so there are plenty for wearing and using. 

They've got plenty of detail underneath their Ninja outfits too... ferocious...

It's been a while since the boys built a LEGO set together, so it was particularly nice to see them both enjoying picking and building. LEGO always comes with that temptation for anyone to 'join in', and for as long as I can remember, our children of any age will end up searching for pieces together. 

And here is the finished temple... I admit that I missed the completed project before it was played with to pieces, which is frustrating for a review, but really it has to be ideal - especially with 11 and 13 year olds. Sadly it also means that you may be able to spot some removed or moved pieces, lost swords (under the sofa) etc. but hey, that's what makes LEGO so special... 

If you look closely you'll see Emperor Unagami hiding behind the glass.... Both sides of the model have games and challenges as the players climb the stairway to the top. One has rolling barrels, the other a really cute arcade game. 

It's a really gorgeous temple, and 9+ is probably right. Although the model incorporates several different games, this is actually quite a hard set to 'play' with, so younger fans might find they spend as much time rebuilding as they do playing. 

You can buy LEGO directly from the LEGO website online, or from a host of other retailers, where you can snap up some good bargains. I've found Zavvi is often a good place to try for NINJAGO LEGO. 

I've reviewed a ton of LEGO over the years, including the NINJAGO Temple Of Airjitsu for LEGO

waaaay back in 2015.
You can find all of my LEGO reviews on my LEGO page. 

We were sent our LEGO Empire Temple Of Madness for review