LEGO Ninjaga 70751 User manual

70751

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TEMPLE OF AIRJITZU
This is the place where Sensei Yang invented the lost
art of Airjitzu. Sensei Yang trained for most of his life to
master this airborne style of fighting, but by the time he
finally did, he had become a very old man. He decided
to pass on his legacy and started accepting students. In
the beginning, he was a respected and admired master,
and students even raised a statue in front of the temple
in his honor. But knowing that his time was coming to an
end, he became impatient and was very hard on students
who failed to live up to his strict code of discipline and
unusual training methods. A common practice was
locking up his students in the attic to make sure they had
time to reflect on why they failed to succeed in an Airjitzu
training session.
Very little is known of what went on behind the temple
walls, but the fact that none of his students ever left the
temple has given rise to much speculation and many
legends and rumors. Sensei Yang became known as
“The Sensei without Students,” and people made
sure to keep their distance from the temple.
It is now believed that the ghost of Sensei
Yang haunts the temple, and that
anyone who enters and does not exit
again before sunrise will themselves
become a ghost. Over the years, the
temple has fallen into disrepair and
has become a popular tourist site.
That was a bit of the grim history of the Temple of
Airjitzu... What will the future hold for it? You will just
have to make up your own story or keep following
the story of LEGO NINJAGO to find out. It would be a
pretty cool headquarters for the ninja, wouldn’t it?

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TEMPLE OF AIRJITZU
Little is known about the origin of this historic
location. No one knows who built it or when, but
it has been around since the EDO period. Many
suspect that it is even older than that, and once
was the dojo of the First Spinjitzu Master.
NINJAGO CITY
The biggest city in all of the NINJAGO world. The city
has seen its share of action and was the main site of
the attacks of the Great Devourer, the Overlord, the
Stone Warriors, the evil Nindroids, and the Golden
Master. But NINJAGO City has always prevailed, and
although the city has seen much conflict, destruction,
and transformation, the citizens are still
honest and hard-working people.
THE WAILING ALPS
One of the highest and coldest peaks in the
NINJAGO world. The chilling winds that rush this
mountain range make a distinct and frightening
sound. The Wailing Alps are the location of the
Hypnobrai tomb, and a huge tornado that rages
through the area, called the Blind Man’s Eye, is said
to be a passageway to another Realm.

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DESIGNERS
AdrIan Florea and Thomas Parry
Can you explain a little about the process of designing the
Temple of Airjitzu model?
Sure! When I started working on the Temple of Airjitzu, I
had already been working on all things LEGO NINJAGO
for more than four years, so you could say that I was
very familiar with the universe, the tone of voice, and of
course our team of ninjas. We have been equipping our
ninjas with state-of-the-art vehicles, glorious dragons,
and frightening enemies year after year, but we felt that
they’ve been missing something to provide context. A
chance to build a large model came up, and my mind
was set on the direction from the start. I could finally
use all the bits and builds that I have been keeping
in boxes around my desk. In the end, the model still
reflects a strong LEGO NINJAGO fantasy-inspired look,
with some features that might not be based on reality.
How did you get the inspiration for this set?
It’s difficult not to get inspired when digging up
references on Asian architecture. The main idea for
the model and the layout was to provide our main
characters with an environment where they could
take a break from saving the NINJAGO world. The
centerpiece pagoda is luxurious and intricate, while
the blacksmith’s shop has a humble feel to it. The
contrast is clear in the differences between the
buildings such as the color, roof styles, windows, and
the purpose they serve. Too much contrast can cause
confusion, so I set up the base layout to be visually
symmetrical with the fountain serving as the center.
What were some of the challenges you faced?
Knowing when to stop! The village had the potential
to grow in so many different directions, but it was
important to represent the essentials. The idea of
the shadow theater came later in the
process, which meant that it had
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to be thought out efficiently and as quickly as
possible. Determining how to cast the shadows
on the foil screen was a complicated process. Some
of the early versions had overlapping elements
that created interesting shapes and even dragons
with the light-brick turned on. One version involved
more movement but turned out to be too finicky.
Another challenge with the theater was building the
mechanism that activates the turntable and light-
brick simultaneously, since we can’t allow the light to
be triggered constantly, which would run down the
battery. Challenges like these are fun at the end of the
day when it all comes together and works as it should.
What’s your favorite part of the model?
It’s tricky to pinpoint one favorite part, but I am definitely
happy with the visual effect of the shadow play, as it’s the
first feature of this kind to be added in a model. I have
found myself staring at it as if it’s telling an old folktale
with its minimal language.
What was the toughest part of the model to design?
The Temple (pagoda) has proven to be the trickiest.
The unique layout it has, being situated in the corner,
came with unexpected surprises. Each level had to
be different in width, because the first floor has a
passage on the outside, which means the walls had
to be pushed in, and they would pop out by a stud on
the next floor only to be narrowed down again on the
last floor. The smooth curves of the roofs that have to fit
with the rigid base shape of the building were a tough
challenge from day one. The temple roof layout was
built very differently at first, using tiny ball joints to get
the angles just right. It looked nice, but was needlessly
complex.
Tell us a little about how you came to work at The LEGO
Group.
I graduated with a degree in Industrial Design, and have
been putting LEGO bricks together since 2010. My very
first models were designed for LEGO NINJAGO. I was
happy to discover that the people who were interested
in hiring me had known about my models that I had
been building with LEGO bricks in my spare time as an
AFOL [Adult Fan Of LEGO bricks].
What’s your favorite LEGO NINJAGO set?
The Fire Temple still holds a special place in my heart,
and a close second would be the second Destiny’s
Bounty. I tend to get drawn in by ridiculous features
that seem to be the signature of so
many LEGO NINJAGO sets.
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DESIGN PROCESS
The model is close to its final version. The symmetrical
layout has started to take shape, and the different
heights of the buildings make for an interesting
outline. You can tell that there is a focal point where
the statue is in the middle of the fountain and the
sides extend to fit the two extra buildings. I really get
attached to small details such as the tree shade on
the rooftop of the blacksmith’s shop, so I ended up
adding dried leaves to get a similar effect.
Rough quick
sketches that
helped me get
comfortable
with the
difficult-to-
build shapes
that are
common to
Asian-style
buildings.
The smuggler’s market has stayed mostly untouched
with its open structure. The difficult part was deciding
on a roof. The garage door segments allowed me at
least two options for soft shapes that would reflect
the symbolic style. In the end, the more recognizable
and intricate double roof was chosen. More details
were added with time, such as the fishing rods, crates,
and pathway. I am very fond of the two chickens that
have taken up residence in the vicinity, probably lured
in by the smell of baguettes.
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DESIGN FACTS
A very modest-looking house,
which in the early days of
development set the tone of
voice all the way to the final
version. At this point, I knew
I wanted to include at least
one building that had an
interesting wooden structure
in its walls. This came to life
in the blue blacksmith’s shop. Early on in the process of designing, I was very inspired by the freedom
that a model this size offers. Detailed cliffs and wild trees were something
I’ve always wanted to build as part of a model. The cliff went down in size
and was replaced by the pagoda-inspired structure. In this early sketch,
the direction was different and I wanted to throw in some references to
Darkley’s Boarding School for Bad Boys and the NINJAGO City Museum,
although it made little sense for them to stand side by side.
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CHARACTER OVERVIEW
the NINJA
KAI JAY ZANE
COLE LLOYD NYA WU
Although any one ninja is
powerful, as a team, they are
almost unstoppable. The ninja
help each other, support each
other, and in battle, they are
always watching each other’s
backs. While they have their
share of arguments, each one
will risk anything for his friends
and the team.

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The Postman
CLAIRE
MISAKO
DARETH
JESPER
The hardest-working man
on NINJAGO Island.
A former post office
worker, this postman
decided as he
reached retirement
age that he needed
to get more fresh air
and exercise. He started
delivering the mail
(and packages with
new ninja outfits) himself,
but alas, he had not
taken into account how dangerous the
NINJAGO world could be.That’s why he has
developed a wide variety of strange vehicles
that can help him get the mail out to even
the most remote locations.
Employed to make
Yang’s Haunted Temple
into a pristine tourist
attraction, he
unfortunately hasn’t
been doing a very
good job. It’s difficult
to take care of a
haunted temple when
you’re afraid of ghosts.
He is a very skilled
landscaper and gardener,
but his fear keeps him at
a distance, so the grounds far from the
temple are much better kept than the
temple itself. If the temple is one day
cleared of its ghoulish reputation, then he
will undoubtedly do a great job. Until then,
it’s good that he has his daughter…
The polar opposite of her
father, she hangs around
the Temple all the time,
not afraid to do some
repairs and whatever
else her father is too
frightened to do.
In fact, she LOVES
ghost stories, and in
secret she spends as
much time as she can
investigating the
Haunted Temple.
She knows every nook
and cranny, and has pretty much
unraveled all of the mysteries and dark
secrets of the temple…but she keeps it
to herself because she doesn’t want to
scare anybody, especially her father.
Misako is an
archaeologist
for the NINJAGO
Museum of History
and Lloyd’s mother.
Her commitment to
her research,
particularly in figuring
out how to prevent the
prophecy of the Green
Ninja from coming true,
kept her away from
Lloyd throughout much
of his life. Her knowledge and expertise
become key to the ninja team’s epic journey.
Dareth is the owner of
a small dojo called
Grand Sensei Dareth’s
Mojo Dojo, where he
teaches a small group
of students.
Dareth is a laid-back
teacher, but a little full
of himself. He often
tries to prove that he’s
good enough to be one of
the ninja, though he usually
fails miserably. Nonetheless,
Dareth remains a devoted
friend and supporter of the team.

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MOVIE THEATER
v
The shadow theater in the model tells a story that is simple
enough to be interpreted in many different ways. The
silhouettes might even be spirits trapped under the temple,
forever reliving their moment of glory, learning how to master
the secrets of Airjitzu in an epic fight. But was it their last
fight?
The snake for me represents the Great Devourer, the
ultimate baddie in the Year of the Snake, and one of the
most impactful villains in the LEGO NINJAGO world. The mini
Great Devourer could be sneaking in for a bite, and spinning
in circles is the best way to defend against the venomous
fiend. If you try moving the snake closer to the light-brick,
the shadow will grow, and you can recreate a scene of
Garmadon and his brother Wu fending off the powerful foe.