Now that we've seen both the box art and out-of-the-box pics of the 2011 NinjaGo sets, what new elements are there really? The short answer is, "not as much as I thought," but there's still a lot to like.
Although the molds are not new, we have the ninja minifigs in white, black, blue, and red. The torso and leg prints are new however.
There are couple of new skeleton elements including a large skull head and legs with 'boots' (The boots were likely necessary for the 'skelies' to attach to the spinner bases).
The most unique minifigs are an older 'sage' minifig with new wispy, white beard element and straw, conical hat. Previously you had to use a dish element to similar this type of head gear. There also appears to be a lone female minifig with a black bob hair piece and red garb.
A lot of the weapons appear to be older designs in classic colors; however, there are a few in new colors like the pearl gold for swords, spears, and maces. The new weapons are the three pointed throwing stars and a large bone. Although I originally thought there was a new 'kama' element on a chain, it looks like the kamas were brick-built but on a shorter pear gold chain element.
In the armor department, the skeletons have a torso element with attachments for horns. It is not known if this only fits a skeley torso or if they will fit standard minifigs too. The new, large skeleton head may also be like a bone helmet that fits a minifigure's head. The main bad guy appears to be sporting a new headgear, but it's too difficult to tell from the pics currently available.
So what do you think? Is NinjaGo worth taking for a spin?
(Pictures via Eurobricks)
