One of the designers behind next month's store-exclusive LEGO NINJAGO minifigures has shared context for the choices and a closer look.
As we continue to wait for the start of LEGO NINJAGO's 15th anniversary, including new sets and anniversary minifigures, a second collection of special minifigures was recently revealed to be coming to LEGO stores' Build-a-Minifigure towers starting next month. This unique selection of minifigures has a few exclusive parts and some unusual character choices, of which one of the design team behind them has now explained.
Senior Model Designer for NINJAGO, Lee Chi Wing, has revealed that he was part of the team that brought these minifigures to life, and has been provided with a full set that he has taken photos of and shared online.
"The graphics team was kind enough to invite me to the kickoff meeting as a 'consultant', knowing that I'm a fan," writes Lee on Instagram.
"However, I was so excited about the opportunity to get more characters checked off my wishlist on top of the mainline products, I immediately went down the rabbit hole of drafting up all the possible options to optimise the use of given frames and budget to fill the seven slots. After presenting them at the meeting, everyone kind of just trusted my choices and went with it."
The designer goes on to detail why these seven characters were picked from the hundreds of possibilities. Though the character himself isn't uncommon, Dareth in his brown ninja outfit is rare and has only appeared in two previous sets from over 10 years ago. Now, the brown ninja is going to be a lot easier for fans, old and new, to collect.
Nya, in her blue kimono from March of the Oni, has been a dream minifigure for Lee, but he explains that her proper hair is not available in black currently, so the team have had to settle for the version that appears in next year's Legacy sets. As he notes, the torso and leg decorations are what are important here. P.I.X.A.L. in a casual outfit is even rarer than Dareth, and this is a new costume for her to wear when not in battle. This means that her original Rebooted outfit remains exclusive, but she has another casual clothing option now
The designer then details the trio of child minifigures, stating that they needed at least one standard ninja in the mix of parts and that Lloyd was the best option. Sora and Arin's child minifigures go well together since they share a backstory, and the designer points out that Sora's torso can be used for other Imperium characters. Remember, you get three torsos in a single Build-a-Minifigure purchase.
Oni Mystake is the most enticing of the new minifigures for fans, and the designer does not detail why she was picked for one of the seven slots, beyond him being a huge fan of the Hunted season. Considering how rare Oni minifigures are in general, it's unlikely that any fans are going to complain either way. The designer closes by thanking graphic designers Franciska and Mike for doing much of the work in designing the decorations for these minifigures.
The seven minifigures are going to be in Build-a-Minifigure stations in LEGO stores worldwide from January 1, 2026. These are separate from the seven anniversary NINJAGO minifigures scattered across the new Legacy sets, some of which are also launching on January 1.
Featured image: Lee Chi Wing
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