LEGO NINJAGO's Old Town is technically in NINJAGO City

LEGO NINJAGO 71861 The Old Town isn't a NINJAGO City model, but that doesn't mean that the original location isn't within the fictional cityscape.

71861 The Old Town is next year's biggest LEGO NINJAGO set so far, launching on January 1, 2026, with nearly 5,000 pieces for £269.99. / $299.99 / €299.99. As the centrepiece of NINJAGO's 15th-anniversary celebrations, you might have been expecting a new NINJAGO City entry, but this model is intended to be something else.

Despite the differences and alternate target audience, 71861 The Old Town designer Lee Chi Wing has explained that the town model is technically a part of NINJAGO City by way of the animated series. Though the model is something original, that's not to say that it's non-canon to the story of the theme.

"This location is actually going to be in Dragons Rising Season 4," stated Lee to Bricks By Mind. "It's going to be a canonical location. The way it happened is actually that the model came first, and then the writers were looking at our product line-up, and they came up with a brilliant way of writing it in. Because of that. You will see bits and pieces of the model in the show, but it's not going to look exactly the same."

It wouldn't be the first time that major LEGO NINJAGO releases appeared in the show, such as 70751 Temple of Airjitzu in The Hands of Time season, where it became the ninja's new base of operations.

There was also the cameo of 70620 NINJAGO City in Sons of Garmadon, acting as Dareth's Apartment. Though these are the only clear occurrences, it's enough to make it a special tradition for larger NINJAGO models. 71861 The Old Town seems likely to be integrated similarly, and the designer goes on to detail where it will appear in the fourth season of the series.

"In the show, when you see it, it's going to be in modern-day, where there are other skyscrapers built around it already, " Lee continues. "In my head, this model is more depicting the olden times, but I guess when you look across the minifigure line-up and the references, it's more like it exists in a vacuum of time. But in the show, it's going to be that one square in town that is still preserved, but the rest of the town is already built into the modern-day NINJAGO City."

Don't expect the minifigure selection in 71861 The Old Town to be canon, but it sounds like the model itself will be featured within NINJAGO City as a preserved slice of what NINJAGO City used to be back in the day. While the 2026 model isn't part of the NINJAGO City set collection, the location itself will be within the boundaries of NINJAGO City.

This is an interesting revelation, considering that the designer's pitch for the set included opening the door for an all-new NINJAGO model collection. NINJAGO City and this proposed town range aren't quite as different as first expected, but 71861 The Old Town isn't part of a collection just yet. It's a standalone build which will appear in the fourth season of Dragons Rising, the details of which have yet to be confirmed.

You can take a closer look at the contents of 71861 The Old Town in our thorough review for any potential hints regarding Season 4. Otherwise, the 4,851 model will be released on January 1, 2026, for £269.99 / $299.99 / €299.99.

Confirmed and rumoured LEGO NINJAGO 2026 sets

Head here for a complete round-up of LEGO 2026 sets.

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