More minifigures we needed in LEGO 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops

LEGO 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops is one of the smallest NINJAGO City sets but still has space for a few more minifigures, with many more characters still to cover.

The reveal of 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops may have you considering where the model is going to fit in the expansive NINJAGO City layout, admiring the builds and learning more about the minifigures, but the model is lacking in the latter compared to every other set in the series.

Despite it being bigger than 70657 NINJAGO City Docks, the set has three fewer minifigures – even when there are so many other characters and other original minifigures to depict using existing elements. Of the ten included minifigures, three are generic minifigures too which admittedly is common for NINJAGO City sets.

Here are seven more minifigures we'd liked to have seen in 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops, most of which would not need any new pieces and two that would.

7 – A mech cosplayer

One of the three generic minifigures would benefit from a mech-centric makeover, using pieces from various Collectible Minifigures series to create a cosplay of any of the many NINJAGO mechs, with the printing supporting the minifigure mech cosplay design.

This idea would pair perfectly with the model shop included at the top of the set, which sells models of many NINJAGO mechs.

6 – Geo

Cole's friend and partner Geo might not spend much time in NINJAGO City in the series, sticking to the Land of Lost Things instead, but we're not sure where else in NINJAGO a minifigure of the Elemental Master of Fusion would fit in aside from NINJAGO City.

Unfortunately, Geo's ears mean that a truly accurate minifigure would need a new element unless they were printed instead.

5 – Another Fabuland fan

Given the Fabuland Easter egg at the bottom of 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops, another minifigure referencing a classic theme would have been perfectly, remixing the torso seen in 70813 Rescue Reinforcements for a second Fabuland fan.

Otherwise, a minifigure fan or the original ninja subtheme of LEGO Castle would fit great in NINJAGO City.

4 – Kreel

Kreel is the co-owner of the Crossroads' junkyard, but her part-scavenging career makes her a perfect fit for 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops. While she has a complex design at first glance in the animated series, some compromises would still make for a great physical minifigure.

Using just the existing hair element featured heavily in LEGO City without the additional hat and eschewing the popped collar and printed arms would have been great for a realistic physical Kreel minifigure.

3 – Gandalaria

The mysteriously magical Gandalaria may not have much screen time in NINJAGO: Dragons Rising overall, but she's certainly made her presence known in the few episodes including her.

A physical minifigure of the character wouldn't be quite as challenging as Kreel, but would still require a compromise. While her hair exists as a piece without the hat, using the combined hat and hair combination element used for Tasha the Witch Queen would work well for Gandalaria. She doesn't fit quite as seamlessly in 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops as Kreel though.

2 – Grab-Barg

Despite the perfect piece being introduced (digitally) for Grab-barg in 2023, there's still no sign of the Mucoid character in NINJAGO sets or even the Mucoid Elemental Master of Life Zant-Tanz.

Both would need the digital-only shell element to be physically released for their minifigures and a new head element for their snail-like faces would be useful too, unless such details were to be printed.

1 – Dr. Julien

Despite passing away in the series a long time ago, Dr. Julien would have been an ideal minifigure for 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops. The inventor created Zane but died much earlier in NINJAGO's lifespan. This makes finding a place to release a minifigure of him more challenging, even though he uses only existing elements.

Since Zane is a major focus of 71837 NINJAGO City Workshops via minifigures of him and Pixal and an apartment dedicated to the character, it would have been the best possible time to debut a Dr. Julien minifigure – despite his death.

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