LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon review

LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon’s build isn’t all bad, but the set relies too heavily on its exclusive minifigure.

Introducing Wyldfyre to the theme, 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon takes a normal NINJAGO dragon and literally flips it on its head. Despite this, the build isn’t all that exciting or even functional and highlights the simplicity of the Imperium builds outside 71796 Elemental Dragon vs. The Empress Mech.

The new LEGO NINJAGO set’s source material is unknown for now as we await the launch of Dragons Rising, but it’s clear that Wyldfyre is the pinnacle of this build.

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon set details —

Theme: LEGO NINJAGO Set name: 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon Release date: June 1, 2023

Price: £46.99 / $54.99 / €52.99 Pieces: 479 Minifigures: 5

LEGO: Available June 1, 2023

— Where to buy LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon —

71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon launches, along with the rest of the Dragons Rising LEGO sets, on June 1 for £46.99 / $54.99 / €52.99. It includes 479 pieces made up of five minifigures, a dragon and an Imperium vehicle.

[bdproduct search=’71793′ sort=’discount’ numberOfRecord=’1′ brand=” sliderMinValues=’0′ sliderMaxValues=’750′]

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon build —

With a name like 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon, the fiery design of the dragon is a bit more muted than should ideally be the case, not showing off any elements and featuring colours that you might not expect from lava. The shades of purple are a bit confusing, but ultimately add an appealing and unexpected colour to the design.

It’s disappointing to see so many grey pieces on show, but it’s not as much of a problem on dragons as it is on other brick-built figures. It would also be nice to see more physical representation of the heat and lava, instead of just stickers.

The dragon also appears to have a posture problem, which- no, wait, that’s just its main function. The ‘transforming’ feature in 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon involves simply flipping the dragon upside down and rotating the head and legs for a very different look. This is said to be its battle mode with easier access to the shooting dragon core as its main offensive ability. This is done through a small and simple lever using Technic pieces.

Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t work nearly as well as you’d hope. The dragon tends to buckle when attempting to press the Technic piece down to activate the mechanism, and the Technic bricks used bend heavily as the dragon core is far too secure to be ejected. This doesn’t appear to be an intended feature of this piece and it’s hard not to wonder what repeated brute force will do to the set.

71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon’s opposition is a flying Imperium vehicle with a claw to grab the dragon in mid-air. This build is underwhelming to say the least, and extremely simple to put together. Had its claw been able to open rather than just static, it would have been a lot more impressive and playable – but as it stands, this part of the NINJAGO model is just a waste of pieces.

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon characters —

It’s not all bad news in 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon, as the minifigure selection is one of the best in the new wave. You’ve got the usual suspects including Kai, Lloyd and even Lord Ras who comes in a few other sets. Lord Ras’s head piece is new but does an awful job of showing his detailed moulding. Some additional printing could have fixed this.

Wyldfyre and the rare Imperium Claw Hunter are the highlights of the build, with the latter offering the new armoured helmet in gold. The brick isn’t quite as bulky as it was suspected to be and that’s a good thing in our books. Seeing the custom minifigures using this helmet in the future should prove interesting and exciting.

Wyldfyre is exclusive to 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon and her minifigure is excellent, reusing the Monkie Kid element from 80032 Chang’e Moon Cake Factory. Admittedly the rabbit motif doesn’t make much sense here – at least without seeing the full context from the series. Her single angry expression is a bit disappointing as there is room for another here, possibly more neutral in its mood.

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon price —

71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon will set you back £46.99 / $54.99 / €52.99 when it launches on June 1, 2023, and based on the contents, this price feels acceptable, until you consider the functions and the lacklustre Imperium build.

A slight discount in price would have gone miles in furthering the value of this set and as it stands, its apparent focus on the exclusive Wyldfyre minifigure seems to be one of the only reasons why it is as expensive as it is.

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon pictures —

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon pros and cons —

Part of the build and the functions in 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon don’t quite manage to hit the mark, and as good as the minifigure selection is, this is a tough set to recommend compared to other entries in the new wave.

Those who want to add Wyldfyre to their collection will need this set as she’s exclusive here, but she just doesn’t manage to carry the rest of the model. You should wait for a discount on this build before buying it.

71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon pros	71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon cons
Exclusive Wyldfyre minifigure	Weak Imperium build
Dragon is elegant with an interesting colour scheme	Not all transformations are equal
	Shooting function is far too stiff

This set was provided for review by the LEGO Group.

Support the work that Brick Fanatics does by decorating your home using our affiliate links.

— Alternatives to LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon —

The closest set in price (in most regions), size, minifigure count and style to 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon is the similarly new 80047 Mei’s Guardian Dragon and it could be just the excuse you need to explore Monkie Kid, now that the two themes are crossing over through Wyldfyre’s hairpiece.

You can pick up 80047 Mei’s Guardian Dragon from June 1 too for £46.99 / $74.99 / €52.99, with four minifigures and 605 pieces all going towards the dragon.

— LEGO NINJAGO 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon FAQs —