LEGO ninjago movie annual 2018 review

The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018

2017 is almost over. And what's best to remind the people in the United Kingdom of that than next year's annuals! Starting of with The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018...

But first, a brief reminder of what annuals are. They are books published shortly before the end of each year, with the Christmas market as their target. Generally, annuals are large hardcover books centered on everything: sports, toys, celebrities, films, TV series... Everything! They feature various contents like text articles, comics, puzzles, etc. And some of them have freebies, like the LEGO ones. For 2018, four LEGO Annuals were released, namely, LEGO, LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO Ninjago Movie, and LEGO Star Wars. Interestingly, the LEGO one is published by Ladybird, and the other three are by Egmont. All of them have a recommended retail price of £7.99. But you can buy one at more or less half the price! Different book and toy stores have various promotions on these popular annuals. And if you can wait until later this year or early next year, these annuals will be reduced to just £1! There's just the risk of running out of stock though. Well, that's not at all brief, haha.

Moving on, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 is really made for the kids, with a recommended age of seven years old and above. There are numerous comics, puzzles, and activities about the latest LEGO film that can keep the little ninjas busy for hours. The art is strikingly colorful and beautiful. I really love the design, especially the graffiti style in some of the pages. It's just such a shame the artists were not credited for their amazing artwork. It would have been nice to associate the wonderfully drawn minifigures and brick pieces to the people who have created them.

For the freebie, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 comes with a Jay Walker minifigure. It's not really exclusive because you can also get one from the Movie Maker [5004394] polybag (which is not yet widely released as of writing). Individually, the parts are not exclusive as well. The hair piece is the same as in the Temple of the Ultimate Ultimate Weapon [70617] and the Collectible Minifigures [71019]. I'm surprised movie Jay has only two head pieces made, the selfie smiley one from the Collectible Minifigures [71019], and his default one just like below. It has two expression printed on each side, a half-smile, and a serious frown.

Jay Walker

Jay dons a white kimono for Spinjitzu training. Again, this is not exclusive. It's the same outfit that Nya wore in the Collectible Minifigures [71019], and the others (with the exception of Zane. For some reason, he doesn't have one) in various promotional sets. It's a great uniform though. It's really nice to see our ninjas wearing the same clothes before the multicolored Power Rangers-esque costumes.

For his accessory, Jay comes with his signature weapon, the flail. It's made of a chained blade connected to a stick.

Spinjitzu Training

All in all, The LEGO Ninjago Movie Official Annual 2018 is a good book with loads of fun activities and eye-catching visuals. The free Jay Walker minifigure is a sweet addition to any Ninjago collection. Actually, I think it would be nice to collect the whole gang in Spinjitzu training attires. Hmmm...

The LEGO Ninjago Movie widely comes out in the UK 13 October! And if you check your local cinemas, some are offering special advance screenings on 7 to 8 October! Go!