Destiny’s Bounty has been the transportation of choice since the very start of LEGO® NINJAGO®, and we’ve seen many sets showcasing the flying ship already. When I did a search for them all, I was surprised to find only 6 versions (not counting 71756 Hydro Bounty). I'd felt sure we got a new ship for each season. 

Products in this article were provided by LEGO®; the author's opinions are their own.LEGO® NINJAGO® 71797 Destiny’s Bounty - Race Against TimeUS$159.99/ £129.99/ 149.99€/ AU$249.99 1740 partsJune 2023Buying from LEGO.com? Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

Before we start building, let's go through all the interesting new elements found inside the box.

Destiny's Bounty brings us 4 new molds:

The dragon is a single molded piece, so no moving parts, and made out of standard ABS. I was hoping the wings might be a more rubbery plastic, like used in some of the recent LEGO® Jurassic World™ raptors. Aside from an anti-stud underneath each leg, I was unable to spot any official connection points. There is a hole underneath the hollow head, but it’s too small to fit a 3.18mm bar. 

The new slope is an interesting piece, to say the least. The part has a footprint of 3 x 3 modules plus a protruding curve at the front, and for some reason has a cutout at the front center. I have not been able to find an existing curved brick that fits inside, so I’m not sure why it’s there. 

The whole brick is 1 brick high at its highest point, but the top features a curved sloped surface as well. The sides also don’t seem to line up with existing elements. The Slope Curved 3 x 2 with Stud Notch comes close, but is not a perfect match. So as a stand-alone element, this new mold might be interesting, but incorporating it into a build next to other bricks might be tricky.

The sword features an interesting connection option: The hilt features a bar connection set under a 45 degree angle, as well as a straight bar in the hilt and the blade. There are some limitations though: the bar in the blade and the angled one have a tight space to move around, limiting their turning radius, as shown by the light gray clips. 

The straight bar in the hilt has a larger radius, but only when nothing is connected to the angled bar, as shown by the dark gray clip. Underneath the hilt is a hole that can fit a bar; unfortunately the holes on the side of the hilt are non-standard. Despite the limitations, it’s still a very pretty piece of weaponry.

Wedge Curved 10 x 3 Right in Bright Red/ Red (6218836 | 50956) and Wedge Curved 10 x 3 Left in Bright Red/ Red (6218833 | 50955) were both introduced in 2005. After that they appeared once in 2008, to reappear 12 years later in another version of Destiny's Bounty; set 71705.

The set comes with 6 minifigures, some familiar and some new. First, let's see the familiar faces; 2 ninja and Master Wu.

He has a very familiar face, as his head has appeared in 15 sets. The other parts have a similar story, and the complete figure has been used in 2 sets prior.

On to the new characters.

One of the new ‘goodies’ in the series:

The other new ‘goodie’ in the set:

And lastly, the only ‘baddie’ in the set:

The heads are of the new mold with 2 vent holes in the stud, previously only seen in translucent plastics (28621). The opaque version has a different Design ID: 3274. The two molds appear identical, though.

Let’s start building.

The first step is Sora’s dragon. The design is a bit simple, but looks well enough for the size. The legs don’t have a knee-joint, so there are not many posing options. The platform on top can be rotated and the stud shooters can be raised for aiming.

On to the ship itself. The first bags lay the foundation; a sturdy frame with interesting angle-work in the front and a lot of SNOT on the sides for the bodywork.

The ship flies using both the engines and wings on top. The position of the wings can be changed using a round brick on top.

The finished ship is bigger than I expected, but due to the sleek design it’s not very heavy and can be swooshed around with ease. The ship itself is sturdy and can handle some play, but the ‘wings’ on the engines on the sides are more fragile, and re-attaching them takes some effort, as they are placed under a precise angle.

The model has some interesting details. I was disappointed at first by the large gap at the front, as it limits the play area significantly. As it turns out, it houses the dragon, with its head sticking out as a figurehead at the bow. It looks great, and the way the dragon fits in is cleverly done. Still, it takes up a lot of deck space.

At the stern we find 3 decks. The top deck houses Riyu, along with food. The roof folds open to allow access. In the middle is the captain's quarters. At the bottom is the living area with beds, a game console and a blackboard tracking their progress and theories. The addition of Lloyd’s old mask is a nice touch, if you have watched the series already (highly recommended).

The engines in the back look beautiful with their Trans-Light Blue tiles, and feels like a mix between LEGO Ninjago and LEGO Monkie Kid. The engines can rotate to let the ship rise or descent.

There have been multiple Bounty sets already, but I think this version offers enough new features and looks to warrant its existence. The previous edition, 71705 Destiny's Bounty, is from 2020 and shows a very different ship, so the new one doesn’t really feel like a retread. Children and children-at-heart will have a great time building and playing.

There are some interesting recolors, but they appear in low quantities, so purely as a MOC feeder the set might be too big and expensive, unless there are more common parts that you happen to be hunting for as well.

The big question now is: why the inclusion of “Race Against Time” in the set name?

LEGO® NINJAGO® 71797 Destiny’s Bounty - Race Against TimeUS$159.99/ £129.99/ 149.99€/ AU$249.991740 partsJune 2023Buying from LEGO.com? Please consider using our affiliate links, we may get a commission: USA LEGO Shop | Australia LEGO Shop | UK LEGO Shop.

READ MORE: All the new LEGO® parts for July 2023

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