Skull Sorcerer's Dragon — B- · The Brick Drop Score
B-
The Drop Score
Skull Sorcerer's Dragon
71721-1 · Ninjago
Early read · 4 reviews
The Skull Sorcerer's Dragon is exactly the kind of Ninjago set that looks incredible on the box and then makes you wince at the register — $80 for 1017 pieces in 2020 was a tough sell, and the value never quite catches up to the ambition.
Is the price fair?DEighty dollars for this piece count in 2020 was a hard ask — the price grade is an F for a reason.
Will you love it?B-A big dragon and a villain with actual personality carry it to a solid B-, even if nothing here is groundbreaking.
Holds its value?C-Middling aftermarket, middling retirement prospects — a C- that says buy it to enjoy, not to bank on.
True ValueD
$138
Street price
$114
Parts value
82%
Ratio
The parts alone are worth about 82% of the street price — the basis for this D price read.
What you get
Plain bricks
$46
Printed & detailcalc
$1
Functional piecescalc
$33
Figures (×7)
$33
Premium you pay
Premium over parts
$24
FairParts are worth about 82% of the price — close to what the set is worth.
The Full Take
There's real spectacle here: a massive dragon, a skeleton sorcerer villain, seven minifigs including some solid Ninjago character variety, and a dungeon-ish build that gives kids a genuine world to play in. The dragon itself is the centerpiece and it delivers on shelf presence — wingspan, poseable limbs, the whole deal. But $79.99 in 2020 was a price point that demanded more, and 1017 pieces for that ask felt stretched even then. The build experience is competent without being inspired — plenty of SNOT work on the dragon's body, but nothing that'll make a seasoned builder stop and study a technique. For kids this is a B- kind of fun: big dragon, cool villain, lots of minifigs to stage battles with. The aftermarket hasn't been kind enough to make it a flip candidate either, so you're buying this because you want it, not because the market will reward you later.
