Twenty-two minifigs in one box is absurd, and NINJAGO City Gardens leans into that chaos without apology — a stacked skyline set that holds its own against far pricier modular fare.
Is the price fair?AFive thousand-plus pieces and a skyline to match — $350 is a fair ask for what shows up at your door.
Will you love it?B+The crowd, the color, the vertical sprawl — this one's easy to love once it's standing.
Holds its value?C-Retiring sets in this line haven't been big flippers; buy it because you want it, not because you're banking on it.
The Full Take
The third entry in the NINJAGO City trilogy pulls off something the other two only hinted at: a build that works as hard vertically as it does horizontally. Twenty-two minifigs is a number that should feel padded, but here it populates a city that actually needs the crowd. The tiered gardens, market stalls, and rooftop details give the whole thing a density that rewards a second look from across the room. At $349.99 for what you're getting in shelf presence, LEGO® priced this one without greed — a rarity in the large set tier. The build itself is long and layered, the kind of multi-session project that stays interesting deep into day two. Where it stumbles is the parts-per-dollar math isn't translating to wow moments inside the bags — a lot of the count is small filler that serves the look but not the builder's dopamine. Still, standing complete on a shelf next to City of Shintaro or the original, this trilogy closer holds its ground.
