Lloyd's Mech Battle EVO — B- · The Brick Drop Score
B-
The Drop Score
Lloyd's Mech Battle EVO
71781-1 · Ninjago
Early read · 0 reviews
Lloyd's mech looks the part — chunky, colorful, poseable — but $20 for 234 pieces in 2023 is a tough sell when the theme regularly does more for less.
Is the price fair?D234 pieces at $20 is a stretch — the EVO concept is fun but the math isn't doing you any favors.
Will you love it?BThe dual build mechanic keeps it interesting, and Lloyd's mech has just enough personality to earn shelf time.
Holds its value?C-Ninjago EVO sets move in volume, which keeps secondary market prices flat — don't bank on appreciation.
True ValueD
$29
Street price
$22
Parts value
77%
Ratio
The parts alone are worth about 77% of the street price — the basis for this D price read.
What you get
Plain bricks
$13
Functional piecescalc
$2
Figures (×2)
$6
Premium you pay
Premium over parts
$7
FairParts are worth about 77% of the price — close to what the set is worth.
The Full Take
The EVO gimmick is genuinely clever: you build the mech in its base form, then upgrade it mid-play with parts included in the box. Lloyd's mech has solid proportions and shelf presence for its size, and the dual build states give kids a reason to keep coming back to it. The two minifigs are decent, though nothing you haven't seen before in a Ninjago wave. Where it stumbles is the price — $19.99 for 234 pieces feels thin compared to what competitors and even other Ninjago sets offer at the same tier. It's a fun set that works better as a gift than a deliberate purchase, and it holds a B- because the concept carries it past its price tag, barely.
