JMBricklayer Shadow Dragon 70014 Review

JMBricklayer Shadow Dragon 70014 Review

The JMBricklayer Shadow Dragon 70014 is a substantial 2,760+ piece fantasy build with integrated lighting and a pretty imposing presence.

I've reviewed a lot of alternative brick sets at this point, but this is something a little different. A huge black dragon, covered in translucent purple elements, sitting on a display base and packed with lighting. It's exactly the sort of unusual display set that's going to get my attention.

At $119.99, there's certainly a lot in the box. Get yours here! 

Packaging & Instructions

Packaging is very good and there are a few little things JMBricklayer do here that I really like.

Despite having multiple bags for each stage, they've colour coded them. It's such a simple thing, but it makes sifting through the bags much easier. Rather than constantly checking numbers, you can pretty quickly grab everything you need by colour.

Is it essential? Absolutely not. But it's a nice touch and starts to improve the build experience before you've even started.

And the extras don't stop there. You get a well-equipped little kit to help with the build, including the most amazingly cute little thumb and finger protectors. I've genuinely never had finger protectors included with a building set before!

There's also a useful kit for installing the lighting, which I'll come back to later.

The instruction manual itself is very good quality. It's nicely printed and there are notes throughout warning you about particularly fiddly sections of the build.

There is one thing I don't particularly like. As you move through the instructions, only the pieces you're currently adding are shown in colour. Everything you've previously built is faded out.

I understand why they've done it, but it means you can't always use colour as a reference point to work out exactly where the next pieces are going. It's not a massive problem, but there were definitely a few occasions where it made things slightly more difficult than they needed to be.

Other than that, presentation is good. The box is nicely presented, the manual feels quality and the graphics are clean and crisp.

A good first impression.

The Build

The actual build is a tricky one to review.

It's quite repetitive in places and we're dealing predominantly with black, purple and translucent purple, so it's not exactly the most dynamic colour palette to spend several hours building with. There are sections that feel a little long.

That said, the dragon steadily starts to come together and there are some enjoyable moments during the build.

The spine was probably my favourite. Once you start adding all those translucent purple elements and see them running along the dragon, you get some nice little moments of delight as everything starts coming together.

That's really the story of the build for me. There are sections that drag, but the further you get into it, the more you start to see what you're working towards.

It's not the most exciting build I've done, and I think the repetition does take something away from the experience. The payoff is really the finished model rather than the journey to get there.

Brick Quality

Brick quality is a mixed bag for me.

Colour consistency was good and the bricks themselves generally look and feel fine. The clutch is where I had issues, and weirdly I found problems in both directions.

Some of the connections are really tight. You have to put quite a bit of pressure on them to get everything properly connected. Maybe that's why they give you the finger protectors!

But then there were also areas where the clutch wasn't quite strong enough. I had sections come away a few times while moving and working on the model.

It's not enough to ruin the build, but the inconsistency is noticeable and it's something I'd like to see improved.

I do think it's important to remember what this actually is. It's a display model. Once it's finished and sitting on a shelf, most of these issues aren't going to matter. If this were something designed for play, I'd be considerably more critical.

Ultimately it all comes together, but the clutch is probably the weakest part of the set for me.

Design & Detail

The overall design works well.

Obviously the dragon is the main event, but there's more going on around it. At the back we get the treasure that all dragons apparently have to guard. It's a nice little detail and gives the base something more than simply being somewhere for the dragon to sit.

We also get the Guardian Rider figure, which I liked. The helmet is very Shredder-esque, and I'm absolutely fine with that.

The strongest part of the design for me is the use of the translucent elements. They provide some much-needed contrast against the predominantly black dragon, but more importantly they've clearly been positioned with the lighting in mind.

This isn't a model where somebody has designed a dragon and then thought, "Let's stick some lights in it." The lighting feels like it was considered as part of the design from the beginning.

Outside of that, I don't think the design is doing anything revolutionary. It's a good-looking dragon with some nice detailing, but it's the way the design works with the lighting that makes it more interesting for me.

Lighting

The lighting kit is superb.

It's well integrated into the build, the wiring is mostly well hidden and the instructions guide you through installing everything as you go. The little installation kit provided is genuinely useful too.

The battery system works extremely well and the whole thing feels properly thought through.

The model works without the lights, but once you switch them on, that's what sets this apart. All those translucent purple elements suddenly come alive and the effect is excellent.

I've built a lot of sets with lighting now and there's a massive difference between a building set that has a lighting kit and a building set that's actually been designed around lighting. This feels like the latter.

The installation, integration and final performance all work together brilliantly. I really can't find much to criticise here.

For me, the lighting is easily one of the strongest parts of the set.

Display

The Shadow Dragon has some serious presence on display.

It's big, it has some real heft to it and it certainly grabs your attention. The size is probably one of its biggest strengths.

Even without the lighting, there's enough going on to make it an interesting display piece. Interestingly, the fairly limited black and purple colour palette that becomes repetitive during the build works considerably better once everything is finished.

Turn the lights on and that's when the display really works.

The purple lighting against the black dragon is very effective and it genuinely lights the room. It's not subtle, and I don't think it's supposed to be.

There are more detailed or intricate display models out there, but for sheer presence this does a very good job.

Value for Money

At the time of writing, the Shadow Dragon is $119.99 for more than 2,760 pieces. That works out at roughly 4.35 cents per piece.

Price per piece isn't everything. It never is. You can manipulate that number pretty easily with hundreds of tiny pieces, but it's still a useful starting point and, on paper, 2,760+ pieces for $119.99 looks competitive.

The finished model is also substantial. This isn't 2,760 pieces disappearing into a relatively small build. The dragon is big and has some real weight to it.

You also get the Guardian Rider, treasure, display base, integrated lighting, battery system and the various extras supplied to help with construction and installation.

There is plenty in the box, but the brick quality does hold the value proposition back for me. A low price per piece doesn't completely compensate for inconsistent clutch, and the repetitive nature of the build also has to be considered.

So I think the value is good rather than exceptional. You're getting a large illuminated display piece for $119.99, but there are compromises along the way.

Final Thoughts

The Shadow Dragon is an interesting set. There are things I really like about it, but there are also some areas where I think JMBricklayer could improve.

The build can become repetitive and the limited colour palette doesn't help with that. More importantly, the clutch needs to be more consistent. Some connections are unnecessarily tight while others aren't quite strong enough, and that's probably my biggest criticism of the set.

The finished model is where it starts to win me back. It's big, has plenty of weight to it and has a strong presence on display. The Guardian Rider and treasure are nice additions, and the use of the translucent elements works particularly well.

But the lighting is unquestionably the star. It's the one area where I have very little criticism. The installation is well handled, the battery system works well, the wiring is mostly hidden and the final effect transforms the model.

Without the lighting, I think this is a decent dragon display model with some flaws. With the lighting, it becomes something considerably more interesting.

That's probably the most important distinction for me. It's not the best build experience I've had and the brick quality has room for improvement, but the finished model does what it's supposed to do.

It's a big, imposing illuminated dragon and it looks very good on display.

Scores

Build Experience: 7/10

Repetitive in places and the limited colour palette can make some sections feel long. There are enjoyable moments, but the finished model is stronger than the actual journey to get there.

Brick Quality: 6.5/10

Good colour consistency and generally decent feel, but the inconsistent clutch lets it down.

Design: 7.5/10

A good overall design with some nice details. Its strongest feature is how effectively it has been designed around the lighting.

Lighting: 9/10

Superb. Well integrated, well instructed and incredibly effective. The standout feature of the set.

Display: 8.5/10

Big, substantial and imposing. The lighting adds considerably to an already strong display piece.

Value for Money: 7.5/10

A lot of pieces, a substantial finished model and an excellent lighting system for $119.99, although the brick quality and build experience prevent it scoring higher.

Overall: 8/10