Ninjago is definitely a leading theme when it comes to mechs.
When LEGO announced this new Fire Knight Mech “Ninjago Legends Edition” I couldn’t ignore it.
As a mech enthusiast, I wanted to explore the potential of this product from a photographic point of view, so thanks LEGO and Brickcentral for giving me the chance.

The Set

Let’s quickly talk about the set. It’s essentially a diorama from which you can detach the mech, the small boat, and, with a bit of care, even the sea monster.
The diorama looks great on display, but from a photographic perspective, it offers very little. One shot and that’s it: static pose completed.

Also, the base isn’t very photogenic, so you need to be careful not to include the black edge in your photos, which could be challenging.

The Sea Monster

The monstrous part of the diorama is represented by this gigantic squid-like creature.
The color combination is beautiful. It also features six tentacles, five of which are highly poseable thanks to ball joints, allowing for various attack poses.

The ability to completely detach it from the base, along with its tentacles (all but one), is definitely a plus, and a huge help for your pirate setups when you want to stage a kraken attack.

The Mech

Now for the centerpiece of the set: the mech.
It’s beautiful, very well designed, but most importantly, highly poseable.

Poseability is key to good photography, and this mech delivers.
With a whopping 26 points of articulation, it allows for great customization of poses.

When moving it, you need to be a bit careful as some parts can fall off easily (looking at you, fingers).
The cockpit is well integrated and almost entirely hides the pilot. So you can choose whether to include it or not, in most shots it will hardly be noticeable unless you’re shooting from above.

You can rotate the torso, but not tilt it, and the default pose leans slightly forward. I would’ve preferred a more upright position, but you can’t really adjust it without removing a few pieces.

The mech comes with an awesome fabric cape. The solution LEGO used to hold it in place in the diorama is interesting, but I strongly advise against using it for photos because it clearly shows the support.
Remove it and use other tricks to pose it dynamically.

I compared it with what I consider the best mech ever, also from the Ninjago line, the 71821 Titan Dragon Mech.
That behemoth is definitely larger and shows a more “professional” look despite costing less.

Conclusion

If you’re into mechs, this one is a must-have.
It’s probably the second-best mech after the Titan Dragon, but if you can only pick one for your photos, I might go with the other.
Unless space is an issue: in that case, go with this one, as it’s slightly smaller.

Behind the scenes

I photographed this set mostly using water, since it’s a central element in the diorama where the monster emerges.

I wanted to have some fun with the mech, recreating various scenes in the water. I was able to do this because the legs can be easily removed—they’re attached with a peg.
To achieve the water effect, I used simple cellophane. For the clouds, I used the technique explained here, hiding a light source to create a more realistic effect.