Before a wider range of sets is released next year, the LEGO® Dragon Ball theme has kicked things off with a LEGO Icons set. Set 11390: Shenron & Goku is inspired by the original Toei Animation series, Dragon Ball. The popular Japanese series began life as a manga created by Akira Toriyama, which then inspired the anime series, first broadcast in the late 80s. The world of Dragon Ball gained global popularity in the 90s. The story is loosely based on the classic Chinese fable, Journey to the West and follows the adventures of Son Goku. On a version of Earth dubbed Dragon World, a set of magical balls could be used to summon the wish-granting dragon, Shenlong, also known as Shenron. It’s that mighty dragon which is featured in this upcoming set. Here’s a closer look at what it has to offer.
Product Details
Set Name: Dragon Ball: Shenron & Goku | Set Number: 11390 | Pieces: 1764 | Theme: Icons
Number of Bags: Bags x 14 | Instructions: Paper booklet + Builder App | Stickers: N/A | Characters: Son Goku
RRP: £54.99 / 59.99€ / $59.99 / 99.99AUD / 84.99CAD
Availability: LEGO Stores, LEGO Online & selected retailers from Nov 1st (Insiders) Nov 4th (General)
Known as Shenron in the popular English dub of the Dragon Ball anime, the mighty dragon is the focus of the Dragon Ball set. But before you tackle the wish-granting creature, the build begins with a display stand and column. These act as an anchor for Shenron. Surprisingly, Shenron’s body is only connected to the stand in two places. The upper part of the body is fixed to the top of the column, and the lower part of Shenron’s body is fixed to the plinth. The rest of the dragon then fixes to the two pieces, with a small stack of rubber connectors, found on the back of the column, acting as a place to rest part of Shenron’s winding body.
There is a lot of repetition in building Shenron’s body, but I have to say the final result is most definitely worth it. Once the various sections of the body are complete and fixed together, they portray Shenron emerging from the United Dragon Ball and weaving around the stone-like column.
One of the key characters of the Dragon Ball series is Goku. In the early Dragon Ball stories he is shown in his younger year, where is it known as Son Goku. This younger version of the character is featured in the year, riding his Flying Nimbus, a magical yellow cloud gifted to Goku by Master Roshi. The LEGO version is mounted to the base and sits alongside Shenron, where it can also hold the Son Goku minifigure.
As the younger version of Goku, the minifigure uses the shorter, articulated legs. Due to Goku’s Saiyan heritage, he also features a tail, which uses the monkey tail element. Thankfully, the section of the tail, which slots over the legs, has the front edge coloured black, so it neatly fits in with the print detail on the legs of the torso. But to truly capture Goku’s iconic appearance, a new hairpiece has been created. It’s similar to the hairpieces used in the Eco Force sets. It will certainly return in the 2027 Dragon Ball sets.
With the rest of the set complete, the final flourish is the set of seven Dragon Balls which are mounted onto the base of the display platform. These elements are each printed with tiny stars to denote which of the mystical artefacts they are. When combined the summon Shenron and in this set, they are display behind a printed tile featuring the classic Dragon Ball logo and also appear as if Shenron which bursting from the combined power.
In recent years, the LEGO Group has started to seek inspiration for new sets from beyond the usual high-profile films and TV shows. After growing partnerships with popular Japanese game franchises such as Sonic, Mario, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing, LEGO has naturally expanded its Japanese-inspired builds. After the link-up with ONE PIECE and the upcoming Hello Kitty theme, Dragon Ball is a great fit for the LEGO brand. This particular set is a great marker for what the wider theme could offer. It also makes a pretty cool display piece, although I would have liked to have seen Goku and his cloud integrated into the set a little better. The LEGO Icons Dragon Ball: Shenron & Goku set will be available from November 1st for Insiders before its general release on November 4th.
Thanks to the LEGO UK Press Team for providing early access to this set. Providing a set for free does not guarantee a favourable opinion of a set or product.
