Review of the JMBricklayer Legendary Dragon Head 70105 Building Block Set

Are you bored by all the latest building block sets that you can put together with your eyes closed?  Do you yearn for a challenging set that forces you to stimulate your brain, to come up with novel solutions to an unforeseen problem?  If your answer is yes, please read on!

Hey brick fans, today we will be looking at the JMBricklayer Legendary Dragon Head Building Block set, number 70105.   This fantastic looking set is sure to capture your attention with it's life-like 3D head of an angry dragon.  However it is not without peril, as you will soon see in our building experience below!

Today's set is brought to you by JMBricklayer, one of the latest up and coming building block brands to hit the market.  You can find this stimulating set and more in the JMBricklayer store and also on Amazon.

For any non discounted items in the JMBricklayer store, feel free to use my code itsnotlego15% to help you to save an extra 15% off your purchases.

Brand: JMBricklayer

Set: 70105 Dragon Head

Piece Count: 2713 pcs

Numbered Bags: Yes

Extra Pieces: Yes

Missing Pieces: No

Minifigures: No

Age Rating: 14+

Unboxing

As with all JMBricklayer sets I've received so far, they all come with the box intact.  The box provides information such as the set name and number, the piece count and the age rating.  I found a total of 37 numbered bags in the box going from number 1 thru 13.  Each of the numbers on the bags corresponds to the steps found in the instructions.

In addition to the parts bags, there are two thick instruction manuals, a small sticker and a two sided card with a poem about the dragon on it.  

Here's a sneak peek inside one of the instruction manuals.  The first book details the steps from 1 thru 6 and the second book finished the dragon head build from steps 7 thru 13.  A brick separator is included in the set but it was packaged in one the step #10 bags, long after it could have been more useful earlier in the build process.

Build Progression

Pictured below are the milestones of completing each of the 13 steps to build the dragon head.

The dragon head is built to be displayed on an elliptical shaped stand.  The black bricks are your standard alternative  bricks, with a mildly scuffed finish.  There are four appendages attached to the stand which I find totally un-necessary.

There's an interesting use of some brown and gold details on the stand.  It would have been great if more metallic shades of brick were used in the head too.

Pictured above is the central column which the dragon head will be constructed around.  So far the structure is solid, except there is a slight wobble where the stem meets the base.

In step 4, we can see the sub-structure of the head taking shape, including the nose and lower jaw, which is moveable.

In step 5, we begin the process of adding surface details to the dragon's lower jaw. and neck.

Until this point, the build of the dragon head has been fairly easy and without issue.  The chin piece above proved to be a bit challenging to attach, but once the curved pieces were added, the chin stayed in place without any problems.

The spikes on the head and the dragon's mane are clipped to the top and the hinged pieces are draped down the back with the connection point at the base of the stand.  I found this building process to be rather novel.

Steps 7 and 8 provide surface details to the sides of the head.  The "scales" held together for the most part.

There are three sets of horns on the dragon head.  The first set clutch fairly well to the side of the head.

Cladding for the nose and eyes happen in this step.  Setting the eyebrows in place is a rather tricky affair, since they are only attached  by a single stud above the eye.  This proved to be a weak spot as the eyebrows are prone to fall off when handling the dragon head.  This part of the design requires further improvement in my opinion.

Step 10 sees the second pair of horns attached to the head.  These horns were problematic to attach and stay attached.  The bend in the horns is a rather weak connection. Any handling or moving of the head would result in them falling off.  I think it is both a clutch and design issue.  I was subsequently able to find a solution that had the horns stay attached. (more details later).

In steps 11 and 12, the largest and heaviest of the dragon horns are to be attached.  Their weight puts a significant strain on the head which is already compounded by all of the other attachments to the head.

At step 12, the weight of the final horn proved to be too much and the upper part of the head came away from the central stem.  The brick clutch could not hold it in place and several other pieces fell off when the upper part of the head came crashing down onto the table.  I reconstructed how the head should have looked with both horns attached, and at this point was wondering if I could finish the dragon head at all.

Fixing the Dragon Head

After examining the clutch failure, it was determined that the top section of the head should be fastened to the stem. Luckily, the stem comprises technic bricks, which have holes in them. Therefore, modifications to the set design are necessary to incorporate the required alterations that will enable the upper head to connect to the stem.

I reviewed the instructions to see where I could create a connection point from the upper head to the stem. On step 169 in the first instruction book, I've identified the brick that needs to be replaced with new technic bricks to which I could secure it to the bricks below.

Here are the handful of parts needed.  The colour of the parts is unimportant.  The two rounded technic plates will serve as braces.  Two of the existing gray technic nuts will be replaced by the thinner yellow nuts on the lower part of the stem.

Here is the fix that secures the upper head to the stem.  I also placed a 1x4 plate where there was previously a gap to serve as a spacer.  The upper part of the head is rigid and no longer moves.

While I was at it, I decided to address the clutch of the largest horns.  I surmised that they were inset too much and were chafing the other adjacent pieces.  I added a 2x4 brick on either side. 

These are the extra pieces you will need if you are so inclined to securely attach the horns to the head.

Replace the bricks from step 164 with the bricks in the previous picture.

 

Here's one extra tip.  Anywhere where you find the red piece on the dragon, add an extra 2x3 plate to the underside. This will lift the red piece up slightly from the dragon head and make it less likely to fall off.  I don't know why it works, but it does.

Picture Gallery

Please use the following pictures for reference if you need.

Final thoughts

The JMBricklayer Dragon Head looks very imposing once completed.  I think there are some design challenges that need to be addressed, and it's possible if you have the extra pieces to make the changes shown above.  Some who build this set may not want to proceed and it's totally understandable.  For others, it's an opportunity to persevere and not be afraid to think outside the box.   This is definitely a set for advanced builders only.

I hope you found this post helpful, if you are building the JMBricklayer Dragon Head.   Thanks for staying until the end!  See you in my next post, bye!