Fire Dragon's Lava Cave Review

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Elvendale has its own fire-breathing dragon and she matches Azari's 'fiery' personality!
Let's go for a ride, explore a cave and learn what dark elements have come to test LEGO Elves.

This set was provided by the AFOL Relations & Programs team (AR&P) of The LEGO Group for the purpose of sharing set details with fans.
Opinions provided here solely reflect those of our reviewer.
Photographs are property of Friends Bricks and are not directed by TLG in any fashion.

Beautiful box graphics show the Queen Dragon - Elandra - on the upper right corner and the baby love dragon in Emily's arms.

Adventure awaits the Elves and their human friend - as depicted on the box back.
Center bottom shows the evil Elf Witch Ragana.

Contents of the box: 2 instruction booklets, 4 bags, 2 wings, a dragon head, and sticker sheet

Bag 1 contents: new slope pieces in magenta, newish grey plate stacked, and sockets.

First we build Azari -- and then the belly and torso of our orange dragon, Zonya - the Fire Dragon.

Articulated dragons need technic pin assemblies to
connect the wing "bones" to the torso via the saddle.

Top view of the torso with wings connectors, rear-end section, Fire element tile, saddles, neck (with hinges) and stickers.

This is everything Bag 1 builds. There's Azari, the fire elf, with a bit of fire magic!

Bag 2 contents, plus the wings and Zonya's head piece -- which is printed with lovely brown eyes and fire motif in the style of henna tattoo.
The wings are entirely varying thickness of plastic -- and no cloth. They are malleable, yet strong.

The tail section is assembled next and attached. The legs teach the builder a bit of "studs-not-on-top" when bricks are
turned sideways for the sculpting effect of the body part.
Legs and feet are meant to be built then attached with the ball & socket connection;
I opted to build them all first -- then attached. It just seemed more intuitive.
I love the Tail! The teeth pieces for dragon scales are perfect!

The dragon's head fits onto the jaw piece by placing it "straight-down" from the top;
you can't push it on at an angle.
It connects very sturdy and its articulation gives you 3 position between open and closed. The inset
image shows the ball and socket connection of the head to the neck.
The magenta Horns are made of the same rubbery material as Elves hair and don't fit into the hard head
100%, yet are secure; try not to squish them out of shape.

Here I have laid out all the dragon 'sections' that you assemble somewhat separately --
to show the overview.
As I mentioned before -- the instructions call for each section to attach as you build it.
It was easier, in my opinion, to do it this way and have less picking up the dragon.
When it is whole, it is *very* articulated!

Here she is! Miss Zonya and her Elf minder, Azari the Fire Elf. They make a hot duo!
Zonya's legs have 4-way articulation. Her neck's ball & socket can move enough for any activity, plus a little side-to-side.
Her tail can curl, up and down, and the curvy-spiked tip can whip on its own arc.
Her wings can go up 90-degrees, and down about 40; they also have a slight pitch, if you need it.
The dish pieces making the pads on the bottoms of her legs make it slightly difficult to 'stay' in a specific pose, yet not so much that I
would remove them. Her saddle and gemmed forehead make her very stunning in person!

Especially when Azari is practicing her fire magic! Impressive wingspan, yes? I think so ...

Azari taking Zonya for a flight ... err, maybe the other way around :-)

Majestic Fire Dragon in the sky! What a sight this would be from an Elvendale mountain top or castle.

Perfect four claw landing for Zonya! So graceful and strong at the same time.

Bag 3 contents: new half-round-green plates, trans-flourescent green crystal.

Bag 3's inner bag contents: trans 'apple' green pyramid tops, Mossy printed round green tiles, glow-in-the-dark spring-green
'snaggle-tooth' pieces.

We first build Emily Jones, then the campfire on a grassy area with comfy moss seats.
We being the mysterious "Shadow Fountain" basin with a tiled sliding assembly.

The well has been poisoned by the green crystal's dark magic -- only by pulling it
away can the water be clear & blue again.

The ominous Shadow Fountain is complete. The pale green teeth on the top fountain head are the same rubbery material as hair pieces for mini-dolls --
and these glow in the dark! The mushroom has a classic Elvendale 'sparkly' mushroom.
I am now reminded of the movie "Strange Magic" for some reason ... (which I loved, by the way!)

Now we have everything from bag 3 built, and you get your first glance at Emily, with her new outfit for 2016.

Bag 4 contents: new green half-circle plate, new map tile with dragon's egg.

The cave front is certainly not drab! The green 1x1 side teeth bricks convey a green growth from the dark within.
The crystals have their own function -- to hidea secret entrance!
The pink branches, mushrooms, and super-cute
Salamander sticker really liven up this spot. Salamanders are known as "cave dragons" too.

Here is the cave outside, with its Lava flowing. The additional tiling down the side of the rocks,
adds another dimension to the trans-orange Lava curtains.
That is the end of the building ~ now for the story.

Zonya takes Emily and Azari for a surveying flight.

Parched from the flight, Zonya needs a drink. They find a fountain and give her a bucket of water ... 'ahhhh' that should be quenching right ...
yet ...

Phew! All is well. Zonya is back to being herself and Azari reassures her with fire practice.

The map of Elvendale may also tell a story if you dare to see. There will be adventures and Dragons to save!
From the instructions page and the new tiled map placed for reference.

Azari and Emily - the first human Azari ever met, likewise, she
is the first Elf Emily ever met.
Both Azari's top is a new design, as it Emily's outfit -- of course
she has her Grandmother's medallion, or else she
couldn't visit Elvendale.

All the lovely extra pieces -- small ones can easily get lost, yet it is the very 'small' details which give
LEGO Elves their magical, imaginative quality.

"Em" as Azari calls her is checking out the Lava Cave with her fiery Elf friend.

She trusts her enough to be inside when the Lava flows! What a fun adventure they have had.

2016 has new dragons, as shown on this page in the instructions. Happy new friends and baby dragons too ... yet there is a darkness
creeping in from the upper right.
Evil Elf Witch Ragana has imprisoned the Queen Dragon Elandra. Let's hope bravery will save her and no evil can get to our special
dragons ... or is it already happening?

Ragana's evil powers have clamped onto Zonya once again with this mask! We must unite to be Brave ~ there are Dragons we need to Save!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dragons and caves with Lava, oh my, I didn't think I would enjoy this set as much as I am. The Dragon design,
pieces, articulation, pose-ability, sturdiness, colors, markings and obvious personality are winning! The cave is
something that can be built upon and the techniques are clever, whimsical,
and pack so much interaction in a medium LEGO set.
The improvement in details for this dragon (now I can't wait to build more) from the Harry Potter dragons, which
had no forearms -- is evidence of the meticulous design details the LEGO Elves team has created.
Even if you prefer buildings or vehicles, again, the parts in this set are very attractive for MOCs. One sprang to
mind when I was adding Zonya's legs.
Although, I can't imagine taking her apart any time soon.

Fan site not sponsored by The LEGO Group + graphics copyright TLG

Oh No! The water was poisoned by that cursed green crystal! Zonya has been affected by the evil that is darkening Elvendale.
Her pink gem has been turned into a green dark magic gem! She is becoming aggressive toward Azari and her friend Emily!!
"Hurry Azari and use your Fire magic to warn Zonya,"
while Emily pulls off the green crystal mask to break the magic spell and change the water back to fresh, blue water!!

Now we build the cave and Lava slide assembly for function -- complete with Fire element tile.
Inside the cave are 2 beds of "moss" for Azari and Emily to sleep, and a torch for light.