LEGO Technic 42170 Kawasaki Ninja H2R – A silent assassin? [Review]

Our final kit on the March 1st released Technic sets list is the LEGO Technic 42170 Kawasaki Ninja H2R. While it’s being reviewed last, it’s certainly not the least interesting of the bunch. LEGO motorcycle fans will be keen to learn whether or not this 643-piece Ninja is worthy of their shelf space. So join us as we take a closer look at the model, which is available now and currently retails for US $84.99 | CAN $109.99 | UK £69.99.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

Unboxing the parts, instructions, and sticker sheet

The front of the box is pretty standard fare, while the back shows a few different angles and examples of the play features. There is also an image of the real bike next to some stats about it.

Inside the box are four paper bags numbered 1-4, a tiny unnumbered paper bag for the windscreen, and loose wheels and tires.

The model does have stickers, albeit far fewer than some of the other models in the Technic wave.

The build

We start at the core of the motorcycle, which includes a substantial number of gears.

In addition to the standard gears, there is a changeover catch, allowing for the bike to technically have more than one speed.

One of the best things about this entire model is the inclusion of some very welcome new parts. We have a wheel element with an offset axle hole and a pin element with a fork clip.

The wheels are attached to the model each rotated a quarter turn, so that they land at different heights. Here, these parts are designed to function as the bike’s motor. But I see uses in a variety of build scenarios, including everything from Great Ball Contraptions to custom locking mechanisms.

As you can see in the GIF below, the pins are clipped around a lip on the wheels and then are secured upright through a Technic liftarm. The result is both intriguing and perfect for the purpose. (Finally, a new way to do pistons!)

From there we add a couple more gears, as well as some liftarms to make everything contained and structurally solid.

The situation with the mechanism creates a system that has 1st, 2nd, and Neutral gear. A knob gear up against an ellipse creates a satisfying click and snap between gears.

After that, it’s time to start with the colorful bits of the body, several of which are welcome recolored parts. In addition to that, we add the front wheel and tire, complete with shock absorbers and disk brakes.

Apart from the windscreen, the only printed elements in the set are a pair of 5x3x2 corner rounded panels with the Kawasaki logo on them. These also happen to be a recolor in black. As an aside, the back wheel is affixed with a hub that hasn’t been seen since 2022.

With those on, as well as the fatter back tire and exhaust, it’s beginning to look like a complete bike. We just need the seat, windscreen, and the rest of the paneling.

We’ll start that list with the windscreen, which is a new custom-molded and printed element. It sits atop some of our stickered panels.

Here we also add some armor panels for mirrors, levers for brake handles, and a couple of stickered elements for the gauges.

I’ll leave the seat and last paneling bits for the big reveal…

The completed model

And here it is! Finished. It’s not quite the scale and detail of the Yamaha or the BMW, but it’s a reasonable representation of the real thing.

Spinning the back tire has a good feel to it. I don’t notice much of a difference when switching between the gears. Maybe a little, but not as much as the BMW when I reviewed it.

There is a nice amount of shock absorption between the fancy large shocks on the front and the standard one hidden at the back.

Steering is also as expected. It’s pretty standard for these models.

Conclusions and recommendations

Like with the fancy Formula cars, a true Ninja fan is going to have qualms about the execution of the details, but I feel like this model does a reasonable job recreating them at this scale. For the most part, I was happy with the build process, and I love the new piston elements. I do have one nitpick and that’s how loose the section of the seat right behind the logoed panel is. It only has one attachment point and wiggles like a loose tooth. But I say it’s a nitpick because it doesn’t affect the play and display nature of the set.

There have been so many sets on my review table in the past couple of weeks that my head is still spinning. When I look back and think about which ones stood out to me, this model runs in the middle of the pack. Admittedly, some of that could be that I’m a sucker for new parts and recolors, and of all the models, some of the most intriguing new parts are for the pistons in this set. Apart from that, I certainly enjoyed it, even if it didn’t ooze wow factor. Unfortunately, the price point is pretty high, knocking it down a fair bit. So all-in-all, it would be toward the bottom of my must-buy list. Don’t let that stop you though! If you’re still on the fence, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in getting this kit.

Thanks for reading! If you want more, please check out the rest of our Technic coverage, as well as our latest reviews.

LEGO Technic 42170 Kawasaki Ninja H2R is currently available and retails for US $84.99 | CAN $109.99 | UK £69.99.

The LEGO Group sent The Brothers Brick a copy of this set for review. Providing TBB with products for review guarantees neither coverage nor positive reviews.

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