From the Toysit archive
LEGO Legends of Chima: The Lion CHI Temple (70010)
Explore the golden gateway and blue waterfall of LEGO Lion CHI Temple 70010, then invent a welcome council for three very different visitors.
The play at a glance
A grand entrance for a small visitor
A lion’s face towers over the steps, its golden mane spreading around the entrance. Beside it, a blue waterfall runs down the temple’s tallest tower. The Lion CHI Temple gives a character several ways to make an entrance: arrive with an important message, pause on the stairs or wait quietly for someone to come down and say hello.
Look around the lion’s home
Gray platforms, golden pillars and translucent blue pieces give the temple a strong contrast between stone, ornament and imagined water. The central face makes an easy landmark: a visitor can describe a meeting place as “under the lion” before learning any room names. The side wings create smaller places to pause, while the high tower makes a messenger seem far away even within one model.
The instructions assemble seven animal characters and four vehicles, including two matching lion bikes. Those little arrivals can give the large building a daily rhythm. Imagine an early delivery, a midday visitor and a traveler who reaches the steps just as the council is finishing. The same entrance can begin three very different scenes.
Try it: Waterfall welcome council
Make this a story about finding the right welcome for each guest. You can use the assembled temple or draw the entire setting on paper.
- Prepare three visitors. Draw a traveler who wants a quiet room, a neighbor returning a lost banner and a messenger with news. Give each a name and one small detail, such as a muddy boot or a very carefully folded letter.
- Map three stops. On paper beside the model, mark the gateway, a quiet corner and a council meeting place. Invent a name for each. Decide which stop would help each visitor.
- Offer a welcome. Speak or write one sentence from the host at every stop. “We saved a place for your banner” might suit the neighbor; the tired traveler might prefer “You can tell us about your journey after a rest.”
- Let the guest answer. Add a question or request. Perhaps the messenger wants someone else to read the news aloud. Change the host’s response to fit.
- Close the meeting. Draw a council postcard showing all three visitors somewhere they chose to be. Put one sentence on the back about what made the day memorable.
For another round, swap the visitors’ needs while keeping their names. A familiar character may need a different kind of welcome today. Paper portraits and a drawn map provide the whole game; no temple mechanism needs to operate.
Building and moving parts
Use all three matching 70010 booklets for assembly and any moving features. Follow their projectile warnings, use only the supplied projectiles and never aim at a face. Keep the welcome cards beside the model, clear of its mechanisms.
The historical record
Original Toysit coverage
The complete earlier product account and commentary are preserved below as historical coverage.
Defend the golden chi
Get set for action at the Lion CHI Temple, a buildable fortress complete with vehicles and hidden traps. Includes seven minifigures: Lagravis, Laval, Longtooth, Ewald, Cragger, Crawley, and Razar. Features large CHI orb and waterfall, powerful golden CHI, lion gate, and drawbridge trap, rotating tower cannon, king's tower and bedroom, tower prison with golden key, tower mission room, secret ambush entrances, and easy-to-lift design. Includes four vehicles: two lion claw bikes, an eagle drone fighter, and a reptile raider. Collect all the Lego Chima sets and join the battle for Chi.
LEGO develops mythologies around its playsets by meticulously crafting narrative-rich worlds that resonate with diverse audiences, drawing inspiration from various sources such as popular movies, historic settings, or original concepts. These playsets are designed to evoke a sense of wonder and engagement, intertwining characters, settings, and backstories to create immersive storytelling experiences. Through the careful alignment of visual design, detailed building instructions, and accompanying media, LEGO fosters a unique blend of imaginative exploration and creative construction, inviting individuals of all ages to partake in the co-creation of these mythologies while forming lasting emotional connections with the brand.
Sources and editorial notes
This profile identifies set 70010 from the original box and all three LEGO instruction booklets. LEGO’s record lists 1,258 pieces, ages 8–14 and set year 2013; that year is not the date of the Toysit article. The council is an original Toysit storytelling activity, not an official Chima episode. No physical testing was performed. Historical marketing claims remain in the original coverage.
- Original Toysit image — Existing same-site image reviewed and retained unchanged.
- LEGO 70010, booklet 1 — Official figures and vehicle assembly; projectile warning.
- LEGO 70010, booklet 2 — Official temple base, platforms and waterfall tower assembly.
- LEGO 70010, booklet 3 — Official lion gateway, wings and feature diagrams. All three booklets visually reviewed.
- Original Toysit coverage — Complete historical account retained, including its original claims and wording.
Images and descriptions are retained as historical material. How Toysit covers toys.
Created for Toysit by Tabbloza — the artwork in our header.