Reasonably Reviewed:
Set 7621: Indiana Jones and the Lost Temple
General Overview:
In terms of excitement over the early-2008 LEGO themes, Indiana Jones was running neck-and-neck with the Clone Wars Star Wars expansions. Pictures of the sets started floating around the net in early October, 2007, with more and more details and leaks being reported every month. Reports had it in stores in the UK as early as mid-December.
I wasn't able to see them in person until the "2008 Sneak Peek" event at Toys-R-Us just days before Christmas. Of the four Indy Offerings, I had to own two right away. The first was the "Motorcycle Chase" set for the wee-Sean Connery figure. The other, of course, was the Lost Temple.
This set recaps one of the best scenes from the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indy and Marion are trapped in the Lost Temple that held the Ark of the Covenant. It's not quite true to the film (Marion didn't join Indy until the ark was already removed) but I'm not complaining about that. I'd rather have a set with both Marion and the Ark.
The set itself consists of a decent sized play area. As is usual for a LEGO playset, there are several "action features" built into the model
- The two flanking statues of Anubis each fall over when a pin is pulled.
- There is a hidden cache of snakes that drop on the Ark when a button is pressed
- The two murals on either side of the ark are removable, one of which reveals a hanging skeleton.
- The Ark is removable
Here's a shot of the playset:
Parts and Rare Bits:
For me, the best part of a LEGO set is taking it apart later and finding new uses for the parts. As such, anything special or unusual in the set earns bonus points. The Lost Temple does not disappoint; there are quite a few cool pieces.
First up has to be the mural pictured at left. Yes, that's R2-D2 and C-3PO being worshipped. I have no idea if this appears on the real movie set or not, but it'd be nice to think some set designer managed to slip it in.
The problem is that this is just a sticker - and it has to be applied across two 2x2 tiles. A single 2x4 tile would have been the ideal base, but LEGO has yet to make that part. So we're stuck with a sticker that is going to get torn and destroyed over time unless you're very, very careful with it. I give mine about three weeks until it's an unrecognizable mess.
The next bit that caught my eye was the torch assembly at right. The set comes with two of them, mounted one on each side of the stairs leading to the Ark. It does indeed look a lot like a torch, doesn't it. The flame is the standard "LEGO Flame Piece", but this time cast in an appealing transparent orange. (I do so love transparent Orange. It's the only thing that makes the Mars Mission sets tolerable.)
The base of the torch...well, that's a bit of a treat. You see, that's not a new part. That's a recolor of the LEGO Carrot. In fact, the whole assembly could fairly be called a Flaming Carrot.
(Heh. Geek comic reference for the win!)
Ahem. Anyway. Yes, not really a new part but rather two cool re-colors. Works for me.
Another "sticker that looks good" is the eye of Anubis here:
There's an eye for each side, and stickers enough for both statues. Kind of makes you want to build a Stargate themed vehicle around it, no? NO?? Well, maybe it's just me.
The final bit of construction I wanted to highlight was the wee Ark of the Covenant itself. Due to its small size they couldn't fit all of the ten commandments inside. Instead, they had to settle for just three words: "Thou Shalt Not". That seems to basically cover things, anyway.
Mini-Figures:
This set comes with two mini-figures, both with some quality features.
First up is Indiana Jones himself.
Indy is loaded with new parts and accessories. In fact, all the major pieces are brand new.
The hat: Stylish and an improvement over the existing "Adventure" fedora I was afraid they'd just reuse.
The Face: Rugged with that trademark 5 O'clock shadow.
The Torso: Rumpled. The plastic is a new, darker shade of brown that looks very nice as leather. Too bad the painted neck under the shirt is "Movie Tie In Pink" or I'd be stealing this torso for use in the Web comic.
The Whip: Very flexible plastic, recoils nicely now after being stretched. Not sure how well it'll hold up long-term, though.
The Satchel: A nice accessory. I wonder how long it'll be until it's cast in pastels and used as a woman's purse, though.
The Legs: Nice printing, with a belt and hostler designs. A new shade of dark tan, too.
The only sub-part not completely new are the standard, pink hands.
Here's a shot that lets you see the accessories in a bit more detail:
The second figure is that of Marion Ravenwood. Like many of the female characters that LEGO has produced, they decided that she needed both a "happy" and "scared out of her mind" facial expression. Here are some photos showing her transformation from stoic to lunatic:
becomes 
Still, I can't complain. Marion's hair is the new "French Braid" style, cast for the first time in attractive black plastic. Both of her expressions are new designs. I wasn't sure about the blue eye treatment at first, but the more I look at it, the snazzier it becomes.
The legs are standard-issue white, but the torso is a very nice new design that I'm sure we'll see transformed into a Bride Wedding Cake Topper in the near future. (Just replace the legs with a slope to create a dress and you're pretty much set.)
So, How did LEGO do?
I'm quite pleased with this set. The action features are well integrated and do enhance the basic model. The mini-figures are both top-notch. And the parts are all very nice for some future Egyptian-themed building.
I give the Lost Temple five out of five severed LEGO heads! 
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