For all the LEGO Adventurers fans out there, April 1st will surely be a day to celebrate! Why, you may ask? Well, even though it’s officially presented as something tied to a new blockbuster movie (pretty sure that one guy Hans Olo is in it), LEGO is releasing a brand new wave of Adventurers sets! It’s not an April Fools Joke! I was fortunate enough to get my tiny hands on the new sets that are coming out (thanks to LEGO and BrickNerd!) and figured it would be a fun idea to compare them to some of the old Johhny Thunder sets as that old line had some real gems in it.

In all seriousness, I am aware that the new sets are in fact Indiana Jones (even though one could make a pretty solid case Johnny Thunder is a way cooler name… a missed opportunity Mr. Lucas and Mr. Spielberg…) — a theme that LEGO has released sets from in the past, but comparing new sets with old counterparts felt a bit obvious.

So instead let’s have a look at how the new Indiana Jones sets compare to one of the most epic lines LEGO has created—Adventurers. BrickNerd contributor Griffin Rose previously took us on a REALLY deep dive into the Adventurers theme so I highly recommend you check out that article. Seriously, go take a quick dip. I’ll wait…

Welcome back! Now that you know everything about Johnny Thunder and his crew, join me as we have a look at the new Indiana Jones sets and try to compare them to a few chosen LEGO Adventurers sets.

Something Old and Something New

The new wave of Indy sets features three different models, each representing some pretty iconic scenes from the original movies. Two of them are more medium-sized with, in my opinion, a focus on play (don’t get me wrong, they do have some great stuff that AFOLs are sure to enjoy) and the third one is “the big one“. The iconic temple hallway works great as a display set if you’re a fan of the films (that too has a LOT of play features).

So let’s start the comparison with the smallest of the three, 77012 Fighter Plane Chase. Comparing it to Adventurers set 5948 Desert Expedition, there are some pretty striking similarities given that both sets feature a car and a plane in an obvious desert setting.

plane chase - without stickers as i decided to save those for a later time

However, there are of course also some glaring differences between the two sets given that over 20 years separate the two (and I guess also because one is based on a movie and the other is not, but let’s not get stuck on those tiny details).

some great angles here, with a very clever connection

Taking a look at the planes, it’s clear that LEGO has become increasingly advanced in its design process and element vocabulary. Even though the new plane may look a bit clunky, it has a very slick technique to accomplish the slight angle of the wings. To get this angle in a sturdy (and LEGO-legal) way is a pretty impressive feat that I’m sure MOC-plane-builders will enjoy.

the connection for the wings serve two purposes, it gives the plane a great look in terms of the angle, but it’s also a fun play-feature as the wings are detachable (just like in the movie…)

In terms of aesthetics, the car in the new set is definitely the highlight for me. It captures the angles in a simple but nice way and has some great fenders that combine to form a perfect circle, something that I can see being used for space engines and all sorts of stuff. (I’ve built a few LEGO cars for comparison.)

Some of my favourite pieces from the set

The other (tiny) build in 77012 is a roadsign and comparing it to the (tiny) addition in the Adventurers set, which is a kick-ass sarcophagus, I’d say right now Indy is up 2-1 compared to Johnny. But let’s continue and see if Mr. Thunder can catch up!

Figs and Stickers… Why Did It Have To Be Stickers?

Moving up a bit in size, we have 77013 Escape from the Lost Tomb. There are probably three old Adventurers sets that best compare to this one. First, we have the obvious one 5988 The Temple of Anubis. It’s an impressive build in terms of scale and features some of the most stunning prints I’ve ever seen from LEGO.

Although—as is the case with a lot of newer LEGO sets—77013 does not feature any printed pieces, it does have quite a few really awesome stickers. Granted, you need to apply them which is always a slight challenge (check out our stickers guide), but once they’re on, you have some wonderful pieces ready to be used in a variety of Egyptian-inspired MOCs.

i mean look at those prints…just stunning! Image via brickset

There are also a few other older sets that compare rather nicely to set 77013, more specifically the two shown below 5938 and 5958. The new Indiana Jones set features a similar building technique for the status, both of whom are brick-built in a pretty “classic” way.

Both the new set as well as the two old ones use some simple, but effective, tilting mechanisms as play features. Granted, set 77013 is larger in scale, but the fun of tipping something over (perhaps to trick your significant other that they broke your build… not that I would ever do that…) works great at any scale.

I first decided to only add a few of the stickers as shown above. after a while though i couldn’y help but apply a few more so check below for those

Can’t go wrong with a classic tilting mechanism

The stickers in this set are actually a real treat, as shown below. It’s a mix of some more specific ones but also a few that could be incorporated into a variety of MOCs.

I can’t really discuss these sets without including this MOC from Jonas Wide. It uses some of those old printed pieces (as well as one of the absolute coolest figs LEGO has ever made) to perfection. So enjoy, as we get ready to explore the final set from this latest Indiana Jones wave.

Into The Temple We Go…

The obvious “piece de resistance” of this wave is of course 77015 Temple of the Golden Idol. Trying to find a comparison for this one is a bit more tricky as it features one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time. But fear not, if Indy has done something, you can be sure Johnny Thunder did it too (and probably did it better!).

Looking back at the old Adventurers theme, sets 3722 Treasure Tomb as well as 5936 Spider’s Secret and 5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins all share some similarities to this epic build.

The Temple of the Golden Idol is actually three builds, connected quite cleverly to create a few nice angles that really enhance the overall look when the set is on display. The first part, featuring the boulder scene, can best be compared to 5936, even down to the evil antagonist lurking on the outside.

The middle part, featuring the swinging-over-the-trap-and-diving-under-the-closing-door scene and the final part featuring the golden idol, has some resemblance to 5986. Both sets make use of the Swordleaf with clip elelmentto give it that jungle feel.

The Indiana Jones set is of course more detailed, not least of which in terms of the brick-built statues which are just awesome. The way the big head can tumble down as Indy grabs the idol (using some clever Technic mechanisms that made my own head hurt a bit as I tried to understand how they worked) is quite impressive and the light-up brick creates a really slick look which really adds to the movie-like feel of the whole build.

Some Final Thoughts As a MOC Builder

Being able to explore these sets was a real treat! I couldn’t help watching a bit of Raiders of the Lost Ark while building, something I highly recommend as it really elevated the building experience. As a person who primarily enjoys building MOCs, I usually buy sets that contain figs or pieces that can be used for my own builds. And as I love building in a Middle Eastern style (as well as some jungle stuff), these sets were awesome, especially 77013 and 77015. I can’t wait to use those stickers in upcoming temple builds!

As stated above, the old LEGO Adventurers theme had some amazing prints (and figs), and there are of course some big similarities between the lead characters of Indy and Johnny. Those similarities are what made it fun to compare these new sets to some old classics. I really hope LEGO continues to create more figs and product lines set in the Middle Eastern/North African region as it’s a LOT of fun to build in that style. And let’s be honest, it’s part of the world that is a bit underrepresented in terms of LEGO. So fingers crossed!

But I’ll leave you with a small build highlighting my favourite fig from all the new sets—and showing how much easier it would have been for Indy if he just went to a decent open marketplace instead of running around in the jungle...

Thank you very much for joining me on this journey exploring the new Johnny Thunder, I mean Indiana Jones, sets. And feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on this new wave as they (and the wonderful stickers!) hit stores shortly.

DISCLAIMER: This set was provided to BrickNerd by LEGO. Any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

What do you think of the new LEGO Adventurers theme? Let us know in the comments below!

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