Review: 7196 Chauchilla Cemetery Battle

[Inconspicuous]

Well, I think it's time to challenge worship the Master Indy Reviewer Svelte with another repeat Indy review! At first I thought I'd never get this set, but pretty soon I was driving around to all the Targets, ToysRUses, and Walmarts I knew of in search of this set. Was it worth it? Time to find out.

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Indy and Mutt are in search of the crystal skull. Hidden in a cemetery with scorpions and evil warriors, finding it won't be easy. Will Indy and Mutt live long enough to see how this set scores? Read on to find out.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Chauchilla Cemetery Battle

Set Number: 7196

Number of Pieces: 187

Minifigs: 5 (counting the skeleton)

Price: 19.99 USD, 39.99 AUD, 24.99 CAD, 26.99 EUR, 18.59 GBP

Theme: Indiana Jones/ Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Year Released: 2009

RESOURCES:

Brickset

Peeron

Bricklink

Lego.com

Brickshelf (When Public)

THE REVIEW:

BOX:

Front:

The front of the box shows the set and its components arranged in an adventurous scene, where Mutt is battling one warrior while the other sneaks up on Indy, who is just standing there, smiling, and holding the crystal skull. Poor Indy!

Top Edge:

The top edge shows the 5 minifigs included in this set, with their names below them. The skeleton has a name (whoever that Conquistador was) but it is not shown.

Back:

The back shows a different scene and displays the features of this set, which will be described later in this review.

Box:: Thoughts: The box has decent art and clearly displays the features. The interesting thing is, the box is a much different size than 7621 The Lost Tomb and 7625 River Chase, the other similarly-priced sets of the line. This is probably to accommodate the fact that the set itself is oblong (similar to 7623 Temple Escape).

Contents:

And out come the contents! 3 bags and the instruction manual. No ads or DSS to be found here!

In 7195's Box:

I wanted to show you how much empty space there is in the box, but I didn't want to butcher the box and pictures didn't do justice, so I shoved the contents into 7195 Ambush in Cairo's box. Surprisingly, it mostly fits, except for the instructions that extend out a bit.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Front:

The front of the instructions is identical to the box art, minus the set info.

Minifig Page:

Although the front cover's art is Landscape, the instructions are Portrait. Featured here are the "don't build in the grass" and "sort by color" signs. Apparently one scorpion counts as a minifig, but the other doesn't.

Random Page:

A random page in which the tomb is being built up. I really like the burnt parchment background, because the light part complements most colors of the Indy line. Notice that it does include piece call-outs.

Parts Inventory:

Here we have the parts inventory, and the Customer Service info.

Other Indy Ads:

Also featured is another picture of the set, straight from the back of the box, and an ad for this wave's biggest set: the Temple of Doom.

Back:

The back of the instructions, now with the AAT replacing the Naboo Starfighter.

Instructions:: Thoughts: The picture orientation is odd, background nice, piece call-outs nice, and overall satisfactory.

PIECES:

Pieces (sealed):

This set features 3 bags, with no sub-bags except for Mutt's motorcycle, which is bagged separately.

Pieces (sorted):

Here's a shot of the sorted pieces. It's a nice blend of brown, gray, and pearl gold. Click the picture for a much larger version.

Pieces of interest:

A few of the more interesting pieces, featuring scorpions, jewels, treasure, and the crystal skull. This is the cheapest set it comes in (not counting the magnet set.)

Pieces:: Thoughts: A nice selection with good colors. However, there aren't very many big pieces, so 187 for $20 is quite poor.

MINIFIGS:

Indy:

Well, if TLC can't give a new torso, they might as well give us a new face! It has a strong resemblance to Mutt. (I wonder why )

Cemetery Warriors:

The two warriors are up next. The new torso is great, but both figures are identical! At least the double-sided head and the weapons help customize them. But a chainsaw?

Mutt Williams:

Just the standard Mutt here. Nothing to hype about, though the torso is still nice.

Group Photo:

And a group photo. Father and son, warrior and uhhh.... warrior.

Odds and ends:

A few minifig-related components of the set. Some people don't consider skeletons minifigs, but I do. The motorbike is excellent. Lego did a good job on this. Notice that I used an extra gun as a kick-stand. The skeleton's headpiece and armor are great, but I don't care for battle-droid arms.

Minifigs:: Thoughts: 5 Excellent minifigs for a $20 set is just great. Throw in the motorbike, and you're set.

THE BUILD:

Build 1:

A few in-build shots of the tomb. More details on that later.

Build 2:

Shots of the exterior build, up until the sub-model.

Build 3:

A few shots of the sub-model.

Build 4:

And the finishing touches are placed!

Extras:

The classic extra pieces shot. The knife is useful and the gun is now Mutt's kick-stand.

Build:: Thoughts: Not very long, but still enjoyable. It's nice to do it in sections, because you feel like you accomplish something instead of having it all come together at the end.

COMPLETED PRODUCT:

The Tomb:

First up is the tomb. I really like this section, because it is small, captures the scene well, and has some nice functions and pieces.

Front View:

A front view of the tomb, with its treasure, cobwebs, and torches.

Skull Revealed:

The nice playable function of this part is that the skeleton can be removed to reveal the skull, just like in the movie. Lego did a great job with this part, because the skeleton stays in but can be easily removed.

Tomb with Figs:

A more action-packed view of this scene. Indy has just gone in, and is inspecting his "time-capsule".

Exterior Front:

Now for the next part: the exterior. You can see the holes in the wall, a feature which is apparently not limited to Star Wars.

Exterior Side:

A side shot, showcasing the scorpion, and the platform.

Exterior Top View:

A top view, displaying the layout a bit better. The rocks and foliage are excellent.

Hiding Spots:

There are plenty of places to hide, as demonstrated by our warriors. This captures the scene from the movie quite well, while at the same time adding playability.

Exterior with Figs:

This is what it might look like if a kid were playing with it. It looks like Indy has ditched Mutt, leaving him to face the warriors alone!

Random Scene:

Another scene that can be recreated. Here, it looks like Indy has gotten the skull and he and Mutt are escaping!

Video Demonstration:

Of course, no review of a set with a function is complete without a video.

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Now for those Totals!

Design: 9/10 The two sections are great, but the divider is a bit shaky. The colors are spot on, and this is very movie accurate!

Parts: 9/10 A great selection, with lots of accessories. Good colors and specialty parts (like the motorbike)

Build: 8/10 Considering how small the set is, and how fast the build was, it was quite enjoyable.

Minifigs: 10/10 A much better selection than the other similar-sized sets of the line, and exclusive written all over most of them!

Playability: 10/10 Treasure, treasure hunters, people to protect the treasure, hiding spots for their ambushes, a cool moving function, and lots of accessories. If this set doesn't have it, what does?

Price: 8/10 A little iffy, because you don't get many, but there are nice colors, and I'm sure the motorcycle drives up the price.

Total: 54/60 A very decent little set, with minifigs, accessories, an playability being its strong points. I didn't originally think I was going to buy this, but I'm glad I did. If you don't like this set that much, take a closer look, and you may find you like it. Now that the official stuff is over, time for some fun shots!

Bonus:

"We found it! The Plastic Helmet!" (inspired by and based off of cole's MOC [link])

Another Bonus:

The Cemetery Warrior's new makeover proved to be even scarier than the original!

Thanks for reading!

-Inconspicuous

[The Cobra]

I rated it "above average".

This is a really interesting set, yet overpriced, as all licensed sets are here in Europe. I'm hoping for a Christmas sale.

Thanks for the great review!

[hollisbrick]

A great and enjoyable review

You've practically sold this set to me!

I must get it when it comes to our shores!

[Big Cam]

Great review, the images are excellent!

[prateek]

Great review. Set is Above Average just for the motorcycle

[samthelegoman1]

I like the motorcycle, but it's waaaay too pricey.

[gus]

I picked this set up over the summer and thought the price wasn't to bad, lotta neat pieces overall and unusual elements, plus some decent minifigs. Also enough parts to build a fair amount of stuff (as a stand alone) i build several different "lairs" and alters/temple rooms out of this set, just using the sets parts (nothing added).

[Mission Commander]

Great review. Can any one tell (or show) what this looks like connected with 7623? If it looks good I'll buy it.