REVIEW: 7307 Flying Mummy Attack

[WesternOutlaw]

A mysterious Obelisk in the Egyptian desert... a blue topaz jewel of ornate splendor... flying mummies, and a biplane that may hold the key to unlocking the riddles of Flying Mummy Attack.

Yes, I find Pharaoh's Quest set 7307 Flying Mummy Attack most intriguing from both a mystery and a set design aspect. This review will shine some light into the mystery.

Set Name: Flying Mummy Attack

Set Number: 7307

Theme: Pharaoh's Quest

Year Released: 2011 (early availability in Dec 2010)

Piece Count: 125

Price: $19.99 (USD)

Minifigs: 3

Flying Mummy Attack brings high-flying adventure to the Pharaoh's Quest theme with a hot new adventure biplane and some flying mummies for added swoosh appeal. I absolutely love the Pharaoh's Quest boxart especially with added pictures on the boxart. A rear view of the biplane is pictured on the back of the box with Jake in bomber jacket holding the treasure of the set:

Opening the box, I discovered three bags of pieces and a few extras:

Individually wrapped were the prized "Mummy Wings". Made of hard plastic (not the soft cheap variety), these wings are certainly a great new mold that I look forward to seeing in different Egyptian Desert MOCs. They are attached to the Minifig neck piece like a backpack:

Just when I thought this new adventure theme would not include stickers, I was disappointed to find a sheat within to be used on both the biplane and obelisk columns:

The sticker sheet leads me to Mystery #1 regarding Flying Mummy Attack. The airplane is obviously a biplane of the Sopwith Camel variety (see the red and blue circled bullseye decals. Why the Spirit of St. Louis decals? I'm not an aviation historian, but aren't these entirely different aircraft eras?

Let's talk about Jake Raines in bomber jacket a bit. I love the traditional brown bomber jacket look Jake has in this set. Wearing old-fashion goggles, LEGO created a nice fig here with added wings and a fine back-of-jacket design. Strangely, I can't help to ask what "SMH" stands for. Perhaps some of you may recognize the initials, but I'm at a lost - Mystery #2. Is SMH Smithair of Georgia (in the US?) or perhaps Sydney Morning Herald, Australian newpaper? I suppose we need a little more info on Jake.

Continuing, Flying Mummy Attack also includes two of the same type of two-faced mummies, but this time with Ra headpiece. As mentioned above, the wings fit over the neck like a backpack secured by pushing down on the head. NOTE: the wings are not attached to the headpiece.

The main structure in the set (aside from the biplane) is the rather tall obelisk. Unfortunately, the column pieces require decals. On its top is a 2x2 area that you can place the gem and its dark blue holder/base. The idea is to have the biplane swoosh by with retracting arm and grab the gem from the obelisk (all while avoiding attacks from the flying mummies with spears):

The reason I bought this set was definitely for the new biplane. Let's take a look:

While the new dark red color looks great, I must admit that I am a bit disappointed with the biplane. I expected something a bit longer with a better design. Rather, the biplane seems like something that should be a stand-alone $5-$7 set, similar to 5928 Bi-Wing Baron from the Adventurers Desert theme. Compared to previous adventure bi-planes from LEGO, like the one contained in 7417 Temple of Mt. Everest (Orient Expedition), LEGO missed the mark on this one. Turning the propeller blade upward gets in the way of the machine gun - another criticism; plus, my propeller doesn't seem to turn smoothly (even after tinkering). The overall shape just seems short to me with a large propeller area. I do like the wheels on each of the wings making the plane more realistic. It will be interesting to read how all of you like the bipane.

Maybe it would look better with decals (which I don't generally use). The below boxart image pictures the retracting arm used to grab the gem from the obelisk:

So let's recap this review.

PROS

- Jake Raines in bomber jacket minifig

- Two new-mold mummy wings

- Ra headpieces

- New fresh color (dark red) used for bi-plane

- Curved wing plates

- Wheels on wings of bi-plane

CONS

- Stickers (esp. for the columns pieces of the obelisk)

- Value for the money. I think a stand-alone bi-plane under $10 would have worked just as well - although treasure may not have been possible.

- Short and stubby bi-plane design

- Compared to Desert Adventurers, the obelisk doesn't look as good (doesn't open either)

Final Thoughts

$20 (USD) is a reasonable price for a LEGO set, and a price range that I particularly like. I couldn't wait to buy this set for the bi-plane. For me, early airplanes/bi-planes just add fun to an adventure theme, reminding me of classic adventure movies like Lost World and the People that Time Forgot. At the same time, I was a bit disappointed with the overall size of the little bi-plane. Having something like the Indiana Jones bi-plane (a two-seater) in 7198 Fighter Plane Attack, would have made this a fantastic set! Rather, the little bi-plane is just okay. Overall, I rate this set a 4. Perhaps after some swooshing, I'll like it more. I hope you enjoy this review and comments are always welcome.

[Mrlegoninja]

Thanks for this great review!

I thought this was a great set, and was on my list as number one.

But now that I see up close of the bi plane, it kind of disapoints.

I hate to say this, but while the PQ sets look great, the features and structures are very disapointing.

[Rick]

Thanks for another early review TheBrickster. The plane (as all modes of transport in PQ) looks great in dark-red. And that pilot jacket is an excellent torso. I also like how they incorporated a play feature in this set, even though many will detach this the instance they built it.

Year Released: 2012 (early availability in Dec 2011)

Been doing some time-traveling?

[WesternOutlaw]

Been doing some time-traveling?

[Stardusty]

Great review!

This was almost my No. 1 for 2011, but now I think it is really bad.

Those round tiles (targets) aren't printed.

Only good thind are flying mummies.

Now, I think that Pharaoh's Quest isn't as good as I thought.

I won't buy it, I am really dissapointed.

Ok, I will have more money for SW.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Stardusty

[Gryphon Ink]

It's too bad the plane isn't all it should be. The set isn't looking as good as I first thought. I still want those flying mummies, though.

One point: there were a lot of early biplanes whose machine guns fired straight through the propellor. They used interrupters to synchronize the gun so it wouldn't shoot the propellor off. So that is authentic, even if the proprtions aren't right overall.

[Bingo Little]

I think I probably will get this set:

I love the wings, and want to try them out on the angels in my nativity (One of whom currently has huge wings of fire made using Dastan's backpack) to see if they work any better. It's got some tommy guns in, which I've never had before, as I tend to steer clear of licensed themes, and lovely minifigures, some good parts in dark red as well. Oh, and it looks like a good chance to pick up a few more new castle windows in a non castle set.

It's just a shame that the Obelisks aren't printed (I'll just end up using the unstickered pieces to build up walls) and that those RAF circles aren't stickered, or they'd make great medieval targets for archery. Those ones I probably will sticker, with multiple times and a steady hand...

But, yeah, not as disappointed as other people seem to be.

[The Yellow Brick]

The review I've been waiting for, Thanks Brickster

To be honest I thought the plane was alot bigger and the size is the one thing that disappointed me .

Nice to see parts in rare colours being used thought.

[Masked Builder]

I'm working on this review too! Seems you beat me too it! Yours have a very nice background to them.

[lightningtiger]

Thanks 'The Brickster' for this review, yep, I'll be buying this theme.....it's very cool !

I agree with you on the bi-plane, I feel that the gap between the wings is not enough and the wing span is too short as well, plsu the machine guns are upside down.....sounds like MOD time.

The flying mummies are very cool as well.

Come on 2011 and keep on chasing mummies !

[Sirens-of-Titan]

I got this yesterday, and I'm very happy with it! The jacket is amazing! I want to get 5 of these and make a WW2 bomber crew!

The mummies are nice, although they are the exact same mummy torso/face from every other set, I wish it had some diversity, but that's reserved for wave 2 I suppose...

The biplane is actually pretty neat, and once you remove that ridiculous gem-snatching technic piece from the bottom it is very pleasant to look at; it's simple but effective, and the Tommy guns on top are very cool. Now if they include another airplane with the next wave it would be great to build a squadron

[Blackknight112]

Nice review, I think this is the best PQ set of the winter 2011 wave.

[MightySlickPancake]

Thabks for this TheBrickster. I was most excited by this set as it reminded me of this set.

Great review as always . I can imagine the circular stickers being used in plane mocs.

Thanks, CB

[Jar Jar]

Another outstanding review, TheBrickster! I'm actually quite fond of this set, being the only con the sticker sheet. I actually misread the topic title for 'REVIEW: 7307 Flying Monkey Attack'

[The Crazy One]

Hmm....that is a bit of a dissapointment, but I love swooshing so I reckon Ill pick it up!

Cheers for the review.

[XimenaPaulina]

Another quality review The Brickster! Thanks for sharing. IMO, this is one of the better sets in the line, a decent-sized set with a dashing minifig and two antagonists, plus a pretty good old-school airplane. The more I see the sets the more I'm drawn to this theme, really lots of thing to like about PQ.

[Oky]

Nice review, thanks, but I would have liked to see more real photos rather than close-ups of the box art.

I like the bi-plane. I've always loved bi-planes that look rounded and cartoony, and this one reflects such a personality perfectly. Sure, it's not as large and detailed as the IJ bi-plane, but for an affordable little set, it looks very good. Much better than the old adventurers planes anyway, which may have been cheaper, but also more <insert that tiresome argument>.

As for the rest, yes, it would have been nice if there was a secret compartment or something at the base of the obelisk, but the fact that it comes with two of the flying mummies makes up for it. Other sets of this price range in themes such as Atlantis and SP3 usually only come with one baddie. The minifigs look great, especially Jake who looks better than the Series 3 Pilot in my opinion. And the addition of the feature with the grappling arm is neat too, although I'll probably mod it out to improve the look of the bi-plane.

[JimBee]

Thanks for the review, Brickster. Probably my favorite and most-anticipated set of the new theme. I really love Lego airplanes, and this is no exception. I agree that it maybe could've been better-built, but it will be a nice addition to the IJ Plane Attack set. Jake's bomber jacket is pretty nice, but I really love those wing pieces. I have a few uses in mind for those.

I rated this Outstanding.

[Baylego]

Thanks for the great review The Brickster! This set is definitely at the top of my list.

[Brickviller]

Outstanding review! Really like the set, especially for the bi-plane. Your review has really a high quality level The only thing I don't ike is the fact the pilot can't see anything

[Barricade769]

I think this is going to be a must buy for me. I think that the plane is brilliant, and it'll be even better when the crystal grabbing arm "accidentally" gets left off

The obelisk is a little bit of a let down seeing as how it's basically just scenery, but I think the figs more than make up for that - the flying mummies are excellent, and Jack's bomber jacket is fantastic - looks like there's more than a little bit of Harry Kane from the old Adventurers theme in him.

Thanks for the great review Brickster

[Supersonic]

Thanks for the excellent review. While the biplane isn't as good as I first thought (the back looks rather stupid), it's still a must-buy for me - the machine guns and the figures alone are worth it. The "obelisk" contains some nice tan parts, too. I rated it Above Average, though it could be made Outstanding with a bit of modding.

[Santhor]

Thanks for the review, TheBrickster. I though the capture-claw on the bottom was another gatling gun. I think I would've liked it better that way. Can't wait to get my hands on those mummies!

-Santhor, the Undead King of Egypt

[Peppermint_M]

*Flashback* 10 years old on the way home from town, happily clutching a real Lego bi-plane in it's box, my two greatest things combined into one. *Nostalgia*

Heavy nostalgic taints means I am buying so much of this theme, the pictures just make me more excited for it. I love that era of flight and history, more than any other time. I can tell that these sets will create similar feelings for children today as I had when I was young. This is great, considering of late TLG seems to have been going down the franchise route over the own merits method.

This theme is so going to be the best of the year!

[WhiteFang]

Excellent review again. Thanks TheBrickster.

This set will definitely be one of the affordable army building sets for the Flying Mummy. It also comes with this nice looking bi-plane. I love it and I am glad this theme is offering so much fun for all of us.