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Deep in the Sahara Desert, the villainous Sam Sinister has decided to lug a large, bulky crate in his too-small car to a mysterious lost tomb! Will he find the Pharaoh's magical Re-Gou ruby? Is the mummy's curse real? Will I be able to fit in more jokes for this review? Let's find out! Info Set # - 2996 Name - The Lost Tomb/Adventurer's Tomb Theme/Subtheme - Adventurers/Desert Year - 1998 Piece Count - 81 Minifigures - 2 Price - MSRP $8 US Links Brickset, Peeron, Bricklink, Bricksafe Box So...about that. Since I got this set used off Bricklink, no box came with it, but we'll chalk that up to digging in the wrong place. A fun footnote here is that LEGO basically chose to use the same name for an Indiana Jones set. Guess there's quite a few lost tombs in LEGO Egypt. Instructions It's just a book. No harm ever came from reading a book. Unless you're used to new instruction manuals, of course, with their neat, numbered bags and piece call-outs. Then you're in trouble. But first, the front of the manual, with the lovely background made up of reds and oranges. I always enjoyed the atmosphere of these manuals, where all the action seems to take place either at sunrise or sunset (for Sinister, let's hope it's the former, seeing how he has no flashlight or torch). While lacking in mirages that distinguish some of the larger sets' instructions, you still get some pyramids in the distance, which is nice, along with a fun little scene of Sam Sinister fleeing to his crate to get some heavier firepower to deal with the Pharaoh's Mummy and local wildlife. The back of the instruction manual continues with the gorgeous sky and harsh desert sand motif, plus a fun little box cut-out with hieroglyphic borders and two alternative models you can build with all 81 pieces. Admittedly, that's not a lot of parts to work with, so the alternative models aren't too interesting to me. Though the building facade for the larger image does have a nice look to it, and you get to see Sinister's crazy parkour skills. Inside the manual, we have more design decisions I love, including the old, cracked numbers and the papyrus-like background. Not to mention the mirage-like designs for specific call-outs, such as when you attach the door part to the hinge brick. And bordering it all are those lovely obelisk designs which, if you're willing to squint at them long enough, seem to have some Egyptian hieroglyphics etched on each one. Now that's attention to detail. And in the interest of being thorough, color distinction between parts is perfect. Pieces Maybe it wasn't Plagues of Egypt bad, but man was it annoying getting every single part lined up and organized, including the plates that will make up the base of the tomb and the car. So please take some time before you scroll past to marvel at my incredible organizational skill. Pretty impressive, eh? Now that you're done marveling, back to business. As far as interesting parts go, most of these are relatively common, but at the time, quite a few of these were a big deal. Sure, the 3x4x1 and 2/3 crate may appear in 221 sets now, but this was the first theme to introduce it. Similarly, the Vehicle Grille 1x2x2 Round Top with Lights may have appeared in 24 sets now (almost all of which were Adventurers sets), but again, for the time, it was pretty interesting to have such a unique part that would let you build an older car so quickly. Same for the two sarcophagus pieces. While the blue half has popped up in countless sets, the top half remains pretty unique, having only recently reappeared in pearl gold for three new-ish sets. The two black doors are more unique than I thought, only appearing in four sets total, compared to the 13 or so sets where they appeared in brown. While the Slope 45 2x2 Double is fairly common in black (though not compared to red), the Modified Brick 1x2x1 and 1/3 with curved top is somewhat rare in Dark Gray, unless you're one of the lucky few to own the original Chamber of Secrets set. And finally, the Mummy Headress remains very rare and unique in this form, having only appeared in 10 sets total, while the ruby is now far more common and appears in far more colors. But we'll get to that later. True to the theme, no stickers need apply here, because they're all printed. Obviously there are at least two sets that have stickers, but this is not one of them. Instead, we get a nice small grab-bag of hieroglyphic parts, with the two columns possibly spelling something funny if anyone knows how to decode these, while the center features an ominous warning for anyone opening black doors. Hmmm... Finally, we have the accessories, which are rather extensive despite it being such a small set, but useful for any tomb raiding you may want to do. While the ruby already appeared in the interesting parts photo, I decided to include it here because it's just too cool to be limited to one shot. Again, while these gem parts may pop up anywhere and everywhere to bump up the value of treasure, this was a pretty unique item to have back in 1998. Sure, the original Ninja sets used it everywhere, and Adventurers certainly wasn't stingy with it, but no wonder it popped up all over the place! I have several sets featuring non-chrome treasure before this part debuted, and what a difference it made when this came around, letting you drop the regular transparent studs which were supposed to be jewels in favor of these parts. Minifigures We go from worse to bad here in terms of characters, with the Pharaoh's Mummy/Hotep and Sam Sinister, with excellent detailing on Hotep's legs and both torsos, which can have extensive usage across a wide range of themes. I appreciate how for Adventurers, LEGO was willing to give us a number of sets without Johnny Thunder. The dude looked great, of course, and fit the bill as a dashing archaeological hero, but I appreciate how deep the bench of characters seemed where you could purchase several sets and not just get a duplicate of Johnny all the time, but duplicates of Baron Von Barron, Sam Sinister or Dr. Charles Lightning/Kilroy. The same, of course, can't always be said for more recent themes (sorry Hidden Side!). The backs of each of the minifigures have no printing, of course, which was the norm at the time, but doesn't matter too much. Sinister's fancy black suit doesn't need any detailing (even if it's not the wisest thing to wear in the desert), and Hotep's headress will cover up most of his back anyway. There we go! Now Sinister's ready for a night out on the town (or for a night out excavating a sarcophagus. Whichever comes first), while the Pharaoh's Mummy is ready to unleash a curse! And what good is a curse if you don't have any dangerous, poisonous creatures to do your bidding? Why, it's no curse at all! Hence the inclusion of a scorpion and snake, which make up all the animals in this set, with both capable of working quite nicely with more modern sets and parts. The Build Given the size of this set, it's fairly straightforward and not really complex, unless you're not paying attention to the instructions, which require a bit more concentration with no part call-outs. We start with the tomb itself, building the base using the 4x12 tan plate and the 2x10 light gray plate. Add the mysterious, foreboding black doors and some columns... ...An archway... ...Some of the printed parts, and... ...We have a not-so-Lost Tomb! Some additional angles of the tomb itself, which is rather shallow, as you can tell. That said, I like the recessed doors at the entrance. Next up is Sam Sinister's small car. We start with the vehicle base... ...Throw on some dark gray panels so he doesn't fall off as it meanders around some sand dunes... ...Add a steering wheel and a few more bricks, including some fairly convincing mudflaps for the front tires using those modified bricks... ...And we have a car! Sure it may be small, but look at the size of that front grille! Some more angles of this vehicle show you just how small it is. Realistic it is not, of course, but it does seem very fitting for the character driving it. If Baron Von Barron gets a heavily-armed, loud biplane, why shouldn't the sneaky Sam Sinister get a tiny little car to drive around in? To me it's the perfect vehicle to use when you're nabbing treasure from right underneath Johnny Thunder's nose. That is, if he had one printed on his head. Now all that's left are a few small builds. So after magically transforming these parts... ...Into a pretty convincing campsite (with a special shout-out to that extra 2x3 plate in case you want the crate closed up completely)... ...in addition to sealing the Pharaoh's Mummy into his sarcophagus with the magical ruby... ...The set is complete! Again, while small, the overall impression is pretty spot-on as a minor excavation project, complete with the vehicle, tomb entrance, campsite-as-crate, and sarcophagus. Play Features Admittedly, once you build it, there's not much to do here, short of zooming Sinister's car around the tomb. You can open the doors, but as you can see below, it's hard to pull it off if you're trying to cram the sarcophagus back there. There we go, much better (once you've taken the sarcophagus off the plate). Obviously the downside here is that the set is already not very portable, seeing how you've got to carry a crate, a car and a tomb. Add in the sarcophagus and you're going to have some full hands, since there's no convenient spot to place the sarcophagus. So how to get around it? Simple! By using these nine parts... ...You've got a brand-new (but still lost) tomb! Some additional angles of my...let's just call it The Lost Tomb of MOC-MOD. Benefits of building the set this way is that you can actually fit the sarcophagus comfortably in the structure (with the original printed columns on either side), and the doors open outward, much like the warning hieroglyphic on the front foretold. Plus using a 2x10 tan plate blends better with the 4x12 plate, if you're into that sort of thing. Final Thoughts Going to try to use some numbers on this one (even though I'm not a fan), so bear with me. Pricing and Value - According to Brick Insights, the price-per-part for this set today is $0.16, which is better than it was back in 1998, when it was only at $0.02. That said, I think I would have to give it a 6/10, as it's slightly above average, and isn't as valuable as similar small sets from this theme, like, say, Oasis Ambush. Pieces - Here's where this set shines, in my opinion. You get printed hieroglyphic parts, fancy early-20th Century car parts, digging equipment, guns, and a sarcophagus as well. Not to mention the black doors, which are nice to have if you want to build a larger tomb entrance with that hieroglyphic above. As a parts pack, it's pretty good, so let's try a 8/10. Design/Build - Not too much to say here, other than what you get with the instructions is pretty decent as far as tombs go, although lacking in some of the more innovative booby traps/play features that make up the rest of the sets from the desert subtheme. But I do like the car, and the recessed doors are pretty neat, so 7/10. Playability - Open the doors, close the doors. Say 'Open Sesame' or don't, but there's not much else to do with just this set. Sam Sinister's car is fun to drive around, and having him 'excavate' (even if he's missing the most crucial tool in any self-respecting LEGO archaeologist's arsenal) can be fun, although this set works best with more Adventurers sets and characters. So it'll get a 6/10 from me on that front. Verdict: The Lost Tomb (or Adventurer's Tomb, depending on how Sam Sinister fares) is a perfectly decent set. It obviously won't surpass Pharaoh's Forbidden Ruins, Sphinx's Secret Surprise, or even Oasis Ambush. What it can do, however, is complement those sets if you own them, giving you one more sarcophagus to play with and a neat little vehicle (if you choose to keep it built) for Sinister to tool around in. So that would be (if I didn't completely botch the math) a 67.5%. Thanks for reading! Comments and questions always welcome! Don't look Sam! Keep your eyes shut! (Or at least read the sign)
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About a year and a half ago I posted about my mod on the original El Dorado 6276 set and I also talked about my love for classic lego, classic lego catalogues etc. For more on that thread follow this link: But let's get back to a year and a half later aka now. So I was adding bits and bobs trying to make it feel as a part of a lot bigger caribbean bluecoats port City and still remain true to the classic feel of the classic lego catalogues, hopefully I managed it. Try to enjoy the photos and give comments if you find room for improvement (of which there always is): The complete overview of the El Dorado City-Port-Fort: Close-ups of the docks: Infront of the tavern: The top of the fort with the always bussy governer: A lady walking the streets of El Dorado And more or less the same bunch of gold digging pirates at the beach: Caribbean Clipper is now Caribbean Brig and on top of that it has changed colours! Now it's a Redcoats ship which is moored for trading: With an added bonus of monkey Island easter eggs: (yes the kegg is filled with grog and yes Palido Domingo has a map on his back) Cheers :)
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Today when you build a house or other construction, you often have to scramble to find the right parts that will do for LEGO windows. Not all modern windows are available in all colors unfortunately. And sometimes you have to use the backside of those headlight bricks in order to produce windows. TLG wasn't always so frugal in the windows/doors department... back in the mid 1950s the LEGO kids in Scandinavia were almost spoiled for colors... Here is a very rare retailer windows/door box (parts sold from these boxes as individual parts) from 1954-55. There are only 2 known of this box... both in the LEGO Archives in Billund Denmark. The folks at TLG let me have an image of this never before seen box. This shows the large LEGO windows/doors in 3 colors... red, blue and white... which were common to Denmark, Norway and Sweden... the only LEGO countries at that time... There was a large classic windows/door type with glass, and a smaller classic windows/door type without glass. These windows/doors were for use with the slotted LEGO bricks of 1949-56.... TLG also made the large classic windows/doors in a few other colors.... white for all 3 countries... green for Norway, yellow and orange for Sweden, and dark blue for Denmark.... And even the blue windows/doors came in a variety of colors... Then... in 1956 TLG switched from slotted bricks to non-slotted ones... and a whole new series of windows/doors were introduced... the ones we know of as the 1956-86 classic LEGO windows/doors with studs on top.... but sadly only in 2 colors for the first 10 years... red and white. Here is a (1957 introduced) Danish retailer windows/doors box... with individual parts for sale to customers... Images from Chapter 44 - LEGO Windows/Doors 1949-99 of my Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide... on DVD/download for easy desktop use... http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=73780
