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Name: Cursed Cobra Statue
Theme: LEGO System/Pharaoh's Quest
Year: 2011
Minifigs: 3
Price: USD $29.99
Resources: Bricklink, Brickset
Packing, instructions, DSS
It is, once again, exciting to see the Adventurers return. This time they have a new logo, a very creepy mummy. The premise of this theme is that the evil Forgotten Pharaoh, Amset-Ra, has returned from the dead to conquer the world. His cursed statues have been guarding six treasures that will give him the power to conquer the world. The packaging and logo reflects the premise well. The box is typical of LEGO box art nowadays which means, no alternative builds on back.
This set also includes a DSS, as well as printed pieces. Just a warning: I never apply the stickers to my sets, so you won't see them in my review. In this case, the lack of stickers does leave the look of the structure somewhat lacking.
Front of the box.
Back of the box.
The bags aren't numbered and there's only one instruction book, and the unfortunate DSS.
New molds
This set doesn't contain as many new molds as the last one I reviewed from this series, the 7327 Scorpion Pyramid. But there are a couple of gems here.
This is not a new mold, but I'm excited to see this classic piece produced in dark orange! That's going to make a brick facade in my FABULAND town, for sure!
Again, not a new mold, but a new printed pattern. Glad to see they didn't use stickers for this piece.
The new scarab shield piece, this time, in pearl gold. This is an excellent new mold and I'm sure we'll be seeing it used in clever ways in a lot of new MOCs.
This TECHNIC piece may not be new, but it's new to me.
Minifigs
There are new characters this time. Johnny Thunder has been replaced by Jake Raines. Dr. Kilroy/Dr. Charles Lightning has been replaced by Professor Achibald Hale (who does not appear in this set). I've conducted a bit of research but can't seem to come up with the name of the female character here.
Maybe somebody knows? The Mummy here is cool with a new printed headdress. 
Mummy torso front.
Mummy torso back.
Jake Raines torso front.
Jake Raines torso back.
Mummy legs.
Female torso front. This is an excellent new torso with many uses across themes. I'm glad the torso is definitely female but "generic" enough to be used in a variety of settings and time periods.
Female torso back.
New dark tan printed Pharaoh headdress. I think this is an excellent piece with a lot of character. Although it adorns a mummy warrior in this set, I can see it being used for a more prominent ruler in someone's MOC or LEGO story.
Female face.
Back of female face, she gets scared sometimes.
Front of Mummy head.
Back of Mummy head.
Family portrait. Say "cheese!"
Click! I don't like the Jake Raines character. I think he looks like a bad Elvis impersonator. The sideburns with the hair look odd to me. I think LEGO was trying too hard to make a dashing hero. The mechanic in the Scorpion Pyramid is more dashing. That is my personal preference. How can there be an Adventurer hero without a fedora? Less sideburns, more fedora, LEGO!! 
The build
Just like 7327 Scorpion Pyramid, this set was built to have a lot of play features. It's on a much smaller scale than the Scorpion Pyramid, so there aren't quite as many traps or surprises. The main attraction of this set is the cobra. Secondarily, we get a little tan structure and a car. Overall, I don't think this set was as successful with action and playability as the Scorpion Pyramid. In particular, the articulation on the snake is incredibly weak leaving it difficult to pose for playtime. Other recent themes like Atlantis, Aqua Raiders and even as far back as Vikings have had much more success with the great articulation of their creatures.
The car
Nothing particularly exciting here. There are some good dark red elements, but that's about it. Here are some in progress shots.
Jake and whoever this babe is, let's call her Jackie for now, are certainly ready to kick some Cursed Cobra Ass. Dynamite, shotgun, revolver, shovel. They'll beat it senseless, shoot it up and then blow up whatever remains.
The little pyramidy-like do-hickey
Meh, what is this? Sure the treasure had to be hidden somewhere, but it seems nothing more than a platform for the snake-wielding mummy to attack from. I think it would've been great if Jake and Jackie had been downgraded to motorcycles and the extra pieces had been used towards more of an obelisque that the snake could've blended in more with. I like the idea of these "cursed statues" blending in more with the stone. The scorpion blended in all right with the pyramid, but the snake ends up just kind of wrapping around this tiny structure. Here are some in-progress build shots of the little thingy build:
Nothing even hidden inside...
The cobra
The cobra certainly has the potential to be cool, but it just ends up too flimsy to pose well. The articulation points are great, but the ball hinges leave it too flimsy for cool action poses. Here are some in-progress build shots of the cobra:
These are definitely cool pieces in cool colors. The set is a decent parts pack.
This makes an excellent snake body and I like the pattern. However, it's the ball-joint connection that makes the snake fail, in my opinion. If click-hinge joints had been used instead, I think this would've been a much more successful set.
If the cobra is attacked, the tail detaches and flips around leading the predator away from the rest of the body.
What the hell am I talking about??
LEGO has always been pretty good and making cool brick-built creatures. I particularly like the head of this snake. The teeth and lower jaw make it ominous and threatening. It'll be fun to feed him some minifigs for lunch!
Uh-oh! Looks like he's got a little Jackie on the menu already!
Cool articulation, but it took me way too long to balance the snake for this shot and it fell over a second after I snapped the picture.
Aw, he's so cute when he chases his tail.
This is the yoga move known as "The Cobra."
Yes, a snake that does Yoga. Not so threatening to Jackie and Jake. They're a little bored with the whole story and definitely not being eaten. Ho-hum
Things get a little better when you connect the snake to the pyramidy do-hickey. He can pose around that a little better because something's holding him in place and providing a little more balance.
See? Not so bad. The snake is about ready to strike. He looks ominous, imposing and dangerous.
This is even better. He's on his way to have a little Jakey-snack. However, this fell over several times before I could get the shot. The snake doesn't attach to the structure very well and the portion of the snake past the attachment point oftentimes knocks the whole things over. It doesn't help much to use it this way, but it's more likely to get a cool pose out of the snake. However, it did take longer, because it kept knocking everything over.
While I'm at it, this snake-juggling goofy mummy isn't too scary either. What's scarier than a mummy? A mummy wielding poisonous snakes??
I guess, but that sounds needlessly complicated.
How to improve it? Well, turn the mummy's head around. The one red eye poking through the bandages is more creepy than the goofy smile/snarl and the two eyes exposed. Then, make the snake a little less conspicuous by posing it as part of the statue. Looks harmless enough: Just a solemn snake statue over a decrepit mummy with a cool headdress. Ominous, but more cool than creepy.
Uh-oh! You got too close! The statute and the mummy are both alive and they're coming to get you! I think this is what was intended with the set, but you don't see anything on the box or instructions to pose the snake in a certain way to be the statue. I'm sure kids can figure this out on their own. I guess I'm being picky by expecting more in the story or expecting a definite way to pose the snake where it looks like a statue before it reveals itself as alive. Couldn't it have easily looked like an obelisk?
This is much more threatening! Let's see these creatures really make life hard for our heroes.
Hell, let's just see 'em rip them apart. You trespassed on sacred ground, kids! This is what you get!
OK, OK. So, the set is fun to play with. 
Summary review
Playability: 6/10 (Flimsy, flimsy, flimsy! Good articulation, but not very poseable. A limp snake always spoils good play time.)
Design: 8/10 (I like the look of the snake. I think the design of the remainder of the pieces in the set should've been utilized to support the enchanted snake statue idea. I like the pieces and the car is all right. Good colors and pieces. The minifigs are definitely cool.)
Price: 7/10 (Like the Scorpion Pyramid, the price point seems a bit high to me on this one.)
Overall: 7/10 (Sorry LEGO. You didn't knock it out of the park like you did with the Scorpion Pyramid. The set is average, nothing special, but some parts and figures. Stronger articulation would've raised the score significantly.)
