Review: The Lost Tomb

[Mr Maniac]

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)

Edited September 25, 2020 by Mr Maniac

[Pisces no Aphrodite]

It is a pity that such sets are not made now.

[JintaiZ]

Fantastic review!

[MAB]

I think the translations on the arches are phonetic spellings of ANUBIS and HORUS.

 

[icm]

I've long considered this one of the lesser Adventurers sets, but you make some very good points regarding how much playability it fits in a small package.  For whatever reason, when I was reading this review last night the first thing I thought of was this page from Cigars of the Pharaoh ... maybe I should get myself a copy of this kit and replace Sam Sinister's head with something more kindly.  Then he can be Sophocles Sarcophagus!

It's so hard to embed a Google image search result these days that I had to embed somebody else's Flickr version of the scene instead ... I did NOT build this, it just came up in Google.  Hopefully you recognize the reference if you've read the Tintin books!

 

[Mr Maniac]

On 9/25/2020 at 2:52 AM, Ragana9289 said:

It is a pity that such sets are not made now.

Absolutely! It's taken me a while to realize this, but hey, turns out I like quite a few LEGO themes that are set in the past, as opposed to the present or future! While it's nice to have some version of Pirates back with that Ideas set, and while Ninjago has been excellent with giving us a simulacrum of Castle right now, I'd dearly love to have something from the early 20th Century again like these Adventurers sets, Pharaoh's Quest and some of the Indiana Jones sets! Even if it's related to Ninjago, I think that would be enough for me to, uh, break my unofficial embargo.

On 9/25/2020 at 8:18 AM, JintaiZ said:

Fantastic review!

Thanks man! It was a blast to write (though I really got to do these earlier)!

 

On 9/25/2020 at 8:37 AM, MAB said:

I think the translations on the arches are phonetic spellings of ANUBIS and HORUS.

 

Thank you! I could've sworn I found a fan page of LEGO Adventurers somewhere on the World Wide Web that had translations for each printed column, but again, in my haste to Get It Done, I decided I'd leave it to any commenters who happen upon this review.

On 9/25/2020 at 8:27 PM, icm said:

Then he can be Sophocles Sarcophagus! 

While I still need to read Tintin (which would very much be in my wheelhouse, as a fan of the movie and pulp adventure overall), a quick Google Search immediately brought up the illustrated version of this character, and wow, that is spot on! I can't help but wonder if LEGO released a new head with round spectacles and a beard, because you're right, Sinister's original head is far too evil for Sophocles (even though I love the LEGO version. That's probably why I've elected to avoid using Adventurers heads in other themes. They're too iconic for me now).

Edited October 19, 2020 by Mr Maniac

[icm]

Well, shoot.  I couldn't find a better head for Sophocles Sarcophagus on Bricklink.  Looks like Mr Sly Boot gets a reprieve.

[The Reader]

@Mr Maniac Great review. I bricklinked this set, too, and combined it with set 5919 to a larger structure.

 

On 9/25/2020 at 2:37 PM, MAB said:

I think the translations on the arches are phonetic spellings of ANUBIS and HORUS.

I agree with that. These two pillars correspond to maps no. 40 and 80 which show Anubis and Horus as explained by me here. There were four different maps (20, 40, 60 and 80) in the Adventurers desert sets which had a corresponding pillar each (identical hieroglyphs in the bottom right corner of the maps).

[MAB]

1 hour ago, The Reader said:

@Mr Maniac Great review. I bricklinked this set, too, and combined it with set 5919 to a larger structure.

 

I agree with that. These two pillars correspond to maps no. 40 and 80 which show Anubis and Horus as explained by me here. There were four different maps (20, 40, 60 and 80) in the Adventurers desert sets which had a corresponding pillar each (identical hieroglyphs in the bottom right corner of the maps).

I hadn't seen that, interesting post. I translated them using an alphabet sheet. I got a bit confused by the ending in Z for both, especially as I had to guess the birds letters first time around.

[The Reader]

22 hours ago, MAB said:

an alphabet sheet

Could you please give me a link? Actually I haven't translated the hieroglyphs yet, but always thought that these must be the names of the gods whose heads are shown on the maps.

[MAB]

I used one here https://egyptianeye.net/egyptian-hieroglyphs/

or just Google for hieroglyphics alphabet. Note many don't have the variants for some letters like A. That is what threw me for a while on Anubis.

[The Reader]

@MABThanks a lot. I will try my luck.

[Mr Maniac]

On 9/26/2020 at 2:58 PM, The Reader said:

@Mr Maniac Great review. I bricklinked this set, too, and combined it with set 5919 to a larger structure.

Hey, thanks @The Reader! Great idea combining the two, since that would probably give you a nice little temple complex, along with the central hero and two of the villains! Out of curiosity, have you taken any photos of your combination? Or is it just the two sets put next to each other? Because either way, that sounds pretty cool!

And good call on those maps. Had no idea they corresponded to the printed columns, but that's an interesting theory! One of the impressive things about this debut subtheme was how generous they were with printed parts. The fact that we only got one map from the Jungle/Amazon subtheme and one of each from the biggest Orient Expedition sets make these early maps far more special. And unlike some of the later maps from Pharaoh's Quest or City's Jungle Exploration subtheme, they're generic enough to work with any number of Egyptian MOCs!