Indiana Jones 2023 - Rumors & Discussion

[RichardGoring]

The car and plane look great, although shame it's not a seagull battle pack. Not wowed by the other two, but that can often be the case with potato leak pictures. I'm going to wait until they are fully revealed, as they may be hiding something cool.

[Retro Brick Reviews]

First time I take a nap in 2023, and the Indy sets leak. Of course. And they are... meh?

The Fighter Plane Chase definitely has the best builds of this new wave - the car looks fantastic, and the plane is (unfortunately) the only remake that I think is 100% an improvement over the original version. Indy's minifig looks fantastic - though I am admittedly weirded out by the face expression he has in the top right corner of the box arts - but it's really disappointing how Sean Connery has that same awful hat piece. I would've gladly paid another $5 (even $10) to get a new hat for him, but even if that wasn't going to happen the Scarecrow hat from series 11 in dark bluish-gray would look better than this. That said, looking at the pictures and the PPP ratios I get the vibe all of these sets were going well over budget, so I sympathize with the designers in this instance. And no seagulls is an L. Even then, objectively the best set of the wave hands down, even if it's not my favorite.

Escape from the Lost Wall is... pretty bad, actually? It's really bland, has too little dimension, and honestly this is one of those rare cases where I think a set needed to be smaller in size so they could use their pieces in a denser, more satisfying way. Like, maybe another wall? Or a roof? Some pillars? I dunno exactly, but this just feels like such a nothing set, which is a shame because the old version was half the cost but just felt so much more complete. Minifigs are nice, but unless there's some big extra to this build around the back I'll probably skip this one.

Lastly is the Temple of Doom, which... hmm. This one feels like the designer was stuck between remaking the 2009 set and doing something new and exciting, and imo going fully into either approach would've made for a better set. With that said, I'm gonna say something controversial: They should've cut the minecarts. I know it's a super iconic sequence from the movie, but I feel forcing them into the Temple set just makes both parts feel underwhelming. It worked better in the 2009 set, when the minecarts were the clear focus and they were much less focused on accuracy, but here the main Temple platform feels super squished and the minecart track is a lot less interesting than before. Really wish we could've gotten an $80 build of just that main platform at a larger scale, with a more complete Kali statue. (Then again, the original set is one I've pined after since I was a kid and there's a good chance I'd have been scandalized if they diverged too far from it. Not sure what the right answer was here.) That said, the figures are ACE and I'll still pick it up, but not as excitedly as I'd hoped.

I miss the desert. I miss the sea. I miss walking into ToysRUs, wondering what wonderful adventures the LEGO aisle will bring to us. 

But, perhaps... those days have come and gone.

Edited February 5, 2023 by Retro Brick Reviews

[BrickBob Studpants]

I also have to say, I really appreciate the boxart, especially the Indy minifig illustration! Glad they followed the Star Wars approach rather than the Harry Potter one, as they did with the 2008/09 sets

[EdWebhead]

These sets are honestly underwhelming...really wanted to love these but I don't really. I'll still be picking them up since I've been waiting since my childhood for Indiana Jones to return to LEGO so I'll take what I can get, but I wish it was a stronger lineup. Minifigures look great though! Just hoping the Temple Escape set that we haven't seen yet is really good.

[Maple]

The plane and car are great. The others I've saving a ton of money with.

[LegendaryArticuno]

I never liked Indiana Jones, so only judging the leaks as Lego sets alone... they look terrible.

Hopefully the diorama of the rolling ball scene will offer some redemption for this theme.

Edited February 5, 2023 by LegendaryArticuno

[Jack Sassy]

The sets look rather lovely, though I must say, feels like the Temple of Doom has been somewhat <insert that tiresome argument>. Will give these a chance nevertheless. 

[sammy_zammy]

Well these leaks certainly seem divisive! I am sad to say I’m falling on the side of… meh. I feel like there’s something off with them.

Fighter Plane Attack looks decent Tbf. I have little to say bad about it.

The Lost Tomb, feels like it’s got more accurate builds, but is so… empty? There’s a lot of empty floor space. I agree with @Retro Brick Reviews that it needs to be smaller to be a bit denser. That would also mean some of the piece count could go towards another wall, or two half walls - it is a TOMB, after all.

Temple of Doom, I really don’t know how to feel about the Kali statue! It’s nothing like the movies! However I like the other movie-accurate details. The set also feels more cohesive than the other one, such as the bridge leading to the mine cart. In the original there was the trap door but that didn’t make sense because that’s the pit of lava! Again I agree with @Retro Brick Reviews that cutting the mine carts would’ve made it better. I mean, they’re not even that close together scenes in the movies - there’s the whole rock crusher and freeing the slaves scenes before the mine carts! It limits the number of Temple of Doom sets they can create, and I think two smaller sets would’ve worked better.

[BlueberryWaffles]

I know I'm biased since I've been waiting for this theme to return ever since 2010...

but I'm whelmed.

These honestly don't seem much more detailed than the original sets. The Lost Tomb in particular feels off to me. Will try to hold judgment until better pictures come out, but right now...meh. At least the minifigs are improved.

I'm really, really hoping that this is not a one-wave thing to go along with Indy 5's release.

[Alegrispa]

Gotta be real with y'all, not loving the hat/hair combo. Just looks off, like... there's too much hair? Idk. I think I'll just continue to use the old hat piece. (Funny thing is, I thought about exactly this earlier today!)

As for the sets themselves... eh-

The plane and car look... fine? Little boring tbh. 

The Temple of Doom looks neat at first glance, but the more I look at it the less I like it.

And I'm really not feeling the Lost Tomb set at all. The original was the only Indy set I got and it was really great, especially for the time, but this just looks off. The free-standing, furry-ish (?!) statues holding up nothing. The separate, seemingly two layered wall in the back which looks unfinished. That weirdly thick (and also free-standing) doorway/arch which is completely unregonzible from the movie. And what a strange choice to have the Ark partly hidden and onto the side.

I'm really hoping all these look better in high-res, otherwise these are just a massive let-down. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by Alegrispa

[Fenghuang0296]

I actually like all of these.

It’s hard to tell but I think there are at least two more rooms behind the wall in the Egyptian temple. Even if there aren’t I’ll still get it because I love any and all Egyptian stuff. Plane and car . . is a plane and car. Bit of a meh since I still have my OG Henry Jones figure from fifteen years ago but it’s cute so I might get it. And the Temple of Doom is sort of gorgeous. It’s not perfect but I still want it. Not sure where I’ll put it but I want it. 

[Huigberts Builds]

I like the sets pretty much. Definitely gonna buy the plane to update my figures, as I own the old motorcycle chase. For the others, I might wait for a slightly better deal. I also hope the temple escape has the c3po and r2-d2 hieroglyphs easter egg like in the original set.

[karrit]

I don't have any of the original sets so I'll most likely be getting these.  Hope we get clearer pictures soon.  The current ones are way too blurry for me to make out much detail.  I like the idea of the Temple of Doom one but I really didn't enjoy much of that movie at all including the whole sacrifice scene in the temple so it will most likely be the lowest priority one for me.  

[ChiefPie]

Definitely plan on picking up all these sets. I think the lost tomb has more to it than what is shown on the front. I think there might be a build on the back side. Temple of doom is cool but the statue is weird looking. The plane and car set is the best so far and I am looking forward to the temple escape set even more.

[Actor Builder]

I’ve changed my mind the plane is larger than I realized and I’m happy with it - As long as the wings can fall off!! Years ago I stocked up on seagulls from the build a minifigure bin at a lego store so I’m ready!!

 

Still deciding what I think about the other two… 

[THELEGOBATMAN]

After sleeping on those leaks, I like them less honestly. Minifigures are great in each set, but I'm not feeling some of the builds.

Plane Fighter Chase is still really good imo. It feels complete — both vehicles are well-built and appropriately sized, and the road sign is like a cherry on top.

The Lost Tomb is such a weird set. The wall and the statues feel completely disconnected, even tho they are supposed to be a part of the same structure. I have no idea what is going on with that wall too. The base makes it even emptier — it's like someone made a few good, separate builds, and just put it randomly on a single plate.

The Temple of Doom looks kinda fun, but the main section is ugly, and barely resembles what we've seen in the movie. The tracks look okay, although half of them are covered with the main section. Also, everything that's going on at the base is a mess, random plates sticking out here and there don't look good at all.

[Tariq j]

They look good. I can see what some are saying about the Tomb. It's does look a little sparse. The plane set looks good though. Love that we have Indy with his tie. 

I'm not sure about the Temple set. Unlike the original where the mineral chase was the focal point of the set they seem to have been tacked on a bit here almost like an afterthought. The tracks don't meet like they did in the film. I also agree with @Retro Brick Reviews that it should've been removed.

[Clone OPatra]

I actually quite like the Tomb set. My memory of the film is a vast space, which this captures with the big wall and statues better than the more cramped old set did. The standalone structures imply a larger size than is actually presented.

That said, I could be wrong and remembering the upper place where Indy is before he falls into the tomb? It's been a very long time since I saw the movie. In any case, I still think the set has an interesting design, though I doubt I'll pick it up myself.

Having been fully immersed in LEGO at the time of the old sets and not a huge fan of Indy, none of these look essential to me, though I do think they're good for what they are. The old line had fantastic small sets, which is something that is obviously not going to be replicated because LEGO just doesn't do much of that anymore. The old Dr Jones Sr figure is still one of the best likenesses of a real actor ever, and so I have no need for a new one.

[kevkipo]

I've never watched any of these movies but these sets make me want to. I think they look cool and adventurous, brings me back to Orient Expedition...

[PGBQW]

Do you think the plane wings will be detachable, like in the movie?

[Kaijumeister]

Just realised the Maharajah is holding a nanofigure representing Indy’s voodoo doll, pretty cool!

[sahidko]

They really do look meh don't they? Maybe better resolution is going to change that a bit but for now no buy for me unless i can find some nice discount.

[THELEGOBATMAN]

6 minutes ago, sahidko said:

They really do look meh don't they? Maybe better resolution is going to change that a bit but for now no buy for me unless i can find some nice discount.

Yeah... HD pictures will probably do them more justice, but for now I'm definitely not impressed.

Minifigures will definitely be great tho, and the 18+ has to look amazing.

Hope The Dial of Destiny wave has better builds.

[Ravenclaw62442]

The plane in the movie is a poor representation of an Messerschmitt 109 and the Lego model looks even less like a 109. 😬
 

Probably the pick of the wave all the same.  

[sahidko]

Well did you really expect Lego to make a realistic version of Bf-109? :D