Halloween Review #2: 5938 Oasis Ambush

[WesternOutlaw]

In the dim light of an Egyptian sunset, burried within a sand-covered tomb, something evil will soon awaken. The decayed remnants of a great Pharaoh, burried within the secret crypt guards a precious treasure, yet a trap awaits all who dare desecrate the tomb. Will the brave archaeologist team discover where the Pharaoh's gold is really hidden before it is too late?

Halloween 2008 Review #2

Oasis Ambush

Set #: 5938

Theme: Adventurers - Desert/Egypt

Year Released: 1998

Piece Count: 76

Minifigs: 2 + Skellie

List Price: $8 (USD)

My 2nd Halloween 2008 review will be this small Adventurers set from 1998, and a classic for those who enjoy stories about the Curse of the Mummy.

Starting with the box, I've always liked the Adventurers Desert boxart, a nice combination of tans and oranges:

The back of the box has two distinct pictures. The first is this picture of the remains of an unfortunate Adventurer:

The 2nd, an alternate model with chained skellie:

The set includes two stickers that are to be placed on each side of the tomb (shown later):

Scanning these stickers a few years ago, I was able to change the background color and use them in this MOC:

Three figs include Johnny Thunder and company:

The set includes one rifle, a pistol, and a wonderful little Egyptian map tile:

A multi-piece trunk palm tree adds a nice outdoor element to this set. I always thought it could have been a little taller though:

And the neatest part of the set, the small Tomb of the Pharaoh:

On the side of the tomb, a 1x4 tile warns adventurers who desecrate the tomb and gazes into the mummy's eyes. Also pictured is the chain attached to a spear that serves as a lever:

Atop the tomb is a black statue of a jackal/Anubis. Notice that a black chest serves as the body:

When the spear/lever is pulled, the top of the tomb lifts open easily, a very easy, yet clever design. Inside is the skeleton Pharaoh:

The Pharaoh's treasure is not hidden in the tomb, but rather the Anubis statue chest, four gold coins:

Beware the Curse of the Pharaoh!

The complete set:

Final Thoughts:

Oasis Ambush is one of the best small sets within the Desert Adventurers theme. With three figs, one palm tree, and a tomb with trap and chest, this set has a great value. I always liked the Anubis statue on the top of the tomb, a simple, yet very effective design for a hidden chest. Although a few gems would have made the treasure a little more valuable, four gold pieces isn't bad at all. Although a Mummy would have been a nice addition, at least the classic skeleton has a Pharaoh's head dress. This set is a must buy for any Adventurers fan, and also a pretty spooky set if you like stories about the Curse of the Mummy.

[ProducePrincess]

i loved that set enough that i actually got two of them(one for a really low price at a liquidator store).l that was back when lego was more creative with there sets. nice reveiw

[WhiteFang]

Brickster, what is Johnny Thunder doing over in our LEGO Trains & Town forum?

Oh, I remembered this review is for our Halloween month in our haunted town.

Another great and interesting review brought by Brickster. This is a very nice set which include several useful items for such an affordable price. The palm tree, pistol, rifle, brown spear, scorpion, map, the 1x4 egyptian hieroglyphs, black treasure chest and etc. The usual suspects in the Oasis Ambush is our hero, Johnny Thunder and its villian. One of our surprise guest is the dead pharaoh.

This is indeed a fun playing set, which has a simple design yet offer playability with it, especially the trap feature. To be honest, I had never seen this set before and I must thank you again for showing it to us in this wonderful review of yours.

[hollisbrick]

Great set, personelly Adventurours were one of my favourite themes

But sadly I was quite young so I couldnt get any I hope they get re-released one day

Great review btw

[Zorro]

Good review and good set: I never got one of the Egypt sets, sadly they didn't sell them in my supermarket and I only got to know about Bricklink a few months ago.

[Algernon]

Makes me miss Adventurers.

Excellent review, I haven't seen this set before. :D

[Eilif]

What a neat set. Even adjusted for inflation, the price, vs number of figs makes this seem like a particularly good deal. I agree that working the treasure chest into the statue was an excelent way to include a second "secret" feature in a low cost set. That's the kind of thinking that really sets LEGO toys appart from others.

[hollisbrick]

What a neat set. Even adjusted for inflation, the price, vs number of figs makes this seem like a particularly good deal. I agree that working the treasure chest into the statue was an excelent way to include a second "secret" feature in a low cost set. That's the kind of thinking that really sets LEGO toys appart from others.

Yea, thats one of the main things that got me into lego as a kid. Because of all the traps and functions and you get to make the functions aswell

[Lt. Col. Thok]

Very nicely done. This was my first JT set, and I loved it. Thanks for the review.

[Flatfoot Thompsen]

Excellant review, Brickster!!!

[Gregorovich]

I know I'm a bit late, but Ive only recently discovered the adventurers review index, and I just love to see them. I may try to build something similar to this. Thanks for the review!