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Sandy

Theme Review: Orient Expedition

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Welcome to my first LEGO review ever. Yesterday I received a lot of ten (plus some extra incomplete ones) superb Orient Expedition sets I purchased from Ebay. After building them and seeing their glory with my own eyes, I couldn't help but to post a review of them all. The sets I got included all the biggest sets in the theme, except for the 7417 Temple of Mount Everest. Anyway, I will not be reviewing individual sets in this topic, but the whole theme and it's high points. Hence, it's a Theme Review.

~*Facts & Thoughts About Orient Expedition*~

Orient Expedition was an offspring of the Adventurers theme, released in 2003, three years after the release of the previous Adventurers subtheme, Dino Island, in 2000 and six years after the launch of the Adventurers theme in 1998. It reintroduces the same main cast of adventurers as the older themes: the foolhardy Johnny Thunder, the studious Dr. Kilroy and the daring Miss Pippin Read. This team of adventurers explores three locations in the Far East: the mysterious India, the enigmatic Himalayas and the mythical China. There were 15 sets released in this theme, five for each of these locations.

In each of these three locations, the minifigs portraying the adventurers have different torsos (which is very good considering those who have collected the entire theme) and one local person to help them out: in India, it's the elephant tamer Babloo;in the Himalayas, the sherpa guide Sangye Dorje; and in China, the wandering girl Jing Lee. But their adventures can't be just a thrill ride, for on their heels is their old archnemesis Sam Sinister, and in every location they run into dangerous traps, wondrous monsters and aggressive locals.

There is also a boardgame included in the largest sets, with jigsaw puzzle-like pieces for the board, a special dice and cards with pictures of the minifigs and accessories. The game is quite intricate, but I haven't tried it out yet, so I'll leave it out of this review.

As said earlier, the sets for this theme can be divided into groups of five by the location they portray. In each group there is one large set (Scorpion Palace, Temple of Mount Everest, Dragon Fortress), one monster set (Tygurah's Roar, Yeti's Hideout, Passage of Jun-Chi), one middle-sized set (Elephant Caravan, Aero Nomad, Emperor's Ship), one small set (Jungle River, Secret of the Tomb, Thunder Blazer) and one limited edition set (Red Eagle, Mountain Sleigh, Black Cruiser). The emphasis is on different vehicles, but there is a pleasant amount of other type of sets as well, as you are about to see. It's time to take a tour around the locations!

~*The Jungles of India*~

In India, the group of adventurers and their guide Babloo get into bumpy elephant rides, encounter snakes, scorpions and a giant tiger called Tygurah, and venture into the Scorpion Palace that houses the golden shield. However, the palace is owned by the jealous Maharaja Lallu, who is convinced by the conniving Sam Sinister that the adventurers are after his treasures.

The sets of India have a color palette of white, yellow, dark blue and a special shade of brown I like to call "fudge" (but which is apparently known as "dark orange" officially). The baseplates are a lighter shade of green than the normal green plates. There is also a significant amount of special ornamental printed pieces that really give a strong Indian vibe to the buildings. All in all, the colors are eccentric, but fit together surprisingly well.

The pieces in the sets include enormous scimitars, many snakes and scorpions, and the unique elephants. The Scorpion Palace specifically includes a large boulder trap and a gigantic "onion dome". If one would want to make a MOC with a "Arabian Nights" theme, they should definitely get their hands on these sets.

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The sets of India and the Himalayas that I own.

~*The Peaks of the Himalayas*~

In the icy Himalayas, the adventurers are guided by the sherpa Sangye Dorje through ancient shrines, the lair of the indomitable snowman Yeti, and a hot air balloon ride into the Temple of Mount Everest, where the golden sword lies. But the temple is guarded by Ngan Pa, who will not tolerate infiltrators, so he attempts to throw the adventurers off a rope bridge before they reach the temple.

As I said earlier, I did not get the Temple of Mount Everest with the other sets, but from pictures and the smaller sets I can tell that the color scheme is mostly white, brown and dark gray with a hint of orange to bring some color. The baseplates are naturally white, as well. There are also special translucent light blue pieces portraying ice in the Yeti's Hideout. The colors are successful in portraying the chilling weather of the area.

The sets in this location are the smallest in comparison, and there isn't any special printed pieces, either. The most interesting pieces include the hot air balloon and the snowshoes that are wearable by the minifigs (much like the skiis). The smallest set in this location, the Secret of the Tomb, includes the only skeleton in this whole theme.

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The sets located in China that I own.

~*The Dragons of China*~

The adventurers and their local guide Jing Lee encounter a roaring dragon-like creature called Jun-Chi and the army of the Dragon Emperor in China. The adventure culminates in the Dragon Fortress, where the adventurers must solve a complex puzzle in order to unlock the chamber of the Chinese Dragon and acquire the golden helmet. But Sam Sinister has allied himself with the emperor to bring a final end to their adventure.

The China sets are in my opinion the crown jewels of this whole theme, being the biggest and most aesthetic ones. The color scheme is red, tan, black and some sand green, that form together a very fitting "Forbidden City" mood. The Dragon Fortress has the only raised baseplate in the theme, and it's the same as the one in King Leo's Castle, except with a grey and tan printing.

The Emperor's army have enough printed flags and other pieces to make up for a Castle faction of their own, really. The Dragon Fortress offers plenty of roof-tiles and pillars to make a small village, too. The Emperor also has a ship, which bears much resemblance to the old Castle's Sea Serpent ship. The sets can easily be used to make a Chinatown block to your modern city, as well.

~*Details & Special Parts*~

Not only do the Orient Expedition sets look fantastic, but they also include many special pieces unique to the theme only. The most important thing in any theme for many people are of course the minifigures, which this theme offers plenty.

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The minifigs that came with the sets I own.

Like I said earlier, the three main characters come with different torsos for each of the three locations, so it doesn't disturb much that at least one of them is present in almost every set. The villain Sam Sinister, however, doesn't have but one look throughout the theme, yet he appears almost as frequently as Johnny Thunder. But it's really the local minifigs that make this theme worthwhile for a minifig fanatic. Aside from the Emperor's guards, which there are four of, each of the "supporting characters" has both a unique head and a unique torso print. Even the headpieces are special in most cases, ranging from turbans to furry sherpa hats. There are also plenty of nifty equipment available for the minifigs: cameras, binoculars, sextants, rifles, shovels, pickaxes, dynamites, handguns, scimitars and even the good old pirate saber in one set.

Noteworthy is also the magnificent gold-trimmed Chinese Dragon that has the torso of the old Castle dragon, but very special head, tail and wings. In my opinion it's one of the most beautiful creations in the history of LEGO. Less beautiful, but very fun are also the three special monsters that each have their own set.

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Tygurah's Roar, Passage of Jun-Chi and Yeti's Hideout.

Having only seen them in pictures, I thought them to be awkward and ugly, but once I got my hands in them, I started to appreciate their speciality. They are actually built from multiple parts, and aren't one big piece like they look like.

There aren't many "normal" animals in the sets besides a few snakes, scorpions and a crocodile, but there is one animal that hasn't been seen before or after this theme: the elephant. It actually comes in two different shades of grey, which was really nicely done from TLG in my opinion: this way you can tell them apart and even name them, if you like. The elephants are large enough for minifig scale, and they have studs on their backs so that you can build things there. The other one even comes with a special cloth.

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The elephants and their tamer Babloo for comparison.

Aside from minifigs and creates, as said earlier, this theme offers quite a many unique parts for collecting purposes. There are prints you can't get anywhere else besides these sets, and that's one big reason to get these.

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Special printed and shaped pieces.

When you collect the three biggest sets, you also get a special golden piece: a printed shield from the Scorpion Palace, a sword from the Temple of Mount Everest, and a helmet from the Dragon Fortress.

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Johnny Thunder with the golden shield and the golden helmet.

~*Closing Words*~

What more can I say? There are so many reasons to get the sets in this theme - and not just one, but all of them. The special minifigs, the unique pieces, the ELEPHANTS, the vibrant colors, the authentic historical feeling... If you want some criticism towards the theme, you can try and make some up yourselves, because I honestly can't. I could complain about the multiple Sam Sinisters, but that's so trivial I won't even bother.

I am in love with this theme, and I'm exhilarated to finally own it. Now all I want to hear is your opinions and experiences.

Edited by KimT

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Nice collection you have there. How much did the whole lot cost? I couldn't find it anywhere in your outstanding all most complete theme review. Nice job :thumbup: .

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Nice collection you have there. How much did the whole lot cost?

That's the best part: the 10+ sets only cost me 150

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Now that's a terrific theme review!

I also have the secret of the tomb, nice little set, and am 99% willing to buy the Passage of Jun-chi. I'll also keep my eyes open for small/medium sets (large sets are great too, but I'm lacking space to put them).

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Great review :wub:

Whilst out of the whole theme I only own half of the Elephant Caravan (figs + elephant), I'm pretty well aquainted with it, from my friends' (all now in Dark Ages) collections, and from studying the pictures in magazines and catalogues. It's the sort of theme (the Adventurers in general) I wish would be revisited - all sorts of fantastic places, people and parts.

-Egypt (Indy > Last Crusade, Raiders)

-Jungle (Indy > Temple of Doom, Raiders)

-Dino Island (Jurassic Park 1, 2, 3)

-China + Himalayas (Indy > Raiders)

-India (Indy > Temple of Doom)

All in all, Johnny Thunder (or Sam Grant as he was known to begin with), is the typical action-adventure hero, standing in for any of the films of the time.

My main complaint about the Orient Expedition line is the characters, as you said: in the 3 first Adventurers lines, aside from the 4 main characters who remained constant throughout -

Pharoah Hotep (Egypt)

Lizard Boots/Sly Boots (Egypt)

Achu (Jungle)

Senor Palomar (Jungle)

Gabarros (Jungle)

Max Villano/Rudo Villano (Jungle)

Mike (Dino Island)

Alexis Sinister (Dino Island)

Mr Cunningham (Dino Island)

Harry Cane (Desert, Jungle)

My main peeves there are the loss of the various non-theme specific figures (for example, you can't have the Pharoah on Dino Island) - the other bad guys: Alexis, Sinister's wife, Lizard Boots, the rich sponsor, Senor Palomar, the crime lord and Cunningham, Max and Gabarros, the henchmen. Then there's the good guys too: Harry Cane, the pilot (incidentally, in the Adventurers line Johnny Thunder drives a car with the number plate HC 515) and Mike (the photographer from the Lost World), the naive kid.

Sure, I love the figures in each setting, but I'd like to see a larger, more continuous cast, as was seen with Alpha Team through its various guises (normal, underwater, snow). There was a rich array of possibility which was sadly missed out on (although this partly happened in Dino Island).

I think we're about due for another of these expanding themes (realistically set on Earth, but in a place which is abnormal for a Lego theme)

-Western (1996)

-Adventurers: Desert, Jungle (1998)

-Ninja (1999)

-Dino Island (2000)

-Orient Expedition (2003)

-Vikings (2005)

:classic:

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Thanks for the wonderful review of what is IMO the greatest Adventurers subtheme of the entire line. :thumbup:

Honestly, I'm really glad that I managed to get 9 kits from this theme, including the Scorpion Palace and the Temple of Mount Everest. They're really great kits in almost every way. Unfortunately, I really don't have room to display them, so I've taken them all apart and sorted the pieces into my collection. I've also used some pieces for my Town and Farm displays, since the pieces are so good. :classic:

Who knows - maybe once the Indiana Jones theme is exhausted (which will probably happen in another year or two), we will see a revival of Johnny Thunder and company. It would sure be a logical way to keep the foreign locations and vehicles going without having to rely on the confines of a license. :wink:

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Great theme review Sandy! :thumbup:

I really do like this theme, unfortunately I wasn't able to aquire any, since they came out far before my dark ages ended.

The larger sets, specifically the Scorpion Palace and the chinese temple-like set, are especially fantastic sets, with all of the beautiful decorative elements.

I also like the fact that the line comes with a lot of animal-type creatures, which make it stand out from other themes, and those elephants are lovely.

Many thanks for that very in-depth review! :classic:

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Wow, that was a superb theme review you did here, Sandy :thumbup: x10. You are one lucky girl to find so many (some MISB I've read) sets for that prize, but you deserve it since you share it with us by means of this beautiful review :classic: .

Being only recently awoken from my Dark Age, the Adventurers lines were one of the first lines I wanted some sets from, and I quickly bought a 7416 Emperors ship! And I am still planning to buy more of them, especcialy of the Indian sets and the hot air balloon.

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Wonderful theme review, Sandy! I was really curious about these sets, and their relationship to the Adventurers line, so thank you very much. The minifigures and accessories are great, and I would love to get my hands on those elephants. :cry_happy: The three monsters look rather ugly to me, but I guess the specialized parts on them (especially Tygura and it's very rare dark orange) are going to be worth a lot more in the future. The other specialized parts in this sub-theme are also pretty good, like the onion dome.

Out of all the non-licensed, non-evergreen themes, I think Orient Expedition and Ninjas are the best. :thumbup:

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This makes me miss Adventurers... I never collected them, but I rather wish I had. Great stuff.

BTW, we're on the front page! :thumbup:

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Wonderful write-up and great review of the whole theme; like someone else, this series came out while I was still in my dark age so it's nice to get some background on it. I did acquire a Yeti later on (which is great), and I'd love to get my hands on an elephant one day.

Oh and six Sam Sinister minifigs, that's pretty funny. :tongue:

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Nice one Sandy! I only had Yetis Hideout but I rember gorping over the other sets when I was a kid. Could you please post a picture of the Guardian with all the golden gear on? I would love to see it!

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Shame on me, I never knew that such theme ever existed!!

Thanks for the review, it's very informative! :thumbup:

But I can't say that I like this theme, It's not for me. :hmpf_bad:

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Thanks for sharing this with us.

Looks like you've put a lot of work and love into this great sub-theme review.

I've added it to the Review Index.

:thumbup:

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Thank you Sandy for a great review of a great theme. I missed most of the original Adventurers line due to the dreaded dark ages but managed to get a few of the Indian/Himalayan Orient sets including the Temple of the Mountain, Elephant Caravan and Aero Nomad after my return to the Lego fold. Unfortunately as I was a poor student at the time I missed out on the larger sets which I would love to get hold of now. While I have broken up most of the sets I have the Aero Nomad can still be seen floating above my city layout :grin:

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Thanks a lot for this great review! :thumbup: (or should I say "curse you!" for making me want to buy it even more than I already did? :tongue:) I wasn't aware that you could get three special golden pieces if you had all the sets, that was a neat touch I think. And I do hope you get hold of the missing Temple set. :classic:

Like many others I missed out on this amazing theme due to it being released during my dark ages, and I'm quite mad at myself for not picking up the Jun-Chi sets I came across during the summer of 2007. Oh well, I'll get them, some day. :grin:

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Great Reveiw there Sandy!

To date Orient Expedition is the only theme that I have collected all of the sets for and they were all direct from Lego. I sure remember building the Emporors Fortress at the exact same time when I heard about the disaster that was the Thailand Tsunami. I think I might try out that China Town idea, as I tried it when I was younger and it was a complete shambles but now I'm a more capable builder I should be able to make it work.

Thanks

P.S although the golden sword, shield, helmet are awsome, they fade really easy, which I discovered far too late so in some lights they appear silver... darn.

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Very nice review! I actuallly have most of those sets apart fromthe jungle palace and the mount verest temple. It was a great faction of adventures. Really good review, nice!! :classic:

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Thank you for the nice review Sandy. :thumbup::classic:

When these sets hit the shelves I was completely stunned by the great diversity of pieces, animals and minifigs by these sets.

I bought a lot of them, but I was not happy that the chinese girl was only in the biggest, expensivest set, which I didn't could purchase. But there was some action with a Lollypop article which include a minifig by a lollypop (of 2,50 euro) The chinese girl was one of the minifgs you could get, there were some other nice figs too, but everytime I bought a lollypop (you couldn't see which minifig you got) It was Sam Sinister or the Brickster which I had both already 5 of. :hmpf_bad: After the third lollypop I stopped with it. The lollypops weren´t even much tasty.

Some heads from special figs were used later for different themes, like the head of the indian guard for Castle, Aquaraiders and Mars-Mission, the head of the Indian king for Vikings and the head of the Tibetan ally for Creator and a city advent calander.

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Thanks for the great review. I liked the photos displaying all the minifigs and special parts together. That's a fantastic bargain for all the sets! I would love to own all of them, although I bought the three largest ones for a bit less than that - the Dragon Fortress in particular was great to get, as it is very expensive sometimes, and not unsurprisingly so, as it is a masterpiece.

Orient Expedition was very well done in my opinion, and had a charm to it that Indy doesn't have, even if it is really cool too.

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What a clever idea to review each of the different sub-themes (locations) of the Orient Expedition collection. The use of the Chess Board also makes a very interesting backdrop.

As someone who owns every one of the Orient Expedition sets (some in duplicate), I think it was one of Lego's best themes. The story and locations were equally nice reminding me of Indiana Jones without the license; and going back further, a cartoon I loved as a kid called Johnny Quest.

As I was collecting these great sets, I put together an Expedition Journal with pictures and stories about each of the sets. I still have it, and it provides a great reference for the theme.

Great review article! Thanks for sharing.

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thanks for bringing attention to this fantastic theme :thumbup: .

At this time my kids and I are rebuilding all the sets, to start playing the game next weekend. I can reccomend it to anyone, you never had more fun playing lego and even my wife is willing to participate :grin: .

By the way there is an Orient Expedition fansite www.adventurers.dk (in English) with all the info on the entire Adventurers line.

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I have never even heard of these sets before but I came across the adventurers index.

Thank you so much Sandy for reviewing all of these. It's great to find out about LEGO's that you never knew existed. I finally know where the white snow creature came from.

I'm impressed with your overall collection too.

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