WesternOutlaw

REVIEW: 7306 Golden Staff Guardians

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    • 3 - Average
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    • 4 - Above Average
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    • 5 - Outstanding!
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Ancient Egypt... Curse of Anubis, LEGO returns to Desert Adventurers with their latest theme, Pharaoh's Quest. First, let me applaud LEGO for returning to the tan deserts of Egypt by introducing a new fresh theme, Pharaoh's Quest. Scheduled to be released in December 2010, sets have begun to pop up at Toys R Us stores as well as LEGO retail shops (reported by some). Sure, Pharaoh's Quest is not exactly the archeology and exploration of Desert Adventurers, but the new theme explores the legends and mysths of Ancient Egypt. Children will most likely appreciate the new creatures, weapons, and artifacts contained within the theme.

For those of you unfamiliar with the new characters, Johnny Thunder has received a significant make-over replacing the out-dated "swab and debonair" explorer with the more-modern Jake Raines. Old Professor Kilroy has been replaced with Prof. Archibald Hale, whose diary contains information regarding the new theme on LEGO SAH's web site. I'll let you figure out the code to unlock the leather bound story.

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Set 7306, Golden Staff Guardians, is a $10 (USD) set that introduces LEGO fans to the Pharaoh's Quest theme. Three minifigs are contained within the set; two Mummy Guardians, and Mechanic. It is nice to see other minifigs highlighted within the sets, rather than multiples of Jack Raines. The 70-piece set contains pieces to build a small Golden Staff structure, and a hot two-colored motorcycle with a few additional pieces.

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I love the fresh, new boxart with Great Pyramids pictured in the distance. The reds and oranges of the box are colorful and vibrant adding eye-catching appeal to the theme. A small image of the five artifacts contained within the theme is pictured on the back and includes: 1) Gold, 2) Golden Staff, 3) Gem, 4) Scarab, 5) Scimitar, and 6) Pharaoh's Head-dress.

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Pictured is the new two-face Mummy Guardians. The splash of dark blue rags, and gold neck ornament and belt look good set against the light grey bandaging. Each mummy has a solid black head-dress and carries a new scimitar and scarab shield. One can either show two eyes or one eye simply turning the face/head.

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As mentioned above, the set contains the suspender-wearing Mechanic (not sure his name). He reminds me a bit of the scruffy boat captain from Amazon Adventurer's River Expedition set (5976) and Mike from Mike's Swamp Boat (5912), for Adventurer fans. I'm guessing the holes in his shirt are from maybe fixing one too many Phoenix Airplanes (Classic Movie: Flight of the Phoenix 1965/2004), or perhaps one too many gunfights.

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The new scimiars are rather nice with a more, rougher, metallic-like color and texture, rather than shiny and glossy-smooth. The scarab shields will provide some nice interior/exterior decorative ideas, or can even be placed on a tan baseplate like ants chasing Indiana Jones.

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The motorcycle has two main parts (black and dark red) with a few additional pieces for front and back tail lights. Two hooks can hold the rifle and stick of dynamite.

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Building the Golden Staff structure was a bit disappointing with not much to offer aside from a rod which causes the staff to fling off when pushed. Compared to the old 5938 Oasis Ambush with desert oasis structure and statue (comparable piece count and price), I would have preferred a better designed ruin for hiding the staff.

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The set includes a few extra pieces (pictured above).

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Summary

LEGO has come a long way with its detailed minifigs. I love the new mummies! The weapons and shields are nice, as well as the standard accessories. I think a map and maybe a palm tree would have added to the overall quality/value of the set. The worst feature, in my opinion, is the little structure that holds the Golden Staff. It just doesn't do much for me, but does offer a few various "odds-and-ends" for maybe adding to a larger temple or ruin. I like the fact that LEGO didn't need to add any stickers for added design.

All things considered, I'll give this set 4 out of 5 stars based on the above. Playability for motorcycle "swoosh value" is a plus. I look forward to buying other sets from Pharaoh's Quest and seeing what LEGO adds in 2011. I hope you have enjoyed this review and comments are certainly welcomed.

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Great review, TheBrickster! :thumbup:

Your pictures are well thought out and of a high quality. I particularly like the minifigs, the staff and of course the motorcycle. You may have just persuaded me to buy this set when it comes out in the UK.

Very well done on the review. :classic:

~buddy~

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Thanks Brickster for this amazing review. :thumbup:

This small set have many great highlights and I am expecting to pick more than just a few to fill into my collection, especially the dark red motorcycle. It is cool to have it in this colour plus some nice details in it. I could see most of us will grab this set, mainly for the mummies guardians and new weapons. :wub:

Love it! :grin:

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I want it! :laugh:

Looks really great, especially the motorcycle and mechanic. Steampunk anyone?

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Hey! I was gonna review this! It's a cool set, but I'm a bit disappointed by the structure, especially when compared to Oasis Ambush. At least the figs and the motorbike are smeggin' awesome! :thumbup:

BTW, you spelled "too" wrong when describing the mechanic :tongue:

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I love the minifigures and am completely shocked to see Lego not skimp on the shields. I was expecting this set to only include a single scarab shield between the two mummies. The color scheme and reasonable price only add further to my determination to buy this set first from the Pharaoh's Quest theme.

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Thanks Brickster for this amazing review. :thumbup:

Thanks for the front-page WF! EB is always breaking the news. :thumbup:

BTW, you spelled "too" wrong when describing the mechanic :tongue:

So I did - thanks for noticing.

Thank you all for the feedback. :classic:

EDIT: but I am surprised anyone would rate this is set "Poor". Notice these individuals never seem to comment in regard to their rating.

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EDIT: but I am surprised anyone would rate this is set "Poor". Notice these individuals never seem to comment in regard to their rating.

Probably trolls. :tongue:

BTW, you forgot to change the "two" to "too" here too :grin:

...(Classic Movie: Flight of the Phoenix 1965/2004), or perhaps one two many gunfights.
Edited by prateek

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Thanks for review! I Love all new weapons. The swords are really Orcish so it's must buy for me!

You can Put a diamond in ths staff!

And It will look great with Atlantis warriors :D

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Thanks for the review 'The Brickster', an excellent set and the only reason I say excellent is the motorcycle (missed out on the IJ set the other year). :thumbup:

I wondered about those holes in that guy's shirt too....one to many bar room fights I say ! :laugh:

But Lego are cheeky, you have to buy all the sets to get the golden pieces. :wink:

Keep on reviewing ! :grin:

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I wondered about those holes in that guy's shirt too....one to many bar room fights I say ! :laugh:

What holes? I only see the stained shirt... I think its oil spots.. They are too brown for blood...

Edited by Lordofdragonss

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Thanks for the review Brickster!

I'm really excited for this theme. Adventurers was one of my favorite themes ever, so this is a welcome theme in my book. I'm eager to get my hands on some of the new minifigs and pieces.

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Thank you for this review!

I think its a good set for building an army of mummies. Also, I am glad to see new staff weapons from lego recently. The shields seem odd to me, but I guess they make sense.

This is one I will probably get 2 of if finances allow.

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Ha! I knew it! I knew TLG would put a flick-fire feature somewhere in this theme! :laugh:

Thanks for the nice review. I'll certainly be getting this set; it has a lot of useful stuff.

And yes, I believe those "holes" on the mechanic's torso are meant to be either blood or oil stains. :wink:

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The mummies are so much better than what you get from the Collectible Minifigure Series.

For a while I thought that this entire theme might end up being pricey after hearing about how much 7327 Scorpion Pyramid costs. It's good to hear that Scorpion Pyramid is probably just an exception rather than the rule.

I find it amusing that people are still arguing over what the spots on the mechanic represent. The spots could be anything. It just means that this torso is very useful in a variety of different MOCs.

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What holes? I only see the stained shirt... I think its oil spots.. They are too brown for blood...

As far as I know, when blood stains dry, they turn brown... So, it's up to everyone to have their own personal interpretation for the figure when they buy and play with this set.

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Hey, cool. I didn't notice the printing (or paint?) on the motorcycle. That's nice, especially considering the fact that I haven't got a motorcycle of this type.

I may get two of this set for the mummies and motorcycles. :classic:

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I was going to review this set! Oh well, I will just do it for the RA. :classic:

This set is really great for minifigures, but the little Staff holder is not very good. Just a few pieces together, and the same pushing mechanism. :thumbdown:

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Love the figs! And thx for the review. But I missed somethin' (I'm slow). What is the play feature? Like the staff is pushed/flung off?...meaning the Mummy Guardians can telekinetically fling it away from the hero?

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