Henchmen4Hire Posted December 31, 2010 (edited) Jungle River (7410) - Orient Expedition (2003) Retail Price: $7.99 Piece Count: 65 Figures Included: Johnny Thunder, Green Crocodile, Red Snake, Evil Skull Head Mini-fig Accessories: Shovel, Rifle, Pick-Axe, Crate-Box, Pistol, 2 Dynamite Tiles, Gauge Tile, Chain, 3 Jewels (Blue, Yellow, Red), Awesome Yellow Headdress, Brown Adventurer Hat Helpful Links: Peeron Brickset Most of the time a LEGO set's name is descriptive enough that you can more-or-less guess what the set could be like without even looking at it. "Jungle River" confused me because I thought, "WOW! An entire river! This must be a huge set!" Then I saw a picture of what it really is... and remembered my neighbor had this somewhere in his dusty closet. It's surprisingly more fun than I imagined because you get lots of awesome items! BUILD Jungle River is a great way to introduce younger kids to LEGOs, thanks to its simple build and interesting pieces. You get odd parts like the brown pillars and weird blue curvy-things, and useful pieces like the hinge on the shrine and technic pins that allow the boat's controls to turn. My favorite is the white brick with studs on all sides because it's a great piece to make large blaster-type weapons (think Star Wars) for your minifigures. Building the set is a breeze, it might only take you about 3 minutes to do it, but you can have fun with it for much longer. Something that does bother me though is how tightly the Yellow Headdress fits onto the Skull, it's hard to separate them without the help of a long rod (like a minifig's neck) so you can have some leverage. DESIGN Though I'm not exactly sure how the boat is powered, I still like how it looks. I think it's supposed to be some kind of steam-boat? If so then how does it move the boat through water, and what does the steering-wheel control? I think the designers needed to add some kind of rudder or propeller to the boat to make it look a little more functional, but maybe we're supposed to imagine there's something under the boat that propels it, heh. The gray color of the boat makes me think it's supposed to be made of metal, which makes sense to me because if it was made of wood the boat would fall apart from the shaking of that big heavy engine! (A little research shows that small steam-boats CAN be made of wood, and they look pretty cool too!) Johnny has a little space where he can stand and steer the boat, with two glass-less windows in front to see where he's going. The problem is that the black smoke-stack sits right in the middle (to keep the boat balanced) so Johnny has to lean to the sides to see forward. If you haven't noticed by now, LEGO minifigures aren't exactly flexible so you'll have to get creative to pull it off. The crate full of cargo fits neatly in the front, with a chain attached to get it back in case it falls out. It comes with half a lid (which is a 2x3 brown plate) so the tools can be thrown inside. I love this crate, it's roomy! The little shrine has odd colors, but they work well enough together. It also has a hidden compartment to store jewels! It just takes a few jiggles to make them fit properly. In front, the hinge is obvious, but it's the only way to make the secret box and still let the cover open all the way. I'd rather move the hinge to the back and have the lid open only half-way, that still leaves enough room to take-out the jewels, or put them back in. FUN The creaky boat, deadly alligator, and creepy skull are fun and all, but what really sells this set is Johnny's hat. Look at it! Anyone who wears that kind of hat is destined to have amazing adventures! Har har, okay, maybe not, but there are more than enough tools for Johnny to tool around with. He has two bundles of dynamite, maybe he can blow-open a cave-entrance? He has guns to go hunting for dangerous animals, a shovel and pick-axe to look for buried treasure, or maybe he just wants to stay in his boat and cruise down the jungle river all day. I like all the equipment and jewels in this set, plus you get a boat, an alligator, a skull, and a crazy yellow headress for your crazy minifigs to wear. I also like the blue things on the shrine because they look like tentacle-arms, especially when you build a body for the skull. PRICE For $8.00 US, this set was a nifty way to build-up your adventuring-supplies, treasure pile, and even give your figures a new pet alligator to play with. And now... comics! A few minutes later... Let me know if you have anything else you want me to address about this set and I'll make a snarky comic about it Edited January 1, 2011 by DrNightmare Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Antonio Posted December 31, 2010 Even through its not review,i really like the comic its fun you should do more comics.Great job! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henchmen4Hire Posted December 31, 2010 Even through its not review,i really like the comic its fun you should do more comics.Great job! Thanks! I don't understand why it's not a review, but I'm okay with that lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ZO6 Posted December 31, 2010 Thanks for sharing this, it was a pleasure to read! This is a perfect example of why I like the whole Adventurers line so much - even a relatively small set can provide a lot of fun. I'm always amazed at how many accessories and interesting parts are packed into these sets. Loved your comic adventure too. Keep these up. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henchmen4Hire Posted December 31, 2010 Yarrr! I'm looking forward to getting the Flying Mummy Attack set. Flying mummies! What's not to love! Also, I forgot the picture of the gems x) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Front Posted January 1, 2011 Excellent story and play review. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
XimenaPaulina Posted January 1, 2011 Your comics are really hilarious DrNightmare! It more than makes up for your patented "Fake" review. Anyway, it was nice seeing your unique take on this set! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Enpaz Posted January 1, 2011 I love your reviews, this one was hilarious again! Your comics are great quality, too. My only little complaint constructive feedback is that you could provide a pic of the complete set much earlier or at least show the shrine earlier and still in the "review" part. This would make the review aspect of it better. The humor one is awesome, anyway. Enpaz Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gryphon Ink Posted January 1, 2011 I'm still not seeing the river. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masked Builder Posted January 1, 2011 I have faint memories of getting this set from the Lego store. But after seeing this comic/review a lot of great memories came back to me. Nice work on the comic. I laughed my head off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
WesternOutlaw Posted January 1, 2011 Very clever review DrNightmare of a a great little set. I've got a few of these little river boats and must say that it's an outsatnding adventure craft. To me, Adventurers is all about travelling unexplored jungle rivers in search of hidden cities of gold, lost treasures, and even long extinct dinosaurs. From African Queen and Disney's Jungle Cruise, to Indiana Jones and even Jonny Quest, Jungle River is a fantastic set that offers a vast amount of play value for a nominal price (at least when the set was available), allowing one to create and re-create amazing jungle adventures. For me, Jungle River has inspired scenes like this: (Click for larger image) Needless to say, this is a five star set! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Henchmen4Hire Posted January 1, 2011 My only little complaint constructive feedback is that you could provide a pic of the complete set much earlier or at least show the shrine earlier and still in the "review" part. Agreed! I'm still not seeing the river. Try squinting! I have faint memories of getting this set from the Lego store. But after seeing this comic/review a lot of great memories came back to me. Nice work on the comic. I laughed my head off. I love it when my comics pop people's heads off Very clever review DrNightmare of a a great little set ... Needless to say, this is a five star set! Agreed with everything, anything could be hiding in the jungle! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
