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Johnny Thunder and The Sunshine Scepter
Gary The Procrastinator posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
Here's a quick build as a "Birthday Card" and gift for my son Daniel. Click on the picture for more detail: The warriors of the Mighty Amazon Tribe of the Sunshine Scepter are not fans of Johnny Thunder. They don't want his autograph. They wouldn't want to take a selfie with him (though they would want to take one with his head. Just his head. For Johnny has stolen their Sunshine Scepter, which many years ago they themselves had rightfully stolen from another tribe after wiping them out (but that was OK, because that tribe had wiped another tribe out for it as well). No one knew where that tribe had gotten it from...but Johnny knew where it was now going! Now the poor Amazon Tribe of the Sushine Scepter, no longer the rightful possessors of The Shiny Thing, have been forced to rename themselves. They are now known as the Mighty Amazon Tribe of the Moldy Tunafish Sandwich Left Behind By Lord Sam Sinister. Happy Birthday son! Comments welcome, Cheers! -
Johnny Thunder was first released in 1998. He was the star of four Adventurers themes from 1998-2003. He also appeared in LEGO Studios and Jurassic Park lll sets as well as several video games during this period. That was the last we heard of him until a brief appearance in 2010's LEGO Universe video game. Then, in 2014, Johnny made a dramatic cameo appearance in The LEGO Movie. This appearance led to the inclusion of a Johnny Thunder minifigure in set 70815 Super Secret Police Dropship. This was significant because LEGO created a whole new torso (part #973pb1724c01) and head (part #3626cpa3) for Johnny Thunder As of this posting that is the only set in which these new parts have been. Johnny also appeared in the 2015 Scooby Doo 75900 Mummy Museum Mystery on a sticker. Could this be the beginning of a Johnny Thunder comeback? Would LEGO create a new torso and head for just one set? Your comments are appreciated.
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Johnny Thunder: The Myth, the Minifig
Peppermint_M posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
It possibly would come as no surprise that my childhood favourite LEGO theme was Adventurers. Some of my fondest playtime memories are of sprawling bedroom wide Adventurer Expeditions that ranged from the archeologically accurate dig site to a cartoon caper of chasing down the baddies while being chased by the Mummy or jungle tribesmen. The focal figures (literally!) were always Johnny Thunder and Pippin Reed. Johnny Thunder was part of the Theme Logo, he has appeared in eight LEGO video games. This chap was cornerstone enough to feature in The LEGO Movie and have a re-issue in the Super Secret Dropship set. So why don’t we get to know about our be-hatted hero. A Man of Many Names Back in the long ago days of the 90s there were not quite so many linked multi-media goodies for LEGO themes as there are these days. There were some small features in the LEGO Club magazine, the advert-comics that featured in kids magazines and sometimes the odd TV advertisement were all we really had. These might give you a few titbits to broaden the world presented on any bonus pages in the instruction manual or the little sheet that presented the other avaliable sets. Of course, many times you only learned the character names by purchasing the set they came in. With each language and market location there could be differences between the promotional material because no one had any communication or a single platform to access. This led to curiosities like multiple identities for the same character. Johnny also went by Sam Grant or Joe Freeman in other parts of the world. I was introduced to Sam Grant from the back of a cereal box promoting their giveaway (only six tokens and the p&p!) that included our intrepid hero and his desert car the Scorpion Tracker. Despite alll the names he still had his moustache, sideburns and the dimpled chin of a hero! Many Adventures Johnny Thunder and the Adventurers theme appeared in 1998 to 2000 with a revival in 2003. In this time the Adventurers, heroes and villains, travelled to many lands. The tomb filled deserts of Egypt where an undead Pharaoh lurched. Up the Amazon river with jewel thieves and lost tribes guarded gold. To a mystery island that time forgot with dinosaurs to protect from poachers and finally the Orient on the trail of Marco Polo's treasures. Johnny Thunder also gained his first acting credits in LEGO Studios, tumbling through a booby-trapped tomb and being chased by less friendly dinosaurs. Well Stocked Wardrobe As Johnny Thunder had plenty of adventures in a number of places quite sensibly he had a well stocked wardrobe to go with his trademark hat. While the well known tan shirt served well in the desert, the jungle and tracking dinosaurs there were varients for each of the locales of the Orient he ventured to. Classic, India and Tibet outfits. The tan shirt followed the same outfit archetype of the serial-film heroes Indiana Jones was drawn from and the later variations fitted in to the different locations visited in Orient Expidition. The reissue figure for The LEGO Movie follows the classic look with sharper printing, details on the back and the new colours LEGO brought in after Adventurers were no longer in production. This figure is a really nice inclusion on the part of both the Movie team and TLG, a little 'classic' nod to all of us AFOLs and something for my peer group to notice even if they aren't super LEGO fans. Media Man Just like any other superstar, Johnny Thunder appeared in many media ventures, from a simple 'easter egg' to a feature character in games and of course The LEGO Movie. A number of LEGO video games were released during the Adventurer's heyday and plenty of them featured the characters and theme locations to play through. The LEGOLAND game had Adventure Land attractions and features to unlock as you progressed with cutscenes too. http://youtu.be/diHcA6wtyC4 The next game to feature Johnny was LEGO Racers as an opponent to race with a number of circuits based on the Adventurers theme. In LEGO Island 2 Johnny and co help Pepper Roni in his mission to collect Constructopedia pages on Adventure Island. In Racers 2 Johnny was once again an opponent in races and also an NPC interaction for mini-games and returned again as an NPC racer in LEGO Stunt Rally. In LEGO Soccer you had to face off against an Adventurer Expidition team made up of characters from the theme and once defeated Johnny became an optional player for your own soccer team. This was a time in LEGO history where a lot of video games were made so of course Johnny would feature often. He was a major LEGO character at the time after all! Once Adventurers ended and slowly left recent and target market memory and game development moved out-of-house to developers like Travellers Tales, Johnny Thunder and co didn't feature. However with the launch of LEGO Universe he was back as a member of the Venture League. While the character was intended to be the same Johnny Thunder from the Adventurer theme, he underwent many design tweaks, even appearing in a rather different guise during Beta Testing. Fan feedback (of which I was most certainly a part!) managed to return him to a more classic look as seen above, the only minor changes in accessories and 'printing'. In LEGO Universe the player had to complete missions for Johnny in order to receive Venture League approval and open that faction as a choice to join. Master Builder Of course, now we come to his latest major role. A Master Builder in The LEGO Movie! First spotted early on in a call-back to Indiana Jones, he rescues his hat just before slipping through the perimeter walls to escape the forces of Lord Business. He is present for Emmet's, ah, stirring speech and is seen fleeing the golf ball once again reminscent of Indy. Later, as the citizens of Bricksburg fight the micromanagers Johnny is noticeable riding a horse that is riding a bigger horse. Thus we can conclude that I really am a bit weird and look out for a minor character when watching the movie! I'd love to post some clips but there aren't any to be found online that feature Johnny but if you missed him before we all know that no one needs an excuse to watch the film again! So, Johnny Thunder was and is a pretty cool character and while his moment in the sun might be over and Adventurers was continued in a new guise we can surely look forward to his next heir in whatever form he or she takes. -
[MOC] Adventurers; Secret Desert Tomb
LegoMathijs posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
While busy with another LEGO project, I felt the need to build a Adventurers MOC One of my favorite theme's. This MOC is based on the Adventurers Egypt theme of 1998. Johnny Thunder has found a secret tomb in the dangerous desert of Egypt. Maybe this tomb should hide a treasure....... Pictures: 01_Secret_Desert_Tomb by Mathijs Bongers, on Flickr 02_Secret_Desert_Tomb by Mathijs Bongers, on Flickr Tomb I hope you like it. -
Old Fashioned vehicles - Adventurers real brick models from LDD builds
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
Before we begin this topic, here are some notes: -some of these builds have LDD files, most do not. -Most of these models should probably go in the Town forum, but they were built for Johnny's time period, so here they are. -I personally think that Johnny Thunder was mentioned to be set from about 1920 to 1924. Jake Raines from Pharoph's Quest was from 1922 (that is officially when it was, as stated by LEGO), so in my version Jake is a former student of Kilroy at the University where the good doctor taught until his untimely death in early 1925. (after Orient Expedition ended) Johnny & Jake met at the Kilroy's funeral, and eventually went adventuring along with Major Quentin Steele, who happens to be Lords Sam Sinister's old commander in World War 1. (Major Steele is from Monster Fighters, set around 1921.) With these points in mind, let's join Johnny and his friends in a never ending battle against the Sinister forces of evil... In the early 1920's, inquisitive minds and hardy souls, both good and evil, scour the corners of the Earth looking for lost civilizations and vast treasures. Some search for their own personal gain, or limitless power, others search for knowledge in a quest to preserve the past for the future. Good or evil they are known as... THE ADVENTURERS From left to right: THE BAD GUYS Senor Palomar Old friend of the Sinister family. He runs a vast South American artifact smuggling ring, as Sam Sinister's second in command. Alexis Sinister Sister of Lord Sam Sinister, evil, loves traps and weapons, secretly wants to turn Johnny Thunder evil. Lord Sam Sinister Arch enemy of Johnny Thunder, thief of lost treasures and great fortunes, plus is a mastermind of evil THE GOOD GUYS Johnny Thunder Australian explorer with a all- around can-do attitude. Always looking forward towards the future, but an eye on preserving the past. Miss Pippin Reed Former journalist, expert pilot, and a great friend to all in need. Jake Raines Hotheaded former pupil of Johnny Thunder's late friend, Dr. Charles Kilroy. Student of almost all sciences, but a firm believer in the supernatural. Major Quentin Steele English army officer turned monster hunter, tracker extraordinaire, and is a crack shot with any gun. Island Hopper (Pippin Reed's Seaplane) Built 2015 Inspired by set 5934, Island Hopper LDD file: http://www.mocpages....1417798403m.lxf Brick Railway Systems (BRS) Double Deck bus Built 2011 Inspired by set 4755, Knight Bus (first version) Ford Model AA truck Built 2011 Inspired by set 10222, Winter Village Post Office Military Fuel Tanker Built 2010 Modified from set 7683, Fight on the Flying Wing Gangster Sedan Built 2010 Modified from set 7682, Shanghai Chase 1922 Moon automobile Built 2012 Modified from a Carl Greatrix design. Green Island Racer Built 2014 Modified set 5920, Island Racer Originally created by my brother, Austin, later modified by me. Treasure Raider (Johnny Thunder's prized possession) Built 2014 Inspired by sets 7622, Race for the Stolen Treasure, and 5918, Scorpion Tracker LDD file: http://www.mocpages....1404178315m.lxf Ogel Mark III (Sam Sinister's personal automobile) Built 2014 Originally built by Tom.Netherton1 Mercedes-Benz SSK 'Count Trossi'. I (heavily) modified it into the car seen above. LDD file: http://www.mocpages....1418163286m.lxf Black Island Racer Built 2014 Modified set 5920, Island Racer That about does it for my Adventurers models.... (for now) Remember, comments are always welcome! EDIT: If Modern vehicles are more your thing, check out my Town forum post here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=106317 -
Adventurers - Johnny Thunder's Office - Version 2 - 10246 MOD
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
This building was inspired by set Modular Building set numbers 10246: Detective Office, and 10190: Market Street. The first floor's look was totally taken from 10246, while the roof details are from 10190. The levels lift off like a modular but it lacks modular building pins, a base-plate and is not the proper size, being 18 studs square after all. Also,the year 1897 should be above the front door in printed black 1 x 1 tiles. Built as The Highlander Bar in 1897, it served root beer until Johnny Thunder bought it in 1918 after returning from serving in World War I. He then turned it into his personal office and living space. The back of the building features four windows, but no back door. The bottom floor holds the actual office with a desk + chairs, artifact display case and three large filing cabinets full of important contact information, treasure leads, and reports of strange occurrences, along with the occasional Vegemite Sand-which. The top floor is his living quarters, with a bed, table, stove, and telephone. The car sitting outside is Johnny's Treasure Raider and was built in 1924 to help keep Johnny mobile in high risk situations, such as being shot at by Lord Sam Sinister. in reality, the Treasure Raider is based off of set 7622, Race for the Stolen Treasure. (2008's Indiana Jones theme) This is a better version of the Treasure Raider that I made a couple months back. This vehicle features a spare tire, head & tail lights, plus a good old adventurer favorite: the classic two seat piece from way back in 1998 and last in 2013. Here is the LDD file for the car and building: http://www.mocpages....1427128673m.lxf Comments, Questions & Complaints welcome! -
Adventurers - Resupply Dock with crane and two boats
Murdoch17 posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
This model is used as a base of operations for Johnny Thunder and his allies. It features a crane to unload cargo, (Please note: The crane is missing this string: http://www.bricklink...m.asp?P=x77ac50 ) a speed boat for ferrying passenger & cargo to the Island Hopper Sea plane, and a hut with radio equipment and a map plus a windmill. This main part of this model was inspired by set 60068, Crooks Hideout (City) along with the crane from set 7596, Trash Compacter (Toy Story 3), speedboat from set 7197, Venice Canal Chase (Indiana Jones: Last Crusade) and the Tramp Steamer from 5975, T-Rex Transport (Adventurers: Dino Island) Just Imagine this scene... Mike is in the crane helping load cargo onto the steamer from the dock. The speedboat is being tied up on the other side of the dock by Major Quinton Steele, as he just go back from the trading post. The windmill creeks in the wind as the Harry Cane huddles inside the shack, waiting for Pippin Reed to arrive in the Island Hopper with Johnny & Jake Raines inside. This is a closer look at the speed boat. It can seat two figures, one steering, and one behind the driver. This ship is an enlarged version of the one I have shown in an earlier thread. Here is the LDD file for the above scene: http://www.mocpages.com/user_images/80135/1420751456m.lxf This scene is supposed to have this sea plane included, but I figured it was a pretty big file to begin with, so here is a link to the file: http://www.mocpages.com/user_images/80135/1417798403m.lxf There are more topics by me about the adventurers, and here are their links: Main topic: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=92994 The Sinister Family mansion: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=102623 Johnny Thunder's office: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=102621 Island Hopper Seaplane: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103120 Comments, Questions, & complaints are always welcome! -
Adventurers Figure Refresh: The Good Guys
Peppermint_M posted a topic in Minifig Customisation Workshop
Hello! I have been refreshing the old Adventurers figures with new parts, colours and prints. So far I have been keeping things posted with MOCs, but a lot of people who might enjoy seeing the figures don't really browse the A&A forum so I thought to post them here with more of the "process" information. This post will be for the 'Good Guy' characters. The figures that feature are re-builds of the figures I had as a child, so there may be some characters missing from the line-up, though I like to think that the main players are all present! Every name is a link to a picture of the first figure issued. First up we have Johnny Thunder himself. The hat is, of course, the design from Lone Ranger but in the reddish brown shade, I picked that up in a LEGO Movie set. I had hoped to use the re-released classic hat in reddish brown but the dropship set is rather expensive. This hat is a nice medium between the Indiana Jones fedora and Johnny's hat. I was fortunate to have the newer version of the head print with the white pupils becuase I really wanted to leave his face as it was in the original theme, while I had no qualms about using new faces for other characters, Johnny is just too cool to change too much. The torso is from Pharaoh's Quest, it was Jake Raine's but I thought he looked better in the tan shirt so Johnny got the gear. The legs are Indiana Jones prints, the gunbelt is a nod to the classic print on the original Johnny Thunder torso and also, seeing as you can take it that Johnny Thunder is either a nod to Doctor Jones or the source material that birthed them both, it felt right. Plus I just love the dark tan colour. Finally there is the Lone Ranger pistol, the more detailed tooling of the gun is visually pleasing in comparison to the older pistols so I used a lot of them within my Adventurers refresh. Next there is Pippin Reed, ace reporter! Again, the delightful dark tan colour make an appearance, the pith helmet is unchanged from the original mould but this one looks smarter than the white one. I chose this face print, a newer printing of the first Pippin Reed (see the pupils) because the version I had was from the Egypt sub-theme. The other Pippin Reed print is much too 'bulky' if you get my meaning, for the longest time I thought that Gale Storm and Pippin Reed were two different characters when I finally cme across names. Full disclosure: In my games and adventures, only Johnny Thunder had the 'correct' name. My lady adventurer was always called Lara... Next up is the torso, this was from the Collectable Minifigures Series 2 Explorer. The red ascot is similar to the scarf that the original torso print had while the strapped on water bottle is like the printed camera. I loved the explorer figure parts so using this torso was a given. The dark red legs are a replacement for the regular red from the actual figure, again, the dark shades look a lot smarter than the brilliant basic shades. I suppsose that muted colours are more appealing to me. The camera is a must, I never had one when I was younger but this one is bulky enough to work within the setting Adventurer's have so I happily used it. Here we have Harry Cane. The reddish brown aviator helmet and dark bley goggles look sharper than the old brown and black, I wanted the goggles to match with the harness printed on the torso. The face has is new too, Harry Cane never had a re-issue with pupils printed in so I chose another. This cleaner cut but still rascally looking face was first used in Knights Kingdom 3 for one of the named knights but quickly became a generic for Castle, Viking, Pirate and even Football minifigs. I thought it looked good for a more respectable Harry Cane, less stubble and more beard. The epaulettes are old brown but are minimal enough a detail that it doesn't look too bad (I hope) the torso is from the Naboo Starfighter pilots, I loved the whole look, but then the original suits that inspired them are from the era I set Adventurers. I was fortunate enough to pick up number of the torso from the online PaB to make a little crew of fighter pilots. The legs are plain until I can find just the perfect looking printed ones, though the pilots were mostly unencumbered in the leg area. Doctor Charles Lightning, or, as I named him Doctor Carter (I was a bit of an odd child, I wanted to be an archaeologist when I was six...). A dark bley pith helmet looks better to my eyes than the white, I really am not the biggest fan of bright colour in this setting. I had to use the old head, nothing was good enough to replace it, maybe some time in the future a face print will be perfect, but the classic look is so much better. I think the glasses hide the issue anyway. The torso is from the series 5 Collectable Minifigures Detective. I wanted a torso that was fit for the lecture hall or the dig site! Though I do miss the bow tie from the original (bow ties are cool) nothing in the newer colours and sharper printing of current LEGO worked to my eye. Again, if something comes up which will look better I might change it. Finally we have Mike. Mike is the biggest change of all the figures. I really wasn't overly fond of the character in the first place. The freckles didn't look right, the fringe was messy but he had a pretty blank look. Maybe too was the fact that my younger brother insisted on playing as 'him' when he played along and that was never fun for me! This Mike is slightly aged up (the slingshot from the original figure always put me in mind of a kid). The longer hair is a nod to the fringe and the head is one of the varied but still 'generic' City face prints. I thought it made him look like he had a bit more wits about him. The torso print is from Monster Fighters and refrences the waistcoat he had originally while looking more grown-up. Jeans from the CMF series 8 DJ. Jeans were around at the right time and would be fine for a dig (they still are today!). With this minifig I thought; just how would someone dress if they admired an Adventure Archaeologist? This was not hard at all. Well, I hope you liked this fig barf and information overload! Questions, Criticisms and Comments welcome! -
Kitted out for a full expedition in any environment the Scorpion Venturer is an upgraded version of the Scorpion Tracker. With a more powerful engine and a longer wheelbase you can adventure with ease! So, the Scorpion Tracker was one of the first Adventurer sets I ever came across though I was only able to get the car that came in the Sphinx set. When I came to building a new version I decided to combine the two to create this much expanded car. The re-visioned Adventurer theme came about after I was messing about with minifigs and decided to use my newer fig parts to update old characters. Between the wealth of new parts, designs, sharper printing and great new colours I had all my favourite characters rebuilt. So: Figure details time! Johnny Thunder was the best character of the late 90s early 2000s. I have a lot more to say about him later . So he was fun to update indeed! I wanted to use a new brown hat and sadly the actual signature chapeau only comes in that colour in the rather expensive Super Secret Dropship set. So I had to substitute in a new design. I think it suits him and we'll just say that he lost his old one in an incident involving alligators... The torso is my favourite from Pharaoh's Quest. I thought Jake Raines looked better in his tan shirt and bandolier so I co-opted this one for Johnny. The Indiana Jones legs are a given, they look just right on a character who pays more than a little homage to the great man! The angle makes this awkward but he is equipped with one of the pistols from Lone Ranger. I like the gunmetal grey and the slightly more accurate design. Pippin Reed is kitted out in an outfit similar to her first appearance in the Egyptian subtheme. I wanted to stay true to the figure I loved to play with but with newer parts. I thought the adventurer/explorer torso looked perfect, the red bandanna a match for the scarf and the canteen a great replacement for the printed camera now that she has one to hold. The dark tan pith helmet looked nice and a change from white and I love dark red and my original figure had regular red legs so that was a switch I wanted to make.
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All of The LEGO Movie's Master Builders?
Transparency for Effect posted a topic in Special LEGO Themes
Can anyone provide me with a complete list of all of the Master Builders in The LEGO Movie? Thanks in advance! EDIT: Here's a WIP list... -
Lego Adventurers Custom MOC: Scorpion Tower
Kilroy posted a topic in LEGO Action and Adventure Themes
Hi! I'm a KFOL & this is my first post on this site. I just wanted to show off my first Lego Adventurers MOC called... SCORPION TOWER. (I only just realised I stole that name from PQ's Scorpion Pyramid. I made a video about it & it's on youtube. You can watch it here: I hope you all enjoy it as it is my first proper MOC I have made & please leave any improvements I could make to it in the comments. -
Part 1: Rookie's First Investigation It's been some time, but I've finally built the sequel to the story This is my first real MOC, and annoyingly so, I ran out of bricks halfway through, so I had a lot of trouble making use of the limited bricks. I'm in the process of breaking down sets though, so the next build won't be this frantic. Alrighty then, let's get started. Warning: it's picture-heavy. The overall view of the build. The streets were lined up with vendors and makeshift stores set up to attract both tourists and everyday shoppers alike. After much searching, Johnny Thunder and Izzy Seeker, the rookie, stopped at the edge of the marketplace and looked around. "Why are we here again, Mr.Thunder?" Izzy asked, wondering why they weren't with the team instead. Johnny sighed, looking tired and worn, answered, "We're going to rendezvous with the others later, after we search for the most important thing. My hat." Izzy stared at Johnny's red bandana, hastily put on as a replacement for the hat he lost. Without his trademark fedora, Johnny felt helpless and oftentimes, luckless. "Alright then. I'll go search us some horses to get to the rendezvous point. We'll meet up again," Izzy said, and they parted ways. Izzy meets an energitic horse. Izzy came upon a small stable with precisely two horses inside it. Just what I needed! she thought, and went to see the stable. She took out a leftover carrot snack from the morning breakfast, and just as soon as she pulled it out, the brown horse neighed and excitedly stood, almost crossing the stable fence! "Whoa, easy, boy!" a voice called from beside Izzy. It was the horse-keeper, or seller, as he immediately greeted the rookie investigator with much joy and smiles as a salesman would. A business discussion. "Morning, miss, I see that our fine breed of horses interest you. How may I be of help?" he asked, as the brown horse chewed on the snack with much satisfaction. Where is that darned shop? Meanwhile, Johnny walked through the streets looking for the hat shop that he traded his old fedora for the new one that is now lost. Ah, here it is. I hope I can get my old hat back, Johnny thought. The Hat Shop. The shop was small, but filled with hats that nobody in their right mind were to buy. The shopkeeper stood inside promoting his stand. Finding Johnny's Hat "Hello," Johnny said. "Do you remember me from a few days ago?" The shopkeeper seemed to ignore his question and offered him the white pith helmet in front of him. "How would you like this wonderful hat? Perfect for explorers!" Johnny held the helmet and examined it. Uninterested, he said again, "I traded a hat here not long before, I was wondering if you still have it. I'm willing to purchase it back." Meet the shopkeeper The shopkeeper laughed and went out from the shop through the side. Johnny noticed a huge sombrero hanging on the side, and wondered what a sombrero was doing in Egypt. Excited salesman. But is Johnny buying it? The shopkeeper enthusiastically welcomed Johnny and said, "Ah, I remember you! Sadly a man bought that hat already. But I hear you are searching for a hat! Let me introduce you to more exquisite hats I acquired." The keeper guided Johnny to the other side of the shop, ignoring Johnny's disappointment, as if he'd only heard the word 'purchase'. 'Exquisite' hats. Right... There were more undecipherable hats on display, including a decorated Egyptian head dress, and...an eskimo's hood? Johnny had trouble talking to the keeper, as he kept on promoting his 'great' items and equally great price. That is, expensive. Johnny shook his head and felt a headache coming on. It would not be easy to turn the shopkeeper down. I'll make a deal you can't refuse! On the better end of the market, the horse seller confidently said, "I can give you a great price! These beauties are guaranteed to be healthy horses, perfect for adventures and long journeys." Hmmm...why not? Izzy looked at the horse, and being fond of their spirit, replied, "Well, okay then. I'll take them!" At the same time as the horse keeper made a deal with Izzy, Johnny tried making a different deal with the shopkeeper. It didn't go as smoothly as Izzy's, and it went something like this: Johnny's negotiating skills aren't as good... Making the deal. As the shopkeeper grabbed his broom, a monetary exchange was being made at the stable. Johnny in danger (?) Izzy paid the horse seller, but something else was definitely going on behind them. The great escape. The shopkeeper chased Johnny with the broom, and Johnny had no choice but to jump over the stable's fence. Loaded with heavy equipment on his back, he clumsily fell over the fence with a hard 'thud'. Face the wrath of the horse! Thinking as if things couldn't have gotten worse, Johnny turned to face a furious white horse approaching him. The horse lifted its front legs and neighed loudly. Johnny defensively pulled out his shovel when taming the horse clearly didn't work. The horse prevails... The horse seller, hearing Johnny's scream, ran to his rescue by opening the gate to the fence, letting Johnny out without his shovel. The horse seemed to like its new chew toy. Johnny's unlucky day. "I thought horses aren't supposed to be territorial..." Johnny groaned, walking towards the rookie. "I knew this was going to be bad. Without my hat, I'm, I'm..." with that, Johnny fainted on the floor, exhausted by the whole ordeal. If he doesn't get his hat back, he wasn't sure whether he could go on at all! Johnny wishes for his fedora back... Izzy shrugged and went to the horses. "Alright, let's bring you boys out, we need to get to the rendezvous point! Maybe finding the two masks and treasure will get Johnny's spirit back." Creeping crooks Unbeknowst to the duo, someone was watching them the whole time. Someone, or some people. Hiding behind a crate of herbs and giant mushrooms were a band of crooks. They hid under the arch's shadow, eavesdropping on everything. Plotting criminals The leader of the band wore a red turban, sported a bushy white beard and held a heavily-used sword. His black cape kept him in stealth and gave him an evil presence. "You hear that, boss? They're going for the treasure soon!" the man with the short knife said. "Yeah, boss, we gotta get them now! Force 'em to show us the map and treasure!" The man with the gun said. A discussion among evil men A rat watches the three plotting as it rested beside a barrel. The man who means business "Silence!" The leader growled. "You fools, we'll follow them to the treasure, and grab it then. Haven't you watch enough movies to know that? We don't have to do the hard work!" He laughed softly so as not to be heard, and said sinisterly, "That Johnny Thunder and his crew will pay for what he did to me! Let's go and wait for them on the other side." Noticing something? The band of crooks began walking in a thuggish manner, scaring the rat as it scurried away from the men. The crook with the gun stopped for a moment something caught his eye. Never sleep unguarded! A man lying beside the arch was sleeping heavily, unaware of his surroundings. A bottle of wine lied beside him, unguarded and half-full. Never leave empty-handed The crook grabbed the bottle without thinking twice and whistled a happy tune as he caught up with his crew. Prepping the horses Izzy and the horse keeper were bringing out the horses. She retrieved Johnny's shovel, and the keeper was putting on the horses' saddles. "This white one is called Nadeem, a great companion for your friend there. He seems to like him! The brown one is Intisar, sure to bring you victory in your journey," he said. "I'm sure we'll get along really well," Izzy said. Creeping creeper While the two discuss about the horses, the rat that previously ran away from the crooks scurried into the open. Johnny, still down on the ground, stirred as he heard the rat approaching. Overreaction Startled by the rat, and traumatized by the horse, Johnny quickly stood up and pulled his axe, ready to strike on the rat he thought was a threat. The rat, shocked and terrified, immediately ran away from the human he perceived as crazy. Moving on Izzy caught up with Johnny and the two started their way to the arch, Intisar and Nadeem following them close. "Seriously, rookie, I need my hat! I think I'm getting paranoid!" Johnny confided in her. "Relax, Mr.Thunder, you're Johnny Thunder! Why would you let a hat get into your way?" Izzy nonchalantly said. "But, b-but...the hat and I come in one package...!" Johnny muttered as his rookie partner went ahead. The confident rookie She walked through the arch confidently, excited about the journey to find the treasure, and couldn't wait to rendezvous with the others. Johnny stood at the archway, staring at something that caught his attention. Hmmm? His eyes focused on the brown thing sitting comfortable on top of the sleeping man, still deep in sleep and unlikely to wake up any moment then. ...seems familiar... Johnny pondered, "Could it be...my hat?" It surely seemed familiar, and the hat shop was just a short distance away, so this really could be the man that bought his hat. The switcheroo The sleeping man, deep in sleep, didn't even stir as Johnny switched his hat with the bandana, and continued on his journey with a much, much more confident stride. I'm Johnny Thunder Johnny smiled a triumphant smile, and walked ahead to catch up with the others, grinning as he said to himself in a strong confident voice. "I'm Johnny Thunder." End part 2. Well, that's it for the second part! It's quite long isn't it I tend to get carried away, cause there's so much to say with the build! Here are some of the details of the build: The archway. Yes, the sign is supposed to be vertical, but it was snatched from Pharaoh's Quest, and it looks better horizontal anyways. The flower at the corner of the stable. It adds a bit more color and greenery to the mostly brown and sandy terrain. The shop and the shopkeeper The minifigure was fun to make. The inside of the hatshop. There's the small table at the back, with a pan, goblet and the seller's earnings. There's a fish in a barrel, for food, most probably, and...a magic lamp? Maybe he stole it from the genie when he got the turban too. The stable. For a moment, I was afraid I'd run out of brown bricks, but I think it turned out pretty well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- So...what do you think about it? Stay tuned for the continuing series!
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Well, this isn't really a vignette or build (it's not a build, really), just a small scene I set up to try out the new white-background 'studio' for photographing bricks. Anyways, I made a small story out of it with some humor in it. Enjoy! The Rookie's First Investigation "Hmmm...I better get this artifact figured out quickly before Johnny gets back," the rookie archaeologist muttered to herself, walking towards the cluttered table where the Egyptian artifact lied. Two torches lit the area for her to see clearly, and it gave that ancient feel to the room that would help her get in tune with the artifact itself. The rookie grabbed a magnifying glass and studied the object closely. "Interesting..." she said, staring at the artifact while her mind picked our relevant information from the depths of her knowledge, a librarian choosing books from a library. The longer she searched, the more confusing it gets. The smell of the old artifact, dust particles and flickering flames overwhelmed her senses. This was too much for her! The rooie held her head and headbanged the table in despair. "This is impossible!" she screamed. "Something seems to be missing, and I just can't tell what it is!" All of a sudden, she heard approaching footsteps and turned to see Johnny Thunder! He came in confident and cool like his usual self, with his iconic sideburns, adventure-worn clothes and...a new hat? The rookie didn't recall seeing him in a hat that looked...new. Either ways, he greeted her with a smile and handed out a new artifact. Her eyes wandered to the similar-looking artifact he had in his hand. Johnny had came back with a new clue to help her investigation. The rookie was delighted to see him, and couldn't wait to continue the investigation with a newfound energy now that a new clue is at hand. The two studied the artifacts closely, with Johnny on the other side of the table, in between the torches. "Uh, Mr. Thunder, aren't you a bit too close to the fire? You might get bur--" the rookie was cut off before she could finish. "Nonsense," Johnny thundered, "I need to be close to danger even when I'm standing still. That way we'll always be prepared. You see, 'Dangerous' is my middle name, from my mother's side." Johnny and the rookie discussed closely over the artifacts and coversed about pharaohs, tombs, skeletons and golden studs, linking clue after clue until..."I got it!" Johnny placed his hand on the two artifacts and declared out loud. "This, this is the answer to finding the treasure!" The flames flickered ever brighter between him, and his face formed a wide grin. "If we link both of these maps and consider the tombs we've investigated, it all becomes clear." Johnny traced his hand over the lines on the maps. "We need to follow this map and have both masks to reach the treasure. Kid, we've done it!" Both of them cheered upon the discovery of the answer. "I knew we needed the other artifact to find the answer!" the rookie said. After much joy, they contacted their teammates and discussed about extracting the treasure. It would be an all new adventure for the rookie, and just another day's work for Johnny Thunder; an exciting work filled with dangers and brick-monsters, of course. With the answers found, Johnny Thunder walked home to rest before the big search for the treasure. "Hmmm, that rookie could make a great assistant, or at least an archaeologist on her own," Johnny thought, when all of a sudden, a stranger stopped him in his tracks. "HEY!" the stranger, said. The stranger had quite the familiar face, like the one you'd see in movies. Johnny couldn't just stared at him dumbly. The man quickly snatched Johnny's hat and yelled, "Give me back my hat!" and walked away just like that. Johnny was left dumbfounded, wondering whether he made the right choice trading his old hat for the new one at a pawnshop in Cairo. A cold wind blew over Johnny's hatless head, and he really felt insecure without one. He kept figuring out what hat he would use for the treasure hunt. The end...?
