Lego Indiana Jones

Lego Indiana Jones (stylized as LEGO Indiana Jones) is a Lego theme based on the Indiana Jones film franchise created by George Lucas, licensed from Lucasfilm. The exclusive franchise (for the 'Construction Category Rights') was first announced in June 2007,[1] and followed the successful Lego Star Wars franchise, also with Lucasfilm. The first set of products were launched in 2008, based upon two of the three earlier films (Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade). Sets featuring scenes from the fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, were released alongside the film, later in 2008. The Temple of Doom film was not featured until 2009, in a large set which re-created the mine-cart chase using new narrow-gauge Lego train track.

Lego Indiana Jones
SubthemesRaiders of the Lost Ark
The Temple of Doom
The Last Crusade
The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
SubjectIndiana Jones
Licensed fromLucasfilm
(The Walt Disney Company)
Availability2008–2009, 2023
Total sets22
CharactersColonel Dovchenko, Cairo Bandit, Cemetery Warriors, Indiana Jones, German Motorcyclist, German Guards, German Mechanic, German Pilot, Henry Jones Sr., Jock, Kazim, Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword guard, Marion Ravenwood, Pilot, Rene Belloq, Russian Guards, Satipo, Short Round, Swordsman, Willie Scott, Elsa Schneider, Lao Che, Kao Kan, Thuggee, Chief Thugee, Mola Ram, Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko, Ugha Warriors, Crystal Skull Skeletons, Conquistador Skeleton,
Official website

The theme also features in a video game series. Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures was released on June 3, 2008, based on the original trilogy. A sequel, called Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues, was released in November 2009, including scenes from the new Kingdom of the Crystal Skull film, along with a level editor feature.

The theme was relaunched in 2023 as part of the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.[2][3]

Overview

Lego Indiana Jones is based on the Indiana Jones film franchise. The product line focuses on Indiana Jones (Ford), a globe-trotting archaeologist, vying with Nazi forces in 1936, to recover the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, a relic said to make an army invincible. Teaming up with his tough former lover Marion Ravenwood (Allen), Jones races to stop rival archaeologist Dr. René Belloq (Freeman) from guiding the Nazis to the Ark and its power.

Development

The development of the Indiana Jones Lego theme followed a similar process to other Lego themes, with sets being designed by Lego's team of designers in Billund, in consultation with franchise owner Lucasfilm. The inclusion of guns within the sets (including machine guns) was a cause of some internal controversy.[4]

Characters

Construction sets

According to Bricklink, The Lego Group released a total of 22 Lego sets and promotional polybags as part of Lego Indiana Jones theme.[6] The product line was eventually discontinued by the end of 2009.[7][8]

The initial wave of sets was released in 2008, Temple Escape (set number: 7623) was one of the biggest, and features the famous boulder chase scene from the opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Measuring 53 cm long, the set included numerous 'booby traps' from the film, including shooting spears and tumbling rocks. As well as Indiana Jones himself, the set included minifigs of René Belloq and Satipo. Pilot Jock and his seaplane were also included as a late addition, with the Lego designer and Lucasfilm agreeing that they were an important addition to complete the scene (allowing Indy to escape).[9]

Two other medium-size sets released at the same time also featured scenes from the Lost Ark film. The Lost Tomb (set number: 7621) depicted a snake-filled tomb, which Indy must escape from, and Race for the Stolen Treasure (set number: 7622) depicted the chase scene from the film, with Indy riding a horse in pursuit of a truck.

Later in 2008, four sets were released featuring scenes from the new film. The biggest of these was Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (7627), which focused on the final scene of the movie, and included a rotating circle of 'crystal skeletons', as well as the falling obelisk tower. The characters Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko and two Ugha Warriors were all included in minifig form, as well as Indy and an unnamed Russian soldier.

In 2009, the 'gap' of having no sets from The Temple of Doom was filled with two new sets featuring scenes from the film. The biggest of the two, The Temple of Doom (set number: 7199), included new narrower gauge (4-studs wide rather than the usual 6 studs) Lego train tracks in order to re-create the mine cart chase scene from the second half of the film. Six track piece were included in two shapes, four as curves and two as slopes. Straight track pieces for this new type of train track have not yet been released in any set.

The second-biggest set released in 2009 was Venice Canal Chase (set number: 7197), which depicts the boat chase scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The set includes two boats, one driven by Indy and Elsa Schneider, and the other driven by two Grail Guardians. The boats appear largely identical bar a few colour differences, but contain different button-activated actions - one boats splits in two when a button is pressed, the other one features an 'exploding' motor. The two Grail Guardian minifigs are notable for their dark red Fez hats, which is a new Lego element. The set also features a Venetian style bridge and an exploding pier.[10]

In March 2023, three sets were announced to be released on 1 April 2023. The three sets are Fighter Plane Chase (set number: 77012), Escape from the Lost Tomb (set number: 77013) and Temple of the Golden Idol (set number: 77015).[2][11][12][13] A fourth set, The Temple of Doom (set number: 77014) has been cancelled.[14][15] It is speculated that the set isn't being released due to depicting the religious deity Kali or because the original film's racial depictions towards Asians and Indians.

Products

Name Number Minifigures Released Film Pieces
Motorcycle Chase7620Indiana Jones, Henry Jones, Sr., German Motorcyclist2008Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade79
The Lost Tomb7621Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Skeleton2008Raiders of the Lost Ark277
Race for the Stolen Treasure7622Indiana Jones, German Guards x2, Horse2008Raiders of the Lost Ark272
Temple Escape7623Indiana Jones, Rene Belloq, Satipo, Jock, Skeleton x22008Raiders of the Lost Ark552
Jungle Duel7624Indiana Jones, Irina Spalko, Mutt Williams2008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull90
River Chase7625Indiana Jones, Russian Guards x2, Marion Ravenwood2008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull234
Jungle Cutter7626Indiana Jones, Colonel Dovchenko, Russian Guards x22008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull511
Temple of the Crystal Skull7627Indiana Jones, Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko, Russian Guard, Ugha Warriors x2, Crystal Skull Skeletons x3, Conquistador Skeleton2008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull929
Peril in Peru7628Indiana Jones, Mutt Williams, Irina Spalko, Russian Guard, Pilot, Colonel Dovchenko2008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull625
Jungle Cruiser20004Indiana Jones (no bag)2008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull83
SDCC 08 Exclusivecomcon002Ugha Warriors x22008Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull108
Shanghai Chase7682Indiana Jones (tuxedo), Willie Scott, Short Round, Lao Che, Kao Kan2009Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom244
Fight on the Flying Wing7683Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, German Mechanic, German Pilot2009Raiders of the Lost Ark376
Ambush in Cairo7195Indiana Jones (Cairo), Swordsman, Cairo Bandit, Marion Ravenwood2009Raiders of the Lost Ark79
Chauchilla Cemetery Battle7196Indiana Jones (new face), Mutt Williams, Cemetery Warriors x2, Conquistador Skeleton2009 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull189
Venice Canal Chase7197Indiana Jones (professor), Elsa Schneider, Kazim, Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword guard2009Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade420
Fighter Plane Attack7198Indiana Jones (no bag), Henry Jones Sr., German Pilot2009Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade339
The Temple of Doom7199Indiana Jones (Kali), Willie Scott (Kali), Short Round, Thuggee, Chief Thugee, Mola Ram2009Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom654
Fighter Plane Chase77012Indiana Jones, Professor Henry Jones Sr, Fighter Pilot2023Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade387
Escape from the Lost Tomb77013Indiana Jones, Marion Ravenwood, Sallah, Mummy2023Raiders of the Lost Ark600
The Temple of Doom77014Indiana Jones, Willie Scott, Short Round, Mola Ram, The Maharajah, Thugee GuardCancelledIndiana Jones and the Temple of Doom801
Temple of the Golden Idol77015Indiana Jones, Satipo, Belloq, Hovitos Warrior2023Raiders of the Lost Ark1545

Video games

In common with some of the other movie franchise Lego themes, Lego Indiana Jones also features spin-off video games. These combine scenes from the films with the graphic style of the Lego pieces and minifigures.

Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (2008)

This was the first videogame released in the series, produced by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts in 2008.[16] It features scenes from the first three of the original Indiana Jones films, which can be played in any order.[17][18][19][20][21]

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (2009)

This game was produced as a sequel to The Original Adventures, and includes scenes from the fourth film in the franchise (Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), as well as all-new scenes from the three original films. The game also added a new level editor.[22][23][24][25][26]

Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (handheld)

A separate version of the game, developed by TT Fusion and released for Nintendo DS and PSP, with different gameplay and story.

Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick

A computer-animated short film, Lego Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick, directed by Peder Pedersen, was also released on the official Lego site. It combines details from the first four Indiana Jones films in one adventure.[27][28]

Other media

Lego Ideas

A project based on Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark – 40th Anniversary was uploaded to the Lego Ideas site on January 11, 2021, and it was created by Simon Scott reached 10,000 votes on LEGO Ideas in order for Lego to consider to make it into an official set. The project is based on Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark – 40th Anniversary from the Raiders of the Lost Ark film.[29][30]

Reception

The Indiana Jones sets proved to be one of the most popular Lego themes, and by the end of 2008 were credited, along with Lego Star Wars, of boosting the Lego Group's profits within a stagnant toy market. The product line was said to have "sold extremely well - especially on the North American market."[31] The sets were occasionally compared to those of the discontinued Lego Adventurers label (which was strongly influenced in its own right by the Indiana Jones franchise), which ran from 1998 to 2003.

See also

References

  1. "LEGO Group Secures Exclusive Construction Category Rights to Indiana Jones Property" (Press release). Lego Group. 18 June 2007. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 12 December 2009.
  2. Lego Group (13 March 2023). "The LEGO Group Reveals Three New Sets Inspired by Indiana Jones™". Lego.com. Lego. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  3. Balanza, Albert (20 January 2023). "Confirmed: LEGO Indiana Jones Will Make a Come Back This April 2023". Brick Show. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  4. Schwartz, Nelson D. (5 September 2009). "Turning to Hollywood tie-ins, Lego thinks beyond the brick". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
  5. Farshtey, Gregory; Lipkowitz, Daniel; Hugo, Simon (2020-10-01). LEGO® Minifigure A Visual History New Edition. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-241-50202-0.
  6. "Indiana Jones LEGO Sets". BrickEconomy. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  7. "Six licensed LEGO themes that ended way too soon". Brick Fanatics. 8 October 2021.
  8. Lipkowitz, Daniel (2009). The Lego Book. Dorling Kindersley. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-4053-4169-1.
  9. "LEGO Indiana Jones | Brickset: LEGO set guide and database". Brickset. Archived from the original on 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
  10. "LEGO Indiana Jones sets keep the balance between play and display". Brick Fanatics. 13 March 2023.
  11. "From 2008 to 2023: Comparing new and old LEGO Indiana Jones sets". Brick Fanatics. 17 March 2023.
  12. "Can the new Indiana Jones line compare to the original?". Brickset. 29 March 2023.
  13. "Why has 77014 The Temple of Doom been (presumably) cancelled?". Brickset. 13 March 2023.
  14. "Five LEGO sets that were cancelled before making it to shelves". Brick Fanatics. 13 March 2023.
  15. "Indiana Jones video game release dates". Brickset. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  16. "Lego Indy: First concrete details". 7 February 2008. Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008.
  17. "Games". www.feralinteractive.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  18. "SDCC 07: LEGO Indiana Jones: The Video Game". IGN.com. 27 July 2007. Archived from the original on 16 November 2007. Retrieved 27 July 2007.
  19. Video confirming Indiana Jones Archived 2009-05-10 at the Wayback Machine at GameTrailers
  20. Jensen, Jeff (August 8, 2008). "Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 24, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  21. "LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (Available Fall 2009)". toysnbricks.com. 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  22. "New LEGO Games". Brickset. Archived from the original on 2021-06-26. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
  23. "LEGO Indiana Jones 2 Arriving This Fall". 27 October 2009. Archived from the original on 25 August 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  24. "LucasArts Press Release". 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2009.
  25. "Feral Support | LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues". support.feralinteractive.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-06-26.
  26. LEGO Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Brick. March 4, 2009. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 via YouTube.
  27. "Latest Lego mini-movie bows on Cartoon Network". Archived from the original on 2021-05-03. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  28. "INDIANA JONES, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - 40TH ANNIVERSARY". Ideas.lego.com. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  29. "Indiana Jones and the belated anniversary LEGO Ideas project". Brick Fanatics. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  30. Espinoza, Javier (12 August 2008). "Lego Builds On Earnings". Forbes. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2009.
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