The Hidden Gem of The Adventurers' Series - Jungle Surprise
Written: Apr 05 '03 (Updated Aug 04 '03)
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Pros: Tons of cool elements, female Adventurer figure, red snake, map tile.
Cons: Not much fun as a stand-alone set, hard to find.
The Bottom Line: One of the best sets in the Adventurers Amazon series and packed with tons of cool accessory pieces. A must have for Lego junkies!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Lego Jungle Surprise 1271 |
One of the greatest things about collecting Lego sets has to be the people that you meet along the way. Sure we might seem strange for collecting these small little pieces of plastic but at least they have a high replay value. To NLP [non Lego people] spending obscene amounts of money on blocks seems like a real waste but give me an internet connection, access to online auctions and I’ll show you how to get the most for your money in regards to Lego sets. When I first saw the Jungle Surprise set listed at an online auction I wasn’t all that impressed with it. The person didn’t list any of the perks of the set, when it was released or what series it belonged to – just Lego set, in box, free shipping.
After looking around for some information I placed my bid, crossed my fingers and waited to see if anyone else was interested in it. Turns out this person had several sets listed so I snagged them all up like the greedy little Lego freak that I am. Final cost - $1.25 per box with free shipping. Not bad when you consider this had a retail price of $2.99 when it was released in 1999 [and then again in 2000 in the poly bag form – set number 5905]. The poly bag set is an exact duplicate of the boxed set [1271] with the only difference being how it is packed and that it [set 5905] was a European / Canadian release.
Jungle Surprise
There really isn’t much to the set when you break it all down but it is a great way to pick up some very cool accessories that can be used with any other Lego set. Jane, the female Adventurer figure, is scouring the jungle looking for lost and hidden treasure [hence the name of the set]. The small altar that can be built with the provided bricks is nice, but unless you have other sets from the series, it really isn’t much fun to play with. The altar is built on a green 4x6 flat baseplate – a piece you can never have enough of in your stock – and has several small leaves that can be attached to any part of the base. The altar can be built several different ways but eventually you will get bored with it due to the limited number of pieces. How many times can you tip back the top portion of the altar and say “ohhh” and “ahhh” before it loses its appeal. The female figure comes with a nice white helmet, green stenciled uniform and has both a gray rifle and brown functional backpack as accessories. It would have been nice to get another figure with the set but overall what you get is well worth the suggested $2.99 retail price. The scene can be built several different ways so be sure to check out the box for alternative design options.
Accessories
This is the best part of the set in my opinion and one of the main reasons that I purchased multiples. One of my favorite elements has to be the gold token that is supplied with the set. The small design on it is of a Lego figure face wearing what looks like a crown. This piece is only available in the Adventurers Amazon series which makes it a great find. Other cool pieces include the red detailed snake, spider, gray rifle, yellow gem and fully functional backpack. Aside from the gold token, the map tile is a real favorite of mine. This is a flat 2x2 element with a map stenciled on to it [including the red “X” for treasure]. Just like the gold token, this is only found in the Adventurers Amazon series.
Instructions
You are only provided with a single instruction sheet to build this and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to complete. The altar is what takes the bulk of the time but even that is simple and easy enough for anyone to build. You are given a step by step lay out of how to assemble the figure, where to place the accessories and how it can be combined with other sets – but I’ve had more fun changing around the pieces and adding it to other Adventurer sets. There is also a single page insert showing other Lego sets that were released in the series so be sure to check it out for some cool ideas on how to combine the smaller sets to make larger scenes.
The Bottom Line
If I were to purchase the elements separately from online brick vendors and brokers it would have cost me about three times what I paid for the sets so I was glad that I got a little greedy when I scooped them all up. The accessory pieces are what really make this set a collectors item – and the gold token and map tile are pieces that I plan on using in the Egyptian pyramid Lego scene that we are working on. If you are going to try and track this set down you have several options available [online auctions, brick vendors etc] and since this was released in two different forms [bagged and boxed] you have a greater chance of finding it providing that you aren’t picky about how it is packaged. For me this was a set that was destined to be broken down and used in other scenes. The boys were pretty excited when they saw the red snakes and gold tokens and snagged up a few of them for their own play scenes that they are working on. If you are fan of the Adventurer series – be it the Egyptian or Amazon mini series, this is a great set to try and track down.
The Stats
Set Name: Jungle Surprise
Family Set: Adventurers / Amazon Series
Lego Set: 1271
Number of Pieces: 24
Age Recommendation: 6 - 10
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $ 2.99 [retail]
As always … thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Lego Adventurers sets …
River Raft
Johnny Thunder & Baby Dino
Sinister Sam
Research Glider
Johnny Thunder
Island Racer
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $1.25
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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