Dead Men Tell No Tales! Lego's Orient Expedition "Secret of The Tomb"
Written: Jan 18 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice small set, skeleton, functional, nice add on for the larger sets.
Cons: Gets real old real quick.
The Bottom Line: Learn the secret that's been hidden away for years ...
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| Freak369's Full Review: Lego Orient Expedition Secret of the Tomb 7409 |
One of the sets that I really wanted from the Orient Expedition series was the Secret of The Tomb. It's always a perk to get a skeleton in a set and when I saw these in the Lego catalog I knew that eventually I'd get around to buying more than a few of them. I didn't really care about the other pieces in the set or the fact that you could flip up the trap door and scare the crap out of people, no, all I had on my mind were the little skeletons. If I found enough sets locally I could complete my Army of Darkness scene, complete with an army of deadites. Sadly, these sets retailed for about four to five dollars so to amass the 50 or so skeletons I'd need, it would cost an arm and a leg. Then, one fateful day, I saw Mike, the always-friendly clerk at Target, slapping sale stickers on the boxes. Muhahahaha, into the cart they went at two dollars a piece. Rubbing my hands together like some sinister shrew, I cackled my way to the register to pay for my sets and make my way home to rip open the boxes.
Secret of The Tomb
This is a nice little Lego set that works great with most of the mid to large sized sets from the Orient Expedition series. Don't fall into the same mindset that I had about this one; there are a lot of things you can do with it outside of building the scene you see on the front of the box. I mean, what fun is it to play by the rules all of the time? I did build one set according to the provided instructions and it was fun to play with for about five minutes but it did lose it's appeal in short order. Basically this is a trap door type set that allows you to spring a trap on "the mayor" [at least that's what I call him] or some other unsuspecting Lego figure. There are a lot of cool small pieces that can be used for other Lego designs so if you are someone that is on the look out for sets that contain unique or hard to find pieces, this is one to keep your eyes peeled for.
The set comes with two figures, the previously mentioned skeleton and "the mayor". I'm sure he's not a mayor but he sure looks like one with that black top hat and snazzy outfit. If he looks a little familiar it's because he's almost identical to the Sam Sinister figure that was in The Adventurers sets a few years ago. This is probably one of the oddest sets from the Orient Expedition series since it doesn't directly connect to any other set. I can see a skeleton springing up to scare someone that’s looking to raid a tomb but come on, are you going to do that in a tuxedo? Well, that's what the other figure is wearing ... so you figure it out! To be brutally honest, this isn't something that you can buy for a kid and expect him to be entertained with for more than five minutes. If he has other Lego sets then this can surely be added on to another one in some shape or form but as a solo set it's pretty much a wash.
The instructions are easy to follow and a few of the sets came with a small comic insert that told a little of the story of the Orient Expedition. Almost all the sets came with packaged trading cards, most of which are still in the plastic wrap awaiting their fate. The card game that was supposed to go along with this was never released so the cards are sort of in limbo. This set is best for kids that have a little Lego knowledge since the instructions are photos only. There are some small pieces that could present a choking hazard to smaller kids so make sure all the pieces are collected and stored away when play time is over. The flag and pole are probably the most attractive to the little people so make sure that the finished scene is kept out of reach of tiny hands.
The Bottom Line
This easy to build set is great for adding on to larger scenes or adding a little surprise to otherwise dull set ups. If you are looking to increase your Lego stash or need to build up an army of skeletons this is a great way to go about it but make sure you hold out for the sale price. The Orient Expedition series wasn't as big a success as Lego hoped for and most of the sets were marked down at the end of the year [2004]. Hey, I have never been one to be able to pass up anything with a sale sticker on it, nonetheless a Lego product that's on sale. For two bucks a box I was able to get a real jump on my Army of darkness scene, get a ton of cool pieces and sell off the other figure to a brick broker for .75 cents a piece bringing each set to a final cost of $1.25. Not bad, not bad at all!
The Stats
Set Name: Secret of The Tomb
Family Set: : Orient Expedition
Lego Set: 7409
Number of Pieces: 41
Age Recommendation: 6 and older
Ease Of Assembly: Easy
Time Of Assembly: 5 minutes
Cost: $ 4.99
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $2.00
Type of Toy: Blocks
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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