Retro LEGO | All Adventurers (Desert) Sets Ranked!
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- Опубліковано 13 лип 2024
- LEGO Adventurers came to us in 1998 and become one of the most beloved LEGO themes of all time. Today we'll rank all of the sets in the Desert sub theme.
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The lighting and filming of the Lego in this video is PHENOMENAL 😄😄😄
Thanks! I do try ☺️
You call the 90s polybags terrible? I call them one of the few positive childhood memories of my dad. Whenever he was gone on long jobs out of town, he brought home one of them from a gas station. He is the kind of dad who would literally pop down to the gas station and return, but not with cigarettes
I wouldn’t say that ALL polybags from the 90s are terrible, but the Adventurers ones from this sub theme are pretty goofy IMO. They were, however, a great way to collect Minifigs and were very affordable, which are both great things to consider. I’m glad you have fond memories of them, and ultimately, my opinion doesn’t matter! 👍
@@keltondavisLEGO They were just the epitome of a cheap last minute gift(as we say in Germany: Mitbringsel), or as you say to get a minifig. If you got the temple and like all figures except Harry or Kilroy, you could complete it, just like Microfighters in Star Wars
Great points all around! And I enjoy hearing your perspective from Germany.
@@keltondavisLEGO Well for one thing, you might already know this, there was an entire audiobook about the Egypt adventure. Sound effects and everything with, for Germans, well known voice actors. And virtually all characters have different names Johnny is Joe Freeman, Linda Lovely, Professor Articus, and Sly Boots. And the snake found in many sets was the professor's pet, of which Joe was afraid.
I only recently learned about all that cool info from another German commenter. So cool to hear about how LEGO marketed these sets differently in different areas. Sounds like you guys got a lot more lore surrounding the series than we did in the US.
What a video, amazing production values for a theme that truly deserves it!
Thank you! This is one I’ve been wanting to make for a long time!
Making a comment after this video popped up in my feed:
I love this subset, it's super nostalgic for me and I had several of these sets. I do wanna bring a unique perspective here because I'm from Germany, and let me tell you, the Adventurers Theme here was kinda... weird.
In general a lot of LEGO Adventurer characters had drastically different names depending on the region and the subset. Ultimately a lot of these different names were justified as "aliases", but it's still very funny that there has been so much lore. Here's an overview of the names and their evolution over time:
- Johnny Thunder was originally known here as Joe Freeman(n), with the spelling changing in various forms of media; only with Orient Expedition did he adopt the name Johnny Thunder here, too
- Dr. Lightning was originally known as Professor Arcticus during the Desert subtheme, but since Jungle the character has used the name used in Denmark, Dr. Kilroy
- Gail Storm was initially known as Linda Lovely; during the Dino Island subtheme her American name was used, while in Orient Expedition her Danish name Pippin Reed was used
- Baron von Barron was initially known in Germany under his Danish name Mr. Hates, and he switches his name to Lord Sam Sinister only during Dino Island, with the character at times also known as "Sam Sanister" (likely a typo) and "Sam Finster" in LEGO Island 2. In the instruction manual for the Orient Expedition LEGO board game he's also known as Ulrich Unhold
- Sam Sinister is known here by his Danish name, Slyboots. Sometimes spelled Sly Boots
- Harry Caine was originally known as Billy Speed here, but only during the Desert subtheme, being referred to as Harry Caine during Jungle
Lastly I wanna mention that set 5938 in the German release was bundled with an audio drama on cassette titled "Die Jagd nach dem Pharaonenschatz" (The Hunt for the Pharaoh's Treasure), which was one of my favorite tapes to listen to as a kid. It features all the characters from the sets, except Harry Caine and Hotep. The Re-Gou ruby is instead attributed to the historical pharaoh Ramses IV, and Caine is mentioned but not by name.
Also Baron von Barron/Mr. Hates is the brains in that story, being portrayed as an unscrupulous art collector who lost his hands as a punishment for trying to steal jewelry from an Indian maharajah. Sam Sinister/Slyboots meanwhile is his muscle and is referred to as a former prize fighter.
WOW! This is an amazing collection of history, most of which I was not aware of. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective and giving us even more to think about with this theme. I loved reading this!!!
@@keltondavisLEGO If you'd like to know more, I have a video titled "Sam Sinister Switcheroo: The History of LEGO Adventurers Names" that breaks down the history of every character and what they were named in every region and publication. Some of it is already a little outdated by newly surfaced info, but otherwise it's very comprehensive.
@Vaati1992 Oh, that's interesting! I wasn't able to find any German media from 1999 (aside from LEGO Racers, which retains the characters' English names in German), so I was unaware that "Dr. Kilroy" and "Harry Caine" replaced Prof. Articus and Billy Speed in the Jungle subtheme. Would this have been in catalogs, magazines, or the "Der vergessene Tempel" puzzle book? Do Senor Palomar, Rudo Villano, Gabarro, and Achu also retain their names in Germany, or do they have a different set of names?
@@VezonWireless I’ve actually seen it! I watched it as part of the research for this video. I was going to mention some of the alternate character names, but ultimately it strayed a bit too much from my core subject to dive into completely. That’s why we have you!
Fascinating insight, Vaati! :D Thanks for cataloguing this for us all!
Production value is insane for a channel of this size
Thanks! Hoping to keep growing!
Agreed, it's awesome
@@cameronklein7980 You guys are so kind. 🙏
Was Going to write the Same.😅
Sam Sinister was just an NPC character in Lego Racers while Baron Von Baron was a boss. Just shows who's really in charge
I knew it! 😂
As someone who grew up in the 2000s and never actually owned an adventurers set, this was an amazing walk through of a theme that I was nonetheless fascinated by. Thanks for this excellent video, looking forward to more in the future!
Part of the joy I experience with these videos is not only reigniting people’s nostalgia, but introducing themes to people for the first time. Thanks for your comment!
Imagine if they released a crossover set between Adventurers and Indiana Jones where Johnny Thunder crosses paths with Indiana Jones lol
Multiverses are in right now! That would be so cool 😎
I'd actually love that. xD
Oasis ambush was my first set I ever picked out , it was my 8th birthday and my dad took me to the store and I played with it so so much everyday. It unlocked story telling for me. I still have all the characters and pieces today, and I would always combine it later on with the indian sets. I treasure those memories coming home from school and using those peices and that trap door for so many other play ideas and stories.
Sounds like we’re about the same age, and had similarly magical memories with these sets.
Oh I remember this expedition... Crikey, it was hot as Hades in that desert, and I never knew how hard Gail could scream until that mummy rose up from its tomb. Still, I got a good laugh when Sam got crushed by that boulder and that giant gemstone payed my rent for a couple of years...
We’re honored by your presence, Johnny! Your adventures have inspired us all!
@@keltondavisLEGO It was my pleasure mate! I wish I could return, but the bosses in Billund told me to retire... But I'm certainly looking forward to more of your videos!
@@Johnny-Thunder Hopefully future adventures are in store…
Blessed by the Legend himself! 😌
I would do some mildly unspeakable things for Lego to make all the adventures sub themes again. Awesome video sir!
😂 Wouldn’t we all! Thanks so much 🙏
You know this was definitely a beloved set line because it was featured in Lego Island 2
That’s awesome! I only ever played the first Lego Island.
Another exquisite video! Great adjective choices! Looking forward to more retro LEGO for sure!
Thanks for your support! So glad these are enjoyable to watch.
The treasure is coming home
- Harry Cane
👨✈️😍
Yeah obviously
When it came to the Egypt subtheme of the Adventurers theme, I had Scorpion Tracker and Treasure Raiders with Mummy Storage Case. I wanted to get Sphinx Secret Surprise.
Great memories!
i bought the adventurers car 2995 by itself in america. ordered it from the "under $10" page in the catalog. its one of my favorite sets!
Oh that’s cool! I was unaware it was ever for sale by itself.
Wow, first of all, what a great video! Amazing production value. You deserve a lot more views.
Secondly: Loved this theme as a kid. The vehicles was great ans so many play features. I agree with your ranking.
Thanks! Many more coming in the future 👍
hopefully we will see these for the other Adventurers themes, as well as some other good and forgotten themes (Rock Raiders, Monster Fighters, Agents, Pharaoh's Quest, Atlantis, Time Twisters, etc)
Certainly! I actually already have a Time Cruisers/Twisters episode on my channel.
Great video! I must've missed this and the next adventure when growing up, but I do remember having some of the Dinosaur one!
Awesome! Glad I could shed some light on the original adventure for you. Dino Island will appear in a future episode!
As a kid I had the bi-wing baron, but have starred at those Adventurers sets on the catalog pages for HOURS! Especially the temple of Anubis 🤩.
Thanks for the blast for the past! I really love your format, can't wait to see more from you!
You’re not alone in staring at the catalog for hours. I even “played” With the sets like I had them, just wishing it were true 😆. Thank you for your kind words!
@@keltondavisLEGO haaa yes me too! In some instances I'd try to rebuild those new sets, using parts from the sets I owned :D
@@SuperSecretBricks Sounds like we had the same childhood 😂
Keep those amazing videos coming Sir! 👍🏻
I certainly will! Thanks!
Awesome videos
Excited for the rest of the series
Thank you! New episodes are in the works!
Watched this video and instantly subscribed. Great production! Going to watch all your stuff and will wait for more!
Welcome aboard! I'll keep 'em coming! Thank you.
Great video! Production value in the roof. GJ!
Thank you! I love making these. So much fun!
What a great channel full of nostalgia! Instantly subscribed. I would love to see videos on Bionicle and other classic Lego themes like Dino Island adventures set.
I do have a ranking of the Toa Mata! Future episodes will also feature the other sub themes of Adventurers.
This is awesome! Keep these vids coming!
I shall! They’re so much fun 🤩
That intro was amazing man, was watching with my brother and had my laughing like crazy
My favorite part of making these. Thanks for watching!
Incredibly well made video! Just found your channel and can't wait to see more!
Welcome! There's plenty more on the way! Thank you.
YES I love seeing Adventurers get the love it deserves. My username was inspired by the theme, after all and some of the very first LEGO animations I ever did back in 2011 was an episodic Adventurers, well, adventure.
As always, fantastic video and stellar presentation of the sets! Adventurers, especially the desert wave, is one of those themes where I essentially got all the sets piecemealed through thrift store or garage sale lots when I was really young. The cars in this wave were especially great. The only set I never really had in its entirety was The Forbidden Ruins...it deserves that top slot! The amount of traps and fun design choices in that one is lovely, the magnet feature in particular is something I havn't seen used that way.
Am very much looking forward to seeing more Retro LEGO on Adventurers!
The idea of making this very video was one of the motivations for starting this channel. The Adventurers and Western were some of the most important parts of my childhood! Thanks for watching.
The production value is incredible! Easily earned a new subscriber
Welcome aboard, and thank you so much!
I had the oasis ambush and valley of the king when i was a kid, but i always wanted the forbidden ruin ! Your video just made me look for it on ebay annnnddd i just bought it, 26 years later ! Thanks for it ;)
That makes me so happy! Enjoy it, it’s a beauty!
Another fantastic video!
Thank you much!
Great video and production quality. Something about that red background just hits right as well with the color palette of the Adventures theme. Hoping to see your channel grow!
Thanks! I’m glad you liked the backdrop. I obsessed over what it should be 😂
Dude, awesome video! :D Your production quality is insane and you did these sweet sets a lotta justice. Adventurers was one of my favorite LEGO themes ever, especially 'cos I wanted to be an Egyptologist and explorer as a kid, haha.
(Sidenote: I also headcanon'd at the time that Baron von Baron was the leader of the duo, LOL.)
Thanks so much! And I knew I couldn't be the only one who thought the Baron was the one in charge.
@@keltondavisLEGO Oh! Also I have a request if it's not too much to ask: in future videos, when you include the sets' price at release, could you potentially include what that price would be at the current time when accounted for inflation? :0 Possibly a silly ask, but I like seeing that kind of thing!
@@Sanguivore A very good suggestion!
@@keltondavisLEGO Thank you! ^-^
Amazing nostalgia and video. I’m a subscriber for life. You have a great voice too.
Thanks! 🙏 Welcome aboard, and many more trips down nostalgia lane are in store!
@@keltondavisLEGO great! Lego should be paying you for these very complete and professionally done archiving of sets. Even your thumbnails are legit. Amazing.
@@Ssquire11 If only! 😂
This theme and The Mummy movie coming out one year later defined my childhood. I had that weird golden mummy container too, used it to store spare parts.
I forgot to mention The Mummy movie and how that made these sets all the more fun. Sounds like our childhoods were pretty aligned!
@@keltondavisLEGO Yeah, the movie was a treasure trove of ideas for ways to play with these sets. Watching this video also reminded me that I won the 5928 plane in an official art contest, haha. Thanks for the memories!
@@sumofirebomb Oh that’s so cool! Love the 90s, 😆
This is so nostalgic. My brother an I had most of the smaller sets, but never the big ones :D
That was true for me as well… until recently 😂
Just stumbled upon your channel, and as other comments have said, you have an amazing editing style, and great voice over! Looking forward to further Johnny Thunder coverage, especially my childhood favorite - Dino Island!
Thank you! Making these videos brings me joy, and even more so when people enjoy them. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned for more Johnny Thunder in the future!
One of my all-time favorite lines from LEGO. Looking forward to your ranking of the Orient Expedition because the Dragon Fortress was my crowning possession as a 10-year old.
That’s gonna be a HUGE video! I’m so excited to make it 😊
Great video, I am looking forward to the jungle / safari sets video 👍
It's going to be a fun ride! Thanks for watching.
The 1 x 6 arches on the rear of the Adventurer's car are the newer raised versions from 2009.
You caught me! Yes, I built the Adventurers Car out of pieces I already had, since it's an expensive one to buy. You've got a good eye.
These were my favorite as a kid
Easily one of the best themes of all time!
These theme revisit videos are incredible, I can’t wait to get more!
Thank you! I love making them, so there will be MANY more!
@@keltondavisLEGO love it!
It would be cool to see a rehash of this theme today with the massively large options of pieces now
It certainly would! But I wonder if they could ever match the charm that the originals offered. Guess they'll have to give it a try to see!
This first wave had such a sacred sincerity towards adventure at its purest. Sadly, they were released in my first dark age.
We all have those themes that came and went in our dark ages, but thank goodness for Bricklink and eBay! lol.
Charles Lightning is suprising badass name for that professor dude. Well, he has access to guns.
😂 This theme LOVES its guns.
Fantastic video!
The sets do really speak for themselves visually but on top of it the Lego group made sure also include Johnny's adventures lovingly into digital form after their release. I remember well playing the flash game inspired by the desert sets and Desert adventure driveway from Lego Racers 1 perfectly encapsulates and incorporates the sets from this video! Lego racers 2 also has a version of the truck from the temple set even though it was focused on Dino Island at that point.
I was aware of those games at the time, but never got the chance to play them. I’ll have to see if I can get my hands on them and perhaps review them for the channel!
The planes where amazing and still are!!
YES! In this theme, and in future ones, they were all top-notch.
Love the intro!
Thanks! It’s one of my favorite parts of making these videos. ❤️
We need to spread the word, this vidoe is way too good
😆 preach!!!! Jk, but thank you so much for the support!
This is great! adventurers was a fun theme to grow up with. So many accessory pieces to play with.
The desert theme looks excellent but is definitely plagued by all those limited release sets and double/triple set numbers!
The orange background you used for photography works really good with these sets.
If you’re making videos on the rests of the Adventurers does that mean you have all the sets? 😁
I love that your brother lent you the container for your video. Is he still a Lego fan too?
Yes! He’s an AFOL through and through. And yes, I had forgotten how messy the cataloging of the desert theme was. So many silly little impulse-buy sets (but they were a good way to get Minifigs, I suppose).
I’m in the process of collecting for many themes, but it’s a slow process due to the expense. Hence the reason for the Patreon. Thanks for watching!
Another fantastic video, as always. What website do you use to buy these lego sets?
Bricklink or EBay. Sometimes Facebook marketplace if I’m lucky. Just got to be patient and wait for a good deal.
Very well done! Pharoah's Forbidden Ruins is on the short list for the set with the best set of printed bricks. Not a single sticker anywhere!
Kinda crazy actually, since this was the era of putting stickers over multiple bricks at a time. These sets were unusually premium for the time, and hold up to this day!
i love the jackal tomb one, I have it and it's so lovely
I’d have to say if you want just one Adventurers set, that’s the one to get. It’s affordable, looks great and includes one hero and one villain. Perfect encapsulation of the theme!
Board up your windows: it's Harry Cane season!
LOL. Laughed way too hard at this.
@@keltondavisLEGOhaha so glad you liked it! Thanks for these videos! I loved these old themes!
My pleasure! This has been a tremendously enjoyable project.
awesome
Thank you 😊
Awesome series..do more
More in the works!
In Germany there was a cassette included in the "oasis ambush" set which spun a marvellous story around the sets and ancient Egypt. In that story, BvB was the mastermind and SaSi was his not-so-bright sidekick. Also in German the names were different (JT = Joe Freeman, Dr. K = Prof. Aticus, GS = Linda lovely, BvB = Mr. Hates, SaSi = Slyboots). And I somehow have the name "Pippin Reed" in my head than thinking about Gail Storm. So maybe other markets (GB?) had different name aswell?
I love hearing the perspective from Germany 🇩🇪. Sounds like you guys had a deeper lore connected to the sets. Thank you for sharing!
And yes, Gail Storm became Pippin Reed in later sub themes, at least in the US.
@@keltondavisLEGO the audioplay seems to be on UA-cam in it's entirety. LEGO - Die Jagd nach dem Pharaonenschatz. Youll probably wouldnt understand a thing, but maybe catch the vibe. I LOVED it as a kid, because it mingles in some historcal things (gods, archeological sites...). In Germany Audioplays are huge (some series run continously since the 80s). The adventures audioplay wasn't the first neither, the time cruiser series had 3 cassettes included with sets in which they told a "back to the future" scenario in which the time cruiser crew visits Lego sets in different times (western, pirates, castle...). Great rabbit hole to get lost in 😉
@@stthcnths Love it! I'll have to see if there is a translation option in the subtitles. Thanks!
Fantastic video! I do feel the need to encourage a second look at 2996 Adventurer's Tomb, though I know I'm in the minority here. Whenever I see these sets ranked reviewers don't like it much, but I think it has a lot going for it:
-It's the only set with the iconic double-black-doors-and-mummy so you can reenact the ubiquitous "warning" hieroglyph from almost every other Adventurers set. While it's not a full tomb, it invites expansion and is a pretty unique structure compared to the other sets in the theme.
-If taken alone, $8 is actually a pretty great deal for the mummy, sarcophagus, and printed obelisk pieces, which were usually only found in larger sets.
-As you pointed out, in the US it was only available with two other sets including the pretty sweet 2995 Adventurers car, which is a pretty great vehicle, and taken together with all the other minifigures for less than $20 made it arguably an even better deal.
-Only being able to get it from the Shop-at-Home catalog made it a very unique and exciting set to have in ones collection at the time.
I've said my piece, lol--I'm 100% with the rest of the rankings. ;)
I honestly can't disagree with anything you've said here. Great points all around! I don't know if it would necessarily change it's standing in my ranking, but you've made a good case that collectors should still seek it out.
I have the 5918 Scorpion Tracker and loving it. But I regret not getting 5958 Mummy' Tomb, too. That is a marvelous set. It had everything that I wanted but I cheaped out and didn't get it. I Shouldn't have. Well, can't have them all.
Watching for deals on eBay and Bricklink can pay off! I got 5958 for about $70 including tax and shipping. Just takes patience. 👍
HOW DO YOU ONLY HAVE 1.8K SUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just building up day by day!
Bless You!
Right back at ya!
Adventurers was a favorite of mine. While Castle & Space were my top picks, these made up for their seeming disappearance to me.
It perfectly occupied that awkward period of time between the retirement of longstanding themes like Castle/Pirates and the coming of the licensed era.
Good Job
Thanks! 🙏
the pharoah's toes be like oooO Oooo
Literally LOLed at this one 😂
Johnny Thunder is my childhood.
Then I daresay you had a great one!
I had some the small ones. I could probably put them back together if i still had the instructions. I wish i had that last one though! Wow! The biggest is the best! ❤New subscriber here!
Welcome aboard! So glad to have you with us. Instructions for all past sets can be found on LEGO.com, so it’s worth a try to rebuild your old sets!
@@keltondavisLEGO Even if it's almost 30 years old? They'll have the instructions for it? 🙂
Yes!! That's how I put together some of these that I didn't have physical instructions for.
@@keltondavisLEGO Thank you very much! 😊
@@Mr.AtheTriggerGalleon6310 Glad I could help. Have fun!
Johnny Thunder is back in the lego jungle set.
I hope we get him in a new adventures set with Egypt, Dino or
Making a reboot of Lego island games so we can get
Pepper Roni, johnny thunder and all!
Vote if yall agree, will make an Ideas project.
Would work great as an Ideas set, And with all the nostalgia surrounding that line, it doesn’t seem too far fetched!
@@keltondavisLEGO sounds Amazing, I WOULD REQuire a consensus of support before initiating such an endeavour, in order for lego to make it.
LEGO fan groups online are a great way to feel out support for things like this. Good luck!
@@keltondavisLEGO many thanks.
Please keep posting more, Lego Studios made one of the best Legos.
Will do! And LEGO Studios is in my list!
Great job! Name of song in the outro?
Thank you! It's a song I got on a stock-audio site many years ago. Not sure on the title, since it just had a number designation.
good video
Thank you!
Nice voice. Love the vid
Thanks! 🙏
I remember my only adventurer set was the hot air balloon i miss playing w that set😂
Cool! Was it the balloon from the Forbidden Ruins or was it the Nomad from Orient Expedition?
@@keltondavisLEGO it was from the orient expedition
A great set!
Golden age❤
Agreed!
The original Sam Sinister may have been a decoy :p
That’s certainly what it looks like!
we need a new adventures theme so badly
They're flirting with it with the new Johnny Thunder Minifig, but with Indiana Jones currently producing sets, it unfortunately doesn't seem likely any time soon.
@@keltondavisLEGO It's a real shame. I love that Johnny is back but lego city is missing that excitement and wonder the old adventures sets had. Orient Expedition has so many unique playsets. Can't wait for you to rank them! Great video btw!
@@MegacoreTeamJake I’m so excited to rank the other sub themes. And thank you! 🙏
in my Lego-MC the baron is the leader of the two ;-)
He’s just too cool to be the sidekick!
6:24 isn’t that Dr Kilroy? I’ve never heard of Charles lightning
Charles lightning was his original name in the desert sub theme. In future sub themes he was renamed as Dr. Kilroy.
@@keltondavisLEGOah I see! Was Gail storm renamed to pippin reed?
@@nestorw8439 Yep! I think in some countries she was always Pippin Reed, but in the US, she started as Gail Storm and switched to Pippin Reed later.
Bro, those were some of the best poly bags ever made! You smoking Lego crack or something?!
Haha! I can certainly see that many people really liked them. They just weren’t my cup of tea 🍵
@@keltondavisLEGO I know. Thanks for being able to take a joke. :-)
Realy nice Video, but not a big fan of AI voice 😅
Jonny was my fav lego dude as a child and omg the sets Look awesome
@@Erk0F_B. That’s literally my voice, dude 😂
@@keltondavisLEGO fr? 😂 OK mb sry bro i wasnt quite sure, but you Sound a little bit robotic :D
@@Erk0F_B. 😆 Fair enough
Is that your real voice or do you use AI? If it's real, you have a really pleasant voice to listen to.
Haha! I’ve gotten that question a few times. Yes, it is my real voice. I talk about my prior VO/acting experience in my 1000 subscriber special vid.
👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻👊🏻
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Let’s share our thoughts on the message of the video.
I suppose the message is: Adventurers sets are awesome!!! 😎