LEGO City Jungle Explorer ATV (60424) Review

Smaller sets on average are not only afford but also packed with great parts and Minifigures. Today’s review is a hark back to yesteryear as it sees the return of a fan favourite character, Johnny Thunder!

Being before my time, in terms of when I started collecting LEGO, the first line of Jungle sets passed me by, having seen them since I do regret not picking any up, but as a result of the recent LEGO trend of resurrecting some classic themes, Johnny Thunder and some vehicles have returned. Starting off with the entry level set, and the cheapest, our review will go through the build process, playability features and of course the Minifigure.

The Box & Contents:

Being an £8.99 set the box is small and the piece count is only 92, but let’s not hold that against it. The box is bright and colourful and filled with adventure, enough to attract the passing eye of both young and old fans. On the front you’ll find the ATV, side build, Minifigure and Red Panda, all taking pride of place. Flip the box over and some of the playability features are shown, from the many accessories and attachable elements.

What attracted me to this set is the fact we get a Johnny Thunder Minifigure a vehicle and Red Panda for a very affordable price.

As you can see from the photo below the parts came in cute little paper bags. These aren’t numbered as the set is so small it doesn’t warrant it, but none-the-less it’s great to see these paper bags appearing in more and more sets, even the small ones.

The Build:

Starting off the build with the smaller Jungle section, made up of only a handful of pieces, including leaves, flowers, slopes, an archway and connection points. This is where the Red Panda is placed, but more on that figure later. It’s a nice little build that cna be expanded upon if you have your own parts, flesh it out and some more temple ruins and alike.

The ATV is a nice surprise as it has a flatbed at the rear, perfect for transporting crates and animals. Again it’s a simple build but one that does have challenging sections representative of the 6+ age rating. The smaller parts are not too fiddly for little hands, making this a great set to get after the 4+ range. Just like past Jungle sets the colour scheme is perfect with it’s blue, orange and olive elements, great for a Jungle expedition without standing out too much. The use of some angled parts on the body is good and creates a more nature feel to the overall aesthetic.

Also included in the set is a 1×1 round printed tile that represents a compass, a 2×2 tile as a new updated map piece, a camera and a walkie talkie, everything an Explorer needs. 

The Minifigure & Red Panda:

Johnny Thunder is back and he hasn’t aged a bit. It must be the Jungle berries and fresh air that keeps him looking young. Saying that he has changed a little from his last incarnation, he’s kept the moustache and let his beard grow a little with a nice bit of stubble. His outfit is on point and again hasn’t changed much, just a bit of graphical enchantment. The beige explorer shirt, red neckerchief and Indiana Jones style hat, he’s ready for what the Jungle throws at him.

Traversing through the Jungle he must see many exotic animals, but this one most definitely is The cutest, the Red Panda. Being exclusive to the, this animal figure is stunning and if it wasn’t for Johnny Thunder it would be the only reason to purchase this set.

The new mould produces a great shape, chuck in the dual-moulded markings and printed face LEGO are into a winner. I most certainly need to pickup more Red Pandas some day, before their price goes up.

Overall the LEGO City Jungle Explorer ATV (60424) set packs a massive punch, from the small builds and Red Panda to the mighty Johnny Thunder. It’s a must have for any LEGO fan, young and old!

Thank you for rwadong through our review, we hope it gave you enough insight into making a purchase or not. We highly recommend it and at £8.99 you really can’t go wrong. Let us know what you think about the set via the comments section below.