LEGO Indiana Jones Escape From The Lost Tomb (77013) Review!

When it comes to recreations of classic films, in this case Indiana Jones, I tend to up on them when they release, after building and reviewing the Fighter Plane Chase (77012) set, I had to have the next one in this current wave. Read below what I thought of the LEGO Indiana Jones Escape from the Lost Tomb (77013) set, what I like about it and more!

The Box & Contents:

When it comes to licenced themes, the boxart is usually on point, this set is no different. The artwork is extremely atmospheric and looks how an Indiana Jones set should look, with the tan tones and Egyptian hieroglyphs, it all comes together really nicely.

Inside you’ll find the usual setup, 4 numbered bags, instruction manual, a sticker sheet and 2 loose baseplates. Sadly the set doesn’t include any printed pieces with stickers taking up the slack once again, on a set that retails for £34.99 it’s understandable.

The stickers we do get obviously enhance the look of the set overall, with Pharaoh designs for the front of the coffins, hieroglyphics for some of the brick work and larger ones to create more of a scene.

The instruction manual is slightly more chunkier than most which surprised me for a set with exactly 600 pieces. I guess it’s just that little bit thicker it needed a proper spine, rather than staples.

The Build:

Starting off with the two separate baseplates you build up a short later of the back wall, a central walkway along with two rotating plinths where the statues of Anubis will stand. Bag one is usually the larger LEGO elements, making the build go seemingly quicker.

Bag 2 is pretty much consists of the left-hand wall section, building it up unevenly using odd bricks and colours, I particularly like the small gaps that are left to show corrosion. This is where we first apply some stickers, to the coffins and hieroglyphs. There is also a hidden section that is being built around the back, this is meant to represent an entrance of sorts which later houses the Mummy Minifigure, more on that later.

Bag 3 adds a small golden archway through which the Arc of the Covenant can be seen. This small build actually looks rather good and somewhat similar to it’s onscreen counterpart. The design is heightened by yet more stickers, but again I’m ok with this.

Also added here is one of the Anubis statues, the way it’s built using both standard and SNOT (studs not on top) techniques. This one simply rotates unlike the opposite one that can be pushed over.

Bag 4, the last bag, adds the second Anubis statue, the last section of wall and a few finishing details. Snakes are scattered all over the floor, held in place with small clips.

As mentioned above the right-hand section of wall can be pushed over by simply giving the statue a light nudge, this then piles into the wall resulting in a gap to escape, just like in the film (Raiders of the Lost Ark).

The wall itself is surprisingly strong and has yet to crumble on me. Being supported by the hidden room behind it makes sense, whilst adding a little more to the set. There is also a playability feature here too, pull out the handle and the ceiling swings down revealing a Mummy, pretty scary stuff!

The Minifigures:

Included in the set are 4 Minifigures, Sallah, Marion Ravenwood, a Mummy and of course Indiana Jones himself.

Having got the other smaller set in this wave, Fighter Plane Chase (77012), I already have an Indy Minifigure, although this one has a little more scruffy, missing a tie and different coloured hands as he is wearing gloves in this particular scene in film.

The other two main characters are done well too and feature nice designs, I particularly like the desert look of Sallah. The Mummy looks awesome too, with all the gruesome tatty bandages falling off revealing rotting flesh, nice!

Both Indiana Jones and Marion Ravenwood have alternate faces, that are great for a scene like this, having the scared face on Marion and the cocky smirk on Indy is well designed and implemented, perfect for recreating scenes and taking photos.

Overall the set is great and for the price (£34.99) is very affordable. The building techniques are varied and make the construction enjoyable. Adding in so many play freaures is smart as they don’t detract from it’s display ability, it’s a perfect shelf sitter and playset at the same time.

Minifigures are cool and with 4 included makes it feel complete, just two wouldn’t have enough, although would of reduced the cost somewhat.

If you can’t tell already, we highly recommend picking up this set, especially if you’re an Indiana Jones fan. It’s available from LEGO stores and LEGO.com now.