#651 INDIANA JONES (Part 1) - INDIANA JONES with the ARK and MARION RAVENWOOD with CAIRO HENCHMAN (2008)

 

It is uncommon for this blog to show toys made after 1995, but this entry is an exception to my rule. As most people of my age, I enjoyed the films of Indiana Jones made in the 80s, as well as some videogames from the 90s, specially "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" and "The Last Crusade".

I also saw the movie from 2008 "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and I enjoyed it. I think many people disliked it and ranted about it on the internet, but I had a good time watching it.

This last movie brought a line of action figures and accesories in the old fashion of the late 80s, something which is quite rare nowadays, and that most toy companies do not dare to do anymore. Hasbro released a bunch of figures either in individual packs, bigger packs (consisting of two figures, or one figure and a big accesory), vehicles and even playsets. There were figures released not only characters from the last movie, but from all 4 movies in the saga, and each blister was accordingly marked with the title of the film in which the chaacter appears. Some people divide the released figures in 4 waves, one for each movie, although I normally use wave in a different way. All Indy figures were available at more or less the same time (at least in Europe)

The toyline was a flop, and most figures were sold out after only a few months. I first bough two sets that were Inidana Jones in the bedouin clothes with the ark of the covenant, and the second one was a set with Marion Ravenwood and Cairo Henchman, both sets from Raiders of the Lost Ark. I liked the figures, so I bought them cheap. 

Months later, in a 1 Euro shop, I found many other figures in single blister packs for 1 Euro each, so I couldn´t resist and bought one of each available reference, which was 7 figures. I had the intention to open the blisters (they took simply too much space), and display the figures.

As it happened with the figures commented in entry #596, Indiana Jones figures are made with faces that actually resemble the actors who played the role in the movie, so it is quite cool to see Harrison Ford, Sean Connery and all the others as an action figure. They are overarticulated, with ankles, elbows, wrists and so on, and perfectly detailed (clothes, accesories, weapons...). They are really great. A very impressive detail is that each figure came with a cardboard box in which a small plastic special accesory was hidden. Before you bought the figure it was not possible to know what was inside. Each figure came with a relic that appeared in one of the films or one relic which is very well known worldwide. In each box there was also a small piece of paper with a few words about that piece.

Double packs were also decorated with a nice background especially chosen for its contents.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: INDIANA JONES with the ARK and MARION RAVENWOOD with CAIRO HENCHMAN
• Toy Line: Indiana Jones - Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Year: 2008
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size of the figures: 9,5 cm (3 3/4'')