Continuing with our nostalgia theme, next up is one of my favorites from the 80s. If adventure has a name, it truly must be Indiana Jones. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be Indy. I bought a $10 bull whip from a magic shop, borrowed one of my dad's fedoras, and used the brown bomber jacket I got for Christmas. My backyard became such exotic locals as the Well of Souls and the Temple of Doom. As an adult, I put together one of the most expensive costumes I have ever assembled to recreate Dr. Jones here, getting some replica items and vintage originals as well. I'm glad Harrison Ford came back to visit the roll, because now I can wear this every Halloween until I'm old and grey.
Woohoos!
Instead of looking at just a few figures, I'd like to address the entire line of toys, vintage and modern. One of the great things about this collection is it's size. There really weren't that many figures released in the old or the new, and and compared to other toys like Star Wars or G.I. Joe it wasn't totally out of the question to get 'em all. Also, with everything revolving around Indy, you could have some pretty great adventures with just his figure and somewhere outdoors. The grass of your lawn became the the jungles of South America. Stack some rocks and you had a cave to explore. The possibilities were endless. When I was a kid, summertime meant I had to be outside playing from 9am to 5pm, weather permitting. Nowadays it seems quite the opposite, with parents keeping a very close eye on their kids at all times (and understandably so). The original Kenner Indiana Jones figure was unique in that he had an action feature that didn't hinder his appearance and actually made sense. His whipping action was incredible in that he could actually take down the bad guys. Combine that with bending knees (a feature I wished my Star Wars figures had) and what you get is a fantastic all-around toy. With Kenner adding some vehicles and a playset in the mix, it was one of the great movie tie-in lines of the 80s. With the forth Indy movie, Hasbro revisited the line with movie themed waves, even more vehicles, and a new playset based on the Star Wars Episode III Mustafar base. 
D'ohs!
For what we got, I was pretty happy. If I had to complain, I would say I don't know what Lucasfilm was thinking when they gave the license to LJN in 1984. Only three figures, and no playsets or vehicles. (There are pictures of Willy Scott and Short Round figures with a mine cart playset, but they were never produced.) Hell, I never once even saw the Indy figure in stores, only Mola Ram and the Guard. (The one in the pictures was acquired only a few years ago.) Thankfully, when Hasbro revisited the line, they did a Temple of Doom wave with the missing characters, although that wave was never in stores and you had to resort to on-line to get them. I wished they hadn't put out so many Raiders and Crystal Skull figures, as they were clogging the pegs and made it difficult for future wave to make it out. They did release the "Lost Wave" of Raiders figures, but as a SDCC exclusive that was somewhat hard to get. Probably the finest of the modern line. At least we finally got a Last Crusade wave with Indy's dad, a young Indy, and the Grail Knight.
What if...
With Indy 5 slated for 2019, I would like to see just a few figures from each movie, each with articulation similar the original Kenner line, bendy knees and all. (Please do vintage style cardbacks!) A 6" line similar the Star Wars Black Series would be fantastic! Just one wave of six figures and were all set. Indy with jacket (young and old portraits), Indy without jacket, Marion Ravenwood, Mola Ram, Henry Jones Sr, and Toht with melty face. Fantastic. Oh, and a 3 3/4" Indy in his tux.
Finish Him!
This line is accessible. Get the whole thing or just an Indy to go exploring with. I recommend the vintage Kenner offerings, but the Hasbro stuff is probably cheap right now. 5 out of 5 sacred stones for Indiana Jones. They belong in a museum. Just don't look into the Ark.
No comments:
Post a Comment