5909 - Treasure Raiders

Rating:
Pros: Two good vehicle models; pilot mini-fig
Cons: I'd have rather spent a few dollars less for the set.
Contents: 186 pieces including 5 mini-figs
Price: $19.99
Reviewed: 16-Oct-1998
Reviewed by: Joseph Gonzalez

"Well I'll be superamalgamated! Posthumous disfigurement to the cranial structure with a proclivity toward the assessment that the act was vehemently executed!" said the gauntly-featured archaeologist, William Harper Littlejohn.
A smile played across his companion's face as he agreed "You're absolutely right, Johnny, someone visited this tomb recently and was quite determined to see what was in this mummy's skull. It's vital that we get these remains back to the laboratory for closer scrutiny as soon . . ."
But the words of the bronze-skinned companion were cut short as the whine of an airplane engine could be heard to approach the excavation site. Suddenly an odd trilling sound resounded inside the small tomb as Johnny started toward the stone opening.
"Stop, Johnny, it's a trap. We were purposely led to this find, I suggest we attempt to move deeper into the tomb and let Dr. Ravenhart come to us!"

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Being quite a fan already of the Adventurers, it was a foregone conclusion that I'd add the 5909 to my collection. While the set doesn't contain any structures to discover or explore, its main features of two substantial vehicles make it a great way to beef-up any other Adventurer set, or it can be enjoyed all by itself.
The two main models of the set are a biplane and a car. The car is the standard Adventurer car (two-seater with an open cargo box located behind the seats) with the interesting additions of a trailer hitch and a passenger-side sideboard with two rifles mounted on it. The biplane is a bit larger than the 5928 model with a tan body and white wings. The different aspects of this set's bi-plane include engine bay doors, a mountable movie camera, and the plane allows for a 3x4 cargo box to be loaded just in front of the plane's wheels. Rifles are mounted below the upper wings to protect precious artifacts. In case you've noticed that the engine doors and tail are decorated with decals, these are actually stickers so they're optional to attach.
A third mini-structure included in the set is a small oasis with one palm tree.
Mini-figs included in the set are two bad guys (monocle dude and black hat henchman) and two good guys, (old professor and the Adventurer pilot). This is my first good-guy pilot mini-fig. His facial features are subtly different from the safari-hat Adventurer that appears in most of the other sets and the pilot has so far only appeared in this and the 5988 set. A skeleton is also included in the set.
As seems to be the case with most Adventurer kits, this one has a LOT of accessories: four rifles, two pistols, magnifying glass, sextant, movie and cartridge tile, frying pan, backpack, three picks, two shovels, a dynamite tile, two scorpions, two 2x2 map tiles and a sarcophagus (although there is no mummy headdress which my son sought for a good five minutes because he was sure there HAD to be one).
The set I purchased appears to be a limited offer that includes an approximately 12" tall plastic container in the shape of a sarcophagus with a screw-on bottom. The entire ensemble comes in an oversized box, but the pieces for the set itself come in their own regular-sized (though nondescript) storage box.
I'm really enjoying the set and would love to see it re-released as a regular set (hopefully dropping off a couple of dollars in lieu of the sarcophagus storage container).