1355 - Temple of Gloom

Rating:
Pros: The cameraman; his camera; fun gimmick
Cons: Low piece count for price
Contents: 56 pieces including 2 mini-figs
Price: $6.99
Reviewed: 15-Dec-2000
Reviewed by: Dustin Verburg

Joe the cameraman loved his job. These sorts of scenes practicaly filmed themselves. Bret Spenning, playing the heroic Johnny Thunder, was ready for the final take. Bret was known for his kindness and for what he gave to charity. Everyone loved him, young and old.
He began running, ruby in hand as the floor collapsed behind him. Without warning, he tripped over the plaster skull and fell backward into the pit.
He looked up, covered in sawdust. He scowled, exclaimed a few four-letter words, and returned to his trailer. The kind Bret Spenning acting like an intoxicated sailor? Joe would have to show this one to the tabloids...

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This set is basically just one gimmick... which all of the studio sets seem to be. Seeing past that, it looked pretty fun, so I picked it up.
It consists of a "corridor" which seems not out of place in a Steven Spielberg movie. The whole point of the set is this: Johnny gets the ruby from the arch and runs across the floor to escape. The only problem? The floor collapses behind him!
This is accomplished in a very simple manner. Four 2x4 flat blocks are placed on a sliding panel. The panel is pulled forward, and out from underneath them, and they fall. Voila!
The mini-figs: Johnny Thunder and a camera-man. It's the same old Johnny... with a ruby and a six-shooter. The camera-man rules though. His camera is quite a piece of work... a 1x2 smooth flat can even be placed in the back to represent a video-tape. The camera also has a cool mount: it swivels 360 degrees quite easily and ratchets up and down. The camera-man himself has an ID badge and blue baseball cap. Very cool.
The low rebuild possibilites and odd combo of pieces are the only things preventing this set from earning a four. For fun value, it's worth the money.