Wrapping Up 2023: Indiana Jones (Temple of Doom) from Indiana Jones: Adventure Series by Hasbro

 

   As a kid, Indiana Jones in his ripped up shirt from the end of Temple of Doom was definitely my default look for the character. Temple of Doom was the first Indiana Jones film I saw in it's entirety (I remember watching the movie for the first time, probably on October 1 1989 on ABC, as it was the ABC Sunday night movie) and it definitely stood out to me. For years I had a ripped up white t-shirt that I used as my "Indiana Jones" shirt. Combine that with a random hat, a jump rope, and a Halloween prop machete and I was all set. I never had an Indiana Jones figure when I was younger so I used General Hawk v2 as my jacketed Indy (with a hat from Sgt. Slaughter) while Whipsaw v2 from The Corps with Wild Card's machete was my default Temple of Doom Indy. I have the Temple of Doom Indy from the 2008 series but it sure is nice to have another one, and now in the 6 inch scale. Let's check out Indiana Jones (Temple of Doom) after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 1/8ths inches

Articulation: Double swivel/hinge ankles, swivel/ hinge knees, swivel thighs, balljointed hips, balljointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/ lateral "butterfly" hinges, swivel/hinge elbows, balljointed wrists, balljointed neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: Revolver, 2 whips, satchel, machete, and lower jaw for the Skull Temple Build-an-Artifact. 

Non-Scalper Price: $25 dollars

The Positives:

* Indy's been through the ringer at this point. He's been beaten, whipped, put under the black sleep of Kali, drenched, poked with a hot poker, and almost has his feet burned off stopping a minecart. Hasbro did add in a few new parts to the base body, so we've got the ripped up, sweat stained shirt (a separate piece over the torso), a ripped knee in Indy's trousers, and some paintwork to try to capture the shirt looking all wet, sweaty, and grimy, though it could have been a bit darker. I'm going to go ahead and just type "wet, sweaty, grimy Harrison Ford" here just to get this review some more exposure. I'm sure there are plenty of women of a certain age out there using Google, so maybe that will help them stumble upon this review. 

* Flip Indy and you can see the rips and tears on the back of his shirt from being whipped. He's also got the full sleeve on his left arm and the cloth wrapped around his left hand.  

* Like with most of the other Indy figures, the articulation scheme is familiar here; it's pretty much what most recent non-armored Star Wars: The Black Series figures have. The joints all have a nice range of motion, especially the shoulders and the head and neck. Since he uses the torso shared with from the Hypnotized Indy with a shirt overlay, he gets both a balljointed waist and a mid-torso (though the shirt hinders it a bit). He also has true balljointed wrists rather than swivel/hinge wrists. I'm still not sure if I think they function better but they look nice.

* Indy comes with his Smith & Wesson revolver, reused from the standard figure. The sculpt is really nice with a lot of detail, but this time around it actually gets a painted detail on the grip. Very nice!

* The revolver fits in the holster on Indy's belt just fine. Not something he uses much at the end of the film, but it is there. 

* Indy also comes with his trusty bullwhip, like about half of the Indy figures in the line. It's a little brighter than I'd expect but it does have a nice sculpted braid to it rather than just being completely smooth. It comes looped up but with a little futzing around it'll look better.

* A coiled whip is also included which is intended to hang from Indy's belt.

* Indy's satchel is another shared accessory with most of the other Indy figures in the line; it's a simple piece with a bit of paint that looks pretty accurate to the film prop.

* The unique accessory that this figure comes with is the Thuggee machete. It's quite nice and an absolute necessity for this version of the character. 

* Indy comes with the lower jaw of the Thuggee altar for holding the Sankara stones. I plan to review the altar itself (Hasbro calls it the Skull Temple) but this is definitely a piece you'll absolutely need if you're building it. 

* Like with the standard Indy head, I can say that this isn't a bad portrait. It's clearly Indiana Jones. The hat helps to solidify this as Indy but the beard and eyes look better here (Cairo Indy uses this sculpt, too).  Indy's teeth are showing and you get the feeling that he's just about to cut the bridge...

The Negatives:

* Like so many of the other Indy portraits, this is Indy, but is it Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones? It doesn't quite nail his likeness the way some of the Han Solo figures have. We're getting some stunning likenesses from Hasbro of late, but this one just isn't top shelf. It's better than most, though.

* I cannot get the loop on Indy's belt to close, so his whip just keeps falling off. Just a weird little QC issue.

  This might be my favorite version of Indy in this line so far (Last Crusade Indy probably takes the cake, but I haven't reviewed him yet). He's got one of the better Indy likenesses, a unique look with his ripped and ragged outfit, and some great accessories. He's a Great figure and it's just a shame that there isn't a Mola Ram or a giant Thuggee for him to fight nor a Willie Scott for him to fool around with. Unless someone like NECA, Mezco, or Diamond Select picks up the license and offers us a few figures here and there, this line feels like it could be Indy's last big hurrah. I'm glad Hasbro did get to release so many Indy's, though I really wish we had a Hangar 51 Indiana Jones w/ fridge and a Nepal Indy with gloves, a Browning, and a closed jacket. After those two, I'd be pretty content. 

 

Looking for more of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr., better known as Indiana Jones? Then check out my reviews of the Adventure Series Indiana Jones (Professor), Indiana Jones (Cairo), Indiana Jones (Map Room), Indiana Jones (Club Obi Wan), and Indiana Jones (Temple Escape), Indiana Jones with Ark and the two Indys from the SDCC "Lost Wave" set: Indiana Jones and Indiana Jones in German Uniform, all from Hasbro's 2008 Indiana Jones toyline, the Retro Collection Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark), and the Indiana Jones: Worlds of Adventure Indiana Jones with Adventure Backpack.

For more Indiana Jones: Adventure Series figures check out the following:

Grail Knight
Henry Jones, Sr.
Indiana Jones (Cairo)
Indiana Jones (Club Obi Wan)
Indiana Jones (Map Room)

Indiana Jones (Professor)

Indiana Jones (Temple Escape)
Major Arnold Toht