“We both wanted the Grail. I would have done anything to get it. You would have done the same.”
The third wave of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones Adventure Series figures was released in October 2023 and while it contained a couple of figures from The Dial of Destiny, the wave and its build-an-artifact were themed around The Last Crusade including a release of Doctor Elsa Schneider.
Elsa’s packaging is the standard windowless box with its sandy base colour and map design overlaid with images of the figure and the Adventure Series logo. The side spines contain artwork of the character and a checklist of the Build-an-Artifact for this wave (The Grail Table) while the reverse of the box features further images of Elsa and her additional parts and accessories. The only reference to The Last Crusade as the source material is made on the back of the box but there is no synopsis or character bio as exists on other Hasbro lines.
Elsa is the third female figure to be released in the Adventure Series and is an entirely new sculpt designed around the outfit she wears in the desert and the Grial Temple towards the back end of The Last Crusade. This includes black cast legs and boots that connect up into a high-waisted trouser around the waist with a sculpted belt that has paint detail in brown and silver around the fastening. The torso is an open white blouse with a sculpted black top beneath and a painted black collar and silver buttons. The torso also includes an area of exposed flesh beneath the neck joint. This is painted and is a varying shade to the neck above which isn’t ideal. Elsa’s costume is finished off with white cast arms with puffy sleeves and a pair of black-gloved hands.
Doctor Schneider features two head options both with good likenesses to actor Alison Doody but not quite as strong as other figures within the same wave. Facial printing is applied to the eyes and mouth, while the hair is painted in a platinum blonde. The hat-wearing Elsa features a grey military cap with a silver button up front. Be careful when swapping out the heads as the new dual joint neck has a tendency to come out when force is applied.
Schneider’s look is completed with an included pair of red lens goggles. These appear to be too tight to be worn over the face or over the peak of the gap and appear purely included to hang around her neck as seen in the film. The head has to be removed to get these into location. Braver collectors may want to try warming up the flexible strap of the glasses to see if they will be coaxed into a position over the eyes but mine felt like they were about to snap as I tried.
Articulation is less than the standard we have seen in the Adventure Series, with 17 points of articulation in total. The phasing out of thigh swivels by Hasbro continues on Elsa, although a boot cut is featured. She also missed out on the butterfly shoulders. The articulation all works as designed and Elsa can be posed for display with a good level of stability.
Her only other accessory is the False Grail, the exact same piece as was included with the Walter Donovan figure from the same scene. Elsa can hold this in either hand, or it can be placed onto the Grail Table Build-an-Artifact when complete. The recycling of accessories here is disappointing and an alternative accessory would have been more suited to building out the line. Elsa might have been better suited to include the actual Grail (which comes with the Grail Knight) considering her scenes with the cup and her ultimate downfall.
Elsa Schneider provides a good companion piece to the existing Walter Donovan figure and allows a wider display with the Grail Table and Indiana Jones for display. Hasbro could have stuck with a single-head option for Doctor Schneider, so the fact we get both looks is appreciated. The accessories did need a bit more thought with perhaps a different grail cup thrown, and goggles that were wearable over her head.
Keep Track of all the Indiana Jones Adventure Series from Hasbro at our comprehensive
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...