“I told you… DON'T call me Junior!”
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 another Indiana Jones variant wearing his Last Crusade outfit.
Last Crusade Indy 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 Indy and his 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.
Last Crusade Indy does recycle a lot of parts from the other Indy figures using the legs, arms, and jacket from the Raiders of the Lost Ark figure. The torso is new, featuring a buttoned-up shirt with a tie. Each element of Indy’s outfit is cast in the base colour with additional paint applications to reflect wear and tear on the trousers and the jacket. The paintwork after that is limited to Indy’s belts. The first belt is part of the lower body sculpt and is painted in brown with a silver buckle. The second belt is an individual rubberised plastic piece in darker brown featuring his holster, and a hook for his whip. The buckle here is picked out in a gold finish. Indy’s look is completed with his satchel, also carried forward from Raiders Indy, and like that figure is applied on arrival under the coat so it is not so easily removable without some work. This does feature two brown tones for the bag and strap, and painted buckle detail like the belt.
The head looks new, or tweaked, and is about the best likeness we’ve had to date for Harrison Ford but still doesn’t nail it completely. The photo-real paint decor applies the eyes, mouth, and stubble to the head with the glossy finish still apparent which gives Indy a sweaty look and detracts from the facial features by being very reflective of any light source. The hat is cast in brown with a darker brown band and similar wear-and-tear weathering as the coat.
Articulation kicks off with a new and innovative feature for the series with the hat being articulated on the head allowing it to be pulled forward or pushed back. While the movement is nothing extensive, these small articulated adjustments each create a differing look for Indy. The total articulation count, with this new hat joint, is still 19 with the Indy figures missing out on a dual joint in the neck for some reason even though the neck is an individual piece plugged into the torso.
The articulation supports the posing and use of each of Indy’s accessories starting off with his revolver. This black cast piece lacks a lot of detail and has zero paint apps. It is another recycled piece and still looks and feels too small in Indy’s hand. When not in use it can be holstered.
The Whips - also reused - remain coloured in the brighter brown/orange plastic rather than moving to the darker finish seen on Dial of Destiny Indy in the last wave. The unfurled version arrived in a good position versus some of the others I’ve had and needed very little heat treatment to get it into a midair ‘whip’ position. The curled version can be held or hung on the hook on the belt. While the rubbery clasp is a little easier to work with than the first Indy’s - this and the holster clasp are too fiddly and need a rethink for any future figures.
Indy also includes the same sub-machine gun piece as was included with the Belloq from the recent two-pack. Like the revolver, this is black cast, but with more obvious detailing but still lacking any paint. It can fit into Indy’s right hand with the left hand coming into play for a two-handed pose.
We knew when the line launched that Indy figures would be plentiful, and while he is the 10th in the line this shirt & tie version of his outfit from The Last Crusade is welcomed, as is the fact this time round the wave contents are restricted to just one Indy (as opposed to the multiple Indy releases in the previous Temple of Doom wave). The Last Crusade Indy does most things right, and Hasbro is improving the face sculpts and finish the further we get into this line but haven't quite got a nailed on Harrison Ford. The accessories are good, and quite extensive, although I might have preferred to lose the guns and give the whips a better paint job and easier fastenings on the belt. Certainly looks the part as a solo display, and even more so posed with the other Last Crusade figures and that hefty Grail Table piece once built.
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...