“Mola Ram! Prepare to meet Kali...IN HELL!”
After the first set of Indiana Jones figures from Hasbro focused on Raiders of the Lost Ark, the second wave was themed around The Temple of Doom - albeit with a pair of figures from The Dial of Destiny also included. Indy himself was well represented in the wave, with three of the five figures in total, with the most iconic of those his Temple of Doom appearance. The figure arrives in the plastic-free square box packaging with a base sand colour that transitions lighter further up the box and is overlaid with the red map lines we see during Indy’s travel scenes in the films.
With no window, the figure is depicted on the front as a posed image - with the contents confirmed on the rear of the box. The two sides are then turned over to some artwork on the right, and a checklist of the ‘build-an-artificat’ for this wave on the left. Indy is packed inside the packaging in waxy bags slotted into an inner cardboard tray. Like previous figures, this method of packaging doesn’t keep the figure or accessories secured as intended and in the case of Temple of Doom Indy, his sword accessory arrives hideously warped.
Indy is a new figure as far as I can see, not utilising any of the Raider's parts - but sharing much of the figure with the Hypnotized Indy from the same wave. The figure has a ripped shirt over a skin-coloured cast torso with the cream of the shirt weathered with a darker yellow to recreate sweat and grime. Round the back of the torso the shirts ripped, recreating the wear and damage Indy takes during his escape. The right arm is fully exposed in a skin tone finish, while the left arm still has the ragged shirt sleeve with the same weathered decor as the rest of the shirt. The trousers are cast in brown with a sculpted rip in the left knee and come complete with further weathering, particularly around the base of each leg where a white dry brush adds further wear and tear.
The Harrison Ford head sculpt is new, or at least tweaked from the previous releases, with a partially open mouth and visible teeth - although the sculpt doesn’t quite translate this into either a smile or a grimace either of which would have been more expressive. Face Print technology is applied to the head adding in detail of the eyes, the unshaven look, and some of Indy’s injuries including a bloody lip. The hat, which is the same as the Raiders release, is glued onto the head (it is not removable) and is finished in a similar way to the trousers with wear marks added at the folds and edges.
The costume is finalised with Indy’s removable travel bag that is cast in a softer plastic and shaped to fit over his head and one shoulder and hang at his side. It is painted in places with a gold buckle on the strap and gold buttons on the bag itself.
Temple of Doom Indy has a decent set of accessories, starting with the handgun that was included with the Raiders release. Technically, for screen accuracy, Indy shouldn’t have this gun at all, but what you get is OK in terms of filling up the holster on the belt. The gun itself is a touch small, and Temple Indy does not have any alternative hands and no trigger finger on his right hand so there are no options for having him wield the gun.
We then have two whip pieces cast in a reddish brown plastic that could have perhaps been a bit darker for screen accuracy. The first is the unfurled whip that comes partly coiled and not as we see it on the box. It is a loose fit in either hand but does the job without being anything special. The coiled version is designed to be held or hung on the belt and the Hasbro team has improved the belt strap this time around to be more secure to hold the coiled whip in place.
Indy’s final accessory is the sword he uses in the rope bridge scenes. It will likely arrive warped as I’ve mentioned but can be straightened with a bit of hot water. It has a silver blade with a brown handle and will fit in either hand more securely than the other pieces, as though the hands were specifically shaped for this weapon alone.
The Temple of Doom Indiana Jones features 20 points of articulation, all pinless and where possible integrated with the body and outfit. We have single joints to the knees and elbows, with ball joint hips and shoulders and further butterfly joints where the shoulders plug into the torso. The head is on a dual joint neck, while the torso includes a ball joint at both the waist and the mid-section. This gives Indy plenty of posing options with any of the accessories, and all the joints are tight and secure and hold posing well.
Considering the availability of parts from Raiders, Hasbro have created an almost entirely new figure for their Temple of Doom Indy with a new body and head, and executing it all with a decent level of decor to add weathering, wear, and tear to the overall look. The accessories do a job but could be of a better quality with very soft plastic and warped items. Indy would also benefit from alternative hands to use each accessory appropriately. These minor points aside, fans of The Temple of Doom will be pleased with the final figure and the various options for display - including the use of the Sankara Stones as a further accessory, although these are packed with Hypnotized Indy and part of the build-an-artifact arrangements for this wave.
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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...