The new Hasbro Indiana Jones Adventure Series is taking a different approach with their ‘Build-a’ format and rather than collecting parts for a new figure as we see with Marvel Legends, the Indiana Jones Adventure Series waves will allow you to collect parts for an Artifact from the Indiana Jones film series. The first wave from Spring 2023 focuses on Raiders of the Lost Ark, and across the five releases in Wave 1, you can collect parts for the Ark of the Covenant.
The assembly instructions for the Ark are actually held in the inner cardboard trays of each figure, and while it is simple to build it is worth noting that the base and top come attached together in the box for Sallah and on first glance look like one piece - leading some collectors to think the base is missing? Assembly is simple enough once all the parts are collected. There were no obvious warping issues with the main box, but you may find the handles on either side arrive with a bit of bend that you may want to correct,
The Ark is cast in a ‘gold’ coloured plastic that does a reasonable job of recreating the look from the movie. While the detail of the sculpt is very good, from the ornate rail around the top to the panels on the side, it is devoid of any other paint apps. The Ark is crying out for some definition in parts - either a wash in places to bring out the detail more, or by varying the gold finish or picking out the wraps around the two handles which should really be a darker bronze finish.
The proportions and scale work well and the figures are able to grip and lift the Ark as seen in the scenes in Tanis. The top can be removed and the Ark can then be used as storage for accessories from the Indiana Jones range - although it would have been so much cooler if Hasbro had been able to include a base of what appears to be sand and possibly even an internal LED light.
The Ark does a job within a budget and will look fine on display as an environment piece for your Adventure Series figures. It also provides a good base for anyone talented enough to give it some more care and attention and will be brilliant for those building dioramas for their figures. The ‘Build-an-Artifact’ concept as a whole works well enough for the Lost Ark, but already feels stretched for the Sankara Stones from Temple of Doom - and who knows what they will do for Last Crusade. Perhaps the Deluxe option may be the way for Hasbro to take this as they are doing with the Temple Escape set - and that opens up the possibility of larger pieces outside of the Build-an-Artificat concept such as the Map Room from Tanis or the Crystal Skull Throne?
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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...