Adventure Heroes: Desert Secret

[Ghouldrool]

Indiana Jones meets The Mummy, done Chap Mei style. The result is one of Chap Mei's most awesome lines, ever.

This is the largest set.



I have to hand it to Chap Mei for impeccable timing: these toys came out right in time to ride along with the buzz for the new Indiana Jones movie and the action figures that went with the promotion. While the early Indiana Jones figures really suffered from lack of quality control on Hasbro's part, Chap Mei really delivered a great line of toys that became an instant favorite of mine. The real trick, as always with Chap Mei, is getting them.

I particularly like the airship here. Right out of The Mummy Returns, the steampunk type hot air balloon has propellors that extend outward and carry the ship forward with greater speed. The basket is somewhat small, but I can live with it. The design of this particular vehicle is just incredibly cool.

[Ghouldrool]

In Germany, Simba had the privilege to distribute these sets. That's where I found this particular set.



I really like the character of Sandy Storm, and as a basic human adventurer he really works well. I also adore the steampunk feel of this line. It's a rather strange move on Chap Mei's part to choose to include repaints of the Pirate Expeditions flintlock pistol and rifle in this set, but they're forgiven. Also included for added value is a repaint of the Soldier Force horse, this time in a lighter tan colour. I can't seem to find the Chap Mei copyright on it but I have the original Soldier Force version and for some reason it's missing there as well. It's a neat horse, but Chap Mei has made horses that are far superior in the Wild West line.

[Ghouldrool]

Here is Adventure Heroes' most sought after figure. Anubis, the Jackal-headed god of the Underworld!



It was available in several bigger sets, but not as a single carded release. It's a pity though - after seeing the awesome scene in The Mummy Returns where an entire army of jackal-headed warriors bear down on the heroes, I can imagine one wanting to troop build these. But unless you settle for horrible bootlegs, the smallest set to get Anubis in is this above set, along with a great black and red snake.

[Ghouldrool]

Another figure that did not get a single carded release is Marcus Mole, a chubby mechanic that's probably responsible for constructing the fantastical Steampunk style vehicles available in this line, such as this Drill machine for crudely digging up lost caverns filled with ancient treasure. As far as I know Marcus Mole was only available in this set and the extra large set posted above, so consider yourself in luck if you have him.

[Ghouldrool]

This is a curious set that caught my attention: It's the set that contains Evil Oba, but instead of the Steampunk type vehicle, which I will review later on, a repaint of the common Dino Quest jeep is included. It's definitely a legit piece and it's very nicely repainted, but it's an odd choice - the other vehicle is much more detailed and has the superior sculpt and playability. If anyone was ever going to choose between the two sets as to which one to get, it would be a simple choice... but perhaps, this version will be harder to get in the long run.

[Ghouldrool]

This is a catalogue shot of a trio of small sets that were available in the United States for a while, and I believed they sold fairly well along with the single carded release. They were so readily available there that I had to get mine through a US friend while Europe was still waiting for stock to hit!

[Ghouldrool]

Here is a catalogue shot of the single carded release of the Adventure Heroes characters. Sadly Anubis and Marcus Mole missed the boat, and were not available this way.

[Ghouldrool]

Here is the set with the large electronic mummy, Evil Oba, and the steampunk type vehicle. Surely if you're getting the set for the mummy in particular, this would be the preferred vehicle to get.

[Ghouldrool]

Two more medium sets with very unique content. First we have the largest camel the world has ever seen, so much so it might even be a dire camel, if such things exist in the Adventure Heroes universe.
Second, the Sky Wing, a very Da Vinci like design for a plane or glider that's really fantastic in terms of design. I don't have one yet, but I will when I get the chance!!

[Ghouldrool]

And finally another large set, the Waterlander and tomb playset. The Waterlander's seen release before, including in Wild Quest and Wild Park. It's a very cool plane, and the tomb itself if also really playable. Also returning are the giant (or dire) wolf and spider.

[Ghouldrool]

Here is another cool medium size set that was missing from the line up. This one features the red snake that's also included with Anubis, as well as a repaint of the motor with sidecar from Soldier Force as if to pay homage to the famous scene from Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail. I really like the new paint job, and you get both Sandy Storm and Skyboy Stratus to boot!

[dinoviper]

Last year we saw the release of the Adventure Heroes line including giant creepy crawlies and ancient tombs. King Tutenskull seems to be the central villain in the Adventure Heroes line aside from Anubis. The Adventure Heroes line is based on the Mummy movie series. Tutenskull and his giant pet seem to be original concepts of Chap Mei.

King Tutenskull reminds me a little of Serpentor the Cobra Emperor that stayed out a little to long out in the desert. His face has a very hideous expression and reminds me of burnt wood that has turned to ash from a fire that was burning all night. The cowl over his head is quite beautiful and ornate with a gold blue pattern. Tutenskull has a very tall thin frame. He is a few centimeters taller then the rest of the figures in the series. His arms and legs are painted a plain gold. He does have a beautifully detailed belt with Egyptian inscriptions. He also has a ornate chest piece of blue, red and bronze. Tutanskull like Bomani has a ball jointed waist so he can be interchangeable with his cobra.

Tutenskull has many accessories including a gold head dress that fits in the hole in on the figures back. He comes with a brown and purple shield with a symbol of a stag beetle. A bladed staff with the head of Anubis carved into the weapon. The last weapon is a interesting looking scythe-like-sword with Egyptian hieroglyphs carved into the blade. I wish I could remember the name of this particular weapon but I am no expert on ancient weapons. I remember Spectre mentioning what these weapons were and how they are used in a thread on the forum.

Perhaps the single most reason to pick up this set is the Giant Cobra. True; Chap Mei has created several versions of a cobra snake in the past. A maroon colored cobra that was part of the Legend of the Knights series and Count Orcus's pet. Another was featured with Captain Mad Gunn as a small figure pack and was green and black. There was even a cobra with striking action and was red and yellow, it was part of the Wild Quest series. This Adventure Heroes cobra is a true "giant", its nearly twice as big as the earlier cobras mentioned above. The giant cobra has a ball jointed head that can be removed and replaced with the upper torso of Tutenskull. Tutenskull resembles a Naga type creature with the serpents body however it is not as stable as the Bomani scorpion and shifts loosely on the cobras body. The head can rotate and the tail moves slightly and can also be removed. Aside from that the mouth opens and closes by pressing the button on the back of the head. This also gives an appearance the cobra is flicking its tongue. The mouth is painted a bright fuchsia and brings out the appearance in the huge fangs in the cobras mouth. The cobra is painted a dark royal blue with a yellow belly. Many collectors including myself are picking up this cobra because it goes well with there GI Joe collection as a giant mutant snake the COBRA organization cooked up. Or perhaps the pet of Serpentor's or even Cobra Commander. I have noticed a few GI Joe collectors customize the cobra with the upper torso of a 25th anniversary figure to create a Golobulus custom. Over all King Tutenskull and his giant cobra place second in the giant crawler sets. They are both well sculpted, painted and playable.

[dinoviper]

For a while fans of Chap Mei have been clamoring for a series of giant bugs. Well now we got them in the form of lost tombs and mummy's called Adventure Heroes. Aside from a giant scorpion centipede and spider we now have a massive stag beetle to add to each of our bug collections.

If King Tutanskull is the villain then Sandy Storm is the main hero of this line. I believe Chap Mei tried to base this character off Indiana Jones. After all the movie and figures were released the same year as the Adventure Heroes. Sandy to me looks more like a cowboy then a rugged treasure hunter and explorer. You could say he was based on the American cowboys competing against Brendan Fraser's character O' Connell in the first Mummy. Sandy is a pretty ordinary looking character wearing a tan brimmed hat and a rather "determined" look to his face. He wears a typical cowboy style white shirt and black vest with blue highlights. The pocket watch on his vest is a nice addition to the sculpting. His belt is the most appealing thing about him and can be removable. He has everything a treasure hunter needs attached on that belt. His pants and boots are rather bland however I do like the buckles and creases that are sculpted on his boots. Giving it a bit of a worn look. Sandy is a mediocre figure, not that there is something wrong with him he is well painted and sculpted, its just that he is not very appealing to me.

Sandy's weapons are a bit more of a drag. Consisting mostly of the accessories that came with the the characters of the Dino Valley series. A crudely constructed pistol, a forked stick, a club and a torch. I can see the torch as the most useful tool in Sandy's arsenal. The weapons really bring this set down. They are common pieces seen already and really don't serve a purpose for a treasure hunter. If only Sandy came equipped with a revolver, shotgun, shovel or something... This would have made the set that much more appealing.

What brings this set up tremendously is the beetle. I never in a million years thought Chap Mei would produce a beetle for a toy line and yet they did. The beetle has jaws that close when you push the button on its head. The wings on his back fold out and the hole at the base of the abdomen allows a figure to ride it. The harness is also removable so it can either be a wild beetle or a domestic one. The stag beetle has a beautiful shiny carapace with small cracks in the shell. Long black legs. The thorax and head are a rusty bronze color over a solid black plastic. The beetle is hollow and very light weight compared to the scorpion.
Despite the fantastic size of the beetle it can fly or at least deflect bullets giving the rider some added protection. Another thing, these beetles are not found in that part of the world, they prefer a more temperate woodland environment. They are however more appealing then say a Scarab or dung beetle. Much more playable too. The stag beetle can fit an assortment of 3 3/4" figures not only Chap Mei. I use them as a means of defense in Cobra La. Even though they are to big to fly the scientists of Cobra La have created them to be nearly indestructible in combat. This crawler set would be second next to the scorpion if only Sandy was more detailed and his weapons were improved. This is a really excellent set and I advise you to this one up anyway. You can still get them at Rite Aid stores and Big Lots.

[dinoviper]

When the Adventure Quest figures first came out I could not wait to get my hands on the centipede and the giant scorpion. Chap Mei finally released an assortment of bugs was a god send to fans. I remember several folks posting on a topic thread about dream Chap Mei sets. Many folks including myself wanted a desert theme with scorpions. So I guess employees at Chap Mei must be reading the threads. Because we got them. Of the three crawler sets the scorpion is the most popular next to the giant cobra and stag beetle. The scorpion crawler pack is actually two figures in one; the giant scorpion and the figure Bomani.

Bomani is a red demon looking figure that was taken from the character The Rock, played as the Scorpion King from the Mummy II. Bomani like most of the Chap Mei figures is detailed from head to foot. The head, arms and waist rotate as most of Chap Mei's figures. This figure however has a detachable waist that is ball socket. The upper torso fits inside a hole on top of the back of the scorpions head.

The paint application is pretty good and is applied well. However like all of the figures the backside is left bare. Why Chap Mei fails to complete their figures is beyond my comprehension. I never was a big fan of the human figures mostly due to this and the huge weapons that can only fit their hands. I think where Chap Mei really shines is in their animals and playsets.

Bomani comes with an assortment of weapons a black and teal shield with a very detailed scorpion emblem. A teal bladed gaffe staff and a teal battle Axe. All are wonderfully crafted but will only fit into Chap Mei figures hands.

Now for the scorpion. The scorpion is "huuuge" I am talking Gigantic. However coming from a fantasy line that is perfectly OK. The scorpion looks nothing like any species on Earth today my guess it is based off the Emperor scorpion native to Africa. Scorpions in the past never got this big the largest sea scorpion grew to 8 feet but remained in the ocean. The biggest land scorpion grew to about 3 feet. I personally like just the scorpion and use it in many of my dios, either attacking lost humans or fighting carnivorous dinosaurs. I can finally rest easy that Chap Mei granted one of my wishes; a giant scorpion.

The giant scorpion has a wicked ball socket tail and curves over the body just like a regular scorpion. The legs are stationary and fused under the body. the pincher's are huge and are a solid piece of plastic. The arms do come together when you press the button on the scorpions back.

The paint application is nicely applied as monster scorpions go. A solid black piece of plastic with splashes of brown, red and silver. I really dig the red "tribal" tattoos around the head. By far the only Chap Mei animal I know that crawled into a tattoo parlor. When this first came out fans assumed the stinger could light up but it is only painted a bright red. I know, I too was fooled.

This is one of the cooler figures Chap Mei has put out in recent years. You get Bomani the man the giant scorpion and combined to form Bomani the Terrible. This set and the other three sets are not hard to find right now most Rite Aid and Big Lot stores still carry them. So go pick them up while their is still time. Now if only Chap Mei would just put out a Dragonfly; my bug collection would be complete...

[dinoviper]

One thing I like about Chap Mei is they are never short on ideas in producing new lines and new kinds of figures. Bugs seem to be the new "in thing" right now for Chap Mei. The centipede first appeared in the Adventure Quest line last year based on Indiana Jones and The Mummy movies. The centipede is one of the smaller figures that have articulation like the Dino Valley pterodactyl. The centipedes upper body is on a ball socket joint that allows the head portion of the body to pivot in a circle. The ball socket feature may also allow certain human figures Bomani an King Tutenskull, upper halves to be interchangeable. The paint appliciation seems to be based on real world centipedes, not sure the exact one but it does look similar the the giant S. American centipede. Given the scale of the centipede it is bigger then anything alive in the modern world that we know about so far. However during the Carboniferous period when oxygen levels were at their highest insects and arthropods were huge. A type of millipede/centipede was known to grow up to 6 feet during that time. The creature fits in perfect with the Dino Valley line as well as Adventure Quest line. Size is really not the factor here given the type of figure line where it shares it's fantasy world with even bigger bugs such as a Volkswagen sized beetle and a giant scorpion man. The centipede fits nicely next to the Black Widow from the Pirates line and is a great center piece to any Chap Mei Halloween display. It is also great for scaring your pesky little sister or girlfriend...