Random set of the day: Thunder Blazer
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 7420 Thunder Blazer, released during 2003. It's one of 20 Adventurers sets produced that year. It contains 69 pieces and 1 minifig, and its retail price was US$8/£5.99.
It's owned by 1,627 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you should find it for sale at BrickLink, where new ones sell for around $65.90, or eBay.
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30 comments on this article
Would this not just be Thunder's Blazer?
Here we go loop de loop.
Wonder why I didn't get this, considering how much I love Adventurers biplanes.
I love these old biplanes. I think I picked up this one and maybe a yellow one?
There used to be this KayBee toys near me - always had old stock they would bring out and put on sale. Really helped me grow my collection when I first got married and didn’t have a ton of money.
The second best lego bi-plane. the best is: 5928
@MCLegoboy said:
"Would this not just be Thunder's Blazer?"
Beat me to it. I was gonna ask what in blazes is Thunder doing now?
Burning through the paper, I suppose.
At first I thought this was from the old Indiana Jones line. Then I realized this is even better. We need a reboot!
Speaking of aircraft, I’m watching the series finale of Archer right now. Drones. Lots of drones. Also, there’s supposed to be an announcement at NYCC in a few days. I’m guessing “movie”.
That's what happened in the bathroom last time I decided to eat seven ultra-spicy burritos in a row
@peterlmorris said:
"There used to be this KayBee toys near me - always had old stock they would bring out and put on sale."
You know, they got busted for marking sets up well over MSRP, and then marking “discount” prices to make it look like they were actually giving you a good deal. They did often sit on older sets that had been out of production for a while, though, as they very rarely gave actual markdowns on the price. Except when they got busted, and had to do an unannounced sale as punishment. That’s when I got over 100 copies of 8555 at 3/$5. Otherwise, they were basically just the flip side of the TRU coin.
LORE TIME!
There is... no lore. Seriously. 7420 doesn't appear in any comics, stories, audio dramas, etc. from the Orient Expedition theme. All it has is its LEGO.com product description, which says that Johnny Thunder knows that he can fly the Thunder Blazer to whatever his next treasure-hunting adventure would be.
But here's a fun fact. The Thunder Blazer is a recolor of Lord Sam Sinister's bi-plane in 7417, which does appear in the online comics as he tries to ram it into the adventurers' 7415 Aero Nomad. Since Sinister's bi-plane has no official name, I like to nickname it the "Sinister Blazer" as a counterpart to the Thunder Blazer.
One of my favorite sets! I distinctly remember putting this together with my grandfather after he got it for me. It's been parted out time and again and had the prop replaced after one too many crash landings, but has been an intact staple of my collection for the last several years. For me, Johnny Thunder was just called "Guide" and this particular minifigure was the immediate and constant protagonist of any toy adventures I had with my sister. He still tends to find his way into the prominently-displayed Winter Village at my dad's place each year, along with some other Adventurers cast members.
Definitely a lot of happy memories with this one.
Propably the last time the old Technic Wheel hub appeared.
Also weird that this is the last small set to be revealed in the line and that it puts Johnny inthe role of his former friend Harry Cane...
@PurpleDave said:
" @peterlmorris said:
"There used to be this KayBee toys near me - always had old stock they would bring out and put on sale."
You know, they got busted for marking sets up well over MSRP, and then marking “discount” prices to make it look like they were actually giving you a good deal. They did often sit on older sets that had been out of production for a while, though, as they very rarely gave actual markdowns on the price. Except when they got busted, and had to do an unannounced sale as punishment. That’s when I got over 100 copies of 8555 at 3/$5. Otherwise, they were basically just the flip side of the TRU coin."
Oh I was well aware of the markup. I only picked up stuff that was ancient whose prices I’d scoped out sometimes years before at Wal-Mart or even Target (though both those retailers had pitiful selections at the time).
I mean we’re talking the old NASA stuff, random Alpha Team sets, Johnny Thunder - stuff with old light and dark gray in it long after the switch to bleys.
What a useless map.
"Thunder Blazer"....sounds like something Jay would for a date with Nya...:D
I recall Johnny generally left the flying to other people in the first few subthemes of Adventurers. Must have taken lessons from Harry Cane between them and Orient Expedition
Frankly, as much as I love Orient Expedition, this is my least favorite out of those sets. The colors (light gray, dark gray, old brown) are very drab and, while it does the job, the whole thing is quite bland and bare. Where are all the cool colors and exclusive parts found in the other sets?
Ah, Orient Expedition. A marvelous theme! But this set is not its best set. In fact, 7417 Temple of Mount Everest has a palatte swap with more striking colors. And aviator goggles! So it's by definition the worst one!
When I get this and 4720 Knockturn Alley (I just noticed the set numbers) back in the day, they actually lowered my mood from the unexcitingness. I thought I might have even lost some of my love for lego. But fortunately that quickly returned.
@Atuin said:
"Propably the last time the old Technic Wheel hub appeared.
Also weird that this is the last small set to be revealed in the line and that it puts Johnny in the role of his former friend Harry Cane..."
*7017 joins the chat (they're the catapult's wheels in black)
To me this set always seemed like an epilogue set. It didn't really fit with the China story, and its set number is the last of the line before the three promo boxed sets, even after the climactic 7418 Dragon Fortress!
So this would be a 'and Johnny flies off to another adventure' deal. The catalog description mentioned above seems to support this theory.
Bootleg Jones, one of my favourite themes.
@Brickalili said:
"I recall Johnny generally left the flying to other people in the first few subthemes of Adventurers. Must have taken lessons from Harry Cane between them and Orient Expedition "
Only other time he flew was 5911
He must have taken some more lessons after the Dino Island.
@MCLegoboy said:
"Would this not just be Thunder's Blazer?"
No because Johnnys named after the plane.
@Maxbricks14 said:
"The second best lego bi-plane. the best is: 5928"
I found a couple of these in a haul, as of yet unsorted but the boxes and instructions are there. Can't wait to give them a go, along with a few other desert sets. Such a fun theme!
@mafon2 said:
"Bootleg Jones, one of my favourite themes."
Them's fighting words! Jones isn't worthy to even carry Johnny's supplies! Adventurers FOREVER!
@Murdoch17 said:
" @mafon2 said:
"Bootleg Jones, one of my favourite themes."
Them's fighting words! Jones isn't worthy to even carry Johnny's supplies! Adventurers FOREVER!"
Well, Jones typically hires porters to do that work for him.
Nice lil set
@PolarMammoth:
"Salad": "You were named after the plane???"
Johnny "Thunder" Smith (Jr.): "I really liked that plane..."
Hey, better than what we got, right...:)
"Now this is pod racing!"
Lego needs to bring back Johnny Thunder!
Johnny's son went on to lead a boring life of mundanity as a municipal worker. But he never forgot Johnny's exploits, and named the snowplow he drove, 6524, in honor of his dad's plane.