Random set of the day: Jones' Raft
Posted by Huwbot,
Today's random set is 3020 Jones' Raft, released in 1998. It's one of 21 Adventurers sets produced that year. It contains 18 pieces and 1 minifig.
It's owned by 222 Brickset members. If you want to add it to your collection you might find it for sale at BrickLink or eBay.
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31 comments on this article
Johnny Thunder has effectively disguised himself as “Jones” to sneak down the river
So uh, I guess we're just admitting that Adventurers is bootleg Indiana Jones, huh?
I do want to clarify though, I think Adventurers is awesome and I was introduced to the theme before I knew of Indiana Jones; only with hindsight did I see it was the LEGO Group's version before they got the license in 2008, and even then, they did a ton of great and creative things with the theme that distinguishes it from the Indiana Jones franchise. Let jokes be jokes folks.
So this is how Indiana Jones met his end... Thrown in the bog, his raft stolen by our beloved Johnny Thunder.
Honestly not the way I expected him to go!
When I saw the title, John Williams’ “Raiders March” got stuck in my head. Now I’ll have to spend the afternoon getting it out!
@MCLegoboy:
He prefers to go by Illinois Smith.
I love how they managed to throw a pistol into almost all of these sets
Johnny Thunder version of 6234: Renegade's Raft
Johnny Jones
Indiana Thunder
The man, the myth.
"Shalalalalalala!
Uh-huh!
I was raftin' down the dark Nile,
watchin' out for some hungry-ass crocs,
Mr. Jones paddles up alongside me,
chain slaps some big, black-sand scorpion;
it starts to snap its claws while chain whips by.
It's suddenly looks awesome,
We all want something awesome,
Man, I wish I was awesome like that...
Mr. Jones and me look across the river--
stare at the awesome scorpions,
"It wants to sting you;
I don't think so. It wants to sting me!"
Apologies to the Counting Crows.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca
It took me until the chorus to figure out what you were going for there. But it was worth it.
You might need to offer them more than apologies though. You should consider sending the Counting Crows a cake.
@Lego_Lord_Mayorca said:
""Shalalalalalala!
Uh-huh!
I was raftin' down the dark Nile,
watchin' out for some hungry-ass crocs,
Mr. Jones paddles up alongside me,
chain slaps some big, black-sand scorpion;
it starts to snap its claws while chain whips by.
It's suddenly looks awesome,
We all want something awesome,
Man, I wish I was awesome like that...
Mr. Jones and me look across the river--
stare at the awesome scorpions,
"It wants to sting you;
I don't think so. It wants to sting me!"
Apologies to the Counting Crows."
I was not expecting this but I’m here for it
Man, I’ve been hangin’ around round here too long. It’s been a long December and I’m going colorblind. Meanwhile, Anna begins to take a big yellow taxi back to Omaha.
And also... ummm... Rain King.
@CarolinaOnMyMind said:
" @Lego_Lord_Mayorca
It took me until the chorus to figure out what you were going for there. But it was worth it.
You might need to offer them more than apologies though. You should consider sending the Counting Crows a cake.
"
If I had this set, I'd probably send it to them instead, with my Weird-Al-esque lyrics attached on a Post-It note. Ya know, context matters!
Brown raft may have been more suitable.
His REAL name is actually Joe Freeman.
Whoops, marketing team forgot this should have been “Thunder’s raft”, huh? Or Johnny’s raft I suppose to be closer.
Though to be fair the Adventurers sets were far more than bootlegs or knockoffs, they were great in their own right
Why do I have a scorpion, gun and a chain rather than a 2nd paddle, are TLG trying to tell me something?
Really difficult job for the graphic designer on this one.
@TheWackyWookiee said:
"When I saw the title, John Williams’ “Raiders March” got stuck in my head. Now I’ll have to spend the afternoon getting it out!"
You must REALLY like John Williams.
The reason this set is called "Jones' Raft" is because it originally belonged to Indiana Jones, but Johnny Thunder killed him with his pistol and stole his raft.
@PurpleDave - the name 'Indiana Jones' is a take on 'Nevada Smith', the titular character of a 1966 Steve McQueen western.
I think Johnny Thunder gets too much undeserved flak as an Indy knockoff. I'd say he's more of a Steve Irwin type.
@Fandabidozi said:
" @TheWackyWookiee said:
"When I saw the title, John Williams’ “Raiders March” got stuck in my head. Now I’ll have to spend the afternoon getting it out!"
You must REALLY like John Williams. "
Doesn’t everybody?
@kelano28 said:
"I love how they managed to throw a pistol into almost all of these sets"
Johnny Thunder is the kind of guy to carry a revolver at all times...while also having another one tucked into his belt. Always prepared, but also kinda dumb.
If I had to guess, this set's name is probably due to it being a Japan-exclusive Kabaya promo. In the first couple years of Adventurers, the character names still varied from country to country, so the main protagonist was "Johnny Thunder" in the United States, "Sam Grant" in the UK, "Joe Freeman" in Germany, etc. So it's not far-fetched to think he might've been named "Jones" in Japan.
@Drzhivago138 said:
" @kelano28 said:
"I love how they managed to throw a pistol into almost all of these sets"
Johnny Thunder is the kind of guy to carry a revolver at all times...while also having another one tucked into his belt. Always prepared, but also kinda dumb."
And then there's the lunatic in 2541 who opted out of a steering wheel so he could use his only hand to wield his pistol while driving.
Maybe I'm wrong, but look at the raft: could be this, one of first examples of official SNOT building technique?
@Fandabidozi said:
" @TheWackyWookiee said:
"When I saw the title, John Williams’ “Raiders March” got stuck in my head. Now I’ll have to spend the afternoon getting it out!"
You must REALLY like John Williams. "
Yep. That’s me! By the way, I’ve managed to get it out, so that’s good.
I think the "raft" is the door at the top of a pyramid boat ramp. Johnny made a dramatic exit, blasting the door out while holding on to the chain, getting pulled down the ramp and into the river.
Meh, Indy ripped off old 30's pulp anyway...