Way back when I was a boy I recall being given this set by my parents. It was the first Adventurers set I ever received and was amongst the first Lego sets I was given. I hope you'll forgive me therefore if this review strays from being impartial. I believe at the time this set and others on the same scale such as the Royal King (6008) and Tribal Chief (6709) retailed in the UK for £2, which seems a fair price.

Box/Instructions

The box is tiny and displays Johnny Thunder in various poses with a desert background. On three of the sides of the box, a museum like background is shown. The set came without instructions (unsurprisingly).

Parts

Given that this is such a small set, for the time it was bursting with new and interesting parts; namely the magnifying glass, rucksack, scorpion, crate and adventurers hat. I recall at the time being particularly enamoured with the rucksack, it opens and has space to store some of the equipment. Likewise the tiny working magnifying glass was also of great interest. The green piece is a slightly odd choice for the desert, but I guess Mr Thunder was relaxing down by the lush Nile that day.

Minifigures

Johnny Thunder [occasionally known as Sam Grant] is the main draw of this set. The printing on his torso is suitably adventurous with a khaki shirt, red neckerchief and revolver. His face sports a rakish moustache and a winning smile. In all he looks every bit the early 20th century explorer.

The build

It's rather self evident that there's no build to this set, being but a minifigure and an assortment of equipment.

The completed model

If we disregard the size of the set, the completed model is rather versatile; the figure could be used to excavate or explore most areas of the world due to the simplicity of the set and array of equipment.

Overall opinion

Johnny Thunder was widely available throughout the other sets in the theme, but as an introduction to the Adventurers theme at a very low price point, comparable to the foil sealed minifigures of today, this set at the time really fulfilled its end of the deal. It provided a number of new pieces, a minifigure and sparked an interest in the Adventurers theme as a whole. It is quite possible to pick it up second hand for a similar price to that of the Minifigure Explorer (8684-7), I would however advise potential buyers to opt for this set though due to the variety of pieces on offer.

Although this set has a small amount of pieces, this is perfect for anyone that is low on pieces. You get a rifle, pistol, dynamite, magnifying glass, and a backpack. I don't understand why the green piece is there, but besides that, this is good to get for supplies.

This is an extremely easy build that really can help you stack up on adventurer gear. I'd much rather have an extra Jungle Sub-themes River Raft than an extra of this if I had to decide. The mini-figure is one of the better ones of the theme and is a good one to have multiples of. Overall a semi-good set.

This is a small set, and like some of the small sets, there is hardly any building involved. The set consists mostly of a box with a variety of tools, a minifig, and a few extras. Although there is no building involved, this set is great for obtaining the smaller parts cheaply, including the magnifying glass and the printed dynamite piece.

I can't believe no one has reviewed this set so far. I know there isn't much to it but still. This is the easiest and cheapest way to get Johnny Thunder plus a bunch of accessories.

Johnny Thunder is in the usual attire of black pants, an adventurer shirt, brown wide brimmed hat and has a big smirk on is face. The only difference to usual is he comes with a big brown back pack that opens up and you can put a couple of small items inside.

On the green plate is the big brown crate and it's packed with stuff including:
Shotgun
Handgun
Dynamite
Magnifying Glass
Shovel
and a black scorpion as a companion or enemy.

Overall the set isn't much to look at and has very little playability but is a great way to get a Johnny and get a heap of accessories for a next to nothing price. Overall this set shaves in a 5 out of 10 only due to the amount for the price, otherwise it would be a 4 or 3. Not a must have but if accessories is what you are after or a keep the kids happy till we get home this is one of them.