With this being the smallest regular set of this series (besides the polybag), my review cycle of the new jungle explorers nears to an end. But clearly, this set is not to be forgotten, since it is, at least to me, a good example of "quality over quantity"!

Parts

With less than a hundred parts in total, there is just so much we can expect from this section. We get some green leaves, stone-grey bricks, orange and blue parts for the quad and four chunky tires. Luckily, this set is small enough to have no need of stickers.

Minifigures

There is only one human minifigure accompanying this set. But it is none other then our beloved hero Johnny Thunder! He comes complete with his brown fedora, a radio, a detailed map, a camera and a compass. The other minifigure is a cute red panda, which was all-new and unique to this set until August this year.

The build

The (as we're used to) overly detailed instruction booklet starts with the small jungle scenery, followed by the ATV itself. As you would expect, it's a very, very easy build and can be done in around 10 minutes.

The completed model

The ATV is a sturdy vehicle with big wheels, a small windscreen, handlebars on both sides and several spots to stow away the gear. These spots include two claws on the back of the vehicle and a small compartment where the map and the compass fit in. It has a roll-over bar, hinted rear view mirrors and a light and strong bumper to the front.
The small jungle scenery features a small stone arch with a tiny tree growing next to it. The red panda can be placed underneath the arch or on top of it.

Overall opinion

OK, while there are obviously not that many features, functions or surprises to this set, it still captures the spirit of a small classic adventure Lego set perfectly. You get an awesome minifigure with a lot of retro charm, enough gear to go on an individual exploration mission Indiana-Jones-style and a sturdy vehicle to master jungle obstacles. The sidebuild is very simple, but nothing more is required from a set this diminutive. The addition of the (then) exclusive red panda gave you an extra motivation to buy it ASAP. And, as with all sets from this series, the compatibility and combinability is another great plus.

So, with the EOL looming, maybe add this precious little set to your collection now!?

In this new wave of City Jungle subtheme, we get the return of Johnny Thunder, an old classic character from 1998 Adventurers. Who was placed in two sets, with one of them being in this $11 set.

Though I honestly gotta say that the whole style of this wave jungle theme doesn't match with Johnny Thunder. He stands out far too much from not only the other characters, but the vehicle too.

Johnny Thunder

This new wave of the City Jungle subtheme brought another return of Johnny Thunder, as he was last seen in CMF Series 19.

Though I know they have stopped doing named characters since 'City Adventures' ended. But wish they had made an exception for Johnny, and did something cool with it, such as with each set having its own animal; there would be 'Johnny's journal' on a page talking about the animal within the set.

But for the minifigure itself, it's a near resemblance to the original, with the difference being the removal of the revolver (given it being in City, makes sense) and exposed chest. Along with the black pants and brown hat, they were replaced with dark brown. This colour change is good, but I think the reddish brown hat does better.

Red Panda, Map and Landscape

Alongside the adventurer, is the introduction of the Red Panda, being seen in this set for city, and two more in DreamZZZ (71486 & 71481). It has a very cute design and uses the new reddish orange.

Aside from the polybag, the jungle sets of this wave come with a map with the head of the animal on it. This, along with the others, can be put together to make the full map. The design of the map is good, but I find the use of a white tile for it strange. Maybe using olive or sand green would've looked better.

The small landscape for the Red Panda is nice for it, having a small tree to climb and an arch to go under. Also, it has bar and clip connectors for connecting to the other sets' landscapes.

The ATV

Something I noticed with the colour scheme was that it used nearly the same colour from the previous year's Arctic wave, having dark blue, white and orange. Except the jungle wave uses olive green instead of Medium Azure. (the wave also has the same logo and minifigures' faces)

It's an almost good colour choice, except for the use of olive green. I honestly think they should've just kept it to the 3 colours instead of having a 4th.

Regarding the design of it, I would say this one is currently the winner compared to many of the other ATV in this price range. Having a good spread of colour, and having detail without the need for printing. Not to mention of smooth underside with the use of those Inverted 2x2 Curves.

My only one dislike outside the olive green, is the front headlight of only being one, could look better if the 1x2 clip plade was used.

Overall

For such a small set, you really get your money worth, with getting a nearly great ATV (despite not matching Johnny), Red Panda and Jonny Thunder all in a small set. It certainly a set to get and not to pass up.

I like the buggy even better in hand than in the official pictures. Small but good, the white, dark blue, orange colour scheme looks great, it has storage capacity (clips and studs) and the bigger wheels fit it's jungle theme.

The red panda looks well designed and so cute, the side build is decent too. The accessories are a camera, a radio-telephone, a probably exclusive printed map to the red panda and 1+1 spare printed compass.

I'm happy that the new Johnny Thunder is included in the smallest non-polybag set, he looks great.

Overall, this is a good set. With the panda piece, it's price is fair too, I recommend it!

This is a great set for everything. I bought it for the new red panda, which is so cute! And the remake of the classic 1997 Johnny Thunder minifigure. He looks really good, and I'm so glad I picked this set up.

I also like the builds, which surprised me at how simple yet great they were. Although the absence of the turning action feature is odd.

10/10. Awesome set!

I imagine that 60424 Jungle Explorer ATV appeals to two rather different constituencies. Some people will no doubt be attracted by the new red panda piece; others, and especially people who grew up with the old Adventurers lines (1998–2000, 2003), by the Johnny Thunder minifigure. I’m the second, and will review the set primarily through comparison to the Adventurers.

The set’s immediate context is the Jungle Exploration line (2024), which has clearly been derived from the recent Exploration line (2023) and has inherited its logo, a set of colors, and a design philosophy of combining a distinctive vehicle with one or several desirable animal pieces. But both trace their ancestry back to the Adventurers, and nothing represents the Adventurers more readily than Johnny Thunder, the most ubiquitous of its characters.

He’s been revived here, and Orlando-like, has not aged at all. I appreciate the changes made to the torso: he looks more modern, he no longer carries a firearm, and his shirt buttons up to the neck. Less so with the new head, which I find overly detailed with its copious stubble and cleft chin, neither of which the original Johnny Thunder had. I would rather have had the head of the 71025-7 Collectible Minifigure tribute to the same character (2019, also called Jungle Explorer), and its hat, too, which much more effectively captures the style of the original minifigure. Apparently since 1999 he’s transitioned to wildlife photography from his original occupation of excavating ancient artefacts, just as Dr. Kilroy has become the director of 10326 Natural History Museum (2024) and Baron von Barron haunts 20173 Haunted House (2020).

Other references to the Adventurers exist, too. The Jungle Explorer sets collectively include four different printed maps, just as with the four different maps of Egyptian archeological sites from the 1998 Adventurers line. The 2024 maps, however, can be combined to make one larger map, a notion mooted in the box art of 5978 Sphinx Secret Surprise but not actually realized with the maps. As with the Adventurers vehicles from 1998 in particular, the ATV of 60424 includes a slot to hold the map immediately behind the seated minifigure. 60424 also replicates the many tools that Johnny Thunder and his friends used to carry, although a camera, radio, and compass have replaced picks, shovels, firearms, and sticks of dynamite. These offer lots of play possibilities for the minifigure.

Especially remarkable about the Adventurers lines were their special pieces, for instance the sarcophagi and printed obelisks of 1998, and the many pieces used to create period vehicles. These offered compelling and convincing locations for the sets, and lent them clear identities. The Jungle Explorer line, set in the present and not concerned with ancient artefacts, lacks these features, and so feels much less distinctive. The ATV of 60424 could, with different colors, equally well carry a firefighter or a park ranger. It doesn’t include a seat for a second minifigure or space for further supplies in the rear, de rigueur in the Adventurers. The bit of jungle, red panda, and excellent box art provide only a partial substitute. A closely analogous Adventurers set, 7410 Jungle River (2003), for instance, offers a memorable steam-powered boat, unimaginable in Jungle Exploration.

60424 Jungle Explorer ATV includes some references to the Adventurers but in other respects offers standard City fare. Three stars.