<![CDATA[Gizmodo: indiana jones]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: indiana jones]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/indianajones http://gizmodo.com/tag/indianajones <![CDATA[Gifts For Pets Owned By Geeks Who Treat Them Like Spoiled Children]]> In all honesty, this entire list is a "do not buy" for normal people, but I love my dogs beyond reason. So, here are some unreasonable gifts for them, your pets and your pet loving geek friends.

BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Remote Fetch: Ball chasing is very good exercise for pooches, even if it can cause obsession and anti social tendencies that will result in thousands of dollars in dog therapy. Capable of being remote triggered at 7 or 15 second intervals, or just automatically throwing balls your dog drops in the bucket, it might be worth the trouble. Think of it as the equivalent of a video game for a dog. And it's better than a doggie treadmill, which you can't really leave a dog unsupervised on for very long. $120 [Remote Fetch]

Hotdoll:Ugh! Someone actually went and turned the hotdoll dog sex doll concept into an actual product. The doll has a silicon...nevermind. We had one at Gizmodo Gallery and one owner brought one in to see if their dog—that loves humping—would hump it. He did not. I guess just like real people, it takes a flexible sexual orientation to find comfort in inanimate figurines. Price TBD [Hotdoll on Giz]

Indiana Jones and Star Wars Dog Costumes: Remember when Indiana Jones shot that guy with the swords in Temple of Doom? What if, no, listen, wait, what if Harrison Ford was a dog and in that scene and, instead of shooting the assassin, he used teeth! And, like in Star Wars, instead of light sabers, they had swords made of bones. Oh man, hilarious! Earnestly, these costumes are the only items on this list you should legitimately buy for your dogs. Roughly $14 each. [SpoiledRottenDoggies]

Autofetch Motion Pet Ball: It looks like the famous Super Happy Fun Ball* from Saturday Night Live sketches in the 90s, and although not radioactive, the Autofetch ball acts freakishly similar. The motorized dog toy takes a cookie and then spins around, wildly, til batteries go out, or your dog goes insane and crushes the life out of it. Recommended! *Do not taunt! $27 for two. [Autofetch]

Bissell SpotBot Pet: Puppy training is basically like potty training a kid, except your whole apartment is the diaper. Here we have a steam cleaner that sprays cleaning solution to the mess on your carpet, a rotating brush that scrubs while the vacuuming action drinks—sorry, that may have not been the best choice of word—up the dirty water, storing it in a reservoir for disposal later. Basically, it's an automatic poop/vomit/pee cleaner. I'm surprised they don't make one for frat boys. $140 [Bissell]
Catgenie: Look, I know I said this whole list is a bunch of things you shouldn't buy, but this is the one you should especially not buy: CatGenie is basically an automatic literbox that takes 45 minute to cycle out the poop. Until humans engineer smarter pets that can be potty trained, there is no tech that can avoid domestic animal excrement handling. $329 [Catgenie review]

Sleepypod Air: This is a travel bag for little animals. What makes it different from other bags is that it has special deceptive fold-in panels that squash your animal while going through security checkpoints, so no one can tell you your bag is too big. (Don't worry, I don't think it'll kill your cat.) Then, after you board, it expands a few inches but fits under a chair. It also has a slot for slipping through a rolling luggage handle, so the bag can rest on top, and has seatbelt clips for placing it in car seats. $150 [Sleepypod Air]

The Hydroglass: For those who believe fish are pets, even though you can't hug them, I'd find it hard to believe you could do better than this fish tank, which has a seven-head horizontal shower on top. $14,500 [Hydroglass]

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite pet gifts in comments-include pics and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

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<![CDATA[Buy Luke's Original Lightsaber for $185,000, Gizmo Animatronic for $5,000]]> This is it. The real McCoy: Luke Skywalker's one and only lightsaber, used in the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. It can be yours for only $185,000. If you don't have $185,000 handy, you can get the real fedora hat or the bullwhip used by Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom for $61,000 each (reportedly, the ones from Indiana Jones and the Crappy Flying Saucers with the Stupid Kid will be $20.84). These are only three of the original props that will be available in a December 11 auction, which will include one with our name on it: The original Gizmo, the animatronic puppet used in Gremlins, with control box and wires included.

The original Luke Skywalker is the property of Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, and is going to be auctioned along the rest of the movie goodies by Profiles in History on December 11:

• C-3PO face for $83,000 and hands for $30,000.
• Mohawk and Brain Gremlins puppets for about $7,000 each.
• The original Jor-El tunic wore by Marlon Brando in Superman for $51,000.
• His t-shirt in Apocalypse Now for $20,000.
• An original set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bound in red cloth, signed by Tolkien, and containing a fold-out map of the Middle Earth for $124,000.
• For the same amount you can also snatch an 82-inch flying saucer made of wood, steel and fiberglass from Forbidden Planet.
• First editions of James Bond novels inscribed by Ian Fleming, including one that said "To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity", which was dedicated to American Ornithologist James Bond.

In total, there will be over 500 objects related to movies, from the silent era to sci-fi classics. Now, can any reader with deep pockets bid for Gizmo and then give it to us. Thank you very much. [Daily Telegraph]

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones Giant RC Ant Can Chomp George Lucas' Ballsack]]> As he gets ready to rape Indiana Jones again with the fifth part of the series, George Lucas keeps milking the merchandise tits of the most famous archeologist by releasing all kinds of products. Fortunately, this Giant RC Ant is worth it, and probably one of the few good things to come out of that disaster of a movie called Indiana Jones and the Stupid Crystal Craniums of Some Dumbass Aliens. You can make the $29.99 ant crawl and chomp its mandibles with the Crystal Skull remote control, all while singing the secret lyrics to the Indiana Jones theme out loud. Jones—my beloved dog, not the archeologist—would totally dig this. [Uncle Milton]

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<![CDATA[Indy 4 Blu-Ray Comes With 5 Different Retail Packages, Still Hurts Me Inside]]> There's only one week left until the Blu-Ray release of the worst sequel ever (at least in terms of how it took my childhood and ripped out its heart Kali Ma-style), Indiana Jones and The Goddamn X-Files, and retailers have decided to go with an equally frustrating promotion gimmick. Indy-enthusiasts will have to choose between five different exclusive retail packages—getting every single piece of movie paraphernalia will be like a treasure hunt... with mediocre cinema attached!

Basically, each retailer will have its own specific exclusive that comes with the Blu-Ray disk. If you go to Circuit City, you're given two lithographs of concept art from the movie.

Best Buy gets a gift set with a replica of that Crystal Skull as well as $25 to spend on sideshowcollectables.com.

Target customers receive an 80-page hardcover book of behind-the-scenes photos and images.

Kmart & Sears will hand you four LEGO mini-posters (LEGO replicas of all four Indy films).

And finally, Trans World shoppers receive steelbook packaging. Yes. Packaging.

Right. If LEGO posters and exclusive picture books are enough to make you want to go out and buy this travesty of a movie, they'll be in all the stores mentioned above on October 14. Happy hunting.

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones 4 Blu-Ray Details Released With Cool Extras, Movie Still Poop]]> The Blu-ray edition of the biggest letdown in movie history, also known as Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Whatever Crystal Something will be released on October 14, just in time not to buy it for this holiday season. The two-disc Blu-ray comes in the obligatory 1080p and comes loaded with extras that don't make the movie any less crappy:

The Special Edition Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with THX Certified English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The two-disc set includes the following special features:

Blu-ray Disc 1:

Indiana Jones Timelines— Explore the movie through interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. Your adventure begins with one of these three timelines:
Story Timeline: Showcases the key events of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” storyline.
Production Timeline: A Making-of chronology for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Historical Timeline: Dives into the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film.
The Return of a Legend—The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators. (HD)

Pre-Production—Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage. (HD)

Disc 2:

Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.
Shooting Begins: New Mexico (HD)
Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut (HD)
Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii (HD)
On-Set Action (HD)
Exploring Akator (HD)
Wrapping Up! (HD)
Warrior Makeup (HD)

The Crystal Skulls (HD)

Iconic Props (HD)

The Effects of Indy (HD)

Adventures in Post Production (HD)

Closing: Team Indy (HD)

Galleries

The Art Department
The Adventure Begins
Cemetery and Jungle
Akator
Stan Winston Studio
Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies
Aliens & Crystal Skulls
Production Photographs

Portraits

Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

[Latino Review]

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones Roundup: Making Everyone Behave Like They're Mentally Ill]]> Forget the iPhone, and screw Terminator 4. Everyone who's anyone knows that this week was all about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are plenty of mature and dignified ways of welcoming back the good professor. Here are the rest:

  • Resident musicologist Jesus Diaz revealed the top-secret lyrical underpinnings of the Indy theme, which are as safe for awesome as they are not safe for work. Too bad he hated it.
  • Any self-respecting superfan doesn't just see the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull six times. He buys all the official merchandise he can find. Of course there's an official fedora and Hasbro FX whip, which increased Gizmodo workplace efficiency by 4%.

  • taterofthelostark.jpg

  • The folks over at Toy Fair in New York finally, observing Harrison Ford's increasing potatoishiousness, have put together a "Tater of the Lost Ark" Mr. Potato Head.
  • And then there's the Crystal Skull projector/homeschooling device, which speaks to your children about real archeology while projecting sort of related shots of melting Nazis and Shia LeBeouf.
  • Remember how the kid down the street always had 10x more Legos than you? Well he's still around and though he's all growed up with a fancy job and girlfriend (not really), he hasn't changed. Not content with the official Kingdom Lego set, some guys with undoubtedly bright futures reenacted the boulder scene from Raiders with the little plastic blocks. 5 million of them.
  • Well, give or take. This photo revealed that the giant boulder actually had a foam core, which really upset at least 17 people. I mean, they smashed some stranger's car with an eight-foot Lego ball — how mad can you be?
  • But it isn't all good for Indy, as he was publicly emasculated on The View. He was informed by a surprised Whoopi Goldberg that Lucas made him "look like a man" and was forced to sit idly through a bunch of chick chatter (hey, I'm down with the whole feminist movement and all, but that just looked painful).

[Indy on Giz] -by John Herrman]]>
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<![CDATA[Review: New Indy's Most Deadly Trap Is the Movie Itself]]> Yesterday I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Like a kid, I went to the movie theater ready for all the popcorn cinema fun I could get—the crazy chases, the fights, bugs, snakes, temples, tombs, skeletons and all the deadly machines and ancient gadgets that they could throw at me. In fact, I've been ready for them since the end credits of the Last Crusade. Right there, as the lights went down, waiting for the first notes of the theme song, I was ready to shiver and jump in my seat. I was ready for the ride. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

And I got it. I got goosebumps too. And then, as I was thinking "this is going to be so amazingly cool," all my hopes were shattered by a script that went downhill after the first 30 minutes. Because simply put:

THIS MOVIE SUCKS.

It sucks not because it's not Fellini or Kubrick. I don't want that when I go to see Indy. It just sucks because it didn't suspend my disbelief for more than five minutes at a time. From the moment Indy gets into a lead-lined fridge to survive an atomic explosion—landing miles away without an scratch—to the chase in the jungle in which Shia LaBeouf jumps from tree to tree like Tarzan, then manages to jump onto the baddies' car and beat their asses (with the help of, get this, two dozen wild monkeys who suddenly decide LaBeouf/Jar Jar is one of them). Yes, it's the fucking Ewoks all over again. Damn bloody Ewoks and damn friggin' Return of the Jedi.

But I digress—let me get back to "THIS MOVIE SUCKS."

You see, maybe Crystal Skull doesn't suck that bad because of the movie itself. Maybe it sucks because I'm an Indiana Jones fanboy. After all, I named our dog Jones, and I would name my future son or daughter Indiana (somewhere in his/her name, not as a main one) whenever Addy and I have them. So maybe it's just that. I could be one of those bitter naysayers who wanted the perfect Indy movie. That's what Lucas and Spielberg say in every interview: "most fans won't like the movie."

Sadly, they are wrong.

The movie still sucks on its own, it sucks on its own cinema-making merits. Some of the editing is terrible, cutting the rhythm of the action scenes, and stopping the flow overall—and some of the acting and special effects are not much better, almost as bad as fake LEGO boulders.

And then again, maybe I am bitter.

Perhaps I'm bitter because, since they didn't make the movie flow as it should, they have wasted an amazing opportunity. Because the story itself, the Soviets trying to get alien technology to take over the world, is a great premise for any movie, not just Indiana Jones. And since I love science fiction, UFOs, aliens, obscure civilizations, and Indiana Jones, this movie had all the elements to become the best Indy movie of all time.

Yes, maybe it's just that: I'm sad to see the last opportunity to get a perfect story with the perfect protagonist just right. But at the end, I keep thinking that—unlike Iron Man, this amazing trailer should have never been made into a full movie. Instead, we should have kept it in our imaginations forever.

Ah well, at least we have all the merchandise! Time to put on my fedora and take my whip elsewhere. Or maybe go play with my Indy LEGOs.

P.S. INDY GETS MARRIED TO MARION. WTF IS THAT? HE CAN'T GET MARRIED! HE'S A BACHELOR! LOOK AT THOSE BLONDE STUDENTS!
P.P.S. I rest my case.

-

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones Crystal Skull Projector, Not Morbid At All]]> In case the Indiana Jones whip is outlawed in your state, there's always other Indiana Jones merchandise to purchase! Take this Crystal Skull Projector—an accompanying audio CD teaches your child history as the skull projects some of Indiana's most famous moments, along with history's biggest archaeological finds through its "glowing eye." At $39.99 this October, it's probably not the most bang you can get for your toy buck. But that skull is probably the finest piece of edutainment we've seen this side of the 80s. [Indiana Jones Shop via nerd approved]

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones' Theme Secret Lyrics Uncovered]]> Today is the big day: the new Indiana Jones movie is here at last, bigger than ever, with new merchandise, toys, and even potato heads. What most people don't know, however, is that the classic Indy theme now comes with new lyrics. Apparently, John Williams writes lyrics for all his compositions—even while they won't be sung—as a way to keep them in character. Gizmodo has uncovered those lyrics after days of arduous investigation and heavy drinking, following up a scoop by Alex Balk. (Note: lyrics contain foul language.)

Yes, lyrics. I know. Weird. We didn't know ourselves that the classic John Williams Indy theme song had lyrics, until we learned about it a few days ago in Alex's Tumblr page. According to Alex, Williams confessed in an Q&A with Radar Magazine that before he "composes a score he comes up with lyrics in his head first and then writes the music to them, even though he knows no one will ever hear the words." The iconic composer then went on to reveal the secret lyrics to Raiders of the Lost Ark to el Sr. Balk.

When asked about the veracity of this story, Alex declined to comment. The lyrics he posted sounded about right, but just a little bit off-beat at the end. I then chased the story like a fake LEGO boulder rolling behind an archeologist with a dog's name, and managed to get John Williams' assistant Alan Smithee to fax me the secret lyrics under condition of anonymity.

The lyrics are very similar, but the last verse of the first strophe is actually the real one. This updated version also includes more verses, as well as new references to the Soviets in the movie, and beloved teen star Shia LaBeouf.

We debated internally about publishing the story, and we finally decided to share them with you in this video, as a sing-a-long. I hope you sing them today in the theaters, and they stay in your mind for the next five days—at least, that's what happened with me.

Enjoy.

[NOTE: needless to say, we made this thing up so you can sing along in the movie theaters (in your mind, that is. Whoever sings this next to me in the theater today gets smacked. Hey, we named our dog Jones after Indy.]

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<![CDATA[Lightning Review: Indiana Jones FX Whip (Verdict: Awesomeness With Many Uses!)]]> The Gadget: The Indiana Jones FX Whip is a soft toy whip made by Hasbro that has button-activated sound effects which are related to the Indy franchise. It's also handy for keeping new interns in order (see video).


Price: $20

Verdict: I've had this thing in my possession for a few weeks now, and I have yet to get bored with it. Sure, I may have a slight case of Peter Pan syndrome, but if you can't find ways to enjoy this thing, I feel for you. Have a friend with a nagging girlfriend? Pull out the whip. Underlings out of control? Pull out the whip. BDSM freak? Well...pull out the whip.

The whip is made of a foam-covered plastic base with an on/off switch, belt strap, and button for initiating sound effects. The whip itself is a soft-stuffed tube about three feet long (let's refrain from quoting Michael Scott here, okay?). When you press the button, it initially makes a whip crack sound. When you hold the button down, it begins playing the Indiana Jones theme and appears to have a motion sensor that reacts to wrist movement with sound effects, but it doesn't work very well. But a little wonkiness doesn't detract from the overall fun factor of this thing. I likes. A lot. [Indy Whip]

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<![CDATA[Gigantic Million-Piece LEGO Boulder Actually Has Styrofoam Core]]> You know that gigantic LEGO Indiana Jones boulder? Turns out that only the outside is LEGO. The inside (based on this photo) is made of styrofoam. We suppose that it would be way too cost-prohibitive to build the entire boulder out of LEGO, but that doesn't make us any less disappointed. [Photo Credit - Thanks Mike!]

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<![CDATA[5 Million-Piece LEGO Boulder Chases Indy, Crashes Into Car]]> Ah LEGO, how much do we love you? Let me count the ways: five million. The same amount of million multicolored pieces needed to create this solid boulder, as big as the one in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Then get a fake Professor Henry Jones (You call this archaeology?), fake Sallah (Asps. Very dangerous. You go first) and some other dudes to push it to chase a fake Indy down the streets of San Francisco. The result: an instant classic, even without the Hovitos. Let's hope the actual movie is this crazy and preposterous. [Indiana Jones and LEGO in Gizmodo—thanks Cristiano]

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<![CDATA[Official Indiana Jones Fedora Available Now For Nerds Everywhere]]> The reason that the official Indiana Jones Fedora is available on Think Geek is that only geeks think that they can pull off wearing a fedora in the year 2008. The only fedora you (us) nerds should stick to is Red Hat's version, leaving Indiana Jones' to the still handsome but greying Harrison Ford. If you really do want to pick up your own version for some down-home sexy play, it's $99. Everything's in stock except for X-Large and XX-Large, further proving our point that only overweight nerds will buy and wear this outdoors. [Think Geek]

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<![CDATA[R2-D2 and C-3PO Easter Egg in LEGO Indiana Jones]]> Reader LindsayJoy just received her Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb LEGO set, complete with snakes, the Lost Ark, snakes, Marion, snakes, Indy, snakes (I hate snakes,) and a special piece we didn't notice the first time we saw the first production set photos: a piece with the hieroglyphic engravings of R2-D2 and C-3PO in the Well of Souls, just like in the movie. [Update: actually, not like in the movie. As a reader has pointed out in the comments, it's Leia putting the Death Star plans in R2-D2 as C-3PO watches, like at the beginning of A New Hope.]

indy-r2d2.jpg

Most big fans of the series and Star Wars know that both R2-D2 and C-3PO appear in several occasions in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the Well of Souls, which is the moment portrayed by this set, they appear in a post on Indy's right as him and Sallah remove the Ark.

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Great detail from LEGO and good catch by Lindsay. [Thanks Lindsay]

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<![CDATA[FX Whip Toy from Indiana Jones Makes Beating Up Colleagues a Pleasure]]> Hasbro's FX whip, part of the flotilla of Indiana Jones merchandise that is sailing into port this year, should be hung on the wall of every office in the land. This is what makes corporal punishment in the workplace such a pleasure. The $19.99 toy plays the theme tune —this is, sadly, the one crappy bit about it— as well as a thwack-a-lacka-boom-boom sound when you crack it. Hasbro could have come up with some more interesting sound effects, though. The FX whip will be available from May 1 from most toy shops. [Hasbro]

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<![CDATA[C3PO, Indiana Jones, Clone Wars Trooper Life-Size Lego Models Are Awesomely Huge]]> We just spotted these great, life-sized Lego models of Indiana Jones, C3PO and a Clone Wars Trooper at the annual Toy Fair. We asked how many Lego bricks it took to construct each one, but were told that it was "a big secret." We couldn't care less, they look amazing, and we desperately need some new office furnishings to brighten up the place. Unfortunately, these are just show pieces, and those hoping for a gigantic Indiana Jones Lego pack will have to make do with these (movie spoiler) kits instead. Clone Wars fans get some smaller Lego-loving, too, but we want them so bad, we're going to try and smuggle the life-size models out. Stay tuned for news on the covert operation. Checkout the gallery for a ton of awesome images.

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<![CDATA[Indiana Jones IV Trailer Makes Us Wet Our Pants]]> Here's the trailer for the most anticipated movie of all time, at least for me: Indiana Jones IV. We knew there are going to be aliens and Soviet soldiers led by Cate Blanchett, but one thing is seeing those made of LEGO and the other is to actually see how all looks like. Which is, amazing. Let's hope it is as good as it feels now. And yes, there are no weird mechanical traps and gadgets on the trailer, but this is Indiana Jones, people. There's nothing higher. Update: official video is up. [Yahoo Trailers]

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<![CDATA[New Indy Movie LEGO Sets Offer Exclusive Peek Into Crystal Skull]]> We've got leaked official high resolution shots, prices and descriptions of the new LEGO diorama sets for Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. They may not be the best LEGO sets in history or include Indy in a thong (thank heavens for that) but they offer an exclusive look into the most-awaited movie of all time (at least for me). WARNING: new Indy IV movie spoilers ahead.

7624-LEGO-Jungle-Duel.jpg

7624 Jungle Duel
While Indy struggles to keep giant ants at bay (what? giant ants? For shame!), Irina Spalko (also known as Goddess Cate Blanchett) and Mutt (Indy's son) battle each other in an intense sword fight. Mutt barely avoids Irina's blade as she slices right through the table. Set includes Mutt and Irina minifigures with swords, two hungry ants, and fully equipped Indiana Jones with whip, hat and shoulder bag. 90 pieces for $9.99.

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7625 River Chase
In a daring escape from the Soviets (not as bad as the Nazis, but we still hate them), Indy and Marion race off in an amphibious vehicle. But the Soviets are close behind in a boat of their own and are trying to recapture the pair with a net trap. Can Indy and Marion avoid them? (Can they? I don't care, as soon as we get Marion in the frame.) Set includes two Soviet soldiers and Marion minifigures and fully equipped Indiana Jones minifigure with whip, hat and shoulder bag. 234 pieces for $19.99.

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7626 Jungle Cutter
Trapped in a makeshift hideout, Indiana Jones and Mutt must avoid the Soviet jungle cutter (can't wait for this one) as it slices down everything in its path. But armed with a bazooka (YES!), Indy is ready to fight his way to freedom. Set includes Dovchenko, two Russians, Mutt and fully equipped Indiana Jones with whip, hat and shoulder bag. 511 pieces for $39.99.

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7627 Temple of the Crystal Skull
In the thrilling climax of their adventures, Indiana Jones and Mutt must discover the secret of the lost Temple of Akator (sounds like pain medication) before it falls into the hands of the dangerous Irina Spalko (she's Cate Blanchett, who cares? Kill me.) But first, they have to survive the many hidden perils of the ancient temple! 929 pieces for $79.99.

All of the sets will be available in May, when the movie debuts in theaters worldwide. [LEGO in Gizmodo]

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<![CDATA[Lucas Whores Out Indy into Tater of the Lost Ark and We Love It]]> Move over Optimash Prime and Darth Tater, because here comes Indiana Jones in Mr. Potato Head form factor: the Tater of the Lost Ark, complete with whip, fedora, leather jacket, gold idol and Harrison Fords' Very Own Cheeky Smirk™. It will be announced next month, at the Toy Fair 2008 in New York. [Star Wars Blog]

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<![CDATA[LEGO Indiana Jones Set Collection Whips Us Into a Frenzy]]>
(UPDATED: New 2008 LEGO sets information after the jump) Just when I was looking for the completion of the LEGO Millennium Falcon, I got sidetracked by another Harrison Ford minifig, this time with a fedora and a whip: these LEGO Indiana Jones sets are not as massive as the 5,195 pieces of the Falcon, but all together they are begging for some silly playing and block whipping. But hold on, because there's a lot more coming. We talked with LEGO about what to expect this year:


UPDATE: Apart from the four new classic Indy sets in stores now, there will be four new sets based around the new movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This will be coming out in May. The four new movie sets closely replicate key scenes from the movie and introduce new characters into LEGO minifigure form. Funnily enough: Harrison Ford is and Alfred Molina are the only actors to become LEGO minifigs twice: Han Solo/Indiana Jones and Doc Octopus/Satipo.

There will be new sets based on another major, kick-ass movie: Batman, "We have four sets coming out in June. Three of the sets are based on classic Batman storylines, while the fourth set is linked to the new movie" LEGO spokeswoman Julie Stern told us, "and we're introducing another Batman villain to the LEGO universe." LEGO is also currently working on a life-sized Indiana Jones model that will be unveiled at the New York Toy Fair in February.

As for the current Indy sets, there are four models, from Raiders and Last Crusade, each with their own charm:

• The Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb set shows the Well of Souls complete with the Ark of the Covenant. Sadly, there's no Marion (just saw her) Sallah or snakes. Asps. Very dangerous. You go first. For $19.99 you can't ask for more.
• Race for the Stolen Treasure includes the car and truck from Raider's road chase. Also a low price, and not a lot of complexity: $29.99.
• Temple Escape is the best one of the lot and sightly more complex. $59.99 to reproduce the gold idol temple from the beginning of Raiders, even with a mini-Alfred Molina. While all the rest are available now, the Temple will ship in February.
• Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase gives you all the elements to reproduce the joust in the Last Crusade. And even while it's the cheapest set, at $9.99, the included Henry Jones minifig makes it priceless.

With those prices, they look irresistible for fans, if only to whet our appetites while waiting for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to hit in May. And if the movie sucks, I will be doing a fifth one called Indiana Jones and the Maze of the Millennium Falcons. [LEGO - Initial Indy sets post via Boing Boing Gadgets]


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