Review: 77012 Fighter Plane Chase

LEGO Indiana Jones was introduced in 2008, representing a selection of scenes from across the series. The theme makes a welcome return by reimagining several of those sets, including 7198 Fighter Plane Attack, originally produced fourteen years ago.

The modern 77012 Fighter Plane Chase swaps Indiana and Henry Jones’ biplane for an attractive car, while the German aircraft returns with major improvements over its predecessor. Moreover, the price seems remarkably reasonable.

Minifigures

The original Indiana Jones minifigure was extraordinary when introduced in 2008 and appeared in 7198 Fighter Plane Attack one year later. However, the new iteration is more accurate to The Last Crusade, featuring a tie alongside Indy’s traditional leather jacket and holster. Additionally, I love the character’s updated fedora and hair element, covering an alternative bemused face.

Professor Henry Jones Sr. actually seems relatively similar to the minifigure from fifteen years ago. The dark tan ensemble corresponds with the film though, nicely finished with a spotted bow tie. The dark bluish grey pith helmet also remains intact, which surprises me because a far more appropriate, albeit not perfect, hat has appeared before. Of course, an entirely new piece would have been even better!

Nevertheless, the new minifigure does represent an improvement and includes a printed reddish brown 1×1 tile to represent Henry’s precious Grail Diary, which is fun. As usual, Indiana Jones is equipped with his whip, while some additional accessories from The Last Crusade are stored in the car.

The opposing Fighter Pilot is dressed in realistic Luftwaffe fatigues, which is unexpected given LEGO could easily have designed something more generic. The diagonal band across the torso is clearly identifiable with the Luftwaffe’s summer flying suit, although dual-moulded legs forming black boots could have been included for even greater accuracy.

Remarkably, the aviator’s helmet has never been produced in tan, until now. This colour reflects the pilot’s onscreen attire and the attached goggles are adjustable, while the head underneath is generic, displaying a neutral expression and appearing consistently across licensed themes. No accessories are supplied for this minifigure.

The Completed Model

Whereas 7198 Fighter Plane Attack contained a biplane from the beginning of the chase, the car acquired afterwards is included here. This classic design is attractive and shares similarities with Speed Champions models, which bodes well, as the vehicle is eight studs wide and presents an accurate seating arrangement inside.

The pronounced fenders look lovely and are represented by a new 3x4x1 2/3 wheel arch, which first appeared in 10312 Jazz Club, forming the top of a pizza oven! They work beautifully in their intended role and suit the proportions of the model, which I find appealing. Ideally, the curvature between the front fenders and the running boards would be gentler, but that would need another new piece.

I like the angled radiator grille and the headlights look brilliant, incorporating the small dome that was introduced as BB-8’s head. Additionally, the angular bonnet looks great and I think the pearl silver 3×6 bullbar functions well as the windscreen, despite lacking glass inside. This piece is the perfect size, relative to the vehicle’s body.

The interior is rather spacious, with seats for Indiana Jones and his father. The steering wheel is offset slightly, but looks nice and the stickered doors are broadly effective, although they should be considerably bigger. There is also room for luggage on a 2×4 double jumper plate behind the minifigures, taking full advantage of the particularly large scale of this model.

Henry Jones’ suitcase and a large trunk slot neatly inside. The opening trunk contains a revolver and an umbrella, the latter alluding to Henry’s use of an umbrella to frighten some seagulls and destroy the second German plane. Sadly, no seagulls are included. However, the car is properly equipped with a spare tyre. LEGO does not produce any narrow vintage tyres at the moment, so this 3×3 round tile is the best alternative.

The pursuit takes place near Berlin, where Indiana Jones recovered his father’s diary from Nazi hands. This signpost is therefore an appropriate addition, standing on an unusually arid base for Central Europe! In reality, these scenes were filmed in Spain. The warning sign for the tunnel is also a fun inclusion, in reference to the film.

After escaping from a zeppelin departing Berlin, the Joneses are pursued by two German fighter planes. While intended to resemble the famous Messerschmitt Bf 109, these are actually Pilatus P-2 aircraft and this rendition looks splendid, on the whole. The grey livery, with occasional sand green accents, corresponds with the movie and the general silhouette is fairly realistic.

The same aircraft appeared in 7198 Fighter Plane Attack and the differences between the older model and its successor reflect how LEGO creations have generally developed over time. Even though the version from 2008 is substantially bigger, the modern example pays greater attention to accuracy and is arguably more detailed. The selection of smaller parts available today is very helpful.

Among many updates, the realistic dihedral wings are particularly important. These look superb and are in proportion with the fuselage, attached using ball joints. In addition, the position of the wings is more accurate than the model from 7198 Fighter Plane Attack achieved, situated just in front of the bulbous cockpit canopy.

The canopy is decorated with a sticker, unfortunately, but the frame looks excellent and I like the curvature of the canopy too, incorporating a 2×4 windscreen. Moreover, the row of exhausts and rotating propeller are attractive, although the propeller should actually include two blades, rather than four. The blades themselves look marvellous though, making clever use of black paddles.

Removing the canopy reveals a seat for the pilot inside, with printed displays and a black control yoke. Considering the narrow fuselage, I am impressed by the generous interior, where the seat is clearly defined using reddish brown elements. The onscreen aircraft are armed with machine guns mounted in front of the cockpit, but this model features wing-mounted stud shooters.

The wings feel absolutely secure, but can be detached to recreate their destruction when one of the German planes follows the Joneses into a tunnel! Trans-orange flames are fixed underneath and flank the landing gear, which is constructed with Technic parts. Perhaps a larger rendition of this fighter could have included folding wheels, but their static design is adequate.

Five stickers decorate the aircraft, featuring a sand green camouflage pattern. A few more sand green parts might have been nice, especially along the flanks behind the cockpit, but the muted dark bluish grey colour is reasonable. As expected, the swastika on the vertical stabiliser is also omitted, but the shape and size of the tailplane assembly appears accurate.

Overall

Sets containing multiple vehicles are often tremendous for play and 77012 Fighter Plane Chase certainly satisfies that requirement. These vehicles are flawless companions and both are highly detailed, with space for the necessary occupants and some functions too. The fighter plane has far exceeded my expectations in that regard, given its size.

Furthermore, the three included minifigures are very good and I think the price of £29.99, $34.99 or €34.99 also represents fair value. Perhaps a couple of seagulls could have been provided for truly comprehensive coverage of this memorable sequence from The Last Crusade, but the set is otherwise essentially faultless.