I’m a 90’s kid. Early 2000s LEGO shaped my childhood, with Bionicle, Racers, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. However, one theme was grounded enough to offer a haven from all the crazy. Orient Expedition was the short-lived sequel/reboot to the popular Adventurers theme from the late 1990s. The theme follows Johnny Thunder and his team of explorers in seeking the lost treasure of Marco Polo. Similarly, Lord Sam Sinister also sought the treasure, but chose to try and steal it instead finding it on his own. GunnBuilding reimagines the 7417 Temple of Mount Everest playset, where the heroes and villains have a showdown on top of the world’s tallest peak.

A real-life location, the famous Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan inspired GunnBuilding to redesign the classic set to better fit in the Himalayan setting. He uses some rare colours like light brown and very light grey to emulate the architectural details of the Monastery. In addition, this creation uses more flags and golden ornaments than the original set. Whereas 7417 seemed structurally hollow (the norm for playlets from the early 2000s), Gunn’s build is solid, at least from the front. The back is hollow in a dollhouse-style, and has significant room for visitors as well as treasures. For instance, there are golden statues, rare crystals, Islander helmet, and a map of Mata Nui island from Bionicle. To complete the revamped playset, Gunn even built the temple on a cliff-top complete with a drawbridge.

Interested in more LEGO Adventurers? Head on over to Gunnbuilding’s Flickr photostream for more set revamps!
Or check out the plethora of creations we have written about here on the Brothes Brick!