NOTE: I purchased the Jungle Explorer Truck (60426) myself, and this review is not sponsored in any way. I strive to always provide my honest opinion on LEGO® products. If you are curious about how I generate scores in this review, I invite you to read about the True North Bricks rating system.

INTRODUCTION

I was excited to learn that LEGO® City was returning to the jungle for summer 2024. I was even more excited when I learned the wave of sets included a new tiger figurine. Previously, we saw a tiger in 2017. The tiger is one of my favourite animals, so a new variant is always welcome. This one even has a new head mould. You can bet I was in the LEGO® Store on day one to pick up the Jungle Explorer Truck (60426). While the tiger alone made this set worthwhile for me, the set itself is nothing special. Let’s take a deeper look!

SET SPECIFICS

• NAME: Jungle Explorer Truck
• SET #:60426
• THEME: City
• COST: $44.99 CAD
• BRICK COUNT: 314
• COST/BRICK: $0.143 (average value)
• MINIFIGURES: 3 + 1 tiger
• BRICKS/FIG: 79 (excellent fig count for a set this size)
• RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2024
• BUILD TIME: 35 minutes
• COST/MIN: $1.285 (expensive build time)

QUICK REVIEW

FULL REVIEW

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Value Score Breakdown:

The Jungle Explorer Truck costs $44.99 in Canada and includes 314 bricks. At full price, that does not represent a bad value at all. You are looking at $0.143/brick, which is pretty average when compared to LEGO® sets in general. When considering only the City theme, the value is actually quite good. Considering both comparisons, I rate the cost/brick at 87%.

Where the value of the Jungle Explorer Truck suffers is with the build time. This set doesn’t offer the experience builder much in terms of interesting or complicated techniques. As such, AFOLs will not get much construction time out of this set. It is a short experience considering the price. I rate the build time value at 69%. Averaging this with the cost/brick score gives an overall value rating of 78%.

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Build Score Breakdown:

There really isn’t anything about the Jungle Explorer truck build that I really enjoyed. I didn’t hate it, but it doesn’t offer experienced builders anything new in terms of techniques or ideas. The kit includes a handful of parts in colour variations that are presently rare-ish (ie: found in fewer than 10 sets). However, other than the tiger, none of the those amazed me.

The main build is the Jungle Explorer truck, from which the set gets its name. It is very standard City-theme vehicle fare. You get slight variation in colour and build from older jungle-themed vehicles. But overall, the car has a been-there-done-that feel from my perspective. I kind of wish the tiger figurine had gotten a more original build and story… like a ruined palace or something of the sort that you see in National Geographic documentaries.

Instead of a ruined palace, the set provides a cave facade. Again, this a pretty boring offering that isn’t even particularly species accurate. Yes, a tiger will use a cave temporarily if one is available… but more often than not, tigers do not live in a caves. They patrol vast territories continuously.

Unfortunately, I find the build for the Jungle Explorer Truck quite bland and uninspired. It is just another vehicle in a theme that already has an over abundance of similar vehicles. Given that this set includes a Johnny Thunder look-alike and a tiger, I really wish the LEGO® Group had gotten a little more imaginative. I won’t fail the build because, like I said, I don’t hate it. But a set that feels so bare minimum certainly only deserves a bare minimum pass.

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Minifigure Score Breakdown:

The Jungle Explorer Truck (60426) includes three Minifigures plus the tiger. This is the category where this set really shines. All of the Minifigures include the standard, adult parts. They all feature front and back torso printing, and two have pockets printed onto their legs. None of the characters feature alternate faces though. In terms of accessories, you get two treasure chests (built into the car), a banana, a microphone, a printed compass tile, a printed map tile, two bones, a frog, a two-way radio, and a gun element that serves as part of the buildable drone.

“Johnny Thunder” really steals the show. Fans of the bygone, ’90s Adventurers theme will appreciate this character. Especially if you missed out on the variant from Minifigures Series 19. This new Johnny looks almost the same but has added stubble and a slightly different scarf. The other two characters are nice wildlife researcher types. I rate the Minifigure designs at 96%.

As for character count, three Minifigures and a tiger is good for a City-theme set, and amazing compared to LEGO® sets in general. Of course, I am counting the tiger in this score because it includes moving parts. Plus, let’s face it, the tiger is the reason many AFOLs will buy the Jungle Explorer Truck. I rate character count at 92%. Averaging this with the design score gives an overall Minifigure rating of 94%.

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Entertainment Score Breakdown:

Since the tiger is one of my favourite animals, buying the Jungle Exploration Truck was a must. I have the 2017 version, but I regretted not getting more than one when they were available. In the end, it worked out fine since I like having a new tiger that looks a little different and came at a lower price than the 2017 set.

Additionally, even though the character is not named Johnny Thunder, he is Johnny Thunder to fans who grew up with the character from 1998 through 2012. As such, the set likely holds nostalgia for many. I never owned any Adventurers or Pharaohs Quest sets, but it wasn’t due to a lack of interest. I loved the idea of theme, I was just more likely to spend my allowance on Pirates.

It is just such a shame the set itself is so bland. Johnny Thunder needs more than a boring truck for his comeback. I said it before and I’ll say it again. This set should have been the ruins of some Maharaja’s palace. I am entertained by the characters in this set, but not the set itself. I rate that at 70%.

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As a set, it is an okay value, especially given that it includes a tiger. The original 2017 tiger averages $55 CAD on Bricklink. For less than that, you get a whole set with three Minifigures. The purchase was worth it for me as a LEGO® animal collector for that alone. But without the tiger, this set would have been a hard pass for me. What do you think? Let me know in the comments or reach out on social media.

Until next time,

-Tom

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