I've reached something of a crossroads regarding my bloated LEGO collection, where I'm no longer sure why I'm holding on to many of the sets I have. Amidst that, I took the time to sort through thousands of very crudely-organized parts to rebuild this set. I think that sums up my feelings on it quite nicely.

While only a decade old, this set comes from a radically different timeframe in regards to LEGO's design philosophy. The idea wasn't to make sets that looked like they'd been pulled right out of the screen, but instead to create interpretations of the set's subject, seen through the lens of LEGO. Nothing in this set is perfectly accurate to the Temple of Doom movie, but all aspects of it are more enjoyable because of it.

First, a quick note on the build of the set: both cars start with essentially the same base chassis, and then differ from each other over the course of the build. I appreciate that the instructions choose to build the more similar parts of the cars in two different orders to keep things from being monotonous.

Minifigures. These are a far cry from today's offerings. No back printing, only one double face (for Willie). Nevertheless, I think they capture the appropriate charm and essence of these characters better than modern "accurate" figures could. Short Round's cheerful (and I believe unique, along with his torso) but simple facial expression reflects well on his character, even if it doesn't look particularly like the actor. The same goes for Willie, whose torso and leg printing was pretty advanced for the time, reminding me of her extravagant costume without actually needing to relive every detail of the ugly thing like a 2019 take on her outfit would. The separate hair and tiara pieces are quite nice as well, while still leaving room for other uses.

The Chinese gangsters look just mean and fitting enough while again still lending themselves to a multitude of other options. And then there's old Jonesy; I believe his tuxedo torso print remains unique to him as well, but likewise has many uses. The simple hair piece and face print, along with the interchangeable hat, have never looked much like Harrison Ford, but they remind one of the character while staying true to the charming simplicity of LEGO; that is preferable to me.

Additionally, five figures with several new pieces in a $30 set was quite generous at the time.

The same concept of my above comments can be applied to the two vehicles as well.

Short Round's car, for example, should have a much longer hood/nose section, and separate back and front seat areas. The mobster car is just a bit too tall and square in general. However, both vehicles are still good approximations that capture the general idea. This makes them more fun to build and play with.

Both vehicles have several design flourishes simply there for aesthetics, such as the hinged flaps connected to clips to make fenders. However, their focus remains on being sturdy, playable cars. These two vehicles are supposed to be engaged in a high-stakes chase, and this toy representation fits the bill well.

Both cars are six studs wide, which is my personal favorite width for LEGO vehicles. Short Round's car has a small trunk area and a removable canvas roof, with an additional hole in it as well for Jones and Scott to "fall" through. The mobster car has a removable roof with a large area in the back for holding cargo, additional goons, or maybe a prisoner. This set has no real play features, and it doesn't need any. Thankfully none were forced on it. The draw here is being able to recreate an iconic movie scene, as well as the vintage styling of the cars in general.

If this scene were made as a set today, including the same two car designs and nothing else, it would probably be $50, be much more prone to falling apart due to excessive design compromise in the name of accuracy, and I'm sure LEGO would find a way to work in a stud shooter or exploding parts on one of the cars.

I think the best word for this set is "sturdy". If you're an Indiana Jones fan, this is the go-to Temple of Doom set. If you like LEGO cars, these 1930's style vehicles are a fun addition. It's also just a fun set to pick up and play with. Two sides of a conflict are represented equally, which is a rarity in LEGO sets. There's a lot of storytelling opportunities with just this set alone.

It's a sturdy set. It's good. It serves various purposes. Nothing is bad about it, but nothing really stands out about it either. As I said before, it sold for $30 originally, but unless you're an absolute diehard collector I wouldn't pay more than $40 or maybe $50 for a used one today. After all, it is just a pair of cars.

Which is all it needs to be.

This isn't a bad set, especially if you like cars. This set also recreates a scene from the opener of Temple of Doom where Indy is running from mob type people. It's also one of two sets to feature Willie Scott and Short Round for minifigures.

The builds on both cares were fairly solid and it was fun to put these together and the detailing that went into them to try and look like cars used from the movie. Very period pieces for the models.

Fans of the Indiana Jones theme like myself are sure to enjoy these. Otherwise they're probably not that good or a high priority on someone's collection and must have list for Legos.

I just have to say this set comes with a lot of my fav minifigs. You get Willie (who is very highly detailed and has a turnable head tha thas two faces)! Short Round i dont like as much, but only because i dont like and of the small people (they can't move their legs). Indy has a new suit and hair. To top it all off it comes with Lao Che and (I presume to be) Kao Kan.

It also has two cool cars. Indy's has a spot in the trunk that short round can stand in. The roof also has a hole so someone can stand through the roof. Both cars have poles on the side of the car to hang on and shoot from. Lao Che's car has a spot in the back where they can keep prisoners or something like that.

Pros:
Indy (Diner suit), Willie, Short Round, Lao Che and Kao Kan.
Two cool cars with cool features.

Cons:
Not able stand up through the roof that well.

I would say you definetly need this set if you want cool new minifigs.

There are same really nice things to say about this set:

4 unique minifigs:
+Indi & the woman (2-faced head! Happy&fear) made up for the theatre - indi has hair + "his" hat.
@TLG: That is a great idea for all future sets (also non-indi!): Add extra hair to each minifig with a hat/cap/fez/helmet . . . I have so many bald minifigs!
+2 gangsters in black mafia-suits out of the 30ies/40ies with 2 black hats, which are unique too.

The gangsters can shoot out of their car during driving - there is a stick to hold on to while riding on the footboard ;-) - important feature, if you ever saw "The Untouchables" (I cannot stop humming the title music while I think of this model, it is so realistic) or other Al Capone movies.
The "evil" car can hold prisoners, like in the movie, where Indi gets captivated.

The sportscar seems to be a Duesenberg Speedster: http://www.krefeldercomputerclub.de/classic_cars/new/hofman/duesenberg.htm
They even depicted the hood mascot in the model!
Also see the rear view: They also imitated the aero-dynamic "drop shape", which was latest state-of-the-art then.
Not to mention the unique convertible canvas roof (which does not bring any trouble).

NO STICKERS AT ALL! YIPPIE!

A car chase on the absolute top level! Models, that brighten up any LEGO City, even one of them is carrying some sinister elements, too ;-)

Therefore best as a gift - it is a bit expensive (but worthwhile!), brings a lot of unique stuff and is therefore extra-precious!

This. Set. Is. Awwwwsssssooooooomeeeeeeeeeee!

I just got this set today at Wal-Mart. It's spendy for its size but AWSOME. It comes with 4 figs exclusive to this set(4 because Short Round is in the new temple of doom set). The cars are very detailed - especially Lao Che's - and you can really recreate the whole scene. The build of the black car is similar to the truck in the Raiders chase set. The only really major con is the price.

PROs: 4 new figs exclusive to this set.
Cars have very unique antique details.
Loads of space in the back of Lao Che's car for guns and other accesories(and prisoners!)
The canvas is easy to use.
Shorties' cars' trunk opens up to put in accesories such as guns or Short Round himself.

CONs:
Shorties' car is very cramped.. very hard but possible to get all 3 figures in.
If you try to put Short Round in the trunk only his waist down goes in(unless I try to put him in wrong hehe)
Not very many functions.

The Pros outweigh the cons.. by alot. This set is great for all fans of the Indy line and just people who like great sets.