The second section brings to life a moment that kinda got the short end of the stick in the original LEGO version of the temple. Previously, the dark pit that Indiana Jones and Satipo had to swing across was represented by an actual hole between two of the diorama bases. It’s hard to see in the image of the original set up above, but it’s between the boulder and the big gray skull. You can actually see the brown stick piece that juts out from the wall. Thankfully, this entire section has been given much more prominence, and the details within have made it look much cooler, an it’s not just because it’s the center section with the film’s nameplate and a quick exchange of lines between Indy and Satipo.
Rather than letting empty space and a large graphic sticker on the back wall do the heavy lifting of the design space, LEGO has opted to use a smooth, shiny, flat black piece to represent the darkness of the dangerous pit. Surrounding it are new varieties of temple flourishes, including twisted tree trunks and curly vines, as well as the first of several gray, stone, skull faces cleverly created with some of the most simple and smallest LEGO pieces (and there are plenty more to come in the third section).
The Technic element of this set is more simple, but it still enhances the basic concept of the original set. In this case, the brown stick that juts out from the temple wall spins with the turn of another skull knob. This allows minifigures to swing from one side of the pit to the other. Unfortunately, Indiana Jones doesn’t come with a whip that allows him to swing across in the same way. Instead, Satipo has a walking stick piece that makes the swinging action possible.
In this section, you’ll also find a trap door, which is hidden behind those rocks on the left side. This is another element taken from the original set, but it functions much more smoothly thanks to the upgraded Technic engineering.
