LEGO Adventurers 5978 Sphinx Secret Surprise

LEGO set 5978, “Sphinx Secret Surprise”, depicts a desert expedition scene built around a sphinx and an archaeological secret. Released in 1998 under the Adventurers theme, within the Desert subtheme, it contains 352 pieces and 7 minifigures.

5978 “Sphinx Secret Surprise” belongs to Adventurers, specifically the Desert branch, where exploration, rivalry and discoveries are framed by an Egyptian inspired setting. The model serves as a fixed adventure location rather than just a vehicle or accessory, with the sphinx defining the scene.

This lineup brings together explorers, antagonists, a pharaonic character and a mummy styled skeleton.

It is suited to narrative play, display of a Desert setting and collecting within Adventurers. Among sets from the same theme, it can be placed as an archaeological site that gives the characters a destination and a conflict point, especially when combined with other expedition material.

Inventory of set 5978

The inventory of set 5978 lists 352 pieces, spare parts excluded: 196 different lots (one shape in one color) for 151 part shapes. The box also contains 4 spare parts, for small elements that are easy to lose.

Colors of set 5978

Main color: light gray, making up 21% of the parts, followed by black (20%) and dark gray (11%).

Part types

Most common parts in set 5978

111 of the 151 part shapes in this set have their own page on Setopedia, with their colors, element numbers and the other sets that use them. See all LEGO parts

Exclusive parts in set 5978

2 part shapes in set 5978 appear in no other set in the catalog, most often printed elements, stickers or molds specific to the model. If one gets lost, you will need to look for it individually, for example on BrickLink, rather than in another set. Counting colors, 4 lots in the set are not found in any other set.

Rebuilding set 5978 from another set

Share of the parts of set 5978 found in each of these similarly sized sets, counting shape, colour and quantity:

No similarly sized set goes above 40%: the model relies on a little-shared assortment, most of which has to be gathered piece by piece.

Size of set 5978 within its line

With 352 pieces, set 5978 ranks #6 out of 41 Adventurers sets in our database, which have an average of 190 parts. Among the 233 sets released in 1998, it ranks #46.