Code: 70411
Pieces: 180
Build Time: ½
hour
Year: 2015
THE BACKGROUND
Pirates was the
theme that really made me fall in love with Lego as a child. I don’t remember
who bought me my first batch of it – probably Mum and Dad – but it would go on
to cast a long shadow over my childhood. So when word began to leak of a new Pirates set in 2015 (which we now know
to be the Brick Bounty) my hopes were high
that other sets might be announced to accompany it.
My wishes were granted only a few months later when a range
of additional regular sets (and one Juniors set) were announced. I was excited
that the theme was returning, but a little underwhelmed with the sets
themselves at first glance. However, now that they’ve shown up instore and I’m
seeing them in person, I’m much more pleased with them. They’re not perfect,
but today we look at the first of the
MINIFIGURES
3 minifigures and two animals are included in this set – a
Pirate Princess, a male Pirate, a Bluecoat, a crocodile and a parrot.
The Pirate Princess is one of the best minifigures I’ve seen
in a long time. Decked out in an eyepatch, and bearing a spyglass and cutlass,
she’ll take on any man fool enough to challenge her leadership – and feed them
to the crocodile that keeps lurking around her hideout. She’s also got two
faces – happy and angry – and is a really cool addition to the Pirates range.
The male pirate on the other hand, is a little
disconcerting. Traditionally the Pirates have looked rowdy and raucous, while
the Imperials (or Bluecoats as they’re now known) were stern, stuffy and staid.
There was no clear good guy or bad guy; just your personal preference, though
it would have been easy to assume the Pirates were actually the good guys (and
certainly were in my own play). But this male pirate actually looks quite sinister.
Liver rings hang under his eyes, and an unpleasant scowl crosses his visage.
He’s an impressive minifigure, but I can’t help but think he pushes the line a
little too overtly into villain territory.
The parrot looks to be the same mould as the 1980s/1990s Pirates parrot, and is similarly coloured. The red and green colouring is quite uneven, but this is a result of the moulding process – no two should ever be quite the same. I always loved the parrot and monkey figures from the Pirates sets, so I’m thrilled to see it return again. Hopefully we’ll see more monkeys soon too.
The Bluecoat is probably the least interesting of the three,
but that’s not because he’s bad. His face is just a generic smirk, but he comes
with some really cool accessories. His hat is a little fancier than the one I
grew up with, but it’s been in use since at least the 2009 Pirates series. The feather on the top is a really nice touch.
Also, the epaulettes and the backpack really mark the character out as
distinguished – he’s clearly a cut above those ruffian pirates!
It seems that the crocodile is a completely new mould,
though to me it doesn’t look drastically different to the original one that’s
been around since 1994. He’s articulated at two points (a hinge at the jaw and
a swivel at the tail). He’s also got holes in his mouth that will let him chomp
on one of the oars, in one of two ways – sideways and front on.
THE BUILD
Treasure Island itself is a fun playset, consisting of a
skull-shaped cave and a small jetty which extends out over the water, supported
by a pile of roughly-hewn rocks. If you have set 70409 (Shipwreck Defence) it
actually connects up at the jetty, but I haven’t been able to find that set instore anywhere as yet.
The jetty features a small table with a bottle of grog
(presumably rum), and a few different spots for you to perch the parrot.
There’s a small half-barrel too, which seems to serve as an improvised boat for
the pirates.
Mounted atop the skull cave is a cannon on a swivel. I was
really pleased to see that it’s one of the old-style pullback cannons – you
could do some serious damage with these back in the day, and I don’t doubt that
it’s still the case.
Cleverly concealed within the skull is an action feature –
pulling the tree down will raise up the skull face, revealing a hidden chest
full of gems! It’s not a super-smooth process, as the tension on the chain
varies wildly depending on the angle that you position the tree. You’ll notice
that the box and the instructions position it slightly differently – the
version outlined on the instructions is much more effective to get it open, but
slightly less aesthetically pleasing. But it works nonetheless and is a fun
addition.
The back of the set is pretty plain, but not completely –
obviously the pirates (or Bluecoats) can access the treasure, but there’s also
a hidden compartment where the treasure map can be stored. Not a feature that
will make you run out and buy the set, but fun nonetheless.
The other major component is the Bluecoat rowboat. Though
the mould is identical to the rowboat featured in the Lego
Juniors Pirate set that I reviewed back in February, it’s been cast in blue
this time and features a few additional accessories. This one has been kitted
out with a rifle at the front of the boat, and features some kind of mortar
too. The mortar is one of those new relatively new guns that fires off 1x1
round studs, and includes several spares – which is good, as it’s pretty easy
to lose them!
OVERALL
Treasure Island was the set that impressed me most on
release, and I think turned out the best overall of the non-ship sets. Though
I’m very pleased with this new Pirates series,
I’m hoping that the line is a success and we see more sets next year – and for
many years going forward. Whether Pirates have the same pull now as they did in
the late 1980s through to the mid 1990s remains to be seen, but here’s hoping
they do!
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