Review: #6241 Loot Island

[RobExplorien]

LEGO Pirates #6241 Loot Island
Review by RobExplorien

To keep diversity in my reviews, I'll be reviewing a set from the well-known Pirates theme.

The Pirates theme was one of the for main LEGO themes (alongside Town, Castle and Space), and the only of those to be discontinued. Even though being discontinued, it released some iconic LEGO sets in its heyday, and is still a favorite theme of many. After more than a decade of disappearance, the theme made its reintroduction in 2009, combining the established look from the past with the new elements and building styles of the present. Nowadays the theme has spin-offs as licensed sets (e.g. Pirates of the Carribean), but I and likely lots of others hope for a revival of the classic Pirates.

 

This review will cover the newer Pirates set #6241 Loot Island from 2009. At a retail price of $19,99 (according to Brickipedia), this set comes with three minifigures, boat and island with hidden treasure chest. Also watch out for the (hungry) crocodile, it isn't the treasure he's after.

 

The front of the box depicts a fierce battle between an Imperial Soldier and two castaway Pirates. Both armed and after the treasure, it remains a question who will win. You will find out soon. I must say that the box design is very well done. With a map (burnt on the edges) as background, and showing the set in action, this feels very pirate-like. Not to mention the back of the box, showing the features in this set (catapult, cannon, hidden treasure and more) and picturing LEGO set #6243 (Brickbeard's Bounty) to combine with this set to create an even bigger pirate adventure/battle.

 

Going to the contents of the box:

• 142 pieces (includes baseplate and minifigures)
• instructions

And having only printed-on bricks, not stickers, is another benefit that this set has.

 

There are enough treasure island accessoires to satisfy you with, ranging from gems to telescope.

The instuctions cover the building proces very well, and I find this an easy relaxing build. The instructions look a little like an old pirate map, having burnt edges. Not only does it show you how to build, the instructions also show a comic featuring this set. The comic shows the battle between the pirates and soldier, and who wins...

 

Now going on to the minifigures in this set. They are all very detailed, having printings on both sides, and equiped with enough tools and armor to survive and battle. The island is populated by a hungry crocodile, waiting for any passing wildlife creature or minifig to satisfy his hunger. Next to build is the treasure chest. Having a shiny gold look, the content matches the chest colour, containing four golden coins and two gems (pink and light-blue). This makes the chest medium-filled, but you can also put sabres, bullets or the telescope in the chest, so don't worry about storage.

 

The next step is building the Imperial Soldier's boat. Being a darkblue-coloured wooden boat, it can carrie a lot of weight. One cannon is placed on the rear, two cannonballs take place in the front (ready to fire) and two white oars on the sides. The trusted Imperial Soldiers flag is present as well, and is placed on the tip of the boat, making it an easy target to spot as hostile for the pirates. The soldier is, like the pirates, equiped with a sabre as well.

 

After finishing the minifigures and boat, the island is ready to be build. Starting off with a platform on which a rock will be build, with the chest hidden in the rock. The rock is sealed off with a gate, that can be broken by a cannonball's impact. Above the gate stands the skull, an essential element for a Pirates set. You can access the treasure chest via the back as well, where the back entrance is covered by leafs. After building this platform, you place it on the island, and start off with building around the rock. Adding trees, a fire to cook fish, a few smaller rocks and a wooden pier with catapult make the island complete. Don't forget to place the Jolly Roger on the tree, and you're all done with this pirate island.

 

 

I'm surprised that the pirates didn't think of hiding the treasure chest under the platform. It can easily be taken off and put back. A bit of a downside is that the island promptly stops at the back, and doesn't smoothly subside back into the sea.

 

Having this set examined and tested, I come to the following conclusion:

• The box design is amazing, matching very well with the Pirates theme and giving you a good look at what's inside.
• The instuctions fit with the theme as well, and making it an easy and fun build. Plus, a comic inside!
• A variety of treasure island elements and detailed minifigs make this set a real Pirates set. I would almost count the crocodile as indispensable for this set, and the boat adds to the fun of playing and battling between pirates and soldier.

This set certainly is a lot of fun, with lots of moveable elements and an overall good quality, the price is worth it. Only two downsides came up when building: the island, which promptly stops at the back, and the skull's forehead, which has a ring on it (probably caused by the moldings). I'd also liked it if more surface of the island plate had studs to build on.

 

Rating
Design: 9
Quality: 8
Fun: 9
Price: 8