6278 Enchanted Island Pictorial Review

[SlyOwl]

Enchanted Island 6278 Pictorial Review

Original price: $66

Pieces: 412

Figures: 7

This 1994 set marked the beginning of a new era for Lego Pirates - it became a theme more centralised around playability and not so much grand ol' ships. 6278 Enchanted Island was the flagship set of the Islanders subtheme, heavily based around Polynesian and Native American concepts (In fact, TLC was successfully sued by a number of tribes for using bastardised Maori names, such as Kahuka). It was released as a Legend set in 2001, but due to poor sales was discontinued again.

The largest of the Islander sets, Enchanted Island is a portion of an island with a river running through. The left hand side features some sturdy buildings built into a tree-like structure on a rocky outcrop, whilst the left hand side features a tower built out of "wooden" posts and a large tribal statue.

The box cover shows all the details; it does, however, differ from the instructions' finished product in that it has been more aesthetically arranged - bushes e.t.c. have been moved to fill in gaps and to not obscure other things. The sides of the box show nothing particularly special, although in one scene it depicts the Islander Canoe chasing the Pirate boat with the treasure; just one way to play with the set. The back of the box, however, is superb, featuring a large number of alternative models: a toothy statue, a Pirate tree (think Wolfpack) with an Islander base, Kahuka's throne, a fire-breathing statue and a souped-up boat for the pirates. These, and many more, can be easily made because of the large diversity of pieces.

The set has a huge number of minifigures for its size, the third highest number in the Pirate range (The SES and the BSB being first and second, respectively) - a whopping 7! 5 Islanders, including the all-too-common King Kahuka, the elusive Islander babe and 3 standard warriors - this set alone will never leave you short of enemies! 2 pirates, Ironhook in his standard attire with a scurvy dog at his side attack the island, although they are only moderately armed - 2 cutlasses and a pistol between them; a musket would've been nice. The Islanders, on the other hand, have 4 shields, a bow and quiver and 6 spears, not to mention the big pokey thing with horns on top (Weapon? Idol? Staff?). A monkey, parrot and crocodile provide the obvious creature features, with a fair amount of gold to finish off. In the instructions, the goblet does not have the lid, although it does on the box; it's a nice touch anyway - adding a little more diversity to the monotonous treasure stashes.

The pirates' boat is a nice 2 sail vessel, with oars for when the wind stops and a treasure map. The sails are similar to those in Lagoon Lockup, but with an extra front sail. It's an awesome little boat, better for raids than a rowing boat, but not too big that it can't sail up rivers. It can comfortably fit 2 men and, at a squeeze, 5. The sails are expensive if you buy them seperately; normally this won't be a problem, but they can cost aroun $5 each.

The Islanders' boat is a canoe with a sail and an outrigger to stabilise it. The sail is beautifully done, with 2 spars taughtening it. There is a clip for the rower to leave his weapon when at se and the mast can turn to get as much wind as possible. It's quite a top-heavy boat, but it doesn't look hideous and without the mast/sail it looks great. 3 Islanders can fit in it, and more if they sit on the outrigger. The markings on the canoe are stickers, but they look fine and are probably more robust than markings for their job. Furthermore, they're waterproof! *sing*

Kahuka's throne can be carried by 2 loyal subjects...

...Or strapped to his pet crocodile! The clips on the side can be used to rest his weaponry, or hold spears for battle. The throne looks nice, although I'm not too sure about the blue against the red - I'd have prefered white as it would clash less...

An overview of the island; it is built in 2 halves - left then right and then joined together loosley, so it can be seperated for transporting. Around the back to the left and right, there are large open spaces that are great for battles - this set isn't so much about a large solid build, but creating a "village" - smaller structures linked by bridges.

And the back...

To the far left is a platform built onto the rock, with access from the river via a ladder. There's the standard Islander drum with the lovely zebra-skin part (Where did they get that?!). I've never understood the white flag - I was under the impression it was used for surrender...

Further along the rocky bank, there are some hinged palm leaves that swing upwards to reveal...

...The treasure! It's an OK hiding place; not the best place to hide it, right where the pirates sail past, but it feels fabulous; it fits right in.

Above it on the rocky bank is the main structure. It looks very disjointed when you build it (bricks all over the place), but once it's done it looks nice and rural, with leaves everywhere and the "balcony" where Kahuka is standing. You get a nice roof made from 2 large palm leaves tilting down.

Around the back there's a slight shelter, a table for picnics and a ladder to access the upstairs. I was rather annoyed that it is so open, but the set is designed from just one perspective... To the left is the bridge to the other building...

A nice, one piece bridge made of the softer plastic used for muskets and the post-1991 cutlasses. It looks good, but be warned!

It tilts when you pull a pin, sending the pirates flying! This contraption is a good idea, but it is very stiff and so doesn't swing, even when burdened by a minifigure - you'll want to modify this bit if you get it.

The other building looks like it is made out of posts and beams. They are all red; brown would have been better, but it would have added too many colours to the range, just like the use of black for trees in some forestmen sets. There are 3 clips for spare weapons; only 2 of these will ever be used when all the Islanders are armed, but it gives the pirates scope once they've been disarmed...There's another nice palm tree roof on top.

2 ladders give access...there's a total of 4 in this set - worth getting, eh? Although they're 5p on Bricklink, for a KABOB, they're like gold!

At the top there's another hidey hole; the palm leaves lift up on hinges to show the treasure or hiding Islander. It can be seen from behind, but this set is designed from one perspective only. Nice cattlehorns too...alongside the slats you can see in the floor - 5 years later and it would've been a solid plate...

The big statue is one of the main selling point of this set, alongside the tilting bridge - they're the action features shown in every catalogue at the time, but it is not really special, just original. The statue fits in with the theme perfectly - Kahuka's mask, his shield and this statue all depict the same deity, which is a nice "collectible" idea.

The back is rather plain, except the angled 1x1 bricks - a good touch. I'm not sure why there's a black brick in the back of the head, but this is easily remedied; it could even be done with a brick from this same set, just swapping the two over...

Aside from the head turning, the back can open to store sacred objects, or, in my opinion, prisoners, hence the gaps for breathing. Either way, it's a lovely piece of architecture and deservedly a flagship element of the set.

There's your standard cooking pot floating around, although a 1x1 yellow stud as human flesh (remember, minifigs are yellow, no matter what the licensed themes say!) is a superb finish.

This set is a stunning set for both kids and AFOLs who are just getting back into Lego/Pirates - it is a great army builder and, due to its release as a Legend, is extremely cheap on eBay - you should be able to pick one up for £18, or £15 if you're lucky. For that you get a lifetime's supply of Islanders, 4 ladders, some wall panels, 2 baseplates (one raised and both with rivers and printed vegetation around the edge), a ton of weapons, a fair quantity of standard bricks, but most of all, a heap of vegetation:

This is an easy to buy set, with normally around 5 on eBay at any time, and is well worth it, for the parts, the play and the nostalgia! It can be easily modified; when used in conjunction with any other outpost, a much larger fortress can be made, especially if more rope bridges are used. if you pick 2 of this fine set off eBay (It'll still be less than the original price!), a huge complex can be constructed, giving you an instantaneous village for around £35.

Other Information

Lugnet rating: 79/100

Brickset rating: 4.3/5

Bricklink price: New - $100

Used - $54

Edited April 5, 2015 by Phred

[Pencoin]

thank you for review

very good army builder i see

[Shadows]

Excellent review! *y*

Getting a better chance to look at this set actually makes me interested in it. I was in my dark ages throughout the Islander days, though I have built up a small force of them (10?) from eBay buys, but no actual sets. If this is really as reasonable as you say there, I may just have to pick one up soon.

Oddly, I do own the baseplates to this set, having also picked them up in a lot on eBay, so I might be able to recreate it manually, but I think I'd rather pick one up whole. It looks like a great mix of parts and makes a decent looking display piece.

Thanks again for the fine review! *y*

[simonwillems]

Thanks for a lovely review!

I only recently bought this set off Ebay (pretty good deal: MISB for 30 euro's!) and I enjoyed putting it together and mixing it with the other Piratesets.

When you put two sets of two baseplates together you'll get a large pond with an island in the center, just to achieve that I bought two more baseplates off Ebay. The result is this MOC.

I always loved the Islanders and have most of the sets, not all of them but that is going to change in the future.

*y*

[Dukesc]

Excellent review! I really like this set and so I gave it a 5/5. This set is on my list to get. I especially like the speedy pirate boat, and the also very fast outrigger canoe with a sail. I don't think a small number of these cannibals will make much of an impact on gaming though, even if they get a bonus with spears.

Duke

[Mister Phes]

A mighty fine review you've created SlyOwl! *y*

After some sleep I shall immerse myself more fully within it.

[Landlubber]

Nice review ( although I'm pretty sure Eldorado Fortress has 8 minifigs, making this set no 4 in the minifig count.)

I gave it a 5. The number of islanders and vegetation pieces comes in very handy for land based scenarios. I've got 3 copies of this set, 1 of them costing me less than 2Euro's from an ebay auction in Scotland. Along with Forbidden Island it's easily one of the most common and affordable pirate sets to be found on he second hand market.

[Asuka]

A great and informative review with very fine pictures, thanks SlyOwl! *sweet*

A wonderful set this is indeed, full of nice details and pretty playable, and a cool

subtheme that offers a lot of fantasy and charming characters in a marvelous layout.

I really love that little boat with the outrigger, and the neat buildings and sweet landscaping

works together very well. TLC got sued for using some names of native sounding origin? Now

that sounds really strange to me.... such names´re widely spread within novels, movies and such

stuff, I didn´t know that there´s some kind of copyright on them.... 8-|

[BlueBard]

Good review, mr. SlyOwl! And good pics too!

I know it probably deserves better but I only give him a 3.

I'll be surely the only saying that I don't like this set but I remember I had it for christmas when I was a child and it disappointed me very much because I expected it much larger after seeing it in the LEGO catalogs. Well it's just a little trauma I had :-P LOL

Anyway I must admit it's an interesant set, specially because of the large number of mini-figures and accesories it brings with and the two little "ships"

Edited March 31, 2008 by BlueBard

[WesternOutlaw]

Excellent review of an outstanding set! I love the main image. I want this set so bad!

[Brickmaster]

Yay! Pictures! Thank you for the review. You made me actually consider looking it up on ebay, but I already have so so many things to get on my want list. Drat my easy ability to get sold on something lego!

[Col. Whipstick]

It's a great set and one I have yet to add to my collection despite my large number of Islander extras. Enchanted Island, aside from having so alluring a name was good value for money in that you only needed this one set and you had a good representation of the islanders both in the size of the set and the number of minifigs.

The flipping rope bridge and the river give it a great rainforest retreat sort of feeling and one is inclined to think of this set as more inland than directly coastal for me. Whilst the Islanders were never seen in the same light or popularity as Pirates and Imperials they were an obvious and colourful addition that to me added a whole new depth to the Pirate system and one was now able to play a 3 or 4 way war adding a greater political element to the sets. Enchanted Island is probably the 3rd most appealing of the large land bases for me after Port Royal and Eldorado Fortress.

Good review and glad to see the set recognised!

[Mister Phes]

SlyOwl, you're a legend!

Thank you for taking the time to do such a comprehensive review. You've captured Enchanted Island in impeccable detail and anyone who doesn't own this set should know it inside-out by now.

I shall write my thoughts on the set itself, directly.

[Bonaparte]

For some reason I never considered buying this set.

But your review changed that. I'll try to get it on eBay.

Thanks for your efforts to make this wonderful review for us.

It's now added to our index.

[Captain Green Hair]

Wow, that is one great review you made Sly!

I gave it a four, only thing i don't like is the raised baseplate.

It does get you a lot of figs, two ships and some nice assecories, great set!

[Erdbeereis]

Great review! I think this set looks great. I really like the islanders and that statue is really nice. It comes with a lot of nice leaves and I like all of the secret compartments and the like. Thanks for the nice review!

[VBBN]

Thanks for the review!

I am getting very interested in the classic pirates sets, and I wat some now. This seems like it would be a great starter.

[Lorentzen]

I was just going into my dark ages when LEGO began the Islander themes, so I've never really cared for them. BUT this review actually made me want this set real bad.

I guess this is what reviews are for then - good job on the review

[Dennimator]

Great review!

I recently got this set for only 150 SEK, around $17, and it´s really good!

[eldiano]

Everytime I saw this at a toy store I always cried to my parents for one, but never got it, I got the smaller islander sets, but the more I see this now, I don't want it, I could buy it, but naahh, I am hoping Lego does an updated version of the islanders with this new pirates line, one can hope right!! XD

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Hello Eldiano.

Although the review is fine and you have memories related to that set please have in mind that the post you were replying to was in fact some 7 years old.

This is what we call "bumping of old topics" and it shouldn't be done.

You might want to take a look at our FAQ:

Posting tips and etiquette

Edited April 6, 2015 by Phred
by Phred: Read next post please.

[Capn Frank]

Eldiano, thank you for posting about your desire to have this set. I do own the set, and I do recommend it to others if they somehow find a used one.

The bricks are kind of sparse, but the the bricks it does come with are really nice, I love the figs, and the base plates are by far my favorite made by TLG.

Captain Braunsfeld, I suggest that you read through the link that covers topic bumping more clearly. I apologize for the confusion Eldiano. I do believe that I have found a way to remove the confusion of posting in old topics soon among the Pirate Staff and to the other members of EB, please stay tuned.

3. LEGO reviews don't date. Thus if you have something relevant to say then feel free to post in a topic, but if it's more than a few months old please make sure it's good.... and if it's been a few years it better be really good! For example, if you liked the review or set and want to say so you probably shouldn't. If you've got an answer to a question (such as "Does anyone have pictures of the alternate model?) then by all means post! What you shouldn't do is ask questions to the original poster; he/she may not even visit EB any more.

[Captain Fortune]

Fortunately I got this set on 2000 (not the released version, the original one). And I said "fortunately" because it's a lovely set. How could I rate it, but awesome?

A little Islander "army", the islander girl, Ironhook and that cool boat with two sails, the jail-polynesian statue.

I must recognize that I have a thing with the Islanders. I know that they are weird, poorly based on the polynesian aborigens, etc. But they are very original, broke with the traditional enemies, and gave to the Pirates theme an exotic and wild look.

[eldiano]

I realized that building the chess set from the new pirates theme, they are two grey heads that reminded me of the king kahuna throne, which goes to say that I am hoping they bring back new sets, I just wish they were bigger. I would love to build the old ones, but I would side more towards the newer model if they ever released them.

[Banjo]

What an amazing (old) set! I loved Pirates in my childhood, but that was before the Islander and Spanish stuff... mine were the BSB and soldier fortress with the big baseplate. As I'm now returning to Pirates, I've tracked down most of the 2009 sets and of course bought the new 2015 sets... but knowing I missed this "middle" period of Islanders vs Pirates makes me a bit sad... those Islanders are soooo "Monkey Island" (those of my age likely feel the same) to my eyes! Oh for a "Lemonhead" minfig... ;)

I'm curious now how much this set sells for, given it was apparently one of very few Lego actually re-released! I recently bought a MISB BSB that was an early 2000's re-release, and it was very pricey... but then, I suspect the BSB has a LOT more of a nostalgic following these days than this set! Can anyone give me a rough idea what this set goes for in as-new condition these days?

Regardless, a fantastic review with some great photos of the whole set and minifigs... even though this is an old thread, I am glad someone else bumped it recently so I can add my thoughts too. :)

One thing I've noticed comparing the newest Pirates sets to the 80's ones I had as a kid (and these from the 90's) is the move away from baseplates and big "panel" pieces. I actually like that in a lot of ways; whilst I miss baseplates being included as they are a great starting point for creating new things (and make the sets easier to "play" with), visually, I think Lego-designed model sets look better without them.