Zeya

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About Zeya

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    Thinks He's a Stud

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    Pirates

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    Male
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    USA > CA > San Jose

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  1. Zeya

    Official Pirate Names (1989-1990 line)

    The word "boatswain" is pronounced like "boats'n" or "bo'sun". It's a nautical thing. So if there are comics or whatnot where it's spelled like "Bo'Sun", they were just kind of spelling it out phonetically. I used to row competitively in high school. The (usually small/light) person who sits in the stern, steers the boat, and calls out orders (NOT "row row row!" which is an annoying misconception) is called the coxswain, which is pronounced like "cox'n". It's the same type of thing, boatswain->bo'sun, coxswain->cox'n.
  2. Zeya

    Useful Pirate Pieces from other Themes?

    Yes, the smear on the right is red.
  3. Zeya

    hammock (is that how you spell it? XD)

    Needs a monkey or alligator sleeping in the empty hammock!
  4. Zeya

    Pirates 1989 Launch Line

    It depends on your definition of what a set is. The comic thing includes minifigs and accessories, so I technically consider that a set. I wouldn't count the double pack bundle as a set, per se.
  5. Zeya

    Useful Pirate Pieces from other Themes?

    The Lego Twitter feed just posted a photo of Pirate Batman from an upcoming DK book: CcjuS02UAAErmBZ.jpg:large
  6. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    I stand corrected about the back printing: 2009 and 2015 waves all had back prints. Oh yeah, I somehow hadn't noticed. I actually beg to differ. I hate that plasticy-sheet material. It was put to especially bad use in the PotC wave for the waterfall in that one little set. I think because when I was a kid, the flags were all hard plastic, that makes me lean more toward that for the flags. That's hilarious. I need to make a point to stockpile gold coins too. I'm starting to wonder if they'll ever make those again. It really seems like chrome gold is used very sparingly these days. I really don't like pearl gold. I just can't get used to it, hardly for anything except an odd accent piece here and there, maybe. It looks more brassy than gold. But yeah, the treasure in these sets is just sad. The gems are okay in moderate doses, but it's just not the same.
  7. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    Ninjago simply has a lot more going for it, for the not-yet-AFOL audience. :) A wider range of sets, more collectible minifigs, flashier elements, more action figures and weapons, the spinner card game thing, the tv shows. I hate to say it but... pirates versus ninjas? I'm afraid the ninjas are winning... I mean corrupting our youth!! Arr!! Yeah, Lego knows where the bread is buttered, in terms of profits. On the flip side, at least we got a pirates wave free of some of these extraneous things that AFOLs aren't generally keen to. And if you go back and read a lot of the grips about past Pirates waves, TLG did listen! A lot of people didn't like BURPs, big panel pieces, and giant molded baseplates; the new wave has none of that. Everything is brick-built, which is what a lot of AFOLs prefer. With the 2009 wave, a lot of people complained about some of the silly maniacal face prints - seems better to me in 2015. More back and leg prints too. I haven't yet built all the sets (I've just built the Brick Bounty actually), but I'm happy so far. Sure I have gripes, but I consider this a solid Pirates release. Sure I wish there were more or another wave, but I'll take it. At least we don't have spinning wind-up pirates fighting alligator men, know what I mean? (Wait a minute, maybe that does sound kind of appealing... lol).
  8. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    Have we had any word on polybags for this series?
  9. Zeya

    REVIEW: 1492 - Battle Cove

    Thank you for the kind words, everyone! Writing reviews is a lot more work than you might think, even for a set this size! It's interesting to hear that they didn't have these polybags in Europe back in 1992. As far as I know, they've always been here in the US, usually on a hook by a checkout lane. I don't necessarily remember this particular set as a kid, but then I didn't have the greatest memory of my lego sets in general. When I rediscovered my childhood sets, I was surprised at what was there. I thought for sure I had a BSB, but instead have a Caribbean Clipper, for instance. Memory is a tricky thing, especially that far back. Luckily I had all my old instruction booklets to go by, including for this one.
  10. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    I'll probably rush out and buy all of them the first week. I did that with POTC when it came out.
  11. Zeya

    LEGO Pirate Set Reviews

    I just posted a review for 1492: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=103205&st= This one is currently marked as "review needed" in this index. Can we update it to link to my review, please? Thanks!
  12. If you were a pirate stranded on a tiny island with a large, scary shark circling around, and could only have 3 objects with you, what would they be? There are only two correct answers to this question. You would either want a bottle of rum, another bottle of rum, and yet another bottle of rum... or you would want a gun, a bigger gun, and an even bigger gun. (Any combination of these two scenarios will only lead to dangerous pirate behavior and the risk of self-inflicted harm.) Lego set number 1492, "Battle Cove" gives us that three-gun island. Our lonely pirate may be down, but he is most certainly not out - not without a fight, anyway. Number: 1492 Name: Battle Cove Year: 1992 Pieces: 26 Minifigs: 1 Sharks: 1 Price: Unknown Availability: USA Only Informative Links: Brickset Set Entry Bricklink Catalog Entry Peeron Catalog Entry Lugnet Catalog Entry Brickipedia Entry Brickpicker Page Today I am reviewing Lego System polybag set 1492 "Battle Cove". Unfortunately, I do not have the original packaging, but I do have a complete copy otherwise. This is a set I received as a child. As such, I must cite the informative links I have placed above as historical records of this set. Apparently, this set was sold only in the USA, and according to some inventories, this set may have only been sold at certain stores or was perhaps part of some kind of promotion aimed at consumers. At any rate, it would seem that this is one of the rarer sets in the pirate theme. The Unboxing Unbagging A fresh copy of 1492 (image courtesy of BrickLink) Imagine receiving the polybag shown above. What would you do? Why, rip it right open and dump out the contents, of course! Instructions (front) The front of the instructions shows the same image as the bag packaging depicts. We see the entire set, complete with minfig and shark against a nice background and surface. As a hobbyist photographer, I really appreciate these old box/instructions photos. The good people at Lego put a refreshing emphasis on their product art. This set being from 1992, Lego has not yet turned to computer rendered artwork, and someone has put together a nice backdrop and foreground to show off this set. Bravo. Instructions (back / random segment) This image of the instructions back side is for completion. The type of instructions with this polybag set is more of a folded leaflet that has two sides' worth of instruction panels. So the "back side" in this case is really just one of the instruction panes (the first one showing how to put a shark together... and a pirate.) Set contents (sans instructions) Here we have all the pieces in this set laid out. According to set inventories, there are 26 pieces. However, I count 27! I believe the online inventories are counting the shark body and head as one piece, however the instructions show how to connect the head to the body, suggesting that the shark probably came unassembled. But enough of the geeky piece count nitpicking. Instead, let's nitpick the parts we have here! We have a decent assortment of colors here. We have 4 printed pieces. We also have 3 guns (one being a cannon, actually). (There is no rum, however. Rum bottles would not be included in pirate sets until the Pirates of the Caribbean line.) A palm frond is always a welcome addition to any collection. A smattering of light gray elements and two 6 x 6 yellow plates finish up this set's parts. These are nice to have. Printed corner wall element One piece that sticks out in particular is the printed corner wall element. According to online inventories, this element is only in 7 sets produced between 1988 and 1995. And of those 7 sets, this set is the smallest (the other six are all above 160 pieces and mostly castle-themed sets). That might make this set a viable way to acquire this piece, if not for the fact that this set was a USA exclusive. United States issue non-firing Lego cannon One interesting aspect of Lego sets released in the USA is that the cannons do not fire. I had no idea this was abnormal from the rest of the world until I was out of my dark ages. I'm not an expert on this minutae, but I've heard it explained that it was a safety concern. I believe that some copies of pirate sets in 1989 sold in the USA _did_ in fact have the pull-firing cannons at first, until the design was tweaked to have the non-firing type. The interesting thing is that the newer line of pirate sets from 2009 had firing cannons, including copies sold in the USA. The dark gray shark Here we have the set's dark gray shark. Let's be honest here: the shark is the crowning jewel of this set. I think we can all agree on that. (Be sure to cast your vote in the poll at the top of this thread!) The Minifigure The pirate (front, back) It seems that this minfig torso always accompanies this particular head, and it appears in 5 different minifigure permutations across 21 sets (all of them "classic" 80s/90s pirate sets). But in each canonical minifigure, the pants are either white, gray, or black, and the fig also always sports a tricorner hat (albeit black or brown). If not for having black pants instead of light gray, we might have been able to classify this pirate as Rummy, the first mate of the Renegade Runner. (For more pirate naming fun, see this thread). Could this pirate in fact be Rummy with different pants? I'm undecided; share your opinion on this matter by replying to this thread! Regardless, we have here a minfig whose head and torso printing are some of the more detailed in the line. I personally think the face print is one of my all-time favorites. You have an eye patch, scruffy hair, stubble, and a pleasing smile. This is part of what makes classic pirates so memorable. Everyone is happy in classic Legoland, and why not? The torso on this pirate is also one of the more detailed in the line, with a jacket exposing an undershirt and a thick, piratey belt. It's also worth noting that this torso can perhaps be put to good use as a bluecoat officer or perhaps some kind of privateer. Let's get building. The Build With so few parts in this polybag set, the build is relatively straightforward. The instructions are nice and simple, without any of the modern-day part callouts. Build foundation After a step or two, we have the beginnings of a wall and our cannon placed down. And after just a few more steps, we have our completed structure. (That was quick!) Island and structure (front) From the front, we have a bit of a fortification wall, our proud Jolly Roger pirate flag flying, and a palm frond to protect our heroic pirate from harmful UVA and UVB rays during his stay. Island and structure (rear) From the rear, we can see that the pirate has a place to hang his rifle. We also note that there are hiding places for pirate loot and cannon balls. It's a shame there aren't any in this set. How is our pirate to make use of the cannon without any ammunition? The complete build Here we have the set all together, including the pirate and the shark. Despite its size, it is an aesthetically pleasing set! For sets of this size, our imagination is really what drives the story here. Who is this pirate? And what of the island itself? Is it an abandoned fort, perhaps? There's enough playablity here to have a fair bit of fun on its own. With a chomping shark, a yawing cannon, and an armed pirate, we have all the trappings of a good pirate adventure. Still, there is room for improvement. A lack of a cannonball or two is a definite oversight, even if the cannon does not actually fire. And the addition of a monkey or some gold would really have made this set fantastic. It's a good "parts pack" at the very least, and a good addition to any pirate collection. There's enough to have a bit of fun with. If price data were available, I believe we would find a respectable price-to-parts ratio. It is also very easy to take elements from this set and add to other pirate sets. The minfigure and shark are easily added to a larger ship, as are the cannon, firearms, and flag. At the end of the day, this is a solid polybag set that captures the freespirited nature of classic pirate sets. I give this set two rusty hooks straight up! Scoring Playability: 6/10 (Minifig and shark fun, but your imagination will do some heavy lifting here.) Design: 7/10 (A reasonably attractive structure given the part count. But an extra palm frond or a monkey would be nice.) Parts: 9/10 (Some useful, detailed parts here. Multiple printed pieces. Good for crew building and armaments.) Minfigs: 7/10 (Relatively common minifig parts. But a classic and one of the more complex face and torso printings in the line.) Sharks: 9/10 (You can't go wrong with a dark gray shark. Point off for lack of additional sharks.) Price: N/A (Pricing is lost to the sands of time. Likely comparable to other polybags of its time.) Availability: 2/10 (Only available in USA! May have been an "exclusive" set only at a certain store.) Final Score: 7/10 (A solid pirate polybag. A good mix of parts, and a welcome addition to any pirate universe.) Uh oh. Looks like our hero is in trouble!... Whew! That was close! Our hero lives to fight another day.
  13. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    The January calendar for the Lego brand stores mentions new sets from certain themes coming, but Pirates was not one of the themes listed. Perhaps this will be a summer wave. (Summer sets start appearing here in the US around March/April, iirc.)
  14. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    Skull Island will probably be a retailer exclusive. The similar set from 2009 was a retailer exclusive too. For example, here in the US, only one store carries the retailer exclusive, usually Toys R Us.
  15. Zeya

    2015 LEGO Pirates Rumors and Discussion

    Well, just2good said this: So I wonder if some of the other figs might have elements molded originally for PoTC. But PoTC used the same tricorn mold (but new colors and painted brims for the British soldiers). So there's a chance of us getting fun accessories with 2015 pirates. Let's wait and see.