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funkybrick

REVIEW - 6277 Imperial Trading Post

6277 Imperial Trading Post  

12 members have voted

  1. 1. How do you rate this set?

    • Poor
      0
    • Below average
      1
    • Average
      0
    • Above average
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    • Outstanding
      11


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A nice box, but not much to say here...

The instructions

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Nicely printed and well-conceived. It's not very difficult to build this set. The only exception is that the instructions don't give a clue where exactly to put the palm tree. You have to look at the very end of the instructions to "plant it where it belongs". But that's not really important, is it? ;)

Let's move on to the minifigs...

The Imperials

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Two redcoat soldiers, one officer and the admiral.

General sailors

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The rare brown-vested sailor and two others.

The pirates

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Not very special ones, but they fit the set very well, I think.

The minifig selection is almost perfect, I think, and the Trading Post just got the right balance of Imperials, sailors and pirates. One more soldier would have been cool, though, but it's not that necessary.

Let's begin with the building!

At first, the instructions tell you to build the small pirate boat.

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Doesn't it look fabulous? Besides, the mast is built on a turntable, so steering is no problem! ;)

Then it's the merchant ship's turn.

The ship

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Under the tile on which the brown-vested guy is standing, there's a storage space.

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The holder for a treasure chest is a sweet detail :pir-cry_happy:

An amazing merchant ship... what else can I say? Who wouldn't want to add this to their collection?

Let's continue building!

The next step is to build the ramped baseplate part.

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The ramped baseplate part

The two main buildings are a tower and a warehouse. Both are equipped with wonderful and really working cranes. The one on the tower is especially cool! Additionally, there are two cannons, a mobile and a rotating one.

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There's also a storage "chamber" in the ground.

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The cannon with rolls is a cool feature, especially for cannon-fanatics :D

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The roof of the warehouse can be opened to reveal some extra space. Another nice detail!

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Want to have a pint? The admiral can't get enough, can he? :pir_laugh2:

And our journey continues... the "port" part on a flat baseplate has to be built!

The flat baseplate part

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Basically, it consists of a pier for ships and a building with a lookout tower. There's also a rotating cannon (the third cannon in this set... not bad I think! :pir-classic: )

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Looks nice. I'm just saying :pir-laugh:

THE ENTIRE TRADING POST

Look at it in its full glory!

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It looks fantastic. In my opinion it's even better than the Eldorado Fortress.

Look at these details! It resembles a very good picture of a lively trading post!

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Oh, I love the bridge! :pir-wub:

The extra parts

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Yeah, these are the extra parts that come with this set.

CONCLUSION

Design: 10/10 - Great. Everything is very-well-constructed in a wonderful architectural style and it looks quite realistic. The two ships that also come with this set are lovely and it's the only set EVER to include a bonafide merchant ship (which looks fabulous too)!

Minifigs: 9,5/10 - Almost perfect. Just the right balance of Imperials, pirates and sailors. Also, you get the rare brown-vested sailor and the red Imperial admiral. One additional soldier would have been nice, though. Overall, an excellent minifig selection.

Parts: 9/10 - There are lots of rare and useful parts. Enough to build your own creations without any problems.

Playability: 10/10 - Many minifigs from different factions, three cannons, two working cranes and two ships! What more could one want?

Price: 9/10 - The original retail price of 85$ was very fair, but nowadays it can get quite expensive. Anyway, it's really worth it! I am absolutely satisfied with the purchase ;)

Overall: 9,5/10 - An epic set. A must-buy for every Lego Pirates fan!

That was my review of the Imperial Trading Post.

Thanks for reading,

funkybrick

EDIT:

Some more pics:

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Edited by Phred

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Mister Phes would probably want to kill me for opening the box :pir-tongue:

I would kill you for not opening the set! This was one of my favorites from childhood, and you should definitely enjoy it. This review was great, and it makes me want to pull my old one out and build it again.

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Great review my friend! :pir-classic::pir-wink:

I always thought this was beter than the Eldoraldo Fortress myself! :pir-laugh:

Although they serve different purposes, I always liked this one better than Eldorado as well. One of my all time favorite sets, I practically begged for this set as a kid but never got it. Thank goodness for eBay, I was able to add this set to my collection a few years ago. One of the best sets Lego has ever produced, IMO and I added a few extra barrels and treasure chests to add even more of a trading and commerce feeling to the set.

Thank you very much for the review funkybrick!

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Very nice review. Although not all of your pictures loaded I was quite happy to see all of the details in the pictures that did load. I also liked to see some good pictures of the box. Thanks for a great review. P.S. You made a good choice to open it. Over time cardboard boxes can leak a type of acid that will destroy the plastic bricks so you made a good choice. :pir-classic:

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Awesome review, awesome set. This is one of the true classics of Pirate sets. The uncommon Midi Scale ship is quite interesting, and really works well with the set. I love the good 'ol pirate minifigs, especially the rare printed torso. This set is simply full of amazing touches from the extra storage in the loft and underground, to the nice dock and big base.

If Pirates returns anytime, I would definitely want sets like this that are superb all-around, and civilian-based for that matter.

Thanks for the review. :thumbup:

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Easily one of my favorite Lego sets of all time. Love every detail about it. I picked it up off ebay a year or so ago and still have it built. The merchant ship is amazing.

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I got myself an Imperial Trading Post MISB (Mister Phes would probably want to kill me for opening the box :pir-tongue: )

That's alright, who's he to say LEGO was meant to stay in a box? :pir_laugh2: Enjoy what you have when you can, as It can be stolen, broke.. Or you could die before even getting a chance to play with it. :thumbup: Nice review. and very nice box condition. :pir-oh3:

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I got a second-hand version of these some time ago (the exclusive merchant and the admiral are missing, but the price reflected that) and I would definitely love to have this brand new. Pristine, non-stained sails, no little bite or scratch marks... that must be satisfying. How many of these would now be left in the wild now that you've opened yours? :pir_laugh2: I still think Eldorado Fortress is the best 'land based' set ever released in the Pirates theme though, but this is a really really close second!

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How many of these would now be left in the wild now that you've opened yours? :pir_laugh2:

At least the 4 that are still for sale on BrickLink and the 2 that I got here in my house. :pir-tongue: I think there is still a dozen of these unopened in collector's hands and maybe more in hidden places such as toy stores in remote areas in countries where no collector has ever been, forgotten presents sitting in lofts or attics waiting to be opened or sold (you occassionally see people offering this sort of items on eBay when they find them). Hard to tell how many are still in MISB condition exactly. After all this is a set from 1995 if memory serves and in 15 years a lot of these sets must have been opened, built and/or played with at some point.

By the way, great review of this magnificent set. It is one of my favourites. Where did you get this MISB set? One sold on BL this past month for $450. Is that by coincidence your set Mr. Funkybrick?

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By the way, great review of this magnificent set. It is one of my favourites. Where did you get this MISB set? One sold on BL this past month for $450. Is that by coincidence your set Mr. Funkybrick?

Yeah, it is indeed mine! :D

I see that you are watching the market^^

@bengun: which pictures didn't load for you? :pir-oh3: Is anyone else here experiencing the same problem?

And thank you for the great feedback, guys :pir_laugh2:

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Very nice review, funkybrick! Probably my favorite Pirate set as well, because it not only has a well made Imperial base, but also a nicely sized ship - something we've never really seen since the release of this set.

Congratulations on acquiring such a beautiful set, and thanks for doing a review for it :pir_laugh2:! It's nice to see reviews of older sets that begin MISB.

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Wow, looks amazing!

Those 'new' colors and such...much different from my old Imperial Trading Post set which has remained build for more then 10 years.

Thanks for the review.

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Just a quick question on this: is $163 reasonable for this set, complete without box? Or should I wait for a better deal?

I don't know what the condition of the set is like but 163$ without the box is a not very good deal, I think.

Btw there's one for 200$ on bricklink with box... that's not bad!

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I don't know what the condition of the set is like but 163$ without the box is a not very good deal, I think.

Btw there's one for 200$ on bricklink with box... that's not bad!

Well I'm not too fazed by the lack of box, because I'm really just looking for the set to play with and add to my layout... although I understand that an open box can mean an incomplete set, I'm not too worried.

I'm also limited to stores in the US, so taking that into account...

I'm about to make a seperate thread in BS&T, so you could retort this there. :pir-laugh:

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This is sadly one of the sets I never had but always wanted to. All the details are just amazing, in fact I had no idea about some of them until reading your review (like the opening roof of the warehouse). While it was the Pirates who had the best ships in the Classic Pirates era, it was the Imperials who had the best ground facility. The little ship is great too.

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Well I'm not too fazed by the lack of box, because I'm really just looking for the set to play with and add to my layout... although I understand that an open box can mean an incomplete set, I'm not too worried.

I'm also limited to stores in the US, so taking that into account...

I'm about to make a seperate thread in BS&T, so you could retort this there. :pir-laugh:

Still... there are better deals!

THIS ONE for example is not bad! Hope that helped :pir-classic::pir_laugh2:

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Its.....beautiful! :pir-cry_happy: I've never seen this set in such amazing condition!

A fine review to go with it :thumbup: So how did it feel opening this 'classic'?

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Yeah, it is indeed mine! :D

I see that you are watching the market^^

Well, let's say that I stop by @ BL every now and then. It was the easiest way to check if a new set sold in the past few months so I decided to do a quick check on that and ask you about it.

I got 2 MISB copies of this set. Got them since 2006-2007 or so. One came from Germany, the other one was originally sold in the UK. The latter has broken box seals but everything is still sealed inside the original polybags and the plastic tray (inlay) with the figs and some of the parts is also perfectly new and unused. Both were eBay purchases. They are still waiting to be opened and built. On the other hand, I have 2 used copies of this set in pretty good shape and complete with box and instructions so there is really no need to open them. I think I will keep them a while longer and might consider to sell one of them eventually.

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Well, let's say that I stop by @ BL every now and then. It was the easiest way to check if a new set sold in the past few months so I decided to do a quick check on that and ask you about it.

I got 2 MISB copies of this set. Got them since 2006-2007 or so. One came from Germany, the other one was originally sold in the UK. The latter has broken box seals but everything is still sealed inside the original polybags and the plastic tray (inlay) with the figs and some of the parts is also perfectly new and unused. Both were eBay purchases. They are still waiting to be opened and built. On the other hand, I have 2 used copies of this set in pretty good shape and complete with box and instructions so there is really no need to open them. I think I will keep them a while longer and might consider to sell one of them eventually.

Wow 2 MISB ones! Mine is the first and only 6277 I possess.

I myself started to collect the whole Imperial Guards line in MISB condition... I open them, but treat them extremely well so that they are still in new condition in 10 years :D

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Finally - I've been waiting for a review of this set for ages!

I've even considered buying a set on ebay, just build it and review it :pir_laugh2:

But even in opened condition that set is too expensive for me right now.

I'm not sure I would have bought a MISB just to open it, but might have bought that 200 dollars set that you linked to instead.

BUT I can definitely see the point of getting a fuzzy feeling inside from opening such an amazing classic set for the first time ever.

Thank you for the review. May I suggest that you in the future use the function "Macro" when you take pictures close up? And in bright light so you don't have to use a flash.

I really really loved to see all the pictures iof the box. I've been searching the internet for a long time trying to find such good pictures of the box.

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Wow 2 MISB ones! Mine is the first and only 6277 I possess.

I myself started to collect the whole Imperial Guards line in MISB condition... I open them, but treat them extremely well so that they are still in new condition in 10 years :D

I got the first one in September 2006 from a professional German eBay merchant and Lego specialist who evidently knew what he had. I paid a lot for that one but the box is in pretty good condition with no marks etc. The second one was acquired in May 2007 from a private seller (someone who cleared out his loft) in the UK. Like I said, the latter has the box seals broken and a price tag here and there also. Definitely not as good as the first one but still a set with everything sealed inside worth keeping in MISB condition.

Edited by jamtf

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