Review: 6254 Rocky Reef

[Inconspicuous]

Welcome to my third Pirates review! The Pirates theme was definitely my favorite theme as a kid. Although I owned a few large islands and ships (which I may review at a future date) this set is my favorite. Why? I have absolutely no idea. I just liked for some reason. Maybe some in-depth analysis will uncover that secret.

BASIC INFORMATION:

Set Name: Rocky Reef

Set Number: 6254

Number of Pieces: 101

Minifigs: 3

Price: $15.00 USD

Theme: Pirates

Year Released: 1995

RESOURCES:

Brickset

Peeron

Bricklink

Brickshelf

THE REVIEW:

BOX:

Front:

When I was a kid, I would always cut the box art off sets and hang them around my room. I only have the front of the box, so that's all I can show you. However, it is a very nice scene in which the two pirates are digging up the treasure and the skeleton is watching them. As I've pointed out before, the background appears to be sculpted and not computer-generated.

Box:: Thoughts: Well, I really can't judge the box too well with only the front, but it looks nice and is a decent size.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Front:

The front of the instructions is identical to the box art, minus the age range, the piece count, and the Pirates logo.

Random Page:

A random page in which the sliding door is being locked into place by a gray plate. The background colors are very nice, and the pictures are easy to read.

Back:

The last step is featured on the back, so no parts inventory or ads.

Instructions:: Thoughts: Nice, easy to follow instructions with good colors. I believe the instructions were originally folded in three, but years of storage have made mine flat.

PIECES:

Pieces (unsorted):

The unsorted pieces. Quite a few colors, mainly yellow and gray.

Pieces (sorted):

The sorted pieces. There are quite a few large pieces such as the baseplate, the boat, and the LURPs. (Click for bigger pic)

Pieces of interest/ Accesories:

Some of the interesting parts of this set. The built palm tree and red boat are lovely. Plenty of accessories as well. I really like the yellow turntable, and although it appears in 42 sets, I only have one or two. I'm used to the black ones, so the yellow is nice for a change.

Pieces:: Thoughts: Some nice colors, and types here. A large baseplate is uncommon in a small set, and it would have barely fit into the box. Other people may complain about BURPs, but I think they're fine. I used 7 of them in my Mines of Moria MOC. (Link)

MINIFIGS:

Front:

A front view of our cast. Two pirates and a classic skeleton. These were very common minifigs for a set back then, but they are excellent nowadays. And no battle-droid arms on the skeleton!

Back:

A back view of the cast. No back printing, which was normal in that era. Then again, how would you print a skeleton?

Minifigs:: Thoughts: Nice minifigs, and the right amount for a small set. Adding Imperials wouldn't make sense, and three pirates might be too many.

THE BUILD:

Build:

In build shots of Rocky Reef. It's a quick build due to all the big pieces.

Build:: Thoughts: Quite fast, but enjoyable. The play feature is fun to build. No interesting techniques used.

COMPLETED PRODUCT:

The Whole Set:

A shot of the whole set. The colors blend well on the island, and there are plenty of places to stand on the island.

Play Feature:

A view of the island with the secret compartment open. Opening the compartment opens the sliding rock door simultaneously. Sliding the compartment closed doesn't close the rock door, but the opposite works.

Back View:

A back view with the door open. You can see that there is room to hide inside the cave, and not be noticed when it's opened. Also note the palm tree of the 2x2 brick. Huh? I didn't know palm trees grew like that.

Video Demonstration:

And now for a little video demonstration of the play feature for those of you thoroughly confused by my explanation. Notice that the compartment doesn't close all the way, unless you move all the way.

_______________________________________________

Now for those Totals!

Design: 8/10 It could use another place to stand to make the digging look more realistic. It lost another point because of the palm tree's placement.

Parts: 9/10 A big baseplate is great for a little set. A shovel would have been better than a pick-ax though.

Build: 7/10 A little quick because of all the big pieces.

Minifigs: 9/10 The right amount of minifigs for this size set, and nice torso printing. Hooray for no battle-droid arms!

Playability: 9/10 The function is pure win. Really fun to play with, except that it doesn't close all the way when use push in the rock door.

Price: 7/10 101 pieces for $15 isn't great, but when there are large baseplates, LURPS, and a boat, it makes sense.

Total: 49/60 A decent little set, with a great function, good minifigs, and a fair selection of pieces. This has always been one of my favorite sets, and I can't not recommend it. If you have any interest in it, it's definitely worth a try.

Thanks for reading!

-Inconspicuous

[Erdbeereis]

Another lovely review!

This is yet again a fun little set with some nice minifigs and a solid build. I wish we would get more small sets like this nowadays.

I'll index this.

[Lorentzen]

Sweet review. Sometimes I look at pictures of LEGO sets and think "meh - that's not really a set for me"

This set was kind of "meh" for me, but after reading and seeing your review, my opinion changed quite a bit.

Thanks :)

[domboy]

This is one of these sets that I really wanted as a kid, but never got until just recently. I really like how there is no real conflict in the set (assuming the skeleton doesn't come alive), just pirates looking for buried treasure on a really nice sandy bit of an island. The only thing I would change would be to add a couple of yellow bricks to extend the island to where the palm tree is growing. But I suppose it could be considered just really shallow water between the tree and where the treasure is buried. Maybe it is high tide and only a bit of sand sticks back out of the water where the tree is, and at low tide it's connected. Or maybe I'm making too big a deal about it.

I also think this little island can make a nice crash location for the new 6253 Shipwreck Hideout.

Great review, by the way.

Edited August 25, 2009 by domboy

[Big Cam]

Great review.

I love all the old original Pirate Sets too.

[JeffD984]

I always enjoyed these smaller sets because they came with good quality pieces and were cheap! I hope Lego comes out with smaller sets like these in the future!