33 replies to this topic

[Zorro]

The Imperial Flagship of the imperial guards: commanded by the governor (or admiral) himself !
The "mighty" flagship is the backbone of the imperial fleet, leading the attacks against the evil, wicked pirates.

Set name: Imperial Flagship
Theme: Pirates
Subtheme: Imperial Guards
Set number: 6271
Number of pieces: 306
Minifigs:4
Released: 1992 (discontinued)
Release price: 50 USD
Current price: 75-100 USD on ebay and Bricklink; up to 350 USD for MINT
Bricklink
My Brickshelf pics

The front of the box

This picture comes directly from Bricklink, since I only have a damaged one .

Instructions sheet: front pic

This would be the Dutch version.

Instructions sheet: inside look

You can clearly see it is on a step-by-step basis, just as it should be ! Nothing too advanced or difficult to find. Notice the nice pic of the rudder.

Instructions sheet: back pic

On the upper right you see an optional build: a nice Sloop O'War ! (the instructions for this are NOT included)

Some important (and expensive) parts

2 Guns, 3 cutlasses, 2 muskets and a pistol: enough weapons, not plenty though. The compass really works! if you have one, keep it on you and you will always know the way up North .
The treasure (8 coins) is a must for a ship like this one.
The steering wheel is nice, and last but not least: you get a shako, an officers bicorne hat, a backpack and blue epaulettes for your little soldier: worth well over 6 USD on Bricklink if bought separately!
Additional parts: one blue and yellow epaulette !
Inventory list

The minifigs


Four minifigs are included with this set. The rare imperial governor included. You also get one imperial guard, one imperial guard officer and one lower ranking sailor.
The sailor can be used as a pirate too, TLC must have done this to improve playability, especcialy if you don't have any other sets. Personally, I would have preferred an additional imperial guard, or at least another soldier instead of the second officer (the first one being the admiral ), but that is a matter of opinion.

The sails

Whats not to like about these sails... You can use them on almost any homebuild ships and/or other MOCs.
I find them better looking than the sails of the imperial soldiers (the bluecoats, that is).

A look inside

You can see the two guns, there are 12 grey cannonballs included, so you have some ammunition to bombard your wife/little sister/anyone annoying you: that is if you have the non-US version. As most of us know, the US version has non-shooting guns, the other ones can shoot.

An overview

This is one side of the ship. If you move the steering wheel, you can actually change the direction of the rudder, too bad the flagship doesnt float...

The other side

Some of you may notice a little parrot sitting near the admiral, that damned bird has landed there just when I took this picture. It is not included in the set.
One thing I find missing is a real figurehead: a yellow torso would have done nice.

My summary:

Price:9/10 The retail price was acceptable, and even now I think its worth the price you would pay on eBay or Bricklink. It still is one of the cheapest pirate/soldiers ships available.
Design: 8/10 It looks pretty good knowing it has only 300 pieces. The imperial flagship is a descent medium-sized ship: if you want to go larger, I suggest you buy the Skulls Eye Schooner or the Black Seas Barracuda.
There are plenty of smaller sets and boats available too.
Minifigs and parts: 9/10 Who wouldnt want to have an imperial governor and some of his soldiers? As said, I would have liked one more crewman, but we can't have it all!
There are plenty of good parts included (see the parts pic). The guns are removable and have the standard brown wheels.
Playability: 7/10 Too few minifigs to have a real battle between soldiers and pirates, but that can be solved easily by buying another pirate set. And you can have hours of fun navigating the ship through the islands and oceans if you have some imagination!

Overall: 8,3/10 A great set. Every pirate and soldier fan must have one of these !

[Richie]

Great review. I agree with your comments. As soon as I saw one MISB for a reasonable price, I bought it. There was one black 1 x 2 brick missing, but I had enough spare ones.

[gormadoc1]

This ship looks great and has a similar design to the renegade runner so I'm thinking there is a challenge for Iron hook . The ship itself looks fantastic and at least you get a pirate as well as soldiers.

[Fluyt]

This looks like such an awesome set, it's high on my wanted list. One of the few I still really want, I do have the sails though (+an extra mainsail and triangular sail).
Excellent minifig selection for this set to be as a standalone set.

[Captain Roger]

is wonderful...i love that ship...is better than the other "good guys" ships, the caribbean clipper and the Armada flagship. Have a nice design and is powerful.

[Ratshot]

Zorro, on Jun 21 2009, 10:29 AM, said:

The compass really works! if you have one, keep it on you and you will always know the way up North .

My frend and I once used it when we went out camping, our parents thought we were retarted  

Another good review Zorro

[Commodore Hornbricker]

I love this set.  Great review.  I have one and I always tell myself I should get another.  A real classic.  I haven't built her in a long time.  Thanks for the trip back memory lane.

[Admiral M]

Great review! one of my favorite ships, it's the one I really wanted to get. Thanks for reviewing it.

[Lego_Warlord_8]

Ahh, the good days when pirates roamed the seas and imperials chasing them.   You make my wish I had more classic pirates sets of my own. ~LW 8~

Edited by Lego_Warlord_8, 03 July 2009 - 01:32 AM.

[Dreamweb]

This is beyond doubt the best of the narrow-hull ships. Everything is in the right place, colours are nice and the whole thing is very aesthetically pleasing. The ships looks fast and maneuverable compared to ships like BSB or SES. The crew is nice and it's always good to have Admiral Woodhouse. The sails are one of the best Lego has ever released, with realistic canvas colour.

The only two things I'd change are: the window at the stern, which looks silly as half of it is over the bridge level so it actually is a window between the outside and the outside, and the rudder turning mechanism - I never really liked it, I prefer to save that space for a cabin or something more useful. Apart from that it's a great set and a true classic.

[Big Cam]

Thanks for this review, I wish there were some in build pics but that's just my preferance.

Most of these ships came out when I was quite young and I don't know why I never got more ships than just the BSB.  That's why I love reviews, lets me experience the sets without owning it.

[Aquila D'oro]

Zorro, on Jun 22 2009, 12:29 AM, said:

Overall: 8,3/10 A great set. Every pirate and soldier fan must have one of these !

I KNOW!! still trying to get one!!     

great set i agree -  would prefer it to have another imperial minifigure as i dont think 3 men is enough to sail that size ship. however it has improved on the CC which didnt have any pirates which limits the stand alone playability of the set

[martinsuper]

My very first pirate set. Still holds a place in my heart.

[Jack Bricker]

I have to say I really liked this ship.  This was my first Lego ship and I will always like it.  The color scheme just works and I really like the sails.  Great set and great review.  5/5

[Grimmy]

This ship is really nice. I checked eBay and saw a couple for bid and a couple buy-it-nows (used) at $120.00 U.S. + shipping charges. I really like that captain minifig, or is that the governor? He sure looks spiffy in his white gloves and his bicorn hat which has a nice elegant white lined top trim and a snowflake logo with a white plume on top of his hat. He looks like a ritzy sailor. The ship is very nice. What are the sails made of? Are they the same paper thin fabric used on today's ships and other things such as capes, tents, and ragtops for vehicles? I really dislike that choice of material Lego uses to represent fabric. I disliked it when I first saw it personally and felt it, only about a month ago or so when I got a used Harry Potter set that had capes on minifigs. Weeks ago me and my niece built the Castle theme Troll Warship which is big and awesome. People in my house over for Christmas were all interested in the ship (as well as the Winter Toy Shop scene by the tree) and kept asking if the sails were paper and rip easily. I really do think it's a poor choice of material. Surprisingly, it fools the eye well in photos. But when you have it in real life view, it seems like a poor excuse for fabric unfortunately.

On another note, we are building the new Imperial Flagship at my house. We saw it built on display in the Lego store and it was just giant! Amazing! Callousal! Has Lego ever released a ship that big before? It has around 1600 pieces. I know that in my house, people are going to awe at it, especially after seeing the Troll Warship. It's funny how when average non-Lego people hear of a Lego set, they generally think of a small toy set. But when they see something like these ships or the buildings like the Cafe, Market, Fire House, ETC they are amazed and intrigued.

[Dreamweb]

Grimmy, on Jan 13 2010, 08:24 AM, said:

Are they the same paper thin fabric used on today's ships and other things such as capes, tents, and ragtops for vehicles? I really dislike that choice of material Lego uses to represent fabric. I disliked it when I first saw it personally and felt it, only about a month ago or so when I got a used Harry Potter set that had capes on minifigs. Weeks ago me and my niece built the Castle theme Troll Warship which is big and awesome. People in my house over for Christmas were all interested in the ship (as well as the Winter Toy Shop scene by the tree) and kept asking if the sails were paper and rip easily. I really do think it's a poor choice of material. Surprisingly, it fools the eye well in photos. But when you have it in real life view, it seems like a poor excuse for fabric unfortunately.

Actually, back then the sails were made of much thicker and better material. I suggest you check them out if you have that possibility. The ship reviewed here, as well as other ships from that era, had very nice thick sails, which were also printed on both sides, while nowadays the sails are of a lower quality material and they're white on one side.

[MillerTime]

Pound for pound by far one of the best pirate sets...I managed to get one extremely cheap in a lot with other sets. It looks so realistic and has nice dimensions (caribbean clipper seems way too wide for the length of the ship). This thing is a beauty, and perfect selection of figs.

[Dreamweb]

Aquila D'oro, on Jan 12 2010, 04:16 PM, said:

great set i agree -  would prefer it to have another imperial minifigure as i dont think 3 men is enough to sail that size ship. however it has improved on the CC which didnt have any pirates which limits the stand alone playability of the set

That is a common misconception that we've talked about a thousand times or so. The guy in a stripped shirt is not necessarily a pirate. He can just be a sailor - not all sailors on naval ships were soldiers. In fact, there's a picture on the box where we see him helping the other soldier carry the treasure chest. I know this might also indicate that he's a prisoner and they ordered him to do it, but that's just a matter of personal choice really. In short - he can, but does not have to be a pirate. Same goes for similar characters in Imperial Trading Post and other sets.

[Grand Poobah]

Zorro, on Jun 21 2009, 05:29 AM, said:

A look inside

You can see the two guns, there are 12 grey cannonballs included, so you have some ammunition to bombard your wife/little sister/anyone annoying you: that is if you have the non-US version. As most of us know, the US version has non-shooting guns, the other ones can shoot.

I live in the U.S. and I love the Pirate theme but WHAT???

The European Cannons can actually shoot stuff? When?

I always wondered about that, but how??

[Pellaeon]

Grand Poobah, on Jan 14 2010, 08:24 AM, said:

I live in the U.S. and I love the Pirate theme but WHAT???

The European Cannons can actually shoot stuff? When?

I always wondered about that, but how??

The 2009 Pirates have shooting cannons in the US, so go pick up a set if you can still find 'em!  The European cannons have always fired like the 2009 ones do, but this is the first time they've been widely available in the US.  This is the first firing cannon I've ever owned:

(which should answer the question of "how??" )

[Grand Poobah]

Pellaeon, on Jan 15 2010, 01:13 AM, said:

The 2009 Pirates have shooting cannons in the US, so go pick up a set if you can still find 'em!  The European cannons have always fired like the 2009 ones do, but this is the first time they've been widely available in the US.  This is the first firing cannon I've ever owned:

Wow, that's impressive, I sort of feel compelled to buy some LEGOs now, but I can't at the moment. Maybe in a few years down the line.

[Legorski]

I got this set half-assembled from my cousin, I still need to find the rest of it at his place! 8D

[Skulls_Eye_Schooner_Sailor]

That was a nice little review you did there for a truly classic set.  This was the first and only LEGO ship I had as a child.  I was always annoyed I didn't have any pirate ships to battle it, although I cherished this one.  I actually had a chance to get Renegade Runner, but chose Rock Island Refuge instead.   Ahh, the memories!

So of course, I had to re-buy this as an adult.  Although, I still have the old sails and other pieces to my old ship, so I am sure that offers some good customizing abilities!  Though I have since used the pieces from the old Imperial Flagship along with other pieces to make a custom ship, pictures and reviews like this can remind me what it was like.

Yes, I always figured that that guy that came with it could be a sailor, or a prisoner, slave, etc... not necessarily a pirate.  He's even manning the wheel in one of the pics!

[funkybrick]

Nice review, Zorro!  

Zorro (or anyone else), would you please tell me the measurements of the ship? I need the length, width and height for my future redcoat display.  

Signed,
funkybrick

[Strand]

Nice review. What a cute little ship, compared to the new Flagship, it's all quaint. Can't believe it was called "Flagship", more like Flag-dinghy.