2
Introduction
Welcome to my fourth review on Eurobricks! On my way to review every old Pirates set that I buy new (full story on my 6247 - Bounty Boat review), I've chosen another bluecoats set this time, the smallest one from the second wave that saw the daylight in 1991. Among the four Bluecoats bases (the three others being 6265 Sabre Island, 6276 Eldorado Fortress and 6267 Lagoon Lock-Up), this is the smallest one, so how does it compare? Let's have a look.
Product Details
Set No: 6259
Set Name: Broadside's Brig (USA) - Governor Broadside's Prison (UK) - La prison des soldats (France) - Gefangnis (Germany) - Gevangenenpoort (Netherlands)
Theme: Pirates
Released: 1989-1993
Minifigures: 3
Pieces: 68
RRP: $8,75
Purchase Price: $31 new on eBay (still in sealed bags but box opened and in poor condition)
~Box~
Front
As you can see, the box has seen better days. It's the purple version from 1992 or 1993 (in 1991 it was sold in a yellow box). As always the picture is very nice (I know I say that in every review, but hey, could you only find one ugly Pirates box?). This sure is a tiny island, but it looks like a peaceful place now that the evil pirate is in jail. However the two soldiers still have a weapon at hand, rumor has it that a pirate is still sailing nearby waters with a ship almost twice as long as the Caribbean Clipper...
Back
As usual with those old boxes, we have thee nice alternate models, which will be covered in the next chapter. There also are two close-up of the pirate. I really love the hand drawn background.
Side
An alternate setup of the main model.
~Alternate models~
Alternate model 1
A guarded entry attacked by a pirate.
Alternate model 2
A small fort with a prison. It looks great.
Alternate model 3
A nice tower.
The three models are really different and look actually quite good, without two many holes or weird designs we often see in alternate models. In my opinion they all could fit in a pirates diorama alongside the mighty Eldorado Fortress. TLG did very good work here.
~Box opening~
Yo-ho-ho! Every remaining MISB Broadside's Brig now has gone up in value!
Inside the box
One loose light gray plate and yellow jail door, with two bags. Since the box was opened, I didn't get any flyers.
Instructions
A single two-faces A4 sheet, with only ten steps. There aren't too many bricks added each step, so the build is really easy. The tricorne hat is pictured smaller than usual, but it's still too big. Keep trying, Lego, you're getting closer
!~Parts and minifigure~
Part layout
Your classical yellow and white Bluecoats scheme. We get a nice selection of parts, which explains why alternate models can be this good. Parts of interest are the white brick 1x3x5 which I never saw before and the yellow corner with red bricks pattern. It's nice to get two muskets since they are the rarest pirate weapon though.
Minifigures
Two bluecoats and a pirate. Nothing unusual here, but I think it would have been better to have two soldiers instead of another officer. Notice the gold printing on the soldier's torso, which is misaligned. The officer's one is perfect, but hey, that's why he's an officer after all!
~The build~
After step 4
The whole plate is filled. The four antennas make nice prison bars.
~The finished model~
Front
When completed, it really looks like a small fort, with merlons all over the top. The jail is similar to the one in Lagoon Lock-Up. In my opinion it only lacks a ladder, as with every other Bluecoat bases, thinking of it. However the ladder piece (id 6020) appeared in 1992, bad timing sadly.
Back
Hey! Isn't the pirate trying to escape? Not all sets look nice from behind, this is not the case here.
~Final thoughts~
Design: 8/10 - Quite good for a small set, but nothing mind-blowing. In my opinion, it looks best standing near Eldorado Fortress or Lagoon Lock-Up than as a standalone. However, if you buy three or four and add its alternate models, it can turn into a fantastic fortress for a very cheap price.
Parts: 7/10 - Good parts for building forts, but nothing unusual.
Minifigs: 8/10 - It's always nice to get bluecoats (especially for the small price back then), but the pirate if really generic. At least we don't have another redbeard.
Build: 6/10 - Nothing interesting here, pretty straightforward.
Playability: 10/10 - Two soldiers, a pirate, a jail, lots of weapons. For such a small set, it's perfect.
Alternate models: 10/10 - They are all different, and they look fantastic. As I said below, it's worth buying four boxes to build all models and display them together.
Price: 10/10 - It's difficult to rate the price back then, seeing how much it costs today. But $8,75 for a fort, weapons, parrot and three minifigures was a fantastic deal. Nowadays, it can be found for about $15, which is still fair, and a cheap way to get bluecoats.
Conclusion: 8/10 - Overall it's a really great set, which only lacks a "wow" factor like Lagoon Lock-Up. However no pirates fan can go wrong buying it.
Edited by Boomchil, 30 August 2012 - 03:08 AM.
What kind of equipment do you use?
Sad that they were featured only in Carribean Clipper...
.... and plenty of parrots too 
