Bricksan Posted November 5, 2011 (edited) Introduction This set was the first one I purchased after getting back into LEGO, after a good 15 year absence. I originally owned this set the first time 'round, and I am aiming to get back all the old sets I once owned. The only way to do this is to buy it second had, so my first port of call was ebay. At the time of purchase, I was unsure what a decent price was for it, so I may have spent over the odds for it. The set I purchased came without a box, sadly, but I don't buy sets to sit in boxes so wasn't really fussed. The main things for me personally were instructions and a decent condition. In the end the set cost me £10.52 including P&P. The set itself was originally released during the Pirate Theme's most popular era, which for me was 1989-1992, though some may dispute that. The set was out in 1991 and was a small set containing only one mini figure; however it came with a shark which was good, as you did not get many sharks with the smaller sets. I think at the time I only had one other shark, so it was a welcome addition to my growing Pirate horde. Product Details Set No: 6234 Set Name: Renegade's Raft Theme: Pirates Released: 1991 Minifigures: 1 Pieces:38 RRP: £1.99 Purchase Price: £10.52 Links: Brickset Box/Packaging I did not get a box with the set I purchased off eBay. However the image on Peeron gives you a clear indication of what the box looked like. Also it is worth noting that you could get this set in a purple box or yellow box, not sure why that was. I was also able to find a photo of the back of the box as this image shows. Instructions My instruction booklet, if you can call it that! is in a used condition, but it only shows signs along the edges. The booklet consists of a fold out piece of paper with instructions front and back. If you lay it on it's side, it's about the same length as an A4 piece of paper. The front side has the cover art at the top, followed by the assembly of the minifigure and then the shark. This is then followed by stages 1 to 3. When you turn over, you have the rest of the instructions numbered 4 to 8. However, for build purposes, number 8 shows the completed set and number one and two, is the image of the rectangle base of the raft, one facing up and the other turned up side down, for me I can't see the point of the first two stages. Parts The parts, once they arrived in a padded envelope, were first hand washed individually to get any dust and grease off them and then were placed on a white board and counted to make sure all the parts were there, according to the count by Brickset. After washing them, each piece was inspected for major damage, as I wanted the set to be in as perfect condition as possible. After inspection, one piece (Black coloured plate 1 x 2 with 1 Stud) was found to be less then perfect, so I made a note of the piece, as I will replace that at a later date. The set includes two brown oars, the shark in two parts, a sword, pistol and pirate flag. The oar housing at the back is a movable part and this part I first had for the bonnet of set 6698. Personally I feel you get a good amount of pieces for such a small set. I was happy that most pieces being 20 years old were in very good condition. if I was to be picky I would replace the oars at some point as they have marks where they have been clipped on. Mini Figure Firstly the mini figure required assembly, nothing to it to be honest but to stick with the images, remember to have the hole in the hat at the front on the left side, also, only his right hand is held out. After that, I put the sharks jaw onto it's body, sometimes this can be a bit awkward and stiff, but once you have opened and closed it a few times there are no problems. The mini figure is not a bad one as you get quite a lot of detail on it. I like how the face has an eye patch and if people remember the Pirate theme was the first to get different faces. The top is one of my fav from the Pirate themes with the excellent design on the front. Build Well, to be honest, it is a set which built once, can be built again without the instructions. I even had a go at doing it without the instructions, as memories came flooding back. It was rather easy, but for the purpose of this review I will take you through the build stage by stage. I split the building of the raft into three parts, the first 3 stages, the second 3 stages and completion. The first stage mainly consisted of the underside of the raft. Stages one and two instruct you to get the black 4x6 plate and then turn it up side down. Stage 3, really is the start of the build. Firstly you have to get two black bracket 1x2 - 1x4. This is so you can fix it to the underside of the base and have bricks on the side as well. Then what you have to do, is put 8 yellow 1x1 Round with Hollow Stud, on each one, with each stud having have two yellow bricks on it. This is repeated again and then you put them back to back, so the yellow bricks are facing outwards from the center of the base. One thing I noticed is you can see a little mark on all the yellow bricks, from the production process. I always make sure if possible these are not visible. Stages 4,5 and 6 basically finish the raft build. Stage 4 adds a grey 2x2 plate to the underside of the raft, thus securing the parts you put on in stage 3 of the build. Stage 5 is the stage of the build on top of the base. Firstly you put two black 1x1 plate with vertical clip (Type 2), on the far side of the raft in the center of the outer row of the black 4x6 plate, these hold the sword and spare oar. At the back of the raft you put the black 1 x 2 hinge base together with the black 1x2 hinge top and set that in the middle of the raft on the back row. Make sure the top piece is in place and moves before moving on to step 6. Step 6 adds two more pieces to the raft, a black 1x2 plate on top of the hooks to secure them in place and black 1x2 plate with stud on top of the moveable part, so anything that is added to it sits in the middle. The final 2 stages sees the completion of the raft, step 7 sees you add the sword and oar to the hooks you added earlier and the flag pole to the black 1x2 plate we added. At the back, a black 1x1 tile with clip is placed on top of the black 1x2 plate with stud. This part allows for the oar we add in stage 8 to be bang in the middle of the moveable part, also, in step 8, we add the flag to the pole. The minifigure is added with him holding a pistol in his right had and we place the shark in front. Final Thoughts After I completed the build, I was pretty happy with how the set looked. Although it is very small, for me it has plenty of character. I like how the oar housing at back is a moveable part. The addition of a shark to a set is always good in my view. If I was to change anything, I would replace the yellow parts with brown ones to give it a more realistic colour scheme. I liked building it as I said and since I managed to replace the damage part with a replacement piece, it is one of the better little sets and for me is the best pirate raft from the early years, the shark, minifigure and the working parts, are the best parts of the set. However once you have built it, there ain't a lot of life in it for me but it is one crossed off my list of sets to purchase. Design: 7/10 - I like the design, unlike other rafts, it looks good, the part that allows you to move the oar at the back up and down is great. I like the addition of the shark to the set and the only thing I would change is the yellow pieces to a brown, to add more realism to the set, as I don't understand what the yellow bricks are meant to be, as a raft is made up of anything you can find usually. Parts: 6/10 You only get 38 parts with 16 of those being yellow. But you get a pirate flag and two oars with the set, so it allows you to adapt the set if you want, plus you get a shark which was great at the time, as if my memory is correct you only got sharks with bigger sets at the time. Minifigs: 8/10 One of my fav pirate mini figures, the face you get with a patch, the hat and the weapons is awesome, my only gripe is why the hole in the hat? if it was designed to have something in it then why does it not come with it? Build: 5/10 It is a very easy build, too easy if truth be told. A set like this can be complete from start to finish in under 5 minutes. I enjoyed doing it don't get me wrong, but it should be done to fill time in between bigger sets. Playability: 7/10 Well, as you can see from my final picture, the shark makes this set really fun and enjoyable, my only issue is the shark always wins hahaha Price: 5/10 I paid over the odds for the set, but you live and learn, you should be able to pick this set up for around £5 I reckon, but don't pay over £10 for it. Extra Designs The image above shows the pirate on a platform with the shark underneath. I like how they have made use of all the pieces to add detail to top and bottom of the platform. The pirate has built a small fort to defend against the shark attack and he looks ready to mount one last attack to defeat the shark. The pirate has made use of both oars and is making for a quick escape, notice how the raft is only using half the yellow bricks to the normal raft. Edited May 6, 2012 by RJH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sebeus I Posted November 5, 2011 My very first pirate lego set and one of the first of all of my lego I remember I loved the shark most about the set back then. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bonaparte Posted November 5, 2011 Very clean and professional review of an epic little set Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightshroud99 Posted November 5, 2011 Awesome review! I got this set as a pre-Christmas set on December 23rd of year.. I forgot I enjoyed this when I was younger, however it is pretty simple. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Voodoo Hand Posted November 5, 2011 it's not my first, but it's one of the earliest sets I got. I really loved this set and often used it just like it was. Although I did play a few times that it got shipwrecked to use it's alt models as well! 10+ for this model! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Palathadric Posted November 5, 2011 Awesome review! Incredible length for such a small set. Well done! The first pirate set I've ever had too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted November 5, 2011 Again like your other 2 reviews, I wish I had know better and I'd bought a good couple hundred of these. Just think, an army of sharks. Anyway, like your previous reviews, the images are top notch, I understand BrickDoctor is to thank for guiding you in the RA, I see you on your way to that gold tag sooner tahn later. It was a joy to read your three reviews. (and yes I actually read them all, I just waited to post in all 3 at the same time. ) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bricksan Posted November 5, 2011 Again like your other 2 reviews, I wish I had know better and I'd bought a good couple hundred of these. Just think, an army of sharks. Anyway, like your previous reviews, the images are top notch, I understand BrickDoctor is to thank for guiding you in the RA, I see you on your way to that gold tag sooner tahn later. It was a joy to read your three reviews. (and yes I actually read them all, I just waited to post in all 3 at the same time. ) I plan on reviewing ALL classic Pirates set as those are the ones I collect Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted November 5, 2011 I plan on reviewing ALL classic Pirates set as those are the ones I collect Damn, I'll make room on the index. Any chance you have one of these listed in Green on the Review index? You've already filled two empty reviews in our index. Lego Pirate Index Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bricksan Posted November 5, 2011 (edited) Damn, I'll make room on the index. Any chance you have one of these listed in Green on the Review index? You've already filled two empty reviews in our index. Lego Pirate Index I have quiet a few, where would you like me to start?? I can do 1696 and 6244 to start with Edited November 5, 2011 by RJH Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted November 5, 2011 I have quiet a few, where would you like me to start?? I can do 1696 and 6244 to start with 1696 would be great. 6244 already has a review so it wouldn't be as urgent. Also be sure to check with the RA teachers as I know they like to see the set sizes increase if possible with reviews. Also don't feel pressured to do any on our list that are missing. They have been missing for years and we can go a little longer without them. Especially since a lot of them are smaller sets. once you strike gold in the RA, then you can review sets of any size since you are no longer getting graded, you could help us finish up the index then too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bricksan Posted November 5, 2011 Sorry I meant 6247 my mistake Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SirSven7 Posted November 6, 2011 Nice a review on all the sets would be great. Again this one is brilliant. I loved this set because you get the blue pirate and the hat (which was my favorite) Great work again Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erdbeereis Posted November 6, 2011 I'm so glad that you're filling up our review index. Thanks for taking the time to do these excellent reviews. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted November 6, 2011 Sorry I meant 6247 my mistake Indeed, we need that one too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dreamweb Posted November 10, 2011 While I usually don't keep boxes, I somehow still have a box from this set. It's a nice little set, those small sets with one minifig were great army builders back then. Thanks for the review! Also it is worth noting that you could get this set in a purple box or yellow box, not sure why that was. I was also able to find a photo of the back of the box as this image shows. Mine came in yellow box, without the set name on it. I guess it depends on in which country it was bought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bricksan Posted November 10, 2011 While I usually don't keep boxes, I somehow still have a box from this set. It's a nice little set, those small sets with one minifig were great army builders back then. Thanks for the review! Mine came in yellow box, without the set name on it. I guess it depends on in which country it was bought. I think you maybe right but I could not find any official answer on it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Cam Posted November 10, 2011 I think you maybe right but I could not find any official answer on it. That is indeed correct, the US requires tons of info on the box, where most other countries barely require anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VintageLegoEra Posted November 1, 2014 (edited) Well Today i have cleaned my set after it has been on display for more than 20 years...:). I so happy it looks so neat and shiny..: Edited November 1, 2014 by VintageLegoEra Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Count Bricktooth Posted November 27, 2014 I think it's a brilliant little set, I'll be honest here the raft has never done all that much for me ( 6257 is king) but the shark, weapons, oars and flag make the set outstanding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites