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[TheBrickster]

Pirates Shipwreck Hideout

Set #: 6253
Theme: Pirates 2009
Year Released: 2008
Piece Count: 310
Minifigs: 5 + 1 skeleton
List Price: $39.99 (USD)

First, let me say that I don't want to steal any thunder from Moose's recent review of this set. When I came home this afternoon, I was looking forward to building and taking pictures of this set for an image review, only now to discover Moose already reviewed it. As I've uploaded all the images to Maj.com and that this is a terrific set, I'm going to go ahead and share my review.

Starting with the box, the hideout is pictured on the water as opposed to land. The box is prominently marked with the words "LIMITED EDITION":



Some of the great pictures and boxart on the back of the box:





The set instructions has a similar picture as pictured on the front of the box:



Included in the instructions is a short comic. I like these:



Two wonderful redcoat Imperials are included in this set. These are terrific!



The back of their torsos have printed pouches. This makes me wonder what they would look like carrying an actual Indy cases:



I absolutely love the pirates in this set. Redbeard has a wonderful torso and who doesn't love a female pirate?



And their backsides:



The set is packed with accessories including some extra pieces:



And pictured here is the pirate skeleton on a small dark blue boat. Dark blue is certainly an interesting choice of colors for this boat:



The shipwreck hideout consists of five sections: 1) the front of the ship, 2) the rear of the ship, 3) middle/quarters, 4) the bridge, and mast. Each section is made separately, then connected by technic pins.

The front of the ship is a simple, yet effective design giving the appearance of a wrecked bow. Strangely, the treasure chest is attached to this section:



Inside the treasure chest is four gems and gold coins:


Sorry if this picture is a bit out of focus. I couldn't seem to get it to come out.

The stern of the ship is a similar build with a large ship wheel piece:



The next section is the middle cabin part of the ship:



The first level appears to be a rock foundation:



On the left side as you face this section, there is a swinging blade that moves when you pull/push the skull:



Here is the right rear view:



The 2nd floor is the cabin/deck of the ship with door leading inside:



There are windows on both sides of the cabins:



The inside of the cabin is small, but nicely detailed. That's a stack of skulls on the left side of the cabin:



By turning the desk with treasure map and gold goblet, a small opening appears. The skulls can be dropped into the hole and will come out of the front/lower floor:



On the roof of the cabin is a cannon, parrot, and pirate flag:



The large black pirate flag (skull and cross bones) is made of the hard plastic that reminds me of the old Ninja theme flags. These hold up very well. I don't mind the more cartoon-like skull at all:



The next section is the tall mast. the build is pretty simple. I love the new crab!



The top of the mast. Some small black or red flags would have been nice:



The last component is the bridge that connects the mast with the deck/cabin. While I like the color, I hate this soft low-quality plastic. The pin is used to keep the bridge from turning when it's attached to the mast:



All of the sections are connected forming this structure:



And lastly, the complete set. It's a hard set to photograph:



Final Thoughts

I absolutely think this is the neatest little set. It's one of those sets that actually looks better when you see it for yourself (pictures do not do it justice, including the boxart). The cabin almost reminds me of the headquarters of Fort Legoredo, with a turning table as opposed to two chairs. This is reminiscent of nicely designed detailing that Lego designers must have put some thought into. The figs and accessories are excellent, including the new fish piece. I love the fact that none of the flags use stickers. Thank you for this Lego. I also like the sectional construction that is all combined in the last step of the build. This set has just about everything that one would want in a pirate hideout, except for a few palm trees and a net trap.
With a $40 (USD) price tag, it's an outstanding set! I'm not even interested in the piece count. I rate this set a strong 5!

PS. I'm tempted to break out the old blue water mat, and set these new Pirate sets up for a while.

Enjoy!

[Moose]

As the only other member to review this set (so far) let me just say great review! You showed some aspects of the set i left out (whether i did it intentionally or not ) with great quality pics. Thanks for the great review.


P.S. It is a very difficult set to photograph like you said

[dj2005]

I concur with your final thoughts. This set is very well designed and worth the $40. It includes a great deal of figures and useful pieces that bring the already enjoyable set to a new level of bliss. Gets an outstanding vote from me.

[Svelte]

Great review as always, The Brickster!

This is probably my most anticipated set after the big ship. Who doesn't love a shipwreck or a pirate hideout? And here's both! It's a two-for-one deal. With a female pirate! Three-for-one deal!

The crab I don't think is new, though. It was in that colour in the Aquaraiders sets of 07 and if you Peeron it it's been around for a while.

Shame about the dark tan bridge. I only know that piece from the Mt Everest set of 03. Is it the same plastic there or different again?

I'm not convinced about the large single mast piece here either. Compared to the quite detailed shipwreck it seems a little spartan and obvious. Maybe some seaweed or decorations would have helped.

[TheBrickster]

Moose, on Nov 18 2008, 11:15 PM, said:

As the only other member to review this set (so far) let me just say great review! You showed some aspects of the set i left out (whether i did it intentionally or not with great quality pics. Thanks for the great review.

Thanks Moose, and thank you as well for sharing the first review of this set. Everyone has a diiferent perspective when doing a review.

dj2005, on Nov 18 2008, 11:15 PM, said:

Gets an outstanding vote from me.

I think this one deserves it.

svelte_corps, on Nov 18 2008, 11:38 PM, said:

This is probably my most anticipated set after the big ship. Who doesn't love a shipwreck or a pirate hideout? And here's both! It's a two-for-one deal. With a female pirate! Three-for-one deal!

My thoughts exactly.

svelte_corps, on Nov 18 2008, 11:38 PM, said:

The crab I don't think is new, though. It was in that colour in the Aquaraiders sets of 07 and if you Peeron it it's been around for a while.

I think it's my first - thanks for the info.

svelte_corps, on Nov 18 2008, 11:38 PM, said:

Shame about the dark tan bridge. I only know that piece from the Mt Everest set of 03. Is it the same plastic there or different again?

I have the Mt. Everest set, and it's probably the same cheap plastic, but with the lighter color, it probably looks more soft.

svelte_corps, on Nov 18 2008, 11:38 PM, said:

I'm not convinced about the large single mast piece here either. Compared to the quite detailed shipwreck it seems a little spartan and obvious. Maybe some seaweed or decorations would have helped.

I'm OK with the single mast, but I definately agree with you in regard to more green needed. A few palms would have really looked great, even if just on a tan 4x4 baseplate. We need a Pirate supplement set for this sort of stuff.

Thanks for the great thoughts.

[Kliq]

As always, great review.

This set does it's job, and then some. I love the idea of a pirate hideout made from an old ship, especially with all of the little traps that come with it. The fig count is great! Add in a female pirate, a great price, and you have yourself a must buy! I'm so glad that these sets are going over well, they have a lot to live up to!

[Cardinal Brick]

Another great review, though part of me really wishes you’d all stop posting them I’m not sure I can take much more of this anticipation.

As for the set it’s a really nice one and as already said who doesn’t like a female pirate, personally I’m not that bothered by the lack of greenery

[Guss]

cool another review of this set^^ what I like in your review is that we clearly see that the new bridge is not "tan" but darker^^

[hgrcdo]

Outstanding review Brickster!!
Intend to get this with the ship.
But the soldiers fort is hard to resist...lol

[djo]

great review.
i like the female pirate.
the crab is cool.

[Asuka]

Thanks for that fine review, TheBrickster.
A very charming set conception, and pretty well executed.
The neat cabin on the rocks, these shattered wreck pieces and the mast
with that swing bridge... a very lovely pirate adventure playground indeed!

[Norro]

Nice review of a nice set, and while the need to dispose of skulls secretly is a little disturbing, I'll probably look out for this set ; )

God Bless,

Nathan

[General Magma]

Great review! It's a nice set, by the way the new captain is not called Redbeard - his name is Brickbeard.

[Dadster]

Aargh!

Thanks for the review!! I'm getting this set. Wasn't gonna delve into the Pirates stock just yet, but after seeing the contents, playability, and price I'm not waiting...

[MoonCheese]

Ooh, a female pirate! I never had the female "wench" fig from the old Pirate line...

Looks like an awesome design with some excellent parts, good for my Legoverse (mostly Castle, but with a pirate faction).