Pictorial Review: 6274 Caribbean Clipper

[Tuskano]

Very nice review. I especially like the picture of it sailing into the sunset there!

I almost got it on eBay at a cheap price a few years back when I was into the Pirates theme, but someone out bid me at the last minute.

Lol! If that set on Ebay happened to also include the Barracuda, and the Pirate Fortress... I am terribly sorry >.<. When I had bought mine about 3-4 years ago, I had waited until there was like 3 minutes left until I put down my final bid... rest assured, the ships are still together and sailing to this day.

Edited February 1, 2012 by Tuskano

[VintageLegoEra]

Thought to put some photos of mine with little addition!

Made a small boat to support the main ship....

Edited May 29, 2015 by VintageLegoEra

[SBCMayor]

While I am continuing to develop my Rotating Display I want to also revive a few of these old individual set review threads. This one in particular is great. The OP does a great job with descriptions and photos of the original Carribean Clipper, set 6274. I cannot hope to top that but I would like to still revive the thread to since it has been years since anyone has! 

I have 3 of these now, with two continuing their service in the Imperial Bluecoat Navy and a third having been captured by Captain Redbeard and sails in his fleet! I have made some very minor modifications to each of them. 

Overall view: 

The crew: 

With these waters completely infested with pirates, the Bluecoats determined they needed to reinforce the crews on these ships! As you can see I have the original 4 that would have been standard with this set, but I've added an officer and 2 additional sailors. 

The cabin: 

This is where I've made some changes to give the ship a more complete look. I've made these minor changes to all 3 of my models. On a side note, the crew has implored their leader to not drink while plotting out their next course. He does it anyway so there's no telling where this next voyage is going to take us...

I know black for the floor inside the cabin would have been more true to the set, but when I experimented with it it was too dark to be able to see inside and appreciate it. I'll eventually replace the black and dark grey pieces that mount that ladder to match the cabin deck. This is a very simple and basic modification but I think it really adds a lot to the ship, making it look more complete than the original. 

The Cutthroat Clipper: 

As stated, Captain Redbeard captured one of the Carribean Clippers, and painted it to match his fleet's scheme. I think the basic set makes for a great pirate ship! Incidentally, of the three versions of this set I have this one was in the worst condition. It's not bad, especially for what I paid, but the other two are just cleaner copies. This one seems to have benefitted from the influx of new pieces needed to make it a full conversion into a pirate ship, so I am pleased to have extended its playable life! 

Same cabin modifications as the Bluecoat versions.

Notice the red replacing the blue at the front of the ship: 

I've done a similar modification of a Black Seas Barracuda into a Bluecoat ship, which I will share when I update the review thread for that set. I did both conversations side by side because a lot of the pieces such as sails were interchangeable. The figurehead from the BSB made its way over to this one, and the yellow parrot onto that one, which you'll see soon enough! 

The ship without question has more value in original form. This isn't about value to me, it's about fun. Building small fleets for each faction, extended bases and hideouts. Being able to stage multiple engagements at sea, and so on. So here we have the Cutthroat Clipper squaring off with its original counterpart, the Carribean Clipper. One of many engagements these adversaries will fight! 

Some overall thoughts on the Carribean Clipper, set 6271. 

The original pirate sets from 1989 and 1991 are without question my favorite Lego sets of all time. They are followed by the Imperial Guards and pirate sets of 1992 and 1993. I actually didn't take notice of the line until 1990 when my cousin was visiting and had brought his new Sabre Island set with him. I'll review that set separately. After that all I wanted were pirate Lego sets, small and large. 

My parents were not rich, and I knew at $55 USD (approximately $150 USD in today's money) the Carribean Clipper was a long shot even for a birthday or Christmas present. I did ask and even said even if that is the only thing I get, I'd choose that over every other possible combination of Christmas presents. My mom was very frank and said it was unlikely, so I asked for Sabre Island (and I'll tell that story on that review thread). Even mowing lawns, shoveling snow, etc was a daunting task for a boy that age.

Still, I think the design and marketing was brilliant. This set gets a lot of criticism for being "incomplete" especially compared to the Black Seas Barracuda. What I love is that Lego tried to keep piece count and price down so that the top end sets in this epic line were more accessible to more kids who might be interested. It didn't work out for me when I was a kid, but as an adult I'm at a place now where I have the resources and just as importantly, the space to collect and display these in a meaningful way. I can only imagine the excitement I would have experienced if I had received this beauty back in 1990. As excited as I was I don't know that a 10 year old can truly appreciate it though. But assembling this for the first time as a grown adult, I was filled with nostalgia and a desire to take to the high seas and make up for lost time. 

I rate this a 5 out of 5. It is one of the best sets Lego has ever released. I do not have plans to add another one to my fleet, but if I stumbled upon a clean copy at a reasonable price it would be hard to resist. 

On a fun side note, one of my copies came in the original box. I sometimes get the box out and just stare at it, just like I used to do on the toy isle so many years ago. My youngest son has also taken a liking to these older sets, but he is also so much more influenced by the new sets too. For his most recent birthday he asked for the POTC Black Pearl. I was able to find a complete set and when I wrapped it, I carefully packaged it into the original Carribean Clipper box. Different ship inside the box, but seeing his reaction as he unwrapped the package, saw those blue and white striped sails, that epic background art, and those imperial sailors climbing the rigging and manning the rails...I think I got to live vicariously through him for a moment. 

 

Edited March 28 by SBCMayor