REVIEW: 6285 Black Sea's Barracuda

[LAKAbricks]

Regarding the board game, I asked a friend if he remembers it. And he does. But he's not sure if it was his or mine. Or if we both had it. None of us has BSB, just the smaller sets.

[pcvando]

Regarding the board game, I asked a friend if he remembers it. And he does. But he's not sure if it was his or mine. Or if we both had it. None of us has BSB, just the smaller sets.

Thanks for checking around a bit, but that just adds to the confusion

So then it definitely came with more than the my 2 BSB's but what else did it come with….

I know one thing for sure, the only sets it could possibly also come with are the 1989 line because of the sets pictured on the game board.

You can see the Clipper, the BSB, Eldorado Fortress, Raft Raiders, and the Harbour sentry (No way it would fit :P) so it has to be exclusive to those.

Unfortunately Lego is not what they used to be, and they don't often reply to any older set inquiries, so I have heard nothing from them…. yet!

[mkeller234]

Great review! I always wondered what a brand new 1989 set looked like when you opened it, and now I know! The pre-assembled minifigs takes a little bit of fun out of building the set, though. Didn't you say that you have the Caribbean Clipper? Or was that somebody else? Anyway, I can't wait for your review of the Skull's Eye Schoner!

As I remember, the minifigs weren't completely assembled. The legs and maybe some of the extra parts were loose. I see your point, but I loved the way they were displayed and made special.

Seeing that box really brings back some memories. I remember the old poly-bags with perforated holes all through them. Ripping those bags open was always a sign of a great day. I remember the very vividly the Christmas that I got the Black Seas Barracuda. After I finished building the ship, I carried it along to all of our christmas parties so that I could show it off. That was not easilly done considering how HUGE that ship was to a small kid. I built my ship back together last December. I Ironed the sales and cleaned off some of the grime with a magic eraser. I thought the teeth marks might bother me, but I actually look at them with warm memories instead. My 2 year old daughter loves playing with the BSB!

Edited February 24, 2014 by mkeller234

[pcvando]

As I remember, the minifigs weren't completely assembled. The legs and maybe some of the extra parts were loose. I see your point, but I loved the way they were displayed and made special.

Seeing that box really brings back some memories. I remember the old poly-bags with perforated holes all through them. Ripping those bags open was always a sign of a great day. I remember the very vividly the Christmas that I got the Black Seas Barracuda. After I finished building the ship, I carried it along to all of our christmas parties so that I could show it off. That was not easilly done considering how HUGE that ship was to a small kid. I built my ship back together last December. I Ironed the sales and cleaned off some of the grime with a magic eraser. I thought the teeth marks might bother me, but I actually look at them with warm memories instead. My 2 year old daughter loves playing with the BSB!

Im glad so see another one! I have many sealed older sets, and I want to open them just to open the bags with the tiny holes in them

Its good to hear future generations are playing with these too! You have some other very cool sets on the table there as well! I love them all, but the BSB wins!

+ You are also right about the way the figs came packaged, most older sets with flaps displayed them nicely, making each one special...

unlike today where they throw them all in together ;)

Edited February 24, 2014 by pcvando

[cja]

Nice review! I bricklink'ed the Barracuda during last autumn/early winter. I did skip the sails, big flags and most parts are used parts since I'm going to let my sons (once old enough) play with the ship.

My biggest complain is that the storage holds are not closed, things can get into the cannon room, the back cabin is not that good and there is no front cabin.

[VintageLegoEra]

Those Pirates ship ( vintage ) are Awesome!.....especially the classic smiley look gives it a real feel, not like the modern look with new faces marks and look.( ouch ).

i own the Lego 6289 not the re re 6290...:) ( Red Beard Runner ) and i LOVE it!

[Norton74]

Great review. When LEGO released this set I was too old to play with LEGO.

A few years ago, I found one at a flea market for few euros and I bought it.

Some pieces were missing, I bought them on BL. Now it's complete and is in my "original set" collection.

[VintageLegoEra]

These ships: the 6285 and 6286 are a must in every collection :)

[Landlubber]

Classic. I never had that set when I was a kid. I chose instead to spend my money on Eldorado Fortress that year. I've since bought a lot of bulk collections and can't get enough of the BSB. I think there's currently 8 complete ones plus the key parts for a couple more.

The cherry on top is one I found on eBay with a very poor description and in the wrong category. A first release, sealed in the box , and completely shrink wrapped since new. No shelf wear, moisture damage or fading.

Thanks for the review.

[parksroad]

BSB is the most prominently displayed set in my apartment (really the only one most visitors see) and people love it, whether they're into Lego or not. It's that classic, it goes with everything.

[VintageLegoEra]

BSB is the most prominently displayed set in my apartment (really the only one most visitors see) and people love it, whether they're into Lego or not. It's that classic, it goes with everything.

100% True

I will post mine soon!

[Random Guy]

While I had plenty of Pirate sets in my younger days, I missed out on the big ships back then. Thankfully, after I restored everything to its proper glory in 2001-2002, Lego rereleased a number of older sets and I got this one (as 10040) for Christmas in 2002.

It's the largest set I've ever built, and after seeing the various picture reviews of Lego's other ships I still believe this one is the best. No details were left undone here.

[The_Last_Ray_Gun]

Absolutely loved this set as a kid. Was my first "big" set.

[kelceycoe]

Any way you can reupload the yellow game rules sheet? Do you remember which shop at home catalog came with the set - like the 1989 or 1990 version?

[SBCMayor]

Another older thread I am reviving to add my own thoughts and a couple pics. I will be doing so on many of the other pirate sets from 1989-1994, and am not following any logical progression. So today I'll review the iconic Black Seas Barracuda (set 6285)  and next week it might be Buried Treasure (set 6235). I have no logical method to my madness, it's entirely driven by what kind of mood I'm in! 

First, let me say the OP for this thread did an amazing job and as of when he posted this thread, was sporting an amazing collection! Also, the initial review is very good! I cannot really expand on that as far as reviews go, so I'll hit the basics, share some pics just in case anyone has forgotten what the best Lego set of all time looks like, a few of my own thoughts about the set, and then share a few pics of some minor modifications I've made to some of my BSB copies that have really been a lot of fun for me and my son. 

But first let's review...

Anyone who is familiar with Lego Pirates knows the Black Seas Barracuda was first released in 1989. This set, and the ensuing Pirates theme overall, ushered in a new era for TLG. And for me, it elevated Lego from just another toy I had to my favorite toy of all time. Some vital stats:

909 pieces

8 minifigures

1 monkey, 1 parrot

2 chests full of pure gold coins (those old chrome coin pieces may as well be made of pure gold, they might be cheaper on secondary markets if they were!)

1 ship's boat

5 sails

$110 USD (approximately $284 USD in 2025)

Countless hours of entertainment

Here are a few pics, taking into account several have already been shared!

Overall ship: 

Original crew:

 

The set came with some amazing minifigures! Thankfully TLG didn't make Redbeard exclusive to this set, and as a result, this must-have is actually pretty accessible!

Decorated Stern: 

I love the lattice windows, cone pieces in between, and those old flower pieces all combining for a really nice design. It's pretty simple but really effective. I keep the boat on the platform rather than tie it to the hook. 

Captain's Cabin: 

I thought I had kept this copy completely original but it looks like my son added a small desk in here. No biggie...

Figurehead:

Since Lego people used to use yellow as their skin color it can be inferred she is naked. Rather than give us some torso print Lego has probably wisely left it to our imagination. After all, this is a kid's toy! 

Ok with some of the original pics shared, I want to share a few more of a couple modifications I've done. None of these are overly complicated, and because I was converting multiple ships at the same time it helped keep some of the cost down. I have 3 BSBs, one of which has been converted into an imperial Bluecoat flagship, another is still a pirate ship inspired by the Skull's Eye Schooner (set 6286), and of course, the original already pictured. Here they are together: 

Imperial Bluecoat ship: 

I've made only minor modifications, basically just swapping out anything red from the original to blue. One exception: 

The siding here remains black on the original and I didn't necessarily need to change it on this edition but I did so it would maintain some continuity with the Carribean Clipper (set 6274) since the side of the cabin is blue on that one. It gives it a more deliberate "fleet" look. 

Figurehead: 

That yellow parrot is such an awesome piece and I think it really helps give this modification additional continuity with the rest of the fleet. I sourced this piece from a Carribean Clipper I converted into a pirate ship. And of course, the pirate woman figurehead from this one made its way over to the Clipper. 

Forecastle: 

Aside from color and faction changes, this is basically the original BSB, just in blue. One difference is I've added this plate to the front to give more usable deck space. The hold area below this is still accessible by removing the plate if I need to put something down there. But this minor modification really increases the space I can use for posing crew members, action scenes, etc. Also, in some of these close up pictures you can see the difference between the new and old pieces. I think that is a topic worth its own thread: integrating new pieces with old sets. 

Hold and gun deck: 

Down here the only difference from the original is the color of the shutters. 

Imperial Bluecoat Fleet: 

The BSB makes a fantastic flagship for a larger fleet. Here's my bluecoat fleet, consisting of 5 ships and a total of 34 sailors! (I've reinforced the crews of the 3 larger ships.) These bluecoats are going to need everything they have too, because Captain Redbeard and his Black Seas Barracuda are not the only pirate captain in these waters! 

I give you, the Skull's Eye Barracuda! 

Okay, so that's super corny and I am aware of it. I fully expect to have to walk the plank for that. This is the same basic modification as the last one, sticking largely to the original and swapping out sails and other colors where needed. Unlike my bluecoat ship where I converted a BSB and CC simultaneously and used both ships as donors for the other, this I did on its own. I bought an incomplete copy of the BSB for a starter. I deliberately looked for an incomplete and inexpensive set. This one was still in very good condition, but as I suspected, upon delivery, was the most suitable candidate of my 3 BSBs to receive this makeover. In other words, it has benefitted most from the influx of new pieces and replacement sails. Shall we take a closer look? 

Forecastle: 

This one gets the same treatment as my Bluecoat BSB. Also, notice the modified 1x1 for the string is the original yellow. Incredibly, that piece is not available in white on Pick-a-brick. Also, you can see I forgot to order an "L" shaped plate here, but I'll get around to fixing this. 

Figurehead: 

Love the way this turned out. It's definitely a more intimidating look than the original. Speaking of...

Stern: 

The original flower pieces that make for decoration in the back are really hard to find in white. I'm so glad they were because I came up with this instead. I love the way it turned out! Also, notice the brick and plate built 1x4x2 in the center rather than the single piece. This piece was available on a few different markets but way more expensive than I was willing to pay. Since I needed 3 of them for this conversion, I just ordered the pieces I need to make my own. One last note here: The window frames and lattice should be swapped, but the white frame with yellow lattice is another one that is hard to find and expensive. So that can wait, but it is an update I'd like to make eventually. 

Cabin window: 

Here's another look at one of those special pieces I had to more or less make myself. And another window to eventually swap. Oh, and it looks like some of our skallywags on the poop deck are starting early today!

Green for red: 

I chose green shutters and port covers to keep consistent with the Skull's Eye Schooner. That was actually kind of convenient because I had several green shutters just sitting around waiting for a set to be built into. A close look and you'll see I have a mix of original flintlocks and new. As for the green port covers, these are not genuine lego pieces. It turns out this piece in green is really hard to find and expensive. I would have had to pay so much to get the 9 of these needed for this conversion it would have actually cost me more than the sails! So I found replacement pieces on Amazon. 50 of them to be exact, for a whopping $4 USD. While I am not a fan of off-brand lego sets, I do have several specific off-brand pieces I've found useful. Since the whole goal on this was to rebuild/modify a BSB on the cheap, I felt this was an acceptable compromise. 

Replacement sails: 

The green gun port covers are not the only non-original Lego piece used. I ordered a set of replacement sails for the Skull's Eye Schooner to use in this. Aside from the ship itself, this was the most expensive component. I've pictured only this larger main sail since the rest are the exact pattern and dimensions as the original BSB. This larger main sail with skull is just epic and is a big part of why the Skull's Eye Schooner appears larger than the Black Seas Barraduda, even though the hull is the same 5 pieces and total piece count is 912 vs 909. And the modification is simple: just move the yard higher and you're set! 

The Captain: 

Why not give Ironhook a true flagship? It makes for a great story: Redbeard and Ironhook. Two rival pirates who reluctantly work together to fight off the Imperial factions. Ironhook primarily faces off against the Imperial Guards while Redbeard's primary foe is the Imperial Soldiers. Maybe the Imperial factions even pay the pirates to do a little of their dirty work against their rival imperials. There's a lot of possibilities there. 

Final thoughts: 

The Black Seas Barracuda is in my mind the best set Lego has ever rolled out. Outside of Lego, it is the best pirate ship toy ever offered to the public. With so many reviews and great content shared already on this site alone, it's hard to say something that hasn't already been said, which is why I focussed on the versatility of this set. It's a very easy set to modify and not as pricey as one would think. In fact, one of the reasons I chose to modify a BSB into an SES-inspired ship instead of just order an SES was cost. I could have modified two like this for what a nice copy of the SES would have cost me. And although I love the idea of having the SES just to have all five of the original ships from 1989-1993, it's the idea I like more than the ship itself. 

As for the Bluecoat mod, it was so easy even I was able to do it. It was a lot of fun and I love the way it looks. 

But nothing will ever beat the original. The Black Seas Barracuda is just that good. Lego has released some amazing ships since then, but none of them capture my imagination and invoke such a powerful nostalgia as this one. 

 

Edited April 22 by SBCMayor