REVIEW: 70409 Shipwreck Defense

[dr_spock]

Avast, me hearties! A Pirate set marked down? I need a Bluecoat to fight my Redcoats. I must acquire this piece of AFOL treasure.

SET INFORMATION:

Number - 70409
Name – Shipwreck Defense
Theme – Pirates
Year – 2015
Minifigures – 2
Pieces – 84
Price – $15.99CAD, $12.99USD, £8.99

Links:  

Brickset - http://brickset.com/sets/70409-1/Shipwreck-Defence
BrickLink - http://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=70409-1#T=S&O={}

LEGO Product Summary

 Recover the hidden treasure from the pirate’s shipwreck hideout!

Ahoy there! A Bluecoat Soldier has discovered a marooned pirate living among the ruins of his fortified shipwreck, along with a stash of stolen treasure. Launch a surprise attack! Fire the spring-loaded cannon and blast the swaggering pirate’s hideout to smithereens, then recover the treasure and put the rogue behind bars where he belongs! Enjoy swashbuckling adventures with the LEGO® Pirates Shipwreck Defense, featuring a pirate’s shipwreck hideout with a hinged port side for realistic cannon-impact effect. Combine with 70411 Treasure Island for an even bigger pirate adventure! Includes 2 minifigures with assorted weapons: a Bluecoat Soldier and a pirate.

• Includes 2 minifigures with assorted weapons: a Bluecoat Soldier and a pirate
• Features a pirate shipwreck hideout and a spring-loaded cannon with torch and flame
• Pirate shipwreck hideout features a fireplace with hidden treasure, collapsing port side, mast with crow’s nest, flag, bottle and a paddle
• Weapons include a gun, pistol and a cutlass
• Hoist the Jolly Roger!
• Hide the treasure
• Blast the pirate’s shipwreck hideout
• Shipwreck hideout measures over 4” (12cm) high, and 4”(11cm) wide and 1” (5cm) deep
• Spring-loaded cannon measures over 2” (6cm) long, under 1” (2cm) high and under 1” (2cm) wide
• Combine with 70411 Treasure Island for an even bigger pirate adventure!

 

THE BOX:

The front of the box shows a Bluecoat soldier attacking the pirate's shipwreck hideout with a cannon. The pirate has some precious gem stones treasure the Bluecoat might be after. The box features the pirates artwork logo and in the background there are sharks in the distance. There are the usual LEGO labeling. The ages 5-12 is merely a suggestion that AFOLs don't have to follow. Do be aware of the choking hazard warning. My box also has a discount sticker stuck to it. I got it for $10.98CAD plus tax.

The back of box shows the features of this set. It demonstrates how to shoot the 1x1 cylinder bricks out of the spring loaded cannon. There is an insert picture of the 70411 Treasure Island set. 70411 can be combined with this set if you have it.

This side of the box shows where the components are made in English, French and Spanish. It also have the same of the set in French and Spanish. Interesting if you like reading other languages.

Here we see the choking hazard warnings in French and Spanish. Not for childrens 3 and under.

Here we have the UPC barcode, trademark and copyright notices, URL for LEGO service and club, and the logo for responsible packaging. There is 08R5 packaging code which probably means it was packaged in Mexico in the 8th week of 2015.

This side has a picture of a fish chasing after Bluecoat who is chasing after the pirate with the treasure. There is an actual size cutlass picture. We have finished our journey around the box.

 

INSIDE THE BOX:

There are two bags of parts and an instruction booklet. The bags are not numbered. I don't think it is necessary for a small set like this.

Here are the contents of the two part bags spreadout. The pirate flag is a printed piece. Yay, no stickers. My favorite piece is the cannon. There are also plenty of other weapons like rifles, pistols and swords. There is not much reddish browns or dark brown pieces to reuse for pirate MOCs.

 

THE MINIFIGURES:

Here is the front of the minifigures.

The pirate has the new style head rag wrap. Not everybody likes the new style. He has an anchor tattoo on his chest. His clothes are pretty ragged and patchy. He has a hashtag or tic-tac-toe mark on this cheek.

The Bluecoat soldier is better dressed than the pirate. He has a shako, white epaulette, and is clean shaven. The shako appears to be same design as the Redcoat ones in 2009.
 

Both minifigures feature back printing. The head rag wrap looks a bit like tied down bunny ears from the back.

THE INSTRUCTIONS:

Here is a sample page of the instruction booklet. The steps are well laid out and clear. I had no problems following them.

In the back of the instruction booklet is a parts list. Handy for ordering replacements or extras through LEGO or BrickLink.

 

THE BUILD:

With 84 pieces and good instructions, the build was completed quickly and without any problems. I guess you can call it a speed build. Here is the finished set. Yikes,the pirate is looking down the barrel of a cannon.

These are the extra leftover pieces from the build. You get a flame, two pistols, two swords, 1x2 curved slope, a white epaulette, and a piece of cheese

Let's look at some of the features in detail. Removing the fish cooker from the barrel shows hidden treasure gems. The Bluecoat will never think to look under there.

The side of the shipwreck hull tilts backward when struck with a cannon shot. Good thing the pirate has clutch powers in his feet to keep him from falling off. The crow nest provides the pirate a good view of the approaching Bluecoat.

 

70409 VS 6239:

This set feels like a Bluecoat version of the 6239 Cannon Battle from the 2009 Pirates wave. How do they compare? 6239 has 45 pieces and sold for $6.99CAD. 70409 has 84 pieces and retailed for $15.99CAD. Canadian price per piece is 15.5 vs 19, a 23% increase. For playability, 70409 has more features and accessories. 6239 does have a nicer gun carriage. Personally, I think 70409 is more fun to play with. It is easier to right the shipwreck hull back up after a cannon ball hit than reassembling the wall pieces from 6239.

 

SUMMARY:

Playability: 9/10
Design: 8/10
Price: 7/10
Parts: 8/10
Minifigures: 9/10
Overall: 8/10

There is something fun shooting LEGO 1x1 cylinder bricks around with a spring loaded cannon trying to hit the shipwreck hull and that feeling when it is on target. This set certainly provides that kind of play. Along with the extra accessories and weapons, you can let your play imagination go wild. I give it a 9/10 for play.

The design is good for a small set. I like the rock works and shaping of the hull. Also the tilt function is useful to reset the target after a direct hit. There are places to hide things and for the pirate to be located. 8/10 for design.

Price-wise, it is what it is. It was the lowest priced set you can get a Bluecoat in the 2015 Pirates wave. I managed to get it on sale at a 13 cents CAD per piece which is around 10 cents USD at the exchange rate. 7/10.

Looking at the parts, the cannon, weapons, and bottle of rum are great for pirate MOCs. The other pieces can find some use here and there in MOCs. It is good the pirate flag is a printed piece instead of stickered. 8/10.

I really bought this set for the Bluecoat soldier. Having a pirate fig is a bonus. You can never have enough Bluecoats (and/or Redcoats).  9/10 for the minifigures.

Overall, I give it at 8/10.

Bluecoats and Redcoats are more interested in fighting each other than the pirates. So the pirates get treated to a good show with some food and drinks.

 

[blackdeathgr]

A nicely done review for one of the hidden little gems of the previous pirate set series  

[Littleworlds]

Excellent review of a very overlooked set indeed. I should have grabbed more of them when they were still on the shelves. The build is simple, but a good excuse to pack a nice selection of accessories and parts into the box. Very useful! With a couple of those you had a really useful foundation for a pirates-theme.

Thanks for digging out that gem for us!

[mon-o-mat]

I voted for the Shipwreck defense. While the Cannon Battle may be better for army builders this sets just fits better into the pirate-theme.