WesternOutlaw

Interesting take. I would not have guessed wallets - but that makes sense. Chocolate bars are fun though.

Great topic! I think 2008 was an outstanding year for Lego with the return of great City sets and Castle. My favorite theme; however, was Indiana Jones. It was great to see Lego jump on this license and I'm looking forward to seeing what other great sets and scenes Lego will offer in 2009. To me, it's not just about the license, but the return of Adventurers. Lego hit the target on this one!

Armored Car Action Set #: 7033 Theme: World City - Police & Rescue Year Released: 2003 Piece Count: 186 Minifigs: 2 List Price: $20 (USD) One of my favorite sets in the World City collection is this 6-stud wide Armored Car. It includes the large armored car, a trike/three-wheeler, 2 minifigs, and some valuables to stash away. The Armored Car has a nice design, working doors, and is a lot of fun from the playability perspective. The box has the same boxart as other World City sets with bright blue border and a nice picture of the vehicle on a paved city street: And the backside includes some alternate models including a pretty neat boat and crane: A small sheet of stickers is included in the set. These are for the Armored Car and safe: Here's a shot of one of the alternate models within the instruction books (instructions not included): The set has two minifigs, a new World City Brickster with gold tooth and a police officer with a detachable vest: The trike included within the set has a working winch with hook for pulling open the Armored Car doors. In addition a few accessories attach to the back of the trike: Without stickers, here's a side-view of the Armored Car: It includes some printed pieces, like the slope on the front end: And the 7033 slop on its top: The backside has two small train windows: My favorite part of the Armored Car are the two working door sections that open by turning a grey spicket piece which unlocks each door: A few technic pieces serve as the locking mechanism: Inside the Armored Car is a 2x4 plate with four gold bars (1x2 tiles), and two attached safes: A close-up of the shiny gold bars: And the other valuables inside the safes: POINT: I would have liked to see the green Wild West safes with printed design used as opposed to these plain grey safes. Lastly, the complete set: Final Thoughts The best part of this set is the Armored Car that offers a lot of playability. I had a lot of fun with this vehicle as I set it up in my new World City. Combining it with 4512 Cargo Train, I transported gold bars from the Armored Car to the green/grey Freight Wagon. Having the Brickster with other World City crooks plan a robbery made it even more fun. And where might the Brickster attempt to flee with the loot? Perhaps to set 6563's Gator Landing. I highly recommend this set for anyone who enjoys playing Armored Car heist.

Hey guys. I think we can make our points without being insultive to each other. Let's focus on this article and the new theme. Price per piece is definately high with the new theme, but in looking at some of the other new sets (like the City Construction Site), it seems that 2009 set prices have gone up considerably.

My local Toys R Us. I would think LSAH would have it in time. Thanks NewRight. The digital backgrounds take some time for sets like this, but the end-product is worth the work.

Yes. We definately try to span the Lego Community, not just highlighting what's posted on Eurobricks Trains & Town. At the same time, it would be nice if those appreciating the posts would comment. It's a great feeling to see your MOC blogged and others commenting.

Awesome set! I never even knew Classic Space offered such a diversity of figs. Thanks for sharing.

Definately! The red jeep is probably my favorite component of this set.

Thanks for the outstanding feedback and appreciation for this great little set. No, actually it's not. It looks like it could be though. Outback came out the following year in 1997. Yes, but not all. With Pirates and other themes, I've got to limit myself somewhat. I did pick up the 4WD and Horse Trailer already, but have not opened it yet. Ouch! That's harsh, but I respect your opinion. If you knew how much I paid for this set, you wouldn't believe me. That would explain a lot. Thanks for sharing Richie. I knew these guys were up to no good with all the loot! I ought to shoot you out of this town for that!

Over the past several months, myself as well as others have been adding BLOGS to Classic-Town.net. Unfortunately, no one (with the exception of WhiteFang and very few others), take time to comment regarding the great MOCs and other articles posted to the site, even when it's a blog about a MOC shared on Eurobricks. This gives me the impression that either the blogs are not being read, or people aren't appreciating the content. I'd like to ask for your opinion on the subject and if you wouldn't mind, share some recommendations to make the site/blogs better. What are you interested in seeing more of? I've added a poll to provide your feedback, but please share your thoughts on the subject. Your feedback is valued!

Better late than never. Thanks! You make a good point with the price. It will be interesting to see the prices of other new sets from different themes in 2009 for comparison.

I think it's hard to compare this set with the official Pirates theme as it is intended for a much younger audience. The recommended age is 4-7 as opposed to 6-12 for the new theme sets. I applaud Lego for attempting to market the standard bricks to a younger audience, without building more Pirates 4+.

Classic Blue Tractor Review In anticipation of the new Lego Farm sets, Eurobricks reviewer WhiteFang shares a stunning review of 6504 Blue Tractor from 1988. Check out the Trains & Town Forum for more exciting reviews of these "Oldies but Goodies"!

This is probably from my interest in the Castle theme . I did not consider the "Governor's Daughter" which is definately a better choice. Let's see what Lego calls her when they bring up their Pirate site.

It is for me. Many of us link Brickset as a set database, regardless of the theme. It provides different information.

Thank you all for the outstanding feedback. I still want to add to this article, but these do take some time. Svelte_Corps: I enjoyed reading your comments re. this theme. Perhaps some of us are so excited to see the return of Pirates, it clouds our judgement and opinions of the new sets. I didn't mention it in my article, but the piece count seems low in all the sets (at least for the price). Perhaps Lego should have offered some additional detailing with more pieces. I was very pleased when building all the sets, although I have not built the Pirate Ship yet. I can understand what you mean though. I felt this way when buying the last set of City Construction sets. White Fang: I'm esp. glad you enjoyed the poll results. I don't think we've seen results of polls in an analytic form before, so I'm glad I added it to the article. Thank you also for the great feedback which I always enjoy reading and appreciate. Phes: I did link all the reviews of the sets in the "Set Review Section" of the article. I wanted official set pictures in the beginning and thought an outside source would be good.

Pirates 2009: A Critical Review Article by TheBrickster 11/27/08 Ahoy Maties! It’s been a great year for Lego with a number of outstanding City sets, Indiana Jones, and the highlight of the year, the early release of the new 2009 Pirates theme. For the Lego Pirate fans that live in the United States, many Toys R Us stores have the complete Pirate 2009 line-up, and what a great thought considering Christmas is just 27 days away. The Collection The Pirates 2009 theme offers a nice collection of sets from Impulse to “Big Ship” providing buyers with a variety of different sets and price-points to choose from. Of course, if you’re any “die-hard” Lego Pirate fan, you will soon find yourself with the complete collection with even multiples of the smaller sets. 8396 Soldier’s Arsenal - 17 pieces (Impulse) 8397 Pirate Survival - 16 pieces (Impulse) 6239 Cannon Battle – 45 pieces 6240 Kraken Attackin’ – 78 pieces 6241 Loot Island – 142 pieces 6242 Soldier’s Fort – 367 pieces 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty – 592 pieces 6253 Shipwreck Hideout - 310 pieces Minifigs Lego really did an outstanding job with the new Pirate minifigs. This time around, what makes them extra special is the two-sided torsos. For this first wave of sets, there are two distinct opposing forces, the red-coated Imperial Guards, and marauding Pirates. Imperial Guards A total of six different Imperial Guards and variations are contained in the eight-set Pirate collection. Unfortunately, one minifig (third from left), makes itself into the majority of the sets creating a number of “clones”. A total of 11 Imperials are contained in all the sets. The Imperial minifigs have three different types of hats including the Bicorner, Tricorner, and Shako. This time around, the Shako is printed with a gold emblem and red top feather for added detail. All of the Imperials have blue Epaulettes, with the exception of the blue-coated Imperial commander found in 6242 Soldier’s Fort. His is red. Imperial Guards & Backside of Torso Pirates The Pirates outnumber the Imperials at a total of 15 for the eight-set collection. Out of these 15 Pirates, 13 are unique with only Brickbeard, the Pirate captain, duplicated in three of the sets. Three of the additional Pirates from 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty are not pictured. The highlight of the Pirates is the new female pirate with green torso and eye patch. She’s a real “beaut”. All of the new pirates, with the exception of Brickbeard, have sleeveless shirts and vests with yellow arms. Unfortunately, only dark green and blue hat rags (or scarves) are used, but this does allow one to create two factions of pirates. In addition, one of the minifigs that I’ve labeled a pirate is a castaway contained in 6241 Loot Island. He has a nice long grey beard and sad face expressing his discontent with the small island. Pirates Additional Minifigs Two additional minifigs are included within the Pirate theme, both contained in 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty. These include the white dressed Imperial queen/princess and a mermaid used as part of the ship’s bow. These minifigs and the pirate wench bring a nice female element to the new Pirates theme. Set Variety Lego did an excellent job in offering a wide collection of different types of sets in this first wave. Pirates can hop aboard the flagship of the collection, 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty in search of lost treasure. If any of the pirates have to walk the plank, they may find themselves marooned on 6241 Loot Island; but they can cook a fish while they polish their gems from 8397 Pirate Survival. For additional adventure, they can build a makeshift raft and venture out to sea in 6240 Kraken Attackin’, but beware the “Little Kraken”. The pirates have the perfect place to hide on a nearby island in 6253 Shipwreck Hideout. During all of the pirate adventure, the Imperials can organize their assault from 6242 Soldier’s Fort, building up their army with 8396 Soldier’s Arsenal and 6239 Cannon Battle. With these numerous types of sets on land and sea, children (and AFOL) have an endless possibility of imaginary play. Unique Pieces (Not Necessarily New) The new Pirates theme offers an abundance of unique pieces including but not limited to the new metallic painted shooting cannon, a great piece for those of us from the U.S. that never had a shooting cannon. With the new “metallic grey pearl” color, the cannon look terrific. For those wanting to stock up on the cannon, 6239 Cannon Battle is the perfect set. The new theme also includes some great minifig accessories including a dynamite stick and banana contained in 6242 Soldier’s Fort. I also love the gold, blue, and red epaulettes, esp. the gold one used for Brickbeard. A new fish has been added to the theme, this one with an open mouth that allows it to be attached to a pole/stick, as contained in 8397 Pirate Survival. In addition, a new multi-colored parrot provides nice tropical colors for island scenes. Shooting Cannon Unique Pieces The new theme also introduces a new color for the classic 5x14 boat, dark blue. For those of you who dislike the new color, 6242 Soldier’s Fort does contain one in brown. The dark blue boats appear to be for the Imperials while the brown is for the Pirates, based upon boxart. Paddles for these boats are white and brown. Imperial Blue Boat & Brown Pirate Boat One of the nicest elements of Pirates 2009 is the new tan base plate found in 6241 Loot Island. The base plate serves as a sand mound representing an island. Its middle section is open allowing one to place an 8x8 vignette-sized plate in its center. The small pit inside makes a great place to store pirate loot. It will be interesting to see what new creations others will make utilizing this new piece. Island Base Plate Imperial and Pirate Flags It’s great to see the use of the old classic cannon insignia on the Imperial flags, but the Pirate skull and crossbones is a bit different. The new skull and crossbones has a Jolly Roger that has a larger top skull section giving it a more cartoon-like appearance. I hope the clips of the smaller flags hold together better than the old ones from the Classic Pirate collection. Flags The Kraken Set 6240 Kraken Attackin’ introduces a new dark red/maroon octopus that serves as a Kraken to attack pirates aboard the masted raft. The Kraken has been criticized for being too small to be a creature of formidable attack. Options could have been to create a larger sea creature like the dragon in the new Castle theme, or a brick-built creation similar to that of the Vikings theme. If one considers that the Kraken is “just a large octopus”, rather than a huge sea creature from the depths of the ocean, it isn’t too bad. Kraken Theme Colors Pirates 2009 offer a nice selection of colors including many Earth-tone colors like browns, grays, tan, and white. Accent colors include a splash of gold and red. Unlike Imperial forts found in the Classic Pirate theme, 6242 Soldier’s Fort delivers a nice combination of white, tan, and brown, with no yellow (except for a single banana). The Earth-tone colors work exceptionally well for 6253 Shipwreck Hideout giving the set a “more natural” look. 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty is mostly brown, black, tan, and gold, with bright red and white striped sails, two bearing a large Jolly Roger. I’m surprised the new dark blue color was not used as “water plates”, but rather Lego stayed somewhat true to the classic color scheme in keeping regular blue. Dark blue is used for a sloped rooftop in 6242 Soldier’s Fort. Overall, the colors were nicely combined to create a more realistic palette to the theme. Modular Construction Set 6242 Soldier’s Fort offers a nice modular construction design that allows one to attach sections of buildings and walls with two technic beams. It will certainly be great if Lego continues to expand this building method and offer additional add-ons to future pirate sets. 6242 Modular Construction 6192 Pirate Construction Set Special mention must be made to a new Pirate set not included within the theme. Targeted for a younger audience, set 6192 Pirate Construction set is more along the “basic creator” variety and utilizes mostly standard bricks. The set does offer one exclusive blue-torso minifig not contained within any of the eight-set collection. 6192 Basic Pirates and Exclusive Pirate Minifig Set Reviews With special thanks to all of the individuals who were kind enough to share early image reviews of Pirates 2009, Eurobricks has pictures of the complete line-up. The following reviews and comments can be found for each set: 8396 Soldier’s Arsenal & 8397 Pirate Survival: NewRight 6239 Cannon Battle, 6240 Kraken Attackin’: TheBrickster 6241 Loot Island & 6242 Soldier’s Fort: Lego12 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty: Svelte_Corps 6253 Shipwreck Hideout: Moose and TheBrickster 6192 Basic Pirate Construction Set: TheBrickster Note: If I've failed to mention/miss a review, please forgive the oversight. Eurobricks Rating With polls for each of the Eurobricks’ reviews, an analysis of the ratings based on the 1 to 5 point scale was performed. As of November 27, 2008, this is how Eurobricks’ pirate fans rank each of the sets. Based on the polls; surprisingly, no set scored in the 90 percentile category. The highest ranked set was 6243 Brickbeard’s Bounty at 89.7%, the “flagship” of the new theme. The small impulse set, 8396 Soldier’s Arsenal was the 2nd highest ranked set at 88.4%. 6253 Shipwreck Hideout was the second largest set ranked at 87.4%. The rest of the scores as well as the number of voters appear on the graph: Eurobricks' Polls My Rating All things considered, if I were to go out today and buy just a few of the sets, I would start with 6242 Soldier’s Fort that surprisingly was only rated an 82.3% (my personal favorite of the collection), followed by 6253 Shipwreck Hideout (rated 87.4%). To help build my Imperial army, I would pick up a few of 6239 Cannon Battle sets because I really like the cannon. Between these three sets, they offer a great amount of diversity and play to really create some fun pirate adventures. Opportunities for Improvement I have only a few complaints over the new theme. 1) Although the gold chests contained in a few of the sets are a nice change, I still prefer brown over gold. I was surprised to find a brown chest in 6242 Soldier’s Fort. 2) When trying to attach the upper mouth/snout of the crocodile contained in 6241 Loot Island, the piece was so hard to fit into the main crocodile body piece, the mouth showed white stress marks once attached. This is poor quality on the part of Lego. 3) The multiple use of the face of the Imperial soldier contained in 8396 Soldier’s Arsenal is too redundant. I think a more standard face would have been a better option, esp. for 8396 which will most certainly be used as an army-builder. 4) As mentioned above, the Kraken is too small. Pirate fans like their Krakens big! 5) More palm trees are needed. With the entire collection of eight sets, only one palm tree is included in 6242 Soldier’s Fort. Surprisingly, 6253 Shipwreck Hideout has none. 6) The new Indiana Jones crate appears in the theme more than classic-style barrels. I prefer barrels, but would enjoy seeing a better balance of both. Future of the Theme I can’t wait to see what new sets will be added to the 2009 Pirates theme. I’m sure we’ll be seeing some sort of Imperial ship, and perhaps the expansion of the modular 6242 Soldier’s Fort. I’m really looking forward to adding more walls and buildings to the fort. Another faction of soldiers like Spanish Armada or Blue-Coat Soldiers would be nice, not to mention some adventure with a large Islanders set. Whatever the set, I’m sure the continuation of the new Pirates theme will be welcomed. Summary I’m a big Adventurers and Indiana Jones fan who also likes the historic themes like Castle and Pirates. Unfortunately, I really missed out during a long dark-age period when collecting Lego was not something that I would be proud to admit. I only received a few Pirate sets as a gift choosing not to buy any on the store shelves. Although I really missed out on the great Classic Pirate sets, I think Lego did a fantastic job at creating the new Pirates 2009 theme. Lego stayed true to its building style and pieces, while still introducing new colors and elements. The theme is close enough to the old classic collection that its sets might integrate well for those individuals with an older collection. With more Indiana Jones sets, the introduction of the Farm sub-theme, and potential for more Castle sets including 10193 (Medieval Market Village), Pirates 2009 is certainly an exciting theme that will appeal to AFOL and the kids who enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean. Good luck finding the sets at a store near you! References Brickset Eurobricks: Classic-Pirates.com Peeron Wikipedia: Lego Pirates

Very nice Dan. I almost thought this was a pirate MOC at first. I think I'd like to be sitting at the bar now. Blogged!

I've changed the title of this thread to make it a little more appropriate. No more arguing fellas. If you don't like the post of feel that it's inappropriate, just alert one of the mods, and let us take care of it.

Thanks for the comments guys. I really enjoy doing reviews of these older sets, esp. when its a set that I had not built before.

Part 2 Continuing Part 2 of this review... This set has three very nice classic town minifigs with a great red cap, cowboy hat, and black wig: Strangely, the set includes a lot of "loot" - 3 $100 bills, gold coins, two brown 1x2 tiles (I'll refer to these as chocolate bars for lack of a better idea), and two brown suitcases. I'm honestly not sure the purpose of the money. Are these bank robbers? or counterfetiters? (perhaps the brown bars are printing bricks). Share your thoughts on this subject??? I love the classic gator and Wild West-style bush: As mentioned above, this set includes three vehicles. Let's take a look at them, shall we? First, here's the airboat or swamp boat, a nice simple yet effective design. It also has some hooks to attach various tools: The red and black 4WD vehicle is my favorite. It is actually plate-built vs. the large one-piece classic 4-stud car chasis: It even has some places to attach tools as well. The back is open: The seaplane isn't too bad, but I'm not particularly fond of the large blue windshild piece. It seems out of place: Opening up the windshield, you can see the sloped navigation brick and a safe for placing money? What are these guys up to? Here's a front view of the plane: And the rear with another safe?? i do like the black and red pinstriping that gives the plane a sleek design: The hideout is two sections connected by a brown bridge. Here's the 1st side with not much to talk about: I love the building; however, with it's classic half door and black and red colors: It has a small interior with a single yellow chair. - no printing press for counterfeiting: Here's the brown bridge that connect the two sections. the design is rather sturdy with some extra grey 1x2 slopes that hold the brisdfe in place. The bridge does not turn or pivot: A picture of the complete hideout: And lastly, the complete set: Final Thoughts Gator Landing is one of those classic town adventure sets that doesn't really fit into the traditional town variety, but rather more of an Extreme Team, Outback, or other town adventure sub-theme. With that, I must say that I love these kind of sets. They offer so much "playability" outside the normal scope of a Town or City set. What I like about this set is the idea/concept of a small landing in the middle of a swamp where the minifigs are up to something (or) just rather wealthy and enjoying their money. The red building is terrific and can be used in different themes including Adventurers, Indiana Jones, and even Pirates. I may picture it with a few different themed minifigs to see how it looks. I love the red 4WD that is nicely designed and just looks great. As I said above; I know I probably paid more than this set is worth, but it's a great classic and I know that I'm going to enjoy it for years to come. Hope you enjoy this review!

Gator Landing Set #: 6563 Theme: Town Year Released: 1996 Piece Count: 232 Minifigs: 3 + Gator! List Price: $27.50 (USD) Story Somewhere in the swamps of the Florida Everglades, three bank robbers have escaped with the proceeds from a lucrative heist. With suitcases of gold coins, $100 bills, and a few bars of Swiss chocolate, the happy men have the perfect hideout. An old rope bridge spans the gator-infested swamps where they maintain a number of escape vehicles. They have a small sea plane to fly into a nearby unsuspecting town; as well as a rugged 4W drive, a Jeep Wrangler made by Mariko perhaps. And for an adventurous get-away into the Everglade swamps, an airboat rests in the water. I recently picked up this great classic set from 1996, NISB, and couldn't wait to share a review on EB. This will be Part 1 of a two-part review. Part 1 About This Set Gator Landing is one of those classic Town sets that fit into the "Adventure" category rather that Town, similar to the Outback series released one year later in 1997 (like 6444 Outback Airstrip). The set has a lot to offer including a hideout with bridge, three vehicles (small seaplane, air/swamp boat, and 4WD), a gator, three very nice classic figs (one with a cowboy hat ), and a number of accessories. For a NISB set, I did pay a bit more than I probably should have, but I love this little set, and it's been on my "want list" for some time. The Review Let's start with a look at the box and instructions: As you can see, the box is not mint, but it was sealed: Front The back of the box shows a number of creative alternate models: Back The instructions show the same picture as the boxart: But surprisingly, the backside of the instructions has even more alternate models: It was especially fun to browse the 1996 catalogue included in this set. It shows Pirates and Islanders, Royal Knights and Forestmen Classic Castle sets, and some great Classic Town and Rescue sets. What a great year for Lego! MISB(bag) pieces from 1996. How great is this? Not contained in bags is this dark grey BURP and brown bridge piece. Comparing it to the new tan bridge piece in Pirates Hideout, it's not much different (meaning just as soft): With an abrupt ending, this concludes Part 1 of the review. Part 2 will show the wonderful vehicles and other components contained in this set. Enjoy! NOTE: A rating poll will be added to part 2 of the review.

I've been experimenting a bit with my Photo Editing program wanting to create a better backdrop for this set. Here's the result, which I think looks a lot better:

It is a nice torso.

Patje: I really liked your 2006 train layout. I like how you created the numerous trees along the track and the matterhorn or snow mountain climbing up in the distance looks terrific. I'm looking forward to seeing your completed scene this year. EDIT: How did you create your lights in the 2006 layout?